It's not the words that we remember

I just ran across a quote from President Bush while he was speaking to those gathered at the White House Press Photographers Awards dinner.

"When people think of historic events they don’t usually remember the words that were written, they remember the images. One photo may not tell us the entire truth…but it gives us a piece of the truth. One photo may not provide a complete history…but it gives us a glimpse of history…and that’s important work." –George W. Bush

I have fought the silent battle with many editors over the years trying to convince them of this very thing. How many of us can remember the name of the mountain where Joe Rosenthal photographed the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima? Probably no one...but they instantly think of that photo. What's the first thing you think of when you think of the Oklahoma City bombing? Not the many inches of copy that were written the day after...not the headlines...but the image of that little baby.

"A picture is worth a thousand words"...but a thousand words aren't necessarily worth one good picture.

Congratulations everybody!

You can call me Keith.

I'm considering changing my name to Keith Sweat...not because I'm a Harlem born R&B singer songwriter who provided you with your 1987 prom theme...but because I've done nothing but sweat for the past four days. My thermometer in my car said it was 102 degrees when I got in it for lunch. It could be my imagination...but I think that part of my face melted.

Pardon?

I have comedy central on and I just heard the "f" word. I'm sorry...is this the mother of all profanities on basic cable?

Thank you Dave Thomas

It's been too long since Wendy's offered the Montery Ranch Chicken Sandwich...and today I found out that it is back. I've been way too happy about this all day.

Travel Notes

Here are some things I made a note of while on travel:

1. Airports should add a "runners only" lane for people who are running to catch a flight.
2. They should also add a "frustrated people only" lane for the hundreds of people walking around shaking their head in disgust.
3. Even though I know that people are talking on their cell phone hands-free I still wonder if they are just crazy people who are talking to themselves.
4. The whole country should be required to serve sweet tea...North, South, East, and West...everybody.
5. A standard should be set for eating shrimp tails...either we don't eat any...or we eat them all.
6. No matter how hard I try...I can never keep myself from sharing my "There are rednecks everywhere...no matter what part of the country you live" theory with people in the north.
7. Wireless internet service in the hallway isn't quite as beneficial as wireless internet service inside the room.
8. Time zones make my head hurt.
9. Ragging out a new Chevy Malibu V8 is 100% guilt free when it is a rental.
10. My version of Microsoft Word is too old if it flags the word "internet" as a misspelled word.
11. Top ten lists are stupid.

Little gifts from above

I'm sitting in the lobby of a Comfort Inn checking e-mail....why the lobby?...Mainly because the wireless internet service appears to only work in the hallway on the second floor...quite a convenient feature. The kid sitting behind me on this swanky little round sofa is daring the other kid with him to touch the nude buttocks on the statue behind us....crazy kids...crazy, perverted kids.

It's European!

I'm sitting at a Delta Airlines gate and the sign by the desk says this: "Federal regulations limit your carry on baggage to 1-carry on item and 1 smaller personal item such as a male/female purse, briefcase,..." "It's not a purse! It's European!" There is also a graphic above this statement showing me what I can't take on the plane. Imagine my embarrassment when I had to take my liquid propane gas container out of my carry on bag.

My troubled son

It is a real shame when I take a photo with a my little dinky...crummy resolution camera phone...and it turns out to be a good one. Of course I guess I wouldn't have been able to hold any other camera while buzzing down I-565...so it's an even trade.

I discovered last night that Wilson is socially retarded. If anyone knows the name of a good canine therapist...please leave it in the comments section. He also made a case last night for leaving off the "socially" portion of that previous statement by repeatedly running between the wires of an electric fence. I now know how it feels to take your child to visit someone's house only to have them embarrass you with their behavior. That may rank slightly below "Chuck E. Cheese" as reason #2 why I don't need children right now.

Dance Grimace Dance

One thing I left off from my "Raise the Roof" post a few months ago is air guitar. I have a firm and zero tolerance stance on people playing air guitar. I don't know why...it certainly isn't because I play guitar because I would oppose it regardless. But it's just way too awesome to have McDonald's Grimace dancing to our band...I'll give him a pass on the air guitar. Click on "Video 1" below to watch the tons of fun dance. "Video 2" is just another McNugget from the big purple dance machine. I'm the sweaty guy in the red shirt.















Photo and video courtesy of HUNTSVILLECARSCENE.COM
Video 1
Video 2

Pastor Joe

Dear Pastor Joe Simpson,

Thanks for your moving message this past Sunday.

Sincerely,

David

P.S. Your daughter Jessica is hot...you know it......and that creeps me out a little.

Beware of Dog

I've never been a huge believer in ghosts either way...but this dog has given me all kinds of reasons to think that I have some sort of ghost in my hallway. Wilson used to greet me at the door with an affectionate greeting...but now he stays back and peers at me through a thin area of visibility between the living room and the back bedroom. He whimpers when he has to walk down the hall...not when he is in the bedroom...not when he is in the kitchen...but something about that hallway gives him the heebs. Anna thinks he's just staying back to make sure I'm not a burglar...this could be true. It's good to know that if someone ever broke into my house that my "best friend" has got my back.

Thanks Coach

Phil Cavnar 1960-2005

The Decatur Daily/Dan Henry

I have never played a minute of organized football nor did I attend East Limestone High School...but when I read about football coach Phil Cavnar's sudden passing I was saddened. My dealings with Coach Cavnar have been many over the years. I started my career as a photographer with The Athens News-Courier in 1996 and I shot many games at the school which is only a couple of miles from my parents home. Some high school football coaches could be very intimidating...especially to a 17 year old kid trying to pass himself off as a photographer who knew what he was doing....but Coach Cav was not one of those coaches. I moved on to The Decatur Daily in 1998 and continued covering Coach Cav and his players. He never failed to be courteous and patient with any request that we had for him. He got it...he understood what we were there to do. He knew that our stories and our pictures would bring attention to his kids...to his school...and he appreciated it. He didn't treat it as an inconvenience to him...as a roadblock for his practice...he saw it as an opportunity for his kids to get the attention and the limelight that they deserved. There were others...but he will always stand out in my mind as one of the best coaches I ever worked with.

He was known as a "nut" when it came to his sideline style. I've heard stories of him getting so fired up that he head butted his players in the helmet as they came to the sideline. He coached in shorts no matter how frigid it was. I once saw him rip off the sweatshirt he was wearing because a player was bleeding and no one brought a towel quick enough. I'm sure there are a ton of these stories.

My thoughts and prayers are with the Cavnar and East Limestone family.

You'll be missed coach.

Today's dessert

Dippin' Dots - The Ice Cream of the Future

They make this stuff by flash freezing it with liquid nitrogen...how 'bout that? Cryogenic freezing....it's not just for eccentric dead people anymore!

Seriously...put a shirt on.

Here are ten things I learned from my vacation.

1. Failing to apply sunscreen to one’s upper lip will result in a moustache shaped suntan.
2. I do not own the DVDs from the first season of “The O.C.” but now thanks to Lawren…it owns me.*
3. If there is a sweet lady recovering from ACL surgery walking in the surf…she will be run over by someone boogie boarding with me.
4. Hwy 331 South from Montgomery, AL is a painfully long stretch of highway.
5. Walton County (Florida) Sheriff’s Deputies are everywhere.
6. The humidity in North Alabama is quite acceptable thank you...relatively speaking.
7. Losing your checkbook is much like watching Oprah….I don’t recommend it.
8. Dear Hairy Guy in Florida, Please stop walking on the beach shirtless. Thank you. Mgmt.
9. Having a cockroach crawling on your leg is every bit as gross as you would think it to be.
10. Coming back to work after a 5 day weekend is awesome**.

*by "owns me" I mean we watched 17 episodes in a row and I need more
**by awesome I mean not awesome