It was a good day at work. I wasn’t eaten by a lion.

As I stepped outside to begin my trek home to Orange, the scent of french fries reached out, as if to hook its magical McFingers under my nostrils. This is the struggle I face every day in my quest to continue losing weight and getting healthy.

Not so long ago, when people “bounced” a check, the bank refused it and the store to which it was written had to find the check writer to get paid.

An intervention may be necessary; I believe I am a Facebook addict.

The secret to the landslide success of the three statewide candidates on the 2009 Virginia Republican ticket may also be that they are simply plain, honest men.

Halloween may be over, but in Virginia (and elsewhere), politics and sports continue the masquerade as each attempts to look more and more like the other.

Editor’s note: Jim Bayne’s column will return next week.

Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part column by Culpeper’s town manager. The first installment ran Oct. 24.

Yes, Culpeper, I am one of those annoying grownups who still dresses up for Halloween. This year, I will represent a throwback to the ’80s, complete with big hair and fluorescent fishnets. But a large part of my Halloween is always the “cinematic experience.”

Are we proper stewards of our community? Of Culpeper, our people, our resources?

Round and round we go, where it stops no one knows.

It is not McDonnell vs. Obama. It is McDonnell vs. Deeds.

It’s that time of year again: Time to decorate the house with cobwebs and creatures, time to invest a small fortune to keep the candy kitty full, and time for me to write my annual admonishment of the Halloween night routine in Culpeper.

The cost involved in seeking elective office at the congressional and presidential levels has risen to the point where it is unrealistic for most worthy citizens in this country to aspire for high public office.

Editor’s note: This is the first in a two-part column by Culpeper Town Manager. The final installment is scheduled to appear next Saturday.

With all the hubbub over “balloon boy” this past week, I would be remiss if I did not give you (or force-feed you) my thoughts.

Virginia voters have long been kind to gubernatorial candidates who were not members of the party of the sitting president.

Where would my life be without HBO, high-speed Internet and the ability to record shows I miss on DVR?

This past week, the National Day of Prayer Task Force held its annual prayer summit for prayer leaders from all over America who gathered in Colorado Springs to pray for the nation.

  I’ll be the round about
The words will make you out ‘n’ out
I’ll spend the day your way ...
Call it morning driving thru the sound and
In and out the valley ...

I will say right up front that I do not have a solution for one of the few growth sectors in our economy. You might be wondering if I really meant to say that.

You’ve heard me sing the praises of Facebook. What a great tool it’s been to reconnect with folks from our past. However, something this great does not come without pitfalls.

The State Theatre is a symbol of our past and our future

After years of poor economic data, it looks as though a near V-shaped recovery is under way by many measures.

A recent Rand Corporation study said the 100,000 children in the Nation’s Capitol have the best healthcare coverage in the nation, with only 3.5 percent uninsured, versus 9.1 percent for children nationally.

When Culpeper County supervisors voted last week to allow managers to order employees suffering from flu-like symptoms to go home if state officials declare an H1N1 pandemic in the county, Supervisor Sue Hansohn reportedly said she didn’t think it was necessary to legislate “common sense.”

I knew that when I wrote the column last week regarding “free speech” — as defined by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1989 — that there would be at least one person who would read it out of context and try to make an issue solely regarding the burning of our national flag.

I’ve got a new plan. And if this were a movie, and you were in the movie and I explained my new plan, you would say, “That’s just crazy enough to work.”

The election for Virginia governor is only weeks away. Democrat Creigh Deeds and Republican Bob McDonnell faced each other four years ago in the race for attorney general. McDonnell outspent Deeds by $3 million yet bested him by only 350 votes. This race will be close again.

There has been talk out of the White House about revamping the typical schedule of American public schools by lengthening the school day and holding class more days a year.