Lamar Thames

Just a few random thoughts this week about topics in general. I am recovering from a dastardly chest cold that has short-circuited my brain cells, so there is really not much of a creative effort going on up there this week (as if there ever is.) That accounts for the lack of new content on the site, which is a definite handicap for a one-person operation.

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I have a favor to ask of you. If you are so inclined, go to

http://GoGreenCove.com/pages/Photo_Contest 

and cast a vote for a photo I posted (seen here) of Rusty the wonder beagle. I took the photo at Christmas and as you can plainly see, Rusty wasn’t very fond of the antler horns. I could never get a photo of him

Please vote for Rusty the wonder beagle. See details in story.

 actually wearing the horns but his expression is just too priceless. So, vote if your can or will and I will gladly share with you a portion of the winnings (a $25 gift card). Depending on how many of you take me up on it, we could be talking of no more than a stick of gum apiece.

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Speaking of cheap, did you hear about the price of a share of CitiGroup the other day? Around $1. Boy, was I tempted to pull our money out of the safety and security of my investment portfolio (talk about an oxymoron) and buy some of that cheap paper. Then I decided, no, I would just buy a Coke instead, since that is about all that was left after last year’s roller-coaster ride in the stock market. I am going to leave it to smarter people than me to figure out how to handle this mess, but I guarantee you I am not throwing good money after bad (if you get my drift, President Obama). 

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I am glad to see that saner heads have prevailed in some of the school-based decisions on which teachers to cut after the Clay County School Board approved reduced staff allocations on March 2. Principal Terry Grieninger was told to rehire popular music teacher Evan Gould at Paterson Elementary School. It was the right decision to make. Gould’s annual music productions at the school have drawn sold-out crowds of  more than 1,000 per night during their three-night runs in the school cafeteria. If you don’t get your tickets early you won’t get in and if you don’t arrive at the school early enough, you will be sitting near the back of the cafeteria. They are just that popular and have brought widespread recognition to the school, the Manatee Cove players, Gould and to the school district. Bravo, Evan!

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Is this the worst economic recession we have had since the Great Depression? Some say yes, some say no. I guess it depends on your perspective and how it has personally affected you. Since it has personally affected me in a loss of a job, I would have to say yes it is the worst since then. And I don’t believe this is a depression — yet. After all, 92 percent of us are still paying our mortgage on time, as well as our other bills, according to some statistics. Mortgage rates are still at historic lows, unemployment is high but not drastic at near 8 percent and credit is hard to get (for some folks).

I don’t subscribe to the theory that everyone deserves to own a house. Home ownership has always depended on good credit, a good job, and enough money to make a down payment. That is why a lot of young couples rent for the first few years of their married lives, save their money, pay their bills and then look for an affordable “starter” house. If we get back to that model, I think we will be better off.

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I have been chastised for deserting the TV series “24″ this year, but I am glad I did. It has made my life a little less complicated, all part of a long-range plan my wife and I have to de-clutter our lives. Like a lot of Americans, we simply have too much stuff. We started the process a few years back by selling or giving away most of the stuff we had in a storage unit (this saving the monthly payment) and now we have to continue the process. I include things like certain TV series as “stuff” because if they are on your must-watch list, it is unnecessary clutter.

There are two other items on our must-watch list that will probably go by the wayside soon. One is “American Idol” and the other is “Friday Night Lights.” Idol just takes up too much time, so it would be a no-brainer to give up. Lights will be harder to give up, however. If you have not seen it, you simply “must” watch it one time.

Lights is the story of a high school football coach in Texas and the weekly pressures he faces from his wife (the school principal), fans, boosters and his players. It is superbly written and directed and has excellent characterization, as well as a variety of good messages for both adults and children. We watch it with our 14-year-old grandson when he is at our house.

Now that it has moved to 9 p.m. on a Friday, it probably misses the very audience it is aimed at — young people — so it probably won’t be on for very much longer. Do yourself a favor and watch it once. You won’t be sorry.