I love when a conversation turns Southern. My day job recently had me in our nation’s capitol for a conference. These events are catnip to me. My extroversion explodes. Meeting new people, making connections, networking and engaging in conversations energizes me. About 700-800 people, give or take, attended this conference, and I knew only a … Continue reading When a conversation turns Southern
No one in the New South answers their phone any more. Well, almost no one. I have recently stumbled onto an interesting sociological discovery, and I want to test a hypothesis here and gauge your response. No one who lives in the big city answers their phone any more. Folks who live out in the … Continue reading It’s for you
In our modern age we rely on precision in our measurements. Even when we don’t need it, our devices give it to us. Google maps tell us how far away Grandma’s house is, down to the tenth of a mile. Our scale gives us our weight to the hundredth of a pound. Our workout app … Continue reading A heap of Thanksgiving measurement
On April 3, 2025, I enticed Carla and our friend Heather to join me in violating the no. 1 rule of our influencer-driven, celebrity-obsessed culture: Never meet your heroes. Landon Bryant and his lovely wife, Kate, are the rare exception. We were among the first to arrive at Eagle Eye Books in Decatur that night … Continue reading Landon talks… to me
A look back at the year that was in 2024 for New South Essays.
I spent Labor Day weekend with my folks in Lake Wales, Fla., and tried my best to complete as many projects as I could in three days. I don’t get down there as often as I should, and I mean no disrespect when I say this, they are at an age where they need assistance … Continue reading Projects and piddlin’
My apologies if I’ve been showing too much skin this summer. Modesty and professionalism usually prevents me from exposing my ostrich neck, but the recent "heat dome" has helped me lean into the men’s workplace fashion trend away from the necktie. The death of the necktie has been proclaimed for several years, and last year … Continue reading Fewer neckties
Lt. Dan made me get a pedicure. OK, stick with me here. When Forrest Gump arrives in Vietnam with a batch of freshly trained soldiers, his platoon leader Lt. Dan Taylor gave him advice that has stuck with me through the intervening years since I first saw the film in 1994: “Two standing orders in … Continue reading My first pedicure
My two older sons and I failed in our first attempt to see the Atlanta Braves take on the San Diego Padres at Truist Park May 18 because of inclement weather, and we weren’t mad about it. The rainout doubled our fun. I had a jacket and we all had our umbrellas at the ready … Continue reading You win some, you lose some and sometimes it rains
My day job has been a relentless torrent of small talk the last few weeks. And it’s glorious. For an extrovert like me, good small talk is a renewable and infinite energy source. I readily admit I have the gift of gab, and I feed off of the social interchange. What I find so appealing … Continue reading Small talk
