Obama is cooler than you

Hey, kid, the POTUS is sipping a frosty cold adult beverage next to you in some high-dollar NBA seats. Show a little respect!

Celebrate we will. Because life is short but sweet for certain.

Dave Matthews Band is playing North Little Rock during this year's summer tour. But Jen and I's favorite band isn't actually playing there during the summer.

Instead, DMB will play NLR on Sept. 29. A freakin' Tuesday. And they're not playing Alltel Arena. The concert will be held at Dickey-Stephens Park, the minor league baseball stadium.

Luckily, Jen's mom and step-dad have agreed to drive down from Walnut Ridge that night. They'll keep Paige at the Wyndham while we go to the concert right across the street. Good times will be had by all.

This year's tour is the first since the saxophonist, LeRoi Moore, died following an ATV accident. They've hired a replacement, but it won't be the same I fear.

BTW, the new DMB studio album is called "Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King." Groogrux was the band's nickname for Moore.

The final RMN

Click on the photos to see the whole thing ...

The Price of Tomatoes

Gourmet Magazine posted an article about how migrant farm workers in Florida are kept as slaves.

It boils down to this - if you've eaten a tomato during the winter, it was likely picked by somebody kept in virtual slavery. It even applies to tomatoes bought at places like Whole Foods or ones you had on sandwiches at major restaurant chains.

This is yet another reason to buy local, in-season fruits and veggies. 

The Price of Tomatoes

Rocky Mountain News - RIP

The oldest newspaper in Colorado will publish a final edition on Friday, and then shut the doors. Denver will now become a one-newspaper town.

This is a newspaper that was named one of the top 10 sports sections in America by the Associated Press Sports Editors on Tuesday. But less than 24 hours later, the publisher announced the paper was shutting down.

I hate this business. I love newspapers. I love reading them. I love writing and I even love editing. I love journalism. And I love reporting. But the business of newspapers is soul crushing.

What I should have blogged about

Here are the top 5 things I should have been blogging about during my hiatus ...

5. Goofy things I find on the Internet

Like sweet-tea flavored vodka. Or the coyote who got on an airport light rail shuttle. 

4. The economy

And how newspapers are cratering around the nation. Every other industry is getting federal bailout funds, why not newspapers?

3. The Steelers

Another Super Bowl victory should have given me license for dozens of posts about the Black & Gold.

2. My grandmother

Her death was pretty traumatic for me. Not because it was unexpected, she'd been in poor health for years and years. Instead, it was because I'd gone so long without a death in my immediate family. My paternal grandfather died before I was born. My paternal grandmother died in 1992. Both maternal grandfathers (biological and step) are still alive. A couple of uncles died in the meantime, but it was nearly 17 years between deaths in my direct bloodline.

On top of that, my grandmother helped raise me. I spent a lot of time at her house when I was a kid. Summers and after school and every Sunday after church for more years than I can remember. She was a constant in my life.

I'm glad she held on until Paige was born. I'd have been heartbroken if she didn't get to see her great-granddaughter. 

1. Paige

OK, I know I said I don't want to become one of those parents who talk about their kid constantly. But, seriously, she's the No. 1 thing in my and Jen's life right now. Everything else fades into the background thanks to her.

For Lent this year ...

... I'm going to start blogging again.

Usually, I give up something or somethings for Lent. I do this even though I'm not Catholic. I've always thought the tradition of Lenten sacrifice was a neat concept. I see it as a chance to improve yourself physically, mentally and spiritually.

So this year, I'm doing that and adding a few things as well.

Fast food is a regular on the list. Honestly, it's not that difficult now that I'm no longer on the road covering games. Back in the old days when I was trucking to Ashdown or Forrest City for playoff basketball games, I didn't have a choice. It was fast food or no food due to price and/or speed of service.

Cokes (which is Southern for "all sodas") is also on the regular sacrifice list. I'd pretty well weaned myself completely off the carbonated devils. Then Paige came along and I found myself needing the extra boost of caffeine from time to time. 

This year, I'm also adding Lifesavers candy to the mix. Jay Harshaw, our food editor, keeps a jar stocked with Wint-O-Green Lifesavers and they are like crack to me. I could eat a whole bag. My addiction has been so bad I've taken to buying Lifesavers for Jay's stash, because I felt bad for mooching so many. But as of tonight at midnight, I'm done with them.

I'm considering going vegetarian for lunch as well. I'm not sure about it, however. I'm 60/40 in favor of doing it right now.

Those are the things I'm giving up. The list of things I'm going to try to do for the next 40 days includes ...

Blogging - Yes, I've gotten lax about the blog. I blame Facebook. It's easier to do a status update about some odd thing or post a link there than it is here. Jen is shocked I've not been filling post after post with tear-jerking prose about my love for Paige. There's a simple explanation for why I've not done that. One, I don't want to be one of those parents who can't talk about anything except their kid. And, two, it's tough to explain just how much that little kiddo means to me. Words fail me.

Bicycle commuting - This one won't start right away. It's still a bit too cold. But once it warms up another 15-20 degrees, I'm going to ride my bike to the radio show each morning. It's only 1.8 miles, so I guess I could walk it. But instead, I'm going to pedal my way down and back.

Reading - Since Paige was born, my reading has plummeted. It now takes weeks to work through a magazine like Esquire or Outside or Men's Journal because I'm reading in five-minute increments. I'd like to find at least 30 minutes of uninterrupted reading time each day. (Maybe I should become the stereotypical Dad and start taking reading material with me to the bathroom.)

So there we go. I hope some y'all are still lurking. If not, I can't blame you for giving up on the blog.