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Wednesday, November 23, 2005
A day to appreciate life and loved ones
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Furman Bisher
Thanksgiving is a day that needs no elaboration. The very name says it all. It didn’t become a holiday by appointment, it evolved out of appreciation for life itself, for health, for a bountiful table, for love of family, for gathering together, a day to pause, give prayerful thanks and consider our good fortune.
But on the other hand, consider the plight of the turkey. The bird du jour. How was it that this awkward-looking fowl became our symbol of this festive holiday? We have the Pilgrims to thank for that, we are told, and the reason was that turkeys were plentiful and dumb. Virginia Tech was the only college that ever named its teams for the turkey — the Gobblers — but soon got the drift and converted to Hokies, whatever a Hokie is.
Then, there is the negative side of “turkey,” the guy who’s an athletic klutz.
But enough of this. Let us clasp hands across the table and be thankful for what we have, not what we haven’t, and how blessed we are, not fearing to include a giggle or two:
*I’m thankful for my trusty old pickup.
*I’m thankful when no young person rises and offers me a seat on the Airport Tram, (you know, where the sign reads: “Reserved for the elderly.�)
*I’m thankful when my neighbor offers me a load of firewood.
*And, I’m thankful when the fireplace season comes around.
*I’d be thankful if Jimmy Carter had been the kind of president he tries to tell George Bush to be.
*I’m thankful for cellphones — for others, but keep it down, please.
*I’m thankful when I’m making a reservation that I’m talking to somebody in Cincinnati, not India.
*I’m thankful for the leathery smell of a new car — especially if it’s paid for.
*I’m thankful when the postman leaves those envelopes with the little window in them.
*I’m thankful never to get involved with some parent trying to discipline his child.
*I’m thankful when the phone rings and it’s not a telepest.
*I’m thankful I didn’t grow up in a country where curling is the national pastime.
*I’m thankful for the bicycle I got last Christmas, but I fear it was a few years too late.
*I’m thankful for smoked turkey, sorry it doesn’t taste as good as it smells.
*I’m thankful I still keep a pencil trimmer, a glue pot and a typewriter at hand, in case of emergency.
*I’m thankful for cashews (please tell me they’re not fattening).
*I’m thankful I got a million miles in at Delta before we had to start undressing at the gate.
*I’m thankful when the chiropractor says, “That’s all,� and the hurting stops.
*I’m thankful for dear departed friends, of whom there have been too many this year.
*I’m thankful for something I can only explain by saying I think I’m the luckiest husband alive.
And having said all that, let’s gather around, bow our heads and give grateful thanks to all our military folk who’ve served us any and everywhere.
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Permalink | Comments (28) | Categories: Furman Bisher, Other
A list sure to unite Dogs, Jackets in anger
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
After a one-year hiatus, our Field Guide to Georgia and Tech Fans returns in all its, uh, glory. Guaranteed to irk both sides. Guaranteed to delight absolutely no one.
*Georgia fans are convinced Mark Richt is the man with the plan. Tech fans are convinced Chan Gailey is a nice man.
*Tech fans suffer from hearing loss due to Wes Durham screaming on the radio after every first down. Georgia fans suffer from hearing loss due to Brook Whitmire screaming over the Sanford Stadium PA system after every first down.
*Georgia fans are wondering if, given that his three losses to Tech have been vacated by NCAA probation, Jim Donnan should get his job back. Tech fans are praying Jim Donnan gets his job back very soon.
*Tech fans believe their school got outmaneuvered in court throughout the Reuben Houston case. Georgia fans believe the rather uncanny Ed Tolley never gets outmaneuvered in court.
*Georgia fans wish Vince Dooley would return as athletics director. Tech fans wish their athletics director a speedy retirement.
*Tech fans think probation is the end of the world. Georgia fans think that if you’re not on probation, you’re not really trying.
*A few Georgia fans are beginning to think Michael Adams isn’t so bad after all. A few Tech fans are beginning to think Wayne Clough has a little Michael Adams in him.
*Tech fans believe Georgia gets better publicity from the local media because the local media is overrun by Georgia grads. Georgia fans believe their school gets better publicity from the local media because Claude Felton is the best in the business.
*Georgia fans wish D.J. Shockley had three more years of eligibility. Tech fans wish they knew exactly how Richt persuaded Shockley to stick around.
*Tech fans want Bill Curry to replace Dave Braine. Georgia fans do not want Bill Curry to replace Larry Munson.
*Georgia fans want Richt to hire a real offensive coordinator. Tech fans want Gailey to hire a real offensive coordinator.
*Tech fans believe Jon Tenuta will be their head coach someday. Georgia fans believed Willie Martinez was a rising star until Devin Aromashodu shook loose on fourth-and-10.
*Georgia fans are thankful Steve Spurrier beat Florida for them. Tech fans are thankful Steve Spurrier didn’t go back to Duke.
*Tech fans are wondering why Bobby Dodd Stadium needed to be enlarged. Georgia fans holding tickets for Saturday’s game are very happy it was.
*Georgia fans have lost track of just how many Bulldogs have been arrested. Tech fans have lost track of just how many ineligible players the Jackets used.
*Tech fans get really excited when Calvin Johnson makes one of his acrobatic catches. Georgia fans will get really excited the first time Johnson gets called for offensive interference.
*Georgia fans love hearing the chapel bell ring after a victory. Tech fans would love it if Travis Bell remembered how to kick a field goal.
*Tech fans wonder why their team can beat Auburn and Miami but not N.C. State and Virginia. Georgia fans wonder why their team can beat Tech but not Auburn.
*The Georgia fan’s most hated rival — Florida, unless Tech happens to win Saturday night, in which case everything would change. The Tech fan’s most hated rival — Georgia, and that’s never, ever subject to change.
Permalink | Comments (73) | Categories: Mark Bradley, Tech / ACC, UGA / SEC
Tech-UGA isn’t a real ‘rivalry’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Terence Moore
Georgia vs. Georgia Tech.
Yawn.
OK, it’s a cute matchup whenever the Bulldogs and the Yellow Jackets go helmet to helmet, but nothing more, nothing less.
In other words, don’t insult the word “rivalry” by calling this game on Saturday at Tech such a thing. There isn’t a rivalry when one team (say, Georgia) keeps hammering another one (say, Tech).
Even if Tech wins this time, we’re talking about the Jackets managing their first victory in the series since the turn of the century. It would take several more victories after that by the Jackets before this series becomes a rivalry again — well, if it ever was one after Bobby Dodd became more famous as a stadium than as a person.
And speaking of always losing to the same team more often than not each season …
Florida gives Georgia fits.
That’s some “rivalry,� too.
Permalink | Comments (135) | Categories: Quick Hit, Terence Moore
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