'Can we not see eye to eye?'

Picture is of reporter Jaime Sarrio fulfilling the time-honored tradition of covering the Forum Banquet.
UPDATE: I should point out that the speaker whom Jaime is interviewing in this picture is frequent letter-writer and previous Forum Banquet honoree Phil Michal Thomas.

The open mic period is begun

We've had 4 speakers so far, and 3 of them got bell-runged by Liz Sharer for going over. This may be a record.

Mayor Dean speaks

Mayor Karl Dean is delivering the keynote speech.



Dessert was called "Chocolate Confusion." It was very good.

Dinner is underway

I'm honored to have sitting at my table Mr. Andy Brown, who sat with me last year -- this is his 11th banquet -- and Mr. Foster Shockley, who is at his 24th or 25th banquet.

Live from the Forum Banquet

Live from the Maxwell House ...

Now THIS is paying at the pump

One tank of gas: Just under $50.

Some random stuff I've meant to blog about

All in one blog post 'cause I'm way behind:

• I saw nine engines on one train the other day in the Gulch. My dad and I have a running contest to see who can spot the most engines on one train. The current record, held by me, is 11, but nine was the old record. These were mostly Union Pacifics, but there were a few orange-ish colored NLCX engines mixed in.
• I want to see the Hank Williams family exhibit at the Hall of Fame. I'll have to let you know how it goes.
• I'm no longer the biggest TV celebrity from Warrenton, Ga. I've been surpassed, thankfully, by Jamie Ellis and his bees. Read more about it on my Warrenton blog. Speaking of which, I was pleasantly surprised to learn the other day that Warrentonians have their own group on Facebook. I'm proud to be a member.
• Went to roller derby last night with Monica and Ellen at the State Fairgrounds. It was a lot of fun. The crowd chanted the name of one of our star players, who calls herself Rambo Sambo. My favorite part was the halftime show, with a dance routine performed by the Nashville Rollergirls' crack cheerleading squad.
• Shot the old .38 yesterday morning at TWRA's public range out by Percy Priest. I shot about 150 rounds at the five-yard target. Annie Oakley would have nothing to fear from me, trust me.
• I'm getting really, really sick of our local weather patterns, where it's warm and beautiful during the week, but then it turns cold, crummy and rainy on the weekends.
• The body shop wants $1,900 to fix the dashboard in my truck where my stereo was ripped out. Yikes!
• I'm really enjoying the John Adams miniseries on HBO.
  

Monet: That's what I want

Went to see the “Monet to Dali” exhibit at the Frist today and greatly enjoyed it. Rodin, you da man. I never knew his The Thinker was supposed to be based on Dante. Man, Dante must have really been one chiseled, muscular dude. Did they have Pilates back then or something?

I remembered today something that the art students I knew at Vanderbilt often said: Don’t put a fancy frame on your paintings because it overshadows the picture itself. I accepted their wisdom at the time. But seeing all the Monets and Picassos and Van Goghs today, I noticed how many of them were displayed in huge, ornate frames – the stuff you pay the major cash for at the frame shop. So, was the advice incorrect? Or is it that when you’re Monet, the rules don’t apply to you?

I tend to think it’s the second, not the first. Breaking the rules – wasn’t that what Monet and Picasso and all those guys were trying to do with their art anyhow?

I'd vote for that

As suggested by Peter Cooper: Earl Scruggs for mayor, Kentucky colonel and homecoming queen. Let the campaign begin.

It was a heck of a week

Last election night -- the September 2007 Nashville mayoral runoff -- we had an election and an execution.

This election night - Feb. 5 presidential primaries -- we had an election and tornadoes.

My prediction for next election night: Election + Wolf Creek Dam will break.

Check out the handiwork of my colleagues at Tennessean.com. And here's some stuff on YouTube:

Messing around with Google Maps again

I worked up a Google Map to go with our Political Datebook column this week. Let me know what you think.

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Vote early with our Google Map

I've been tinkering some with Google Maps lately, and here's one I'm proud of: It's a map of early voting sites in the Nashville area that I did for Tennessean.com. Click on the balloons and it should tell you when you can vote there, links to the sample ballot (if that county's is online) and contact information for the county Election Commission. And because it's a Google map, you can also plug in your own address and it will give you driving directions.


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'Chuck Norris is always in control'

I laughed 'til I cried reading ChuckNorrisFacts.com, as mentioned in today's Online Buzz column in The Tennessean.

Quote of the day

Serious journalism is vital to maintaining our society and our freedoms. ... Digging out hidden facts and making them understandable energizes me.
- New York Times reporter David Cay Johnston, as quoted by the Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat & Chronicle. Seeing this quote this morning really lifted my spirits, and I sure needed it.

Here, have a Stage Plank

Driving back to Nashville after Thanksgiving, I pulled in to a little gas station in north Georgia to fill up my tank and get a Coke, and instead wound up making quite a find: Uncle Al's Stage Planks. I hadn't had a Stage Plank in a zillion years. They're pink-frosted gingerbread-y cookies, big and flat. I remember getting them from the convenience store in Warrenton where I used to work.

Via Google, I noticed a blogger in Savannah described Uncle Al's Stage Planks recently as "frightening." Respectfully, this is undeserved. However, the gas station where I found the Stage Planks was also sellling barbecued fatback as a snack. Now, that's frightening. (You can read more about people like me who enjoy a quality Stage Plank on this message board.)