On traffic signals, AIDS vandals, and a cat named Mao
Got a call from a lady in Navarre who wanted to point out the traffic lights in front of the Target store in Mary Esther are hard to see, and drivers are NOT seeing them, and they’re blowing through red lights at 40, 50 mph, and we can expect carnage, death, etc.
Don’t go cutting down those trees, Mary Esther, but the lights ARE hard to see – I think it’s that funky, hurricane-resistant design. Maybe put up a sign warning drivers that a signal is imminent?
Got a call from the mother of my friend who died of AIDS. Seems his grave has become a target for vandals, who’ve struck twice now. She doesn’t know who’s doing this foul deed, but she wants it to stop.
C’mon, you creeps. Find something better to do with your time, like vandalizing each other.
Speaking of AIDS, OASIS is having another fund-raiser, their Circle of Friends dinner benefit.
The way it works is, an individual hosts a dinner and invites guests who make contributions to OASIS. The dinners can be formal, casual, centered around a theme – anything that gets folks in the mood to give.
For more info, call Melissa Welch at 314-0950, or write to AIDS-OASIS, P.O. Box 35, Fort Walton Beach, FL 32549.
I’m holding in my hands a color photograph of Jason of 98 Rock fame. He’s holding a sign that says, “Braves Beat Those Yankees.” He’s standing by the road outside the station on Hollywood Boulevard, waving to drivers.
He’s wearing a bikini.
Hoo boy. Seems he lost a bet with Anthony, another DJ, over the outcome of the baseball playoffs. A fool and his bathing suit. …
I’m trying to decide if I should publish this photo in next week’s column. If any of you have strong opinions one way or the other, give me a call at the number at the bottom of this column.
This gem moved on the AP: “NEW DELHI, India (AP) – One day after it opened, India’s first McDonald’s restaurant was accused of consuming more than its fair share of electricity. McDonald’s denied the charge Thursday.
“ ‘We have done nothing that is against the law,’ Vikgram Bakshi, managing director of McDonald’s India, told The Associated Press.
“Electricity use is controlled in India to ensure an adequate supply for farmers and public institutions like hospitals.”
You deserve a (circuit) break today. …
If anybody out there has a hankering to buy me a Christmas present, here’s what I want:
Stamps. Specifically, 20-cent stamps.
I love to send postcards – they’re personal yet quick, and the postage is only 20 cents.
It stamps are out, I’ll settle for a three-bedroom, two-bath house in a cul-de-sac. Seriously.
A Brittany by any other name: We recently published a list of the top baby names for boys and girls. I didn’t see my favorites, Annie for girls and Kelly or Todd for boys. I’ll be checking The Public Record for compliance.
I had dinner with a unity (?) of Unitarians the other night, and a delightful unity it was. The hosts were even so kind as to remove Mao the cat, who had nearly gutted me on a previous visit. He left the room yowling, perhaps upset that a second opportunity would be denied him.
Isn’t that sad?
This column was originally published in the Wednesday, November 13, 1996 edition of the Northwest Florida Daily News and is used with permission.
About the author:
Del Stone Jr. is a professional fiction writer. He is known primarily for his work in the contemporary dark fiction field, but has also published science fiction and contemporary fantasy. Stone's stories, poetry and scripts have appeared in publications such as Amazing Stories, Eldritch Tales, and Bantam-Spectra's Full Spectrum. His short fiction has been published in The Year's Best Horror Stories XXII; Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine; the Pocket Books anthology More Phobias; the Barnes & Noble anthologies 100 Wicked Little Witch Stories, Horrors! 365 Scary Stories, and 100 Astounding Little Alien Stories; the HWA anthology Psychos; and other short fiction venues, like Blood Muse, Live Without a Net, Zombiesque and Sex Macabre. Stone's comic book debut was in the Clive Barker series of books, Hellraiser, published by Marvel/Epic and reprinted in The Best of Hellraiser anthology. He has also published stories in Penthouse Comix, and worked with artist Dave Dorman on many projects, including the illustrated novella “Roadkill,” a short story for the Andrew Vachss anthology Underground from Dark Horse, an ashcan titled "December" for Hero Illustrated, and several of Dorman's Wasted Lands novellas and comics, such as Rail from Image and “The Uninvited.” Stone's novel, Dead Heat, won the 1996 International Horror Guild's award for best first novel and was a runner-up for the Bram Stoker Award. Stone has also been a finalist for the IHG award for short fiction, the British Fantasy Award for best novella, and a semifinalist for the Nebula and Writers of the Future awards. His stories have appeared in anthologies that have won the Bram Stoker Award and the World Fantasy Award. Two of his works were optioned for film, the novella “Black Tide” and short story “Crisis Line.”
Stone recently retired after a 41-year career in journalism. He won numerous awards for his work, and in 1986 was named Florida's best columnist in his circulation division by the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In 2001 he received an honorable mention from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association for his essay “When Freedom of Speech Ends” and in 2003 he was voted Best of the Best in the category of columnists by Emerald Coast Magazine. He participated in book signings and awareness campaigns, and was a guest on local television and radio programs.
As an addendum, Stone is single, kills tomatoes and morning glories with ruthless efficiency, once tied the stem of a cocktail cherry in a knot with his tongue, and carries a permanent scar on his chest after having been shot with a paintball gun. He’s in his 60s as of this writing but doesn't look a day over 94.
Contact Del at [email protected]. He is also on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest, tumblr, TikTok, and Instagram. Visit his website at delstonejr.com .
Got a call from a lady in Navarre who wanted to point out the traffic lights in front of the Target store in Mary Esther are hard to see, and drivers are NOT seeing them, and they’re blowing through red… READ MORE
