WASHINGTON — I know there are some of you who think God left the nation’s capital last month.
He is here.
God reminded me this morning why I live where I do.
I am in Washington and by the time you read this, I hope to have been in the House gallery for the address to Congress by the president.
I left home before 4:30 on Tuesday morning. By 8 a.m., I was in Washington and was boarding the Metro system for a ride into the city.
When I boarded the transportation system, folks from the Virginia suburbs had taken every seat. By the time we made another stop or two, I had a better understanding of how sardines are packed into those little bitty cans.
These are not happy people. They are bundled up with gloves, scarves, earmuffs and iPods connected to their muffed ears.
There was a guy in an Ohio State ski hat. He looked like he had a buckeye stuck in his throat. There was a woman who was wearing big sunglasses. This ride, for the most part, is a subway.
There was another person who was so wrapped up I couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman. There was just a set of eyes peering out from between the top of a scarf and the bottom of a hat.
The car is filled with advertising for cold medicine. I hope I don’t come home with something I picked up in a subway car.
I got off at the wrong stop. It was the one where the escalators are not working. I walked all the way up and then all the way back down. I’ve gotten a full measure of exercise.
I’ll be writing more about this later.
Visit the ambassador
You don’t have to come to Washington to hang out with an ambassador. The Honorable Jacky Musnier, a career French diplomat, is teaching at Brenau University. He is an expert in global economics.
Thursday evening at 6:30, Ambassador Musnier will present a look at emerging economies in the global economy. Last year, he made some predictions that those in attendance said were a bit far-fetched. Turns out he was right on the money.
I had lunch with him last week and he is a delightful person and you’ll enjoy meeting him at the reception that begins at 6 p.m. at the Thurmond-McRae Lecture Hall.
Graham on mag cover
Pat Graham, the mayor of Braselton, is pictured on the cover of the February edition of Georgia Trend magazine. Mayor Graham has done a great job as the city’s leader and was interviewed with several other Georgia mayors. We haven’t heard if she is signing autographs, but gracing a magazine cover has placed her in pretty high cotton, and we can always say that we knew her when.
Can you do the ’cue?
Some of you out there know a thing or two about cooking pork barbecue. On the last weekend in May, Brenau University is going to be the site of a sanctioned barbecue cook-off. There are a number of professionals who compete on the Memphis circuit who will be on hand. But there is a division for backyard barbecue aficionados. Jim "Barbeco" Barco is heading this thing up.
Give him a call at 770-534-6161 or online at brenau.edu/bbq.
Harris Blackwood is community editor of The Times. His columns appear Wednesdays and Sundays. He can be reached at 770-718-3423.