There’ve been a few posts over the past coupla weeks where I tried to write more the way I talk. My Southern drawl is not real thick, but it is noticeable. I don’t say “thang” or “wont” [want] but I do say “y’all” and “fixin’.” I tend to drop the “g” from “-ing” — “waitin’,” “thinkin’,” “readin’.”

I’m actually a bit proud of my accent. A Southern accent sounds gentlemanly in a man’s voice, and a Southern accent is adorable in a woman’s voice. Although, to some outside the South, a Southern drawl makes the speaker sound ignorant and uncultured. Fortunately, though, the US and the world have become more mobile, and more people have been exposed to Southerners, either by the Southerners going to other parts of the country and world, or by others coming to the South. Most people have learned that just because we talk slow, don’t mean we think slow.

This blog is for me what a sketchbook is for an artist. It’s a place where I can practice writin’, play with words, test phrases, and just generally experiment. Also note, almost none of my posts here are polished pieces that I would consider publishable quality. They’re written in about 30 minutes, and then later proofread for about 5 minutes.

I want the tone of this blog to be conversational — like I was talkin’ to friends over a good meal. So I started writin’ like I talk. But it comes across weird in a written form. And it comes across as just half-assed if it’s not taken all the way into redneck-speak.

So I just don’t know which way to go with this. You may see me experimentin’ in later posts, or you may see me using perfectly standard prose. Just don’t thank ah’m losin’ my mind if ya see me wrattin’ in some strange way.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com

We had a lot of trouble getting the boys to go to bed and to sleep last night. Neither of them would settle down and get quiet, and they kept playing off each other’s restlessness. In trying to get them still and silent in the dark, it got me so slowed down (and worn out from the aggravation) that I wanted to lay down and rest.

I laid down on the couch  to rest “for just a few minutes.” After resting, I was going to have a snack (I had a very early dinner), go for my evening walk, do some writing, and then set all the clocks ahead for Daylight Savings Time, but the “few minutes” on the couch ended up being several hours. I woke up in the middle of the night, looked over at the digital clock on the DVD player and saw it was 4:00. Crap. I just closed my eyes and went back to sleep.

It’s sweet that Cowgrit just let me sleep where and how I dozed off. It took a long time, but I finally got her to understand that if I’m sleeping, I’m comfortable and happy — no need to wake me up and ask if I want to get in bed. Our couch is pretty comfortable, and this is the second time in a year that I’ve fallen completely (for all night) asleep on it “accidentally.” And both boys slept until 6:00, for the first time in weeks. It was a good, all night sleep.

When we were all up for the day, I went around setting the clocks ahead. Then Cowgrit suggested I make pancakes for everyone. I usually make a cooked breakfast for everyone one day every weekend, but I think I missed last weekend. So the family was due one of my griddle meals.

Pancakes, bacon, cheesy hash browns, and banana. We would have had some strawberries too, but we need to go to the grocery store. I thought Cowgrit was going to go to the store last night, but I guess she fell asleep early too.

So, I’ve had a long, restful night’s sleep, and a hearty, full breakfast. It’s shaping up to be a good day. Although I wish I had taken pictures of the breakfast — this blog might be more interesting if it had images to go along with the stories.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com

I was at Best Buy looking at Bluetooth stuff for my cell phone and a new video card for my computer, when I saw a kid playing Guitar Hero III, Legends of Rock on the demo XBox 360. I’m not a console gamer — the computer is my weapon of choice — but I’ve got nothing against the consoles. I’ve just never played on one since the Super Nintendo (which I still have, boxed in a closet).

Well, anyway, this ain’t about the game system. I’d heard of Guitar Hero, and I couldn’t understand why the game would be as popular as it supposedly is. I mean, I thought, if you want to play the guitar, why don’t you pick up a real guitar and learn to play it. But as I watched this kid play the game, I got sucked into the coolness of it all.

The scene on the TV was a flashy, sort-of-realistic looking stage concert with lights, pyrotechnics, and the band. The camera view moved around just like you’d see in an MTV video (when MTV showed videos). It really pulled you into the setting and feel of a great hard rock performance.

The kid playing was maybe 8 years old, and he was doing well. He kept getting “50 Note” something-or-other bonuses for playing correctly over an extended time. I saw him go through the list of songs to play, and he chose “Rock You Like a Hurricane” by the Scorpions from the mid 80s. That concept made me chuckle — the kid’s parents probably hadn’t even met at the time that song was a hit. But he played it well in the game. (The guitar’s not really a guitar — no strings — so I won’t say he played the guitar well. )

But watching the performance on the TV, I realized the draw this game has. It really does rock, and the videos really feel like a live performance (albeit the characters on the stage are more cartoonish than realistic). I’m not interested in playing the game myself, but I could watch someone else play it for a long time. It’s very entertaining. I get the appeal, now.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com

Last night was my game night with my friends, somethin’ we hadn’t done in three weeks. Due to schedule conflicts and other Real Life stuff, we haven’t all sat down at a game table together in too long.

I brought a game the Grit family has played a few times, Blokus, and me and the guys gave it a real good work over. Blokus uses colored squares on a game board, and it’s real easy to learn the rules, but it’s a solid challenge to master. It requires the ability to see how the oddly shaped pieces can fit on the board together for you while using them to block the other players from placin’ their own. We played two games, and I won both — but I was the only one in our group who had played it before. The guys liked the game, and we’ll prob’bly play it again some time.

Next we got out Settlers of Catan. Settlers is a fantastically well designed board game. It’s an array of land features that produce various goods (lumber, ore, grain, etc.) determined by a random roll of two dice. The players use the goods to build roads and settlements on the map. We played it for well over an hour, and two of us came very close to winnin’ a few times until at last the other guy got what he needed to finish. Settlers has never failed to thoroughly entertain our group, and I would rank it in my top three favorite board games.

If you like puzzle games, give Blokus a try. If you like board games, try Settlers of Catan. Both are really great games that challenge experienced gamers and can be fun for the whole family.

I meant to take pictures of the end of our Blokus and Settlers games, but I completely forgot about it in the excitement of playing. It would have made for a better blog post.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com