Wade on Birmingham

Archive for December, 2006

mini-blizzard in dixie

Sunday, December 17th, 2006

Electric snowflakes
dot lampposts along blacktop
bereft of powder.

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2 soon 4 1040

Saturday, December 16th, 2006

Columns of numbers
hide deductions and details
for IRS use.

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Happy Hanukkah!

Friday, December 15th, 2006

hanukkah

To all of our Jewish friends out there, Happy Hanukkah!

Without Hanukkah, Chrismukkah would just be Christmas …

Heads and tales: Echo chamber

Friday, December 15th, 2006

rko tower

X-tinct: Back in Earth Year 2006, the Terrans were still using forms of mass communication from the previous century, such as “radio.” Portable devices powered by electricity or batteries would convert invisible waves into sound, usually speech or music. The X was known as a broadcast station, and its downfall led to a series of events that would later topple governments and ruin civilizations … but I’m getting ahead of myself.
• Publisher’s Notebook [Black and White]

Sidewalk shuffle 3: The drama continues to unspool at Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival. We reported earlier on changes that led to the director’s departure. Monday’s Salon had twice as many attendees as the City Stages/Catalyst town hall (still waiting for that meeting report two weeks later). Meanwhile, all eyes are focused (film pun) on Sidewalk’s board, logistics, finances and future. WBHM’s “Tapestry” also turned in a six-minute segment (MP3 format) on the affair, which aired Thursday. (Foolish Terrans and their radio, have they learned nothing?!)
• At the Salon [Birmingham Weekly]

amazing race

“Amazing Race” finalist Karlyn Harris’ house was burglarized last week.

Real-life Roadblock: Karlyn Harris, the single mom from Helena we’ve followed all season long on “The Amazing Race,” found her house burglarized. Harris, along with her teammate Lyn Turk, was about to travel last week to New York for the season finale airing when she came home to find the entire place ransacked and robbed, even taking the copper pipes from below. The station led with a two-minute segment (WMV format and separate window). Harris is staying with family until she can restore her house. We suspect the beauty queens … (Warning: Audio plays automatically.)
• Amazing Race Contestant Robbed [CBS 42]

Magic City munchies: Birmingham may not be a tourist town, but how about a palate’s paradise? It all apparently begins and ends with Frank Stitt, the Moses of local fine dining. The writer and companion hit the nouveau haunts: Ocean, Garage, Chez Lulu/Continental Bakery, Bottega, Hot and Hot … Our favorite colorful phrase describing the city from an outsider perspective: “Birmingham, founded on the wrinkled topography of central Alabama because of its iron, coal and limestone deposits, has rarely come to mind as a tourist destination.” Brace yourselves for the invasion of the foodies.
• Birmingham Has a Lot on Its Plates These Days [New York Times]

Also:

  • Santa anticipating delay along 280 during Christmas Eve deliveries
  • Local bowl game fever downgraded to tepid indifference
  • Coaching search expands to include convicts on work-release detail

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my muse

Friday, December 15th, 2006

Tall, willowy, with
a hint of danger. Also,
fully stocked with meth.

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spatial deliveries

Thursday, December 14th, 2006

Deliveries pile
up on doorstep, as Christmas
cheer comes in boxes.

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chrono-metrics

Thursday, December 14th, 2006

I find time stands still
when my eyes remain open
and life meanders.

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for extra credit

Tuesday, December 12th, 2006

Pop quiz: This year was:
a) blessed; b) abyssmal; or
c) full of surprise?

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on to lacrosse

Tuesday, December 12th, 2006

Football season won’t
go away, even after
stench overwhelms me.

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Taylor Hicks: On the record

Monday, December 11th, 2006

After a successful tour for “American Idol,” does Taylor Hicks have anything left to prove?

Well, he has yet to put out a CD under new management.

That changes Tuesday with the release of “Taylor Hicks” [Amazon | iTunes], a pop/blues/soul album that tones down the numerous “woo!” and “yeah!” interjections to which TV fans have grown accustomed.

Hicks delivers what he has long promised: a fun, lively set of songs that play to his strengths of performance and precision.

Updated with free song download …

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second hand schedule

Monday, December 11th, 2006

Not so much that I
can’t sleep as that I can’t seem
to follow the clock.

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Simply Amazing: French miss

Sunday, December 10th, 2006

Lyn and Karlyn. Tyler and James. Rob and Kimberly. After four continents, 13 countries and 40,000 miles, one of these teams has won the 10th edition of “The Amazing Race.”

Birmingham duo Karlyn Harris and Lyn Turk have beaten the odds to make it to the Final Three. Would it come down to a footrace, a taxi standoff or an airline waiting list?
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scrooged at 2:15

Sunday, December 10th, 2006

I’ve seen this movie
too many times on cable.
Well, once more won’t hurt.

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peak, a view

Sunday, December 10th, 2006

Snow-covered mountain
looms like crystal pyramid
sent from wintry land.

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without a paddle

Friday, December 8th, 2006

Xbox, Wii, Gameboy,
PlayStation, PC, Mac and
cell. But what of Pong?

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