The Statesman Shafted Me Today

It's my own fault, really. Last year when I renewed my subscription I paid for a whole year up front so I wouldn't forget to pay my bill. I could always tell before when my bill had gotten "lost" in the mess that is called my desk. I would mosey on up the driveway ready to pick up my newspaper and it wouldn't be there. I usually suspected a newspaper bandit was responsible, but quickly remembered seeing a bill in a stack. Somewhere.

On Friday the same thing happened but I wasn't expecting it since I had paid for my renewal sometime last year. Well, apparently that was a year ago and the recent bill the Statesman sent me was misplaced. Somewhere. So I broke down and spent the 50 cents on Friday's paper. I know I could have easily read all the important news online, but something about sitting down with coffee and the paper in the morning just feels better.

Today when I got up to get the paper I was excited to see from the front window that all of the neighbors had free promotional issues in their driveways in the pink bags. That means I got one, too, and wouldn't have to drive to the gas station for my copy!

I was disappointed to see that I had been skipped in this little giveaway. It was sad to be the only one in our cove who didn't have a newspaper. Instead of turning around in shame knowing that all of the neighbors were now aware that I hadn't paid my bill and was been penalized for it, I walked on over to our neighbor's house and swiped theirs like a paper bandit in the night! I took it out of the bag and turned around to head home with a grin on my face. I had my free paper.

It's a good thing they were out of town.

Thanks for the free promotional paper, Austin American Statesman. I'll pay my bill on Monday.

In The Newspaper

Some of you reading my blog at this location may not be aware that I have an extension of it at the Austin American Statesman. It is called Daddyshack: The 19th Hole. I started it last month in hopes of gaining new readers and to post some of my previously published articles from Quirkee.com. Well, I am happy to say that it worked and in just over five weeks I have had more than 10,000 hits! I want to say thanks to all of you readers out there (Thanks!) and I hope I can continue to provide you with entertainment from the land of Daddyshack!

In yesterday's Sunday paper my Grandmother noticed this little tidbit of info about me in the Metro & State section on page two. I'm glad she called me because that newspaper almost went out with the recycling this morning and I would have never known it was there. I always read that page so I'm not sure how I missed it! Here it is.

No, I'm not an escaped inmate. Look underneath that entry. Click to enlarge...