I’m not sure how long ago it was that I stumbled across a link online, shortly after hearing them early one morning on Rick and Bubba, for the Zac Brown Band. I really liked what I heard and ordered a CD off their website. With the advent of MP3’s and online music services, it was probably the first actual CD I had bought in a long time. I can only think of one other artist whose album I could listen to from beginning to end and love every song. Some of you know who that is. I won’t mention it here for fear of being ridiculed mercilessly at the hands of those dislike this artist. Anyway, that first ZBB CD probably didn’t leave my CD player for weeks and weeks. It was just that good! The worst song on this album was very good. I told several people that there was no justice if this band didn’t make it big.

Well, guess what? They appear to have made it big! ZBB was nominated by the Academy of Country Music as Top New Artist of the Year and won the ACM award for Top New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year. They also had a number one country hit with Chicken Fried which has officially gone platinum. The first time I came across Chicken Fried on the radio I desperately wanted to tell someone “I told you!” But I was alone in my car at the time so I waited. Granted, I had listened to Chicken Fried somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 times by then and even really good songs get a bit familiar at that rate.

This current album, The Foundation, though not really what I’d call a departure from the first album, has a considerably more country feel to it than did Homegrown. Homegrown had more of a hard to classify sound with country undertones. It also had a bit more of a diverse sound. The opening track, Every Little Bit, sounds exactly like something you’d find on a classic Jimmy Buffett album. The track Heather has a sort of blues feel to it and a couple of guitar solos to match. Curse Me has lots of congas/bongos (forgive me percussionists, but I don’t know the difference)and is sort of a mid-tempo tune. These Days actually has some rapping, not by Zac, in it and Tax Man Shoes is, well, original to say the least.

The Foundation is every bit as good and better produced, but with a decidedly more consistent country feel to it. My personal favorite is Jolene, not the Dolly Parton one, and is one of the saddest songs I’ve heard in recent years. Ray LaMontagne did this song as well but I much prefer ZBB’s version. Toes and Where The Boat Leaves From again borrow from the Jimmy Buffett sound without sounding plagiarized. Mary and It’s Not Okay feature a lot of fast, bluegrass sounding guitar and are guaranteed to get your feet stomping. This album also spends a lot of time on the Zune and in the CD player. There are a couple of songs that make both projects and in those cases, the newer version is better.

Get both of these CD’s and you may not listen to anything else for a while. They are both excellent albums with expert musicianship and both are just a lot of dang fun! I’m not even a big country music fan, I tend to lean toward the older stuff in that genre, and these are two of my favorite CD’s in many, many years. Go online and check out ZBB’s website at http://www.zacbrownband.com and see for yourself.

I understand that economic times are hard and some people have lost money. Some have lost a lot of money. I don’t, however, understand how State Treasurer Kay Ivey believes education budget money should be used to bail out the PACT Program. I applaud anyone who invested money for their child’s education, but that is just what you did, you made an investment. An investment involves risk. These paragraphs taken from the PACT 2007 Enrollment Kit clearly state this fact: 

This Disclosure Statement provides important information concerning certain material risks associated with the purchase of PACT Contracts. Contract Purchasers are strongly urged and expected to read this Disclosure Statement in its entirety before purchasing a PACT Contract. The obligations of PACT are limited obligations payable only from proceeds received from PACT Contract sales and earnings from investment performance. Neither the Contract Purchaser nor Beneficiary has any recourse against the Treasurer, the Board, the PACT Program, any other state or federal government agency, or the State of Alabama in connection with any obligations arising out of the PACT Contracts. The obligations of the PACT Contract are not backed by the full faith and credit of the State of Alabama.

No Guarantee; Not Insured: Participating in PACT entails risk of return. The Trust Fund and investments under PACT are not bank deposits, and are not debt obligations of, or insured or guaranteed by the FDIC, the State, the Board, the Treasurer, the PACT Program, or any other state or federal governmental agency. None of these entities or persons has any legal or moral obligation to ensure the ultimate payout with the respect to the purchase of a PACT Contract. 

Today on the WSFA Website there is an article which states: “The chair of the Prepaid Affordable College Tuition Plan, State Treasurer Kay Ivey, says a three-member committee of the PACT Board is working on legislation that would provide up to $25 million a year from the state education budget.” How can you take 25 million dollars from the education budget that every year is in trouble itself. Again, I feel for the people involved. I am not trying to sit here and say, “Too bad for you.” But I also don’t think people who were not enrolled in this program should now have to donate to the ones that were. No state funds, especially education funds, should be used to correct this problem. If the fund would have made an excessive amount of money would they have given money to deserving students who did not enroll? No. People who were not in the program would have had no right to any excess money nor should we incur any loss since the fund lost money.

Thought some of you might be interested in this. Especially those of you who bought toothpaste. YIKES! I knew there had to be something. Enlightening, indeed!

 1^st Annual Power of Purple

5K Walk/Run 

April 25, 2009

10:00 a.m.

Wetumpka High School Football Stadium

NW Main St. & W. Osceola St. 

Race Info:

Course:

Mostly flat run through west Wetumpka neighborhoods.

Water station at approximately 2 mile point.

Time:

Registration and number pick up:    8:00 am – 9:30am

Race begins:                                      10:00 am

Awards:                                             11:15 am

·         stay for opening ceremonies of Relay For life at 12 noon. 

Entry Fees:

Pre-registration (mail-in or Active.com)         $15.00

Race Day                                                        $20.00 

Benefits:

All proceeds go to benefit the American Cancer Society – Wetumpka 

Contacts:

Jeanne Dulaney                relay@beignited.net                334-294-1583

Julie Bridgman                 jbridgman@elmore.rr.com        334-567-6639 

Further information:  http://www.beignited.net/powerofpurple.htm

I had to post this pic of my family. We were out at Blount Cultural Park taking some pictures and this is one of my absolute favorites. Nothing particularly interesting to say about it. Just felt like sticking it on here.

Just wanted to show the doubters that Gigi and I actually do run! Slowly, but we run. We may not be fast but at least we aren’t last!

I thought I’d repost an old blog entry from way back on April 9, 2009, just after I started this here blog. I still wonder about the “Everything is only A Dollar” stores. Enjoy…

I just got home from church and eating Mexican for the second time today. Just in case you didn’t already know this, if you eat at a Mexican restaurant, at least this one in particular, you ain’t gonna’ be able to hide it from anyone. As I sit here writing, I can smell myself. I can only imagine how the people at the grocery store could smell me. Anyway, let’s move on.

I had planned on running this afternoon but if the rain continues I guess I’ll just HAVE to take a nap. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I realized that not everyone actually takes a nap, or at least tries to, on Sunday afternoons. Go to church, eat lunch and gossip, go home and take a nap. I really thought that pattern was universal. But I also used to think that when my dad would baptize someone in church, that he would say, “I baptize you John Doe, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost (dunk), to walk in Eunice of life.” That would be “newness of life.” I figured this out at about the age of 35 or so. I’m pretty swooft! Go to church today and if you see Gladly, the cross-eyed bear, tell him I said hello!

Elizabeth Spiers, who grew up here in Wetumpka, made a pretty big name for herself by blogging and subsequently becoming the founding editor of a weblog called Gawker.com. Read her bio here. http://www.elizabethspiers.com/about.html  

I just offended someone. An anonymous poster said that he was glad he, or she I suppose, no longer lived in Wetumpka because of people like me. He used more words. Normally I wouldn’t make a big deal out of something like but since this is my first, for lack of a better term, “hate mail” I wanted to share the special occasion with all of you. Check out what the poster said and my response in the comments under the “I Hate the Casino” post.