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don't want to pay $499.99 because you haven't fulfilled your 2-year contract?

then head on over to ebay and bid on this item.

the orkin man

my family is visiting this weekend.

we went to cedar point yesterday. my mom, sister & aunt had never been before (dad and bro-in-law had).

best. roller-coasters. ever.

we rode millennium force first. nice little 80 degree drop. two-and-a-half minutes of pure speed. and all you have holding you down is a lap bar.

next we rode the maverick. as david (bro-in-law) and i were preparing for our front-row ride, we marveled at the description of the first drop: "steeper than straight down." that's right, 95 degrees. great ride.

then came the granddaddy of 'em all: top thrill dragster. david and i waited an extra 15-20 minutes for the front row. 0 to 120 mph in less than 4 seconds. straight up. straight down. no more than 20 seconds in all.

have you ever stuck your face under one of those heavy-duty air dryers in restrooms? the x-celerator? top thrill dragster puts you in the same ballpark.

by the end of the ride, i noticed that a swarm of gnats had (unfortunately) gotten in my way. my thrill became their kill (pictures to come at a later date). i paper-toweled them away and moved on my way to other rides (the raptor, the magnum).

but after those three rides, everything else pales in comparison. we finished the day with one more ride on the top thrill dragster (no bugs this time).

figured we'd save the best (again) for last.

clockers

i love the wire. i feel that no American television program comes as close to the wire at capturing the reality of our institutions - the way they function, the people they benefit and ignore - and our way of life.

and, yes, i know it's not real.

but it attempts to depict something real. and tragic. and something that should make us all mad enough to get up and do something about it.

alas, the wire is gone and all that remains are dvd marathons.

but i have found some respite in the program's absence. the wire was as much a visual novel as it was a television show. each hour unfolded as a new chapter in a page-turner. and several brilliant authors - not screenwriters - were responsible for the program's pace and plotting.

one was richard price. david simon, the wire's creator and head writer, loved the novel clockers, written by price. it depicted urban life and the police procedural in much the same way the wire went on to do. so simon went out and convinced price to write for the show. simon's love for clockers even spread to price's scripts for the wire, a couple of "borrowed" scenes shown below.





i recently finished reading clockers, and the wire really shared the same spirit as this excellent story. on the surface (just like the wire), clockers appears to be a mystery surrounding drugs and violence. but deep at its core, the story is much more.

clockers is told from two sides of the law - law enforcement and dealers, or clockers.

at the heart of the law is aging homicide detective rocco klein. irish. alcoholic. married, but distant. father, but even more distant. and a detective committed to doing his job the right way to protect and serve the people worth protecting and serving.

at the heart of the clockers is strike. 19 years old. drug lieutenant who never lays a hand on the product. estranged from his family, and from everyone else for that matter. suffering from an ulcer. and desperately wants to get out of a game where it's every man for himself.

the story unfolds at a slow, yet steady, pace, allowing us to get to know our characters inside and out. we may never condone their actions, but we can understand their feelings and motivations. each chapter is penned with shades of grey.

as the story ended, i felt as if i'd just "read" an episode or season of the wire. but, looking at the date of publication for clockers (1992), it's amazing how much the wire - its dialogue, its characters, its pacing & its plotting - owes to richard price and clockers.

for lovers of the wire, i recommend clockers. i plan to read other novels by price. and the wire also owes its extraordinary storytelling to other brilliant authors - dennis lehane, george pelecanos & david simon.

too much television can corrupt your mind and kill brain cells, the exception being the wire of course. in the meantime, get a library card and start reading!

once upon a time...

am i there yet?

i would ask that question to myself quite a few more times before i arrived at my final destination.

the 400 mile roadtrip from greensboro, north carolina to hebron, ohio was never exciting, but this particular one was torturous.

you see, this trip was going to be special. besides the normal bag of clothes and other traveling necessities, i was carrying an investment - both monetary and symbolic of a deeper emotional connection.

an engagement ring.

i was going to ask Ashley to marry me.

normally, guys rack their inferior brains to concoct the perfect scenario for this moment.

me, i had a plan.

a picnic.

at dawes arboretum.

by the japanese gardens.

her favorite.

(later i would learn that she knew i was going to propose because i actually volunteered to take her on a picnic - something i evidently didn't do very often.)

but mother nature - rain in the forecast - and my patience would get in the way.

i finally got to hebron, right as her parents and niece were going to bed. i excused myself from Ashley (an entirely believable, "I need to use the bathroom"), only to sneak into her parents' bedroom and ask their permission to marry Ashley.

"are you sure you know what you're getting yourself into?"

"once you take her, you can't give her back."

after a few silent laughs and a unanimous "yes," i went back out to Ashley, ring in pocket.

i got down next to her and gave a schpeel about how "it's not about doing it the perfect way, it's about finding the perfect person" as a grin snuck onto her face.

two years to the day later, i'm as happy with her answer as i was that night.

snoop dee oh double gizzle?

Ashley found this while checking on Jamie Lynn Spears' new baby girl.

Snoop does country.

A-S-H-L-E-Y

A is for ambition - pressing towards her dreams every day.
S is for silliness - enjoying life and making those around her laugh.
H is for health - treating her body as a temple (and trying to help me do the same).
L is for love - spreading it those she cares for.
E is for excellence - striving to be the best at everything she does.
Y is for "Yummy" - the sound she makes when she thinks of ice cream.

they're baaaa-aaaaaaaaack!

contrary to my previous post, the 2008-2009 tar heel basketball team's future looks bright.

very bright.

all 3 underclassmen who declared for the nba draft chose to return on monday. green will return for his senior season and graduate with a degree from unc regardless of his nba plans. ellington and lawson return for their junior seasons.

the tar heels should be the overwhelming favorites to win the 2008-2009 national championship, but games aren't played on vegas odds. they're won by the coaches and players.

on a side note, i'm interested in seeing how ol' roy treats ty lawson after his dwi arrest. he made a mistake and there should be consequences. sometimes, big time college programs sweep these issues under the rug. i hope roy addresses it an appropriate manner for his team.

Missing Ashley - A Postlude

I'm back.

And with no further traffic tickets.

Lucky for me. Ashley would've had none of that. She didn't enjoy the first one to begin with.

It's nice to be back.

I got to spend the day with the two ladies in my life, Ashley and Allysse. I think both were pretty happy to have me around. I was happy to be around them.

Summer school classes start tomorrow, but with plenty of time outside of class I'm looking forward to my first full summer with my wife.

Happy 1 year (minus 28 days) anniversary!

Missing Ashley - Day 5

Well, that about does it.

I've spent the last 5 days catching up with family and friends. It's been nice.

Now, my family in Ohio awaits.

All that stands between Ashley and I are 400 miles - minus one state trooper.

See you tomorrow.

I love you.

Missing Ashley - Day 4

Only 2 more days.

2 more days until I can park my car in a cool, shaded garage.

2 more days until I can play with my Wii.

2 more days until I can sleep in my own bed.

And cuddle.

With Ashley.

2 more days until Ashley.

I miss you. And love you.

Together We Can

A wonderful educator and mentor of mine was honored at a retirement celebration today. The curriculum facilitator (aka "Assistant Principal") at Hunter Elementary, Sue Mercier, is calling it quits after 38 years with Guilford County Schools, 13 spent at Hunter.

I first met Sue as a nervous, wide-eyed junior intern. She was intimidating. Larger than life.

But over my next 5 years at Hunter (2 as an intern, 3 as a teacher), Sue had an incredible impact and influence on me. She provided me with the knowledge I needed to grow as a teacher. She was always there to offer encouragement (and, boy, it was needed during that first year or two) and constructive criticism when necessary. She helped mold me into a confident teacher.

I've missed being around Sue and working with her this year. Her presence at school always served as a security blanket.

But I think her influence on me made my job transition easier. New tasks and circumstances arose this year and I rolled with the punches. I have no doubt that she played an integral role in helping me secure a job teaching kindergarten next year.

Sure, she didn't type up the resume (actually, she helped me with that last year), nor did she write the letter of interest (she actually helped with parts of that last year, too). She wasn't answering interview questions for me either. But everything she's taught me over the years, the knowledge and confidence she helped equip me with, were present.

She will be missed at Hunter Elementary.

She told me to give her a call any time. Even if I am all the way in Ohio.

Only now, she charges a consultation fee.

Missing Ashley - Days 2 & 3

Oops.

I was suffering through the misery of missing Ashley so much that I forgot to post about it last night.

Instead, I helped one of my best friends, Brad, celebrate his 27th birthday. It was nice to see Brad and two other friends, John and Tim. I need to find some male camaraderie in Ohio.

Today, I ate lunch with Mr. Black, once a former sidekick in kindergarten (yes, Mr. Brown and Mr. Black, believe it), and Mr. Budusky. And that male camaraderie thing keeps popping up.

Tonight, I hung out with an ol' Tar Heel, Jeff, who I actually hung out with once in Ohio. Plus, he's a male. I guess that qualifies as male camaraderie.

Everyone asked how Ashley and I were doing in our first year of marriage. I had great things to say about my lovely, caring wife.

I miss you.

How was your day (off)?

Missing Ashley - Day 1

What a day. What an interesting day.

It began at 4 am. It involved saying goodbye to Mrs. Marietta-Brown. It involved a West Virginia state trooper. It involved my ex-kindergarteners, all growed up and ready for 2nd grade. And it involved some bbq.

The kids had to be the high point.

Everything else involved some type of frustration or sadness.

It made me miss Ashley even more because I didn't have anyone around to cheer me up.

And I haven't even made it one day without her.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

How was your day?

Missing Ashley - A Prelude

Tomorrow morning, round about 5 am, I embark on a journey that will take me through southeastern Ohio, the depth of lovely West Virginia and Virgina, right into the heart of North Carolina.

That's right. I'm visiting my place of birth.

Family. Friends. They're all going to get some much-needed time with Mr. Brown.

But that means someone very near and dear to my heart may suffer through Mr. Brown withdrawal during my absence: Mrs. Marietta-Brown. Tuesday through Sunday without the love of her life (that's me, in case anyone was wondering). No one to crowd the bed. No one to fix meals (Ashley: "Yeah, right"). No one to clean up around the apartment (Ashley: "Are you serious?"). And no one to love on.

That said, I'll be missing out on those exact same things for nearly a week. No one to take care of me and love me. It will make it all the more sweeter when I get to come home to her on Sunday evening.

I love you.

VICTOOORRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the lakewood lady lancers are ohio division III softball state champions.

congratulations.

at 32-2, lakewood won its first ever softball state championship.

i was present at their regional final victory over wheelersburg and their state semifinal victory over elmwood. the lady lancers were the consummate "team," with each player contributing in their own way. fifteen players saw the field in one way or the other in a come-from-behind victory over a very talented wheelersburg team.

now why would i, a north carolina native, a resident of another licking county school district in central ohio, care about the lakewood lady lancers?

well, for one, my mother-in-law, sister-in-law & wife all graduated from lakewood schools. my niece is currently in elementary school there.

second, as of this month, i'm an employee of lakewood local school district.

and i'm really looking forward to teaching in the district.

before moving to ohio, i had never been a part of small-town America. i didn't see the appeal. the lure of the big city always captivated me. things to do. people to meet.

but almost a full year in, small-town America is reeling me in.

tonight, a good chunk of hebron, ohio lined main street and cheered on the girls as they rode atop the fire engine in a victory parade. in the parking lot of the local kroger, a towing company loaned one of its trailers for the girls to stand on and a local radio station mc'ed the festivities.

it was amazing to see the community celebrate the achievement of these girls, girls they had watched grow up from an early age. little lady lancers looked up to these girls in admiration in much the same way the current lady lancers looked up to teams of the past.

small-town America may not be for everyone.

but tonight i caught a glimpse of what can make a community like this so special.

schrute wars

face/off can't touch schrute/halpert.

bears. beets. battlestar galactica.

i love 'the office.'

yes we can

wow.

what an evening.

what a day.

what a moment in history.

a black man is the presidential candidate of a major political party in the United States of America.

ladies and gentlemen, Barack Hussein Obama!

he is a man of change.

and the change he promises is something i believe in.

he faces an uphill battle.

one, he's black in a country that still flies confederate flags and houses citizens who run around with white sheets over their heads.

two, his name sounds too muslim in a country that is fighting a war on terror against an enemy that was once led by a hussein itself.

mass emails full of lies don't help either.

it is my hope that citizens of the United States of America vote in november. not necessarily for Barack Obama, but for the candidate of their choice. and i hope the vote that is cast is an informed one, not a blind one based on race, religion or the latest bit of spam in their inbox.

should i stay or should i go?

that's the question facing these three young tar heels.

each entered their names into the upcoming nba draft hoping to work out at pre-draft camps, work out with individual teams, & (hopefully) improve their stock enough to guarantee a spot on an nba team next year.

of course, i'd love to see them in carolina blue one more year.

40-12 and the eventual loss to kansas still stings.

another year of off-season workouts and seasoning, the definite return of the one and only tyler "psycho t" hansbrough, and some athletic freshmen would mean a preseason ranking of #1 and the odds-on favorite to win the 2009 national championship.

we only have to wait until june 16th to learn their final intentions. at that time, they can choose to remain in the draft (and that means no turning back) or withdraw their name and return to school.

danny green (left) reportedly suffered injuries during the first pre-draft camp and that could potentially force him to come back to school. wayne ellington (center) is a bubble first-rounder and ty lawson (right) is believed to be the most nba-ready.

i believe green returns for his senior season, but i have a feeling ellington and lawson will remain in the draft. i anticipate a starting 5 of bobby frasor (sr. pg), marcus ginyard (sr. sg), danny green (sr. sf), deon thompson (jr. pf), and tyler hansbrough (sr. c). that's an experienced team with some help coming off the bench in freshmen studs ed davis (pf/c), tyler zeller (pf/c), and larry drew (pg) along with returning players will graves (soph. sg/sf) and michael copeland (sr. pf).

a pretty formidable team, but not as scary-good as they would be with either one or both of lawson and ellington back.

good luck to all three whatever decision they ultimately make. they're tar heels for life.