Spotted on the shelf at Blockbuster (I was looking for a disc with a THX Optimizer, but later realized I had one and rented nothing).

This is a spectacular example of why I have largely disengaged from contemporary entertainment.

The phone camera did a poor job, but you can barely make out the mammatus clouds over Fuquay yesterday. Trust me, they looked better in person.

Obama was elected four weeks ago. He hasn’t taken office, but this is the top story on "Today" this morning. Silly.

Flight Simulator in 42 inches of HD splendor.

"Age of Empires III" is the latest board game in the collection. It looks great. Will play and advise forthwith.

That’s what I paid in Holly Springs today.

I love Skipper’s Fish Fry in Apex. It’s one of my favorite restaurants.

But I wish they’d stop caving in to special interest groups.

Bob DeBardelaben, the weather anchor on WRAL-TV from 1976 (I think) to 1989 and my childhood hero, stopped by the WRAL booth at the Fair this week. It was a wonderful surprise. He also dropped by the station this morning and was nice enough to have his picture made with me.

As I told him this morning, Bob DeBardelaben is one of the big reasons I’m in this racket! When I was little, Bob made it look so easy and fun — and that’s why I got into this mess. The same goes for Charlie Gaddy and my friend Tom Suiter. They were/are so good at this, they made me want to be a part of it. I owe them a lot. Tom knows this, and I’m glad I was able to tell Bob DeBardelaben in person.

You are what you eat. So when I feel like I need a little professional re-ignition, I’ll pop in an old “Action News 5″ and watch a Bob DeBardelaben weathercast. He’s the best in the business. It was an honor and a real treat to visit with him. I hope I’ll see him again soon.

Well, they shot my little segment for the news open today. You know — it’s that little part where the announcer says, “You’re watching so-and-so.”

It was much harder than I thought it would be. You have to be naturally friendly under very unnatural conditions. i appreciate Shelly, Steve and Stacie for their direction!

See all of the pictures right about… here.

For removing the dead tree in the backyard.