Silly Picture to Fill Space- Groundhog Day

Whatever Mr. Groundhog says today, yet another %$#&*@ winter storm is headed for North Carolina and Virginia. This would mark the third time we get slammed. The last storm for those of you living in sunny Fargo, ND, was last weekend.

Although I shouldn't complain because a few years ago, I was offered a job in Rockville, Md., a Washington, DC suburb, but it didn't pay well enough to live in the area. I've always whinned that I would have been happier there (I live in rural NC, and I'm a city boy who likes his Woody Allen movies!), but hey, well they get the same snow we get- in fact, even more of it!

So, for the second weekend in a row, my major plans might be thwarted.

I was hoping to either see the North Carolina State women's gymnastics team, which is off to a good start this season and ranked #22 in the country, host SEC power Florida (ranked #3) in Raleigh, or see the experimental band Toubab Krewe from Asheville, NC, perform at the Cat's Cradled in Carrboro, NC, or go to my alma mater Radford University's homecoming festival in Radford, Va. The school is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and we have a pretty good men's basketball team which is supposed to host High Point University on Saturday.

Instead, I may have to watch talking heads discuss political issues which will resolve themselves when I'm old enough to collect social security on PBS' "Washington Weekin Review" (but, I love host Gwen Ifill!) or the Sunday talk shows (I guess one can always see if George F. Will is wearing a bow-tie or a regular neck tie).

And, of course, there should be an unholy amount of college basketball games to watch on ESPN and the networks. But, by time the Super Bowl comes on, I might have fallen asleep from watching the infommercials between "Meet the Press" and the pre-game show.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...............

At the Cat's Cradle-Enter the Haggis, et al.

There are a couple of nifty shows coming to the Cat's Cradle nightclub in Carboro (Chapel Hill), NC, within the next few months.

The Canadian Celtic rock band Enter the Haggis which I first saw perform at my alma mater Radford University (in Radford, Va.) will perform on Wed., Sept. 2. Admission is $12/14.

A few days later, the African-American bluegrass band Carolina Chocolate Drops from Durham, NC, will be at the Cat's Cradle on Sat., Sept. 5, $15

The shock Korean-American comedian Margaret Cho, who once said that she would never vote for Sarah Palin but she would *&%# her, is performing her provocative stand-up routine on Thurs., Sept. 17 ($22-25). Alas, I have to teach a yoga class that night*.

And, on Halloween night the hip instrumental band Toubab Krewe from Asheville, NC, will perform at Cat's Cradle ($14-16). I last saw this band perform in the small town of Floyd, Va., on Dec. 1, 2007, when amazingly enough a Food Lion truck struck a powerline causing the whole town to black out which lead to an abrupt end to the show! Hopefully, that won't happen in Carboro.

At the Cat's Cradle- Toubab Krewe

The Asheville, NC instrumental band Toubab Krewe will be playing at the ever-hip Cat's Cradle night club in Carrboro, NC (Chapel Hill) on Friday, Feb. 6.

The band fuses the music of Mali with southern roots music. They obviously don't have a lead singer, but Teal Brown does a really swell job on drums.

I saw the band perform at the Sun Hall in Floyd, Va., on Dec. 1, 2007. It was a night I will never forget as the show was cut short because a truck had hit a powerline in the small town near Roanoke, and created a fuse shortage throughout Floyd.

Toubab Krewe will also be performing at The Blind Tiger in Greensboro on Jan. 30 and at The Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte on Feb. 7.

This Friday, at Cat's Cradle, there will be a performance by The Last Waltz Ensemble- a group that performs songs by Bob Dylan and The Band.

Cat's Cradle is located at 300 East Main Street, Carrboro, NC 27510. Phone: 919-967-9053.