Wanted: A Winch and A Wench

It seems odd that on my 39th birthday it looked like my life had once again steered itself onto a course toward happiness. Now, a mere four months later I'm not so sure. I've been extremely lonely, carjacked at gunpoint, placed on another dead project -- further adding uncertaintity about my career, and somehow missed the joys of both Halloween and Thanksgiving. It's not like I have nothing in my life. I have a loving mother and brother; an outstanding network of friends; my health (at least to some degree); the financial means to live; the things that people would sacrifice their left foot to obtain. What the fuck has happened? My life has seemed to be stuck in a rut.

Self Deprecating No More! Fuck you and the horse you rode in on! No seriously, let's do it. Come on, we've got time. Recently I have been told by more than one person (some very near-and-dear to my heart) that I degrade myself too often. Thank you, all of you. The message has come in Loud and Clear!

It's now the final day of November. I vow to enjoy Christmas, celebrate the December birthdays of my friends, and enter into 2005 (in Boston no less) with a reckless attitude toward life. I look foward to turning forty! Sure, the gray hairs (which used to come in brown or occasionally red) in the beard I have been letting grow for the last nine days has shaken a bit of my confidence, but I shall not let that deter me goddammit!

note: This is not supposed to be my Entering 2005 blog entry, that will come later next month. Check back then.....

Tuesday's Toy
Okay, it's not really a toy -- at least not one for children. It's the one this BigBoy wants. I have recently been keeping my eye on the latest Danger hiptop2 (aka the Sidekick II when partnered with T-Mobile). It would be a Slam Dunk Purchase if I hadn't re-upped for a two-year contract with Sprint when my phone was stolen back in August, and I hadn't seen just how crappy T-Mobile's service could be when I was in Myrtle Beach a few weeks ago (props to Stacey). Sure all the Hotties currently are carrying Blackberrys, but Snoop Dog has started pimping the Sidekick II so, things will soon change.

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Oh Bother

A few days late, could I have been in a turkey overdose?

Thursday morning 5:30am. I awakened to the sound of the wind whistling outside, and realized that the day would be much colder than earlier in the week. Normally, I couldn't care all that much except that today was the running of Atlanta's half and full marathons. Back in August it seemed like a great thing to do, hell it would get me training and losing the weight I so dearly wish to shed. Nope, didn't happen. :( Well, I have done the 13.1 mile run down Peachtree before, so I slipped into some tights and a long-sleeve shirt and made my way to the start. MAN was it ever fucking cold!!! However, I knew what had to be done, and managed to finish in a respectible time of 2 hours and 6 minutes. It was great to see my fellow hashers as well as some of my non running-for-the-love-of-beer friends weathering the blustery day when I reached the end.

Thirteen miles of running logged, it was off to my traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner and getting my ass kicked in Madden football at Andy & Stacey's. I simply love shoving great food in my face after a long run. Doing so may undo the "good" of the run, but it makes my insides warm and happy.

Now if I start training for next year.... nah!!

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Don't Step On My Blue Suede Shoes

Today is Retro Day!!!

Today I am sporting my blue-suede Pumas. When I was a kid these were known as Puma "Clydes", referring to the New York Knicks Walt "Clyde" Frazier who apparently also wore them (although not in the pictures the link takes you to). I chuckle as I now realize that I was wearing my first pair thirty years ago and these are once again considered fashionable.

In my youth you owned ONE pair of sneakers at at time and you did EVERYTHING in them (baseball, football, basketball, running, tennis, etc.) As I lace up my "running" shoes Thursday morning to participate in Atlanta's half marathon, I'll think about trying to run thirteen miles in my Clydes and laugh heartily.

My Pumas make me happy! I just hope they have the same affect on my company's CEO when he stops by later today. Oops, I should have remembered that he was coming in....

I *really* want to post a picture of my sneakers. This weekend I vow to learn how.

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

I Pod, You Pod, Wait A Minute, I Don't I Pod

What is it about the iPod? Why am I drawn to it like Ralphie to the Red Ryder BB Gun? Sure, they are sleek, cool and fashionable to own (at least as fashionable as a geek toy can be.) But really, they are little more than a damn mp3 (aac) player! Believe me, I have searched the depth of my soul for justification to make the leap. "Hey it's 4/20/40 GB of portable USB storage!" "I can download my schedule and task list to it (although creation/upload is not an option.)" "iTunes, Nuff Said." "U2 endorses them, and they are still cool, right? I should buy one and be as cool as them." So far I have not found the magic combination to pull the trigger.

Some history.... I was an Apple Devotee many, many moons ago. In the early 1980's I purchased my first computer, an Apple IIe. For the times it was way cool (an expression we kids used back then.) I joined Apple Users' Groups, read books about Steves Jobs and Wozniak, believed WYSIWYG computing was the greatest thing since sliced bread, was a beta tester for AppleTalk -- basically I "drank the Kool-Aid." The Apple IIe was the computer which launched me into my current career (fourteen years and counting.) In college I was ready to move on to the Next Greatest Apple Product, the Macintosh -- perhaps you have heard of it? A funny thing happened to my consumer's bliss, I couldn't afford the damn thing! Yep, Apple in their infinite wisdom priced me out of their market and I was forced to purchase a PC (an Intel 286 running DOS -- stop laughing, remember this was back in the 1980's.) Ever since I have been a scorn former Apple user. I have tried to muster up the desire to jump back onto the bandwagon. I drooled over the NeXT computer -- the product of the company started by Steve Jobs upon his ousting from Apple. It was cool, but also too expensive and not targeted at cosumers. I was tantalized by Apple's Newton, one of the earliest forays into PDAs, but not enough to become a believer (I correctly chose Palm instead.) Will iPod be the one? Still not sure although if I can get five people to do the free iPod thing... Just kidding.

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Master Of My Domain

Big News:
The first three seasons of Seinfeld are out on DVD (amazon.com). I am not scurrying to buy. In fact, why would anyone? Don't get me wrong, I loved Seinfeld in its initial run. However in reruns, which we have had at least five years of, the episodes showed their age, how "current" they were for the time, and how "out of date" they are for any other. Why then would I own this on DVD? Must See DVD? Nope, not for me. I shall live with the memories the Fab Four of Thursdays (orginally on Wednesdays) created for me and move on...

Sponge Worthy:
I stole this segue from USA Today. I'm a hack, I don't mind stealing, what can I say. Besides, it fits perfectly with the above rant. I admit it, I like "Sponge Bob Square Pants." Yep, it's a dumb cartoon that makes me happy. Today the Sponge Bob Movie opens in theaters! However, having yet to see The Incredibles, I still feel compelled to check that off my movie list prior to seeing Sponge Bob. This is probably a good thing anyway; let all the real children see it before this elderly-child does.

Website of the Day:
www.engadget.com. I am drawn to this site like a moth to light. It's like Slashdot for gadgets, and right now I am gadget craaaazy. Yippee!

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Post No Bills

If you are like me, and a scant few are, you often wonder
- how does one get a job putting up flyers for concerts and lectures?
- who takes these flyers down once the event is over?

The other morning the latter question was answered, at least in part. I will call this man Flyer Enforcement Squad One. While waiting for a traffic light to change I watched a jogger stop twice, pull down flyers for some event and toss them into a nearby trash can.

This action caused me mixed emotions. I hate litter, graffitti and the like, but I often learn about events that I would not otherwise know about via a posted flyer. And who annointed this man as Flyer Enforcement Squad One? I would guess that he annointed himself, and that bothers me. It's the eternal struggle between neatness and information.

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

On-On

For the past five years I have run with a crazy bunch of people known as the Hash House Harriers. Atlanta is fortunate to be a haven for hashing, the "largest" group being the Atlanta Hash House Harriers and Harrierettes.

If you are unfamiliar with the concept of hashing, it boils down to cross country running followed by beer drinking. BRILLIANT! Hashers are a motley bunch by and large, some of us are in good running shape, some of us not-so-much. :)

What I like most about hashing is that all are welcome; you just have show up, pay whatever fee is deemed appropriate by the group, follow trail (or find some other means to the end), and enjoy. Hashers generally don't care what you look like (although pretty women are always welcomed mre readily), what you do for a living, polical stance, religious beliefs, etc. The Hash is the type of group I sought my entire life -- and I feel fortune to have been welcomed by them.

Yesterday I felt even better about the hash. Yesterday's Atlanta trail was the annual Hash For The Homeless, where we were asked to bring personal supplies for a few underprivileged families. In true Hash fashion, people were generous. Did we solve a major crisis? No, but hopefully we made life a little better for a few families who could use a break.

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Getting To Know Me

I generally hate these little About Me surveys, but it seems appropriate to post here

1. What is your full name? Paulie
2. What color pants are you wearing? blue, as in jeans
3. What are you listening to right now? crappy pop music at Taco Mac
4. What is the last thing you ate? some Vietnamese spring rolls
5. Do you wish on stars? no
6. How is the weather right now? sunny and 70 degrees
7. Last person you talked to on the phone? the car dealership fixing my car
8. Do you like the person who sent you this? yes
9. How are you today? okay
10. Favorite drink? beer
11. Favorite sport to play?
12. Hair color? brown
13. Eye color? hazel
14. Do you wear contacts? nope, I don't like sticking my fingers near my eye
15. Number of siblings? one brother
16. Favorite month? July
17. Favorite food? Chinese -- especially when it is on a buffet
18. Last movie you watched? Team America
19. Favorite days of the year? my birthday, Thanksgiving
20. What do you do to vent anger? curse loudly
21. What was your favorite toy as a child? GI Joe
22. Summer or winter? summer
23. Hugs or Kisses? hugs
24. Chocolate or vanilla? chocolate
25. Do you want your friends to email you back? Yes
26. Who is the most likely to respond? n/a
27. Who is least likely to respond? n/a
28. Living arrangements? house, big lonely house
29. What is under your bed? don't know, I sleep on my couch
30. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Bill who now lives OTP
    
31. What did you do last night? slept my ass off
32. Favorite smells? freshly baked bread, just-cut lumber
33. What inspires you? nothing
34. What are you afraid of? dying alone
35. Plain, buttered or salted popcorn? buttered *and* salted
36. Favorite car? company car -- no payments, no insurance or gas costs
37. Favorite flower? one that requires no maintenance
38. Number of keys on your key ring? four
39. Can you juggle? yep, but only three balls
40. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
41. Favorite TV shows: The Apprentice, Survivor, The Screen Savers, X-Play
42. What did you do on your last birthday? Got my first pedicure and ate dinner with a person I wish I was still with

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Bachelor Party and I don't mean the Tom Hanks movie

Back from another trip Outside The Perimeter.... This time I'm talking about an exhasuting adventure to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

This was a bachelor party weekend for one of my friends. The weekend quickly became the "Weekend of No Logic", as declared by my friend Stacey. Staying out too late, drinking too much, missing tee times, taking a picture of a really cool looking dead bird on the beach (I'd post it here if I knew had to, and didn't inadvertently set my camera phone to Low Quality pictures), getting to ride in limos when we are not supposed to, watching a television while at an "adult entertainment establishment", you name it, it happened. The "What Happens On The Road, Stays On The Road" credo stops me from posting details, but start your mind's engine and you'll get an idea.

Bachelor parties in general are cluster fucks. Never having the good fortune of finding a woman who will marry me I've only experienced them from the "loser" side of the equation, but by-and-large I am not a big fan. I go because the guy getting married is one of my friends, and they are the few times I get to see women nekkid (as they are called in The South). Perhaps I am just bitter....

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

America Has Spoken

And I am none too pleased. I so wanted to have an entry this week with the title "Like Father, Like Son, One Term And Done", alas I cannot.

One of the most interesting stories told to me about this election season was this. A co-worker of mine was in line to vote and was in front of a man wearing a t-shirt for one of the presidential candidates. When this man got close to the front of the voting line he was told that campaigning within 150' of the polling place was not allowed, and he would not be allowed to vote in his t-shirt. His options were turn the t-shirt inside-out, or take the t-shirt off! What the hell happened to freedom of speech? Is this the direction our country is heading? I'm concerned....

Paulie [eatl/ga]

Election Day

I've done it! As an early riser it didn't pain me to get out of the house and into the voting lines. Yes, I have completed casting my ballot for the future of this country. In my neighborhood lines were long, parking was difficult, the process a bit strained, but all in all I still made it out in approximately 45 minutes after the polls opened. Mr. Kerry and Mr. Edwards, I hope my vote helped.

In a statistical oddity, the process had us split into two lines, one for the last names beginning with A-K, and the other for L-Z. My line, the L-Z had about fifteen or so people waiting, while the A-K line had none! Bizarre..

If there is really anyone out there reading this, which I doubt that there is, I urge you to get in line and vote. Most of you will wait in a line for a movie, do the same for your right to choose who leads your country.

And can somebody tell me why we vote on a Tuesday? I'd really like to know...

Paulie [eatl/ga]

Until I can figure out Blogger's templates here are some other useless tidbits about me today...

Current Music: Sirius' Left of Center -- Channel 6026 on Dish Network
Favorite CD of the day: The Faint -- "Wet From Birth"