Batson's Blog

Tommy Jordan, a man living about 20 miles away from me in Albermarle, N.C., shot his daughter's laptop with his .45 last week. From what I can tell he and his daughter need to sit down and have a talk about a few things, but I have to admit, when I saw what he did, I could completely understand his frustration. I don't have a teenage daughter who complains to her friends on Facebook about her parents, but there's been more than once recently that I've been compelled to take out my anger on my laptop. Just smash it to bits. See, I've been faced with the annoying fact that technology, as great as it can be, is now becoming a fallback, an excuse and an enemy to watch out for. Example #1 I was applying for a job at a restaurant near my apartment. I figured I’d be able to apply online or a .PDF would be available to print and fill out. The website was being re-designed, region by region, so North Carolina residents weren’t able to apply – at least that’s wh...

I finally watched The Help . When my 29-year-old male cousin, who doesn't like anything close to a romantic comedy, is recommending the movie, then I guess it’s high time I watch it. I didn’t know much about the plot going into the movie. Actually, I suppose I should have connected the dots. A story about the help, featuring two black women and a writer in the South? I definitely should’ve realized ahead of time that this movie was set in the 1960s and would cover a few race issues. I didn’t though. That’s usually the way I like to watch movies – without knowing the main story line. I like to be enticed enough by the preview to want to watch it, but, beyond that, let the movie tell the story. I hate those previews that give away the entire movie. What’s the point in watching the actual movie at that point? Anyway, back to The Help. I remember the previews looking pretty decent. Turns out the movie was more than decent. It was a very good movie. The rave reviews ar...