Spare Change: I'm back. A couple of thoughts on things since I've been gone.

Oddznendz gathered while pondering whether to require a visitor log at home:

• So … where were we?

During my involuntary hiatus, the North End situation actually worsened. Yes, there’s been some work on the fire-ravaged hotel. But Newport Grand sits dormant like an abandoned airplane hangar. Yes, the pandemic stalled things. But life largely resumed in 2022.

I was no fan of Joe Paolino’s Monte Carlo-style casino fantasy, but at least Paolino would have shovels in the ground by now.

Then there’s the “Who’s on First?” traffic patterns. I’ve done my best to avoid the bridge. A few people have mentioned driving on Aquidneck Island en route to Walmart and suddenly showing up in Jamestown.

The locals are complaining to the city and the city complains to the state. The state? Its spokespeople say, "Relax, we’re putting up new signs.”

And we’re forced to tool around the North End like the Keystone Kops (let’s see if I can dredge up more hopelessly outdated cultural touchstones).

Maybe this will all make sense in a year. And maybe the northern part of town will evolve into the gem developers and officials have pitched.

Meanwhile, the North End is the Dead End.

• R.I.P: Gary Smith. Gary grew up in Middletown, played music in the late, great Lifeboat with Bob and Skeggy Kendall and Paul Gibson.

But his strengths were as a music producer and manager. Gary was a big cog in the 1990s alt-rock scene.

Gary co-owned Fort Apache studios in Cambridge, Mass., eventually moving it to Vermont.

He produced the Pixies, Newport’s Throwing Muses, Juliana Hatfield, Billy Bragg, Rogers High grad Tonya Donelly, Blake Babies and others. He managed Donelly and Natalie Merchant.

In recent years he lived in New Hampshire and owned a restaurant.

He had a sharp mind and a quick wit. A lot of people in these parts will miss Gary, who died this week after a short illness.

A Facebook member posted this: “Gary made a dent.”

Indeed.

• “Ocean State” is a gripping novel by Stewart O’Nan with the Westerly area as the setting.

It’s not a whodunit. You know who did in the first paragraph. It’s a story of women young and middle age and a life-altering crime that rips them apart.

• We get it, Prince Harry. Your family is nasty to your wife. And there are racial overtones. You’ve emancipated yourself. Good for you.

But you’ve blabbed with Oprah and whined to Anderson Cooper. And you’ve published a memoir.

Enough, kid.

• Paul Giamatti is a terrific actor. But it’s sad to see him dressed up as a daft Albert Einstein on Verizon ads.

Is a GoFundMe drive in order?

• U.S. Rep. George Santos is helping with my resume. Now, should I mention one Pulitzer Prize or two?

• Everyone loved Don Kaull, who died late last year at age 77.

He was warm, friendly, funny with a Sahara dry sense of humor. He was a basketball star at Rogers and a captain at the University of Rhode Island.

In the ensuing years, he and wife, Caroline, were active in alumni activities at both schools. And they were on hand for their kids’ and grandkids’ activities at Portsmouth High School.

Don, of course was the color announcer on URI basketball games for 35 years. It was fun to hear him say Lamaaahhh Odom on the air.

My admiration for Don was limitless. Rest in peace, old friend.

• Like a lot of people, I’ve been intrigued by the story of longtime con man Brian Walshe of upscale Cohasset, Massachusetts.

This is a made-for-media crime story. Walshe was a child of privilege and a longtime scammer. His wife, Ana, looked like a movie star.

If this story broke in Roxbury instead of Cohasset, would it get more than two-day coverage?

• For the record, I’ve never murdered anyone. If I did, I doubt I’d buy $450 in cleaning supplies and Google instructions on how to dispose of dead bodies.

Jim Gillis is a Daily News columnist. Send him email at jimgillis13@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Jim Gillis Spare Change: Thoughts on Newport's North End