Author: Ashley Trice

This week we celebrate the cheesiest of all of our holidays. Of course, I am not talking about Fat Tuesday. There is nothing cheesy about it. Maybe raunchy, but certainly not cheesy. No, I am, of course, referring to Valentine’s Day. A day where single people get depressed that they are alone and people with significant others get depressed that they have to buy boxes of chocolate, Vermont teddy bears or other really stupid things to commemorate their love. How did we come to celebrate this day? No one is certain, but one theory seems to suggest it is...

Laissez les bon temps rouler! We are in the final stretch. Our houses all look like Toomey’s threw up inside of them. Loads of beads, smashed MoonPies and unopened bags of ramen are scattered about, as are filthy stuffed animals that look as though they may have spent some time in a landfill before being tossed off a float. Freshly dry-cleaned tails and gowns hang outside closet doors waiting to be donned at various balls. Ahhh, the Gras! What’s not to love? I mean, I guess there’s the traffic, trash, idiot adults who elbow your children out of the...

I ventured around the streets of downtown Mobile shortly after the Conde Cavaliers paraded down route A last Friday night. It was a bit cloudy as rain was approaching the area, but the moonlight peeked through just long enough to shine a light on the park dedicated to our sister city in Malaga, Spain. I wondered if I would see him, as few had. I just wanted one glimpse. He had managed to outwit cats and cars and hungry hawks to become the park’s most famous resident — the rare, solid white squirrel of Spanish Plaza. As I gazed...

For some women, it’s shoes or jewelry. For others, designer handbags, makeup or clothing. Maybe even furnishings for the house. For me, sadly, it’s groceries. Every time I do a deep dive into the ol’ family budget to see where we may be overspending, it’s always in grocery stores. And when I say “we” I mean “me.” Once I add it all up, I am always dumbfounded about just how much cabbage and cheddar I have spent on, well, cabbage and cheddar, and a few other things. I suppose it’s a bit of an addiction. But one I have...

Mobile is on a roll, but of course there are a few minor things keeping our fair little burg from being an absolute utopia. As the theme song to the ‘80s sitcom “Facts of Life” so wisely informed us, “you take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life.” There was no mention of taking the “ugly” in that song, but I have taken the liberty of looking at all three to examine the “Facts o Mobile Life.” Care to join me? The good Mobile is on fire economically....

Everything is going to be just fine. Ten days into 2018 and I feel more hopeful and optimistic than I have in ages. 2017 was a rough year for our country. It felt as if we were in a constant state of turmoil. It was really affecting my daily life and mood. And I think a lot of folks were in the same sad boat with me. For those of you who may still be stuck on that depressing ship, I thought I might share a few small things I have done in my own life that may help...

The champagne has been popped and the hangovers nursed. The MoonPie has dropped and the greens and black-eyed peas have been eaten. We finally made it to 2018 after one of the most depressing years on record. Of course, 2017 wasn’t all bad. I’m sure we all can find much to be grateful for in our own lives. But as a state and a nation, this past year really stunk it up for us, collectively speaking. As Alabamians, we dealt with the “Luv Guv” soap opera and the special United States Senate election, where we endured hearing a pathetic,...

Never have I ever been so happy to write a hokey year in review column. Not because the things to review in the year were so great that we want to celebrate them but because they were so terrible it feels great to slam the door on them. Good riddance, 2017. You were a dud. It started off with the inauguration of one of the most controversial presidents of all time. Love him or hate him, there is no denying that the people who really love Donald Trump or really hate Donald Trump really hate each other. Really, really....

I am not really sure why, but I’ve really been in the holiday spirit this year. Probably because it’s been such an absolutely depressing year for our country, chock-full of so much anger and nastiness. Decking the halls and rocking around the Christmas tree have been welcome, delightful distractions. We put up our tree the weekend after Thanksgiving (which has never happened in our house). I have been listening to Christmas music in my car almost nonstop. (I did turn the dial from “Holly Jolly Christmas” during the Senate election so I could listen to folks ranting on local...

As I am writing this, the people of Alabama are out voting in one of the most divisive and controversial elections since, well, that horribly divisive one that was in November 2016. These two elections have been bookends to a year filled with tribalism and hatred. I can’t remember a time teeming with so much anger — on both sides. You used to be able to have a friendly debate with your friends, family or neighbors about politics, and if you disagreed, you may say, “Joe and I disagree on this race, but he’s a good guy.” Now it’s...