There's probably a right way to do this: And when I say "this", I mean pasting in an article from a newspaper. In this case, the esteemed News and Observer, Raleigh's finest (and only) daily paper.
This Article, written by the esteemed Toby Coleman needs posting and commenting.
When I got home last night, the paper as on the table. JewelrySlut told me that I needed to read it. In fact, I HAD to read it.
I'll also add that the article was on the front page of the front section. It was not the banner headline, but ran below the fold. The corresponding image was front and center on the page. It was in 4 mini-columns, each about 3" high.
Too many details? No. Because they're pertinent details.
And so we begin. My commentary will be in italics
CARY - No matter what happens this morning, Rick Nordman will have 5 inches of snow in his backyard, easy. Did they just write a sentence like that in a newspaper not published in a high school
His secret: He makes it in batches all night long.
Armed with a snow gun, a stump grinder and cigarettes It is the South after all, Nordman has built Cary's first and only ski run. At the end of a Cedar Creek subdivision cul-de-sac, it's 80 feet long. The jump is made of logs and boards. Nordman calls it "Roundtree Mountain," after his street.
On Wednesday night, Nordman surveyed his slope with his buddy, Jimmy Earp Yup, it's officially the South. We have a friend named Jimmy Earp. Nordman, 37, who keeps a soul patch of whiskers under his lip filling the column inches word by painful word. Or maybe, the writer, The Esteemed Toby Coleman, feels that words are his colors and he needs to paint us a picture, was bundled in a red parka and black wool hat.
"I love snow," At this, I commented how much I love cheese he said. "I had been up snowboarding and they had snow guns running and I said, 'Man, if I had one of those I could bury my yard in snow in a day.' "
It was mere whimsy Ahhh...whimsy...and when there's whimsy, we always know what's nearby until Earp found a $748 snow gun online. Nordman got Earp to pay for half, then borrowed a pressure washer and an air compressor. He had snow by mid-December.
Then, he transformed his back porch into a ski deck. He already had the hot tub, the outdoor heaters and the fountain. Note to self: Never go to Cary again
Making snow is no cakewalk. No, I'm sure it is not. Nordman and his buddies have had to stay up until the wee hours drinking beer and feeding the gas-powered pressure washer connected to the snow gun. there we go: Whimsy's friend, Beer, has arrived He checks the humidity. What? After bedtime, he gets up every couple of hours to monitor the operation.
"He is ate up with it," Earp said. What you need to understand, non-local readers, is that Cary stands for Congested Area of Relocated Yankees. It's where people from the northeast go. We chose to avoid it like the plague because 1: it's awful, and 2: it's awful. But, I can only imagine the looks on the faces of the tight-ass NJ people who live nearby to someone whose last name is not only Earp, but uses sentences like "He is ate up wth it" "If I had done it on my own, there might be some snowmaking. But he'll get up in the middle of the night. He's very diligent."
Nordman's snow is visible from Southwest Maynard Road, a major street. Thanks for the geography lesson Some people stare. Others take pictures.
"I call my wife in the mornings and say, 'He's making snow again!' " said Phillip Spangler of Pittsboro, who dropped by Wednesday. By "He's making snow again", I get the feeling it's more like "Honey, have you checked our shitters?"
A few have asked Nordman how much he would charge to cover their yards. This gave Nordman, who is in sales, an idea for a side business: freelance snowmaker.
"That was the latest epiphany," he said, while discussing the business plan, which includes putting a big sign over the slope. the other being the idea to get a dog to run for Congress
Enough about business. Nordman cranked on the snow machine, grabbed his snowboard and started hiking uphill.
"Now," he said, "I need a ski lift."
And, there, folks, is why we get Sunday delivery of the NY Times. We may hate all liberals, but at least they can write.
Wow. I was stupefied by the whole article. A veritable writing Tour De Force. And, this comes from me, of all people.
Back at home now for the next 3 weeks. Goodie for me. This was not a fun week.
However, it was an interesting week over Here.
Monday: Barbaro died
Thursday: ESPN started allowing comments on their articles
All in between: Discussion of Super Bowl-related stuff.
But, I think something has shifted. Sports may never be reported upon the same way after this week at Deadspin. It's hard to put a fine point on it, but a shift has happened. They're calling it a revolution. I think I agree with them. God, do I ever love me some Deadspin.
Affirmed.