TampaBLAB

I've got some good news, and some bad news!

The Bad News: This Thursday's episode of TWWTV will be postponed until next week.

The Good News: I'm going down to Miami for two days!

Despite the fact that I couldn't wait to move away, I have to admit that I sometimes miss living in Miami. Between the Cuban food, hot beaches (yes, I said beaches... not something else), and even hotter night life, I always crave coming back to my original stomping grounds. This week, I am going to make the short four and a half hour drive down to Miami with hopes of rekindling the old flame. Hopefully I will be re-united with all of the things I used to love and maybe even a few of the things I grew to hate. What's on my agenda? Do you even have to ask?

I made a list of things I must do:

1) Eat some of my old favorite ribs at Flannigan's

2) Cross at least one bottle of wine off of my wish list

3) Eat at one of my old favorite steak houses

4) Aimlessly wander the streets of South Beach

5) Eat some MORE ribs at Flannigan's...

6) ... actually get some work done! (maybe)

Any suggestions... wanna meet up for a drink? If you can't make it, you can be sure that I'll report back what I drink, where I go, and any trouble that finds me!

Until then...

Cheers!


(This message brought to you by The Wine Whore)

It's Swedish Night! Featuring: Swedish meatballs! and chips, and hot dogs and Pepsi?!? The last 3 are definitely not Swedish...

Where is the pickled herring? the vörtlimpa (Christmas rye bread)? the gravad lax (lox)? or my favorite: the Glögg? That last one not only sounds cool, it's the nordic term for mulled wine and I would recommend it as your beverage of choice while you watch tonights game.

Enemy blog: Check out Jibblescribbits whose mother considers him as "handsome" or Anyone but Detroit whose mother may or may not consider him as "handsome".

The Avalanche were awesome coming out of the gate surprising everyone, largely due to Craig Anderson's oustanding play. They have since slowed down a little, but are still in 4th place in the West, only 2 points back from the NW division leader. In the beginning of the season, Matt Duchene's name was being thrown around a lot for a possible rookie of the year...yeah, now, not so much but he does show flashes of great skill, but how about that Ryan O'Reilly kid?

Craig Anderson has been 3-6-3 in his last 12 starts. Like the Lightning's loss to Dallas, the Avalanche lost on Saturday in a shootout to Minnesota. What hurts more for them is that also lost David Jones for the season with a torn ACL. Milan Hejduk and TJ Galiardi did not play due to injury.

Line-up Notes:

• Our big Swede, Mattias Ohlund is still out
  

Game time: 7:30pm ET on SUN.

Note: I am a bit of a foodie, and have a thing for local European foods...so I am a little dismayed that Swedish night only has Swedish meatballs.

It's Swedish Night! Featuring: Swedish meatballs! and chips, and hot dogs and Pepsi?!? The last 3 are definitely not Swedish...

Where is the pickled herring? the vörtlimpa (Christmas rye bread)? the gravad lax (lox)? or my favorite: the Glögg? That last one not only sounds cool, it's the nordic term for mulled wine and I would recommend it as your beverage of choice while you watch tonights game.

Enemy blog: Check out Jibblescribbits whose mother considers him as "handsome" or Anyone but Detroit whose mother may or may not consider him as "handsome".

The Avalanche were awesome coming out of the gate surprising everyone, largely due to Craig Anderson's oustanding play. They have since slowed down a little, but are still in 4th place in the West, only 2 points back from the NW division leader. In the beginning of the season, Matt Duchene's name was being thrown around a lot for a possible rookie of the year...yeah, now, not so much but he does show flashes of great skill, but how about that Ryan O'Reilly kid?

Craig Anderson has been 3-6-3 in his last 12 starts. Like the Lightning's loss to Dallas, the Avalanche lost on Saturday in a shootout to Minnesota. What hurts more for them is that also lost David Jones for the season with a torn ACL. Milan Hejduk and TJ Galiardi did not play due to injury.

Line-up Notes:

• Our big Swede, Mattias Ohlund is still out
  

Game time: 7:30pm ET on SUN.

Note: I am a bit of a foodie, and have a thing for local European foods...so I am a little dismayed that Swedish night only has Swedish meatballs.

Ten years old. I stand next to a silver ladder in my aunt’s front yard while my uncle untangles Christmas lights next to a huge plastic Virgin Mary and baby Jesus in his manger.

“Sugar,” my uncle swears, his Boston accent wrapping around the word like a soft splash of water. “Fudge!” He winks at me, his big brown eyes bright with mischief.

I giggle and cross my arms. I love the winter. The way it makes the grass feel cold. I love my knitted cream-colored cardigan. I love my uncle.


The summer before, I catch a pinfish off his dock. When he unhooks it for me, he places it in my hands. I cup it gingerly while it thrashes, threatening to pierce my fingers and palms with its needled fins.

“Throw it in the pool,” he dares. He is in his late twenties. Barely a grown-up.

I glance at my mother, who shakes her head. So I throw it back into the canal instead. (I wish, secretly, that I had tossed it into the pool to see it swim. Except the chlorine would have killed it. So I don’t feel that bad after a while.)


At Thanksgiving, we eat some venison from a deer my uncle accidentally hit with his truck and then brought home to butcher in the driveway. He talks about hunting. I sit nearby listening, my chest thrilling at the thought of trekking through the woods.

As I eat, I lose track of the conversation until he turns to me and says, “Would you like to come?”

“Yes,” I manage to gasp. I look at my parents. They don’t seem to mind. I race through plans. What should I pack? What kind of shoes will I need to go hunting? Will I miss school?

Later, I realize that he’d invited me to go to the grocery store with him. I trudge out the door, feet heavy with disappointment.


“You could be a used car salesman,” my aunt tells me, exasperated.

It took me two hours of dancing around the recliner and asking again and again and again—but I finally convinced them to take my little brother and me to a local fair. The rides are set up in a parking lot. It’s night when we arrive.

First, I ride the haunted house alone. I hate it. Buzzers shrill beside me. A foghorn bellows so loudly, I can feel it in my ribs. I climb out of the cart shaking, trying to keep my face calm so that my uncle will take me on the rocket ride.

He does. We spin in woozy circles. I laugh, and the wind catches the sound away from me, whips it through my hair and into the night.


When my brother and I spend the night, we stay in the guest bedroom. The bed has a white blanket with tiny balls of fabric attached to the top. My aunt has decorated with small Smurf’s figurines. My baby cousin uses the room after he’s born.

At night, before I sleep, I look at a porcelain wall-hanging above the bed. A farmhouse with a water wheel beside a small pasture. I pretend to stand at the window, looking out at the countryside.

I listen to the clock beside the bed as it ticks like a cricket.


Ten years old. It’s February and still cold. When I get home from school, my mom sits my little brother and me down on the couch. I drop my backpack and my fingers curl into an orange and brown afghan.

When she tells me that my uncle went to bed and never woke up again, I shake. My throat closes around ugly sounds.

I sit outside on the porch and cry. I sit in my bed and cry.

I hear adults talking. I hear seizure and I hear that he’d been sleeping in the bed I always slept in, with the white blanket. I picture him unmoving. I picture my aunt calling my parents, sobbing he’s gone, he’s gone. I realize why she wasn't working at my elementary school that day.

Later, when my mother tells me it’s time to do my homework, I squint angrily at the pages of a textbook, my glasses blurring up with the heat of my grief. It doesn’t seem fair to do something so normal when the whole world is broken.


We fly to Massachusetts. On the plane, I scowl at the landscape below me.

“Maybe we’ll see snow,” my parents say, offering consolation.

But it doesn’t snow. I play with my brother next to a barren hotel parking lot, sneakers crunching through dead grass and dried leaves. We find a frozen puddle. It’s the first ice I’ve ever seen.

I touch it with the tip of my shoe.

We drive to the funeral. The car’s tires shatter the puddle, leaving the ice broken and muddied.

When I grow up, I always remember where I was the first time I saw ice in the winter.

I'm actually still on vacation, so I'm not able to do any original reporting on the press release about Nancy Alexander's move from the morning drive shift to afternoons on WMTX-FM (Mix 100.7) next Monday.

I will note that, in typical press release fashion, it appears to bury the big news a bit -- saving the fact that longtime area media personality Alexander will be replaced in mornings by a program syndicated from New York City, Elvis Duran and the Morning Show, for the last paragraph.

Also towards the bottom, comes news that Alexander will get a new partner. Her current co-host Chris Randolph moves to the late morning, 10 a.m. shift and assistant program director Kurt Shriner joins her in afternoons.

One other thing it didn't mention at all; among the big commercial stations in mornings, Alexander was the biggest female star standing, with past jobs as a feature reporter on WTVT-Ch. 13 and status as a finalist for the co-hosting job with Regis Philbin which went to Kelly Ripa (especially after Clear Channel's decision to let Sharon Taylor go from the morning team at sister station WFLA-AM).

Now that Alexander has been moved to afternoons, it seems the big local morning radio shows on WFLZ-FM (933 FLZ), WLLD-FM (Wild 94.1), WHPT-FM (The Bone) and WFLA-AM (Newsradio 970) either don't feature women among the core staff or feature them in mostly supporting roles. Generally, morning shifts are considered the more prestigious in commercial radio.

I've often talked about my bad luck with vacations; big news always breaks while I'm away, it seems. Until I can get back to the office tomorrow, click below for the text of the press release:

Nancy Alexander Moves to Afternoon Drive on Mix 100.7/WMTX-FM - TAMPA BAY
 

Clear Channel Tampa’s WMTX-FM/Mix 100.7 moves their best talents around!  10 year morning vet, Nancy Alexander, will be moving to Afternoon Drive as of Monday December 7th! 

“Nancy is a remarkable, unbelievable talent everyone adores” comments OM/Program Director Doug Hamand.  “With the new audience measurement tool (Portable People Meter) it’s an incredible opportunity to expose her talents to a much larger available audience”.  “She will be fantastic in the office and on the way home” Hamand concluded.

“Nancy’s top of mind sense of humor and ability to entertain makes her move to afternoons a bonus to all of us who want an escape from the doldrums of work and the commute home,”  added Dan DiLoreto, President/Market Manager.

Now, a sassy quote from the New Queen of Prime Time Radio, Nancy Alexander, "I begged my bosses to please let me continue to wake up in the middle of the night to go to work!  Wait.  No, I didn't”. 

Also Nancy’s current morning partner Chris Randolph will be moving to mid-day's (10a-2p), Assistant Program Director Kurt Shriner will join Nancy weekdays from 2p-6p.  And starting on 12/7 syndicated morning personality Elvis Duran 6a-10a. 

 

It's that time of year again for the Rudolph’s Reindeer Ride on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 5 PM from Suncoast Trailside Bicycles in the Target Supercenter on State Road 54.

This is a bicycle only event. Helmets are mandatory and bicycle Lights are required.
Win prizes and/or gift certificates from a local bike shop for the Best Holiday Decorated Bike Contest. All registrants must fill out the attached waiver and release.

The ride will start at Suncoast Trailside Bicycles with one turnaround at Crews Lake Park, with a total roundtrip mileage will be approximately 25 miles. Appetizers will be served at Suncoast Trailside Bicycles, and then more food and drink at Crews Lake Park, followed by drinks and desserts back at the bike shop. Rider support ends at 8 PM.

This is an RSVP event, and riders must respond by Dec. 6. Pre-registration cost is $20.00 and includes all food and beverage, and a raffle for prizes/gift certificates. Same day registration will cost $30. Free to children less than 12 years of age. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

For information contact:
Tina Russo: 813-598-1594 or email: russot@hillsboroughcounty.org
Steve Diez: 352-754-4057 or email: stevend@co.hernando.fl.us
Steffanie L. Workman: 813-675-3716 or email: sworkman@HNTB.com

The Henry Plant Museum presents the 28th annual Victorian Christmas Stroll from December 1st to 23rd, 2009, 10:00 am to 8:00 pm daily.Bring family and friends together in the soft glow of 1891 lighting as you discover a lavish Christmas at the former 1891 Tampa Bay Hotel. While strolling down the Grand Hallway, your spirits will soar as you become immersed in beautiful music, Charles Dickens,

Coming off of a close loss at Atlanta yesterday, a lot has been made of the play calling, particularly the run/pass ratio.  It's been no secret that Olsen has favored the pass to the run by an almost two to one margin this year.  Given that the Bucs have been playing from behind most games, that would make sense if you buy into conventional wisdom that you throw more when you're behind in a game.

Yesterday's game brought a new twist.  We had the lead or were tied for a good portion of the game.  So how did this affect the play calling?  Let's look at the number of runs and passes called based on certain scenarios.

I went through the play by play on NFL.com to look at called runs versus called passes. This means any sack, or Freeman scramble is classified as a pass, as that was the call in the huddle.  Any designed runs were counted as runs.  Plays that were nullified due to penalties were not counted, but plays where the penalty occurred after the play were counted.   

First, let's look at the the called passes vs runs by quarter in the game against the Falcons.

Quarter	1	2	3	4
Pass	5	9	11	7
Run	7	3	5	9

Those numbers look fairly balanced, but here's what I see.  We opened up the game with a somewhat run heavy (for us) attack.  We moved the ball well, and it opened up the play action pass and the ability for Freeman to have a few more seconds in the pocket.  As the game progressed, we abandoned the run for a pass heavy offense (20 to 8 in the 2nd and 3rd quarter).  We took away the threat of the play action pass, took our running backs out of the game and became a stagnant offense.  The 4th quarter so us go a bit run heavy, particularly on the last drive.  We were very predictable in our attack, which lead to the Atlanta defense, not a stalwart by any stretch, to shut us down as the game went on.   When we went pass heavy (3rd quarter), we failed to move the ball.

Next I wanted to take a look at how we called plays based on the score.  I again went through the play by play to see what types of plays were called based on if we had the lead, were tied, or were behind.  What I'd also like to qualify, is that we were never behind by more than 10 points.  This game was not out of reach for either team at any point.

	Lead	Tie	Behind
Pass	13	10	9
Run	13	8	3

This is open to all kinds of interpretation.  I understand the logic in throwing so much when we are/were behind, but it was 10 points.  Olsen (and Gruden) have a history of abandoning the run to soon and just taking to the air.  With a 10 point deficit (at it's highest point), we were 3 to 1 in favor of the pass.  The balanced attack vanished. 

With the score tied or the Bucs int he lead, we almost got to a 50/50 split.  I have no problem with passing on first down, or using quick flares, passes to the flats or screens as running plays.  But we've become somewhat predictable. 

Here's a look at our play calling based on down, and then based on distance.  I broke distance into 10+ yards, 4-9 yards to go, and 3 yards or less.  First, based on downs.

Down	1st	2nd	3rd
Pass	10	9	11
Run	14	10	1

The first thing I see is the lack of a run game on 3rd down.  At this point, I'd settle for a screen on 3rd down just to give the defense something to think about.  The Bucs seem pretty balanced on other downs, but the consistent passing from 3rd downs surely won't help a young quarterback.  As a point worth noting, the Bucs were 25% on 3rd downs on Sunday.  Not good.

Yards To Go	10 or more	4-9	3 or less
Pass	14	11	5
Run	15	8	2

The big disparity here is, with 3 yards or less to go, we throw almost three times for every run.  I find this pretty hard to believe.  No threat of running the ball, the defense can just play pass all day long.  The runs on 10 or more yards is a bit misleading.  By using the numbers above, you can see that 14 of the 15 runs with 10 or more yards to gain are on first down.  With 2nd or 3rd and long, no threat of a draw (or a screen). 

The play calling seems to lack imagination and any real planning.  The Bucs seem to be a pretty easy team to figure out offensively, particularly once we are behind in a game.  If these are trends that we are picking up on, I'd be willing to bet that the guys who are paid to do this, the opposing defensive coordinators and coaches have figured this out as well. 

At some point this week, I'd also like to look at two play calls that seem to be generating a lot of heat.  The fake punt and the long field goal attempt at the end of the game.

I'm not for ousting Olsen, but I do think some changes need to be made.  We blasted Jim Bates for his failure to adapt to our personnel and running a scheme that was an ill fit to our team, the same should be done for Olsen.  We are working against our strengths and running the same offense we've run for the past 6 years.  The commitment to the run game and vertical threat that we heard about all preseason (and that Jags was in part fired for not installing) is non-existent.  Lets adapt to what we have, not force a scheme that doesn't fit just to do it.

I'd like to say we are taking a step in the right direction, and we are as a team.  The defense certainly looked better yesterday, but the offense, though it has some bright spots, can't seem to get out of it's own way sometimes.

Edit:  I went back and looked at all 11 games thus far and looked at the pass/run numbers on first and third down.  I broke it down by quarterbacks, but you can add the numbers up to see where we stand over all.  The charts show number of called pass plays and run plays on 1st down and on 3rd down.

Leftwich

	1st	3rd
Pass	44	36
Run	28	3

 

Johnson

	1st	3rd
Pass	55	54
Run	43	6

Freeman

	1st	3rd
Pass	59	49
Run	48	7

Yep.  We've passed the ball 139 times on 3rd down and run it 16 times.  You do the math.

Last night on the drive home, I was listening to Fox Radio and heard something I have never heard before in my life. Someone said they wanted the Bucs quarterback. 

Strange days indeed!

The exact quote was.." Can I get Josh Freeman for Mark Sanchez?"... so not only  did he like Freeman, but more so than Sanchize, something unheard of in week 5. 

Or ever! No one ever asked for Vinny Testeverde, or Trent Dilfer. Nor did they want Shawn King or Craig Erickson. Oh Sure Doug Williams got a lot of praise in his days as a Buc. 

What about you Buc'em Reader? The question is.. Do you think Josh Freeman has what it takes to be an elite QB. I'm afraid "We'll have to wait and see" wont do it..your going to have to decide right now....

Yes, No, or he will be an ok Game (dreaded title) Manager!

Christmas is my favorite time of year!  I thought a little Perry Como would be appropriate for today’s Musical Monday.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Don’t forget today’s the last day to enter my giveaway!

Laura Spaulding can always tell when the calls for her Lutz-based waste disposal company are about to double.

A&E's Hoarders must be back with new episodes.

Since 2005, her company Spaulding Decon has provided cleanup and decontamination services for all sorts of locations -- from crime scenes, to homes where owners have died or police have busted methamphetamine labs using dangerous chemicals.

But about 50 percent of her business these days is cleaning up for people who collect or hold onto things until their homes are jammed with junk -- commonly called hoarders. And with A&E's captivating series exploring this condition returning for its second season of new episodes at 10 tonight, Spaulding knows she's likely to see a jump in customer calls.

"Kids are starting to notice -- 'Hey something's not right; we're not like everybody else on the block,'" said Spaulding. "I just think people have no idea how many hoarders there are. From the outside of their houses, they look like everyone else. But inside, it's a different story."

For proof, look no further than tonight's Hoarders episode, featuring a 68-year-old Louisiana woman named Augustine. She lost custody of her son 14 years ago due to hoarding which turned her home into a haven for cockroaches, stray cats, mildewing clothes and rotting food. But even though her son Jason was placed with Augustine's oldest daughter, she never resolved her hoarding enough to take him back and he moved away to Seattle.

Tonight's episode features Jason and his sister returning to their home with a cleanup crew to keep Augustine's home from being condemned by the parish where she lives. That's the kind of crisis which makes Hoarders stand out, according to executive producer Jodi Flynn.

"I really think the crisis moment is what's unique about our show," said Flynn, whose Screaming Flea Productions developed Hoarders for A&E as a companion for its unscripted addiction show, Intervention. Their eureka moment came when producers decided to profile hoarders in crisis -- they're about to be evicted, their family is about to leave them or children may be removed over the hoarding.

"You can't treat a hoarder in a short term manner...so the key was to find a way to present a slice of what these people are going through," said Flynn, who added the show also looks for people with family members or loved ones willing to appear on camera."We don't claim to cure anybody. We claim to help them; get them on the right path, if we can."

In Augustine's case, that involved bringing a therapist and a cleanup crew to her home. Producers spent an hour telling her story, detailing how a woman known for always looking nice and well put together, could become so debilitated by hoarding she loses custody of her child and crews pulling mounds of material from her home discover two dead cats buried under the refuse.

And while it may be frustrating for viewers to watch therapists try to get hoarders to sort through and pick out the stuff to be tossed -- Spaulding cites one family who sent a hoarder on vacation and then hired her company to clean while her was gone -- experts say participation is key to dealing with the disease.

"The person has to own up to what they want, if they want to get better," said Eric Storch, who treats hoarders as director of the obsessive compulsive disorder program at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg.

Though Storch worries that programs such as Hoarders can be too melodramatic, he agreed that the subjects -- who sometimes cope with stress by adopting hoarding habits, in the way OCD sufferers develop debilitating rituals -- must participate in their recovery to avoid falling back into the same behaviors after the cleanup is done.

Flynn doesn't avoid the notion that there's a bit of a bargain here -- hoarders trade exposing a normally secretive, embarrassing illness for the resources to clena their homes and therapy to get better. But she said the show offers some aftercare, sticking with subjects for an average of six months to help them get better.

"Many of these peole have spent most of their money on hoarding," said Spaulding. "and this is one of the few servicxes we offer whih isn't covered by homeowner's insurance....So (appearing on the show) sounds like a win-win to me."

Right off the presses and just in time for Lakelanders’ Christmas stockings is a great coffee table book featuring the Polk Museum of Art.

PMoA@43: Forty-Three Years of Service to Minds and Hearts. Polk Museum of Art: 1966-2009 (ISBN: 978-0-9794814-5-1) was authored by Dr. James Gordon Rogers and Ann Gurley Rogers, respectively a Professor of Art History and a Library Specialist at Florida Southern College. It relates the near half-a-century old history of the PMoA, with its various missions, locations and activities inside and outside the museum proper. There are as well a lot of people stories and histories of the directors, curators, benefactors and volunteers. Museum and other local archives as well as personal interviews have been used to wrote and illustrate the text. The book helpfully lists various persons involved with the museum throughout the years and contains a name index.

The 13 inch by 11 inch, 189 pages hardcover sells for $50 ($40 for Museum members). The book is available at the Museum store; you can also order a copy online.

New Book on the Polk Museum of Art

Lakeland Local and Metro I4 News have a new design.
When was the last time you visited?

Originally Published as New Book on the Polk Museum of Art

It is widely expected that President Obama will announce tomorrow night at a speech at West Point that he will at least slightly expand the war in Afghanistan.

I don't know about most of you, but I voted for Obama a little over a year ago because that particular candidate boasted that we would get out of wars we had no business in to begin with. But here we are in late 2009, expanding the wars in the Middle East.

The country's citizens are slowly going broke, and the holiday season that puts us in the new decade won't help that. We're being told the unemployment rate nationally is 10 percent. Look at your local paper's classified section, as I do with the St. Pete Times, and see how few jobs there are (as opposed to a year ago, or two), and see if you believe it's "just" 10 percent. It's much higher than that.

We can't solve the problems of other nations if we can't even solve our own, and we're just about at that point right now. Forcing the citizens of this country to pay for healthcare when a good chunk of them are out of work won't help either.

Mr. Obama, you're driving people away from your door and to that woman who could see Alaska from her house. And when Sarah Palin becomes the great hope, the great salvation of our country, we're in mucho trouble-o.

That's how I see it.

All work and no sequels makes Stephen King a dull boy. That's why there's a new installment to The Shining apparently in the works.

This is, of course, '80s news only because the 1977 book turned into a movie in 1980.

King dropped the bomb at a book reading for his latest book Under The Dome, according to the Torontoist.

"Seems King was wondering whatever happened to Danny Torrance of The Shining, who when readers last saw him was recovering from his ordeal at the Overlook Hotel at a resort in Maine with fellow survivors Wendy Torrance and chef Dick Halloran (who dies in the Kubrick film version)," the Torontoist reports. "King remarked that though he ended his 1977 novel on a positive note, the Overlook was bound to have left young Danny with a lifetime’s worth of emotional scars. What Danny made of those traumatic experiences, and with the psychic powers that saved him from his father at the Overlook, is a question that King believes might make a damn fine sequel."

The tentative title: Doctor Sleep.

In the very-still tentative plan for a sequel, "Danny is now 40 years old and living in upstate New York, where he works as the equivalent of an orderly at a hospice for the terminally ill. Danny’s real job is to visit with patients who are just about to pass on to the other side, and to help them make that journey with the aid of his mysterious powers. Danny also has a sideline in betting on the horses, a trick he learned from his buddy Dick Hallorann."

Click here to read the full scoop.

TOP 5 PSYCHOTIC LINES FROM 'THE SHINING' FILM:

5. "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

4. "Hello Danny. Come and play with us. Come and play with us, Danny. Forever... and ever... and ever."

3. "Wendy? Darling? Light, of my life. I'm not gonna hurt ya. You didn't let me finish my sentence. I said, I'm not gonna hurt ya. I'm just going to bash your brains in."

2. "Little pigs, little pigs, let me come in. Not by the hair of your chiny-chin-chin? Well then I'll huff and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in."

1. "Heeere's Johnny!"

There is an international crossbow championship in Portugal.

Did not know that.

Wonder if one of these could stand up against that fancy rig she's got. ...

FREE basketball pole/backboard (Davis Islands): Free basketball pole/backboard.net--just need to remove. Set in a... http://bit.ly/7X5IOZ

Ever been in a crappy mood and felt like your wine also sucked, or a great mood and thought the glass of wine you were sipping was awesome?

How much does environment affect the way your wine tastes?

From my own experiences, environment seems to play a significant role when it comes to tasting a glass of wine. If I am having a good time and enjoying myself, then I usually tend to enjoy the wine too. If I am in a bad mood, my wine doesn't seem to taste as sweet. Wine also seems to have the opposite effect. A nice glass of wine can turn a crappy day around in no time!

I try not to let my mood influence my taste buds especially since I taste a lot of free samples. I would hate for the fact that I am excited about a freebie cloud my judgment about the wine itself... but is it unavoidable?

Are we unintentionally spoiling our wine through our moods?




(This message brought to you by The Wine Whore)

photo credit: Tom Hagerty for Lakeland Local

Encierro Lakeland

Lakeland Local and Metro I4 News have a new design.
When was the last time you visited?

Originally Published as Encierro Lakeland

Having stuffed myself with several pounds too much of the most delicious food known to man, I am reminded of how there is no substitute for homemade food made from scratch.  After all the baking was done and the families had gone home, I found myself with a few extra apples and a touch of creativity that was itching to get out...so here is the result.

Thanks so much for all of the flattering comments on the Thanksgiving background.  I'll have a Christmas themed one coming up soon.  I'll throw a bone out to my jewish friends if they can hook me up with an idea...the dreidel is in your court.

The St. Pete Times took a critical look at Steve Polzin and CUTR's research interests, raising questions about the integrity of either's committment to light rail progress in the community.

It's a joy to see friends I've made along this writing journey achieve their publishing goals. Today's featured author, Rhonda McKnight, is one such person.

Rhonda and I met online initially, frequenting some of the same blogs and writing loops. Then, I had the pleasure of meeting her face to face at the 2008 Faith and Fiction Retreat. It was just a short year or so ago, but it seems like eons past. At that time, Rhonda had already signed a contract for her debut novel and was working hard on revisions and other preparations for this day.

Rhonda was sunny in disposition, pragmatic in outlook, and willing to share--traits I enjoy in others--so I knew we'd hit it off. It was fun getting to know someone who is an even bigger fan of author Victoria Christopher Murray than me. Until then, I wasn't sure that was possible.

Rhonda owns Legacy Editing, a freelance editing service for fiction writers.  She's also the vice president of the Faith Based Fiction Writers of Atlanta.  Originally from New Jersey, she's called Atlanta home for the past twelve years.  Her "journey to publication" is a testament to her confidence in her writing and the ability to exercise her faith.  (You can get the full story on her blog.)


ABOUT THE BOOK

...old memories and new enemies set on revenge.

Faith Morgan is struggling with her faith. Years of poor communication and neglect leave her doubting that God will ever fix her marriage. When a coworker accuses her husband, Jonah, of the unthinkable, Faith begins to wonder if she really knows him at all, and if it’s truly in God’s will for them to stay married.

Pediatric cardiologist Jonah Morgan is obsessed with one thing: his work. A childhood incident cemented his desire to heal children at any cost, even his family, but now he finds himself at a crossroads in his life. Will he continue to allow the past to haunt him, or find healing and peace in a God he shut out long ago?

Can Jonah and Faith Morgan keep their marriage together or will secrets and lies tear the family apart?

Read an excerpt here.

REVIEW

Dr. Jonah Morgan is harboring secrets that are affecting his entire life--work, family and faith. Faith Morgan is at her wits' end, knowing something is wrong and that her husband is keeping something from her. Then, some of Jonah's co-workers are motivated to take actions that force everything to the surface--and their marriage to the brink.

Featuring and reviewing books of writer friends can get dicey. Especially debut books, but no worries here. Rhonda wrote a page turner that I devoured in about a day and a half. You will too.

Secrets and Lies is a well-written story featuring realistic characters in a realistic plot. No extraordinary twists requiring the reader to suspend all sense of disbelief here. No, this endearing story features a husband and wife trying to work through the issues that keep their marriage and their family from being whole.

Although I think Secrets and Lies was intended to be more Faith's story, I saw it as Jonah's story. It was easy to understand the pain Jonah felt and carried into marriage from his past, and how that pain drove his entire life. I also found it interesting, if a bit uncommon in Christian fiction, as to how Rhonda chose to portray his faith--belief in God but not saved; weak church attendance but supportive of his wife's activities/involvement.

Last, I loved the cover art. The pose of a man and woman with their eyes closed and heads together could signal anguish, reconciliation, or the realization of a deep, profound love. Secrets and Lies is a wonderful debut, and I look forward to more from my friend, Rhonda.

BONUS FEATURES

Meet the characters from Secrets and Lies:

Faith Morgan – “There’s nothing more important to me than my family, but it seems the more I try to keep things together, the more they fall apart. Jonah is so distant, and he works all the time. I’m starting to wonder if he still loves me, and I know my son, Eric is thinking the same thing. I’ve been praying and asking God to help fix my marriage. But if it doesn’t get better soon, I’ll have to take things into my own hands. And I guess that’s the way God wants it. I mean, if he doesn’t do anything to change Jonah, maybe that’s my sign that we aren’t supposed to be together after-all.”

Jonah Morgan – “I can’t believe its 9 p.m. and I’m just getting out of this hospital. Faith’s going to have a fit. I think Eric had a baseball game tonight. I’ve got to make the next one, or I’ll be sleeping in the spare bedroom. Might as well be in there though, for all the action I’m getting in my own. Is that my cell phone or my pager? – My mom again. The women in my life are driving me crazy. I’ll call back tomorrow. I hope Faith made something good for dinner.”

If you enjoy prequels, Rhonda's written two short stories that show how Jonah and Faith got together, ten years before Secrets and Lies. Here's Jonah's decision to approach Faith, and Faith getting ready for their first date.

Secrets and Lies is available now at bookstores everywhere. Learn more about Rhonda and her books at her website, http://www.rhondamcknight.net/index.html and check out her blog, Urban Christian Fiction Today.  Her second book, An Inconvenient Friend, comes out in August 2010.

Congratulations, Rhonda!

Remember the Superfriends cartoons? When they weren't fighting villians, Superman, Batman, Aquaman and Wonder Woman would just kind of hang around their crime fighting headquarters, in their super hero uniforms, addressing each other by their super hero names and using their super hero poweres for mundane chores and glorified bar tricks.

The holiday Thanksgiving has some meaning to me that I never realized. Most use it to get together with family, watch football and eat. Our family has taken it further. Let me describe what I mean.

We have a large plot of land in SW Alabama and on that land is a house built in 1950. This house was on a winding, hilly dirt road at the time and well away from any town of substance. However, it was very well built. What is interesting is every year we have created a tradition of trying to meet up there for a family gathering – every year we do it. It is such a natural occurrence that everyone seems to be able to get away long enough to spend at least one night and we have a WONDERFUL time.

We call the place “Opine”. Not sure exactly where it came from, but it does exist. We all enjoy being up there and together and end up working our tail off to maintain it.

For us, Thanksgiving has a meaning that is not as visible as most. My family seems to gravitate to a place that has a special meaning to us and we do it unconsciously, it just happens. To us, Thanksgiving is a natural way to get together and share in what we have been given. For that, I am thankful. I just wish I was closer!