The blanket of whiteness draped over the city on Saturday has by Monday morning turned to jagged ice on the roads that lead downtown. And on this Monday morning in Greensboro, it seems, all roads lead downtown.

There's an old joke they tell in south Louisiana about a couple Cajun fellows named Boudreaux and Thibodaux - actually, there are a lot of Boudreaux and Thibodaux jokes, but this one seems particularly apt today.

On Friday night in the Smokey Bones barroom, our crowd was starting to get a little rowdy. "I want strawberry lemonade!" one said. "Me too!" "Me too!" So a round of strawberry lemonades is procured for the bulk of our party, who range in age from 2 years old to 14, while their dads make do with pitchers of Red Oak.

I am sitting here puffing on a big, fat cigar in the middle of downtown Greensboro just one week after the statewide ban on smoking in bars and restaurants went into effect.

he warm afterglow of Christmas lasted exactly eight days in my house, just eight days of exultation in the fellowship and goodwill that usually lingers long after a successful multi-generational family gathering, which also means that the...

It's been a long year, this 2009 - ushered in with hope by a new president, bogged down by economic turmoil and rampant joblessness, characterized by stonewalling and bickering amongst our leaders.

The old building looks great from out on the street as twilight takes hold. It would have been difficult not to notice the surge of activity on the historic structure where, 50 years ago, four brave college students took a quiet stand - new tar on the roof, restoration of the architectural flourishes, a good wipe of the windows.

The house seems quiet on those rare occasions when all the kids are asleep and I'm home alone, awake, uncomfortable in the stillness. The wife is off to South Carolina, to run a half marathon for cancer research - a noble pursuit, to be sure, an amazing feat of discipline and focus. We are proud of her from afar and have spent the weekend cleaning the house in her honor. Her absence is keenly felt.

I don't know what's up... I haven't been getting much done lately and I'm not quite sure why. It's like when I'm on Facebook playing Bejeweled Blitz and I'm looking at the board, looking and looking at it, and I just can't seem to find a way to make three matching jewels in a row.

There are warm clothes here at the Really, Really Free Market: sweaters, sweatpants, jackets and hats awaiting the chance to once again fight off January chills. There are cases of CDs by artists you've never heard of, unless you're a fan of the band Romance's work on The Divide.