Here Comes 2015 - You Ready?

It's back to work and back to school for most everyone around the country, including yours truly. That also means a return to regular blogging. As you may have noticed, I took the holidays off from blogging, since I was on the road quite a bit. I'm looking forward to 2015, and I'm ready for takeoff. 

You'll see my same random thoughts here of course, possibly a bit more from me about local goings on around Columbia on Fig, and as always you can follow me on Farmer'sOnly.com.

Happy New Year's Eve!

It's been a great year, y'all. Enjoy the last day of the year in style, and get ready for 2015!

Plenty of football today and tomorrow. My prediction is that Alabama and Oregon meet in the title game, with Alabama winning it all.

We're Almost There!

Birds got to sing, bees got to buzz, Christmas lights got to tangle

Alright, y'all. It's the last day of the workweek for me. I've sent all my demand letters out, done my final real estate closing for the year, and tallied up the billable hours. There may be one or two more litigation e-mails, but I'm pretty much done here at the ol' law practice for the year. All in all, it's been a good year.

Judging by the gifts I've received from other lawyers and co-workers, everyone thinks I need alcohol and ammunition. (Y'all are totally right.)

If you're a regular reader, thanks for stopping by my little corner of the internet. We here at Permanent Press know that when you browse the internet, you have options. So thanks for making us a part of your day. If you've been here just a time or two, try to come back more often. And please always feel free to comment!

I'm going to put it on cruise control the rest of the way, but we'll continue to have some content all through the holidays.

Merry Christmas!

How To Celebrate Independence Day In Columbia

If you're a South Carolinian, you're probably getting ready to celebrate our nation's birthday tomorrow, since South Carolina is the "most patriotic state in the country". Here's what you need to know if you're not sure how to celebrate in the "Famously Hot" southern-style.

MEAT: The Ole Timey Meat Market is where you should be going to get your whatever you'll be grilling or smoking this weekend. Did you know they have bacon wrapped sirloin steaks? This is where I always buy my brisket and pork butts. If you're looking for some of the harder to find cuts of meat, this is the first place to go.

FIREWORKS: Since you're already over on Rosewood for your meat, you're already right next to Casey's Fireworks, which is the best place to get fireworks in Columbia. They've been around since 1949, and they have something for everyone. Everything from sparklers to mortar shells. This is the only place you need to go for things that go bang.

SIDES: For all your other sides, (if you don't want to make them yourself) The Gourmet Shop has you covered. You can get everything from chicken salad to cheese, to wine, to cigars there.

Enjoy your Fourth of July weekend!

Memorial Day Weekend 2014

Probably not much blogging this weekend. I'll be out in the real world - not on the computer. Have a good weekend, but stop to reflect and remember the solemn occasion we are marking.

Happy St. Patrick's Day Weekend

Happy Friday, you crazy kids.

Should be a nice weekend, weather-wise. The Five Points St. Patrick's Day Festival will be in full swing, but you'll have to pay again if you leave and want to come back. Seems like a reasonable way to cut down on people drinking off site. 

If paying $15.00 to go drinking in Five Points isn't your scene, you can go watch the USC Baseball team put their 16-0 record on the line as they step into conference play for the first time this weekend against the Ole Miss Rebels. I'm predicting the Gamecocks take two out of three.

Other than that, it's business as usual around here.

Enjoy your weekend.

Best Excuse for Not Getting Your Girl a Valentine's Day Card...

...comes from The New Republic.

If your other half bought you a Valentine's card, be sure to say thanks for the 18.5 grams of CO2 it created. http://t.co/JlxWN5Pjzv
— The New Republic (@tnr) February 13, 2014

Hey, honey. I didn't get you a Valentine's Day card because of.......um....global warming. You just don't care about the earth if you gave someone a card.

If anyone tries this excuse out today, let me know how it goes.

Capital One Bowl Pre-Game Thread

Happy New Year! I stayed in last night, but apparently I was the only person who decided to do that. It sounded like there was a Revolutionary War battle going on last night from around 10:00PM until about 12:30AM.

Anyway, it's one of the best days of the year. Today is the day when college football gives us an overflowing buffet of football games to watch as we enjoy the beginning of a new year.

Enjoy the day, y'all. If you need to get pumped up, here's the scene setter.

To begin the New Year I'll be smoking some wings, enjoying frosty refreshment (required when using the smoker) and basking the glory of college football.

Go Gamecocks!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope y'all enjoy the holiday. Spend time with your family, and be thankful for the blessings you have.

I'll be hosting the extended family and smoking the turkey on my Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker. Beer will be a delicious Cold Mountain Winter Ale from Asheville, NC.

Happy Labor Day: News Roundup and Links

As you may have noticed, I've been on vacation the last few days. Here are some headlines from around the weekend:

Lindsey Graham to meet with Obama on Syria. Graham actually wants more of a heavy-handed intervention in Syria, so this should be an interesting meeting. My prediction is the Congressional resolution in the Congress is going to make for some strange bedfellows among the anti-war liberals and the Rand Paul libertarians. This vote is going to be close. Personally, I would vote "no". I still don't know what our compelling interest is.

The UGA Offensive Line Gets Ready for the Gamecocks and Clowney. They better do something different that what they did in Clemson. Georgia didn't look like world-beaters last week. And after all the criticism of being "winded" and "out of shape" you better believe that #7 will be motivated in Athens.

The EU wants to put "speed limiters" on all cars, holding them to 70MPH. Obviously, because Europe's biggest problem right now is cars going too fast. 

Here's some good bowties if you like dressing up for tailgates. And here's a Yeti cooler that's perfect for those of you who struggle to keep your keg of beer cold at your tailgate. Maybe drink the beer more quickly, y'all?

That's all I've got. Enjoy the last day of wearing white shoes, ladies. Tick, tock...

Open Thread - Fourth of July

Have a happy holiday. Some rare letters from John Paul Jones have been discovered in a Charleston library.

Salute From the Shore - Saved by Volunteers

The 4th annual South Carolina tradition of the Salute from the Shore will go on this year despite the sequestration that has grounded all military flyovers. Andy Folsom explains on Fox News how some great volunteers have been able to pick up the slack and continue this wonderful event.

I actually think it will be even better with the vintage WWII aircraft. They'll go a little lower and slower (like good BBQ) so the folks on the beach will get a better look at the aircraft.

Thanks to all the volunteers who took part in making the Salute from the Shore a reality this year. Here's a list of some of the aircraft that you can expect to see. The C-47 will be really cool.

This C-47 took part in WWII. You can see it fly over the SC Coast on Thursday

Friday News Roundup 6-14-13

Happy Friday.

1. Howard's Rock has been vandalized. This is obviously an extremely juvenile act, and I hope whoever did this is caught and punished. It's fine to give opposing fans a good-natured taunt, but actually destroying property is stupid and cowardly. I put it in the same category as keying someone's car. It's not the act of a man.
2. Mick Jagger is a Margaret Thatcher Fan. Not terribly surprising, given that it's widely known that he moved the Stones income out of Britain long ago to avoid the high taxes. He also works pretty damn hard. It's news only because most big celebrities are super-leftists.
3. US Will Join Syrian War. I'm not sure about you, but arming the rebels who are linked with Al-Queda doesn't sound like a genius idea. The "No-Fly" zone is serious deal, and despite what anyone says, that's war. I'm not sure why we're doing this, as I don't see where our national interest is involved. Two groups who hate us are killing each other. I'm not really sure I even see a problem.
4. South Carolina Moms Still Demanding Action on Guns. One of the interesting lines is that the piece claims there is a "gender gap" in gun regulation. Do women support stricter gun control than men? If so, why?

That's pretty much all I have. Enjoy your Father's Day weekend. This post brought to you by Father's Day, circa 1946.

Memorial Day 2013

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The Navy Hymn; Eternal Father from the USNA.

 

Friday Open Thread

Content? Ain't nobody got time fo' that! In lieu of actual blogging content this Friday, I'll give you some music. The money I get paid to blog has been docked accordingly.

On a more somber note, it's Memorial Day Weekend. Feel free to BBQ the heck out of some meat, drink beer, and have fun. But just remember why we have this weekend.

Bostic/Sanford Debate Highlights, Guns, and Easter

I didn't follow this debate last night for several reasons. First, I was doing something actually enjoyable - watching the Gamecock Baseball team come from behind to beat the Aggies 3-2. Second, I don't watch debates between people who I'm not eligible to vote for. Third, debates are pretty boring. I'd almost always rather watch Olympic women's curling. (The Swedish women aren't bad.)

In any event, if you're interested in the Sanford/Bostic race, check it out. If you're not interested in politics, you can enjoy some chicks with guns here.

Happy Easter

Happy St. Patrick's Day! [Musical Interlude]

Whether you're going to Five Points, running in the race, or just enjoying your Saturday, have a happy St. Patrick's Day. Here's some music.

Happy Fourth of July

Seen on Twitter:

Independence Day:  America's original "conference realignment."

Enjoy your holiday.

Happy Father's Day Weekend

For Father's Day, Permanent Press, Sr. and I are going to enjoy some time "bird-watching". We're hoping to see a lot of birds that look like this:

They're no good for eating, but they sure are fun!

What Mom Actually Wants for Mother's Day

I've had this information brought to my attention from several "experts" in the field of motherhood. All I can say is that I'm going to do my best to be a good shade tree to my wife (she's a new mom) this Mother's Day.

Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my lover among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste. He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love. Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love. His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me.

The gift of 8 hours of continuous sleep is a pretty rare commodity around these parts, so that might be in the cards tomorrow. Happy Mother's Day.