Paybacks Are Hell

I must learn not to turn the alarm off and go back to sleep.

He Is Risen
Last night more of my friends (have I ever mentioned how popular I am?) decided to combine our monthy dinner gathering with a surprise birthday party for me. Bastards! :P

One of the gifts presented unto me was something I figured I'd never see again -- The Jesus Clock. For those of you who have moved Inside The Perimeter since last Christmas, The Jesus Clock was won by yours truly as the "Grand Prize" one night at Gravity Pub Bingo. Being the giver that I am, I donated the Jesus Clock as a present at a White Elephant Christmas party thrown my friends Stacy and Phil (bloggers over in that LiveJournal world). When opened there was much rejoicing and I figured that my kindness would certainly never be returned -- literally. Last night I found out how wrong I can be.

Some of the group also donned red dresses since I had to miss this year's hash Red Dress Run due to my Vegas trip. Nice touch kids.

A Place To Lay My Head
I've booked travel to the Big Apple, got my second-row seat for Glenngary Glen Ross, but have yet to figure out where the hell I am going to stay in New York. In case you didn't know, hotel rooms in New York ain't cheap. A "decent" hotel will at least triple or quadruple the cost of my trip. The time draws near, I better figure this shit out soon. Any suggestions? I know, "Stop being so fucking cheap!" LOL

Oh For The Love Of Air Conditioning
There is nothing like rushing up to the Marta platform in order to catch the train, sit down, and then start to sweat profusely. There may have been air conditioning in the train yesterday, but my body certainly didn't feel it for the first ten minutes of my commute home. A drive home yesterday may have taken me ninety minutes, but at least it would have been ninety minutes in a climate-controlled environment.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - busy body, but only at work until noon
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing The Hives -- "Two-Timing Touch And Broken Bones"
Website Of The Day - Can you tell the difference between a serial programmer and a serial killer? Take The Quiz.

Off to read other blogs....

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Train Blogging

Oversleeping and a nearly-empty tank of gas convinced me that today should be a Marta day. Sure, it would cost more (in the short term) than driving in, but it would save me the hassles of commuting, right?

Is there an official phobia name for the fear of a turnstyle not turning after coin insertion? If not there should be. I have that fear every time I encounter a Marta turnstyle.

I had hoped to be able to blog (sans WiFi) on my commute via Marta but I have realized that most of my train commute time is spent standing waiting for the train. Throw in a transfer at Five Points and the actual train time is diminished. If I started blogging on the North Springs train I'd barely have enough time to get the computer out and start typing by the time we hit Dunwoody.

Today marked the first time I was approached by a homeless person asking me for money on Marta. He no sooner posed the question when a Marta security guard boarded the train and escorted him out. My question is how did he pay for his fare? Does he get a good return on his $1.75 if he attempts this daily?

Hatfields v. McCoy's, Bloods v. Crypts, MetroBlogging v. AtlBloggers?
Is there a new turf war to be fought here in the Atl? Just when I thought I had it all sorted out, the waters got muddy.

It seemed that everyone in the Atl was joining up to be MetroBloggers. Sure, I first heard about MetroBlogging via an invite to the "Alanta People With Blogs Who Get Together To Drink" meetup, but I didn't see the two as separate entities really. Then, after the last meetup (attended by many-a-Metroblogger) the APWBWGTTD started their own blogrolling website, AtlBloggers. This could make the next meetup rather interesting....

A Tale Of Two Bourdains
This is the summer of Bourdain -- two television shows related to Anthony Bourdain. I predict that one of the shows will be fantastic, the other notsomuch. For those who have not heard of Bourdain, he is a chef who own's Les Halles in New York.

The first show is called "No Reservations" and is being shown on the Travel Channel. "No Reservations" is nearly identical to Bourdain's show "A Cook's Tour" which aired on the Food Network a few years ago. Basically, Bourdain will be travelling around the world eating and drinking the most bizarre things he can find. In the first episode, which was based in Paris, he drank Absinthe from a bottle produced in 1910. This is the Absinthe sought out by those who really want to encounter the hallucinogenic feelings brought about by the liquor.

The second show is called "Kitchen Confidentinal" and is being shown on Fox. This show is based on Bourdain's book by the same name. In the series Jack Bourdain (because calling him "Anthony" would be too real for Fox) is a chef in New York. I believe the show will be a comedy. I also believe the show will be a trainwreck.

I Will Call Them Threezer
Because I was sent an internet presale code for the Weezer / Foo Fighters show in September I just *had* to buy a ticket. The free Weezer show a few weeks ago left a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth. This show will be held in Gwinnett (*gasp*), let's see what going OTP to see this concert does to my sensibilities.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - not bad
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Granddaddy -- "Now It's On"
Website Of The Day - You deserve some Happy News. Go Get You Some!

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

On Safari

Welcome to my first blog post using Safari on my now-obsolete iBook. Yes, Apple has already updated the iBook line since I purchased a few weeks ago. Shame on me for being impatient.

Why? You Say?
Well, it seems as if "old age" is attacking me much more quickly than anticipated. Panic set in last night when I feared that I left my PDA at Johnny's Pizza on Monday night. I was appeased by the notion that I had recently password-protected it a few days ago, but it bothered me that I could be so irresponsible. Assuming that I would have to wait until 11am to go to Johnny's to recover it, I have taken a half-day off from work. With time to spare I started a load of laundry, replaced the burned out tail light bulb on my car, and tore my car apart looking for the PDA. I am glad to say that I found the PDA! Unshowered and laundry underway I decided not to swing up the coffee shop for breakfast and blogging, and am blogging from home.

This would be a good time to remind myself (and you) to

• Backup all data on my PDA
• Backup all data on my computers
• Backup all data on my cellphone

Are you seeing a pattern here?

Poker, Po Po Po Po Poker
My ass was handed to me again last night; it was as if I never left Vegas. Well, it was like being in Vegas without the free drinks and beautifully dressed women walking around.

Bob Mould's "Body Of Song" Safely In Hand
I swung by Ella Guru before heading to play poker and picked up "Body Of Song". They even had the limited deluxe-boxed edtion, so Mr. Big Spender parted with extra $9 for it. "Why not go big? I'll be winning it all back at poker anyway." I thought -- so much for being a man of supreme confidence.

Man I am hungry, I need to go find food and start taking notes for tomorrow's entry....

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - I was lost, but now I have been found
Current Music - Adam Curry's Daily Source Code Podcast #212
Website Of The Day - What do you call a cold, dark, carbonated beverage? The Great Pop v. Soda Debate.

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Baby It's Hot Inside

Can I Get A Chiller In Here?
One of the few benefits I expected moving to hell was functioning air conditioning (there's a concept to chew on). The air conditioning at the old location was great on some days, non-functioning on others. It seems like the AC plague has followed me. Apparently the chiller in this building went kaput over the weekend and the AC only works to a certain extent. I am sure that there are other circumstances as well, like maybe they shut the AC down overnight and it hasn't had time to get things sufficiently chilled yet. Either way I sweating over here!

From The Department Of Redundancy
Meet The Hashers were back in action at Johnny's Pizza last night. My team was nice enough to purchase me a birthday cake. Here I am doing my best Price Is Right modelling with a piece of cake.



Since it was one of those Big Birthdays the cake came with the requisite candle



We won, much to the growing dismay of The Trivia Factory's trivia host. We didn't even have our 'A' game last night. We missed a question about Dumb and Dumber (the name of the character played by Cam Neely), and one about Tommy Boy (the name of the company saved).

Man, I Need Photography Lessons
A lot of my pictures from Las Vegas are shit. It's as if I never read the manual for my camera. Oh wait, I never did! Oddly, I thought most looked good in the lcd screen when snapped, but now they are all pretty damn dark. Looks like it's time for me to learn photoshopping...

Here is one of the better pictures I took while out there. It's a shot of the Luxor and the Vegas Strip taken from balcony of the Lounge at Mix.



It's So Hot CDs Must Be Dropping Today
I can't lie to you, this day has been circled on my calendar for some time. It's an obvious choice for my CD selection of the Day. And the winner is Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill Accoustic" Bob Mould's "Body Of Song".

I've mentioned before that I have followed Mould's career since the early 80's. Those of you who are interested in seeing him perform live (once again with a full band) at the Variety Playhouse can now purchase tickets. I bought mine yesterday.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - early bird looking for some worms
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Of Montreal -- "I Was Never Young"
Website Of The Day - Need a new diet? See what Weight Watchers was telling people to eat thirty-one years ago (link).

Off to read other blogs....

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Guess Who's Back, Back Again

Sorry for the delays, consider this a Monday 'nooner'. While I did manage to find internet cafes in Las Vegas who's got the time?

Sooooo much to write. Given the fact that I am late, I'll trickle it out throughout the week. Pictures will be up this week too.

Vegas, The Hard Way (Part 1)

But first let's play a game of "Name That Van Zandt" (the guy on the left).

If you guessed Lynard Skynard's "Ronnie", you are sooo wrong. If you guessed .38 Special's "Donnie", give yourself a point.

Why this nonsense you ask? Well, in our ninety minute delay to fly to Vegas on Thursday night, my friend Stacey and I saw Mr. Van Zandt at the airport. Initially I saw some people getting there picture made with him and I asked Stacey if she knew who he was. She didn't, and I said that I thought it was a Van Zandt, but I didn't know which one. So, when the girls who took the picture walked by us Stacey asked them who it was (in hopes that they would know). The girl's response was "That's a Van Zandt". No shit, Sheila! What a great way to start the trip... :)

A Dinner To Die For AND THEY HAD FAT TIRE
The aforementioned Stacey lied to me when she said that my birthday restaurant was not owned by a famous chef. The restaurant was Mix owned my World Renown Chef Alain Ducasse

Normally this alone would have made me a happy man. Then we went to the lounge for a pre-dinner drink.

Do you know me? Did you know my favorite beer is Fat Tire? It's the only beer I have ever brought back from Denver when I go out there on business.

When the incredibly hot bartender told me that they served Fat Tire at the bar I nearly shit myself with joy! I would have jumped over the bar an kissed her if I knew that it wouldn't immediately get me kicked out of the bar. Okay, I would have jumped over the bar and kissed her even if she said that all they served was Budweiser, but that's another story.

One of the rules in my life is when you go out to celebrate, celebrate! When the waiter mentioned the Chef's Selection menu consisting of more courses than I have ever eaten in my life, I was ALL IN; fortunately so were Stacey, Andy, and Daniel. We feasted on the finest food I have ever eaten -- lobster salad with cavier, shrimp with a horseradish creme freche, bison tenderloin encrusted with pepper, desserts to die for including this homemade candy bar with coconut ice cream

And Fat Tire, all night long!!!

THANK YOU
To all who wished me a Happy Birthday on Friday, Thanks!

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - readjusting to Eastern Time
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing World Leader Pretend -- "Bang Theory"
Website Of The Day - The makers of Fat Tire, New Belgium Brewery

Off to read other blogs....

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Herro Kitty

I know what you are thinking after reading Andisheh Nouree's article in this week's Creative Loafing (thanks Betsy for the head's up -- how is Reese?) "Oh no, Paulie likes Hello Kitty? He must have gotten The Gay". Fear not my friends, for I have not.

Hello Kitty makes me laugh! And when I see Hello Kitty I think of two of my favorite things

• Women - I know many beautiful women who adore Hello Kitty.
• Money - Think about the number of items which have Hello Kitty on them. Hell, I've even heard that there is a "female personal massager" that bears Kitty's image.

I am not the only one intrigued by Hello Kitty's success, even NPR featured an article about Hello Kitty. Wonder why Hello Kitty has no mouth? Check out this website.

(btw - if you need to know about the fannypack reference check out Maigh's blog archives from last week.)

Things I Have Already Learned Today
It's not even 8:30am, and I have already learned the following

• Even if you are listening to my favorite song, please turn your volume down on the train.
• Never, ever sing on Marta, not even in the stations.
• My new coffee maker at work is not great and easily overflows. Luckily we purchased butt-ugly dark carpet so you can't see the spillage. I guess I will invest in a spill tray for the future.
• My antiperspirant is not.

Perimeter Mall's Food Court Does Not Thrill Me
I needed to make a mall run for lunch yesterday, so that dictated a food court lunch. After giving up waiting for chinese I landed at a "wrap joint". The gyro was fine, but on the whole I'll be passing on Perimeter Mall's food court.

Vegas Baby!
I'll be packing new iBook and camera on the trip, so if I can find WiFi (hmm, I should us the website I pimped the other day) I'll be posting "on schedule" tomorrow. Keep in mind that Vegas is three hours behind Atlanta, so if you are an early morning reader, check in the afternoon. The best things that happen in Vegas will stay in Vegas, but I see no reason not to share some of the fun.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - Oh no, my last day in my 30's!!!!!
Current Music - None, I'm on OLN for the Tour (you should know which one by now)
Website Of The Day - You should have seen this one coming.... Sanrio.

Off to read other blogs....

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Rapid(?) Transit

We'll See How 'Smarta' Marta Really Is
I've only been to this office twice and the drive home on each day was brutal, over an hour on each day. Yuck!

Today, I did the Urban Commuter thing and rode Marta into work. Right now I am even more happy that I did so since I just heard that all lanes of I285 on the North side will be closed "briefly" while some blasting for the dreaded Perimeter Center Parkway overpass project occurs.

6:53a - leave driveway
7:00a - arrive at Candler Park Marta station, miss first train but luckily second arrives soon
7:16a - arrive at Five Points Marta station for transfer, North Springs train
7:43a - arrive at Dunwoody Marta station
7:53a - sit at desk

This took longer than I hoped, but I am sure that I will be rewarded on my trip home.

I Say 40 Ounces, You Say...
Peanut Butter?

That's right. I am currently eating my breakfast straight out the jar. The label on the 40 ounce jar of Jif says that it is best when purchased by June 29, 2007. I think that I might be done with it around that time.

On a slight tanget, shouldn't Jif change its tag line of "Choosy moms choose Jif" to read "Choosy parents choose Jif" since in this day and age dads are likely to be buying the food at the grocery store?

The Patio, Pizza, Salad, Beer
Back in January I made a trip to The Patio in Inman Park. All you can eat pizza and salad for $10, and $2 pints of Sweetwater 420. Good times, good times.

Last night I returned. I am glad to say that the pizza and salad offer still exists (and is quite good I might add), but sadly the beer selection has changed dramatically. The only beer on draft (or is that draught) was Pabst Blue Ribbon, and the selection of bottled beer was less than desirable for my taste buds. The only beer that sounded good to me was one of my old standbys Whitbread Ale. But $6 a bottle!?! That seems more than a bit steep to me.

TOUR DE FRANCE SPOILER WARNING: Damn, My #3 Has Abandoned
I had picked the Win/Place/Show for this year's Tour de France to be

• Lance Armstrong (Discovery)
• Ivan Basso (CSC)
• Andres Kloden (T-Mobile)

Kloden abandoned due to a broken wrist (pussy).

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - I can almost smell Vegas!
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio via Dish Network, Channel 6026 playing The Faint -- "Agenda Suicide"
Website Of The Day - I love random shit, I am sure that That Was Random will occupy my time.

Off to read other blogs....

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Disjointed Topics For The Attention Deficit Disordered

Look out, I'm coming at you in every direction.

Dear Free Concert Promoters
Um, if you book bands as large as Weezer, how about finding an area that can handle the size of the crowd? Please also keep in mind the number of people who show up just because the concert is free.

While I was technically at the concert Saturday night, I really didn't feel that I was at the concert Saturday night. And, was it my imagination or did the volume get turned down when Weezer was on stage?

Death And Taxes
Owie! Owie! Owie! My Dekalb County, City of Atlanta tax notification arrived in the mail yesterday. I was getting prepared to get reamed in the ass this year, but I thought that would be done by a medical practitioner, not the City of Atlanta.

If I Don't Get My Shit Together, I Won't Be In The Big Apple
I keep procrastinating. I don't know why I can't pull the trigger on this trip, but I can't seem to do it. Boo me!

Meet The Hashers Sliding Safely Into Third
Damn You "Rolling Stone" for naming Janis Joplin the best blues singer of the 1960's. Clearly our answer of Mick Jagger was better. This snafu along with a couple of others forced Meet The Hashers to settle for third place at Taco Mac last night.

The Taco Mac in the Highlands has gone non-smoking. Woo Hoo! I even witnessed my new favorite waitress Jen telling a guy that he was not allowed to smoke in the building and had to take his cigarette outside. Nice, very nice.

Working In Hell Didn't Stop Me From Getting Coffee
I woke up later than desired this morning. Fearing getting caught in traffic I stopped into Joe's for a cup to go and say hello to the lovely Ellen. Yippee!

Traffic was a bit heavy and a somewhat-full Connector always scares the shit out of me. Maybe I'll be trying Marta soon to see how that goes.

Like A Sherpa, Touched For The Very First Time
The new office (which I must admit I love my new office, I just hate the location of the new office building) is on the sixth floor. While it's too late to lose twenty pounds by my fortieth birthday, I have committed to taking the stairs rather than the elevator in an attempt to shed some weight. I might not be in as bad as shape as I have feared. This morning I managed to beat the stairs carrying my overstuffed briefcase, a gallon of water, a grocery bag full of junk, and my cup of Joe's coffee.

Do The Have Used CD Stores OTP?
Ok, technically the new releases today are new CDs, but the question posed in the title still plagues me.

With all of the hubub about the Pixies over the last year I am not sure how Frank Black (aka Black Francis) had time to make a new CD, but he did. Today, Frank's "Honeycomb" CD hits the streets -- it's not small, no no no.

Sure, I could have picked "Now That's What I Call Music! 19", but I am sure that this contains songs that I really don't call 'music'.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - timing is everything, why haven't I closed my deals?
Current Music - Adam Curry's "Daily Source Code" Podcast #210
Website Of The Day - Going on vacation in a few days, I need to find out where I can get some free wi-fi using the Free Wi-Fi Finder.

Off to read other blogs....

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Changes In Latitude, Changes In Attitude

If Found, Please Return Inside The Perimeter
I must learn to like working OTP.
I must learn to like working OTP.
I must learn to like working OTP.

Day One:
Items in car, necessitating drive to work.
Wake up and finally get moving by 5:50am.
Hit road by 6:15am.
Commute through Connector is sketchy, but once past Ikea (or more accurately 17th Street bridge) things open up.
Oh Crap, need 50cent (not the artist, but rather four bits) for the toll booth, luckily I'm prepared (but then again, I am always prepared).
Cross under Perimeter, car starts shaking, I get weird feeling of deja vu from "past life".
Get to new office partially unload trunk.
Set up computer to blog.
No satellite feeds connected, glad today is a rest day in the Tour de France.
Hoping to find something other than chain restaurant for lunch.

I am here

Game On!

More tomorrow, for today I must unload boxes and set up my new office.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - apprehensive, have chores to do too
Current Music - Accident Hash (not that type of hash) Podcast
Website Of The Day - Sure, Gmail is cool, but look at what you can do with these Gmail Tips

Off to read other blogs....

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

We's Moving

No update today

Mood - sad
TV is on OLN
Website - none

May post later, but more than likely will see you all Monday.

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Vive Bastille Day!

When Brown Delivered White, aka My Little Mac Attack
Against all suggestions I went ahead and bought a little 12" iBook this week. I know, Apple has announced a massive change in architecture set for next year, but in my new view of the world, that is going to happen next year, and I am living for now.

Taunt me when I moan about it because you have every right to do so, but I'll still continue to be pleased with my purchase.

Now I just need to find the time to use it.


It's A House Of Books, So You Know I'll Never Use It
The new East Atlanta library opened for "business" last Saturday. It's been a long process getting this done and I am greatful that there were people who were responsible for securing a new library for my neighborhood. Hopefully this addition along with the streetscaping project will help the EA Village turn around. Now if someone will finally do something with the old Echo Lounge and Madison Theater.


Revisiting Gordon Ramsay
I blogged about "Hell's Kitchen" in the past and how I thought that the show wasn't that great. The jury is still out for me.

Before that I had also blogged about "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares" a series in which chef Ramsay atttempted to turn around restaurant kitchens which had been faltering greatly.

Now the BBC has suckered my in again with "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares Revisted". In this series you get a recap of an episode of "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares" followed by a return visit to the establishment to see if the people and settings have changed per the suggestions made during the original series. So far, so good at least with my viewership.


I Don't Mind Being Hip, I Do Mind Having A Hurting Hip
My right hip hurts and it hurts often. I keep trying to remember when it started hurting. I am trying to figure out if this is a side effect from the ankle injuries I suffered earlier this year. Perhaps I have changed my running stride?

If it's not one thing, it's something else. Welcome to old age?

Has Harvest Been Harvested
During my run/walk last night I passed the restaurant Harvest in the Highlands. It looks like the restaurant has closed. The outdoor furniture was gone, there was a dumpster in the front parking lot, and it didn't appear that anyone was in the building. Does anyone know the story?

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - ACK! will I ever get caught up?
Current Music - None, OLN has early morning coverage of the Tour de France
Website Of The Day - Need to buy that "perfect" cartoon? Try the Cartoon Stock library. Here's one that fits today, which in the hash is referred to as Bastaard Day.



Off to read other blogs....

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

How Much For That Cockatoo In The Window?

Exotic Bird Fair: Buy, Sell, Trade
On my drive in today I saw a billboard for Tim Vogle's Southeastern Exotic Bird Fair. Buying and selling I understand, but trading? Taking a bird to a show in order to trade it for another confuses me. "Sorry Polly, but I can't afford to buy you crackers any longer, I'm going to have to trade you in for a parakeet."

I have to admit, I've seen people keep exotic birds as pets, but I never really thought about how they acquired them.

Packing It All In
Friday is move day, and in preparation I have been packing six years worth of crap into boxes. I would consider this a refreshing exercise if not for the fact my destination was hell.

What Can Brown Do For Me?
DELIVER MY DAMN PACKAGE TODAY!!!! My new toy is scheduled to arrive today. I'm giddy I tell you, giddy!

I Hope Hell's Residents Aren't Slobs Too
One of the most troubling things that I have noticed with my current office-building neighbors is that a small number of them are complete slobs. Apparently, they never received the memo that the parking lot is not a trash can. Every morning, and often each evening, there is at least one pile with an empty soda cup or bag of fast food wrappers. Sad, very sad.

Pork, The Other White Meat
I have a desire to go to the Big Pig Jig in Vienna, Georgia and get my pork on. This year the event is on September 30th and October 1st. Sure, I'd have to miss the Magnolia Electric Co. at The EARL, but I would be back in time to see the Falcons take on the Vikings at the Georgia Dome. Any takers?

Apparently There Was Some Sort Of Baseball Game Last Night?
I love baseball, but the All Star Game holds no appeal for me these days. All I need to remember from this game is "Detroit" (the city in which it was held), "American" (the team that won), and "Miguel Tejada" (the game's MVP) for future trivia reference.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - still one overdue task left to schedule -- must set reminder!
Current Music - None, OLN has early morning coverage of the Tour de France
Website Of The Day - Sarah and Willy, this site in honor of your creek cleanup work... The Center for Prevention of Shopping Cart Abuse.

Off to read other blogs....

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

If I Had A Million Dollars

After yesterday morning's impulse buy combined with my impending purchase of plane tickets to New York so that I can visit friends/family and see Glengarry Glen Ross on Broadway, I got to thinking, "What would I do if I had a million dollars?"

I Probably Wouldn't Build A White House Replica
Although I am kind of glad someone has.

Did you know that Atlanta is home to an exact replica of the White House? Aptly named the Atlanta White House it sits up on Briarcliff Road near Shallowford Road.

Perhaps I would have to piss away more than a million dollars in order to complete this project, but as I have already stated, I doubt that I would.

I'd Invest In A Time Machine So That I Could See Dressy Bessy
Or perhaps save money and reschedule their performance for tonight.

It was a hippies' delight last night at the Variety Playhouse. There was so much jamming done by Les Claypool and the opening act (whose name I don't know and VP has already removed the show from their site) that the Playhouse should have been renamed the Smucker's Auditorium. btw - hippies can't dance.

The last time I saw Claypool perform was the same Lollapalooza I saw Dinosaur Jr. (way back in 1993). Back then he was in Primus and they were riding the wave of their CD "Pork Soda". I was hoping to be as impressed last night as I was back then. I was only mildy disappointed. At one point a guitar player joined the band on stage and the crowd went nuts. Embarrassingly, I have no idea who that was. Can anyone help me out? Claypool is a master craftsman with the bass (and similar instruments). Watching him bounce around on stage enjoying his craft is worth the price of admission. We were also "treated" to a few extended jam sessions while technical difficulties such as the drummer breaking his kick drum and the eukelele player not being heard in the monitors were tended to.

I had a plan. Exit Variety at 11:30pm regardless of how much I was enjoying the show. Head to The EARL and see if I could catch Dressy Bessy's set. It's The EARL, surely they wouldn't go on stage before midnight.

I was surprised to see that Dressy Bessy had already gone on stage when I arrived at The EARL. Then when the ticket dude told me that they had already been on stage for forty minutes, I realized that my plan failed miserably. Oh well, I did manage to get more sleep than anticipated.

I'd Be In France Following Lance
It is the last time he plans to ride the Tour de France.

I would have loved to have been a cycling hippie and followed the tour like they were Phish this year.

I'd Pay Someone To Reorganize My Life
Funny coming me you say?

I agree. However, this last year I have been a complete scatterbrain. In fact, today's crisis is that I have misplaced my car registration. The same registration I paid $270 to acquire last week.

I Could Buy All Of Today's New CD Releases
But I probably wouldn't do that.

Talk about your time machines, look at some of the names releasing CDs today

• Bow Wow Wow, oops that's Bow Wow
• Rick Springfield
• Carole King
• Adrien Belew

Willie or William? William or Willie? Oh, there is really no question. Who would pick William Hung's release of "Miracle: Happy Summer From William Hung" over Willie Nelson's "Countryman"? Willie maybe a hippie at heart, but he's OK by me.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - still one overdue task left to schedule
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Bloc Party -- "This Modern Love", although I wish they were playing Barenaked Ladies -- "If I Had A Million Dollars"
Website Of The Day - Go to Lifehacker play with it and then suggest sites for me to see.

Off to read other blogs....

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

It's Going To Be One Of Those Mornings...

Dennis, oh Dennis, you can't rain on my parade today...

Man, this morning has slipped away quickly. I have been trying to knock out tasks, all the while forgetting to blog. Sorry. :)

Live For The Day!
As I have blogged about much, I turn forty this year (July 22nd for those of you keeping score at home). While I have not been contemplating mortality too much, I have realized that it's time to get busy and stop putting shit off.

I Just Made An Impulse Buy
I can't believe I pulled the plug, this is very unlike me. I just hope that it gets to my office before we move at the end of the week. More later...

Man Did I Have A Good Weekend
Friday night -- I did NOTHING! Stayed home, cooked (read below), and sat on my arse.

Saturday -- A peppy little thirty-six mile bike ride from my house around Stone Mountain and back, followed by some Tour de France watching, and a fabulous dinner with my friend Stacey at the Thinking Man's Tavern.

Sunday -- up early (6am!) to watch the Tour de France live, ran the Bastaard Day Black Sheep hash, completed the night with a Greenie Meenie chicken sandwich at The EARL. The hash was extra-cool because we ran over part of an abandoned golf course -- I only wish I had my camera, which I left at home because of Dennis.

Under Pressure
It's now 10:17am and I just remembered add this section. Oops. It's probably not worth the wait, but it's included for completeness.

Friday night's dinner was cooked with a pressure cooker that I have had for (three?) years but have never used. Now, I wonder why it has taken me this long! I cooked an awesome chicken stew, if I do say so myself. Normally I'd cook a stew, be it beef or chicken, in a crockpot long and slow. Friday night I just couldn't wait the four hours dictated by the crockpot recipe, so I gambled on the pressure cooker. Yummy, fucking yummy. Fear not the pressure cooker friends, as I now know it can be quite the ally.

My Name Is Listed On MetroBlog Atlanta
Yep, it's official! Now I just need to find some scoops to post. Game On!

Dear Friends, Get Thee A 99x Card
Weezer (free!!!) Saturday night, I need not say more except that if you don't have a 99x card yet, get one! btw - two of the opening bands The Bravery and The Dead 60s also make this worth going to see. I'll be there!

But Tonight I'll Be Jamming To Les Claypool
I'll be hopping around Variety Playhouse in L5P tonight to see Les Claypool. With any luck the show will let out early enough for me to catch Dressy Bessy at The EARL as well. I should be sufficiently tired tomorrow morning.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - only one overdue task left to schedule
Current Music - Coverville Podcast #108 -- "The Kinks Cover Story"
Website Of The Day - I'm trying to figure out the social bookmark craze with del.icio.us.

Off to read other blogs....

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Friday, Friday, It Seems Like Monday Is Far Away

Mr. Meteorologist I Am Not
I was certain that Cindy's overcast clouds would continue into the early evening, so why ride? Hmmm, my assumption was so wrong that I think that I am Weather Channel material.

Guess Who May Not Be A MetroBlogger Afterall?
I have been waiting for notification that my MetroBlogging account has been created. I have already contacted the person in charge and was told that it would take a few more days -- that was on June 30th. I can be patient, but I am admittedly anxious.

The Bad News Will Continue Until Morale Improves
My office moves in a week.... to Hell, aka "Perimeter Mall", aka "Outside The Perimeter". As if this move wasn't bad enough, yesterday we were handed a sheet of paper which outlined Satan's newest project -- "Perimeter Center Parkway and I-285 Overpass Construction in DeKalb County". Let me give you some highlights of the handout

• During the construction, Perimeter Center Parkway will be re-routed. (our new office is on Perimeter Center Parkway)
• New bridge support installation work will require some lane closures on I-285. This work is scheduled to being in early fall of 2005
• Traffic delays are to be expected
• The project is scheduled for completion in late 2007. (Holy Fucking Shit!!!)

Hell I say!

Oooh Wee Oooh I Look Just Like Lance Armstrong
Okay, maybe not. However, I did motivate myself to ride my mountain bike into work today. Sadly, this will be the last Friday that I can ride to this office.

If You Are An Alternative Hipster, Tonight's Your Night
Dinosaur Jr. rocks the Variety Playhouse tonight. Trouble is, the show is sold out!

I first saw Jay Mascis and DJr at Lollapalooza in New Orleans in the early 1990's. Of the artists on stage that day they were the worst. The crowd was so bored that we started throwing black and white beer cups. The scene overhead was like a swarm of black and white locusts. I will never forget that scene.

Not being one to hold a grudge forever, I was willing to give Dinosaur Jr. another chance -- but I was too late to but tickets, so I will be missing out on this show. No tickee, no showee.

What Is The Point Of Ebay These Days?
Occassionally I go to EBay to try and buy things. However, I never seem to find bargains, in fact many of the things up for auction cost more on EBay than at other online stores. What gives?

While I am on the subject of online buying, there is something about Craig's List that bothers me. Sometimes the prices are too cheap. I'm might not be above buying "hot" merchandise (I would have bought my stolen camera back in a heartbeat), but I just don't want to be scammed. Am I overreacting on this?

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - three tasks down, hoping to schedule the rest today
Current Music - none, my TV is on OLN to watch the Tour de France
Website Of The Day - Get your geek on with these -- Yummy! (tagged documents) and the Download Squad (computer software blog).

Off to read other blogs....

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

God Save The Trees!

If A Tree Falls In Atlanta...
As a (somewhat regular) Trees Atlanta volunteer it tears me up to see how Mother Nature has been uprooting large trees recently.

While I completely understand the fear of a large trees damaging people and property, I just hope that this doesn't spark another round of tree cutting here in Atlanta. We are an Urban Forest, and I hope that we remain one as long as possible.

When Doing Nothing Is The Best Thing To Do
I've been on the go constantly lately. According to my schedule Wednesday is normally a "running" night for me. The imminent arrival of tropical depression Cindy and my own desire to stay at home and relax convinced me to keep ass firmly planted on couch instead last night. A home cooked dinner, some house cleaning, some television viewing, and some internet surfing; oh happy day (or night in this case). Hell, for the first time in ages I didn't even lose power during a storm!

I Want John Basedow To Go Away!
You may know him as the "the Fitness Celebrity guy", or "that guy with the washboard abs and the hair that looks like a rug". Either way, I am tired of seeing John Basedow's commercials for his ab workout. Granted I need a good ab routine to remove the ten pounds of "laundry" that currently cover my washboard stomach, but damn, do I really need to see this guy's commercials at least four times an hour? It drives me crazy!

One Benefit Of Being An Early Riser
I was first in line today down at the DeKalb County Tax Collector's office. First in, first out. W00t! Two hundred seventy dollars later, I have a small square sticker to place on my license plate.

Ye who live in states other than Georgia may not know that we pay dearly for the priviledge to drive on our roads. We have always been told that our ad valorem taxes keep our gasoline taxes lower. We usually have the lowest gas prices in the country, but am I really saving $270 per year in gasoline taxes?

In addition to my ad valorem tax I also had to get an emissions test this year. Because my car is a 2002 model this was the first year that I was required to get one for it. It's an additional $25 per year tax for residents of about a dozen counties in Georgia. Normally, I wouldn't mind this too much because in theory fewer pollution-emitting cars on the roads means better air quality. Today I found out that cars built before 1982 are not required to get an emissions test! Aren't these the cars that would be polluting the most?

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - two tasks down, still many to go
Current Music - none, my TV is on OLN to watch the Tour de France
Website Of The Day - This weather has been great for ducks, go get some at Captain Quack.

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Opinions! Diagnoses! Knowledge! I Have Them All!

File Under: 'Unpatriotic'
Sadly, I heard from a friend yesterday that her car was broken into down at Turner Field on Monday night. Okay I get it, Turner Field is not exactly in the 'Best Of' neighborhoods. However, I find a crime committed on Independence Day (at a baseball stadium no less) to be heinous. I wouldn't mind doubling sentences for people who commit crimes against others on July 4th, much the way speeding fines are doubled in designated work zones.

What Up, Doc?
I finally made it in to see a doctor yesterday (luckily on the same day I called for an appointment). After the obligitory waiting room time followed by alone time in the 'little room' I was quickly diagnosed with some funkily-named viral infection for which time is the only cure. Imagine that! Seems like I deserve a bit of a kickback on my $25 co-pay, but I guess that the sanity gained by hearing a professional's diagnosis is worth the money

The most unfortunate bit of news I heard yesterday was that I weighed in at 200+ pounds (fully clothed). Did I ever mention something about losing twenty pounds by my birthday? Hmmm, that was truly stupid.

Guess who will be keeping his shirt on all summer long? And now it's not just because I am fat...

Lights On, Lights Off, Lights On, Lights Off
The most bothersome thing that happened in the doctor's office was a loss of electricity. Twice the power went off only to make futile attempts at coming back before going off again. This happened once while I was in the waiting room, and once when I was in the examination room.

For some reason I was under this belief that all medical facilities had a backup generator to hold them over in times of power outages. I might even be willing to pay another $5 in co-pay if I was guaranteed to have power for my entire visit.

What, I Can't Register A Stolen Vehicle?
The only logic I can apply to why I have yet to receive my vehicle registration notice for this year is that my car was reported as stolen last year. Looking at my paperwork from last year I had not only received my renewal, I had already paid it by this time. Oh, the hassle of being a victim of crime continues as I now have to visit one of the offices in person in order to get that valuable little sticker for my tag.

Who's That Trivia Whore?
Now Pitching for the Reds.... Pedro Borbon. Borbon....

Like one of Bingo Long's Travelling All-Stars I sat in on Team Trivia over at Rocky Mountain Pizza last night.

Because I have a tendency to be extremely early to every event to which I am invited (I hope I'm never invited to my own funeral), I drove around the West End for awhile seeing how things have changed in the six years since I worked in the area. Did you know that Atlanta has an Ikea now? Why hasn't this been in the news? I also took a stroll around the West End of the Georgia Tech campus where I formulated the opinion that 'T' is the hardest letter to stick to a building since the letters for the "CENTER ST APTS" letters read "CEN ER S AP S".

[depending on when you read this there may be pictures inserted here. don't hold your breath]

Oh yeah, the trivia. So this team named "Team Lame" which, had we been on campus, would have been named " eam Lame", consisted of a few hashers I know and their friends. How do I word this.... I was easily the oldest team member (by ten years), and perhaps the oldest person in the bar. Respect! The team was a good mix of talent, I provided the sports 4-1-1 as I am wont to do. We took second place.

Hello Joe, What Do You Know?
The East Atlanta Streetscape Project is nearly complete (I personally would like to have the additional street parking back). With much of the debris cleared, a sidewalk in place, and the pleasant surprise of Joe's coffee being open as I drove by, I stopped in for a large dark roast to go this morning. It was nice to support the hood; it was nice to see Ellen working the counter; and it was nice to have the aroma of coffee permeating my car on my drive in to work.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - one task down, many to go
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 26, playing Athlete -- "Half Light"
Website Of The Day - "Baseball Knowledge Will Not Help You Pick Up Girls". Truer words never spoken. More insightful articles like that can be found at McSweeney's.

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Book'Em Dano

Nice.... A short week of work. What better to have when I've got about a million appointments to make.

Grrrrl Rock
On Friday Sleater-Kinney put on a rocking show at the Variey Playhouse. Loud and aggressive, their music blasted throughout the venue. They also managed not to sound exactly like their cds, occassionally breaking into solos. I was impressed.

And to top it all off they finished their encore with a cover of Danzig's "Mother".

Well played ladies, well played.

One Out Of Two
Unfortunately the Sleater-Kinney concert was the only one that I attended this weekend. A thirty-five mile bike ride followed by hashing did me in on Saturday. My patented Power Nap to get me caught up before heading over to Decatur to see A Fir-Ju Well lasted well into the start of their set. Oh well, hopefully they will play in town a few more times in the near future.

Another Successful Peachtree Road Race Pub Crawl
Starting Independence Day with a screwdriver at 7:30am was a clear indication that I would not be seeing any fireworks last night.

Shortly after the wheelchairs, Kenyans, and some number of fast runners who had no chance of winning the Peachtree, the Hash House Harriers' Peachtree Pub Crawl team jumped into the race from the parking lot of the $3 Cafe (why do all 10k when you don't have to). We shouldn't have been too hard to miss; we were fifty or so drinkers (ok, I know I was drinking) who walked, sang, did conga lines, and stopped for every red light along Peachtree. I was the one who was entirely too loud, shouting words if encouragement, and sometimes discouragement, to my fellow participants. I consider it a talent.

The um, walk, was followed by a lovely hash party before I walked back to my car which was parked much further away from the party than I had realized. Oh well, it gave me the opportunity to become completely sober before I drove home to crash for the rest of the evening.

I hear there were fireworks last night. Eh, fireworks are overated...

It's Not Monday, It's Tuesday!
As you can well imagine, the 5th of July is not a great day to get people to come out and snatch up newly-released cds, so the picking is real slim today. Here is the complete list of new releases according to my source

• Missy Elliott - The Cookbook
• R. Kelly - TP.3 Reloaded
• Soundtrack - Fantastic 4
• Webbie - Savage Life

I will leave it up to you the reader to figure out which one of these is worth listening to.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - all things considered, not bad.
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 26, playing The Replacements -- "Answering Machine"
Website Of The Day - A little bored at work? Check out The Neverending Fall. It's an incredibily mesmerizing flash demo of rag-doll physics.

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

I'm Apathetic And I Really Don't Care

What's Up Doc?
Still no doctor. Many thanks to you who passed me suggestions. I'm working on the details today.

Blame Canada
Today is Canada Day, of course only in Canada. I was all set to go to last night's Canada Day Hash (we're not officially bound to any calendar) until apathy set in. The hash was to be set not more than one block from my first Atlanta apartment in *gasp* Sandy Springs *gasp*. Yes, you read that right, I once lived outside the perimeter. *hiding face in shame* I lived up there prior to discovering hashing and wanted to see what I had missed when I ran the area back then.

When I first moved to Atlanta from Huntsville, Alabama in 1995 all the world was my stage. I was a mere twenty-nine years old, in fantastic shape (after shedding 75 pounds), had moved to a city which touted having more women than men and was a year away from hosting the Olympics, and moved into an apartment complex (then known as Spring Creek Crossing) with swimming pools, racquetball courts, and tennis courts filled with attractive girls.

Wow, do I have a different perspective now...

The thought of driving up to Sandy Springs, fighting traffic, running a hash in brutal heat, drinking (ok this part seemed doable), then driving all the way home to East Atlanta sucked the wind completely out of my sails.

I rationalized my decision by deciding that I should run a few errands and treat myself to a delicious dinner. The only problem with apathy is that nothing sounds delicious when I am feeling that way.

The Days Of Rice And Beans
At home with a fairly barren cupboard, refrigerator filled with condiments and beer (brands) that I refuse to drink, and a few frozen hamburger patties in the freezer, the thought of eating at home seemed even less appealing than going back out. Unfortunately, by the time I had gotten home it was nearly 8pm and, not wanting to kill any potential for productivity, I decided to suck it up and eat like I did in the old days.

Rice meet canned baked beans, canned baked beans meet rice. I have to admit, I enjoyed the hell out of that meal.

special note to co-workers: I apologize to you in advance, sorry.

If That One Is Sleater And That One Is Kinney, Who's The Third One?
After years of being out of the Sleater-Kinney loop I will finally be seeing them tonight at the Variety Playhouse. I think it will be a great show, FAB you are missing out!

And This Just In...
On my ill-fated run Wednesday night I saw that A Fir-Ju Well is playing a show at Eddie's Attic in Decatur. This should be interesting because the venue is a real poor fit for the band (imho). If you remember my review from their show with British Sea Power at The EARL, these guys rocked very loudly and were like a Chinese Fire Drill on stage. When I think of Eddie's Attic I think "acoustic" and "small stage"; I look forward to seeing how adaptable these guys can be.

Tour de Lance
Go get number seven, Lance! For those of you not into cycling, the Tour de France starts on July 2nd. Venga! Venga! Venga!

Happy Birthday!
I know that I am a few days early, but Happy Birthday America! For 229 you don't look all that bad, but you should see a doctor about all that tree loss and pollution running through your rivers and streams. I mailed your birthday money to you back on April 15th, I hope that you received the check by now.

This is another weekend where I ask you, the reader, to be very careful so that you can return to this space on Tuesday. Not only will we all be dealing with the prospect of drunken drivers, but we need to watch out for the assholes with fireworks. Heed my advice, if you hear anyone yell "Hey man, watch this!", run like fucking hell!

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - I'm ready for a birthday party, American Style!!!
Current Music - Sleater-Kinney's cd "The Woods"
Website Of The Day - More than just a bike rider, check out Lance Armstrong's Foundation, the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]