soundboard de cheevo

- I had this cra zy idea that here in the deep South the prevalence of Calvin stickers on the cars and trucks of certain country fried folk would wane seeing as Calvin and Hobbes , the comic strip, has been retired for 12 years this coming December. Boy, was I wrong. Driving around Birmingham in the past few weeks I see that bootlegged Calvin is still really busy these days and making appearances on many a vehicle. His nice boy side does a lot of praying on his knees in from of giant crosses and also memorializes those who have died, but the bad boy is really naughty and sprays urine all over everything from the different American car manufacturers to Nascar pretty boy Jeff Gordon. Calvin's seems to be using the Jimmy Swaggart model of life these days now that he's been separated from his beloved stuffed tiger. I wonder who decided that Calvin would be a good spokesman for everything redneck? Why not Charlie Brown or Dilbert. Sadly Looney Tunes Tazmanian Devil and Tweety Bird

- It seems to me after seeing Ryan Adams and the Cardinals Monday night at The Alabama Theatre, that he has two types of fans -- those that live to taunt his delicate, stormy ego and those who would buy an album of him burping along to The Tijuana Brass Band. I am neither. I went with a friend who I've known since grammar school who recently moved to town, not so much to see him, but to spend time with her. I've heard about Adams great songwriting as well as his strange stage antics for years and knew that whatever he brought forth would probably be worth witnessing, but I was wrong. Unfortunately, from the first set, it seems that the group is trying to fill the tired void of the jam band. If I closed my eyes during the first set I was reminded of the endless Grateful Dead bootlegs my room mate listened to during my freshman year in college. I always wondered why it was necessary to have 50 tapes of the same guitar noodling over and over ad nauseam . This first set was it was

- Catherine Eva Fondren, better known as Cate, was born on Aug. 28. Her parents and brother were my next door neighbors in Crestwood and I digitally chronicled much of Ben's first year on this blog's first year. Cate is quiet and content and in that new baby phase that consists of sleeping, eating and pooping. Ben has become quite the talker these days, loves trains and is a sweet big brother. Parents Mary Catherine and Jason debated over baby number two's name for much of her pregnancy, and I must give myself a slight pat of the back for suggesting Cate -- one of the all-time best names ever. More mid-October photos are here .

- At Vulcan Park, Oct. 14

- ... especially when forced upon me by naughty cats

- Bo Butler and the Nice Boys played the reception and made the evening. It was anything, but a stuffy wedding. I really like the circle of friends, including the bride and her fellow belly dancers.

- It's weird how major life events all seem to happen at once sometime. Last weekend surrogate brother Jay Vance got married to his long time girlfriend, Aimee Thornton. The ceremony was about as short and sweet as they come, no Bible versus, no for richer for poorers and and I have to say I liked it. The weather, flowers, and setting at Birmingham's historical Avondale Park, was just right. Clare, and I have one sibling each and they are getting married within 20 days of one another. Life can be interestingly weird.

- It's always strange going back to Auburn, Ala., the town where I was raised. The house I grew up in has been been bought by a super rich Auburn University trustee who, ironically, was the bane of my father's existence during his last years as chair of the journalism department. Now the house we knew has been completely erased, replaced with a more modern-looking version and completely unrecognizable. Like my sister said, who was also in Auburn Saturday for a bridal luncheon held for her on our old street, "I felt nothing." True dat. - I went back for a good reason other than the luncheon. My first friend on Pinedale Drive, Cameron Leonard, got married Saturday at Auburn's oldest Episocal Church, St. Dunstan's, located downtown. After the reception we gathered at a mutual friends house for the fall Auburn tradition of watching football and our guys won, at the last minute at that and against the evil Florida Gators. I went down back downtown and watched th