Spitball Army

Top Chef Masters;
Researching my house;
American Masters: The American Novel

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When I first heard “Alicia Ross,” my initial impulse was to play it over again immediately.  I did.  Then I played it again.  The narrative voice in the lyrics was so strong that I wondered if it was perhaps based on a true story.  A quick googling of “Alicia+Ross” gave me a series of websites, including […]

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Rain;
The library;
The Dexateens’ Singlewide

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A nationally televised interview with Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford falsely implied that a 2008 filmed police beating occurred under the watch of previous city leadership, former Mayor Bernard Kincaid and Police Chief Annetta Nunn said today. Both are calling for a correction.

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There was a large attic vent perched right up on the crest of the roof. It dated back many decades, perhaps even back to the ’20s or ’30s (the house was built in 1925). There is only one other house with such a vent on its roof on my block. Now it is the sole house with that artifact, as I had the roofing company take it down (it was not functioning).

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I used to think that 1972 was the be-all, end-all year of pop music, and 1967. Now I’m not so sure which one comes out on top. There is a ten-year stretch in there between the mid-’60s and the mid-’70s when some of my favorite records of all genres were released. I become firmer in my resolve about that with each passing year.

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Tomorrow the print version of The New York Times will run a story entitled “36 Hours in Birmingham, Ala.” written by Jim Noles, but today it is up on the newspaper’s website. Noles hit many of the high points – the bragging points – of our city, including Frank Stitt’s Highlands Bar & Grill and the Hot & Hot Fish Club, Vulcan Park, Workplay, the Civil Rights Museum. All of the photographs are by my neighbor, fellow Crestwoodian Gary Tramontina.

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Seen on Georgia Road, East Birmingham:

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When I got up, slightly past 6, I went directly to the kitchen and put the coffee on. One look out the window and I could see that the landscape had changed in just 60 minutes. I grabbed my camera and walked out onto the front porch.

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Yesterday, I dropped off some mail at the P.O. and asked the nice lady if any new commemoratives had been issued yet this year.

“Yes!” She sounded almost as excited as I was.

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