Random Thoughts

I've actually been to L.A. and thereabouts before - I have a good friend who is an entertainment writer out there. So, yeah, L.A. is fine. Not a great town, but it's OK. The outskirts are much more interesting. I received the itinerary this week for the fellowship thing I'm doing there in January. Reality sorta, well, started icing my veins. It's a doozy. But it's going to be most, most interesting. As I write this (Friday), I'm contemplating a weekend of reading, reading, reading, just as I did last weekend.

Ron Bailey: Larry, first of all. love your articles as they are the best. Here is some of my random thoughts this week. The highs and lows of ex UK asst.. since Louvie Smith is in the Super Bowl and Dwayne Casey got fired. Maybe, Louvie will join Don Shula as ex UK asst to win the Super Bowl. Hey, I always though that ex UK defensive coach, Charley Bailey would make it , but that is the reason I am not a GM. I believe ESPN should revive the old DIck Fick award and give it to Bruce Pearl.

Dear Editor, A few random thoughts while I still have the freedom to express them publicly, a freedom that I suspect will disappear in a few years. A recent writer referred to The Advocate-Messenger as a right-wing rag. In my opinion, the Advocate is the only fair and balanced newspaper in central Kentucky ? possibly the whole state. If the writer wants a left-wing rag, he has the Lexington Herald and the Courier Journal. The Liberal Socialist Party, (a.k.a. Democrats)

I'm afraid I don't have a whole lot of end-of-year deep wishes, resolutions or general ideas to convey. Not really. I mean, this happens once a year, right? I traveled to interesting places; took in good - and otherwise - plays; viewed good, great and merely interesting artwork; heard excellent music and passable tunes; read garbage and great things; and met new and scintillating artsy people as well as narcissistic and self-indulgent artistic folks. All-in-all, it was a typical year, and thus, not much on which to reflect.

Normally, I'd have info about the upcoming Battle of Perryville Commemoration in today's paper. But there's a sweeter batch of information coming out in Friday's newspaper. It's an insert that will contain stories about the events, planning and re-enactors as well as Perryville's preservation efforts. The papers also will be sold Friday and Saturday in Perryville. So, if you're looking for the schedule, check out that insert in Friday's newspaper. Random thoughts on reality television I continue to waste the few good brain cells I have on reality TV. It took all of two weeks for the racial divide go away on "Survivor.

Dear Editor, When I read the article about the lady who gave so much to the Central Kentucky Wildlife Refuge, I was reminded of the farm house that the Wallace Ferrell family lived in on that farm where I stayed on weekends when I first came to Boyle County in 1964. Glad that it has been preserved and useful for so many now. I was made aware of a situation at Boyle County High School where a locker for someone we know didn't work on the first day of school. From year-to-year I think that any of our schools should be ready for students the day school opens.

The 10th Region will be well-represented when Louisville plays Tennessee tonight in the East Region semifinals. Former Clark star Preston Knowles plays for the Cardinals and of course Chris Lofton plays for the Volunteers. The University of the Cumberlands is ranked No. 14 in the nation this week. Former Clark baseball players Josh Wood and Ryan Bennett are members of the team. It must be golf time. The Masters is just around the corner. Who would have thought Western Kentucky would be the talk of the state this deep into the NCAA Tournament?

On the surface, the assignment seemed easy enough. Go take pictures of the Taste of Jessamine County. But I've got to be honest. Last Friday evening, I found it quite difficult to concentrate on my job, what for all the barbecue, brownies, Mexican cornbread and other goodies present. So, what is a single person to do when there is all this good food around? Eat. And eat I did. I really did not think I would go overboard, I mean come on, they were medicine cup-sized portions.

A few random questions and answers about a variety of recent sports subjects and headlines: Why would the Bengals, coming off a season where they didn't make the playoffs and had more off-the-field arrests than they did wins, raise ticket prices for 2007? Seems like it would be enough that the Bengals blew several games to cost the team a playoff berth, made off-field headlines all year with senseless behavior and are involved with a nasty dispute over a stadium lease that is costing taxpayers millions of dollars.

Our crane has flown the nest. A sight that had become so familiar above the rooftops of Danville disappeared recently when the crane that was helping to construct the downtown parking garage was dismantled. It loomed over us every day for months, commanding respect as it kept us looking skyward. Then it simply disappeared. In the time that I've been filling this space with random thoughts and potentially interesting stories, nothing has generated more feedback than the column I wrote in May about the crane that was for a time the city's tallest structure.