http://hamptonroads.com/node/355380 Gruss Point Blank en-us Copyright 2009 PilotOnline.com / HamptonRoads.com. Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:26:24 -0500 Heard a rumor out there that I was thought to be dead. Not true. You all know the Mark Twain line. Speaking of dead, (how's that for a segue?) Karen Jones of Virginia Beach found a tombstone in her backyard a few weeks ago. I wrote about the mystery of where it came from in Saturday's paper. http://hamptonroads.com/2009/09/please-pull-second-window Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:26:02 -0400 I like the idea of a consequential stranger, as described in an NPR piece recently. I've probably been to the post office around 50 times this year and the idea of a consequential stranger helps explain why I wrote about Clyde Longest on Monday. (Those of you with incredible memories may recall that Lon Wagner wrote an excellent piece on Clyde in 1998.) Here's an excerpt from Monday's column: http://hamptonroads.com/2009/09/super-duper Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:03:09 -0400 I dropped a foul ball at the Tides game last night. Ordinarily this would be devestating. The ball shot back behind me, ricocheted off another section, then hit my outstretched fingers harder than I expected. Then, I literally and figuratively, dropped the ball. This kind of opportunity does not happen every game. It's the closest I've come to a live ball  in a long time. http://hamptonroads.com/2009/09/dropping-ball Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:40:54 -0400 One of the new additions to Town Point Park that hasn't been talked about enough is a change to the benches. They now have armrests. I wrote about them in Monday's paper. http://hamptonroads.com/2009/08/dividers-not-uniters Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:16:54 -0400 I wrote about Michael Vick yesterday, not because he's an easy target (he is), but because there is a legitimate questions for sports fans about when it will be appropriate to wear the new Vick Eagles jersey. (He's set to make his debut tonight.) Here's the crux of what I wrote, FAQ-style: http://hamptonroads.com/2009/08/good-you Thu, 27 Aug 2009 16:38:13 -0400 A little over a month ago, you may remember an article in The Pilot about John Grisham, the popular legal-thriller writer who lives in Charlottesville. Grisham is writing a screenplay about the Norfolk Four. Then, a few weeks later came news that Gov. Tim Kaine had issued a conditional pardon for some of the men involved. http://hamptonroads.com/2009/08/john-grisham-virginias-attorney-general Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:40:09 -0400 I love the stuff that comes out of Suffolk innovation hubs. It's like they're purposely trying to recreate the toys from Bond movies. For example, ever want to play with an unmanned aerial vehicle during a war exercise? There's an app for that. http://hamptonroads.com/2009/08/theres-app Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:06:34 -0400 Ok. I'm back from a few days off and made it through a long Monday. Last night and on the trip out of town I drove over over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. One of the perks of driving the CBBT? My dog got treats from the toll attendants both times. Sure, I paid $12 for those treats, but still, it's something. http://hamptonroads.com/2009/08/knickers-and-english-leather Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:26:24 -0400 I finally saw "Up" this weekend. It was cute and I enjoyed myself. Parts of the movie felt very saccharine and I fell for every one of the emotional devices Disney left in the script. But I wonder if Pixar is reaching a breaking point. This was not a movie about superheroes or rats or toys or cars or some other inanimate object that required animation to bring it to life. http://hamptonroads.com/2009/08/case-casting-real-people Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:32:07 -0400 Three topics to get to today and all relate to water. None have to do with the rain. 1) Since I read this article a couple of days ago, I can't stop thinking about this idea http://hamptonroads.com/2009/08/water-world Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:06:51 -0400