 |
 |
|
Local Talk |
Still Smokin' You Say?
Posted: 23 Oct 2007
Driving down good ol' HWY 17 BUS. in Surfside to satisfy my KFC
fetish, I couldn't help but notice a large yellow sign advertising a new
establishment coming to our area. From the highway it said something about
Smokin'.
Despite the hunger pains crying for some of the
Colonel's original, I turned toward the yellow sign and drove up to it. To
my surprise, it's a bar coming soon to Surfside that will still be Smoking
Friendly. I know what you must be thinking because I thought the same
thing, "The original style is so much better than the crispy."
Well...err...after my mind got past the eat-to-survive instinct, I
thought, "How could this be so? Has not the council spoken? Has it
not been written? Has it not been done? I thought Smoking was
illegal in Surfside." After speaking with owners, I found out that they
too know that Smoking is illegal in Surfside...I said, "Ok" and proceeded to
KFC.
- Kyd
Oh, did I forget to mention their parking lot is in Surfside but their builiding is Horry County? It's a small detail but I'll just throw it in for Sheets & Giggles. Now that's seeing an opportunity and seizing the moment. See a need, fill a need.
Surfside Beach Family Festival
Posted: 09 Oct 2007
Many of you saw me on the scene this past Saturday during our town's Family Festival. I was walking around with Myrtle Beach T.V. who was covering the event. The most popular question was, "When will this be aired?" The answer: this Friday at 7:30am, on WFXB FOX TV, channel 7 in most cases. I had so much fun with my family and all the people who attended. There were so many smiling faces and wonderful displays. I would like to give a shout out to Layna (spelling?), who volunteered herself for the Tazer Demonstrastration, Climbed a 4 Story Fire Ladder to fix the U.S. Flag, and was drenched in the Dunk Booth for public safety. Layna works for the Public Safety office as a Victims Advocate...how ironic she would become a victim of self torture during the Festival.
Say My Name
Posted: 29 Sept 2007
My mother said to me, "If you become a soldier, you'll be a general; if
you become a monk, you'll end up as the Pope." Instead, I became a painter and
wound up as
Picasso.
- Pablo Picasso
Talk about being right on the money. When I first came to the
beach, I had a regional manager who was so bent on boxing up success and telling
me there's only one way to achieve it. Sounds like a horrible way to live,
I mean, what if you have bad aim or made a bad decision and you miss your one
shot? He implied I had to be like him...the stereotypical baby-boomer
attitude that exhibited nothing but tough love. "If I beat him down" he
must have thought, "it'll straighten him up. The nerve of this Kyd,
to question management, develop his own process and thinking on his
own! Who does he think he is?" I try to understand that he came from
a different time of corporate management. However, trying to be like my
Regional Manager would only make me out to be a second rate Mr. G..ski; but I
was determined to be a First Rate Kyd Wilde.
Now some of you have
e-mailed asking about my nom de plume. My identity is the worst kept
secret, especially if you have seen Myrtle Beach TV. The
reason I go by my pen name is so I can blame anything regrettable on my other
personality. After all, it was Kyd Wilde who said it.
- Kyd
It's Not All Business, It's Personal
Posted: Friday, 28 Sept 2007
I was able to speak with another local business owner today. She told me that she had a single mother working as a receptionist who recently worked 2 half days and missed one day, all in a row and due to sickness. Seeing how sick she was, the owner couldn't even bare to watch her not receive her full weeks pay. She felt as if she was contributing to the plight of a very hard working young mother. She disclosed to me that she kept her on the clock even though she went home sick and was gone for a whole day. Why did the owner do it? Wait for it...because her conscience (yes, you can have a conscience in business) wouldn't be able to let her sleep at night knowing a mother might not be able to feed her child; especially since no child support is being received. Sometimes the System can seem unfair to single mothers trying to balance work, home and children. However, it's little acts like this that keeps the hope alive in others and in our town.
Word Around the Campfire
Posted: Thursday, 27 Sept 2007
As I strolled in and out of local businesses today, I asked local owners about their views on the Smoking Ban going into effect October 1, 2007. About 90% of the business owners didn't feel their business would be affected too much, mainly because they were already smoke free. The only places that seemed to be concerned about a negative impact on business were the local bars.
Here are a few other themes/views that stood out in our conversations:
- There is no nightlife in Surfside other than smoking and having a beer. Now the council took away half of the fun.
- The average pay for many services job are horrendous in Grand Strand.
- To my surprise, many employees of the local owners worked more than one job.
- There should be more diversity - someone from another part of the country - elected into office...things are done so differently here. Another point of view could be beneficial for the growth of our town.
I'll keep walking around and speaking to many of you. Don't hesitate to e-mail me or stop me in public if you have a concern. Thanks Surfside for your many comments and I can't wait to speak with you again!
Send In Your Thoughts
If you would like to post your view, make an announcement,
express your thoughts about Surfside Beach, then by all means send me an e-mail
at kydwilde@surfsidepolitics.com
with the subject line: Local Talk.