What a life

In case I haven't told you lately, I've got the greatest job in the world.

I stumbled into my home office around 8 a.m. this morning. Having already written two major stories, my assignment today was to compose a story about the new concession stand at Halls Community Park.

I went out there last night. Of course, they made me sample both a hot dog and a hamburger. Pretty good stuff. I think I may head out there on weeknights for a burger and a dog on my way home to watch the Braves.

You gotta love Halls. Park directors and just plain folks are banding together to make the new concession stand a success. The improvements to the park look great. Guess the government can do something right every now and then.

After finishing that story, I edited a couple of sports stories, saving Marvin West's column for last. Marvin writes like Sandy Koufax used to pitch. Lean, mean and perfect. Not one wasted word.

I had already written a story about one of my favorite Halls families, the Humphreys. Cody earned All-America honors at the NCAA Division II national wrestling championships last month. His sisters, Stephanie and Ellisha, were standouts first at Halls, then at UT, on the softball diamond. Their mother, Vickie, works at my alma mater, Brickey Elementary. We're proud of all of them.

Writing can get lonely sometimes. You can talk to as many people as you want. But at the end of the day, you just gotta sit yourself in front of your computer and go to it.

But it's cool. I can't imagine doing anything or being anywhere else. As much as I dream about being Pete Hamill, wandering around Manhattan in search of the latest nugget, that's just not for me.

The secret to Hamill's success is he writes what he knows. As do all scribes worth their salt. Hamill has New York. Faulkner had Mississippi. West is best at Tennessee sports.

Guess that leaves me with Halls. Which is fine. I'll take life here in the 'burbs any day.