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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30.2012 A few wishes for Smoke those tires, thank a jil lion sponsors, take a victory lap around the Cumming square. And be mindful not to take out any lawyers. We are about to take the checkered flag for 2012. High fives and fist bumps are in order. We weren’t even supposed to make it this far. We got Androids instead of asteroids for Christmas. So those of us who went a little nuts and blew the gift budget better think of a creative way to pay that piper. Somewhere between collect¬ ing a large load of scrap metal to recycle and a pleading letter to Donald Trump, we’li be all right. This is the time of year when there are endless tributes to those who have left us. But thanks to a deranged individual from a Connecticut town previ¬ ously unknown to most of us, the well-known celebrity pass¬ ings become trivial. We’re still grieving from this one. It got to all of us. Father Barnabas, the spiritual leader at the local Greek Orthodox Church, attempted to read the names of the slain the • Sunday after the tragedy. He couldn't do it. No shame there. Not sure any of us could have. I am totally against the right to arm bears. Their numbers are growing in north Georgia. That would give them size, mean¬ ness and firepower. We wouldn’t stand a chance. As far as the right to bear arms, I’m all in. I don’t hunt, but a lot of my friends do. 1 wish someone would clarify the connection between an assault weapon and putting venison on the table. Resolutions for my husband s sake Of course, Til be having black-eyed peas and collard greens for New Year’s Day. It has become more than a tradi¬ tion. It’s almost downright superstition, though 1 hate to admit that. And, of course. I’ll make the usual resolutions. I’ll commit those stubborn'six • pounds to a diet, pledge to work out more than once a week, promise to be kinder to those who are meaner and read my'Bible daily, it is safe to say that 1 will not miss peas and collards on the first day of the New Year and, by sometime in February, I will have failed at all these resolu¬ tions. However, if I can stay away from a problem with the phone company, I may have a chance of stretching the “kinder to meaner” resolution to March. This year, however, I’m brave enough about my past failures to audaciously add some brand spanking new • ones. That’s because I have a brand new husband and I real¬ ize that it is my wifely duty to help to make him a better man. I’ll happily use some of my resolutions to do that. Since you and 1 are such good friends, I don’t mind sharing them with you and since my husband is a faithful reader of this column, he’ll have a copy, too. I plan to introduce him to a . 5 Debra Rickies Marcus A. Rosin Attorney at Law Bankruptcy Law Call 770-205-8963 for more info on how yo y can ] become one of our experts, k MIKETASOS Columnist Having watched “Lincoln" with (he family on Christmas (can’t recall Hollywood churn¬ ing out anything better), politi¬ cians were portrayed as scally¬ wags. Their predecessors were probably the same. No matter how unscrupulous, it’s still unfathomable to come to grips with them being in favor of weapons of this ilk. But like Lou Holtz (uh-oh, here come the Notre Dame ref¬ erences) was fond of saying: “I’m not concerned about where you’ve been, 1 only care about where you’re going." Let's run with that in 2013. We are such good people. And there is no limit on how good we can really be to one another. We’re just coming off a sea¬ son where we’re just a little nicer to one another. Well, almost everyone, save for that cursing lunatic who claimed 1 cut him off while entering a shopping center. I offered him an apology. His gift was to supplement my sons’ vocabulary. There are a few hopes and wishes for 2013 that bear (another “bear" reference, what gives?) sharing and would make me smile contentedly: • Father Frank Richardson, pastor of Good Shepherd: More great insight and entertainment from the pulpit, a successful facility expansion, limitless chocolate, and a win for his Ix'M 0- - % . Wmm RONDARICH Columnist check register. It’s helpful device that lists checks that are written and keeps a tally of money in the account. Now you should know — I’m fer¬ vent in book keeping and counting my pennies. He, though, totes checks in his pockets, writes them at will and never thinks to record them. “1 know what a check register is,” he will say indignantly when 1 question whether he has seen one. This year I resolve that he will prove those words to me. I will challenge him daily to show me that he is carrying a pocket knife. Every farmer or Southern man knows that a pocket knife is indispensable. “I need something to cut the twine on these bales of hay for the horses,” he said the other day. 1 smiled. “That’s why you’re supposed to carry a pocket knife with you. You never know when you need to whip it out and cut something.” A wedding gift from our friend, Mike, was a pocket knife. “Every man needs a pocket knife,” Mike explained then « S’ i I ife mto McClatchy Newspapers Columnist MikeTasos wishes for a number of things in the new year, including luck for his Fighting Irish in the BCS championship game against Alabama. beloved Irish on Jan. 7 in Miami. • The Board of Education: A calendar that eliminates starting school nearly a month before Labor Day. • Adlen Robinson: Her own cooking show. As if she has time. But 1 bet it’d be a good one. • Jon Howard: Bigger and better deals, bigger and better cigars, a bigger and (even) bet¬ ter Lanier Baseball league sea¬ son. •All local 12-year-old travel baseball teams: A special trip with their families to play in shadows of the MLB Hall of Fame. Think: Cumming comes to Cooperstown 3b. IN * \ \ is tossed a nod in my direction. “And she really likes men who carry pocket knives. She says it’s sexy.” There needs to be more rev¬ erence around our house paid to that great and mighty warrior. General Robert E. Lee. I expect his birthday on Jan. 19 to be treated with somber respect and there should be no head shak¬ ing over the fact that some Southern states declare his birthday to be a state holiday. General Lee is to the South what Bush Hogs are to farmers — a hero. fbrsythnews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS • Laith Reagan: Tight lines, bulging live wells and success as he attempts to make a living by hanging a “gone fishing” sign. •Dawn the Hair Lady: Sharp clippers, a full schedule and a movement away from Justin Beiber-esque styles. • Cheech: Lots of things that need fixing. • Papa Kenny: Good books. • Neil Boortz: Good rid¬ dance. • Our Sawnee Mountain Thunder coaches: Lots of patience. • Northside Hospital FR: Less patients (especially during flu season). • UGA football fans: Faith in I am going to promote less hand washing around here. My husband, who is not a doctor but often writes one on televi¬ sion, goes through a bar of soap every two days while a bottle of liquid soap lasts less than a week. I believe that a few germs make us healthier. If you keep your body stripped of germs, how can you build up immunity to them? 1 will say, though, that of all my resolutions relating to the man of our house, this is the one I have the least faith in. It’s probably a safer bet that 1 3C classy coach Mark Richt ... all year long. • Johnny Tallant. A great Hot Stove League season and another invitation. • Those who visit here every other week. More material for future columns and knowing that 1 appreciate you visiting on a regular basis. And peace in all our families. • Your columnist: A miracle next Monday in Miami, that is a “Tura, Lura Lura” goodnight to the college football season. If any school can conjur one up, it’s probably Notre Dame. Mike Tasos can be reached at miketasos@sprintmail.com. For the Forsyth County News will succeed in reading the Bible daily as opposed to this one. He likes clean. So, those are my new, never used-before resolutions. Maybe my husband will clip out this column, put it on the refrigera¬ tor and practice these things. Or maybe I’ll be repeating these resolutions again next year. Just like all my previous resolutions. Ronda Rich is the author of "There’s A Better Day A-Comin’." Visit www.rondarich.com to sign up for her weekly newsletter.