Gearino:Mike Collins is either the bravest man I know, or the most foolish. The jury is still out on which is the case.

Gearino:There are 112 people in our little patch of heaven who could help me develop a sense of grievance, of which I am notably lacking.

Gearino:The good news: I received a press release via e-mail last week, and my name on the distribution list was sandwiched in between CNN and Wonkette, the Washington-based, must-read political gossip blog. Truly, I am among the royalty of American media.

Gearino:Exactly one year ago today - Wait a minute. I can't launch into this without explaining something first.

Gearino:I don't know if my reputation can become more tarnished than it already is, but if so this confession will do the trick: I like "The John Boy and Billy Big Show."

Gearino:Before we launch into the fun part of today's program, let's tip our hats to Project Compassion, the Chapel Hill-based organization that helps people cope with end-of-life illnesses.

Gearino:Jerry LaRosa, a Philadelphia man given to wearing costumes so flamboyant that Liberace himself might wince, wanted to come to Raleigh next month to make a spectacle of himself. But LaRosa won't be coming, and he's miffed about it.

Gearino:Nine years after getting out of the blab business, Tom Joyner is back in the game. It seems that some itches just demand to be scratched.

Gearino:I hope Karen Gould and Keith Dixon like where they live. Frankly, they're probably stuck there for a while.

Gearino:Sometimes you set out to learn things. Other times, you acquire knowledge against your will and expectations. Ina Lunney can tell you all about that second kind of learning.

Gearino:To all appearances, Ken ReCorr is no different from countless other Triangle 30-somethings who do a little of this and a little of that, not quite in control of their destinies but not yet willing to surrender to the drudgery of an ordinary career.

Gearino:Step by step, here's how I came to be sitting in an ubergeek's office at SAS one afternoon last week, where I learned which perfectly androgynous name is shared by 173 registered voters in Wake County.