My parents have been in town all week, down from Long Island to have a visit like they do several times a year. And every time theyre here I engage in a campaign of subtle suggestion, trying to convince them that they should do like their only son and make the move from New York to North Carolina.

County manager is the highest paying position in Forsyth County government. And it should be. This is where the buck stops, after all. The county manager answers directly to the elected county commission, and oversees 1,966 fulltime employees with benefits.

Valentine's Day makes me think about love, and love makes me think about television? Yes pretty much everything makes me think of TV, because Ive watched so much of it over the years.

Author's Note: Last month, I made my annual pilgrimage to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. This year's fest marked the 10-year anniversary of my very first Sundance experience and my seventh time volunteering overall.

I just polished off two sausage McMuffins and am in the throes of January eaters remorse. I hereby swear off fast food for as long as I can stand it. Ill miss McDonalds breakfast, though.

On the front of each box there is taped (and sealed and backed) a recommendation from the box's contents; a box of X-Men comics, for instance, is fronted by a 1991 issue with a cool cover of Storm, Jean Grey and Colossus. The store is also stocked with a solid collection of old and new action figures.

The stores provide a notable service allowing customers to scan the barcode of any CD and listen before purchasing. In addition to the standard rock/ pop, RB and hip hop sections, FYE stocks Christian, gospel, bluegrass, country and international music.

Francis Ford Coppolas adaptation of Mario Puzos brilliant novel defined the epic crime drama. Brilliant performances by Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, James Caan and newcomer Al Pacino highlight this period drama about the Corleone familys ascension to power in the ranks of the New York Cosa Nostra, otherwise known as the Mafia.

A lot of famous people died in 2008...more than in any year I can remember. And of course, some affected me more than others. So while I was sad that Sir Edmund Hillary, the first to climb Mt.

Darby's name was disclosed by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in an open Senate hearing. In a subsequent 60 Minutes interview, Darby said he and his wife were shunned by neighbors in their Baltimore home and now live in protective military custody.

So yeah... seems the governor of Illinois took the Senate seat vacated by Presidentelect Barack Obama and just kind of shopped it around. Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat, figured the appointment was worth at least a couple-hundred grand a year, plus a little six-figure something or other for his lovely wife.

It could be argued that "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire" is the most memorable verse of any Christmas tune ever written. Composed in 1944 by Mel Torme and Bob Wells, "The Christmas Song" is the most performed holiday song of all time, according to Broadcast Music Incorporated.

President-elect Obama has made a breathtaking pivot from champion of change to upholder of the status quo has been breathtaking as President Bush leaves the United States international standing in shambles and the economy lurches ever deeper into cataclysm.

With the holidays coming up, and the economy going down, it's a great time to pick up a pack of Bicycles. Cards provide a social way to drink and gamble, and also to pass time with children, grandparents and alone. The most basic game in the world is solitaire.

When my mother was a child, my grandfather and his brother, Cecil — in the Southern tradition — would actually kill the family turkey on Thanksgiving Day. Then, my grandmother — with some assistance from her four children — would perform the arduous task of preparing the recently deceased bird for dinner. For the past 50 years or so, storebought turkeys have been the staple on Thanksgiving Day. My grandmother doesn’t do much with respect to preparation: a sweet onion stuffed in the turkey cavity and a good rubdown with real butter on the turkey’s skin. The key is timing. Mema always sets her alarm for 4 a.m. Thanksgiving morning to place the big bird in the oven.

On the radio I listen to tips for saving money at the grocery store. There’s talk about carpooling or taking the bus to work. And people are worried about jobs. But these are familiar ideas for an unemployed post-college student. May I suggest evaluating groceries by cost per ounce? You can get pretty far on Little Debbie’s Oatmeal Creme Pies, frozen burritos and of course Top Ramen. Also, try volunteering for paid medical and psychiatric studies.

Welcome to one of the greatest sites on the net. Archive.org is a virtual repository of art and media and features the premier collection of free, legal music online. Its impossible to create a rock-solid top 10 from the more than 60,000 concerts to be found, but this list should be a good start.

Why is everyone being so serious lately? Okay, were in an economic crisis, we have a huge election going down and its hard not to be plugged into current events.

During the third and final presidential debate between Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama, McCain brought up a plumber from Toledo, Ohio named Joe Wurzelbacher who spoke to Obama during a campaign stop last week.

Right out of the gate in the second presidential debate, at Belmont University in Nashville on Oct. 6, Republican nominee Sen. John McCain took a counterintuitive swing through Sen. Barack Obamas wheelhouse by offering a proposal steeped in compassion and economic populism.