Brad Warthen's Blog

St. Paddy's at Yesterday's

Here I am standing at the bar in Yesterday's. So where are y'all?

This is not the usual crowd. Very young, very green, quite drunk, generally speaking. I'll need at least another pint before I can tolerate them. I think I'll have one of those Bud Lights in the special St. Paddy's green aluminum bottles. I don't like light beer, but one must bow to the conventions of the day.

"Born Under a Bad Sign," which I must add to my playlist, was just playing on the rather loud PA. Before that, it was "Up On Cripple Creek," which can't be beat, anyway you cut it. Levon Helm!

Anyway, I'm not going to be here all night, so if y'all want to hoist one with me, you'd best shake a leg. Quick's the word and sharp's the action. Time and tide wait for no man, and so forth.

See, I'm just taking a beer break in the middle of cleaning out my office. I'll be doing it all weekend and much of the week -- 22 years of accumulation, or accretion, or whatever (I'm a notorious pack rat) makes a heap o' cleaning up. My task is like that of Hercules in the stables, or, if you're not into classical allusion, that of the noble wee machine, Wall-E.

Some silly bugger knocked his beer over so hard it splashed on my hair -- and worse, onto the Blackberry. Drunk as Davy's sow, he must have been.

Somebody passed the word for Duncan, and he came to join me. I broke the news to him about my leaving the paper. He was disappointed to learn it. Duncan's a great guy. While he was here, a young guy who knows my daughter stopped by to say he's a fan. Of course, he doesn't take the paper -- he reads my column at his parents' house on Sundays. Which is one of our problems.

I'm going to have a Yuengling before I go back to the office. Then I've got a lot of work to do. See ya.

I can't go home 'til McCain wins

Having commandeered one of the HDTV receivers at a 5-Points bar, I'm running a tab on Yuenglings, trying to will McCain over the finish line in Florida.

Thirty-three percent of the vote in, and still neck-and-neck with that mannequin, Romney.

At least tonight will settle Rudy "Florida Strategy" Giuliani's hash for good. Did you read that strong endorsement of McCain in The New York Times? Way brutal to our boy Rudy...

"...a narrow, obsessively secretive, vindictive man who saw no need to limit police power. Racial polarization was as much a legacy of his tenure as the rebirth of Times Square."

No more Hizzoner in his own country.

One happy beach bum

This forwarded message was waiting for me this morning. As I begin another long Friday, it's good to know that somebody out there is happy and satisfied:

This photo is titled “Tax Change Worries Officials.”  I am holding the March 18th, 2007, edition of The State on the beautiful shores of Cherry Grove.  School systems no longer can rely on residential property taxes; instead they are at the mercy of the State: more pleasing words I have never read in The State.   

Please forward this email & photo to Cindi Scoppe for me.
Many thanks for your prompt courtesy and intelligent attention.  Best wishes for a long, hot summer.

Robert Collins
Irmo SC

Party on, Robert.