Just in case you guys have been wondering where I am this week, it was time for me to take a week off.  So for the first time in a long time, I'm not traveling anywhere during this vacation.  Instead, I'm staying home, sleeping, reading, and watching Steven Seagal movies.  Seriously, I went to Blockbuster and found these 8 movies:


When I tell people about how much I like Steven Seagal, they always laugh and make fun.  But that's ok.  I just really like the guy.  EVERY movie that he makes entertains me from beginning to end.  And he's like the ultimate good guy.  Trying to do the right thing with all the odds in the world stacked against him.


I'm also playing a good bit of Rock Band these days.  I've got to where I can play guitar and sing, or play drums and sing, both on "hard" setting, and score in the upper 90's.  But I still haven't figured out a way to play guitar, drums, and sing, all at the same time.  If anybody out there needs somebody to play Rock Band with, let me know.

See ya after Labor Day!

How much gaming is too much? For North Carolina native Blake Peebles, there's no such thing. Guitar Hero is his title of choice. "I usually play till I can't anymore," he says.

In fact, young Mr. Peebles is dropping out of high school... in order to focus on Guitar Hero full time. Peebles hopes to join the small but growing crew of players looking to make gaming a job. Citing his victories in Guitar Hero tournaments, which include "gift certificates, gaming equipment, and chicken sandwiches," Peebles thinks he has the chops to play competitively and earn actual money in the process. As the story notes, top gamers on the competitive circuit can earn up to $80,000 a year (though $25,000 is more common). Peebles, of course, can count his 52 Chick-fil-A combo meals toward that total.

Here's the real messed up part of it:  his parents seem to be ok with it.  They hired him a tutor that provides a private education, and his parents say he's doing well with the more focused instruction and that their son now even does his homework without complaint.  (Probably so he can hurry to play Guitar Hero LOL)

Let's hope that the 16-year old makes it in the world of competitive gaming.  The costs of traveling to tournaments alone can totally outstrip earnings, and the amount of training can be grueling. Sponsorships are often a pipe dream. And then there's the issue of games going out of date and being replaced by something new.

Traditional athletes never have to worry about, say, distance running being upgraded with a new version, but many games can go out of style, fast. In the end, there's just not much cash there: One gamer, quoted at the end of the linked article, says that in eight years his total earnings are about $25,000 total, and that's including a national championship in Halo 2.

In my opinion, the best Prime Rib in town is not at Longhorn.  It's not at Outback.  It's at O'Charley's.  But they only serve Prime Rib after 4pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  So this past weekend, I go into O'Charley's AGAIN for Prime Rib.  I get there at 5pm, looking forward to Prime Rib.  But at 5pm, ONLY ONE HOUR AFTER THEY STARTED SERVING PRIME RIB, they had already run out.

People I ask you:  how is it that you can run out of your BEST menu item in just 1 hour, when it's something that you only serve 3 days out of the week?

Once again, I was reduced to getting a Ribeye.  Is it mis-management?  Is it a beef shortage?  Is it just that the good Lord thinks I need to lay off of red meat?

P.S. - To the Vegetarians that might be offended by this entry, I refer you to the same thing I've said before:

Don Helms, legendary Steel Guitarist and member of Hank Williams' original Drifting Cowboys band, passed away this morning at his home in Nashville.  He was 81.


Helms recorded more than 100 songs with Williams, including "Your Cheatin' Heart" and "Cold, Cold Heart." He also appears on the recordings of Lefty Frizzell's "Long Black Veil," Patsy Cline's "Walkin' After Midnight" and Stonewall Jackson's "Waterloo," as well as some early Johnny Cash albums. His songwriting credits include Brenda Lee's 1961 pop hit, "Fool No. 1," and Hank Williams Jr.'s "The Ballad of Hank Williams." Helms continued to perform following Williams' death, including a stint in the '60s with the Wilburn Brothers as part of their syndicated TV series and touring band. Most recently, Helms played regular monthly gig with the band Brazilbilly at Robert's Western World, a honky-tonk in downtown Nashville. He is survived by his wife, Hazel.

I had the honor of interviewing Don on the radio several times over the years, which started somewhat of a friendship.  We talked on the phone often, mainly just to catch up on what's happening in each other's lives.  He was a very kind, humble man, and an amazing talent. 

Don's race is finished, and now the words of 1 Corinthians 15:54 are true of him:  "But when that which is perishable puts on the imperishable, and what is mortal puts on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory."

Maybe he should have offered them cocktails.

U kant spel.

More on Miss Congeniality.



Careful, she'll cause a bad case of the piles.

Fellas, just stop and think for a moment. 

Cheerleaders are funny.



Too fat to die?  Good luck in hell, Tubby.

No sandwich sauce?  Call the cops... twice.



It's Baaaaaack!

Go ahead and call in sick, we got your back.

She just wouldn't listen.

And speaking of body parts...