“That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” “Strip Clubs” Chapter 35 By Bruce Williams On several occasions in my life, always at the behest of my lascivious friends, I have gone to a strip club. Each time it was a little different, a little enlightening, and a little depressing. Here are a […]
Brandon Brown
Column: “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Goodbye Old Friend
1/11/2021 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Chapter 30 “Goodbye Old Friend” By Bruce Williams Tragedy struck our house on New Year’s Eve. Our dog, Ruby—an overweight and mischievous beagle of 8.5 years—got out of a hole in the fence into our neighbor’s yard and subsequently out of their back fence […]
Column: “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” The Dump
1/4/2021 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Chapter 29 “The Dump” By Bruce Williams I’m not sure what it is about going to the dump that I love so much, but it’s a multi-faceted, multi-layered history that I feel compelled to elucidate. My first experiences with the dump came as a […]
Column: “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” B-U-T-T
12/28/2020 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Chapter 28 “ B-U-T-T” (I promise) By Bruce Williams My two sisters and I all took piano lessons at our instructor Mai Lin’s house. I hated it. While one sibling was in with Mai Lin, plinking away as she patiently winced at each misstruck […]
The Burner: Tumwater junior TE Ryan Otton the latest to carry on the family tradition
12/22/2020 Ryan Otton is no stranger to success on the gridiron. He grew up in a family where his grandfather is the all-time winningest coach in Washington State High School history, his dad was a standout player and now is a defensive coordinator for Tumwater, and his older brother is […]
Column: “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” The Magic of Christmas
12/21/2020 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Chapter 27 “The Magic of Christmas” By Bruce Williams Christmas was always magical when I was a little kid. My older sister Lisa was always the first one up on Christmas morning—usually around a roostery 5:00 a.m. She’d head down and empty her stocking […]
The Burner: Kamiakin’s runningback Tuna Altahir commits to Eastern Washington
12/16/2020 Tuna Altahir was a standout at Kamiakin last season. The 6-foot, 215-pounder led the MCC in 2019 as a junior in rushing, with 1,406 yards on 188 carries. That’s 7.5 yards a carry. He was also No. 1 in all-purpose yards, with 1,613. And he was No. 1 in […]
The Burner: Seattle Seahawks select Ellensburg football player George Wright for ‘We’ve Got Spirit’
12/14/2020 When the Seattle Seahawks reached out to high school football coaches around the state, seeking contestants in “We’ve Got Spirit,” recognizing players, coaches and teams, immediately one came to mind for Ellensburg High School coach Jeff Zenisek. Luke Olson of the Daily Record has the full story on how […]
Column: “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” My Top 5 Christmas Movies
12/14/2020 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Chapter 26 “My Top 5 Christmas Movies” By Bruce Williams Narrowing it down to just five favorite Christmas movies might seem easy on its surface, but when other people started weighing in convincingly with their opinions and picks, I had to stop and ponder […]
The Burner: Local athletes discuss being recruited during a pandemic
12/8/2020 The pandemic has caused a lot of changes in the sports landscape, but one area that often gets overlooked is the process high school athletes go through to be recruited. Zac Hereth of the Everett Herald takes us through that journey: Full Story: https://www.heraldnet.com/sports/local-athletes-discuss-being-recruited-during-a-pandemic/ Elisportsnetwork.com
Column: “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” How the ’80’s Wrecked ’70’s Rock Bands
12/7/2020 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Chapter 26 “How the ’80’s Wrecked ’70’s Rock Bands” By Bruce Williams My wife and I have this ongoing debate—she loves all things ‘80’s; the movies (The Goonies, Adventures in Babysitting), the music, all the cheesy schlock. I berate the pastel colors, the big […]
Column: “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Ads Shmads
11/30/2020 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Chapter 25 “Ads Shmads” By Bruce Williams I’m convinced corporate America doesn’t understand social media. For instance, Crest has a Facebook page. The toothpaste. What more could you possibly want to know about Crest? You put it on your tooth brush and smoosh it […]
Column: “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Puberty
11/23/2020 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Chapter 24 “Puberty” By Bruce Williams Puberty has come unbeckoned to the Williams household in the form of greasy hair, pimples and body odor. Now 14 and 11, our kids are becoming these alternating mercurial and sullen strangers, eaters of entire pizzas and capable […]
Column: “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Our House
11/16/2020 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Chapter 23 “Our House” By Bruce Williams So, we’re putting our house of 15 years up for sale—cleaning out every cobwebbed corner, dejunking every drawer, steaming carpets, puttying screw holes and the like. It’s so clean and like-new now that I’d almost like to […]
Column: “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” A Tough Talk
11/9/2020 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Chapter 22 “A Tough Talk” By Bruce Williams Recently, faced suddenly with the tragedy of a suicide in our family, I was stationed outside my daughter’s hair appointment waiting for her to finish—replacing my distraught wife who had just found out that she’d lost […]
Column: “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Married Dates
11/2/2020 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Chapter 21 “Married Dates” By Bruce Williams When you have two kids and a dog, there’s not a lot of opportunities to get away with your significant other for an adult vacation…you know—without a Nickelodeon-themed anything or cheese pizzas for every meal, let alone […]
The Burner: White River High taking nominations for Year 2 Hall of Fame inductees
10/27/2020 It’s year No. 2 for the White River Athletic Hall of Fame and program boosters are soliciting nominations for a second class of inductees. For the full story and information on how you can nominate someone can be found here. Story by Kevin Hanson of the Courier-Herald
The Burner: Former Bellevue Football assistant head coach publishes his side of the story
10/26/2020 Years after a scandal rocked the Bellevue High School Football program, former assistant coach Pat Jones has released a book on his side of the story. You can find the full story and info on the book here.
Column: “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Forced Pleasantries
10/26/2020 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Chapter 20 “Forced Pleasantries” By Bruce Williams I was waiting for an elevator not long ago (before face masks) and an attractive young woman was exiting the carriage. I stepped aside to allow her to pass, but what made this non-event remarkable was the […]
Column: “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Dog Communication
10/19/2020 “That Got Me To Thinkin’…?” Chapter 19 “Dog Communication” By Bruce Williams Every pet owner has wished at one point or another that they could speak with their pet in some meaningful way. My wife and I were pondering what it would be like to live a languageless life […]