Author: Nick

If you are up and about to read this post, it’s likely you are getting ready to take part in Black Friday. Back in 2011, I wrote about Black Friday. Things have changed in five years. Black Friday has moved online, but for some there’s still nothing like going out and shopping when it’s still dark. As a public service I offer this list of the times various stores open today. Check it out. You don’t want to be wasting time waiting for a store to open when you could be spending money somewhere else.  Here are some tips from Consumer Reports for handling Black Friday.  1. Start early. Ah, remember when Black Friday simply meant checking the ads in the Sunday circulars to see which local retailers had the best deals? Things sure have become more complicated. Not only has Black Friday morphed into a whole month of deals and savings, but online retailers also regularly update prices throughout the event. If you oversleep on Friday, remember there is always Cyber Monday, which now stretches into a week of online specials. 2. Do your homework.  Here’s some help: Dell’s electronics deals, plus TV sales at BJ’s, Kohl’s, and Sam’s […]

Photo by Tim Casey The Florida defense smothers LSU tailback Derrius Guice on the goal line as time expires to preserve Saturday’s 16-10 win   Recently I proclaimed that I believed I was becoming a LSU Tiger football fan. Of course, I made clear at the time I was still, primarily a Florida Gator and UL Ragin Cajun. So I know you will forgive me if I have a brighter smile and a happier attitude than my LSU Tiger friends.  I confess I didn’t watch the game yesterday. I was making a flower bed for my wife. I won’t deny that I listened to the last quarter while consuming a couple of cheese burgers at Judice Inn.  I stopped breathing for the last two plays of the game when the Tigers couldn’t score. I won’t deny I nearly wrecked as I was headed home when the game ended. I am, after all, a fan.  I will be cheering loudly next weekend when the Tigers take on A and M. and in any bowl game they may play in.  I know most of you won’t care about Florida/Florida State Saturday night, but it’s a huge one for me.  Admit it. […]

Got some bumper stickers recently to promote my law practice. Pretty classy, right? Informative, but not too flashy. No picture of me. That’s got to be a plus. Then I realized I can’t just go out and stick them on random cars. Although my grandson volunteered to do just that. Got to love the enthusiasm of the young. Then I had an inspiration. With the election over (almost) there must be folks who backed the wrong candidates and now have embarrassing bumper stickers on their cars.   Bumper stickers are like tatoos. What once seemed like a good idea, isn’t always.  Ever try to get a bumper sticker off? Now half of America supported Clinton. Some of those people must have slapped stickers on their vehicles in a moment of foolish passion. What if she ends up in jail? What are you going to do then? You could be an accessory, before and after the fact.  Even if you supported Trump, you know he’s going to say something that’s going to make you want to lick his sticker off your bumper. You really want to lose sleep over that?  We all have ideas that seem clever at the time […]

I was diagnosed with type II diabetes several years ago. Since then I have had medical exams and blood work about every six months. I have been on a variety of meds which have generally kept my disease under control. I would occasionally watch what I ate and rarely tested my blood. The medicine seemed to be working, so I was cool, no need to struggle with a diet or finally get on an exercise program. I remember a doctor (yes an actual doctor) saying regarding diet and exercise, why bother if there’s a drug for it.  In the last few months  my blood sugar readings rose. My doc recommended a new medication, a weekly injection. He told me that Trulicity was a once a week self-injection. It had good success reducing A1C and I “might” even lose some weight. Science had come up with the latest miracle. The sound of “injection” wasn’t pleasant, but I knew something had to be done. The drug is incredibly expensive. $700 a month for 4 injections, but “what the heck” Medicare pays for all but $100. Six weeks later my fasting blood glucose is normal. I’ve lost over 10 pounds and I […]

  Tomorrow, November 11, 2016, is Veteran’s Day. I’m a veteran and finally proud of it. I wasn’t always so proud of my military service.   Dad never talked about his service on Iwo Jima during World War II. He was at the base of the hill when the famous picture of the flag waving was taken. He never talked about it. For his generation, courage and service was the norm. Nothing to talk about, even though he was heroic. My service was not nearly heroic, yet I didn’t talk about my service because my generation neither appreciated or honored military service.  When I returned from Vietnam on the U. S. S. Ranger we had garbage thrown on us from the heights of the Golden Gate Bridge entering into San Francisco Bay. Some crew members even joined the anti-war protests. Many of us often wore wigs on liberty in San Francisco to make it more difficult to be identified as military, considered by many more the enemy than the Viet Cong. It didn’t make me proud. It made me sad. No longer. Recently I have taken to wearing a baseball cap proudly proclaiming my service. I have been encouraged by […]

November 8, 2016 – It’s a big day. It’s election day. Today America will elect it’s least popular president ever and that will be true no matter who wins. For at least a while, the leader will be far less than the led.  It’s a big deal. We followers will have to recognize more than ever it’s in God we trust and not government. It’s a reality check most of us really need.  But it’s not a period.  Americans, be sure that today is a big one in our history but it’s not the end. It’s not a period. It’s much more like a comma.  From my grammar school days, I recall that a period means “stop.” A comma means “pause.” Whatever happens today (or heaven forbid it’s like 2000 and it’s not decided today) we don’t stop. We don’t stop believing what we believe. If we are lovers, we don’t stop loving If we are doers, we don’t stop doing. If we are carers, caring doesn’t end. As followers we are called to be lovers, doers and those who care.  We do pause. We stop putting one step in front of the other for the briefest of times. […]

I think I might be becoming a LSU Tiger football fan. Such a dramatic change this late in life is disturbing. I went to Law School at the University of Florida so I’m a Florida Gator fan. I spent a couple of semesters at UL (then USL) before 12 years in the Navy so I’m a Cajun (and to a much less extent) a Navy fan. I was born in Louisiana and have lived here since my military discharge in 1982. I have patiently endured living in a sea of purple and gold. In the past I have smiled (to my self) or even chuckled when LSU would lose. Things have changed. First I admitted that I couldn’t pull for Satan, I mean Saban, when the Tigers face LSU tonight. That’s not really new. This time I’m really hoping LSU wins. I guess I have caught the Coach “O” fever. I suppose it’s hard not to at least inwardly hope that Fournette can “rush” his way back into Heisman trophy race.  Frankly, it would be nice sometimes to be able to cheer along with all my tiger-loving off spring. I mean I’m never been a complete hater. I do […]

  I’m just returning from vacation which included several hours on the road. I was amazed by all the lawyer billboards. They don’t help our reputation as lawyers much. Yes, I am still a lawyer. Although many people have never met a lawyer in person, it can sometimes feel like lawyers are everywhere. They’re on TV, in the news, and on billboards, But how much can you really learn about an attorney from an advertisement? The answer is – not much.  Ordinary folks don’t think about attorneys until something stressful interferes with their lives. They look up and see a television ad or a billboard and dial the number. It’s what the advertising lawyers count on. The problem is that most people don’t really know what to look for when they need an attorney. And unfortunately, there are many reasons you probably shouldn’t hire that attorney you see advertised all over the place; I don’t want to step on any toes, but here are a few reasons why: You may never talk to the lawyer you’re trying to contact.   Many times, the lawyer you see advertised is just a figurehead for a firm. The chances are pretty good […]