An Introspective Retrospect

The Natchez Trace Part 1

2012-03-17T12:07:00.000-05:00

When planning this trip, I honestly didn't make too many plans. I kind of had a rough outline of the things I wanted to do, but I didn't really know what to expect. All I knew was that it was time to get away for a bit and hit the road!

Day 1 started early; 4am to be exact. I hopped in the shower and got clean for one last time, threw everything into my truck, cranked it up, hit play on the ipod, and hit the road! The weather was a little ominous that first morning, but after seeing the forecast I felt like I would go through it all before I got to Natchez and my trip should be fine. I was feeling good hitting the road. I made one more pass down our little beach then turned it north.

The music was loud and I made it to Hattiesburg before I knew it. The weather was BAD at this point so I decided to swing into my favorite breakfast spot Wards. I took a few minutes to look over the map on my phone and decide on my best plan of action. I pointed my truck east and headed out on this journey. Before too long I had successfully made it clear of the weather and the skies opened up into a beautiful blue for a bit. It didn't last long enough before it was overcast again.

The only thing that I HAD to do before getting on the trace in Natchez was to go see the Mississippi river. I'm sure anyone that's been on trip with me that get anywhere close to the river aren't far from being sick of hearing me talk about it. There is just something about it that connects me. So much history on that river. I can see why Mark Twain was so inspired every time i'm close to it. When I finally made it there I had to spend some time just hanging out. I sat on my tailgate and did a little writing as I soaked it all in.

My view over the big river.

When I was finally satisfied with the amount of soaking it in I had done it was time to locate the trace. This turned into quite the task. I felt like I drove around in circles for hours and just kept missing it. In reality it really didn't take very long, but needless to say when I finally found it I felt accomplished.

And it begins!

I was finally on the trace. Here goes nothing right? 444 miles at 50mph is exactly what I needed. I learned quickly that you can really spend a lot of time out there and not make it very far at all. It took me well over 3 hours to make it past mile marker 17, but there is just SO much to see in that first stretch. I stopped at the 2nd largest Indian mound in the United States, Emerald mound. I visited the restored Inn that was the first stopping point for travels on the trace 200 years ago, Mount Locust. Then I got to do what I was really interested in doing and that's some hiking! I spent some time talking to one of the park rangers at Mount Locust about access to the original trace sections. He made it a point to let me know that this is no Appalachian Trail. Most of the original trace is long overgrown, part of the current trace, and just gone with time, BUT there quite a few sections of the original trace still remain. Along the parkway there were numerous signs pointing to sections of the original trace.

Me near the top of Emerald Mound

(Note: Emerald Mound was a ceremonial mound, not a

burial mound. Therefore you were allowed to visit the top.

The burial mounds along the trace were viewing only.)

Mount Locust.

Had a great tour from a volunteer named Mike. Thanks again!

My highlight of day 1 came between mile 16 and 17. The ranger directed me to a 3 mile stretch of the trace off the beaten path. He explained that it wasn't very well marked, so not many people use it. There was no sign to it off of the parkway, but once you got off the road signs did direct you there, but it definitely didn't look like it was used much. That is right up my alley! After following a small path you emerge on the original Natchez Trace. It was amazing. I could really feel the history in there. How many people had walked over this same spot in the last couple hundred years? Which important historical figures have been right here? This is what I needed! I felt completely connected to the history and was completely taken in by it. One of the fantastic features of this area is the soil. It's a very light soil that is quite easily eroded. This, coupled with the foot traffic over several hundred years, has left the trace sunken pretty deeply in places. It was kind of eerie walking through the trace when you couldn't see what was above you. I felt like this would've been a pretty great ambush place for the trail robber's of the past. I plan on coming back and I plan on spending much more time on the trail systems of the trace.

Me on a sunken section of the Trace.

Why is this always an unavoidable aspect of such

greatness? I did my part to leave no trace and picked

up several items during my hike.

After my time on the original trace I headed back to the road and pushed on. The drive was amazing at this time of year. Everything was in bloom, the temperature was nice, so it all made for a very enjoyable drive. I don't know that I ever rolled my windows back up.

The next point of interest I came to was the ghost town of Rocky Springs. This was also the first campground on the trace. It was somewhere around mile marker 58. This is one of the great aspects of the trace. The three campgrounds along the way were all no fee, no reservation campgrounds. Everything was very clean and accommodating. All of the campgrounds were also at places of historical importance. This ghost town was once home to over 2,600 people, but now all that remains is a church and a couple of rusting safes. There was a great little trail winding through the former town site and plenty of informative plaques to explain everything you could want to know about Rocky Springs. The really great thing about this town is that the church is still maintained to this day. It was built in 1837. The doors are always open, so I stopped in for a visit. It was very nice and quiet considering I was the only person there. I took a couple of minutes to sit down and hang out in there. It gave me the perfect opportunity to do some thinking and reflect on different aspects of life.

The Rocky Springs Methodist Church

I pressed on over another 100 miles from Rocky Springs this first day, but I think this is a good spot to cut this post off for today. I don't want to make these posts too long and unbearable. After all, even I don't like reading posts that are too long! There is much more to come! Check back often. As soon as I finish my full albums I will be posting links to them on here.

Until Next Time,

Kyle

The entire album! Enjoy!

Quick Update Take 2

2012-03-13T19:59:00.001-05:00

I put some good mileage in today. Well, 200 miles isn't nearly as impressive when it takes you all day, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I made a LOT of stops today in my journey to get to this spot. I'll be posting in excruciating detail when I return home! ;) I called it a day at Meriwether Lewis state park tonight after paying my respects to the man himself. I snapped a couple more iPhone pics for you. Enjoy!

Until Next Time,
Kyle

Quick Update

2012-03-12T19:53:00.001-05:00

Travel day 1 is hopefully going down as a success. I started early and covered a lot of ground. I called it a day at mile marker 193 at the Jeff Busby campground. I managed to grab the last spot and happen to be the only non rv camper out here! Tomorrows destination is M. Lewis state park with multiple stops along the way. Did some hiking on the actual old trace and I've been taking tons of pictures! I snapped one with my iPhone so you could get a quick peek.

Until Next Time,
Kyle

What Life is Made Of

2012-03-11T15:17:00.001-05:00

If you asked me what makes my world go round, I wouldn't have to think long to answer that question. Friends make my world work. I may be a little biased, but i've definitely got some good ones. Over the last 2 days/nights i've gotten the chance to spend time with almost all of them. Thinking about that even makes me feel a little accomplished! Of course there are stories that could be told, but this time I think i'm going to just keep them for us. I promise there will be more stories to come in the future, but this time I just feel like this was something I needed and it just seems a little more personal to me.

I will tell you this. I did something last night I haven't done in a long time. I was awake long enough that I hit the point that I just decided to tough it out and watch the sunrise. I can't tell you the last time i've watched the sunrise by choice. Actually I do remember when it was! It was back in October when I was out in Arizona. I wanted to see the sun rise over the Grand Canyon, so I set my alarm for that.

Anyway, I took a few pics. The colors weren't as amazing as I had hoped they would be, but they can't be perfect every time.

The sun working it's way up over my little spot on the harbor.

The moon hung in there pretty late with me this morning.

Well, it's official. I will be heading out on my adventure EARLY tomorrow morning. I went and picked up some road supplies a little while ago, so it's really feeling close now. I can't wait to get some miles under me and get this thing going. I'm going to be heading straight to Natchez to start. I've got to get down to the river before I start. It's just one of those things I do. I'll try to keep some updates going while i'm on the road, but look for some extensive posts when I get back.

I just want to say hey to all my new readers! Thanks for finding interest in my little section of the world! And of course thanks to all my faithfuls out there! I appreciate everyone's continued support.

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Oh... I'm going to have to write a post sometimes about all the nicknames people give me, or the celebrities they all want to compare me to. Just because I have a beard doesn't mean I look like every bearded person you know of! haha...

Why I Don't Do Pre-Workout Supplements

2012-03-10T13:55:00.000-06:00

There is a simple answer to this question, but i'm not a simple answer kind of person so here goes. Me and my buddy Jason work out together from time to time. I like having someone like him to work out with because it really pushes me to take it to the next level. You will never get the results you desire without pushing yourself. Me and him joke around a LOT about working out, so when I got the text yesterday that he was on his way with some "get jacked" juice, I knew I was in for it.

As time goes on, i've become more and more cautious about using different supplements. Not necessarily because they are bad, but because I just don't tolerate that kind of thing very well for some reason. I'll have a bad experience, go a couple of months and just kind of "forget" about it. So when Jason showed up with a shaker full of pink liquid yesterday I was thinking, "hey, maybe i'll give this a shot again."

This is the pink liquid in "JUG" form!

When we showed up at the gym and it was doing exactly what it's designed to do. I had a ton of energy and we were blowing through our workout. I'm sore enough today to prove it! As the workout progressed, I started feeling it. I wasn't feeling so hot. I could feel it down in my stomach, but I kept just suppressing it and keeping on. Then my mouth started watering a little. I was thinking, "Oh no, this can't be good." "Just walk it off, breath deep, and you'll be fine." I started basically walking laps around the gym and wasn't really working out anymore. When Jason asked if I was done, "oh yeah" was the only thing I could say.

After the workout Jason suggested going to Coffee Fusion for a smoothie. I thought this sounded like a great idea so we headed in, ordered, and sat down. About 2 minutes after we got our drinks I started feeling REALLY bad. The kind of bad when you know the ending is inevitable. My mouth starting watering like a faucet and I just said, "we need to go!" We hopped in the truck and headed off back towards my place. I had the window rolled down so the wind could blow in my face just hoping to make it home. It seemed like the traffic wasn't moving and my place was farther that it's ever been. When we got downtown all I could see was the people all around, so I quickly redirected Jason down a side road to get out of site of the crowd. We were finally getting close and I was thinking that I just might make it. I was WROOOONNNNNG! I couldn't even speak. I just pointed to the side of the road and out the window I went.

Dramatic Re-Creation! It kind of tasted and looked

exactly the same both times! haha, sorry for being

a little gross.

Needless to say, I've sworn that stuff off again for now. Now we just wait and see if I "forget" again. Let's hope not! After this little event, I felt 100 times better and was able to continue my day without further incident.

When I got back home, the construction workers were hard at work beginning the remodel of the recently vacated apartment. This past fall the little complex I live in was completely remodeled for the first time since it was built back in 1957! They were all remodel, but #1. So finally they are tearing it out, much to my daytime sleep attempting dismay. When we pulled up there was an off yellow tub laying in the driveway. Talk about right out of the 50's!

Need a tub?

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Back to the National Seashore

2012-03-07T15:52:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, after donating blood, I was told to not do anything strenuous for at least 24 hours. That pretty much eliminated any plans I could have made for my one day off. After a little nap, I just couldn't find it in myself to stay around my place any longer, so I put on my shoes and headed out. It was a supremely beautiful day, so I decided to head down to the Gulf Islands National Seashore Park, or at least our little section of it. This is a pretty unique aspect to our little town of Ocean Springs. We have a national park right in the middle of town!

I started out, after parking my truck, by the trail head to the Davis Bayou Trail. I always make the detour across the road to see if the alligator is visible on any given day. I lucked out this time!

We have alligators all over this town, but this one is probably the most consistent viewing opportunity. My dad had one living in the storm drain at his store one time. They kept feeding it so it didn't leave until animal control finally dragged it off. The biggest gators i've ever seen have been out on the barrier islands. They are a little more free to do their own thing out there so they tend to get pretty big.

After visiting with the gator I headed onto the trail. I've spent quite a bit of time on this little trail. At 1/2 mile it doesn't take long to get around. The appeal to me is that it's close and quiet. I came out here when I was training for my trip to the Grand Canyon. I would walk lap after lap with my weight vest on. It paid off in the end. I did something a little different this time. I took my time! I even grabbed one of the visitors guides and followed the points of interest. In all the years i've been coming out here this is something i've never done. It was a good little guide. Plenty of info on the flora and fauna of the area and even some info about the ancient sand dunes that created the elevation changes in this area. That explains the sandy trailbed! I could have done without all the Hurricane Katrina references though.

The trail is really nice and maintained. Lots of great cover and I sure do love walking below all the Magnolias. I'm looking forward to the bloom season. That will add good smells the the benefits of heading out there.

The Magnolia Cover

Fallen trees have led to some interesting rest opportunities.

After finishing this trail I followed the road around the old CCC camp trail. This trail leads the the former site of the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) headquarters from 1938-41. I've always been fascinated by history and especially the history of the gulf coast. The old roadbed is still visible in places off the side of the trail. Then you come out to the overlook of the bayou at the foundations of their former dining hall. It's a little visited point in the park and is definitely worth the short walk.

Three trees growing out of a single stump or three

trees that have grown together over time? I'm not

sure but it's interesting either way.

View across Davis Bayou.

If you ever need to get away for a few hours, this is definitely the place to go. It's small enough that it can all be seen in that amount of time and if you aren't from around here it's a great opportunity to learn about our coastal ecosystem. I feel like i'm starting to sound like the Ocean Springs tourism board or something. Come visit our town! I guess i'm just proud of this little place and proud to have grown up here. Again, if you're ever in town send me an email and i'll point you in the right direction.

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Why I Donate

2012-03-06T22:22:00.000-06:00

This morning after establishing my dominance in the checkers world (that's a whole other story) I headed over to the blood drive our hospital was having. This is something I always try to do when I get the chance. It's a way to help save lives on a whole different level. As a RN i've really had my eyes opened to the amazing results brought on by blood and blood products. In the critical care setting, a couple units of blood can make the difference in a patient struggling to breathe and a patient just relaxing watching a little TV. The more I see, the more willing i've become to donate.

I'm not a big fan of that giant needle they stick in your arm, but I can sacrifice my comfort for a bit for this. I guess one good thing, for me, is that you could hit my veins with your eyes closed.

See I really did it!

Pretty glad they didn't wrap me with hot pink again!

Another for the collection.

A friend told me this morning, "Hey, you just saved three lives!" That's such a great way to put it into perspective if you're a little hesitant about it. I promise it only barely hurts, lasts just a few minutes, and could change someones life. This is where I say GO! Next chance you get, go and donate. Your gift will make a huge difference in someone's life!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Not So Slight Change of Plans

2012-03-04T17:27:00.000-06:00

Anyone that's been within ear shot of me over the past few months has heard all about camping trips and more camping trips. I've got some time off coming up that was originally dedicated to hiking the Wild Azalea trail in Louisiana, but sometimes things don't work out quite the way you'd hoped. That trip will be sent back to the archives for a while until all the pieces come together to make this trip happen. I'll admit, I was pretty bummed there for a while when I discovered that it just wasn't going to happen. That was one of the lows I mentioned in the last post. One of the few things that i'm REALLY good at is making things happen in a hurry. After I decided to end my moping about my broken trip, I figured it was time to make something happen. It took me SO long to get this time off approved at work that i'm determined NOT to give it back. I may not be able to get this significant of a stretch off for quite some time. So I made a new plan.

The New Plan:

If you listen to me talk for more than 5 minutes it's easy to discover the things I really like. It's not a long list. Some of the members of the list include: hiking, biking, history, music, taking lots of photos, and driving. I'm going to combine all of these into this aforementioned trip. I think a drum role is in order here. My new plan is to.......... drive the entire Natchez Trace Parkway. I know it doesn't just hit you with the wow factor straight out of the gate, but it's something i've been wanting to do for quite some time now. Some friends and I did a small section between Port Gibson and Natchez around a year and a half ago and I was just enamored by the whole experience. Between all of the history and the scenery I can't wait to get back out there. I'm not going to just drive it simply. I'm going to take my time, listen to some really great music, and just take it all in. I'm going to take it slow and take the time to see everything I desire. There are several campgrounds along the way and i'm in NO rush. I'm sure I will have plenty to write about once I make it back, so be prepared for some long winded expressions of discovery and what not.

444 miles. Natchez to Nashville. Here I come!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Are you in to road trips? If you were planning one, where would you go?

Oh, and speaking of road trips... North East, we will see you in July! More info to come to that endeavor in the future..

Finding the Good

2012-03-03T16:12:00.000-06:00

The past few weeks have been interesting to say the least. All you have to do is read the last couple of posts to figure that out. It's kind of been like a roller coaster ride for me. I've had some extreme highs followed by some crushing lows. It seems like for all the good news I get there is some equally bad news to bring me back down. I'm hoping to just level out here before too long. I've always been a very optimistic and positive person, but i've found myself really searching for the good to stay afloat lately.

It's not very hard for me to find the good. Simple things can really turn my mood back around. Things like a pretty day, or a super clear night when I can really see the stars can perk me right back up. This past week I was able to catch some great live music downtown and that has a way of picking the spirits up too. Thursday was one of the best in recent memory. Well, there is a whole other darker side to Thursday, but that didn't keep me from making the most of it.

I had plans to catch a band up at Mezo's later on that night, but while I was sitting around I got a text from a friend inviting me down to the Julep Room to have some drinks and see Rosco Bandana play. The band and the atmosphere were both great. The Julep Room is an interesting old place. It's a bar down in the cellar of Aunt Jenny's down here in Ocean Springs. Aunt Jenny's is a historical site in it's own right. It was once used to house those coming to visit the town's once famous medicinal springs. The springs, and those coming to be healed, are long since gone, but the house and memories remain. The upstairs of the actual house is rumored to be haunted, but they didn't say anything about the cellar! It's only haunted by the local coming to quench a thirst and looking for some great live music. Music has a very different feel down in there. It's dark and the ceiling are quite low. It feels like sitting in a secret speak easy that "doesn't exist." Then add Rosco Bandana and it's a recipe for awesome. They took a few months off, but are now filling up their schedule with shows all over the coast. I would highly recommend checking out their version of folky Americana roots blend music if you get the chance. They will be playing out at Mezo's on Thursday the 15th, (another great venue) but you can basically catch them anywhere on the coast. Their dates.

Rosco at the Julep Room.

I caught about a set and a half of Rosco before moving down the road to Mezo's to see The Mumbles. I saw The Mumbles once before and even with my reduced level of self awareness that night, I knew they had something unique. They were just a duo. One on keys and the other on the drums. This time they've added horns! A trombone and sax to be more specific. They were fantastic and rocked Mezo's out. They are an act out of NOLA and have the sound to prove it. Their bluesy rock was only enhanced by the brass accompaniment. This was the first stop on a 10 night tour for them, but I can't wait for them to come back through. This is another one i'm going to recommend to see if you get the chance! You won't be disappointed!

The Mumbles at Mezo's

This single night of music will keep me going throughout these next few nights at work. Who knew such a little quiet town could have such an amazing music/social scene? I'm always recommending visits down here. Let me know if you're ever passing through and i'll point you in the right direction!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Life's Too Good to be SO Angry

2012-03-01T18:16:00.000-06:00

I've been noticing something over the last week or so. I've had several things that have just made me SOOO angry. A lot of things that, looking back on, just weren't that detrimental to my sanity. Why did it make me so angry? I don't have the answer to that. I came extremely close to even posting about them. Before I ever reached that point I was able to back away and realize that these things just weren't that important. How far does anger and complaining really get you after all? From experience it usually makes you look like an idiot.

Today was one of those days that really brought me back to my senses. Maybe it was the weather? It has been awfully dreary around here for the past week. March 1 brought a whole new light to the coast though. It was beautiful today. Quite warm too. Only down here do you have people sunbathing and playing beach volleyball on the first day of March. This was one of those days that reminds me of everything I have down here.

I started the day a little bit late after trying to recover from that crazy sleep schedule I had yesterday. I met a friend of mine down at Tom's Extreme Pizzeria for a late lunch. It was pretty nice. We sat at the bar and grabbed a beer to start out. A Southern Pecan to be more specific. I was pretty amazed when I got my check and realized they were only $2.50! I don't know if they were on special or what, but that could get dangerous at that price! (good thing I only live walking distance if i'm ever feeling the call of the danger.) I had the Biloxi shrimp pizza to eat and it was fantastic, as always.

After lunch we decided to do a little riding around downtown and down around the beach; on our bikes. It was a little warm today, but the breeze really made up for the heat. That is pretty much one of our constants down here. That breeze coming off the Gulf is wonderful.

At one point while I was riding I remember having a very specific thought. "Why was I so angry? Life is way too good for all this anger." Isn't that the truth? I tend to be a little more optimistic than anyone really should be, but I always seem to be able to find the light in everything. Maybe it's the fact that the little things in life make me happier than almost anything. I can typically find one thing that makes everything feel ok. More often than not it will be a song, but today it was just simple beautiful weather.

Life.... enjoy it.... you only have one...

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Propping My Eyes Open

2012-02-29T21:36:00.000-06:00

Well, it looks like my Wednesday wasn't quite as productive as I had hoped it would be. I almost completely passed on the opportunity to write tonight, but I hate getting too far behind. I had to work last night. That's nothing new. The wonderful part, though, was that I had to attend a stroke class out at MGCCC afterwards. Anyone that knows me pretty well knows that I can barely make it past 8:30 on a morning following a night at work. I always come home and try to watch sportscenter (and I really like sportscenter) and end up falling asleep on the couch. My schedule was thrown all off by this class!

I tried preparing for the inevitable disaster long before the class even started. I got one of my best days of sleep the day before, so I thought I was golden. I worked on plenty of these throughout the night to try and increase my odds of survival.

As valiant as my efforts may have been, I barely made it out alive. Struggle has an entire new meaning for me in the staying awake front. That 8:30 mark hit me HARD. My head started bobbing hard enough to hurt the average neck. Somehow I pulled through. I think it was mostly because of this picture.

Thanks for this one Karee!

When we noticed Mark, unabashedly, sleeping behind us I couldn't help but to laugh. Then the laughs just wouldn't stop. You know the kind. That sleep deprived, everything is possibly the funniest thing you've ever heard, ridiculous, annoying, giggle that you roll your eyes at when it's not you doing the giggling. Yeah that was me. Then one of the presenters put me over the edge. She was describing the feeling of a stroke headache. She used the term "Thunder clap headache" and I don't know what it was, but that was the last straw holding my sanity together. I was trying SO hard to keep it together. I didn't draw too much audible attention to myself, but if you looked my way you would've seen the full body laughing convulsions and me wiping the tears off of my face.

After my little laughing fit, I felt wide awake. It felt like I had hit my 5th wind and I was going to pull this one out. They sent us to a break and I was feeling good until we came back. Finally during the second half of presentations I hit that deadly wall. I'm sure everyone around me was enjoying how hard my head was flopping around. I felt like I had lost all control of my neck. I would startle awake from time to time, but I was beyond saving at this point. As soon as they said "Ok we are done," I was LONG gone. As soon as I sat down at home I was out. I finally woke back up around 7:45 this evening. So much for flipping my schedule back around today. Looks like i'll be up for a while, so hit me up!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

(If I hadn't have proof read this one you all would've thought I was pretty stupid! haha)

Recharging Life's Batteries

2012-02-26T10:27:00.000-06:00

I know some of my stories are pretty crazy, but that's not my full time life. The majority of my days are spent in the mundane normalities of everyday life. Now, there is a lot of awesome scatter gunned in amongst the mundane. Sometimes the normal has a way of getting the best of me. No one is bullet proof after all. Sometimes it all gets the best of me and I just have to get away for a bit. Now i'm not talking about some big crazy Chris McCandless "Into the Wild" type of getting away. (If you've never heard of this story, check out the book or watch the movie)

I loaded up my truck, yesterday afternoon, and headed out for a little mini camping trip. This is one of the great features of our little piece of the world down here. I live minutes from all the great amenities of the coast, but it also doesn't take long at all to be away from everything. I headed up to one of my favorite little spots on Black creek for the night. It didn't take me long to gather up plenty of firewood, hang my hammock, and get settled in. It's the perfect time of year to sleep out without a tent. Once it warms up a little more you won't be able to escape the bugs without a tent, or at least a bug net. I got my fire started and just started relaxing.

It doesn't take much to survive for one night.

The creek was extremely high.

My little campsite.

My cocoon for the evening.

My interesting choice of location.

The art of staying warm.

I have to admit something. I didn't stay in the hammock all night. I kept having crazy dreams that featured myself, the hammock breaking, and me falling into the water trapped in my sleeping bag. I would wake up with a little jolt and finally I had enough. I unrolled my pad and finished the night in the bed of my truck.

It was nice to get away for a bit. I had plenty of time to reflect on life and work on figuring everything out. Take some time to spend on yourself from time to time. It really goes a long way for recharging your batteries.

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Proof is in the Pudding.... Shots!

2012-02-25T14:37:00.000-06:00

It happened again. Can you believe it? We went out just to hang out for a bit, hilarity ensued, and now i'm writing about it. You are the beneficiaries to the madness that is my life. Anyways, here we go!

Time: Friday night

Place: My apartment

Who: Me and Perry

Why: Because we can!

It started out at my apartment. We were sitting around watching the race and having a few drinks. We got this brilliant idea. "Hey, let's text Burton and see what he's doing." Said text happens. Entrepreneur Burt is on his way to, our favorite place, Mezo's to pick up the recycling. ( I ALWAYS link Mezo's. It is the best place on the coast after all) That's all I needed to hear. I text him back, "we will meet you there," and we were off.

Time: 2 minutes later (yeah I live that close)

Place: Mezo's

Who: Me, Perry, and now Burt

Why: Why not?

This seems to be the way that all of my stories start out. We were hanging out down at Mezo's.... etc... I'm going to explain to you why this post is named what it is. A few days ago in my What a Night post, I explained a talent that I had. I guess it wasn't really a talent, more like an unfortunate gift. I always seem to attract strange/crazy people to our group. I'm starting to realize it happens every time we go out. Well, it happened again. We were just sitting there, minding out own business, when XanaxLady shows up. Why is she called XanaxLady? My inside source told me that it was the reason she couldn't string a group of words into a sentence. Her speech was SO slurred that the nurse inside of me was worried that she was having a stroke! XanaxLady just would not go away either! She would amble from one side of the group to the next just talking to the air. Burton made the mistake of talking to her for a minute, so she was destined to hang around for the rest of the night.

I've noticed that i've started to see everything as a potential new post. From the moment I met XanaxLady, I knew she was it. I immediately started trying to formulate a plan to photograph the evidence. Burton was unwilling to take a photo with her, and she was a little more unwilling than CrazyLady, but I still managed to get one for you.

Burt gave me permission to use his face!

He also gave me permission for something

else, but you will learn about that in a bit.

When I realized XanaxLady just wasn't going to leave, I threw my hands in the air and started yelling WHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!! For some reason everyone thought this was hilarious. I guess they knew exactly why I was doing it. Eventually she decided it was time to go home, so she headed out the front door. The story just doesn't end there. We decided that we needed to watch. She stumbled around the parking lot looking for her car. She could barely stand up and, in her head, she felt like she could drive! Eventually she found her car and started backing out. Burt took off running out the front door when he saw this. We watched as he opened her door and stopped her. He talked to her for a bit and tried to convince her to let him drive her home. I thought he was just going to reach in a jerk the keys out of the ignition, but that just never happened. Later he explained that he just didn't think of that. Eventually she slammed the door shut and spun her tires as she was leaving the parking lot. I sure hope she made it home and didn't hit anyone. Thankfully that was the last we saw of XanaxLady.

Now for the pudding... Shots meaning. Mezo makes her own unique blend of shots. They are actually pudding shots. Well, the official name is Boozy Pudding Shots. Last nights flavor was the best one yet. It was cookies and cream! It even had actual cookies crumbled into it. If I didn't know better, I could have eaten an entire bowl of that stuff. I had to keep telling Perry that he didn't need anymore. I was trying to avoid the inevitable puke. These things will sneak up on you and I already know that so I was trying to be the "good" friend. From the text I got from him, this morning, I gather that we still didn't avoid the puke. Though my efforts were valiant, the outcome just wasn't what we hoped for. Sorry Bud.

Cookies and Cream pudding shots!

Now for the continuation of the Burton story. At one point I told him that I was going to to put up a link to his Facebook, phone #, email address, and every other means to contact him. He told me to do it! It may have been the alcohol speaking just a little bit, but if you would like to know Burton you can find him on Facebook! Don't think I won't publish you! Go and blow up his page with requests!

This is Burton dancing to his favorite song, Mambo

# 5, last night.

Something else happened related to dancing. Someone played the safety dance of the jukebox. I couldn't believe the volume of people that had NO idea what it was! Do you people live under a rock or what!?

Here it is if you also have no idea what i'm talking about.

The night went on without too much issue. Other than the fact that the Jim Beam rep had dropped off a bunch of sample bottles of their new products. Long story short, Mezo was giving out drinks made with these for free. I had....... well..... a couple. I'm a sucker for free drinks! Needless to say, I got a little on the non-lucid side. Towards the end of the night I realized I was there alone. I had no idea where my friends went. I later (today) found out that Burt had straight up left us there and Perry was passed out puking in his truck. Awesome. Being a VIP gives you privileges though. One of the bartenders, Robbie, gave me a ride home. Thanks!

What a night. WHAT A NIGHT.

Until next time,

Battling the aftermath headache,

Kyle

Kyle Tackles Mardi Gras... and Wins!

2012-02-22T16:43:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was the most fun i've had in a LONG time. Mardi Gras is a regional phenomenon that, until experienced for yourself, just doesn't garner the respect that it deserves. My family has a float that they enter in multiple parades during the season and yesterday, Fat Tuesday, was my opportunity to join this crew of pirates and enter into the realms of Mardi Gras history.

The day started at 9 am when we met up with the float to begin our voyage. I began by burying my case of beer deep down into a cooler full of ice. You can't party with warm brews after all! We loaded up and headed to Biloxi to meet up with the rest of our pirate crew. (Mardi Gras is a legit excuse to dress up like a fool and just be completely crazy) My cousin Brice and I started discussing when we were going to pop our first top. We decided on 10 am our time. We found out that 10 am here is 5 pm in Rome. So, to pay our respects to our ancestry we would have a toast at that time.

10 a.m.

We crack open our first cans and send a toast into history. Brice surprises us by breaking out Jello shots. We take a few in respect to this historical day. They were so good! They were those ones that can be really dangerous because you can't taste the alcohol in them at all. That's ok with me! After picking up the rest of our crew and having toasts for every new member we acquire, we head off to get lined up for the parade. The line-up is one of the best parts of the whole day because it's just one big party! We got into position and let it rip. We had our DJ on board and the tunes were kicking. It's around 11 a.m. at this point and the parade doesn't start rolling until 1. That is plenty of time to get a little on the tipsy side without much effort. These next few hours turned into partying with my parents and family, throwing a few cheers up to our neighboring floats, and heckling random parade goers passing by.

1 p.m.

I can see up the line that floats are starting to move. I get really excited, finish the beer in my hand, grab another, then insist on more shots because the parade is moving. That is the moment when I realized something. I was beyond the point of responsibility and decided I needed to go ahead and apologize in advance for anything anyone may see me do, hear me say, or hear someone else say something I did over the next couple hours. I was in Kyle Go-Go Gadget mode and was about to get crazy.

1:18 p.m. We start Rolling

At this point I can hardly stand the anticipation of what's about to happen. I've got beads in my hand just ready to start flinging them into the air. A few minutes later we finally start to hit the crowd and I go nuts. I'm shoveling beads over the side like they are on fire and about to burn the ship down. I realized very quickly that I need to slow my roll because I would've burned through my entire stash before we reached the first turn at that rate. At some point, in this first stretch, I was accused of being a racist because one child of a certain ethnicity received something and a child of another ethnicity didn't. Come on man, i'm not even looking where i'm throwing this stuff.

Once we finally got down the first straight and into the turn things changed immensely. All of a sudden the crowd tripled in size and they were going nuts. You get that feeling of being in a huge band or being a professional athlete. These people are SCREAMING and waving their hands at you like crazy. Of course it's because you have something they want. That something is beads. Crazy, I know! I love it though. I love that, at this point, I have a crowd of people in the palm of my hand that I can basically manipulate to no ends. They will do almost anything for their prize. That is when I started throwing my hands up telling them they will get nothing if they don't get loud. At one point is was yelling at the crowd, "I AM YOUR KING, YOU ARE MY SUBJECTS, YOU WILL BOW TO ME OR YOU SHALL RECEIVE NOTHING!!" Someone actually did bow and was rewarded for their effort. I am completely eating all of this attention up.

Throughout all of the excitement between the king and his subjects, I haven't slowed down very much on working my way through my adult beverages. The shots continued to appear as well. It's getting pretty ugly at this point, but i'm not slowing down. The people need their King after all. That is when I got my best idea of the entire day. What are people willing to do for beads? I formulated a plan. I know many of you already know the currency used to peddle beads in New Orleans. If you can't figure this one out let me explain it to you. Women have them and they are situated on their fronts between their chin and navel. That's not what I decided to use as my selling point. This isn't New Orleans for one. It's a day time parade. There were children everywhere, so I just didn't feel that was a very viable option on this particular day. I decided that if you wanted a pair of King Kyle's "fancy" beads, he would need a beer in return. (Sorry for all the third person jargon, I was three sheets to the wind at this point and these are just the thoughts I remember having and the way they came out in my head.)

Beer for beads mania has hit! Well at least it hit in my head. This tactic worked exactly as I had hoped it would. I would hold up said "fancy" beads, the crowd would erupt into insanity, I would point to my drink in a fashion that would let the subjects know that this is what I needed in return. It took me something like 30 seconds to receive my first treat. A woman emerged from the crowd with Jello shots in her hand, we made the exchange, and I enjoyed more delicious jello shots. I thought out loud, "wow, that actually worked quite well!" I was instantly enamored with my new found skill set. I continued on. Another set of beads for more jello shots. I'm getting quite beyond my means at this point. I can barely speak in decipherable English, but I don't care. I'm a hit! I continued on with this act for the next hour and a half, or so, of the remaining parade. I made out like a bandit. I came close to replacing the entire original case of brew I started out with. We got a little bit of everything too, Mic Ultra, Bud tall-boys, Busch (gross), Coors, and etc... I even gave a couple of beads away to women that thought this was actually New Orleans. (refer to above New Orleans currency) They would just appear out of the crowd, give me an eye full, then demands payment. Of course I obliged! I'm only human after all! haha

The day rolled on and I had a blast. I remember telling my mother all that had happened and she thought I was a step below genius with the beer trading, but informed me that I was not supposed to tell her about what the random ladies had done. Sorry Mom! ;) I also remember telling everyone that Mardi Gras was better than Christmas and Santa Claus sucked anyway. The things you will say when you've had a few drinks! I will say that MG is definitely one of the best holidays going. Sorry to everyone that has never experienced it. It's pure madness, but such is life. I enjoyed every minute of that and pretty much every minute of life to begin with.

I had really great intentions of taking a bunch of fantastic photos along the way, but if you've read up to this point you should realize that it probably didn't happen as I had planned. I did get some though. Enjoy.

My mother getting the party started!

Father of the King

Brice

DJ Hostile aka My cousin Justin

Crazy suit guy. Not a victim of the King's heckling.

You gotta respect a guy that willing to go into public

wearing something like that!

Brice and his boys before the parade.

The pirate parents of the King

The King himself.

I wish I had a picture of myself drinking my beer with

the double hook hands. In my mind it was impressive!

Dad and Dougyver

Brice handing out Jello shots

The kings subjects. This is about where I lost interest

in taking anymore photos. Sorry!

The ride home party.

After we got back I demanded that I needed to be taken home because I was too tired to continue the festivities. I passed out on the couch for a couple hours. When I woke up my ears were ringing. It felt like my whole head was underwater. That was an evil hangover. It was only like 9:30 p.m. at this point. That's when I knocked out the "What a Night" post. I hope you've been enjoying these post because i've really enjoyed living them. Thank you for all the continued support!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

What a Night

2012-02-21T23:14:00.000-06:00

Over the past few months i've been noticing a pattern. On the occasions that I write about my "interesting" nights out and about, the hits on my site increase by a ton. I'm talking like triple my normal views. I have made a decision. I'm going to embrace it! Instead of holding back, i'm going to let it rip from now on. Sorry Mom. Sorry friends that don't enjoy it. Here we go I guess!

I have a special talent. It's not a good thing. I wish I could wash this talent off like a bad night at work some times, but I just can't escape the stink. You're wondering what it is right? You're thinking that this guy can't have much talent. Maybe I shouldn't have called it a talent because it was something I was born with. I attract the most crazy people everywhere I go! I don't know where they come from, but every time I go out they are always there. A few nights ago I had some random "overweight" bar fly buzzing all over me. At one point she even started dancing on my leg. (i'm shaking my head from shame right now) I turned to her and asked her very politely, "could you please stop doing that, you're spare tire is preventing me from signing my tab." Needless to say, she wasn't very impressed by my thoughts. Why me?

This leads us to last night. After a "big" night of watching the history channel, Burt and I decided to headed down to Mezo's for karaoke to see what was happening. It was still early at 11. Early enough that they hadn't even started yet. We started out doing our typical, "scan the bar for anything willing to talk to us" act. Burt is surprisingly good at this. I think it's just his lack of shame, but he will talk to anyone and anything. He ditched me at one point to talk to some girl that he used to work with, so when he returned I informed him that he was no longer worthy of the shot I had just bought for him and I was going to give it to the next girl that came up to the bar.

The lucky girl was C. (abbreviations will be used for anyone that I don't know well enough to know that they won't care that I use their name. Respect right?) She received said shot just for walking up. Lucky her right? Not so much. It was called an Alabama Slammer. I got them on a rec and it just didn't work out for me. I actually really embarrassed myself by almost choking to death on it. (and after reading the recipe I realize that it wasn't that at all! It was made with crown... just borrowed the name I guess.) Anyways we talked for a bit, had another shot and went on. The thing that she left me with though was a song stuck in my head! She sang Dramarama's Anything Anything for her turn at the karaoke mic. She explained that is was out of one of the Freddie Kruger movies and i've been singing it ever since. Thanks C.

I was outside a little later, talking to R, when CrazyMama showed up. I guess we just looked like a couple of understanding sets of ears that wouldn't run her off. Trust me, we tried. This is where my "talent" that I talked about earlier comes in. I don't know where she came from, but for some reason she picked me out to talk with. Where do these people come from!? How did I end up so lucky that they feel a need to talk my ear off? I call her CrazyMama for a reason as well. She was non-stop talking about he craziest things you can imagine. Her husband used to beat her senseless, but she was too "secure" to leave. She had and overwhelming hate of social media. I don't know what the deal with that was, but she REALLY hated it. She didn't allow her kids to use Facebook. That kind of hate. Then she REALLY hated me for professing my love for social media. I can't help it! That was all I started talking about at a certain point, and thank you R for chiming right in! We just couldn't shake CrazyMama, so I decided I needed a picture. This is what came out. I eventually just had to walk away in mid conversation to get out of this situation.

Thank you R for the mad photo skills. And thank you R and C for making the night a little more tolerable. Life really is crazy sometimes.

Until Next Time,

Kyle

And next time is the Mardi Gras story from today! Excited right?

A Day Out

2012-02-19T17:24:00.000-06:00

The other day my buddy Jason and I hit the road for a few hours just to get out and unwind from work. We headed up one of our typical routes into the country around the area of my Grandpa's hunting camp. We headed up there taking all the back roads we could. We always end up trying to become the Dukes of Hazzard by sliding around all the corners. If we only had a dixie horn! We rode way down this old dirt road to get to an access point of Red Creek. When we showed up I instantly saw something new. It was hard to miss the big new sign right on the side of the road.

I was pretty excited to see that they are starting to put this kind of thing up. It's very informative allowing you to see many different access points and points of interest. There was something that made me pretty mad though.

This sign has already been shot! This lack of respect just makes me SO mad. I don't know what possesses someone to just go and tear something up. A few idiots really know how to ruin everything for the rest of us don't they? This didn't take long either. I was out here only a few weeks ago and this sign wasn't even up yet.

When we headed down the trail we noticed something very quickly. The creek was REALLY high. It was about as high as i've ever seen it. It was well over it's banks and making it's way up the trail.

The creek looked pretty intimidating at this level. I couldn't resist the opportunity to climb up and out over the creek like I was still 12 years old.

I'm pretty glad that I kept my footing while I was up there because when I felt the water it wasn't very appealing for a swim. With the perfect weather we decided to get off the beaten trail and bushwhack up the creek a little bit. We found ourselves in an amazing cypress grove that I didn't even know existed. You have to be careful down in there because not only will the cypress knees trip you up, they look like they would be painful to land on. We found an amazing spot for camping and have made plans to come back at some point to tackle that.

I just thought this old twisted stump was pretty cool.

After we finally made our way back out of the woods we decided to ride down the road a few miles to another one of the access points to see how high the water was compared to the bridge. We got out there and as expected the water was still just as high. Surprise surprise. We had a quick competition to see who could throw a rock all the way across the swollen creek. Muscled up Jason made quick work of this contest.

After the big contest our curiosity got the best of us and we decided we had to go see what was under the bridge. Guess what was there?? Graffiti!! And plenty of it. This is another one of the things I just don't get. This isn't the hood. There is no one marking their territory. This is the middle of BFE, miles from anything that resembles civilization. What is the appeal of spray painting anything on a bridge? Maybe I just don't get it. Maybe it's the most romantic thing the uneducated cretins of society can do to find a suitable partner. I don't know, but these were some of my favorites.

I like to imagine that Bill brought Stacie here to profess his love for her on their first date. She was obviously impressed. Do you think they came back on their anniversary to paint "still" next to it? I wonder how it's working out for Bill and Stacie these days? I'm sure it's like a fairy tale with all of this romance.

Lynyrd Skynyrd The Legend Lives On! The only thing this is missing is a rebel flag and a WOOOOOOOO! Yeah I just made that sound out loud while I was typing it.

Nothing special here, just a random shot. Of course there was a fair share of racial slurs, KKK tags, and swastikas. I left those out for obvious reasons.

Fine work guys.

This day actually led directly into the day that turned into my "When the Headaches are Worth It" post. What a great day it was! I hope you've enjoyed reading about it because i've really enjoyed living it!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

The domain transition is complete! I'm sorry for any difficulties anyone might have encountered. We are now officially www.kylemarcellus.com! That just looks so awesome.

And while we are at it, don't forget to visit the message board!

When the Headaches are Worth It

2012-02-18T17:06:00.000-06:00

It's the last weekend of the Mardi Gras season this year. I woke up this morning certain that I had lived it up for at least one night. How did I know? I had one of those dehydrated dried up brain headaches that you only get from those nights you end up telling stories about. Even some greasy Waffle House breakfast this morning couldn't fix it. I found myself laughing randomly then looking over at Matt and Leah and saying, "Now that was a great night." I said to them, "Sometimes the headaches are totally worth it."

Last night was our Ocean Springs night parade. I haven't been to this one in the past. I honestly think this might actually only be the second or third year they've had a night parade here. After last night I can see that eventually this will turn into one of the premier parades on the coast. The turn out was surprisingly big. I know some folks aren't crowd people, but parades are always fun!

I took off from the apartment around 5 or so. I decided that I was going to walk that way so I could walk around downtown for a bit before the parade got going. I wanted to go see what everyone was getting into waiting for the parade to start. Honestly, there wasn't much! I didn't manage to run into anyone that I knew so I just ended up doing a lot of people watching then trying to track my friends down as they hunted for parking. With parking found, we carried the cooler down to our little spot on the side of the road to prepare for the parade and begin pre-gaming for the rest of our night!

My little group before the parade.

The police prior to the parade starting.

Logan fist pumping for the cops.

Perry "in it" deep.

Random parade puppy.

Just plain awesome tractor.

I didn't actually get any pictures of floats because at that point I had lost interest in taking anymore pictures and was just having fun. We had a great time at the parade. I sold a beer to some random guy that came up. We loaded everything back up and headed back to my place afterwards to continue the party and wait on Matt and Leah to get into town. We sat around and cut up (loudly) until Matt and Leah got in. Then we loaded up and headed to Mezo's!! Surprise surprise right?

Logan just being awesome before we headed out.

Mezo's was hopping last night! It was the birthday of Mezo herself, so the turnout was fantastic! Defunked Democracy was playing there again and they haven't disappointed yet! There is just something about good live music that makes me feel ok. The night pretty much flew by. I honestly don't remember too many specific events. That's probably due to the fact that every time I turned around someone was handing me delicious adult beverages in assorted colors of solo cups. I do love that place. Mat Green was there with his new girlfriend. That is the first time i've seen him in a couple of months. It was good to have him around again, even for just one night.

Last night made me realize something very important. I have some great friends. They are always there for me and very supportive of everything I do. Those kind of people can be a rarity in life, so if you have them you better hang on to them. Logan's wife Jessica posted "friends are the bread and butter of life," this morning on Facebook. I couldn't agree more with that statement. These are the people that make my life as amazing as it is and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Thanks guys, y'all are great!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Back to work tonight.

Thank you for all the continued love with this post everyone!!

Local Movie Night

2012-02-17T16:19:00.000-06:00

Last night, my favorite local spot, Mezo's Juke Joint, hosted a local film night. I've always been a fan of local culture and arts, so i'm always trying to get out there and show my support. When I heard about this event I instantly wanted to go. Local directors and film makers showing their work just intrigued me so I had to go check it out. I don't know if you've ever been to events like this, but they have a way of being "interesting," for lack of better words.

I'm not completely sure about this, but i'm assuming we don't have a huge film making community down here. After all, this is Ocean Springs, MS, not New York or LA. I may not have been the biggest fan of all the films, but I can still appreciate the work, time and dedication these individuals put into them. I guess the best way to put it is that i'm a fan of the creative process.

I showed up a little too late to catch most of the first movie, but from the parts I saw it seemed a little far out there, even for my standards. It was mostly in black and white. The movie was completely void of dialogue, but was tracked with some bizarre music. I could see where they were going with it. They wanted it to look like the silent movies of past. I just didn't see enough of it to be able to follow any story lines.

The second film was called Smoke of the Shenobi. (Follow link to see it in its entirety.) When they first announced the name of it I honestly thought they said Smokin the Shenobi, so I was pretty convinced it was a bit of a stoner movie to begin with. I wasn't far off the mark. It was a film about some friends out on a camping trip celebrating another's return from Japan. Can you guess what he brought back with him? Of course you can, Weed. But not just any weed! Magical weed that only these mythical ninja's have ever smoked. Not to be a spoiler, but let's just say it didn't end well for them.

The final movie of the night, and my favorite, was called Loser's Luck. This film was made during a 48 hour film making contest. They had 48 hours to write, shoot, edit, and completely finish this film. I was actually pretty impressed by the results. The plot line was pretty basic. Two brothers uncover a doping ring in horse racing and are trying to strike it rich, but get a lot deeper than they had hoped. It's only 15 minutes and worth a quick watch. Warning: Language!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Ghosts of the Coast

2012-02-13T16:58:00.001-06:00

As many of you know already, I work nights. Thus, I sleep during the day. I've never been real good at the whole daytime sleeping deal. I used to think that was a problem. Some days I do sleep all day, but not most. I wake up around 2 o'clock almost daily. I don't even know why I keep my alarm set for 5! That NEVER happens. I've started taking a new approach with this problem. Instead of being mad about it, I have just begun to embrace it. I use that time to get up and get things done before work. I like getting out and enjoying the afternoons this time of year.

Today was no different. Like clockwork, my body woke itself up around 2. I decided to get out and go for a little walk down the beach. As I do nearly daily, I passed the old skeletal remains of the former seafood factory.

I don't know my history well enough to tell you a whole lot about this place, but it has been there for my entire life. I can remember, as a kid, holding my nose as we drove by it. It had a very distinct dead fishy smell. Of course there we constant complaints from the residents nearby, but the place had been there so long that nothing was ever done. After a while you just kind of got used to it and expected it. (side note: it didn't always stink!) A couple of years ago something happened that you might remember. New Orleans got the majority of the coverage, but Hurricane Katrina was devastating all across the gulf coast. The old seafood factory was one of the victims. The concrete frame work, shown above, is all that remains of the place.

I don't know how long it is going to stand like this. It's obviously been several years already and it's still standing, but I know one day it will be gone. I know it may have been an eyesore. I know that on some days it smelled quiet foul, but that was just part of our little piece of this world. Some days I swear I can still smell it. Every time I pass it I have a flood of memories of growing up here. You really can't ask for a better place to come from.

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Lazy State of Mind

2012-02-12T16:10:00.000-06:00

This is my definite state of mind today, BUT I have to go back to work tonight. There are always other days to be lazy I guess.

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Anyone else feeling this way?

The Wal-Mart Troll Incident

2012-02-09T18:23:00.000-06:00

I spent some time yesterday evening and this morning getting things together for a new post. I was kind of back and forth on what I wanted to do, but then I went to Wal-Mart. Something happened there that I just had to write about. People truly amaze me sometimes with their shear laziness. This is one of those stories.

This story didn't start in the store, but while I was walking out. As I was nearing my truck I saw this troll of a woman coming from in front of my truck walking back around her car. I was kind of suspicious at first. Then I saw what she had just done and it sent me over the edge. She had taken her buggy all the way around her car to leave it in front of my truck. When I looked and saw that she had actually left it up against my bumper it just sent me over the edge.

"Dramatic Re-creation"

Let me just explain something real quick. The cart return was exactly one more spot over! Are you so lazy that you can't even walk one more sport to leave your cart! This is when it got a little nasty. ( I apologize in advance for the language, but I was hot!) When all of this finally clicked in my head I had to say something to her. I turned to her and said, "ARE YOU F-----G SERIOUS RIGHT NOW!? DID YOU SERIOUSLY JUST WALK ALL THE WAY AROUND YOUR CAR TO LEAVE THIS BUGGY UP AGAINST MY TRUCK? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!? THE RETURN IS THE NEXT SPOT OVER!! THAT'S PRETTY S----Y!"

She didn't say a word. She slipped her troll self into her car and was just going to leave. That wasn't how this was going to end for me. I took the buggy and rolled it behind her car before she was able to leave. I even considered flipping it over for a second to see how she handled that, but I just left it and got in my truck. There was a car parked in front of her, so she wasn't able to pull straight through to leave. Either she would have to get out and move it, or back right over it. As I was leaving I could see her in a huff yelling something in some undecipherable troll dialect, but I wasn't planning on sticking around to find out what she was saying.

How lazy can you really be?? Some people can just make me so angry. It wasn't just the fact that she didn't return the cart, but the fact that she went out of her way to leave it parked up against my truck. Have a little respect.

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Don't forget to check out the Message board!

A Day In the Life

2012-02-08T17:22:00.000-06:00

I'm finally off work for a few days! I did my typical finally off of work for a few days things and passed out on the couch as soon as I got home this morning. Then I woke up to this amazing afternoon and just had to get out! So, I took another stroll down to the beach for some downtime. I decided, instead of going light today, to carry my camera with me. I took a few shots while I was down there. Here they are!

AND I finally took some pictures of the view from the new apartment that i'm so proud of. Perfect place to chill.

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Things That Don't Suck

2012-02-07T17:15:00.000-06:00

There are some things in life that just plain don't suck. Up at the top of that list for me is friendly people. Friendly people are awesome. I discussed this for the first time back in 2008 in my Walking Across Campus post. I got a good dose of it again today while I was walking down the beach. Every single person I passed, at the least, looked up and said Hi. That just makes me happy. My little walk today was very enjoyable. I was somehow able to get lost in it all. I had all the right music playing and I was just able to check out of life for a little bit. My mind has been racing in circles lately, so to be able to escape for a while was nice.

I'm seeing more and more paddle boarders these days. When I first started seeing them out on the water it didn't interest me at all. But, now as I see them more often it is becoming appealing. Would I give it a shot if I got the chance? In a heartbeat.

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Do you like the new header??

Don't forget to check out the new message board!

Everyone's Doing It

2012-02-06T17:55:00.000-06:00

Then why shouldn't I too, right? Somewhere around 75% of the people i've talked to in the past week have been sick. For a while there I was thinking I had some sort of super immune system because I hadn't been under the weather. I was WRONG! It all started with a bit of a runny nose of Friday night, then add the sore throat on Saturday morning. By the time I got to work on Saturday night I was feeling horrible. There is nothing like getting sick on your first of 4 nights back at work.

I had to make a little trip to Rouse's on my way home from work, on Sunday morning, and these three little bottles have been my best friends for about the last 36 hours. Heading into work last night I was feeling pretty terrible and it really made for a long night. I was scheduling my own med times around my patient care schedule. Somewhere around 5:30 in the morning I felt like I was starting to clear up. It was the first time I felt like I could hear clearly again. Previously I had felt like my head was under water.

When I got home from work this morning I was good and tired already, so the NyQuil only helped out the situation. I couldn't even convince myself to stay awake at all. Almost as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out. I woke up for the first time when I heard the text tone, on my phone, around 2:30. I hadn't moved an inch. That is good sleep! The kind of sleep when you wake up with lines deeply imprinted in the side of your face and you're seriously worried that you have overslept.

I finally got up around 4 and began another round of the DayQuil regimen. I kind of lucked out tonight. I got the call asking if I would mind being on call. This is very appealing now. I can use every extra hour of rest I can to try and beat this thing. I am feeling a lot better today though. The nose is still relentlessly running, but my head feels clear. I'll take that as a little victory!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

You must check out the new message board! It's a work in progress, but it is open to use now. A more detailed post to come. Enjoy!

Enough Said

2012-02-01T16:53:00.000-06:00

Yeah I think I just might!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

SMTTT! Beat Memphis!!

The Black Keys- El Camino

2012-01-31T17:33:00.000-06:00

I woke up a little early today and it was too nice to pass up the opportunity to get outside, so I headed out of the apartment for a little walk. I headed down towards the beach with my iPod in hand wondering what was going to get me motivated today. It didn't take long to figure this one out as I went straight for The Black Keys new album El Camino.

I have become more and more a fan of this album the more I listened to it. It really has a good drive to it and never really comes down off the initial high. The song Little Black Submarines has become my favorite. It's the song that I always end up repeating. The Black Keys have really become the masters of what they do. It took them a couple albums to fine tune it, but they've really got it now. What is it that they do? I would call it a blend of bluesy, funk, electronic, soul rock. Yeah, a pretty wicked blend. I'll have to be honest about this album. It didn't have the initial WOW factor that their previous album Brothers did for me. Brothers was an absolutely phenomenal album unmatched by many. I was grabbed by the first riff of Everlasting Light and couldn't stop till it was over. Then I just wanted to start it all over.

If I was forced to recommend one of the two I would choose Brothers every time, but El Camino is a very good album worthy of listening. If you've never checked the band out I would highly recommend giving them a shot. Listen and Enjoy!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Hockey Night in Mississippi

2012-01-30T17:39:00.001-06:00

It sounds kind of weird to say that to me. Just the fact that there is professional ice hockey in south Mississippi sometimes still blows my mind. The fact that they have been here for more than a decade is even better. Now, this isn't the NHL by any means. This is probable more like A hockey. It's about one level above the house adult league team. But it's still fun!

This is our home team the Mississippi Surge warming

up before the game.

Face off down in the corner. (Notice the massive fan

support)

During the 2nd intermission I couldn't help

but noticing a lion walking around the ice.

I sat there staring at it wondering why I knew

this lion? Then it hit me! This was the mascot

of our short-lived indoor soccer team the

Mississippi Beach Kings! I loved that one season.

I'm pretty sure my family went to every

single game. They have tried a lot of sports

down here (including football) but hockey

is the only one that's lasted a somewhat long

period of time.

The home team wins! And as a bonus we got

to see Jeff Grant score a hat trick! Complete

with all of 3 hats thrown on the ice.

Victory!

After the game they opened up the ice to public

skating. Of course we had to give it a try!

I probably haven't been on ice in a decade, but

I managed to do ok. No better than ok, but ok.

I didn't have any big crashes.

Check out what was sitting behind us.

Oh yeah the wolf in rebel flag graphics

just take it to the next level. I wanted

to yell WOOOOOO SO bad.

Mississippi for life!!

Since it was such a nice day today I decided to spend a little

time riding my bike down the beach. At around this point

I decided I wanted to ride over to Biloxi, so I did.

The view from the top.

Until Next Time

Ode to the Jouch

2012-01-25T18:04:00.000-06:00

You read that right, I said Jouch. You're wondering what in the world that is right? Well, let me tell you. It's a shortened version of jean couch. A little made up word to say the least.

See you can't make this stuff up!

When I first got this amazing couch I really didn't know what to think of it. I kept thinking to myself, this just can't be that comfortable. I'm sure you're wondering why I got it if I didn't think it would be comfortable. Ive got a one word answer for that question, free! You just can't beat that price. I got it moved into the apartment and have been using it for a few weeks now and let me tell you, this thing is amazing! It's just like that favorite pair of jeans you seem to always favor putting on. I came home this morning, from work, and didn't want to lay down in the bed. I just wanted to sleep on the Jouch. Is that weird? I've got a perfectly fine bed, but sometimes favor the substitute. I guess it's just a better daytime sleeping spot. I'm sure everyone has their own opinions.

-A dog just ran in the front door of my place and came and sat on the ground next to me while I was typing. I didn't think much of it. He was soon followed by a frantic owner looking for their lost pooch. That wasn't too hard of a find!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Beer Review: Rogue Chocolate Stout

2012-01-24T17:19:00.000-06:00

Sorry about the low light, but I just could NOT get a picture of

this thing! I tried though and I guess this is better than nothing.

A few of us were hanging out at our favorite spot, Mezo's Juke Joint, and again the other night(surprise surprise right?). I was in the mood for something different than my usual go-to drink. I've always been a fan of dark beers, so I started with the Guinness Black Lager. That beer was very good and I will be reviewing it at a later date. I tried the Rogue Chocolate Stout on the recommendation of Mezo herself and I was not disappointed. Let's just start and say I had been eyeing it for some time now. It's curb appeal is quite high to begin with. The bottle itself is classically Rogue, but HUGE. It towers over the other bottles on display at 22oz. That was one of the reasons I hadn't tried it yet. I didn't want to get that involved with a beer that I wasn't liking. Good thing I wasn't disappointed by it!

-On a side note, one of the trademarks of Mezo's is that they put all their beers in brown paper bags (see in background of picture), so it felt like was walking out of a gas station with a tall boy after a hard day.

Again, this thing is huge. I felt like it should be taped to my hands. (if you don't get the Edward 40 hands reference check it out here) Then I tried it. Let me go ahead and give you a warning, this isn't a second beer, it's a first taste beer only. I was taken back by the bitterness of it at first and my first impression wasn't very good. I was sitting here looking at this huge bottle thinking "I have to drink all of this?" I think following a different beer didn't work for this one. As I was sitting there I began getting this delicious after taste in my mouth. I swear it tasted like I had just got done eating Tootsie Rolls. Then I tried it again and there it was, the great taste I was told about. With the taste of the previous beer finally out of my mouth I was free to enjoy the taste of this chocolate stout. It has a wonderful creamy flavor with an amazing bitter-sweet finish. It's pretty heavy, so be warned if you aren't accustomed to dark beers. I'm telling you the after taste is absolutely amazing. It is a very delayed flavor, but that makes this a very pleasant beer to drink slowly.

So my recommendation? Yes. Give it a try!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Do you have any recommendations for me?

The Theme Music of Life

2012-01-21T14:27:00.000-06:00

On my way back to the coast, this morning, I was doing my usual routine of shuffling through all the songs on my iPod. Today the shuffle was really working for me! It was playing all the right songs and I had to do very little skipping. I love it when that happens. Then something even better happened. This song played!!

Anyone that has seen the movie knows this song. It rarely comes up in my shuffle, but when it does it's always amazing. I could see those final scenes of the movie in my head. Maverick is throwing Goose's dog tags over the side of the carrier out into the ocean. He is finally content with everything that has happened. Every time this song comes on I feel a little manly. Nay, a little patriotic. I can see a scene in my head. It is something like Evel Knievel jumping over 30 flaming school buses, there is a huge American flag blowing around in the background and a bald eagle flying over head! AMERICA!!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

This is My Driveway

2012-01-18T14:28:00.001-06:00

Well not so much my driveway as the road to my new place. It's nice to have this view as I'm driving home. I feel like I'm living in an Ocean Springs landmark now. I've talked to so many people that have lived here or knew someone that lived here at some point. It's a pretty cool thing.

Back in high school me and my friend Brandon used to ride down past here all the time. We would jokingly say that when we graduated from college we were going to move into one of these. We talked about it for years. Now that I've moved in I feel like I'm finally living that dream and it's awesome!

-Side Note- I saw a bald eagle circling over the harbor earlier. That's the first one I've seen in a long time. It's was too far to get a good picture of.

I'm On Call

2012-01-17T19:17:00.000-06:00

After a busy night last night, tonight i'm on call. So, I guess i'll be hanging out around here for a while just waiting for the phone to ring.

Pre-haircut greatness!

And just because I like them and this song, here is Star and Micey! Enjoy!

If you enjoyed this, they will be on the road from Memphis playing

a free show in Hattiesburg on March 2! Go!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Hello Monday

2012-01-16T14:21:00.000-06:00

This is the view from the living room of my new place. I love being able to see the harbor from where i'm sitting and it's going to be an even better view when the workers get done clearing the brush. I'm pretty much all moved in now. The only thing i'm really lacking is internet and cable. I'm making due with my personal hotspot on my iPhone for now. That is one handy device. It's such a perfect day again. I've got all my windows open and i'm catching the country tunes from the workers radio below; things could be worse.

I'm back to work for a few tonight so i'm enjoying the daylight while I still can. In respect of today's significance i'm going to leave you all with a little quote.

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional

love will have the final word in reality.

This is why right, temporarily defeated, is

stronger than evil triumphant.

-MLK jr.-

Until Next Time,

Kyle

A Walk in the Woods

2012-01-15T16:55:00.000-06:00

We couldn't have asked for better weather than we were granted today. Alice and I had actually been planning this hike for about a week now and we just really lucked out! It wasn't hot at all and it definitely wasn't cold. We were wanting hike a little bit of the Tuxachanie Trails and that's what we did. We went in through an entrance on Bethel rd. and probably did around a 6 mile round trip. We were just wanting to do a little day hike. We took our time and spent time poking around the creek and just enjoying the day. We ran into a group trying to repair a bridge that had been displaced from it's footing. I took a minute to lend and hand and place it back where it belonged. We stopped at one point to eat a little lunch and I set up my hammock to lounge out for a bit. That thing is just so convenient to have! We are planning a little overnight through hike of the trails for our next little adventure, so i'll let you know how that goes!

Alice taking the EASY way!

The Tuxachanie creek

Chilling

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Pho Real

2012-01-14T14:41:00.000-06:00

Thanks to my buddy Scott, i'm back in the Pho game. Pho is something Scott introduced me to sometime last year. We had a spot that we would go to on a regular basis. We showed up one day and were informed that the chef had left and that meant no more Pho. We were lost! How would we get our Pho fix!? Scott answered that question for me yesterday. I had called him just to chat and he informed me that he found Pho in Ocean Springs again! Alice and myself we there for lunch today and it did not disappoint. I dare say it was even better that the original place we went! The new spot is Kim Long 2. This is the second location of a long standing Vietnamese restaurant. I would definitely recommend this spot for anyone in the area looking for quality Vietnamese/Thai food. Great prices too!

Alice enjoying her Pad Tai.

I felt like I was on my own episode of Man vs. Food!

This is as far as I could get. So close, but I just couldn't

fit anymore in.

Hope you give it a shot sometime!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Now it's time for the Saints! Who Dat!

This is Not a Happy Story

2012-01-12T22:07:00.001-06:00

No pictures. No gimmicks. This time it's just a story and as you can probably tell from the title it's not a very happy one, but it does have a purpose. I'm asked questions about my job all the time. For anyone that doesn't know, i'm an RN and I work in a medical ICU down here on the coast. People always want me to tell them crazy ICU stories. "Kyle, what's the craziest thing you've seen?" "It's wild in there right?" "Is it like Grey's Anatomy?" These are all questions i've fielded pretty easily. I am asked a lot if I like my job as well. The answer to that is an overwhelming yes. I get to meet a lot of great people and I like to think I have some effect on their life even if for only a short time.

I came into work this past Saturday night like I always do. I look at my assignment, get report, and go to work. The unit was really sick this weekend. We have varying degrees of intensity in there. Sometimes it just seems like everyone is basically ready to be transferred out and the whole house is one cruise control. Other nights it really seems like the majority of the patients are extremely critical. This story isn't about one of my patients, just one that was in the unit and not really about the patient at all.

This man was young by most standards. He was only 48, but had a long history of bad heart problems. Looking at him he looked healthy enough, but that wasn't the case at all. By the time I had come in that night the family had already made the decision that they didn't want to resuscitate him if his heart finally gave out. He was living his last few hours of life. His son was there early on. He was only 19. He had been taking care of his dad and his grandparents for some time now. About 3 o'clock Sunday morning we started seeing all the changes that indicated to us that the time was drawing near. We got the doctors on the phone and started trying to call the son. We called and called and called, but no answer. We never got in touch with the son before the patient passed. A few minutes later the son was standing at the door. He had been asleep in the waiting room the entire time.

When I overheard that he had been in the waiting room the whole time, my heart sank. He was so close and could've been with his dad when it happened. That fact just hurt me. He asked for a few minutes to gain his thoughts before he came in. When he finally came in he just stood at the bedside starring at his father. He never shed a tear. Never made a noise. He just stood there in silence. I recognized the look on his face. It was the face of utter loss. He didn't even know how to react at that moment, so there was no reaction. Unfortunately, in my field of work, this isn't the first time i've seen this look.

I guess I just really related with him in this moment. I considered what it would be like if I were in his shoes right then. I'm not much older that him, at 25, and my parents aren't much older than his father was. That could have very well been me standing there. When I got home I had a long chat with God and took the time to thank him for all the blessings in my life individually. I haven't done that in a long time. I just went through every blessing I could think of in my life and said thanks. I guess that is one positive to my job, it always has a way of showing me just how blessed I am.

I want to challenge anyone who reads this to take that minute. Take it and think about all the blessings you have in your life. Take that minute and say thanks. We aren't guaranteed tomorrow so this may be your last chance. Think about it.

Until Next Time,
Kyle

Wise Words From the Past

2012-01-07T18:05:00.000-06:00

I was looking through my wallet earlier and came across something from my past. During my junior year of high school our football team wasn't very good. It wasn't that we didn't have the talent, we just couldn't put it all together. That year our record was 1-10. During our end of the year banquet our coach read us a quote by Theodore Roosevelt. The quote really lifted all of our heads up and made us feel that even though we may have been beaten, we still gave it all we had. The next season we were 7-5 making our fist appearance in the playoffs in a decade.

It's not the critic who counts,

Not the man who points out

how the strong man stumbles

or where the doer of deeds

could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man

who is actually in the arena,

whose face is marred by dust

and sweat and blood, who strives

valiantly, who errs and comes

short again and again because

there is no effort without error

and shortcomings, who knows the

great devotion, who spends himself

in a worthy cause, who at the best

knows in the end the high achievement

of triumph and who at worst, if he

fails while daring greatly, knows his

place shall never be with those timid

and cold souls who know neither

victory nor defeat.

-Theodore Roosevelt

26th President

That little piece for paper remains in my wallet to this day 8 years later. If I ever saw coach Hardcastle again I would tell him thanks. Thanks for inspiring us to be fighters. It still sticks with us.

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Is there anyone in your past that has inspired you? Do you wish you could let them know?

The Call of Nostalgia

2012-01-05T22:59:00.000-06:00

I've been spending the evening packing all my stuff up to start the moving process tomorrow. I've been coming across a lot of the stuff I used back in college and feeling the call of nostalgia once again. This is something that happens to me a lot. I spend a lot of time reflecting on life and different situations. That's really where the title from my blog came from. The blog itself is even making me feel the nostalgia as I write this. I started this back during my junior year of college which was a great time in life for me. There was just something about being in college and living the college lifestyle. Living in the dorm room, walking to class across campus, eating with whoever in the commons, studying in the library, playing wall ball under the rock, and late night walks across campus are all things that I miss about that time in life. I guess miss isn't really the right word. I don't miss it in the way that I wish I could go back and live it again. I'm really happy with where I am now and those are all just really great memories. That's why I like coming across all this stuff. It reminds me of all those times.

Now as i'm preparing to move into a new place, i'm going to be taking all these things with me and putting them to use once again. I hope they continue to remind me of my times at Southern Miss. I also hope to make new memories and continue pushing forward. Writing this right now is even going a long way to making me feel extremely optimistic. Oh the potential. Life is Good.

This is what all of those memories led to!

SMTTT!

Until Next Time,

Optimistic

Do you ever find yourself having little moments like this?

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T23:31:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year Everyone!! (and the last one ever right!?)

I had the opportunity to start out the New Year amazingly today! We started out by heading over to New Orleans and watching the Saints beat the life out of the Panthers! The seats were amazing and we really had a great time. This evening, after struggling last week, my fantasy football team, Capt. Knuckle Mouth, came back to win our league championship! Let the gloating ensue!!

I was getting really deep and reading some Tolstoy yesterday and decided to start off the new year with some words of wisdom

"Remember then: there is only one time that

is important-- Now! It is the most important

time because it is the only time when we have

any power. The most necessary man is he with

whom you are, for no man knows whether he

will ever have dealings with any one else: and

the most important affair is, to do him good,

because for that purpose alone was man sent

into this life!"

-Graf Leo Tolstoy-

I wish you all the best of luck in this new year

Until Next Time,

Kyle

The Ski Trip

2011-12-30T19:00:00.001-06:00

As first documented in my May 2008 Kickin' It Old School post and more recently back in October in my Travel Log: Day 5 post, I have some crazy dreams. I'm lucky enough to remember them a lot of the time as well. Wednesday afternoon was no exception. I was laying down for a little nap after work and woke up to a jolt. Here's the story:

I never remember exactly how the dreams start, I just remember the situation. There were 4 people in this particular dream: Alice, Perry, Brandon, and Myself. We were on a ski trip. This fact alone is kind of funny to me because not only have I never been skiing, but i've never really seen any significant amount of snow. I don't remember traveling anywhere, I just remember showing up at the mountain. We didn't exactly show up at a very opportune time though. It was already getting pretty dark to where you almost couldn't see and we were the only people on the mountain. The darkness and lack of people did little to deter us from hitting the slopes right then.

I don't know why I called this the ski trip, but we were actually snowboarding (which both Perry and Brandon have done in the past). I guess I didn't like the way Snowboardaholics, Board to Death, or Cold White Places sounded as much. Anyways, just like magic, somehow we ended up with snowboards attached to our feet and we were pointed down the slope. Alice and myself took off first. I felt a little wobbly at first, but gained my footing fast and remember thinking "Wow, I can really carve." The word carving just kept going through my head. I remember being amazed at how easily I picked up boarding.

Soon after leaving the top we left any remaining light and it was too dark to see the trees whizzing by us. I stopped for a minute to turn around and look for Brandon and Perry, but they were nowhere to be found. After being in the dark for a minute my eyes adjusted to the lower light and I was easily able to see what was going on. We continued down the slope for a little ways longer until we passed back into the light. I don't know where it came from, but the daylight was back. It was that soft late afternoon light. Continuing down the slope something kind of bizarre happened. We ran out of snow! The snow just thinned out until it disappeared and we were skidding wildly across concrete. It was like the slope was covered with a road.

At this point I looked back up the slope and Perry and Brandon came back into sight. They kept crossing back and forth in front of each other closer and closer until they finally ended in a huge collision. Their snowboards continued on down the slope while they didn't. I decided I needed to get back up towards the snow, so I started jumping that way. I jumped a couple of times, but on the next jump I went up and just kept going. I kept going up and up. I cleared the tree-tops. Everything was beginning to look pretty small below me. I remember starting to feel the fear of getting way too high and realizing there was only one place I could go. I started flapping my arms upwards from my side up over my head trying to force my body to start travelling downwards. Finally the descent started. I started picking up speed in a hurry. Faster and faster I was travelling down, down, down. I started flapping my arms down trying to slow myself up. It wasn't working.

Faster

I've reached the tree-tops at this point

Faster

The ground is coming at me in a tremendous hurry

Faster

Only a few feet now

I can feel the fear gripping me

Almost there

Just a few inches

I woke up with a jolt. My heart was racing and I was breathing heavily. This jump and fall is a pretty common theme for me. I apologize for the extended post, but I just thought this was a pretty interesting dream.

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Decode that dream!

Kicking it at the Camp

2011-12-29T19:42:00.001-06:00

When I got up from my post work nap this afternoon the woods were calling my name. I didn't quite have the time to get up to my Richton club, but had plenty of time to get to Stone County. I love this place. I used to spend SO much time out here and every time I'm here I wonder why I don't as much anymore. This place is only about 45 minutes from the house but I can remember thinking it took forever to get to when I was a kid. My dad used to bring me up here to fish when I was really young and I would spend the whole time begging him to take me for a ride on the 4 wheeler. That used to be the biggest thrill for me.

As a teenager I really fell in love with this place. It was when I got my drivers license and could come up here on my own that I started spending all my free time here. I started out coming up to go hunting with my grandpa, but ended up coming for any reason I could think of. I would spend hours and hours logging time in the woods surrounding the camp. I became somewhat of an artifact hunter (an obsession I still carry with me) and started trying to pinpoint former homesteads and camps. There was plenty of evidence to find deep down in the woods. This area used to be a small sawmill town, so there is plenty of reasons to find things.

I forgot just how dark it gets out here. The sky is clear and you can see so many more stars than you could ever see back in town. I could lay out there and look up for hours.

Well I'm not long for the world tonight. I'm getting up early to put in some more hours chasing that big buck.

Until next time,
Kyle

The Future of my Camping

2011-12-27T16:25:00.001-06:00

The pictures and title pretty much say it all. I spoke of the hammock I received for Christmas in yesterday's post. I spent some time really trying it out today. I've been really interested to know how fast and easy the set up it. There really is nothing to it! No complicated knots, no screws, nothing but a few loops in a strap. This is a very easy setup. The other benefit is that is is extremely comfortable! It lays perfectly. I feel like it is something I could actually sleep in. I caught a little nap in it today. I lounged out for a little bit and did a little reading while the weather is so beautiful! I have to go back to work tonight, so i'm trying to take advantage of a little daylight.

The other great thing is just how small and light it is. It packs down to about softball size and weighs almost nothing. It won't take up much room at all in a backpack and won't weigh you down. Those are to two most important aspects in packing for a camping trip. I can't wait for a good weekend to head back out down the trails. I've been making my list of places i'm wanting to camp over the spring. Nothing too far, all places in the south east of MS. You really don't have to go too far for some great places to get away. All it takes is the motivation to go. That is something i've got plenty of!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Christmas + 1

2011-12-26T21:07:00.001-06:00

It's the day after Christmas and everything i've read on facebook/twitter has led me to believe it must have been the year of the Kindle fire. I read more status updates about that that anything else I could think of. I was a victim of the Kindle update hype as well. I think all the hype was worth it though because this thing is awesome! I've really enjoyed tinkering around with it today and downloading aps. I even downloaded my first book for it. I'm reading Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. This is the book that inspired the movie. It's one that has been on my list for quite sometime and i'm finally getting around to it. A friend told me it was a lot better than the movie, so i'm taking his advice and giving it a read.

I felt like a kid today, playing with all the toys that Santa had left for me. I even went and set up the hiking hammock I got to see how easy the set up and tear down was. I also had to check out the comfort as well. I think i'm going to be happy with it for use on overnight hikes instead of packing the tent. I'm ready to get the camping started. I've been trying to get some of my friends hyped up to go as well so I can get a camping crew together. I've got some big plans for this springs, but more on that in later entries.

It's currently the halftime of the Saints/Falcons game so i'm typing quick. Gotta get back to watch Drew break Marino's record. Geaux Saints!!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Did anyone find themselves the proud new owners of a kindle this year??

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T20:36:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to take a quick minute to wish everyone a very merry Christmas! I hope everyone got to spend time with loved ones and enjoy a little break from the stress of everyday life! I am running on very little sleep right now after working last night. I got home at around 7:45am to do Christmas with the family, caught a quick nap, then was off for our annual adventures around the coast. I'm finishing the day off with one more viewing of my favorite Christmas movie ever... ELF!! Of course, what else would it be??

Merry Christmas Everyone

Until Next Time,
Kyle

And congrats to my Golden Eagles on their bowl win! SMTTT!!

Scary Movie Night...

2011-12-24T15:20:00.001-06:00

I'm a huge fan of scary movies! And I love watching them with people that legitimately get scared watching them. I got to experience all the fun of both this past Thursday night. Myself and Alice, along with Katelynn and Andrew sat down to watch Insidious. This is the first time i've seen this one and it really was creepy! The best part of it all was watching the girls reactions. As you can see from the pictures below, there was a lot of time spent covering eyes. Also in the pictures I couldn't keep the glare off the lens so I enjoyed joking that it was a ghost in the pictures. The girls did not think it was nearly as funny as I did. For the rest of the night, following the movie, neither one of them could go anywhere by themselves. Gotta love a scary movie night!

I took a little Christmas eve trip around town today, just because I was bored around the house. I decided to ride down into the National Seashore Park to see if I could find the alligator. I did some looking around and the little pond was full of turtles. I eventually did spot her sunning herself up on the bank. That park is one of my favorite things about this town!

I just wanted to take a quick moment for a little real talk on Christmas eve. I will be at work tonight doing my best to bring a little bit of a smile to the faces of everyone I see. I would just like everyone to take a moment to think about all the families that will be spending their Christmas in the hospital. This is one place that never takes a day off. It really makes me thankful for all of the great things in my life. Think about all that you have to be thankful for!

Merry Christmas Eve.

Until Next Time,

Kyle

And one more thing.... SMTTT!!! Beat Nevada for all of us back home!!

My New...

2011-12-22T09:43:00.001-06:00

Coffee table! I'm pretty proud of this little find. I'm moving into a new apartment at the beginning of the year and i've been on the lookout for furniture to fit my needs. I don't necessarily have the most normal of tastes. I like interesting, eclectic, sometimes funky pieces. I came across this item at work a few nights ago while I was just browsing through ads on craigslist. As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted it. Then I noticed it was in a little shop in my own town of Ocean Springs and I got kind of excited. I headed off downtown, yesterday, to try and find it. It didn't take me long to spot it sitting outside of the little shop Creativity Studios. This shop was awesome! Apparently these furniture pieces are a hobby of one of the store owners. They also had another small table that had the top made from an old wood framed window from an old house. This really gave me a tough decision and took some restraint not to buy both! The thing that really amazed me were the prices! I always expect any custom pieces in our downtown to cost an arm and a leg, but this place was very reasonable. My finally checkout price, after taxes, on the trunk table was $52.75! Winner! The window table was even only listed at $75. You just can't beat those deals. So, if you're in the area and looking for that interesting piece you definitely need to check out Creativity Studios!

Awesome window table. This will also be painted to your

desired color!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Where's Waldo?

2011-12-21T01:04:00.001-06:00

What have I been thinking!? I have been a serious slacker for the past week or so. I have either been busy or lazy, but my little blogging world has taken the biggest hit. The good news is that I've still been taking pictures and I'm about to take you on a photo adventure of my past week. Lets do this thing!

On a side note, I'm really enjoying the Better Than Ezra station on Pandora right now. I just love that 90's music!

Let us take a journey.

This is where it all starts. I have this beer glass collection and was presented with this one last week. The Cajun cannon himself! Thanks mom. I know this doesn't have much to do with what I've been doing, but I just wanted to show this off!

After Alice's pinning ceremony on Thursday night we had to ride down to New Orleans to pick her sister Nissa up at the airport. What better opportunity for a little fun. We were in New Orleans so we had to go spend a little bit of time on Bourbon St. It was a pretty tame night for where we were. We saw a guy walk right into and completely crash through one of those parking barricades like he never even saw it. Then I hurled a pair of bead back up into a balcony after someone hit Alice in the face with them. We had a lot of fun though. We had the classic hand grenades then hung out at the Old Absinthe House for a bit. The drive home wasn't much fun though. I had to drive back at 3am while everyone else was asleep. Let's put it this way, the little rumble strips on the side of the road really got my heart pumping a couple of times!

The next morning was graduation. That really brought me back to my own graduation 2 years ago! I really do love that university! SMTTT!

That night we trough a little graduation party which featured the most fun game of apples to apples ever. I know it doesn't look that exciting, but I still ended up praying to the porcelain god before it was all said and done!

Katelynn giving us her best Tebow!

On Saturday we took a little trip down to my hometown, Ocean Springs, and I got to introduce someone else to the town that made me! I love this place.

Until Next Time, (Hopefully not as long a wait this time)

Kyle

He Ate it Out of the Garbage!!

2011-12-10T17:24:00.001-06:00

This is my friend Andrew. He does things a little out of the ordinary sometimes. He really wanted the sandwich he is holding in his hand, so much that he ate it after it had already been thrown away. When Alice had finished all she was going to eat, the bartender came by and picked up the plate to throw it away. As the sandwich was sliding off the plate Perry interjected with a WAIT!! It was too late for wait. The sandwich had fallen into the can. The bartender jokingly said she would get if for him if he wanted it and that there was nothing else in the can. Perry said ok and ate away! He was pretty proud of himself as well!

Seriously dude?

Last night we spent a few hours down at our favorite bar Mezo's. We seem to always leave there with some good stories. This might not have been one of the best nights we have had down there, but we ended up with another one of those, "Hey you remember that time...," stories that we will be telling years from now. That's what it's all about after all. I hope to be sitting around one day, as an old man, laughing about the silly stories to my youth. Enjoy your life while you still can because you never know when your last day might be. Don't take anything for granted.

Thumbs up for WINNING! Thanks for the

photo skills Alice!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

I need to take a minute to send out some congrats! Congrats to Alice Hiatt for graduation this coming up Friday and being accepted to grad school!

Tis the Season.... for Frustration!

2011-12-09T17:43:00.001-06:00

This is how it usually starts. A big knot of extension chords and bin full of tangled lights! Tis the season right? Decorating the house used to be one of my favorite things to do. I can look back and see our house covered in every strand of lights I could get my little hands on. There was no coordination or rhyme or reason. I would connect colored bulbs with strands of blinking lights, icicles with net lights, and just hang them wherever there was a spot. I can't imagine what the house looked like to random passer byes, but my parents never said a thing. They just let me go because I enjoyed it so much. Now these boxes of tangled lights make me cringe just a little.

I really do love when the house gets decorated and I even still like being the one decorating. I just can't handle the never ending knots! I ask myself every year, "why didn't I wrap these better last year?" Christmas is really starting to creep up in a hurry, so today was the day. I started the process of untangling, plugging lights in, and changing fuses and bulbs. I was feeling extra Christmasy today, so I think that pushed me right on through any hassle. I was really dorking in up today by drinking hot chocolate and listening to Christmas music while hanging the lights. A few hours later I reached the point where I could do no more! I ran out of extension chords and plugs, so I had to call it quits for the day. I've been waiting for the rest of the afternoon for the sun to go down so I could see my accomplishments. I'm pretty proud of what I got done today.

One side of the yard is completely done with vacation Santa

and my funky palm tree.

A closer look at the funky palm.

Aaaannnnd to top the day off, my favorite Christmas movie of all time is on. Elf is by far my favorite Christmas movie, and it's on SyFy of all channels! If SyFy approves it, it must be true.

Until Next Time (Keeping it un-frustrated)

Kyle

What's your favorite Christmas movie??

What's been going on?

2011-12-08T23:19:00.001-06:00

You may be wondering what I do with all my downtime (or maybe not) when i'm up at the hunting camp or not at work. Well i'm going to let you know! First off I do a fair amount of writing. I do that everywhere. I actually do quite a bit while i'm sitting in the stand or when i'm back at the camp at night. The other thing I do a lot of is read the news! I'm not just trying to keep up with current events. I like reading articles that either really capture my interests, or have something to do with me and/or my life. I've found a couple interesting stories over the last few days and just want to take a minute to share them.

The first story I found was one I came across on Nola.com. It was a story about a man that was released from Angola state prison farm after 30 years when new evidence proved his innocence. This Louisiana man was convicted of aggravated rape in 1981 which carries a mandatory life sentence in that state. This individual had 3 witnesses backing his alibi and a forensic report strongly suggesting he was not the one who raped the victim, but somehow he still ended up being convicted by the end of the day. How does this kind of stuff happen?? In 2005 the Innocence Project from NYC decided to take on this case. The evidence from the case was found by chance in 2010, the case was built and presented, and then on Oct. 21 a judge demanded that he be released immediately. So this gentleman came back into a world that had entered the digital age and began trying to piece a life back together. He was astounded by an ipod that his attorney had given him. The world is a lot different place than it was in 1981. Can you imagine being locked up for 30 years for a crime you didn't commit? This kind of story always makes me wonder how many innocent people are actually doing time. 30 years is a large chunk of life that can never be given back. If you are interested in this story you can check it out right here.

The next couple stories are a little closer to my home. The next story I came across was about the absurd sidewalk that was built in the middle of our beach 2 years ago. This is something that has always bothered me. This is definitely one of my local soap boxes. Two years ago a six foot wide sidewalk was built right down the middle of our beach all the was from the Biloxi/Ocean Springs bridge to the Ocean Springs Harbor. I was always very against this project. I'm sure it was built with all the best of intentions to give people a safe place to run and ride, but it is little more that an eyesore. Another problem is that the sidewalk was very poorly planned out. Drainage has always been a problem. Whenever we get a little rain, water remains pooled up between the sidewalk and the seawall giving us a nice long lake all the way down the length of the beach. Also being built on sand has lead to the sidewalk beginning to crumble in places. Apparently now Ocean Springs officials are beginning to re-evaluate some of the engineering issues with the beach "road." Let's hope they figure something out.

Last but not least a little happy story from Ocean Springs. A group of Americorps workers spent the last few weeks clearing debris left over from Hurricane Katrina out at the Gulf Islands National Seashore Park; more specifically the cedar point research facility property. They cleared the property and a new trail system. This excites me because the park is one of my favorite places in this town. I spend a lot of time hiking around there and enjoying this little gem from my hometown. Now if I could just get someone to help me clear some of the bigger hiking trails in this region that have become victims of non-maintenance.

I hope you've enjoyed catching up on a little news with me!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

If you find anything you think I might find interesting please feel free to post them or email them to me!

Off For a Few

2011-12-07T19:01:00.001-06:00

I spent most of my last night at work looking down at my watch. I really do love my job, but sometimes the nights just never seem to end. We weren't busy and my patients weren't bad, but it just wasn't my night. So needless to say, as soon as that clock hit 7:23 I was there waiting.

I had all the good intentions of blogging when I got home, but that just didn't happen. I set my alarm and got some sleep for a few hours. When I got up it didn't take me long to decide what my day off plans were going to be. I loaded up the truck and headed up to the hunting camp in Richton. My afternoon hunt didn't really amount to much. I didn't see any deer until I was headed out of the woods on the side of the trail. Maybe I'll have some better luck tomorrow.

On a funny note, I'm pretty sure the Gorton's fisherman was in the unit last night. Oh yeah we totally get celebrities!! Haha

Well I'll be getting up early so....
Until Next Time,
Kyle

What were they thinking!

2011-12-06T17:16:00.001-06:00

I'm just up starting to get ready for another day at work. I had great intentions of blogging for the last few day and even this morning, but that just never happened. It's kind of hard to motivate myself to do anything after a long 12 hours at the hospital. Anyways let's catch up on the last couple days.

The hunting trip ended up pretty lack luster. Neither one of us saw a deer that final morning, so we packed up our gear, headed back to town, and got checked out of the sketchy motel. The drive home wasn't too bad and that was the hunting trip!

The red sky sunrise I watched from my stand that

final morning. That was one positive.

Max taking his turn with the gear on the way

out of the woods.

When I got back to Hattiesburg, I headed over to Alice's new apartment and helped her tie up a few odds and ends after her move. Some friends came over and we watched our beloved Saints put the pounding on the Detroit Lions. Alice took a few minutes to set up her Charlie Brown tree and we all just enjoyed the rest of the night.

Alice's Tree

My drive back down to the coast.

Random: I ran in to a couple very unique VW's this past

weekend. I had to get a couple of pics just because.

Ok, so here's my soap box of the past few days. After the extreme joy of my Alma Mater capturing the C-USA championship on Saturday (as discussed in my last post), I found myself dealing with a little bit of anger on Sunday. After the big win a lot of fans, including myself, found out that not only was a trip to the Liberty Bowl (which most of us were expecting) a non-option, but our Golden Eagles were going to be traveling to Honolulu to play Nevada at the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl on Christmas Eve. Coach Fedora stated that this would be an opportunity to reward the team for a great season since he believes that most of the team would not have the chance to visit Hawaii otherwise.

Don't get me wrong here, I'm glad that the team is being rewarded, but what about the fans that follow this team week in and week out. What about the fans that have been watching this team flounder in mediocrity for years. Shouldn't we be rewarded by being there for our team!? We were all expecting a Liberty Bowl appearance, but because of a rule voted on by bowl and conference leaders the SEC and Big East will be represented in Memphis. I can understand that, but there were other options! One of them was a meeting with Penn State and the Ticket City Bowl in Dallas. Hello! Why would we not want to play a team with the history of Penn State? The team may be having a rough season, but when you beat a Penn State people notice that. Instead we will be playing in a second tier bowl in a place that the vast majority of fans will have no means of getting to. Plus (I know this doesn't relate to most) i'm working Christmas eve; bummer.

Are you ready for my opinion on the matter? I sure hope you are. I think it's more of an ego decision from Larry Fedora. I've never been a huge fan of the guy, but I do love this team. He has always come off as WAY too self important to me. If anyone has ever seen him making the Eagle walk you know exactly what i'm saying. I'm thinking that Larry Fedora doesn't want to end his career at USM on a losing note. With this big season the coach is poised to sign a big money contract with a bigger school. The potential schools i've heard are Kansas, North Carolina, or even Texas A&M. We all know that he is leaving, but we still expect a little bit of respect to the tradition of this school.

In closing...... SMTTT Always!!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Do you have any opinion in the USM debate?

The Louisville Chronicles Part 2

2011-12-03T20:50:00.001-06:00

I have to go ahead and say this: Southern Miss To The Top!! Or SMTTT for everyone who's been seeing that all over twitter and wondering what the heck that meant. They won the C-USA championship today ruining the hopes of Houston possibly landing a huge bowl and Heisman trophy. Sorry bout yo luck Houston! I wore the battery out on my phone today checking on the score. I wish I could've been there for that big win! I was definitely there in spirit. I caught myself humming the Alma Mater following the game. I could almost see the team gather in front of the band, singing along with the rest of the student section. Those are some great memories!

We sing to thee, our Alma Mater,

USM thy praises be.

Southern mem'ries we shall cherish

Loyalty we pledge to thee.

Spacious skies and land of sunshine,

Verdant trees and shelt'ring walls.

Now our hearts lift ev-er to thee

As we praise thy hallowed halls.

I'm a proud alum of the University of Southern Mississippi! SMTTT

As for a little update from today, quiet would be the right word. I saw a bunch of turkeys but not a single deer. It really sounds exciting doesn't it?

My favorite time of day. Right when the sun goes down, but still hasn't quite gotten dark yet.

Tree that was struck by lightening. There were two strips from top to bottom completely carved out of the trunk.

My view for most of the day.

Until Next Time,
Kyle

We at the Hotel, Motel, Village Inn!

2011-12-02T20:27:00.001-06:00

Ok, this is my first attempt at mobile blogging! You're excited too right?

As mentioned in my previous blog, my buddy Max and I are up in Louisville (MS) doing some hunting. We lost the sweet setup we had with Max's trailer, from his day at school in Starkville, do we had to find somewhere new to stay. Based on a recommendation from his uncle and WAY too much research on his part, we discovered the Village Inn. Now, I was skeptical from the moment Max mentioned the rooms are only $45 a night, but when He walked out carrying the tv remote they had just issued him all I could do was laugh. Instead of just writing about it, how about we take a little picture tour of the Village Inn room #105!!

The view from the door followed by max looking really sketchy!

Awesome kitty wallpaper in the bathroom.

That is the ceiling of the bathroom. Yes that is duct tape! I'm also pretty sure the entire shower is glued on with caulk. The shower only has two temperatures, frigid and surface of the sun!

Wicked fridge/ microwave combo! The room's not so bad right? Haha, but truly I can't complain because last year we spent a freezing long weekend at his trailer without power.

I didn't see much today, but I did see about 20 turkeys this morning. The picture isn't the best because the sun was right in my face but I did try.

The view from my nap!

Well we are heading back out first thing, so I'm off to bed.

Until Next Time,
Kyle

Drop It Like it's Hot Chocolate

2011-12-01T10:44:00.001-06:00

I need to go ahead and thank Jimmy Fallon for the title of this post. This came from his hash tag game yesterday #NewHolidaySongs. It cracked me up and was somewhat perfect for this post. The cold weather is definitely here now (even if it never lasts for more than a week at a time down here in south MS). Maybe it's not really the temperature of the air that I love so much. Could it just be this time of year? I think maybe! Here is a little list titled "Things I love about the cold weather months."

The Holidays! Thanksgiving/Christmas specifically.
Warm clothes- little know fact: I love wearing jackets.
Hunting season
Fire- The warmth and the smell
Christmas lights! I enjoy seeing all the lights when i'm driving around. (hint hint- i'm planning a future post about small town Christmas decorations)
Eggnog- holla!
Seeing long losts- The holiday season always seems to bring around those long losts that seem to be missing throughout the year. What a relief to know that you're still alive!
Bell ringers- you have to have a heart of stone not to drop your change in those red tin bins.
Hot Chocolate (it had to be in here somewhere right!?)- well maybe we can generalize this one to just hot drinks. I just can't bring myself to drink a hot drink when it's also hot outside. Thanks cold weather!

Starbucks Hot Chocolate = Legit

So, onto a completely different topic now. I will be leaving this afternoon heading up towards Starkville to do a few days of hunting. I will be taking a swing at mobile blogging while i'm there to see how it works out. Please bear with me through this endeavor. Thanks!

My hunting adventure started out yesterday

afternoon with a short trip to my personal plot.

It didn't start out the way I had hoped. I didn't

see anything! Oh well maybe my luck remains to

the north

Until Next Time,

Kyle

What would you add to my cold weather list??

A Weight is Lifted

2011-11-29T17:22:00.001-06:00

I read an article this afternoon (my normal routine before going into work) about an elderly man that returned money he stole in the 40's back to Sear's. An envelope with $100 and a note was hand delivered to the store manager at a Seattle Sear's recently. The note said that this individual had taken $20- $30 dollars from the register over 60 years ago and he wanted to give it back.

The first thing I thought when reading this was "that's not much money." It didn't take me long to realize that it wasn't about the money. This man has been living with a guilty conscience for over 60 years. Can you imagine having anything weighing over you for that long?

Sometimes I get so caught up in all the negative of the world. I realize I shouldn't let things get to me like they do. It just seems, more and more, that the majority of people can be so selfish and only concerned with themselves. #1 is the most important right? Reading a little story like this made me happy to see that there is still good things happening. As small as an incident as this might have been, it just made me smile.

Well it's back to the hospital for 1 more night of work!

Until Next Time,
Kyle

The Jam Session

2011-11-26T17:30:00.001-06:00

Last night it finally happened. Perry and myself have been talking about getting together for a much needed jam session for weeks. How does the time always pass so fast? We have played together in this band or that since about the sophomore year of high school. It was such a big part of our lives for a long time. For whatever reason we haven't played together for months. The curse is finally over. It took us about 10 seconds to get it going again last night. I started out playing a little progression and Perry joined right in by shredding up some lead. It really felt good to be playing again. Every time we play together we end up talking about all the big dreams we've always had and how NOW we could put together such a great band. Will the band happen? I don't know but I can tell you that I hope it's not another few weeks before we rip it up again.

A few cold beers always go a long way in the

creative process! Matt Carver once called beer

"The pen of smart men"

Perry laying down that smooth blues

Me laying down that smooth thumbs up!

I'm sure he was deep in the middle of saying something

about music theory or the creative process. Or maybe he

was just saying something about how good his dinner was! haha

It's not about how good the music is or the great songs we come up with. It's about just getting together and playing. Between the music and crazy conversations it's always an interesting night. I believe you should always take every opportunity to enjoy a little downtime. So, enjoy it!

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Are there any instruments you play or interest you?

Thanksgiving Our Way

2011-11-24T20:32:00.001-06:00

To start let me go ahead and wish everyone reading this a happy Thanksgiving! Every year my family and I celebrate Thanksgiving the same way. We start off by eating lunch with my mom's side of the family at her parents house down on the bayou. Then we head up to the camp in the country to celebrate with my dad's side of the family. The Marcellus side of the family celebrates this occasion in a very unique way. Let's just say i'm sure the neighbors love it.

Throughout the day I kept my phone ready and snapped some pictures to take you on a quick Thanksgiving journey with me!

Andrew and I started our celebration early with a little

live music experience a the best bar and venue in Ocean

Springs. Rosco Bandana put on a great show at Mezo's

Juke Joint to kick off the holiday season. If you haven't

already, this is a band you definitely need to check out

while they are still playing the amazing local venues like

this.

Red solo cup....I fill you up. Let's have a party!

Khloe, show your teeth!

My cousin's baby Khloe. She was fascinated

by my phone.

When we got up to the camp we got to see my Grandpa's

latest addition to his back porch. He is proud of that boar!

Before we knew it the flurry of gunfire started.

I'm not sure when this tradition started, but

it's alive and well every Thanksgiving.

Everyone gets involved as my Aunt Tanya

demonstrates here.

Tommy Gun! That's mafia style.

I would call this another successful Thanksgiving. The holiday season is definitely a time to be grateful for everything that's good in your life.

Here's a cheers to family, friends, and good times! Cheers guys

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Do you have and Thanksgiving traditions?

Ghost Towns

2011-11-22T17:39:00.001-06:00

I read a pretty interesting article the other day. Related to the droughts across the US this year, several ghost town have been exposed due to the reducing water levels in reservoirs. This particular story was about the former site of the town of Bluffton, Texas. This town was flooded 55 years ago and usually sits below about 20-30ft of water. Now, former residents and history buffs are flocking to the sight to see the ghost town. Building foundations, grave sites, and many other artifacts have been found on this site. The darker side of this is that there have been several arrests related to looting in this area.

I read an article this summer similar to this that retold the account of a couple that was able to visit the church they were married in 60 years earlier due to the drought. So sometimes drought isn't all bad right? Ghost towns and historical artifacts are always something that interest me. When I read articles like this it always makes me wonder what all is out there. One of my hobbies is artifact hunting. I've spent a lot of hours in the woods surrounding my hunting camp searching for remnants of the town that was once there.

I found this piece back in September during my Wild Weekend trip to flint creek. These bricks were lined up under the bank of the reservoir. What were they from? What used to be there? What else was in this valley before it was flooded? These are all the questions I always have in my head. I do know that St. Joe is a brick company out of Pearl River, La. The company is over 120 years old!

Check out the article above. It's worth your time!

Until Next Time,
Kyle

P.S. my truck is FIXED!!

Wise Words of Matt

2011-11-17T23:11:00.001-06:00

A couple of post ago I proposed an idea to anyone and everyone. I asked about the little things in life that make you happy. It was a question of freedom. I was interested in ideas, thoughts, suggestions, and comments. A friend of mine answered the call. A very wise man named Matt Carver.

Me (Left), Matt "Wise Man" Carver (Middle), Logan Brown (Right)

Instead of doing a lot of talking this time i'm gonna let Matt take this one. These are the idea's, thoughts, and little things that make him happy. Enjoy!

Mr. Introspective Retrospect,

Since you are such an avid blogger, I will share as much genius as possible.

In high-school football, my coach always said, "Matt, it's the small things that matter."

For me, little things like the love of a good woman, beer, and company of great friends are important. So, yes that sounds like a Country song, but really think... How difficult is it to find a good woman these days? When you dig through the crazies, the slackers, and the promiscuous ones, there may be a decent one out there. There are many topics that one could delve in this relation. Best date places, What does a date consist of these days? Dedicate a blog to "Domi?"
How to make it in a modern relationship?

Beer. Beer is the key to survival of life. There are many topics that one could explore with beer. The difference in a porter and a stout. How microbreweries save humanity from the monotonous use of bud and coors "light" beers... There are infinite ideas from such a beer aficionado as yourself.

Great friends, another of the little things I appreciate in my life. Usually, I try to be a good friend, but what is considered a "good" friend these days? I've had so called "friends" that I hear from once a year... and then friends I talk to once a week, once a month... Anyhow, spending times with friends, sharing business info, beer info, cigar info, talking crazy stories, and making crazy stories.. That's what it's all about... Living life, and living it well.

Some little things, make a difference in life.
-Going out an hear that old rat rod crank after not touching it for months, or after making some adjustments.
-Waking up without a headache, after a night of making stories with friends.
-Living on the coast!
-Of course, popping on the pandora.

I'll share my Master plan of blogging with you, pick a category per day... like weds beer day...tuesday fishing story day...sports sundays...

It'd be pretty awesome to read about a day in the life of a medical professional... There has to be tons of material there...zombie viruses...women who made bad choices...drunk and disorderly... severed appendages...

Matt Carver

Great Words!

Thanks again man

Until Next Time,

Kyle

The Little Things # 3

2011-11-14T13:34:00.001-06:00

2 words: Live Music

# 3 is just that simple. There is nothing like it. There is something special about witnessing a really good band do what they do best. When they can make everyone around them get up and start dancing (or at least moving) they've really got it. The great thing about great live music is that it happens everywhere in many different forms

You can catch it on a street corner in New Orleans

Or at your favorite local spot. For me that is Mezo's Juke Joint. You just can't beat the crew and great atmosphere down there. Plus! They always have a pretty full lineup of good live music. Me and a friend saw Defunked Democracy for the first time down there last week and they were pretty amazing. Very talented group of musicians.

I've been able to catch some pretty great shows down at the House Of Blues in New Orleans. What a great venue!

Better Than Ezra

G. Love and Special Sauce

Mute Math, Nickel Creek, and Flogging Molly

I've been able to see some pretty big arena shows which can be fun too. AC/DC was one of the best i've ever seen. It doesn't matter how old those guys get because they still rock!

Band of Horses -Fed Ex Forum, Memphis

King of Leon- Memphis

Big festival like Jazz Fest are a GREAT place to catch some great live music. I caught Dave Matthews Band back in 05 down there.

Live music is everywhere, you just have to get out there and listen! Make it one of your favorite things too! Get inspired and enjoy!

I had to add this final one just because it was one of the best live acts i've ever seen. The Civil Wars were absolutely amazing. It was just the two of them and they had endless talent. We saw them at the Fire Club in Jackson this past July.

Until Next Time,

Kyle

Where is your favorite live music spot?