Q&A with David Bruce

The following is my Q&A that appeared in The Sun News on Wednesday, February 10, 2010. The online version can be found here.

City of residence: Bonaire

Occupation: Veterans High School athletics director, football coach and teacher

Question: Did you play high school or college football?

Answer: I played high school football in Columbus and college football at West Georgia.

Question: How long have you coached football?

Answer: This is my 23rd year.

Question: What coaching positions have you held?

Answer: I have coached the offensive line, defensive line, defensive backs, linebackers and defensive ends. I have also been the defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator.

Question: How many playoffs have you coached in?

Answer: I have coached in 15 playoffs, and in 2004 I was the defensive coordinator for Warner Robins High School when they won the state championship.

Question: How will heading a new program at Veterans differ from working in an established one?

Answer: With a new program, you start everything from scratch: getting the coaching staff, getting the kids to understand expectations, evaluating talents and establishing traditions. In an established program, all of that has already been done. There is so much that you take for granted in an established program.

Question: How will you juggle the role of athletics director and head football coach?

Answer: I know it will be a full-time job. It is a matter of learning to manage your time and be there for every sport.

Question: Will any of your current players be moving to Veterans with you?

Answer: I don’t yet know which players will be making the move, but there will probably be about nine or 10 of them.

Question: What do you hope to achieve in your first year?

Answer: We want to set the tone for how we do things, start the traditions and be competitive. I’m not going to measure it in wins and losses but rather by how we play. … I want other teams to say that the Veterans came to play.

Question: Do you find it unusual that you will be head coach at a school named “Veterans” since you were a Marine?

Answer: It is a nice coincidence. I kidded with them at the interview that I was the natural choice, since I was the only veteran. I hope to get the veterans involved with our sports programs.

Filing state taxes not easy

The following is my article that appeared in The Sun News on Wednesday, February 10, 2010. The online version can be found here.

It’s February, and we all know what that means. Nope, not Girl Scout cookie time — tax season.

This year, it will take me even longer to file my taxes than in previous years. Instead of just taking 10 minutes and filing a 1040EZ, I have to go through a whole bunch of new paperwork.

For starters, I cannot file a 1040EZ. So, not only will I have to file the long version, but I also have to fill out two new forms just to complete the 1040.

Then comes the tricky part — state taxes. Texas did not have state taxes. Supposedly, state taxes are easier to file than federal taxes. However, after looking the form over online, I think the person who said that was never a part-year resident in a state that has state taxes.

Who writes the instructions for the tax forms? They seem like they were originally written in English, but then it was decided they were too easy to understand, so they were then translated into a second language, which in turn was then translated into a third language and then finally translated back into a poor excuse for English.

There has to be an easier way to word the instructions. Considering (almost) everyone has to file taxes and every year there are people filing for the first time, they should read as easily as those telling you how to bubble in your answer on a standardized test.

Otherwise it just leads to people filling out the form wrong and getting in trouble. It seems to me that if the IRS wants to make sure everyone who files does it correctly, they would make the instructions simple.

For instance, the example for the section on the Georgia state tax form for part-time residents doesn’t explain where the numbers for the adjustments come from, so how can I follow it?

Just one more thing to get used to if you move to a state with income taxes, I guess.

Suffering through the back-from-vacation blues

The following is my article that appeared in The Sun News on Wednesday, February 3, 2010. The online version can be found here.

Why is it that upon returning from a vacation you get the feeling the world is out to get you?

We have all been there. We return from a great vacation — in my case getting married — to what seems like being punished by the universe for taking a break.

Our trip back started out smoothly enough. Unlike some of our wedding guests who left on a Sunday, we had no trouble getting out of the San Antonio airport and to our final destination when we left at 8 a.m. on a Tuesday morning.

Upon our arrival in Birmingham, Ala., we went to pick up our puppy from the grandparents and have lunch with them.

This is where the smooth trip ended.

Somewhere between Birmingham and Columbus, our puppy got car sick for the first time. It probably did not help matters that we kept getting cut off by drivers who insisted on speeding around us just to cut us off and go 10 mph slower than we were.

She handled it well, but it added “give the puppy a bath,” “clean carrier” and “clean seat” to the already long list of things that needed to be done when we finally arrived back in Warner Robins at 8:30 p.m.

The punishment and stress were just beginning.

The next day was filled with a previously scheduled trip to the vet in the morning, followed by attempting to talk to humans at agencies I need to send name change information to, house training a puppy (again) and doing seven loads of laundry. Just when I thought I could sit down and eat dinner, the power went out.

This would not have been so bad if I hadn’t tripped over my puppy and banged my knee into a door frame.

Had it not have happened to me, it would have been comical. I hope you got a chuckle out of my stressful return.

Q&A with Dudley Christie

The following is my Q&A that appeared in The Sun News on Wednesday, February 3, 2010. The online version can be found here.

City of residence: Perry

Occupation: Optometrist

Question: Where were you raised?

Answer: I went to high school in Griffin.

Question: You recently were elected vice president of the Georgia State Board of Optometry. What does that mean?

Answer: I will be working with Kemp Jones, the president, in sanctioning optometrists who have had problems with the board.

Question: Have you held any other positions on the Georgia State Board of Optometry?

Answer: I was head of continuing education. I verified that the optometrists were up to date on all education requirements — 36 hours every two years.

Question: When did you first decide to become an optometrist?

Answer: I have always wanted to be an optometrist. I graduated from optometry school in 1973 and have been practicing ever since.

Question: Have you always owned your own practice?

Answer: Yes. Before moving to Perry, I was a co-owner at a practice in Griffin.,

Question: Are you a member of any professional clubs or organizations?

Answer: The American Optometric Association for the past 40 years and the Georgia Optometric Association.

Question: What are some of your hobbies?

Answer: Hunting and golf.

Question: Family or pets?

Answer: My wife, two sons and one daughter.

Question: If you could go anywhere and see anything, where would you go and what would you see?

Answer: I would like to go on one of the fishing trips in Canada or Alaska.

Question: What is your favorite restaurant?

Answer: I have two. I like the Greek restaurant here in Warner Robins and Longhorn Steak House.

Where’s the best place to get a massage?

The following is my article that appeared in The Sun News on Wednesday, January 27, 2010. The online version can be found here.

One of my favorite pre-wedding activities was the pre-wedding time-to-relax-and-enjoy-everything massage.

This, ironically, turned out to be the one thing that somehow went wrong.

When I showed up for my appointment, they could not find it. Luckily, when I called another massage place in San Antonio, they had an opening in an hour. Since that was the only thing that went wrong, I consider myself to be extremely lucky.

My sister first introduced me to massages when I was 17. There was a massage school that she went to and decided my mom and I had to go too.

At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about some strange person touching me, but I quickly got over that and fell in love with my massage.

When it ended way too soon, I could think of nothing else but getting another one.

Even though at the end of every massage my masseur or masseuse tells me I really should have them more than once a year due to the amount of stiffness in my shoulder/neck area, I never do.

After this last one though, I think I need to start heeding that advice.

Before I can do that, though, I need to find a good massage parlor in Houston or Peach County. It doesn’t matter whether it is a massage school or not.

I find that when it comes to businesses like massage parlors, it is better to ask for recommendations than to just go to one, since some are more professional and clean than others.

On that note, I figure that since you, as my readers, have never steered me wrong, I’m wondering if I can get some recommendations on where to go.