Aging Hipster

• Farewell to My Devotion

  The title of this post, my last here, comes from Chaucer via Shelby Foote. I can not think of a better title for the last post at the blog that I spent so much time writing for so long. I have made nearly 2000 posts here- some spanning 2 or [...]
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  Posted: June 08, 2008, 5:09am EDT
  

• Arise Ye People

  
  The once proud and too serious Hipster is now reduced to cat blogging, but you have to admit this is a great cat. [...]
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  Posted: May 30, 2008, 5:54am EDT
  

• Harvey Korman, RIP

  story [...]
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  Posted: May 29, 2008, 9:27pm EDT
  

• Breakfast Before School

  
  Behold the "hazzards" of my job. This bear decided to come down from the top of the mountain adjacent to the school and grab some breakfast. One of the 10th graders snapped the picture….from a distance. [...]
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  Posted: May 29, 2008, 4:19am EDT
  

• NOW he feels like talking, does he?---Scott McLellan

  So, the guy who was supposed to be telling us the truth about the White House wasn't telling us the truth, and now that he is out of power, he decides to tell the truth? I can hear the cash registers ringing now.' [...]
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  Posted: May 28, 2008, 5:49am EDT
  

• Sweeper

  Although I have written that looking back in life's rearview mirror is often a mistake, I do it all the time. I'm not sure if that makes me a hypocrite or someone who just babbles all the time. Last night I was looking at classmates.com and found out that a [...]
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  Posted: May 27, 2008, 5:18am EDT
  

• Memorial Day

  Thanks Vets [...]
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  Posted: May 26, 2008, 7:08pm EDT
  

• Fishin'

  The blog is up on concrete blocks right now. It needs a tune-up and an overhaul. I will put the tires back on. Keep checking back... [...]
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  Posted: May 22, 2008, 4:14am EDT
  

• 46

  It is my sister's 46th birthday! When we were growing up, my sister took great care of me and pulled me through everything life dished out. Happy Birthday, sis.' [...]
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  Posted: May 15, 2008, 4:24am EDT
  

• No I3

  The mountains are no place for a highway. [...]
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  Posted: May 13, 2008, 4:30am EDT
  

• The Analysis

  For those of you out there who (like me) have grown cynical about politics and for those of you who wonder why "the left" keeps losing elections and has to cobble together 18 state electoral victory strategies (as opposed to just winning outright), look no further for explanations.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: May 10, 2008, 2:04pm EDT
  

• Happiness is....

  Happiness is waking up on Saturday morning and then realizing within seconds that you don't have to go to work. I did that this morning and thought of how nice it was to be able to stay in bed.
  
  Of course, seconds later I contemplated the glory of' [...]
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  Posted: May 10, 2008, 4:24am EDT
  

• In Praise of Localism

  The closest I get to revelation of sorts is when I am in solitude, and quite frankly, sweating it out jogging or riding a stationary bike. The other day I thought that at the heart of all the big political events, money was the key to understanding things. I have [...]
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  Posted: May 09, 2008, 4:20am EDT
  

• Pathways

  The best thing one can do for one's self interest is to look forward. This is difficult for me. I catch myself, in moments of solitude, looking backwards at my life's events and thinking about good and bad turns in the road.
  
  This can be a mistake. I [...]
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  Posted: May 08, 2008, 5:03am EDT
  

• Word

  I don't have a lot to say right now but keep checking back in. My lack of ink is only a public one. I am still writing every day, in fact, I am writing more than I ever have in my life. Most of it, though, is of a private' [...]
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  Posted: May 07, 2008, 5:13am EDT
  

• Atlanta Hawks Leave Paul Pierce and Celtics Fruitless

  The Atlanta Hawks won last night and forced a game 7 against the mighty Boston Celtics. As I wrote a few weeks ago, just making the playoffs was a big deal. I never would have dreamed the Hawks would have won one game. Even if they lose the series, [...]
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  Posted: May 03, 2008, 4:28am EDT
  

• Stop Signs

  Last night I came home to find a four way stop sign had been installed at the end of the complex. That has more to do with my life than Obama, Clinton and McCain combined.
  
  What this world needs is one more story about some preacher. [...]
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  Posted: April 29, 2008, 5:55am EDT
  

• School Days

  Dear old golden rule days....this week...
  
  33 year old Ohio man exchanges e-mails with 16 year old Indiana loner discussing Columbine style attack....Little Kentucky girls hatch elaborate murder plot....
  
  I think I have hit the stage in life in life when I go around shaking my [...]
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  Posted: April 29, 2008, 4:32am EDT
  

• 2008 Steelers Draft

  
  NFL Draft weekend has arrived. As I have done for the last two years, I will be posting comments on the Steelers Draft Picks and updating this post all the way to the last pick on Sunday. Nostalgic? Here's a look at my 2007' [...]
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  Posted: April 27, 2008, 4:01am EDT
  

• Bulk Buying of Rice in California

  Today while watching just a very few minutes of CNBC, I saw one of the suit-humpers talking about Wal-Mart limiting the amount of rice people can buy. Before you panic, the story I found about it on-line says the corporation is limiting people to purchases of 80 pounds [...]
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  Posted: April 23, 2008, 6:11pm EDT
  

• Newest School Shooting/Bombing Plot

  Another sad kid is charged with trying to kill and hurt people at a school. This fellow was in South Carolina, and allegedly wanted to mark the anniversary of Columbine (these things seem to happen around this time of year). He was a senior in High School which [...]
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  Posted: April 23, 2008, 4:19am EDT
  

• Lottery in NC Nears 100 Million Per Quarter

  $98 million dollars have been raised from lottery funds for North Carolina schools. The funds came from the first quarter of 2008. [...]
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  Posted: April 23, 2008, 3:55am EDT
  

• A Hard Day of Nothing Much At All

  It's an absolutely beautiful day outside and I feel like getting out in it. You should too if you can! Its not even 9 in the morning yet and I have already been running, listened to a little Beethoven (some Piano Sonatas) and taken a steaming hot bath. What does' [...]
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  Posted: April 22, 2008, 8:49am EDT
  

• Get Off My Porch, Religion Peddlers

  I got visited yesterday by some people from the Church at the end of the complex driveway (the one where the kids have target practice). I am minding my own business on a blue sky Shabbat evening, cooking up a mess of red beans, sausage and rice when they [...]
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  Posted: April 21, 2008, 4:22am EDT
  

• Elvis and Nixon

  
  Sometimes in the realm of sophisticated geopolitics, decisions are made that deeply affect us all. Other times, behind closed doors things get downright weird. I would have liked to have been there when Elvis met Nixon. So, when Nixon came in, did they play "Hail to" [...]
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  Posted: April 19, 2008, 5:58am EDT
  

• Good Read

  An inspiring teacher provides advice for motivating groups.' [...]
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  Posted: April 18, 2008, 4:35am EDT
  

• Green In So Many Ways

  All my life I have heard that farming is hard work. Maybe it is time to find out.
  
  Yesterday I engaged one of our local characters in a conversation about a garden that some of the people here in the compound keep. Bird and I had been [...]
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  Posted: April 17, 2008, 3:15am EDT
  

• Fly Hawks Fly

  I saw just a little of the Hawks-Magic game last night. It was their last game of the year. The playoffs start this weekend and the Hawks have the unhappy task of going against the mighty Celtics. No matter what happens, its an accomplishment for them to make the [...]
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  Posted: April 17, 2008, 3:09am EDT
  

• Black Gold

  On April 3 the price of a barrel of oil was $ 103.49 and local gas was 3.17. Today, less than two weeks later, those prices are 114 and 3.35 respectively. The price of oil is up 9% in 13 days and local gasoline is up a little more. A [...]
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  Posted: April 16, 2008, 3:35am EDT
  

• House Work

  I have added a sidebar for my twitter account, since I have not written much here in a while. That way you can see what's up with me. I may get rid of it in time. [...]
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  Posted: April 14, 2008, 4:56am EDT
  

• Pump It Up

  Gas has hit 3.31 here locally. That means it must be around 3.41 nationally. The price of a barrel of oil hit 112 last week internationally and then went back down to 110. I did manage to get very good mileage in my small economy car, which I have [...]
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  Posted: April 14, 2008, 4:32am EDT
  

• Stalemate

  Obama and Clinton stumble on. It looks like World War I trench warfare. [...]
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  Posted: April 14, 2008, 4:30am EDT
  

• Aging Hipster's Third Annual Steelers Draft Coverage (2008)

  Check here for updates all weekend. This is my third annual "live blogging" of the Steelers picks.
  
  Nostalgic? Here's my 2007 and 2006 skinny. [...]
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  Posted: April 12, 2008, 8:55am EDT
  

• Is Protectionism the Answer for North Carolina?

  What about N.C. workers?---An editorial in the Charlotte Observer takes Clinton and Obama to task for not clearly pursuing protectionist policies in North Carolina. The article claims global free trade is destroying North Carolina's workforce. The Republican Party receives mention, and its pretty clear the author is just as [...]
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  Posted: April 07, 2008, 5:13am EDT
  

• Final Four Finale

  Today has been rainy and soggy and my head has hurt all day. I am not even sure what from. Was it the three beers last night? Was it from overeating? Was it the stress of life? Was it the stress of work? Who knows. All I know is I [...]
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  Posted: April 05, 2008, 4:39pm EDT
  

• New Shoes

  
  I'll be running the roads soon enough in this Asics bottom line shoe ("The Maverick"). They were 40 bucks even. Normally I like something with a little more cushion, but the price was right in this recession. [...]
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  Posted: April 05, 2008, 4:32pm EDT
  

• Staying Active

  I'm back out on the road jogging, walking and riding my exercise bike, trying to get back into better form. I hit peak form last summer and then put on a few pounds. It feels great to exercise again. My old buddy Mike got back in the swing of [...]
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  Posted: April 03, 2008, 4:23am EDT
  

• North Carolina Drop Out Rates

  Charlotte Observer: State and Federal Bureaucrats Finagle Over Numbers ...The bottom line on this article is the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind Act has been a disaster. It is intrusive and children are now learning that school work is unnecessary. All they have to do is pass an [...]
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  Posted: April 03, 2008, 4:04am EDT
  

• Priorities: North Carolina Among Lowest in Education Dollars

  Are North Carolina Schools on a Shoestring Budget?...
  
  

  To bring the Tar Heel state up to the national average for monies spent, an additional $2 billion would need to go toward public education this year.

  
  
  June Atkinson is again making the case for more spending on public [...]
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  Posted: April 02, 2008, 4:22am EDT
  

• Bank Regulation Part 2

  Another article: Major financial change in works...breaks down changes in banking. A great deal of the proposal is long range change in the regulatory system. If you have an interest in what the nuts and bolts are, this is a good place to start.
  
  For those of [...]
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  Posted: April 02, 2008, 4:13am EDT
  

• USM Has First Woman President

  The University of Southern Mississippi has a new President, the first woman to hold that office. Here's a summary from the student newspaper. Good luck, Martha Dunagin Saunders! [...]
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  Posted: April 01, 2008, 4:30am EDT
  

• Bank Regulation

  I admit that I have ZERO knowledge of bank regulation, but when I hear and read about "the biggest overhaul of US banks since the Great Depression," my ears perk up like a dog who has heard a high pitch. Carol Lochhead of the SF Chronicle explains the political [...]
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  Posted: April 01, 2008, 4:16am EDT
  

• The Triumph of the Old Man

  I know that many of you would like to know how the vacuum cleaner saga turned out. You don't have to wait any longer. I bring good news from the homestead.
  
  I, Steve, have triumphed and fixed the vacuum. While burning off every available piece of firewood* in [...]
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  Posted: March 30, 2008, 5:15pm EDT
  

• Record Stores Get Moved to the Discount Rack

  "Record stores" in college towns (such as UNC) are dying like dinosaurs. As I have written before, I worked in one in my teen years twenty years ago. It looks like I made a good career decision now when i moved on to the Pizza Hut. There's kind [...]
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  Posted: March 30, 2008, 5:34am EDT
  

• "You Can't Have Nothing With a ****ing Youngun."

  
  Some of last night was spent sitting on the floor with a blue bandana on my face trying to get the pieces of furnace air filter out of the vacuum cleaner. My son got the brilliant idea of sucking out the dirt from the filter with [...]
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  Posted: March 29, 2008, 3:58am EDT
  

• Green Green Green

  There are new links on the sidebar with advice on saving money, particularly pertaining to reducing electric bills. Not to be preachy, but remember that you aren't just saving some cash when you watch the juice usage, you are also helping out the planet. Pretty sweet. [...]
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  Posted: March 29, 2008, 3:32am EDT
  

• Elite Eight is Set

  I only caught a little of the NCAA tourney last night. Davidson won again! What a great story for that team. They beat Wisconsin. Davidson has a shooting guard named Curry who is scoring 30 plus points per game in the tournament. They are now in the elite 8. [...]
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  Posted: March 29, 2008, 3:19am EDT
  

• More Madness

  UNC, Xavier, Louisville and UCLA advanced to the Elite 8 last night. Here is the updated bracket. I did not get to see any of the later games. I did get to see UNC continue to move through its opposition. Washington State played good defense and had lots of [...]
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  Posted: March 28, 2008, 4:42am EDT
  

• An Experiment: How Long Does It Take International Oil to Hit Gas Prices at the Pump?

  Sometime in the last 24 hours, Iraqi rebels hit two major pipelines, and as a result, the price of oil is at 1.07 on world markets. I am going to fill my car at the pumps today and see how long it takes gas prices to be affected by [...]
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  Posted: March 27, 2008, 6:40am EDT
  

• Sweet Sixteen Schedule

  Madness resumes tonight. [...]
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  Posted: March 27, 2008, 5:13am EDT