DEEP THOUGHTS FROM A SHALLOW MIND, VOLUME....34?

Well, once again, I am in ramble mode tonight. For a lot of reasons, I am feeling a bit restless tonight, a bit befuddled, a bit scattered. So, the blog this week will reflect that. Do you ever wonder what your place in the world is? Not trying to go too deep on you, but I am a bit reflective of that tonight. I guess we all have those moments where we wonder who we are, what we were meant to do, and so on and so forth. Who truly has that answer? I guess, we find it out as we go........lol......So, here's what else is on my mind this week.

I AM A CHARACTER------No, that's not an egotistical statement. My good friend, and one-time boss, Lisa Wysocky, is about to release a new book titled THE OPIUM EQUATION. In the book, which is a murder-mystery set in Middle Tennessee, there is a reporter / journalist from Dickson, Tennessee by the name of Chuck Dauphin. You can go to www.LisaWysocky.com for more information....

CMA FEST------The 40th Annual CMA Music Festival is being held in Nashville this week, and i am feeling a little bit of withdrawl, I think. It's the first year that I can remember where I haven't been there covering something in some form or fashion. No major reason for absence this year, just the way it worked out. I went to my first "Fan Fair" back in 1987 when it was at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. I remember meeting Barbara Mandrell and Reba McEntire that year. As big as the current stars are, though, I urge people to continue to seek out the legends. I remember that year walking past the "Hee Haw" booth on my way to get a glimpse of Randy Travis signing. Meeting fans at the "Hee Haw" booth was Archie Campbell. I remember thinking I could always get his autograph next year. He died in August. You never know. My gosh, that was twenty-four years old.....I'm still thirteen, aren't I. (Don't answer that one!)

THE LOVE OF MUSIC-----Every now and then, you have a day at work that stands out. Today was one of those. One of the stories I am working on here in Georgia is on the local Funeral Home owner, Roy Crosby, who also used to be a DJ in Alma and Waycross. He has a recording studio behind his house. No, let me re-phrase that. He has another house behind his house that serves as a recording / video studio. I appreciate him giving me a tour of the house. On the way there, he talked about booking the likes of B.J. Thomas and Billy Joe Royal in Waycross in the 60s, and also bringing in the great Otis Redding ---not too long before his tragic airplane accident that took his life. Mr. Roy, I appreciate the tour, and next time you have a session there, call me!

SUMMER TIME ON TV----Well, it's rerun season, and there's not much on TV. Not that I've seen a lot of network stuff lately, but what about the season finale of "The Mentalist?" I might have already talked about it, but that was a season-ender to talk about. For a show heading into it's twelth season, "C.S.I." had quite the powerful season cliffhanger as well. As big of a "House" fan as I am, I thought the finale for it was kind of weak, but next season without Cuddy is going to be even weaker.....I have heard that they are cutting Wilson's appearances as well....Not a good sign. With the TV season over, I have found myself watching "The Waltons" as much as anything. It's on The Hallmark Channel and the Inspiration Network....and unlike most of the shows I grew up on, it's still as good as it was in 1979.

AND FINALLY, GO BUY THIS ALBUM....NOW-----I have a habit sometimes of getting so pumped up for an album release, and it not being what I thought it was. That didn't happen with the Randy Travis 25th Anniversary Collection album that I was telling you about last week. There is not a bad cut on the album, with "Can't Hurt A Man" with Tim McGraw being one of the better cuts. Not sure if it's a single or not, but Sirius / XM has played it a lot. And, until you have heard Randy duet with Shelby Lynne on "Promises,".....well, you haven't lived.....OK, a little bit heavy on the dramatic flair, but it is good....really good...I mean Grammy good. Buy it now...

Well, that's all for this week. I will continue to ponder life's questions this week. I'll get back to you on what or if I find out. Just remember...."Wherever you go, there you are!"