Bobby Bowden retires

Bobby Bowden

Bobby Bowden

The news is all over the sports world that Florida State University head football coach Bobby Bowden has coached his last season. It was inevitable (and made moreso by the team’s recent foundering) but it’s still a sad day for college football.

I grew up a Florida State fan and have always thought Bowden was the epitome of a college football coach. There will certainly never be another one like him. As Birmingham News sports columnist Kevin Scarbinsky pointed out:

Bear Bryant didn’t build Ala­bama from next to nothing. Joe Pa­terno didn’t start Penn State from virtual scratch. Bobby Bowden turned Florida State from a former girls’ school into a national football power.

Thank you, Bobby Bowden.

Phone bill rises 25%

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Last summer I bragged about our cheap home phone bill of $8 per month. I did the math today and was alarmed to see our bill has risen a steep 25%. That’s right: it’s now $10 per month!

It seems the addition of e911 service is the main culprit. It added $1.50 per month per DID to our bill. It’s a small price to pay for the convenience of 911 service, though, so I’m not complaining!

Texting while driving

Effective today it is unlawful to “text” while driving. Any “additional technology” used on your cellphone (other than talking) can result in a $100 fine. While I hate distracted drivers as much as the next guy, this law is ridiculous. Completely unenforceable. How will anyone know at a glance if one is dialing their phone (legal) or texting (not legal)?

And shouldn’t this be common sense, anyway? When are we going to outlaw applying makeup while driving? Or reading the newspaper? I’ve seen both done (and more) by other drivers. Do we need a law for these, too, or should we just encourage folks to use their good judgement?

Laws that aren’t clearly enforceable should not be laws. Good ideas, maybe, but not laws.

Where I’ve worked: some strip-mall computer store

I moved with my family to Great Falls, Virginia in March of 1986. It was the end of my junior year of high school and I more or less vanished into the background until summer.

Still, I needed a job. By this time the family had had a PC for four years and my brothers and I were very familiar with its workings under the hood. One of my brother Jeff’s friends used to work at this computer store down Route 7 in Loudon County, Virginia and suggested I get a job there. I figured I would enjoy the work and maybe get some discounts on equipment.
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Home again

We got back to Raleigh at 5:30 PM: eleven and a half hours after leaving Panama City Beach. There was more traffic on I-95 than last week but it wasn’t unmanageable. We hit slowdowns through the construction zone near Brunswick, Georgia but they were thankfully short-lived.

The problem with vacations is that they end. I need to find a way to make my vacations last a bit longer somehow. Hmm.

Last day at the beach

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Today was our last full day of our Thanksgiving vacation at Panama City Beach. It’s sad to find how quickly time has passed.

We were greeted this morning with clear, sunny skies and a moderate wind from the west, though not as strong as yesterday’s wind. The temperature was a bit chilly, especially in the shade, but the brilliant sun quickly warmed things up to the mid-60s. Breakfast was at my parents’ condo, courtesy of my dad. Jeff’s family, my family, and Wil joined my parents for a breakfast of grits, eggs, biscuits, and ham while the kids paraded through the room acting out silly dances. As usual with our gatherings, one had to shout to be heard!

After this great breakfast we hit the beach for our morning walk. Kelly and I have become familiar with the bottoms of our kids’ feet this week as all we’ve seen of them is them disappearing in a cloud of sand ahead of us! We figure our family bike rides have been way too short, judging by the energy our kids expended on the beach! At one point Hallie was actually running circles around Kelly and me. No kidding.
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Thanksgiving reunion day 5 – Thanksgiving Day

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Thanksgiving Day began with the clearest sky we’ve had yet here at Panama City Beach. The humidity level dropped tremendously, making the horizon look razor sharp. The wind had also picked up, however, and was blowing quite strongly all day long. These conditions lasted throughout the day.

We began our day with a family walk on the beach, and like before, we stopped along the way to write whimsical messages in the sand. Hallie led the charge on this but soon we all participated. Being Thanksgiving, our messages took a decidedly holiday theme, with a turkey emerging as the main subject. Future walkers would find these messages along with turkey-like tracks dotting the white sandy beach.
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Thanksgiving at the beach

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It’s a nautical-themed pashmina Thanksgiving this year. We’re meeting many generations of Turners later today for a hearty Thanksgiving meal. Until then we may take a walk or two along the beach. Maybe we’ll wade out to the sand bar and watch for stingrays to swim by. No matter what we decide it promises to be a fun day.

Hope you enjoy yours!

Thanksgiving reunion day 4

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Day 4 of our Thanksgiving reunion/beach vacation began a bit tamer than the previous ones. We had a leisurely breakfast and marveled at the glassy Gulf: the calmest we’ve seen it yet. The smooth water allowed us a perfect view of the passing marine life and while we watched from the balcony we saw a couple schools of stingrays and one small pod of dolphins amble by.
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