According to the Roanoke Times, family food favorite Western Sizzlin netted a 19% increase in profits during the last quarter despite lower sales. The Roanoke-based chain now has 7 spots in Virginia, significantly down from a decade ago, and it’s main rival, Golden Corral, currently dots more of the Commonwealth’s landscape. Still, despite the economic woes, Western Sizzlin’s is cooking with grease when it comes to profits.

The land of the potato bar and huge salad buffet holds a special place in the hearts of many middle and working class children of southern Baby Boomers. For many, it was the among the first “sit-down” restaurants we were exposed to. If memory serves, communities like Richmond, Petersburg, Hopewell, South Boston and Farmville once sizzled with the rib-eyes and t-bones offered up by the usually-friendly staff.

As you or your parents grabbed the dinner tray(s), picked up the obligatory sweet tea (or unsweet for the diabetics), and headed toward the cash register to prepay, the scent of grilling beef (and the occasional chicken) mixed with the cornucopia-like buffet to produce an oddly comforting aroma. Even though you knew that you would overeat and likely end up with gastrointestinal distress, it didn’t matter. You were going to eat all that you could.

Now that we’re all grown up and many of us have left our ancestral rural homelands for the lush leafy suburbs or hipper cities, our tastes have leaned toward the Outbacks, Ruth’s Chris’, or even Morton’s. Yet, aside from Dad’s home grill selections (or Mom’s culinary corrections), many of us can credit the Western Sizzlin’s (and its ilk) of the world with introducing us to steakhouse eating. That’s a job well done….

“I do think the quality which makes a man want to write and be read is essentially a desire for self-exposure and is masochistic.” - James Jones (hat tip: Fishbowl DC)

With apologies to the novelist Jones, there are far more altruistic motives for embarking on a journey of the written word. Granted, there are those who have a “look-at-me” quality, particularly in the blogosphere, but the fact remains that plenty of folks spill print or digital ink for more noble causes. Two weeks ago, I issued a call to arms for existing or prospective writers looking for an outlet in which to indulge their literary talents. To date, a few folks have nibbled at the bait, but I haven’t been able to hook’em just yet. Maybe I need to be a better fisher of men and women.

Essentially, this blog seeks to occupy the virtual real estate in the suburbs south of Richmond, particularly Chesterfield, that has been mostly left untiled. For about a year, Scott Pharr & Co tried to hold it down on this side of the river via Chesterfield Daily. CD did an admirable job of applying the very popular community blogging model pioneered by the RVANews crew, but in talking to Scott, it was too much for him to maintain. It looks like the RVA shops in the city fared a bit better.

A few months back, much coverage was given to the Pew Trusts-funded “Project for Excellence in Journalism Report On Citizen Journalism Sites.” That report studied communities across the US and found that “Richmond, Virginia, was the most developed community of citizen journalism sites” they could find. Taking at look at the region’s top aggregator - RVABlogs - there are currently 364 in play. However, most of these seemed focused on individual, community, corporate and political life inside Richmond city proper with some spillover into Henrico (I am a big fan of Petersburg People’s News).

It’s easy to write-off the suburbs as not ready for (blogging) prime time. In his shout-out about the return of this blog, Jon Baliles noted that the county doesn’t get him too excited. That’s understandable as most folks don’t necessarily head to the manicured lawns, strip malls, and planned communities for a taste of the wild side. However, that doesn’t mean that life in the ‘burbs is an instant bore.

The majority of Americans live in suburbs, despite the mad dash back to the center cities that started in the late 1990s. Metro Richmond is no different, with Chesterfield, Henrico, and Hanover dominating the population and demographic scene (Richmond has seen an uptick in in-migrants). This means that the essential character of the New Richmond is more than a touch suburban. According to a local market research firm, our region is essentially Middle America, a new Peoria of sorts. Coming closer to home, Chesterfield County weighs in at just over 300,00 residents, making it the 4th or 5th largest locality in Virginia (behind the counties of Fairfax and Prince William and the city of Virginia Beach and neck-and-neck with Loudoun). From where I sit, any community with over 1/4 million folks living in it has got to have something worth talking about.

That being said, the overarching goal of the restart was to make this a community blog, not a one-man show. The previous iteration of South of the James managed to attract a number of guest writers and regular comment-makers. I suspect that the hyper-caffeinated political discussions helped draw people out. This time around, politics isn’t really on the menu as there are plenty of existing sources for public affairs and boosterism out there concerning the county and its surroundings. This is more of a lifestyle blog (asking important questions like when that darn Fresh Market will open on Huguenot).

Put candidly, if it turns out that the reboot is just a rerun of solo writing, I can find more appropriate and less geographic-specific perches from which to hatch my own writing…proving that Mr. Jones was indeed correct.

So, my better half kicked her floral design hobby into a side gig (Fleuraworks is the company name) a few months back. She’s done a couple of weddings (pictures forthcoming), some individual arrangements for holidays, and a number of door hangings for churches in southern Virginia. Currently, she’s got some great-looking Christmas wreaths on sale just in time for the holidays. I don’t know about you, but in our ‘hood in the ‘burbs, lots of folks adorn their doors with seasonal dressings. Sure, you could go to Michael’s and Ben Franklin, but why not support a burgeoning local entrepreneur and get a good deal. If you’re interested in the selections below, shoot her an email at fleuraworks@gmail.com.

It could be said that food resurrected this blog. Having set aside the mouse for over a year, I walked into one of my favorite local haunts and saw an old restaurant review that I’d done plastered up on the wall. It was right beside the “real” reviews by the writers for the RTD, Style, Richmond mag, and so forth. In addition to a great meal, the friends whom I dined with also got an earful on how cool it was to see my stuff on the wall like that. My wife just rolled her eyes. Needless to say, the staff got a fat tip from me that night. Anyway, after seeing that I could touch the heart of a top-notch chef in such a way, I figured that blogging again was the only way to go…that was a year ago.

Food writing is a tricky business. To the uninitiated, it can read rather stuffy, esoteric, and needlessly fussy. It helps that culinary criticism has reached some level of ubiquity with the advent of reality shows and pop literature (Food TV, Bourdain, Naked Chef, Top Chef, yada yada yada). By the same token, there seems to be a clear delineation of writers - those who are well-educated and experienced in all things food, OR those who love good eats, fancy themselves foodies, and like to pontificate about their meals. I’m in the latter grouping.

Recently, I headed over to Bottega Bistro in the Greater Midlothian area off of Robious and Huguenot Roads. It’s tucked away in the Bellgrade shopping center right beside the Ruth’s Chris; it’s a classy-looking spot with just a hint of formality. Having been to Bottega a few times before, this visit had dual purposes. First, we needed to catch a late-night (for the ‘burbs, anything after 9:30pm is late) meal. Second, it was time to render a final up-down-neutral verdict on a place that has the potential for greatness.

Generally speaking, Bottega has received mixed reviews (strangely, I can’t seem to find the links), most of which deemed the place decidedly mediocre. But, the ambiance is nice and the staff is always pleasant. The most recent trip wasn’t much different than expected, except…

…the soup du jour - a corn & shrimp bisque.

This delicious bowl was not skimpy on the little sea creatures in the least. The corn tasted fresh (not canned), and it had a just-right texture, not too creamy and not too salty. Versus coming up piping hot, it was intensely warm, and I gladly gulped it down. I got the feeling that this was an experimental dish, and I don’t know if they intend to make this a permanent menu item. Doing so would be a nice move because the stuff was great.

As for the other food, having done the dinner (okay) and lunch (better) pasta offerings at previous sitting, I decided to try the pizza this time. Having seen the enjoyment of other patrons and had word-of-mouth encouragement about it, it was a low risk move. The “Sicilian Meat” comes with Sopressata, Pepperoni, Prosciutto, Capicola Ham and Sausage with Plum Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella and Provolone Cheeses. Unlike take-out or chain spots, Bottega doesn’t load up their pizzas with toppings. This was more gourmet. And, it was a better pick than the entrees. Coming in around 10-12 inches, it’s definitely worth the $14 price tag. Because it sat up on the warmer for a few minutes, the crust was soggy, but that was somewhat forgivable because we waltzed into the joint at 10:15pm, just 45 minutes until closing time.

One difference this time was that the normally laid-back and pleasant staff was aggressively attentive…in a good way. They went out of their way to attend to our drink orders, continuously checked up on us, and insisted that we not feel rushed as the 11pm door-closing approached. Seeing as how the place was nearly empty, it would’ve been easy for them to rush us out the door. But, they were incredibly nice. It’s been said that in time of economic trouble, customer service becomes a point of differentiation, especially with luxury goods like dining out. If that’s the case, Bottega gets an A+ on this front.

Still, next time, I’ll order the pizza earlier in the day to get the full enjoyment. So, it looks like the verdict is in - Bottega is worth a next time.

It’s probably due to the fact that I feel too old to give a crap, but the overnight mash-up of Sirius and XM channels seems to be going relatively okay for me. I became part of the satellite radio family after keeping the party going once my 3-month trial subscription expired (remember the 1st round of GM “Employee Discount” promotions?). Frankly, I haven’t looked back since and have become a minor celebrity in my social circle.

A lot of ink has been spilled about the coming doom representing by the XM-Sirius merger, especially for DC-based XM fans who saw a centerpiece of their (curiously odd-sounding SoHo knockoff) neighborhood-cum-economic development district fall victim to corporate M&A leftovers. From my perch south of the James, this new thing of ours ain’t half bad.

Because I’m glass-half-full news junkie who already suffered through XM’s circumcising MSNBC from its line-up, I’m pretty darn satisfied to have the NPR and couple of Canadian (different, eh?) channels. I also checked out the music channels (my classical music training and inner-country bumpkin rear their heads every now and again), and I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt. However, I must admit to being a Johnny-come-lately to the whole Radiohead and Jason Mraz phenomenons. Can a brotha get some U2-knockoff Coldplay for a minute?

So, despite my best efforts, it looks like Starbucks suffered a major profit-loss in the Q4 reporting period. Apparently, despite making a number of changes to their offerings and operations, the company sputtered along with lower same-store sales and revenue reductions. Back in the summer, the java giant announced massive numbers of store closures. The Metro Richmond area was thankfully spared as a number of new stores have opened up in the past 2-3 years.

Starbucks has always presented an interesting dilemma. While definitely not offering the quality and tastiness of local coffeehouses (these two are particularly yummy), it did bring upper scale caffeine experiences to the masses. Despite the tendency toward McLatte, it remains a wonderful gateway to the world of better coffee for the more adventurous of the Sanka set (I turned in my instant brew card a few years back).

Notably, the lines at the stores around here seem longer, and there are also more “help wanted” signs in the stores begging for baristas to work flexible shifts. On Election Day, there were more grumpy people in the lines at Starbucks waiting for their free tall house blend than there were at the overloaded poll locations nearby waiting for the change to pull those levers of democracy. Gourmet and faux-gourmet coffee are definite luxury goods, and with gas prices being much cheaper than the espresso offerings from the Pacific Northwest, finding new profits could be as elusive as finding Bigfoot.

So, the local Food Lion on Hull Street posted a sign noting that, come 2009, it will make the transition from the friendly, neighborhood value spot into an upscale Bloom. Called “a different kind of grocery store,” the Bloom chain has a number of stores in the Commonwealth. The website notes 7 locations in the Fredericksburg area and 2 in Williamsburg, and store officials proclaim that:

“Bloom looks unlike any grocery store you’ve ever seen: from the moment you pull up in the parking lot, to the second the door swishes open, you know that you are about to enjoy a completely new shopping experience. Then, once you’re inside, you will soon notice that everything is different. The lighting, the layout, even the staff. It’s warm, it’s friendly, it’s inviting. The associates want to help you. They smile. They clearly want you to feel at home. It’s then that you begin to believe, that Bloom really is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced, so come in and Shop Happy.”

Owned by Food Lion, the Bloom concept was born in North Carolina and apparently tested well enough to sprout up throughout the Coastal South and Mid-Atlantic regions. According one cashier, she and others will retain their jobs “as long as we meet Bloom’s standards,” because the company is seeking “Ukrop’s quality at Food Lion’s Prices.” Expect the store to undergo the initial process of renovation to fit the design some time soon.

Located in a strip mall not far from the under-construction Hancock Village, the Bloom store will surely add to the on-going retail transformation of the western Chesterfield’s Hull Street corridor, growth fertilized by the steadily-climbing disposable income of the surrounding subdivisions.

Back in the day, South of the James was a hyper-political online journal, a one-man show with a handfull of contributors sprinkled in for good measure. While fun, it was a ton of work, and like the tens of millions of blogs out there, SOTJ was subject to flat-out die given the whims of a single blogging auteur. Don’t be mistaken, there is much to be gained from such an enterprise, so no complaints will be heard. Yet, in firing up the recycled Blogger version, it should be made clear up front that this new enterprise will only last if it’s a group effort.

Long story short, South of the James: Rebooted is seeking fellow travelers to dish about art, culture, foods, literature, sports, business, and technology in and around the Greater Chesterfield region.

It’s been said that the land south of the James is not so much a place as it is a state of mind. Head down here and sit for a spell, and you’ll see for yourself the correctness of that sentiment. Notably, the list of prospective topics is bereft of politics…by design. As Tuesday showed us, there are plenty of voices out there mixing it up in the political arena, and closer to home, Chesterfield has two very good hyperlocal media outlets covering the government & politics beat. Hop across the Appomattox, and the same thing holds. There is no self-evident need to add to the bloodsport mix.

Rather, what the “new” SOTJ:RB aims to do is raise the voices of creativity who lurk on the other side of the River, have some personal or familial connection to the region, or simply like the notion of what it does or does not represent. More an exercise in online “creative nonfiction” (blame the seminars at the Visual Arts Center for that one, folks) than “random acts of journalism,” this time around uniqueness and strength of voice is the key. Otherwise, why should anyone come over here and read the stuff posted?

Technologically, the decision to go back to the Blogger set-up reflects this rationable. What it lacks in technical bells and whistles, Blogger compensates with user-friendliness and interconnectedness to its Google stablemate, GMail. Frankyl, it’s really easy to manage and contribute to a blog hosted on Blogger…despite the occasional software hiccup. Additionally, like its original SOTJ sibling, the focus on the newbie is solid, good-quality writing that speaks for itself. Dressing it up in technogeekery defeats the purpose. It’s like in college where turning in a tricked out term-paper only made the red-ink bad grade prettier - your GPA still suffered.

For the wannabe Hemingways out there, please don’t let the “nonfiction” thing get in the way - it would be great to have south side fiction writers, poets, and even playwrights come aboard and lend their words to the cause. The tagline can be adjusted accordingly. From this vantage point, the more the merrier.

So, if any of you readers out there are willing and able, it’s time to Git R Done! Email southofthejames@gmail.com and let’s get this party started right.

Dipping into the world of business blogging (again), it’s good to see Richmond blogfather Jim Bacon ramp up the productivity at the Boomer Consumer blog. Ostensibly, this is a site to promote the services and insights of The Boomer Project, a market research outfit north of the River, and this group has had its finger on the pulse of the Baby Boomer generation for quite awhile. For Gen Xers, they help solve the Will Smithian riddle of why parents just don’t understand.

The latest post lobs a small rhetorical grenade at the “greedy, grasping children” that apparently plague Boomers across the Pond. It wonders aloud whether the trend of Generations X, Y, and Millenial mooching off their parents well after reaching adulthood will invade American shores. It’s an interesting conversation that has all kinds of socioeconomic implications. Still, on a personal level, I’m wondering if I’ve given myself the short end of the stick by not hitting my folks up for cash. Oh well, there’s still time!

So, Media General bought Richmond.com and the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth (see the comments) ensured. Sure, it’s a shake-up in the local media scene, but it makes sense to me. Look, the geodomain game is quite popular, and Virginia seems to be ahead of the game in terms of big media companies hopping on the geodomain trend. MG’s in-state rival, Landmark Communications, owns HamptonRoads.com, Norfolk.com and Roanoke.com. The first two sites are powered by content from the Virginian-Pilot, and the third feeds off the Roanoke Times and related content.

To me, the surprise isn’t so much that the MG/RTD did this, it’s that more mass media outlets haven’t made similar moves. Looking at the Associated Cities network - the national group for place-specific domains - it doesn’t appear that a lot of other papers or broadcast have gotten on board this name game, ceding territory to travel & tourism sites.

By far, the most interesting response to this situation comes from a local blog that is very familiar with real estate, physical and virtual - the804.com. That site lays out a number of strategic and tactical moves that local alt.media mavens can take to capitalize on the opportunity. John Sarvay also shares in sage visions on what this all means. And, the good folks at Tobacco Avenue had what may be the funniest take on things (put your drink down first)…for the record, if anyone wants to buy southofthejames.com (the old spot) or southofthejames.org (this blog’s re-direct), I’ll be happy to replenish my 401k plan with your cash!

Sometimes, I hate being right. Really. Nearly 4 years ago, I penned a piece for the Black Athlete Sports Network titled, “From Good To Great: Why the Legend Of Tyrone Willingham Must Become Reality.” In that piece, I explored the career of the then newly-fired-turned-hired Washington Huskies football coach. Sports fans will recall that he got somewhat of a raw deal from Notre Dame, dumped after 3 years of his 5 year contract - the first time the Golden Domers had done such to a head-man.

My article tacitly noted that Willingham was basically playing above his head at ND, that he was a good, not great coach. Further, I asserted that if the man was to live up to the hype - going beyond the militaristic demeanor and academic successes to producing an actual winner on the field - he’d need to step up his game. Interestingly, I got some emails from UW alums after writing that piece that wondered the same.

Well, after nearly four years of futility, his Pacific Northwest adventure is coming to an end. 11-33 just didn’t cut it, and he’s not won a game yet in 2008 (0-8 as of now). For a school that has a national title in its history, winning games in the Willingham era has been harder than finding Bigfoot. Honestly, they’re among the worst programs in the FBS. It’s a shame that a great school and a good man couldn’t make decent football happen.

Washington has the resources and legacy to draw a good quality coach who can make the team competitive with in-state recruiting, PAC-10 play, and eventually, post-season bowl games. They’ll be fine. The question becomes what’s next for Willingham? Given his connection to the late Bill Walsh and the powerful West Coast offense coaching tree, the NFL may be a place for him to seek refuge. The intense, distant professionalism that ran afoul of big-time donors would work well in land of Belichicks. He may get another shot at a less-pressing, lower-tier college (a la Frank Solich). Indeed, he’s got options.

Regardless, what I said four years ago would likely still ring true: “The man, the myth and the legend must become one. Otherwise, he’ll simply be just another good football coach, not the great coach in whom many high hopes rest.”

These days, blogging in the political realm in on the verge of being cliched or at least passe. Everybody - campaigns, media companies, political parties, lobbyists and average Joes (plumbers and otherwise) - is hitting the blogosphere to drop news, give opinion, attack opponents or just mouth off. I’m not going to hate on them because, hell, political blogging has paid dividends for me (see: employment). But, if you look at the world wide web through the lens of political blogging, it’s easy to feel like you’ve come to the end of the “Internets.” Fortunately for web junkies, that’s oh so untrue.

Business is the engine that drives our world, whether we be workers, consumers, investors and/or owners. As such, the world of commerce and industry is the true brave new world for social media. Back in 2005, no higher an authority than BusinessWeek declared that “Blogs Will Change Your Business.” Oh were they ever so right.

A few months back, they updated that theme to the notion that “Social Media Will Change Your Business” to accomodate the Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace phenomenons. Basically, if you’ve only been trolling political and media blogs, you’re dismissing business blogging at your peril. At the very least, even if BW and others are over playing the issue, they still have great search engine optimization technology at their discretion (google “social media business” and that BW piece is first up in the hopper).

The cool thing about the potential for blogging, social networks and the array of social media in the business world is that it really helps firms play out the “think global, act local” mantra. Even for the single-shop business owner, the potential is limited. A great example of this is a local shop located (you guessed it), south of the James River - The Cordial Cricket in Chester.

A 3 year-old business, The Cordial Cricket opened up a few months ago in the heart of Chesterfield’s new urbanist Chester Village Green development. Part of the Festival Park section, owner Elizabeth Howard hesitantly packed up her Old Towne Petersburg shop (Paper With Style) and moved a few miles north to the larger, more modern confines of this vibrant suburban community. She rebranded the store as The Cordial Cricket (due to some pesky legal mumbo-jumbo) and hit the ground running.

In the interest of full disclosure, Elizabeth and her husband are friends of mine, and I’ve shared my views on the utility of business blogging to her.

Elizabeth totally gets the logic behind opening up her business to the possibilities of the ‘Net. Wanting to go beyond her in-store confines (local), she opened up an online sales site (global) that can reach anyone, anywhere. It’s easy for a business owner to simply use their web presence to peddle inventory seeing as how it’s a free country and all. But, there is value to be gained by going further, and from the looks of things, Elizabeth “gets it” as well. The Cordial Cricket family now has new addition - a business blog.

Like other store-related blogs, the CC blog is more than just pimping the paper products. It will delve into the entire world of paper, hoping to become a destination site for enthusiasts. It’s anybody’s guess as to whether this will work in the long run, but given the low costs and potential for creativity, it’s definitely worth a shot. The bottom line is that social media are here to stay, and if the methods catch fire in the business world, who knows where our economic relationships could end up. Either way, I get a feeling that businesses like The Cordial Cricket will be chirping right along.

I’m always looking for good, and interesting, lunch spots, especially in and around downtown Richmond (and good coffee, too). Well, I recently swung by the relatively new eat spot - Aurora (401 E. Grace St) - to check out their offerings. Last week, Style offered a snippet into what the place is about, and with it being a quick walk for me, I figured that I’d give it a shot.

Without belaboring the point, the first impressions were pretty good. Their espresso packs a punch but has a nice smooth taste. I’ve been on a Cafe Mocha kick lately hitting various spots to compare (Cafe Gutenberg, Globehopper, Lift, Panera, Starbucks). This was the most interesting one from a taste perspective, and it wasn’t so hot as to burn the crap out of my mouth.

The lunch menu is a mix of salads, soups, entrees, and sandwiches, but I chose the lunch buffet option. I admit that I’m still in recovery from my trip to an all-inclusive Caribbean resort, thus buffets have a special place in my heart. Still, the attentive staff billed this as “not your typical salad bar,” and they were most assuredly correct. This was a decidedly different array of options compare to typically pedestrian buffet troughs, with items such as wilted spinach, shrimp gazpacho, deviled eggs, roasted gourds & mushrooms, chopped veggies, etc. Unless you like to gorge yourself at lunch, the selections should suffice for most folks, and it’s pretty cheap for gourmet. Tacking on soup still keeps the buffet under $10, and with that soup being a tasty lobster bisque, it’s an even better deal. I’m sure that my arteries weren’t happy, but my stomach was.

The most intriguing part of the experience has to be the dessert portion whereby European-trained pastry chef Scott Davison brings his From Scratch Bakery to downtown. For those who hang a bit further south of the River, you’ll recognize the offerings from the pastry section at Petersburg’s Java Mio. Davison also provided dinner service for the Cockade City’s multi-culti arts venue Sycamore Rouge for awhile, where he created what may be the greatest crab cakes in history. Admittedly, I was never been a big fan of the pastries in the case at Java Mio though I do recall the Sycamore Rouge dessert offerings being better. Thus, I ordered the pecan pie with trepidation. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised - it was damn good pie…southern Grandmama good!

According to the waitstaff, the Euro/NYC design will be enhanced with some experimental artwork adorning the walls…and a couple of bars serving the strong stuff. Not being a paid food writer, I’ve got to cover the restaurant bills on my own, but, I have a sneaky suspicion that I’ll have plenty of occasions to check out the rest of the menu and the new ambiance.

Ok, I’m really being driven batty listening to or reading sports media. The continuous butchering of the English language by sportswriters, commentators, and others is reaching infuriating proportions. Part of the reason I briefly took up sports-writing (2004-06) was to prevent myself from being driven insane. Granted, I’m not a lit major, but dammit, I surely remember my K-12 years well.

Here are just a few things that drive me crazy:

1. Byes - according to Merriam-Webster, a bye “is the position of a participant in a tournament who advances to the next round without playing.” In other words, it’s what the top seeds get come playoff time - a week where they can chill while the other folks knock themselves out to who gets to play against the bye-enriched squad. It is not what happens when the ‘Skins don’t play a game during a particular week; that’s called an “off-week.”

2. Gutty, Vaunted, Stout - these are assuredly the most overused words in all of sportsdom. Seriously, if you offered sports media types cash in exchange for not saying these during a broadcast, news article, and such, you’d still have all your money at the end of it all. I admit that people tend to use correct grammar, but it’s annoying at how repetitive it gets with these words.

3. Walk-off (home run) - this just sounds stupid. I know it’s legit, but I’m an old baseball card collector when they were called “game-winning” home runs.

This completes my evening rant. It was a gutty attempt and composing vaunted sportswriting via my stout blog. Now, I will walk off and take a bye before my next blog posting….

So, apparently, the lovely folks at the University of Georgia have determined that certain kinds of Facebook users - those who “choose glamorous, self-promoting pictures for their main profile photos” - are prime candidates for narcissism. Needless to say, I was shocked when I read this, some 3 weeks after it was first announced. I guess that I was too absorbed in watching my reflection in the mirror to notice.

Of course, like any good narcissist, I immediately did the falsely modest thing - I replaced my b&w headshot with snapshot of me picking apples on Carter’s Mountain. See, I feel more humble and less self-absorbed already…no need for meds. This article is published in the October issue of the journal Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, but I haven’t read it yet. I was too busy admiring myself.

Anyway, after feeling really bad, I realize that it wasn’t my fault. That glamour shot was the product of my Sorensen education, thus I guess they were enabling me all along. See, it’s their fault!

At any rate, I’m happy to proceed from here with my blue-collar apple-picker picture. The one that shows my Blackberry attached to my hip.

As usual, I’m late to a game that others have been playing for quite awhile. Nonetheless, subscribing to the cliche that it’s better late than never, I’ve decided to make this blog an effort in creative nonfiction. See, that was the wonderful title of a seminar that I took a few months ago at the Visual Arts Center of Richmond. I also took a follow-up session on memoir-writing, the other side of nonfiction writing straddling the fine line between genius and insanity.

For months, I’ve wanted to get back on the blogging horse, but the boundaries of work prevent me from going back down the road once traveled (working for an elected official, anything you say about politics can and will be used against you). However, the drumbeat of writing, that obsessive tendency to use any paper-like product to chronicle your thoughts, persisted to the point where I decided to crank up my old Blogger account and give it a go…but, I still ain’t writing about politics, media, and that whole bit.

This time, I’m approaching the craft as a creative nonfiction writer. Quite frankly, the difference is silly and trite, and essentially meaningless as this is a hobby. But, I love navel-gazing, am too often stuck in my head, and get a kick out of pontificating. So, the shoe fits. Plus, Poets & Writers has given its blessing to people trying to do creative nonfiction in blog form. HA!

Anyway, this blog will be filled (to the extent that I actually give a damn about writing something) with random snippets…but no politics. Sorry folks, in an economic downturn, unemployment ain’t my shtick. Enjoy.

So, at the brand spankin’ new Short Pump Whole Foods, this bottle of Rosé was billed as a rose for white or red wine drinkers. In other words, it’s aimed at those who fashion themselves as wine snobs who’d never be caught dead with a glass of blush (what we Americans call the pink stuff). Well, I can see why.

Unlike some poorly-made Rose, the 2007 Tegernseerhof Zweigelt Rosé produced in Austria, was crisp, dry with a nice fruity smell. It was definitely not on the sweeter end. We had it with boneless pork chops (my dump recipe using apple cider, orange marmalade plus herbs & spices) that were on the spicy side (thank you dried red pepper powder), and it paired really well. It complimented but was not overshadowed by the meat. The Zweigelt grape is a red varietal that is apparently the top grape in Austria (cue the Sound of Music…). If you’re a nerd like me, you’ll enjoy the fascinating story via our friends at Wikipedia.

The other upsides of this wine is that it’s under $10 and comes with a screw top. And, the bottle is pretty. I didn’t take the time to search for a rating, but if I were scoring this wine, I’d give it at least a solid 80 out of 100. But, I’m not into ratings….yet!

Enjoy.

When I packed up that other blog, the one thing I truly regretted was ending my nascent wine-blogging. Folks that know me have dealt with my wannabe connoisseurship for 10 years (only since I’ve been legal). I hope to turn this site into a repository for reviews on the glasses and bottles that come my way…like the tasty bottle of 2006 Concannon Sauvignon Blanc I picked up yesterday for under $10 at the Le Kroger (the label description is dead-on).

In the meantime, here’s a blast from the past:

Wine-ing down 2006…good to the last drop

Green with Envy: Frey Vineyards 2004 Organic Zinfandel Surprises

Drinking in the White Power!…I mean the wines, y’all

Now, it may seem rather arrogant of me to borrow from Capt. Smith when writing a freakin’ blog post. But, that’s the beauty of the ’sphere. We can (within reason for some of us) assume terribly presumptuous postures in exercising that free speech thing. Anyway, enough pontification.

This is my lame-o attempt at getting back in the world of blogs. Because of my job, I can’t go back down the roads once traveled (note: I’m really into using cliched allusions). If you don’t understand why that is, sorry. But, I can proffer thoughts about random, nonpolitical topics, within reason. Self-editing has always been my shtick.

In case you’re wondering, I tried blogging on other sites, but that didn’t really work out for various and sundry reasons. If you don’t believe me, check this junk out:

False Starts: Um, Politics is still not on my menu
AND
An Aroma of Honey-do: Wines Notes from Erika Jones-Haskins’ Husband

I also tried “micro-blogging” via Twitter, first using my real name, then by reviving my blog handle when that other one felt to snobby. It’s not too bad, but honestly, sometimes a brotha wants to say more than what 140 characters allows!

So, here goes nothing. Or something. Whatever.

Attention followers (oddly cult-sounding): I’m dropping this site for twitter.com/southofthejames. you’ll see why when you get over there! 12:25 AM July 04, 2008 from web

conawayhaskins just felt too stuffy. I love my name, but I ain’t that important. So, I’m bringing back southofthejames in bite-size pieces 12:22 AM Jul 4th from web

Aaron McGruder had this R. Kelly thing figured out long ago: http://tinyurl.com/6e5y6c 11:37 PM June 20, 2008 from web

Watching http://imvotingrepublican.com/ and lamenting the total lack of motivation to do foodie blogging. 12:26 AM June 18, 2008 from web

has a new weightloss plan: 95 degree heat + pushmower = 2.5lbs shed! 03:00 PM June 07, 2008 from web