NotesFromtheVoices

It is rainy muggy day here in Kville. I am ready to go home and prepare for the Criminal Minds season premiere tonight.  I am writing this so I can look busy at work. I should be writing about a work session but I’m just not feeling it. Hurricane Joaquin could possibly affect my area this weekend. This is also the weekend of the long awaited N.C. Poultry Jubilee. Seriously, I am very excited about this because two things I love will be combined—fried chicken and the World’s Largest Frying Pan. Hopefully, they will be able to fry the chicken. The fry must go on. While looking through Pinterest, I found a Currently writing prompt. I decided to do so I can burn some more time and leave a little early. Currently… --I am thinking about going home early to take a nap and prepare for Criminal Minds. --I am enjoying the day at my desk instead of running all over the county in the rain. --I feeling pretty good today. My cold has finally gone away. And my birthday is ...

The last few weeks have been pretty rough for me. My close friend died and my best friend’s dad is terminally ill. And I have been battling a bad cold and ended having a bad allergic reaction to Mucinex. The death of my friend Nelson has gotten me to thinking about making some changes in my life. My first one is to stop the couch surfing and pity partying.   I have been upset about a lot of things from not making enough money and missing my son to body issues and restlessness. In a few days, I will be 42-years-old. 42.  It is time to stop hiding. It is time be more active and stop hiding in my second story apartment. It is time for me to stop hiding behind baggy clothes. It is time for action. I am on the quest to be Action Jackson. It will start with heading to the Benson Mule Days on Friday. It will be an event way out of my comfort zone. It’s different. Every morning I read devotion from Joel Osteen. Yesterday, it was about our words can he...

It has been awhile since I have posted. My close friend and mentor Nelson Bland died at 3:23 on Aug. 24. I know this because I was at the hospital in his last moments. He wasn’t blood but he was family.  Last week was blur of planning and working. Since he wasn’t immediate family, I couldn’t take bereavement time off. I will admit I am having a hard time moving forward. We met 14 years ago when I was a young reporter out of college. He taught me about community journalism. His big thing was how the Mount Olive Tribune wasn’t the New York Times. It was a community newspaper. People care about the small things like teddy bear tea parties, barbecue fundraisers and the Ruritan meetings. If they want national news, they will turn on the tv but we are responsible for the local stuff. Years after leaving the Tribune, we remained friends. I would visit from time to time. But moving back to Pickle Land a year ago, we became closer. Mitch Albom had “Tuesdays with Morrie...