It’s that oft-anticipated time of the year again when the government, after spending all year getting its grubby little paws into your paycheck every two weeks, is coming back for more.

We had an interesting discussion around here last week about proper grammar. You’d think that a bunch of journalists would know everything there is to know about grammar and that there would be no arguments. But the English language being what it is, filled with all sorts of rules and exceptions to those rules, even the smartest among us gets tripped up occasionally.

Americans, myself included, are obsessed with losing weight. You can’t turn on the TV without seeing a celebrity in a commercial for one weight-loss plan or another promising to help you lose weight.

BLAKELY – When I was in high school, The Atlanta Constitution ran a series of stories about the disparity in education across the state of Georgia. The series included stories about schools in affluent counties, inner-city schools, schools in smaller cities and schools in rural areas. For the stories on rural schools, a reporter and photographer visited Early County High School.

Over the years, I’m made no secret about the fact that I hate winter, but that’s not completely accurate. I only hate the cold temperatures, the bone-chilling wind, the snow and the ice. Other than that, winter is just awesome.

When I first started my new nutrition and exercise routine, I thought changing my diet was going to be the hardest part. Chelsea the trainer had told me 90 percent of what I wanted to accomplish would come through healthy eating.

Someone left a new telephone book on my front porch this week, and I was surprised for a couple of reasons.

Even though I do it from time to time, I still have a problem paying for bottled water.