Patrick Eakes

During the past year, I have had the pleasure to know Andrew Lunn, a fine lad from the UK. Andy spent the year working as an intern at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro. The life of an intern is neither glamorous nor a financial windfall, but you could never tell it by looking at Andy.

Andy worked primarily in the pro shop, but occasionally he could be found cleaning golf clubs in the club storage area. Even though his skills and demeanor would have been better utilized by keeping him interacting with members in the clubhouse, Andy took pride in restoring clubs to top condition, so they would be ready for the member's next round. Even when taking care of this somewhat menial task, Andy kept his warm smile that reflected his love of golf and golfers.

Andy's is the smile you are born with that reflects an enjoyment of the moment. Andy gifts are many, and his ease with people and warm bearing would allow him to be a success in any profession he chose. Golfers are simply lucky that he has chosen to be a golf professional.

Andy's schedule kept him working a good bit, so I did not get to see him play golf. I understand he is quite a golfer - I know he is quite a fine person.

Andy, be well, and I look forward to tipping a pint with you soon.

Ed Cone's weekly opinion column in today's News & Record expresses an unabashedly optimistic view of Greensboro. This optimism flies in the face of conventional thinking in Greensboro, which tends to focus on the negative, or even that which can be construed as negative.

The transformation of Downtown Greensboro is now in full swing. In the past few years, a top-notch regional theatre, several restaurants and bars, and multiple modern banquet spaces have been added to downtown. Minor league baseball, the Civil Rights Museum, and perhaps a new law school will open their doors soon.

I have lived in Greensboro my entire life, and I recall when citizens took pride in the many positive characteristics of the city, rather than constantly putting it in a negative light, particularly when comparing it to Charlotte, and more recently Raleigh. I hope that Greensboro's residents recognize the exciting changes taking place.

There is still plenty of work to be done, but Greensboro has established an undeniable momentum worthy of optimism. It is time for the cynics to take their turn in the back seat.

Hello world!

I have been considering starting a blog for a few weeks now, and here I am, a fully converted former blog lurker.

This morning I attended the Piedmont Bloggers Conference in Greensboro, NC. Organized by local blog gurus Ed Cone and David Hoggard, the conference had three sessions lightly moderated by Ed or David. With a room full of experts rather than a panel sitting in the front, the discussion...make that the conversation...unfolded like a blog thread. This was by design, of course, but it gave the proceedings a certain organic feel.

There were about 60 in attendance, including novelists, a poet, traditional print media members, a talk radio personality, local politicians, a few would-be bloggers, and dozens of full-fledged bloggers. This mix of backgrounds made for a nice stew of ideas and lively conversations.

All I did was listen to the conversations. Never said a word, and it was a damn fine way to spend a Saturday morning.