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In 6
months and about two weeks, it will be
Christmas Day. I
just wanted to be the first to remind you. The kids and I really loved
the holiday weekend in Tallapoosa in spite of the rain. I sleep so much
better in our town than in Cobb County. I think the sound of trains
several times late at night is like a lullaby for many of us. Happy
birthday June 3rd to our city's fire chief and lifelong friend, Scott
McClain. Scott has had the job for decades and I have had admiration for
him since we were boys. His father Cohen McClain taught me how to fish.
I bought a book last week called "The Office Book" by Chloe Rhodes. It
is billed as subversive ways to survive the
9 to 5 grind. Some
of you may be seeking work and she gave tips on what NOT to do during an
employment interview. She says never bring your mother to the interview.
Never say you can not provide a writing sample because all of your
writing had been for the C I A and was "classified." Ms. Rhodes also
says that flushing the toilet during a telephone interview is bad form.
It is also recommended that you never tell the interviewer that you were
fired from your last job for beating up the boss. Never challenge the
employment interviewer to arm wrestle. It is also suggested that you
should not stand up and start tap dancing around the interviewer's
office when asked about your hobbies. Ms. Rhodes also says that you
should not announce that you haven't had lunch and proceed to eat a
hamburger and fries during the job interview, and to never bring a large
dog to an employment interview. Can you believe the 150 year anniversary
celebration is coming up in less than 90 days? Tallapoosa has things
that I can't seem to find in the big city. Lawn mower repair for
example. Mr. Harold Roberts has fixed my riding mower a few weeks ago. I
drove it over on city streets. They won't allow me to do that in
Marietta. If your air conditioner goes out on a hot day in June in Cobb
County, you have to make an "appointment" with a "comfort technician".
Last year at the house here the air went out on a scorching day and
Larry Bentley showed up within minutes. I have bought furniture in
Atlanta from some
of the large stores and it took 3 weeks to deliver a sofa. I bought a
sofa from Jack Jackson at Crossroads Furniture a couple of years ago and
he beat me to my house delivering it. Tallapoosa is fortunate having a
real radio station that serves the people. I find myself listening to
Jimmy Talbot doing the "Trade Line" program anytime I'm in town. I heard
a guy on there recently who wanted to trade a transmission from a '74
Plymouth Duster for
12 good laying hens. I enjoy hearing people taking air time on the show
to unload stuff like warped
Tupperware, a set
of lawn tiller tires, and a like new copy of the Elvis album
Moody Blue. I
also enjoy the legendary Red Jones' morning show and Mechelle's
afternoon program. The station now boasts 50,000 watts and you can now
pick up WKNG on a toaster if you live within 3 miles of the tower. I
saw a guy on television who had visited
China on a business
trip and saw Chinese kids playing with rubber bands of various shapes.
He brought the idea to the United States and if you have kids you might
was well get used to seeing Silly Bandz. They cost three dollars for
about 25 of them. For the cost of a pack of this rage of the age, you
could go to Office Depot
and buy a ton of plain rubber bands. Silly Bandz are the Hoola Hoops of
2010. Baby boomers, how many of you remember when we were kids and
Duncan Yo Yo's were the rage? They placed smart television ad buys on
Officer Don's Popeye
Club and on the
Saturday morning cartoon shows and we all just had to have one. I
remember Mrs. Florence Barnes confiscating my yo yo after practicing the
walking the dog trick too many times in class. Remember when you could
get in trouble for chewing a piece of
Juicy Fruit gum in
class? Whatever happened to the Double-Mint twins? Did any of you learn
to do the Teaberry shuffle from the television commercial? Worst gum of
all time has to go to
Black Jack gum. The greatest place to buy candy when we were kids
was Howard Bowman's grocery store on Head Avenue. You could buy a bunch
of candy for a quarter. The most candy I've ever seen in my life was on
Sheriff Eddie Mixon's
4th of July float. My kids are still snacking on the candy they
picked up at the Dogwood Festival parade and I have the dental bills to
prove it. The girls absolutely loved going to
Vacation Bible School recently at Westview Baptist Church. Thank
you all for the hospitality you showed my kids. In the mail recently I
received a very nice letter from the pastor of the
Christian Church
on Bowdon Street. He says that he learns things about our wonderful
town in the column. People ask me how do I have such a great memory. I
guess it is because I only have great memories of growing up here.
Rhubarb Jones is a Tallapoosa native
and a member of administrative faculty at
Kennesaw State University.
Comments are welcome at P.O. Box 1001, Tallapoosa, GA 30176 or via email
at
rhubarbjones@aol.com or
professorrhubarb@gmail.com
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