The Crab Chronicles

A Very Small Thanksgiving

I have never been really excited about Thanksgiving, except when I was a kid. There were years that we got together with Mom's brothers and their families for the Thanksgiving weekend, and those were always fun times. I got to spend time with my cousins and feel part of a bigger family than just the four of us.

Below, my family around 1969. Don't know who took the photo, but they cut Dad's head off, which is why I hesitated for years to scan it in. Also we all look a bit green. Finally I thought why not? So Dad looks incomplete and my brother is scowling but hey - Mom and I look nice! I was 7 years old here. I am pretty sure that was my Easter dress that year so that's why I am looking so spiffy. Note the white gloves...

I showed Michael the photo and pointed out his uncle and he said "If my hair had looked like that I'd be upset too!" It was the fashion in 1969, Dude... LOL

This year was really quiet because my brother couldn't come home. It's not really worth the 3 hour drive from Columbia to only spend 24 hours with us. I understand that. He works at a place that was open on Friday. My cousin Lesleigh was supposed to come over but she had to cancel due to car issues. So it was just the three of us.

I made a pork roast in the oven and a pan of dressing and cooked some fresh spinach. Pecan pie for dessert. On Friday we started the decorating.

This is part of the collection of angels we have - there are many more, and there's another creche in the living room.

Below right - the collection of Santas..

Lola likes to look out the french doors in the family room, and she is highly annoyed that we put the Christmas tree in front of those doors.

We had a nice weekend, very laid back, and that's okay.

I watched all ten episodes of The Crown on Netflix. It's about the early days of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Really entertaining, and well written and well acted. Now I have to wait for the second season and it's a bummer. I hate to wait..

IN OTHER NEWS

After many days with no rain, we are finally supposed to get thunderstorms tomorrow and Wednesday. Of course, I have a number of errands to do.

I have done all my Christmas shopping, online. Whew. Now on to the semi-fun part of the holiday - what am I going to bake?! I am thinking this year I want to do something savory instead of sweet. Maybe cheese straws?

After writing a series of articles for a client about lead poisoning, I no longer want to live in a historic building. Now I want to avoid old buildings.

Fidel Castro is dead. His brother has been running the country for years and it's puzzling as to why anyone thinks anything will change there. Students should study the regime though because it's a perfect example of why Communism sucks.

I watched a program the other day where an interviewer went to several college campuses and asked students basic history questions like Who won the Civil War? What country did America declare its independence from? When was World War II? What was the name of the boat the Pilgrims came on? And THEY DIDN'T KNOW!! Basic stuff. I knew these things when I was in middle school. Why are we not making students learn history any more? It's SCARY. Personally, I think anyone over the age of 18 who wants to go to college should have to sit an oral exam and know the answers to about 50 basic questions such as these, and be able to discuss the answers intelligently. I had to sit through a rigorous oral exam before I got my master's degree. You either know it or you don't when you are given an oral exam. If you cannot answer basic questions about history and civics you don't belong in college.

I shudder to think about these kids running our country in a few years..

 

 

Elva's Cornbread Dressing - the Best in the World

The tradition in my family has always been that on Thanksgiving morning, instead of my usual breakfast, I would eat a piece of cornbread spread with butter and crumbled up in a bowl with some warm milk. YUM.

Guess what Michael had for breakfast this morning?!

The first thing I made today was the cornbread.

It's important to make the cornbread so it can cool off before the dressing is made. Here in the south we make dressing, not "stuffing" and we put it in a pan, usually Pyrex or Corning Ware, not inside the turkey. [We don't even eat turkey at my house, we prefer pork roast.]

My mother's favorite food is her own dressing. Most people who have ever tried it understand why immediately. Nobody makes dressing better than Elva. Nobody. My friend Bronwyn said recently on Facebook that Elva's dressing was her favorite food! High compliment. She's from Louisiana and a good cook and gourmand.

This year, we let Michael do most of the work making the dressing. The whole process went a lot faster. My brother couldn't come over so it's just the three of us. We are trying to get Michael helping more in the kitchen.

The fact he has only one hand is irrelevant. He has a sharp knife he likes, and he has a method of chopping which is fast and accurate and involves no bloodletting. He breaks eggs easily. He loves to use the hand blender. He does make a big mess in the kitchen, but what man doesn't?!

The other aspect is that with his granny sitting at the table telling him what to do, he is learning valuable kitchen skills and he will eat a boatload of whatever is cooked, which is good. (He actually forgets to eat sometimes and he's skinny as a stick.)

the recipe is below - click on it to make it bigger

This year, Mom wrote down the recipe, and it occurred to me that it would be a good idea to scan it into the computer. She left out a few things. For instance, cornbread is much better if you add a big dollop of mayonnaise -- Duke's, of course. It's great to make it in a cast iron skillet, unless you're a small woman with arthritis and/or you don't have a strong person around to get the skillet in and out of the oven. [I actually wrote a blog a few years ago about how to make cornbread.]

Mom says "string" the celery. My memaw used to do that. I am a bit lazy. I use the tender inner stalks and don't fool with stringing the celery.

You don't have to dry out the bread. It's optional.

We like to take the chopped celery and onion and cook it in a small glass bowl in some chicken broth in the microwave for about 3 minutes, then macerate it with a hand blender. (Mom's teeth are bad and she can't eat anything chewy. Don't ever use the word "dentures" around her either, unless you want to get slapped.)

She didn't put precise measurements on the seasoning. We season HEAVILY. The more the merrier. Onions plus onion powder means extra onion flavor, which is always good.

We like to use Campbell's Cream of Chicken soup with herbs. Old-fashioned cream of chicken is fine too.

You mix the celery and onions into about 3-4 cups of crumbled cornbread and about 3-4 cups of bread torn into little pieces. Then you throw in your soups, melted butter, eggs, seasonings, baking powder (about a tablespoon) and chicken broth. The mixture should be pretty wet, not stiff.

A lot of times, we make 2 small pans of dressing instead of one big one, and freeze one. Then we've got dressing already made for Christmas dinner.

If I were a professional blogger I'd post a photo of the dressing but we aren't eating until tonight and it's not cooked yet.

I did take a photo of the pecan pie Michael and I made this morning. YUM.

One day in the future, when my mom is in heaven I will find this recipe, assemble the ingredients, and Michael and I will make the dressing, and think of Mom/Granny/Miss Elva, and hopefully we will smile. Hope that's a long ways away, though..

 

 

Stories Behind the Photos

One of the reasons I think that I like old photos so much is that there is usually an interesting story behind each shot. Sometimes not. Sometimes the shots are emblematic, though, and that's what makes them timeless. Today I decided to share some shots of the Thompson side of my family.

I've always been very curious about the Thompsons because I know so little about them. My grandfather Algernon Thompson died 5 years before I was born. My dad adored him. He was a character. [His relatives all called him "Slick" but most people in Hepzibah, including my grandmother, called him simply "Thompson."]

I left the really old photos large on purpose, to more easily see the details.

Even though it's a blurry shot because Dad had it enlarged from a tiny snapshot, this is the only known photo of my dad and his father and brothers when Dad was a child. This was probably the late 1930's, in Hepzibah Georgia, and my dad is the smallest boy. My grandfather had his arm around Bobby, the middle son. Grandaddy Thompson was only about 5'9, but he had been a soldier for years and fought in France in World War I. He had dropped out of school before high school to support his mother and younger siblings when his father died. His father was named Alexander Hamilton Thompson -- babies were often named after famous people in the 19th century. I know almost nothing about Thompson's ancestors because he came from Cordele Georgia and the Crisp County courthouse [ironically] burned down many times so there simply aren't many records.

Below, Dad and his brothers as older guys..

My dad's father, Algie Thompson, died when Dad was 27 years old. Dad didn't know much about his folks.

This lady is Algie Thompson's mother, Annie Lou Lewis Thompson, and Dad said everyone called her "Little Granny." Look at the pretty bed jacket and contrast it with her hands. She was a farmer's wife in South Georgia in the late 19th century, widowed young, left with 8 children, and undoubtedly life was hard for her. I think she died in the early 1940's. Dad remembered going to see her when he was a boy and she was always in bed, but everyone would just go in her room and visit. Below, two of her daughters, Nannie and Oline [or possibly "Olene"], and Uncle Wood [Charles Woodfin]. Sorry he's horizontal...

Oline is a name with a Polish origin. I thought the Thompsons were all English and Irish but who knows? "Chillie," "Nannie" and "Oline" [Grandaddy's siblings] are also interesting names, and then there was my grandfather "Algernon." Obviously the Thompsons were creative when it came to naming, except perhaps for great Uncle Roy..

Left is my grandfather Algie Thompson as a young man, posing with a stuffed alligator. A number of things are striking to me about this shot. My dad and my brother and my cousin Tony [son of my uncle Lewis] all bear a great resemblance to Grandaddy here. Below, Thompson and my grandmother Cordelia around 1956.

 

Above - Dad as a little boy -

Bruce with me - he liked to climb up into my crib and play with me. Mom let him give me bottles and he taught me to suck my thumb.

 

This is my brother Bruce, holding our cat.

above, my grandmother Cordelia and Tony [not my dad, my cousin] as a toddler - unfortunately he was small when she died and he doesn't remember her. I have quizzed my older cousins on what they remember about her and just gotten nowhere; they were too small. I have intense curiosity, as I grew up hearing my mother say "You have her forehead / her hair / her giggle." Mother loved her and nursed her through her final illness in 1959 when she was pregnant with my brother.

me in the 6th grade - don't you love the 1973 collar?!

Twenty Questions With Jane Riddick-Fries

A couple of months ago I saw a position advertised for a marketer for a company in Virginia, FERIDIES. I Googled their website and enjoyed reading their story, even though I decided not to apply for the position. I am always fascinated by family businesses – especially ones that thrive for decades.

The Riddick family started refinishing furniture in 1973 in the back of a turn of the century country store and opened a gift shop up front, and the business evolved into what it is today, a seller of all kinds of delicious goodies, from gourmet peanuts and trail mixes to specialty foods. I love peanuts. I actually crave them. I ordered some of the FERIDIES butter toffee peanuts and they were insanely good.

The business started in 1973. Jane’s father, mother and aunt were school teachers and along with Jane’s uncle, a twin to her dad…the four decided to refinish furniture to help supplement their income.  They decided to put a gift shop in the front of the building. They needed a person up front to accept furniture while they worked in the back. The gift shop only contained products on consignment.  Jane tells the story. “We’re in the heart of Southampton County which, at the time, in 1973 was the largest peanut producing county in the country. We were literally out in the country (We’re about 30 minutes from Suffolk, the nearest town of any size.) and there weren’t a lot of places to get peanuts. You would see a lot of peanut fields but you couldn’t find a place to purchase them. We actually ended up selling a competitor’s peanuts along with peanut butter fudge, peanut brittle, and some other things that local people made. You couldn’t do that today with all of the government regulations.”

They started in a building in downtown Courtland, Virginia, the county seat. Once they started roasting their own peanuts under the name The Peanut Patch, the business really grew.

Jane and her sister grew up and went to college, got married, and moved away. In 2000, their parents called and said they were going to sell the business if the girls didn’t want to come home and run it. The sisters and their husbands decided to quit their jobs and move home and work together. Jane and her husband owned a gift shop in Canaan Valley, West Virginia and Jane’s husband was a ski instructor.

Jane’s Dad passed away ten years ago, but her mother is still very active and still works at their gift shop, The Peanut Patch. The business has changed and evolved over the years. A few years ago they moved from downtown Courtland to Rt. 58 highway because the town was bypassed by a new road and the small town has almost become a ghost town. In 2005 they changed their name and packaging of their brand of peanuts from The Peanut Patch to FERIDIES and in 2007 they built a new manufacturing facility.

It was delightful talking to Jane and learning more about FERIDIES – the name is a combination of several different last names in Jane’s family.If you like not only peanuts but all kinds of gourmet goodies I urge you visit the FERIDIES  website. They have gourmet nuts, trail mixes, Virginia ham, cheese straws, sweet potato biscuits, and more. Excellent Christmas gifts and/or business gifts.

THE STANDARD TWENTY QUESTIONS

What is your full name? Jane Riddick-Fries [pronounced freeze]

Where would you live, if you could live anywhere in the world? Extremely tough question.. My husband loves the cold and I love the beach!  Neither of us likes to live in the city…although we enjoy visiting large cities and enjoying all they have to offer, we prefer living in the countryside. …less traffic and fresh air.  We love to travel and do that as much as possible, but right now,  I don’t’ have passion to be anywhere else.

What is your favorite movie and why?   I don’t necessarily have a favorite movie but I loved the Lion King…as a movie and on Broadway.  The music and story are inspiring.

What was your least-favorite subject in school when you were a kid? Math. I don’t do that part of our business. I do marketing and sales. [laughs]

What was your nickname when you were a kid? “Mouth” when I was in high school. I liked to talk.

Do you believe in God?  Yes

What sound or noise do you love? The ocean

If you could do anything other than what you do, as a profession, what would it be?  Teach yoga. I’m also a blackbelt in karate so I’d own my own yoga/karate studio. Yoga’s not about judgment. It’s about doing what’s best for your body.

If heaven exists, what do you think it is like? Light, funny, blue and I think it has all of those people that have been in our life, hopefully we all come back together again and enjoy the peace.

Do you have siblings? One sister, 3 years younger, Alice – she handles the catalog and website and retail aspect, direct to consumer side of our business.  We are very close. I am fortunate to watch her children grow up.

What is your favorite memory of childhood [something specific]? Going to cut down our own Christmas trees – my dad and a friend had a Christmas tree farm.

If you had to choose between one week traveling around the USA by car, or one week traveling around Europe on a train, which would you choose and why? USA by car. I was on the train this summer to New York, it takes forever – lots of stops.

What inspires you?  I teach yoga and for the past two weeks I’ve had a lady in her mid 70’s who’s had a hip replacement and has COPD. When she first came to my class she needed a chair. She came last night and went through the whole class doing what she could. Her courage inspired me. I hope at her age I will still be trying to get down on the floor and do yoga poses. Strong people inspire me. Positive people inspire me.

Which holiday do you prefer, Christmas or July 4th?  My business prefers Christmas. Most of our business happens during this time of year.  It’s challenging for my family because we work long hours – but I do love Christmas because it’s also family time. July 4th – personally, I get the day off and get to relax!

What project or idea are you most passionate about, right now? I just recently got my yoga certification [to teach] so right now I’m passionate about that.

Do you know how to cook? No – my mom was a home economics teacher and it just about kills her that my sister and I do not cook.  But my husband was a former chef so he does all the cooking. It’s something I have no passion and no patience.  I like to eat.

What is your favorite thing to cook/eat? My favorite food is crabmeat. I eat peanuts every day, though.

If you could go on vacation anywhere in the world, for 2-4 weeks, all expenses paid, where would you go and why? Italy -- because I’ve never been there. I love different cultures and talking to people with different points of view, and I like warmer weather. I would also visit all of our national parks.

Who do you love the most in the world? My husband – he’s my rock. My family is also my rock.

What question has nobody ever asked you, but you wanted to answer?   If you won the million dollar lottery today, what would you do?    I think it would be such an awesome feeling to have so much money to share.  I would continue to work but also open up my own yoga/karate studio…Yin Yang.  I would pay off all my families debt including the business debt and pay for my sisters children’s college.  I would donate to Hope For The Warriors, which is an organization that helps injured veterans and their families. (We actually donate a $1.00 from the sale of our 18oz can of Hope for the Warriors salted peanuts to this group who does awesome things and has a 4 star rating. We have family who have served or are still serving in all branches of the military). I would donate to our church as well.  My husband and I would travel around the country and the rest of the world. I would put some in savings for retirement and spoil our nieces and nephews.

Jane

 

Right - Jane's entire family

Getting to Know Me

One of my cousins posted this on Facebook and I thought I'd post my answers. I always read these things because I think the answers tell you a lot about a person. I do like to explain a bit, though..

Tattoos......................... 0
Piercings...................... 2 [ears, since I was 14]
Marriages..................... 0
Divorces........................0
Children......................... 2
Surgeries...................... 3 [tonsils, hysterectomy, pacemaker]
Shot a gun.....................Yes [my father and brother collect them...]
Quit a job....................... Yes [I don't know anybody who hasn't quit a job at some point, if they are are over 30..]
Flown on a plane........... Yes [but hopefully never again. Hate flying. Now if I could fly on a private plane my answer would change..]
100+miles in a car......... Yes [not crazy about long car trips either but at least I can stop and stretch my legs easier than on a plane..]
Hit a deer........................ No
Gone zip lining............... Yes [I think I did it once when I was a kid, when one of my cousins set up one in the back yard]
Cried over someone...... Yes [good Lord, what kind of strangely emotionally stunted person hasn't cried over someone?!]
Fell in love..................... Yes [well, I thought it was love at the time. In hindsight, it was probably more like infatuation..]
Skipped school.............Yes [as a kid, but only to help my mom. As a college student, no. I always felt since I was paying for my education I ought to at least show up and get the value for my money, or Dad's money...]
Watched someone give birth...No [watched a pretty graphic and realistic film about it once, as a kid, and it was really scary. Glad my kids are adopted... :-)]
Watched someone die...No [should have been there when Dad died but didn't make it home on time.]
Been to Canada........... No [but I have always wanted to go, especially Banf]
Ridden in an ambulance......Yes [hope to never do that again]
Been to Hawaii?............No [but I love the movie Aloha so I feel like I've been there...]
Been to Europe............... Yes [would love to go back, especially Italy and Ireland]
Been to Washington D.C.......Yes
Visited Florida................. Yes
Visited Mexico..............No [I would love to see the Mexican coast but I have a sensitive stomach so I would have a hard time eating...]
Visited Las Vegas....... No [hate drinking and gambling so this is not a place I ever want to go]
Sang karaoke.............. Yes [once, in a bar, years ago.]
Had a pet(s)................ Yes
Been sledding on big hill....... Yes [once, as a kid... of course "big hill" is a rather vague term]
Been downhill skiing..............No [scares me]
Rode on a motorcycle........ Yes [as a kid - not in many many years and never again]
Rode a horse...................... Yes [I love horseback riding but my legs are so short, getting on a horse is really difficult.]
Stayed in a hospital........... Yes [hopefully never again]
Donated blood.................... Yes [found out as a college student I got free cookies from the Red Cross for donating]
Driven a stick shift............. Yes [but I stink at it; wrecked the car that had a stick, years ago]
Rode in the back of a police car... No!

me and a friend in 1988, Hampton Court [home of Henry VIII]

Risking Death

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day and I wanted to write a little bit about my third great grandfather, John McConnell [1780-1866] because I didn't know much about him until recently and his story is quite amazing.

From Find a Grave:

"John McConnell Jr was the first child of John and Nancy Montgomery McConnell. He was born in the Waxhaw settlement during the Revolutionary War in which his father was fighting. Only 11 days after his birth, his father was captured, imprisoned, and sentenced to be hanged. Then John Jr. contracted black smallpox and it was feared he would die.

However, his mother had survived smallpox years before, and through her nursing he survived. While he was still ill with the disease, his father escaped from the sentenced hanging and from prison and took his small family to the snow covered mountains of South Carolina to escape the British. They stayed in hiding in the mountains for over a year until his father could rejoin Col. William Bratton.

After the Revolutionary War, John Sr. took his family to Georgia, finally settling in Elbert County, Georgia. It was there that John Jr met his wife, Anna Townsend. They married in Elberton in 1800 when John Jr. was 19 and Anna was 15."

 

The sentence that jumps out at me is: "Only 11 days after his birth, his father was captured, imprisoned, and sentenced to be hanged."

My 4th great grandfather was sentenced to be HANGED simply because he wanted to be FREE. He wanted to live in a free country where he could vote for his president and his representatives and not be forced to live under the tyranny of a king or queen. He risked his life to be free.

We keep forgetting about that and it bothers me.

Our ancestors risked EVERYTHING to make this country a haven.

I am also related, on my dad's side, to Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. The Europeans who settled in Virginia in the 17th and 18th centuries are all pretty much related to each other. What awes me about those family connections is simple: like John McConnell, they wanted to be free. If the American Revolution had failed, all of those founding fathers would have been hanged for treason.

Let that sink in for a minute. Would you risk your life to be free? To see your children grow up free?

We take it for granted, this freedom.

I have spent a good bit of time in Russia and Kazakhstan and let me tell you, there's a stress, an unease from being in a country where average citizens don't have a lot of rights. When I went to Kazakhstan in 2007 I saw a man in the airport beaten half to death. I don't know what his crime was but the police didn't hesitate to beat him. I've never seen anything like it and I hope I never see anything like it again.

It made me very happy to be an American. I felt like a 20 lb. weight was lifted off my chest when my plane landed back in America in 2007. I remember thinking thanks be to GOD - my son will grow up in a country where he has rights and he will be free.

So my message to you this Veteran's Day is simple: cherish your freedom. If you have friends or relatives or neighbors who are veterans, thank them for their service. They risk everything to do a thankless job and they deserve respect and thanks.

My brother, now a retired Army major

my dad served in the Army in 1951-52

 

Twenty Questions With John Seay

I was working on an assignment recently and needed a source to talk about copyright law and I came across the law firm website of Atlanta entertainment law attorney John Seay. John represents a lot of musicians and artists. His practice is [from the website] “100% entertainment, intellectual property, and creative small business law.”

 I knew John was an interesting guy when I saw that his office is located at the Goat Farm Arts Center. The Goat Farm site has been used for an episode of The Walking Dead and was used in the film The Hunger Games Catching Fire. [John says,“The Hunger Games scenes were shot right outside my office –there’s an Atlanta Film tour bus that stops right outside my office window and I’m pretty sure I’ve heard the guides  say that those scenes were shot right there..”]

John became interested in the Goat Farm after visiting clients there, and notes “I’ve become friends with a lot of people here so this kind of feels like my home away from home..”

John was a musician and a music journalist for about ten years before going to law school. He didn’t go to law school until he was 27.  He graduated and spent some time at McKesson Corporation and Turner Broadcasting and 5 years ago before he started his own firm. John works with a lot of musicians but also works with television, film, and theater production companies and TV personalities. “I am essentially a small business lawyer but it just so happens a lot of the businesses are involved in the arts.”

GENERAL QUESTIONS

You were a litigation paralegal for about a year. Is that what made you want to become a lawyer?

Not really. It was more in spite of that. The reason why I wanted to be an attorney and to do entertainment law specifically is I have an arts background and that job I felt would give me some insight and verify the law would be something I wouldn’t hate doing. I learned a lot and I felt it would be a good thing to do before applying to law school. It was working for a big litigation firm, which is pretty different from what I do now.

I notice you also have done some writing for magazines. Is that something you’d like to do more, or is law practice too time-consuming?

It’s too time-consuming for me to do now, unless it’s a marketing tool for the firm, but I love writing and I will always be a writer. The way I’ve kind of found to scratch that itch to write is  by doing blog posts for my website and contributing to online publications, both as a marketing tool.

You’ve got a lot of upcoming speaking engagements. What do you like to talk about, or are you hired to speak on specific topics?

The topic on which I speak most regularly is careers in entertainment law. I had two speaking engagements yesterday on that topic. That’s something I could do in my sleep, by this point.

I’m going to be on a panel at SXSW this year talking about building your team as an artist. I’m excited about that.

I speak on a variety of music-related topics throughout the year in various places.

Are most of your clients musicians, or writer or artists?

It’s probably 70% music, and 25% Film and TV and other little odds and ends for the last 5%. On my website there’s a client page. Some of the bigger names that people may have heard of – Black Kids, the Wilson Pickett Estate, Lee Bains, Lazer/Wulf, Ralo, Mother’s Finest.

If you had a young musician here, someone with real talent, what would you caution them about in regard to the business side of the profession?

I find myself in that situation a lot. Education is a big part of what I do, in my law practice. I would point them to some of the articles I’ve written about collecting royalties for artists, so they feel they’re getting some compensation to encourage them to go forward. The most important things are be smart about your business, work with good people, don’t sign anything without consulting an attorney beforehand. Of course, all of that, even, is secondary to creating good and compelling art.

THE STANDARD TWENTY QUESTIONS

What is your full name?

John Eric Seay

Where would you live, if you could live anywhere in the world?

I love Atlanta, but perhaps Vancouver or Toronto, somewhere up in Canada maybe. My wife and I are going to visit Vancouver next and perhaps go to Banf, which is a national park up there.

What is your favorite movie and why?

Hard to pick just one. I just watched Crimes and Misdemeanors recently and remembered how much I love that one. Blade Runner. Amadeus. I really like High Fidelity. It’s about music and relationships so it instantly appeals to me for those reasons. I like the typical guy movies like Goodfellas and all that stuff... PeeWee’s Big Adventure. I studied film in college so I have soft spot in my heart for Bergman,

Kieslowski, the French New Wave directors. I also like Italian horror films from the ‘70s and ‘80s.

What was your least-favorite subject in school when you were a kid?

Math.

What was your nickname when you were a kid?

I’ve had several throughout my life. I was Johnster and later on Dirty John…

Do you believe in God?

Probably not how most people conceive of it.

What sound or noise do you love?

The sound of a pedal steel guitar, a Hammond organ and as cliché as it may sound, my kids laughing.

If you could do anything other than what you do, as a profession, what would it be? 

I’ve got my dream job but, other than that I could run a record label, I’ve got pretty good ears and business sense, I think.

If heaven exists, what do you think it is like?

I would hope that it’s you reuniting with all the people you were close to and being able to achieve some higher knowledge and peace about your life and the conflicts you may have had… eternal peace and knowledge and comfort.

Do you have siblings?

I have one older brother named Jeff, a professor of Engineering at University of Kentucky.

What is your favorite memory of childhood [something specific]?

When I was a kid my parents would drop off me and some friends at the local swim and tennis club and we’d stay there all day, playing tennis and swimming and eating. It was really a good time. I also vividly remember the hearing of my favorite albums for the first time as a kid. Things like that hit you much harder when you’re younger, I think.

If you had to choose between one week traveling around the USA by car, or one week traveling around Europe on a train, which would you choose and why?

Europe by train, although I’ve done that already. I just love Europe and seeing the culture there. I generally prefer trains to driving. The idea of going to Europe is a little bit more exciting to me although I’ve had interesting experiences traveling around the US too.

What inspires you?

The satisfaction of doing a job well.

Which holiday do you prefer, Christmas or July 4th?

Christmas -- just because it’s time around family.

What project or idea are you most passionate about, right now?

I’m doing a series of articles on artist revenue streams on Immersive ATL – a local online news source for artists -- and I feel passionate about it because it’s a way to educate artists and help them to track down music payments.

Do you know how to cook?

Yes, I love to cook.

What is your favorite thing to cook/eat?

Probably tacos, something Mexican related anyway.

If you could go on vacation anywhere in the world, for 2-4 weeks, all expenses paid, where would you go and why?

I would go to Scandinavia. I’ve always wanted to go. I’ve heard it’s beautiful and it’s expensive, so if someone else is footing the bill...

Who do you love the most in the world?

My wife and kids.

What question has nobody ever asked you, but you wanted to answer?

“How do you manage to stay so fit, juggling your family and work obligations?” Would be nice because that would mean I’m back in my pre-kids shape.

Stories of the Past

Being the youngest child in the family meant my brother and my older cousins usually went off to play and left me behind. I spent a lot of time with my mother and aunts, quietly listening to "girl talk" and along the way learning a lot that the older kids never heard about.

Even now, I will occasionally say something and have one of them look at me blankly. One of my cousins recently asked me how I knew the cause of death of so many relatives. I grew up and kept listening. I researched. I talked to other folks in the family, especially the elderly folks. I find the past fascinating and I love to learn about it.

It's the same reason I have become addicted to a new TV show called Timeless, about a team [historian, soldier, pilot] traveling back in time to try to solve a mystery. I can totally get behind that idea, of chasing a bad guy across the centuries.

I get sorta the same feeling, except much more real, when I read the blogs written by my mom. How many 82 year olds do you know that write a blog?

See, here's the thing that is most fascinating, to me: every human being on earth is a puzzle, made up of countless pieces. The pieces are attitudes, beliefs, memories, likes, dislikes, talents - and so on. How do we solve each human puzzle? We look at their past. We look at how they solve problems We look at how they treat others.

So much data.

I like learning about my family and about history and hearing family stories for another, rather selfish reason. I am a writer. I am always looking for something to write about. There are tons of stories on both sides of my family, stories that are easier for me to bring to life because in most instances I know the people involved.

I recently wrote a short story loosely based on my great-grandmother's life and I wrote the entire thing in one sitting -- which never happens. Never. I felt like she wanted her story told. She was a remarkable person. I wish I could have met her.

I've got some other stories in my head I am pondering. Haven't started them yet. Here are a few ideas. Let me know which one you like best, in a comment.

Two of my grandfather's brothers, I recently learned, were "rum runners" during Prohibition, running liquor in from Cuba on a fast boat, down in Florida.

My grandfather [Hasty] had a rare blood type and he got called to the hospital all the time to donate blood. One time it was his wife's aunt. He lay on a gurney right next to her and they somehow did a direct transfusion and his blood saved her life.

After my grandfather [Hasty] died, my grandmother woke up one night and saw him sitting in a chair near her bed. Another time she woke up and saw the hand of Jesus, floating in the air.

I have a relative -- a handsome guy -- who has never married and has spent his whole life in love with a woman he could never have.

My great great grandfather [Hasty] was a "sharpshooter" [sniper] and was captured during the Siege of Vicksburg.

My dad told me a story years ago about when he was a teenager and he was paid to take a shotgun and ride on a truck with the ballot boxes on election day, to get the ballots safely to Augusta to be counted. One of the old-line racist factions of the Democratic party was planning to destroy all the ballots that weren't votes for their candidate. Dad had to guard the ballot boxes. [I wish I had listened more closely to that story...]

My dad was supposed to get shipped off to Korea but he went out drinking with a colonel and got him drunk and the guy changed Dad's orders to Germany - so he got to be a clerk and sightsee on weekends instead of getting shot at in Korea - likely why I am actually here, because he didn't get killed..

One of my Thompson uncles was alone on an island in the South Pacific for months, looking for the Japanese. He came home and stayed drunk for weeks, he was so traumatized by his experiences.

One of my Thompson cousins, much older than my dad, made his living as a professional gambler in South Georgia.

So many stories.

I showed my mom the photo below and she was able to tell me all about this trip, where, when, why they were staying at this place, all of it. The actual photo is less than 1 inch square..