I am old enough to remember a time when exactly two foods could be delivered to your home with a phone call: pizza and Chinese. If you lived in a small town, had relatives nearby or belonged to a caring church, you might also have food delivered to you if a loved one passed, you … Continue reading Having your hopes ‘doordashed’
In the New South, we have so many choices on where to eat out, my Darling Beloved and I resort to the process of elimination, filtering by geography to narrow our voluminous choices. It goes something like this: Me: What do you want to go for dinner tonight? DB: I don’t care. You pick a … Continue reading Get thee to a ‘meat and three’
When you’re one of 93,033 screaming, barking fans Between the Hedges on a fall Saturday, it doesn’t seem like a statistically unlikely occurrence. And when you are among 4,000-plus taking in a show in the Broadway series at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre, you are not that special. When it happens somewhat spontaneously during a busy season … Continue reading Say ‘yes’ to the best
There are two kinds of personality tests: scientifically valid and silly. This is the latter. Among the myriad serious assessments of your “type” or “preferences” are Enneagram, DISC Profile, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Big Five Personality Test (aka OCEAN), and Clifton Strengths Finder. I’ve taken them all at various points in my illustrious career and … Continue reading Mexican restaurant personality quiz
At the risk of sounding like a “Get off my lawn!” old person, I can’t help but marvel at how technological failures can ruin a customer experience. As I descend (ascend?) into “Get off my lawn!” maturity, I have noted a steep decline in customer service in all facets of life. Perhaps you have as … Continue reading Technology-driven customer service ineptitude
If you are able to enjoy a brisk morning walk along North River Drive in Lilburn, Georgia, free of entangling spider webs, you’re welcome. Since the onset of spider web season, I have been the person clearing the way for you at least three mornings a week in the pre-dawn hours. I’m not saying I’m … Continue reading Web walking
Life presents us a dizzying array of choices on a daily basis. Invigorating to some and debilitating to others, probing our innermost desires to come up with a decision can be stressful. Or, it can be great fun. In recent weeks two forms of the same parlor game have been circling in the orbit of … Continue reading Games of choice
Sports happen all year round in different seasons, much like nature itself. When I was coming of age there were three distinct seasons that overlapped the traditional four equinox-related time periods. (I went into great detail to explain all the equinoxes in a previous post.) Those three seasons were Football, Basketball and Baseball. Barron's pure … Continue reading Who is your team?
I’ve officially been “visit-the-dermatologist-anually” years-old since 2014. What I’ve learned in the intervening 11 years is that these appointments with Dr. Weiss are usually quick and painless but sometimes unexpectedly concerning. My Darling Beloved remains vigilant about my health, and when I catch her gazing longingly at my ruggedly handsome features, I have learned that … Continue reading Skin deep
I began identifying as a “journalist” as early as age 17, long before I actually started keeping a journal. As the high school columnist and summer intern for that bastion of Central Florida journalism, the now defunct Lake Wales Daily Highlander, I was the cubbiest of cub reporters, filling notepads with scribbled quotes from interviews, … Continue reading The ‘journal’ part of being a ‘journalist’
New South Essays 