Wednesday, June 24, 2009

6/24/09

I apologize if I make stupid mistakes, but I have never blogged before. It’s my first time, so please, be gentle.

Welcome to my new world – here on the internet.

My name is Wesley Loftis. As of this date, I am 48 years old. Until May of 2009, I was an employee of Tate & Lyle, Loudon, TN, at which time I was downsized after 27 years of employment. At this time I am seeking work as a Quality Assurance Specialist.

Things I am good at:

*Flinging a football – even with one finger on my right hand partially gone, I can still throw nearly 50 yard spirals.

*Chemistry – though I faced challenges in my educational institution, practical application changed everything. I can follow written procedures, write new procedures, mix and standardize reagents, and run and maintain lab instrumentation like nobody’s business.

*Writing – not only can I write, I can also spell better than most college-educated journalists. Who knew?

*Drinking – I prefer good whiskeys, vodkas, and gins. For beer, I am a Budweiser man, though the best mass-produced beer I ever tasted was Beck’s Dark. Wines – well, it depends on what I’m eating. My favorite red is Concha Y Toro’s Cassillero Del Diablo – Carmenère; my favorite white is Clos Du Bois – Chardonnay.

*Biscuits & Gravy – Best ever – guaranteed. It took years for me to perfect my sausage gravy.

*Grilling – ½ pound burgers, pork chops, chicken, fish… whatever you like.

Things I enjoy, though I’m not particularly good at them:

*EA Sports Tiger Woods Golf ’09 – My Boy is teaching me. He’s better than I am, though my form is prettier.

*Following recipes – I have a tendency to wander in different and untried directions. I am not afraid to go with un-recommended herbs if I think they may taste good. I am especially fond of lemon basil.

*Vacations – our best family vacations have been to Walt Disney World (1996, ’98, 2000, ’01, ’03 & ’06) and to Edisto Beach (2002, ’04, ’05, & ’08). The frenetic pace of WDW is offset by the calm of Edisto. Also, we enjoy the historic tours around the Charleston, SC area. I cannot plan a vacation to save my ass. That is my young bride’s job. I execute the plan. If I stay with the plan, everything works well.

In better days for the newspaper industry, I wrote a column for the local rag; but – things going the way they are – I am starting a blog (yes, I realize it should be spelled ‘blog, as in web log, but who would recognize that, other than myself and Glenn Reynolds?)

Honestly, in future entries, I hope to be much more amusing. I will wax philosophic on things like local, national, and world politics. I will spout unsolicited opinion and I will give unsolicited advice to people like Jon, Kate, and Sammy Sosa.

For now, however, I will simply introduce myself as another in a long line of Victims Of The Recession With Something To Say.

Hopefully, next time I have something to say, it will be interesting and/or amusing.

Ciao for niao.