Honey, I'm Home

Ok, first off I was disappointed to find out that the Pie Wagon is only open for lunch. How in the world does it stay in business? Not deterred, I managed to find the Pancake Pantry, reportedly a long-time favorite of the Vanderbilt crowd. It was very good, which explained the hard time finding a parking space and the five minute wait for a table on a Thursday morning.

Today's A Mental Health Day
And I am popping my Apple's cherry by blogging from Joe's coffee shop in East Atlanta. Business is a bit on the slow side right now, but I'm enjoying my blueberry muffin and this mondo cup of coffee.



With it being so slow I get to hear all of the surly advice being supplied by Carmen.

Today's goals are to have fun, exercise, buy groceries, and perhaps buy my first monthly Marta card.

I was scheduled to go to a big hashing camping weekend called NC/SC, but the hectic nature of this week and my desire not to drink myself silly changed my mind. Besides, I'd have to cut the camping short to return for Sunday's Falcons' game anyway.

Ooh, the cutest woman I have ever seen in East Atlanta just entered and bought a coffee.

First It's Children, Now It's Matrimony
Hmmm, that came out all wrong. I came back to Atlanta to find out that two of my coupled friends have gotten engaged. For what it's worth I approve of both of these. I know that at least one of the couples has read this space in the past, so if you crazy kids are reading this today I have one suggestion-- open bar. :)

A Very Brady Trainwreck
Has anyone else been watching My Fair Brady? This show is an absolute trainwreck. It's Yet Another Reality Show, this one follows the lives of forty-seven year old Christopher Knight (Peter Brady) and his twenty-two year old model girlfriend Adrianne Curry. They met where all couples should meet, on the reality show called The Surreal Life. What could possibly go wrong?

EARL+EARL Weekend
Depending on my attitude I might be doing a double booking at The EARL this weekend in place of the camping.

Tonight Magnolia Electric Co. is scheduled to play; tomorrow night's billing contains Tenement Halls. I think that both will be excellent shows.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - relaxed
Current Music - none. I'd be listening to a podcast right now had I remembered to pack my headphones. Arrgh!
Website Of The Day - Send your future-self a message at FutureMe. I just sent Paulie + 7 days the message "Don't forget to buy concert tickets for you and the cute woman you met this morning". Oh crap, the cute woman just left the coffee shop with nary a glance in my direction.

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Yesterday's Exercise (b)Log - nothing

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

One Night In Nashville

Blogger keeps stealing my text, so if this entry sounds odd you know why. Seriously, I started typing drunk but now it's Thurdsay morning and I am completely sober.

Here is my night in a nutshell. Long time readers may see a behavioral pattern when I visit Nashville. Deal with it...

Jack's BBQ
With a return of appetite it was time to eat at Jack's BBQ.



beer consumed: one Sam Adams

The Beer Sellar
Every time I come to Nashville I see the sign for the Beer Sellar. Ninety-nine beers they claim. Why have I not gone in? This trip would be different, I'd venture in. I was not disappointed.



beer consumed: one Arrogant Bastard Ale

Robert's Western World
What's a trip to Nashville without stopping at Robert's Western World? I swear the same band is playing there every time I enter. However, that's not a bad thing because I think that those guys are really good.



beer consumed: one Miller High Life ($2.50)

The Bluegrass Inn
Next door: the Bluegrass Inn. I entered at a bad time, during band changes. However, it gave my and my coworker Joe a chance to chat about Nashville and to exchange jabs with the "first day" bartender from the mean streets of Charlotte, Jesse.



Jesse was mad (at least in one five minute period) with the two women from Milwaukee next to us because they were not tipping. We overheard Jesse telling the ladies to avoid Tootsie's Orchid Lounge.

beer consumed: one Miller High Life ($3.25)

And Finally, Tootsie's Orchid Lounge
You should have seen this coming right. I hear "don't go to Tootsie's Orchid Lounge" and were to I go? Tootsie's Orchid Lounge.



Truth be told I like Tootsie's. It was the first bar I encountered on my first trip to Nashville. Of the bands I heard last night the guys jamming on the cramped stage at Tootsie's were the best. The lead singer looked like Carrot Top, but that sonna bitch could sing and play a mean harmonica. It was time to go when they finished their set.

beer consumed: one Miller High Life ($4.50! I think she ripped me off)

I'm Going To Eat At The Pie Wagon
My hotel room is in eyesight of the Pie Wagon, which I have found out is a breakfast/lunch restaurant. I first saw the Pie Wagon when I ran by it on the half-marathon. For some reason the name makes me laugh, and therefore I must eat there this morning.

beer consumed: none, it's breakfast

And then I drive back to Atlanta...

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - turning the corner thanks to meds :)
Current Music - none
Website Of The Day - Maigh calls the Macintosh a paperweight; I call mine the laptop that will keep me from looking like the hunchback of Notre Dame. I think I'll spend tomorrow downloading software to my friend the iBook by using Wikitosh's Must Have Mac Software.

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Yesterday's Exercise (b)Log - nothing

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

A Free Trip Wasted

Normally I like getting wasted on business trips, this trip is different thanks to this lingering sickness.

Vanderbilt Wins The "Most Annoying" Award
Somebody buy this campus some fucking signs already! Driving to the parking garage was an exercise in circumnavigation because there were no street signs anywhere. The crude map provided was of marginal help as well.

Then there was the parking garage itself. We were directed to park in the "Visitor's Section", fair. However, the entrance I first entered had no "Visitor's Section." I was forced to exit the parking garage and enter through another entrance. I saw the sign for the Visitor's Section in which none of the spots were labelled. It gets better. This lot was to cost $5 a day for parking. However, when I tried to leave there was no one inside the booth. There was a permanent-sign that said "Drop Ticket In Box And Gate Will Open." This seemed odd since I was supposed to pay. Oh well, free parking afterall.

Wal*Mart Prose
From one of the authors found in the bathroom of a Tennessee Wal*Mart at which I had to stop for a Nature Break -- "The Hangman Shit Here." Silly Hangman, once you have completed your shit you have shat. I must take off five points for grammar, please return and correct your graffiti.

Kismet
While sitting in this Nashville hotel I just received an email for the Country Music Half Marathon. How did they know I was here? :)

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - still under the weather :(
Current Music - none
Website Of The Day - You should always think about backups. At SunkenCity they show you a way to back up your Flickr photos.

If you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Yesterday's Exercise (b)Log - nothing

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Citizen, Third Class

Trivia, Interrupted
I have been a fairly regular trivia player at Taco Mac for the last three or so years. During football season trivia players are asked to arrive and hour earlier so that our festivities are over in time for the start of Monday Night Football. I have always felt like a second class citizen at Taco Mac because of this.

Last night, our trivia game was cut in half so that we could clear out around the start of the rescheduled Tennessee v. LSU football game. Trivia players have become third class citizens.

I have had enough! As of today I shall not be returning to Taco Mac. If my business cannot be appreciated then I shall not give it to them. There are other venues at which I can play trivia on Monday nights and now will be the time for me to explore them.

There was an odd occurrence for me during last night's game (for which we would have won had I had the chutzpah to stick behind my final answer). Brenan, one of my teammates, brought his sister (half-sister? step-sister?) who happened to sit next to me. She was an extremely beautiful and confident young lady. At one point we were discussing mixed beverages (no, I did not mention yesterday's Website Of The Day -- the iPod Bartender) and I was actually intimidated by her looks. Strange. This has never happened to me before. I feel like I am turning into Woody Allen. Oye!

This One Goes To Eleven
Here's a mildly interesting piece of trivia. When you type in "Atlanta" into The Weather Channel's website, you can choose from eleven different states containing a city named "Atlanta." Aside from Georgia, there are Atlantas in (no particular order) Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, and Texas. Who knew?

N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A, N/A
For the third time this year I have found out that one of my female friends has become pregnant, thus joining the (temporary) non-alcoholic team. My congratulations go out to Lisa, Sandy, and Beth! I suppose I could congratulate their husbands as well, but I'd rather not. :P

With all this pregnancy going around perhaps it's good thing that I can't find a girlfriend.

Happy Birthday Google!
Today Google turns seven. With three of the Googlites cracking Forbes' Top 400 Richest Americans list there should be quite a birthday party at the Google campus today.

CD Pick Of The Week
Not much on the CD release list excites me today. The new Elbow release could be interesting. However, I'm going out on a limb and selecting Ric Ocasek's "Nexterday" instead.

Many moons ago a young Paulie rocked to the electronic stylings of The Cars. I was a hard-core Cars fan, who to this day could probably sing 90% of the songs (off tune with some of the lyrics mangled, of course). Ric's solo stuff has not been the greatest of material, but the man's got history so I'll give him the nod.

BLAST!
If you'd rather feel the dvd love today and are a fan of Family Guy I highly recommend checking out today's release of Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story!. It's a straight-to-dvd movie created in the time that Family Guy was off the air. I happened into a copy a few months ago and loved it!

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - a little further under the weather :(
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, channel 26 playing Death Cab For Cutie -- "Why You'd Want To Live Here"
Website Of The Day - Yesterday was Pizza Day over on Slashfood; today they made it into my blog! Lucky fucks.

btw- if you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Yesterday's Exercise (b)Log - nothing

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

I Really Need To Prepare Better

Who's That Appearing So Youthful?
Had you been one of the few to attend Friday night's Bob Mould concert you would have seen something rarely witnessed in public -- an ecstatically happy Paulie.

What can I say. When Bob launched into some of the Hüsker Dü catalog I was immediately put in the way back machine to a time when I was young and angry. Damn it was fun!

UPDATE:
I took this off of Bob's Blog

The tour has been interesting so far. We left DC Thursday morning, and played an OK show in Chapel Hill. Atlanta on Friday was great, the crowd was really giving us a lot of energy and encouragement. Very simple formula, folks: you give us love, we give you rock. It also helps when the house is full of old friends, fellow players, and sexy bloggers.

For a second I thought that the "sexy bloggers" linked to me. I guess it could have, but since I don't play for Bob's "team" I am glad it didn't. LOL!!

No Sufjan For You!
In that youthful stage I would have driven over and tried to figure out how to get in to the sold out Sufjan Stevens show at the 40 Watt club in Athens. It would have been my first real trip to Athens as well, which odd since I have lived in Atlanta for over then years I would have guessed that I'd gone there at least once. Alas in my "Grumpy Old Man" state I can't be bothered to make the trip without a ticket. If I was good at spreading cash around I am sure I could have managed to get a ticket somehow. Oh well, my loss.

Leaf Me Alone
With the lack of September rain my trees have taken to dropping their leaves early this year (and I am losing a considerable number of pecans as well). Yesterday's exercise (read "lawn mowing") turned my mower into a leaf mulcher instead of a grass cutter. Oh well, at least the lawn looks pretty. If I could only muster the desire to take care of the other yard chores now.

Speaking Of Yard Chores
I may very soon become one of "those people", as in those people who own a leaf blower. I really do hate the sound of leaf blowing, and considered those who own them to be too lazy to rake or sweep. However, after 6+ years of home ownership I have come to realize that I will never be motivated to sweep and rake as much as I should.

La Casiiiiita
A well-timed phone call from my friend Glenn got me out of the house yesterday for the first time since Friday night. Glenn, who will be starting a job in downtown, was timing how long it takes to walk from downtown to East Atlanta. He plans to walk to work and frankly I am a bit jealous.

Glenn decided to stop his watch and have a beverage at La Casita in East Atlanta and I was more than happy to walk up and join him. My intention was to have a margarita, but when I saw that the Sunday special was $3 bottles of Negra Modelo, I couldn't resist ordering beer.

As we sat there (and ran into our friends Amy and Larry) the place filled to the rafters. This is a pleasant sight for an East Atlanta restaurant, however I think that they will need to pick up the service a bit in order to keep people coming back.

Blocked Party
Bloc Party plays in Atlanta tonight. Unfortunately Bloc Party is playing at The Tabernacle, a venue which is under the Ticketbastard stranglehold. The tickets for the show are $20, and the convenience charges and ticket processing charges add up to another $10. I cannot bring myself to support such a broken process.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - a little under the weather :(
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, channel 26 playing Maximo Park -- "Graffiti"
Website Of The Day - Can't justify buying and iPod just to listen to music and podcasts? Well, add this nugget to the list of things it can do -- The iPod Bartender.

btw- if you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Yesterday's Exercise (b)Log - nothing

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

I'm Partially To Blame

Had I known that free and easy WiFi access had yet to make it to Clemson South Carolina I would have hung a "See you all tomorrow" shingle in the window. From the Comfort Inn in which I stayed I could see three access points, all slower than the dialup modems I used ten years ago. I was not allowed access from the university, and didn't have the time to find a free hotspot.

The Kids Today Could Be My Kids?
Lusting after beautiful college girls is one thing. Realizing that I am old enough to be their father is something completely different. How did I get here? Oh yeah, this is how.

So You Say Atlanta Is Too Far From The Water?
I've got two words for you
- Katrina
- Rita

They Should Be Called 'The Commercial Channel'
The Weather Channel seems to be misnamed. The continually interrupt their long strings of commericials with annoying one-minute weather updates.

Celebrated Summer
Summer is officially over, but tonight is one of the nights that I have been looking forward to. Bob Mould and his new band playing at the Variety Playhouse. Considering I've been listening to his music for over twenty years you might call me a fan. Look for me, I'll be the one in the circa 1994 Sugar t-shirt.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - STOKED!
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, channel 26 playing The Jesus and Mary Chain -- "Blues From A Gun"
Website Of The Day - Turn back the clock to simpler times (without having to travel to Clemson), listen to some Old Radio Fun.

btw- if you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Yesterday's Exercise (b)Log - nothing

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

On The Road Again

Today's destination is Clemson, South Carolina.

My Dear Love, Netflix
Oh Netflix,

You and I were dear lovers once, exchanging deliveries many times a month. Then the relationship got stale. It was not you, it was me. I was the one neglecting the movies, finding them on shelves, unopened, unloved. I was not worthy of your attention. Then as if to tell me it was time to "fish or cut bait" you raised your rates. I had to call it quits, and you were a gentle sweetheart letting me go with little fanfare and hatred.

Over the last year you have contacted me on rare occassion. Nice letters. Nice offers. I turned my head saying "Not Now" and "It's Still Too Soon."

You're letter the other day touched me deeply. $7.99 a month for the first three months? I've since noticed that you've once again lowered your price to a $17.99 a month. Hmmm, you look very attractive to me again. Could I convince you to add UMD movies so that we could fool around with a Playstation Portable? No? Oh, you are such a fickle bitch.

You've given me to the end of the month and the best I can say right now is "Maybe, baby. Maybe"

Tabernacling
From the worst seat in the house I watched and listened to Keane last night. Well, it wasn't the worst seat, just the one furthest from the stage.

When Keane launched into "Somewhere Only We Know" I immediately started to chuckle. With Paul McCartney performing a mere few hundred yards away I simply couldn't get the Keane v. Paul McCartney mashup "Let Keane In" (mp3) off my mind.

Gentlemen, if you have skills let me tell you that a Keane concert is a target-rich environment. I will assume that Coldplay's show next week will also be well attended by the ladies. Go, do what I am unable to do, meet the women.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - okay
Current Music - none, I am not in the office
Website Of The Day - Think you could build an awesome South Park character? Try your luck at the South Park Studio version 2.0.

btw- if you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Yesterday's Exercise (b)Log - an hour's walk

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Who Is That Exercising???

Drinking For The Right Reasons
Abita Brewing Company is trying to help out their brethren who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina. They have released a new brew called Fleur-de-lis Restoration Ale. Here is the opening paragraph from their website

We began crafting this new beer from the moment we saw our brewery had been miraculously spared any major damage from Hurricane Katrina. We are proud to be a Louisiana company and feel blessed that we are still able to produce our product and keep our employees working.

For more information, follow the link above.

What Goes Up, Sometimes Comes Back Down
Oh, I was so excited to see that The Capes are playing Smith's Olde Bar on September 27th and quickly posted it in the right galley. Later in the day I got around to checking my schedule only to find out that I cannot attend, so I pulled the reference from the galley. Dammit. Oh well, at least I didn't jump to buy a ticket.

This should be a fun show. I suggest you go.

Baby Steps
Or in my case last night baby pedalling. It took all my inner-strength, but I finally have returned to exercising. Maybe it had something to do with the pants shopping I did earlier in the evening?

Swell, Neat, Keane
Tonight I'll be "rocking" the Tabernacle at the Keane show. Oh, get over yourself Hater. I've seen Keane once already, back when it was really cool. Go hate on Coldplay. To my dismay, and to the pleasure of my friend Stacey, The Zutons are not opening this time around.

CD CD CD
Roll back the calendar a decade or two and today would be a banner day with new releases from Jamiroquai, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, and Earth Wind and Fire. However, since my calendar says 2005, I can't recommend any of these.

Today's pick may be a tie since I know little about either of the bands. I have only heard a song or two from each, but they still look like the most promising in the list I have in front of me. My picks for the day go to Coheed And Cambria with their release of "Good Apollo" and Goldfrapp with their release of "Supernature."

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - busy busy busy, but I don't mind
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Elbow -- "Forget Myself"
Website Of The Day - This is cool, the way life should be. "How We Got Engadged" -- Dave and Raina's adorable collaborative comic.

btw- if you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Yesterday's Exercise (b)Log - 60 minutes on my bike trainer

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

ITP, OTP, ITP

Can I Interest You In A Microcosm?
Would you like to know how one becomes forty and single?

On Friday night my "original" plans to go to Alcove fell through. No worries, the new and improved Paulie plays everything by ear and I decided to go to the hash happy hour instead.

After a few hours at the hash happy hour I decided it was time to go, and that I would walk a friend to her car. Wouldn't you know I made eye contact with an attractive girl on her way to the restroom? (It's rare for me to look over my shoulder to get an extra look only to find the girl doing the same). What did I do? Kept on walking to my car of course. Guess who went home alone... again.

Burning Man
I am of Irish and German decent, not exactly what you'd refer to as tanning stock. So it is no mystery that when I stripped off my shirt this weekend and exposed my large white underbelly to go swimming some burning would be inevitable. I was right. Luckily I am wise enough to know when to apply sunblock or put my shirt back on, but what burning occurred is still a bit bothersome.

Food For Thought
The reason I was able to spend time swimming and burning was the gritcakes. Still uncertain of my ability to pull these off, I decided to forgo hashing and stay at the house prepping.

While I think that I over-fried them a bit (some were a little beyond Golden, Brown, and Delicious) and had a brainfart on the making of the sauce, most people seemed to find them edible. A big "Thanks" go out to my friends Betsy and Laura who provided a great deal of help with the frying process.

My Car Is Great For Driving, Not So Much For Sleeping
Since I was only spending one night up at the Lake Hartwell campout I decided not to put up a tent, and sleep in my car instead. Generally I can sleep anywhere. While I did sleep, it may have been the worst night of sleep that I have had in a long time. Note to self: don't do that again!

W00T X 2
It's a great football weekend for me when my beloved Florida Gators and NY Jets both win. It's even more enjoyable when they beat the Tennessee Volunteers and Miami Dolphins. What makes beer taste better? The addition on victory.

Nano Nano
There has been a lot of hype the last few weeks over Apple's announcement of the Nano. Sure it is small and sexy, but 4GB? I can easily fill up 4GB in a the blink of an eye. I think I'd rather sink $250 into a Playstation Portable first.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - burnt and guilty for not mowing my lawn yesterday
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing The Giraffes -- "Man U."
Website Of The Day - Here is an interesting photography site, the photos by Charles W Cushman.

btw- if you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged."

Yesterday's Exercise (b)Log - nothing, too lazy this weekend

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

For The Love Of God Man

The title has no relevance to anything in this post. It just happened to be the first phrase that popped into my mind, so it became the title.

Get Your Ass In The Kitchen!
For this little camping outing I will be doing this weekend I have offered to help with the cooking. I learned to cook years ago in order to impress women (seemed like a good idea back then), so I've got some skillz. What I didn't expect to happen was to be assigned something that I have never before attempted-- cheesy grits with andouille sausage, covered with a crawfish sauce.

Now is when My Cousin Vinny should be starting to play in your head.

The first task which proved challenging was finding grits in the grocery store. It seemed logical to me that it would be by the flour and cornmeal, but no matter how many times I scanned that section I couldn't find it. I literally had to walk up and down all of the food aisles in order to find them (I figured that they might be with the oatmeal since most people eat them for breakfast, but I couldn't find that section either).

The next challenge was making the grits cakes (grit cakes?). The recipe as provided would supply six servings, I was going to attempt to triple this. I've found in the past that doubling recipes can be tricky, so tripling one made me a bit nervous. I think that it will be delicious, but I am only done with the first part of the recipe. The remaining cooking of them will occur on site. Besides what do I know, I've never eaten grits before.

I'll give an update on Monday. :)

And Then A Large Anvil Will Fall Upon My Head
Tonight I am going to a little gettogher at an art gallery called Alcove for a show called Cartoon Madness. The show consists of works done by artists from Cartoon Network. And we all know that I am nothing if not a whore for the Turner Empire.

25% Off Is Simply Criminal
I received an email yesterday from Criminal Records alerting me that they are going to have a sale this weekend to celebrate their anniversary. I know that if I was going to be in town I'd be shopping there this weekend. I advise you to do it in my place (and buy a few things that I need in my collection 'cause Christmas is right around the corner, you know).

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - glad the weekend is nearly here
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Sufjan Stevens -- "Chicago"
Website Of The Day - Got a Flickr account? Want to put a frame around your pictures? Then try FlickrFrame.

btw- if you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged".

Yesterday's Exercise (b)Log - nothing, no time

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

GOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLL!!!!!

How Many Bloggers Does It Take...?
Last night's blogger meetup at the Brewhouse was a smashing success. The attendance was larger than I think any previous meetup (not being the statistician I can only guess), and included two dogs (of the canine variety, some of the bloggers may also be "dogs", but who am I to judge).

Unfortunately I have one problem with large turnouts, I can't mingle for shit. It has never been one of my good attributes (and I wonder why I remain single?). However, I finally got to meet Fat Asian Baby because one of the few openings at the table was near me.

Seen On The Marta
A woman carrying a fishing pole and a small styrofoam cooler. I kid you not! I want to know where this woman was going to go fishing once she got off the train. Unfortunately I somehow didn't see at which station she got off, if I had to guess it would have been Linbergh.

Missed It By That Much
On my way into work today I started listening to the podcasts from CMJ which are being put out by KEXP; these podcasts consist of live in-studio performances. This morning I heard a band called Hopewell that I enjoyed very much. Having thought I recognized the name, the first thing I did when I arrived at work (ok, second thing after getting coffee) was look up ther touring schedule. I recognized their name alright, because they played in Atlanta last month. Arrrgh!!!

Blame Canada
Over the last two weeks I have been getting my geek on again by watching Call For Help on G4 (booo hiss).

Call For Help used to be on TechTV (R.I.P) and when TechTV was consumed by G4 it went away (at least here in the United States, but remained in Canada and Australia). Two weeks ago it returned in the States (actually they are two-month old reruns of Canadian broadcasts), but I don't care, because it makes me happy. Not only does it give some decent information about computers, but it also features All-American Girl Amber MacArthur, who I guess is really more of an All-Canadian Girl now that I think about it.

If Amber's name seems somewhat familiar it might be because you followed my link to her vidcast called CommandN.

TV, Hey That Sounds Fun!
The Fall Season has begun. Sadly, my DVR somehow missed the season premiere of Family Guy. Arggh! (boy do I wish I could get that bittorrent stuff going now).

Tonight marks the return of Survivor (yeah, I still watch -- what's it to you?). This season they will be getting it on in Guatemala. I might not stick it out through the entire season, but I'll be giving it a view tonight.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - ok, but have so many things to do on my only "free" night this week.
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Ween -- "It's Gonna Be A Long Night"
Website Of The Day - BackPack It is a web-based organizer (planner, if you will). It's not free, but I have heard good things about it. Could this be a tool I used to get my shit together again? Stay tuned to find out...

btw- if you ever want a quick glance of the sites I've picked for my Websites Of The Day, you can check them out on del.icio.us, my user name is InsideThePerimeter (go figure), and they are all tagged as "blogged".

Yesterday's Exercise (b)Log - nothing, no time

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Food + Alcohol = My Social Life

On The Road To Morocco
I ate at Imperial Fez last night. The only thing that left lighter than it arrived was my wallet. This was my first trip to this Atlanta icon, so I really didn't know what to expect.

The dinner is more of an evening event than an American dinner. There were eight of us huddled, sans shoes, around a very low table. Each person selected an entree from the five-course prix fixe menu (either $45 or $65 per person) and so it began. Throughout the night courses were served and shared amongst the group, and occassionally a woman would come out and perform a belly dance. The entire evening took about three hours, and was well worth it.

Disturbing Pattern
Have you noticed the trend in my life that I never have time to exercise these days? Toss in the fact that most of my social activities include food (they all include alcohol) and it's no mystery why I continue to put on weight. It looks like it's Executive Decision Time. Nah, I'm not going to do something as stupid as giving up my beer (it's my only vice left), I'll just have to stop scheduling events which preempt me from getting exercise.

Speaking Of Events Involving Alcohol
Tonight is the monthly meetup of Atlanta Bloggers Who Get Together To Drink. Tonight we'll be getting hammered at Brewhouse in Little Five Points. I'll put on my fat pants and have one big happy evening tonight.

Dammit, I Missed It Again!!!
I just remembered that I had planned to go over to Decatur and eat a fat corned beef sandwich with the New York Corned Beef Society of Atlanta and watch football at Twain's, whose website I can't find, last Sunday. All the planets were aligned, no Falcon game (I have a season ticket this year) on the first non-Black Sheep Hash Sunday of the month, and I completely forgot! I guess it's time to learn to use my PDA again, or perhaps hire an assistant.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - bleah
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing The Faint -- "Agenda Suicide"
Website Of The Day - There is a tech blog called TechCrunch that I find more and more intriguing each time I visit. Too techie for you, then go to the site that they are blasting whole-heartily then, Juicy Fruit.

Yesterday's Exercise (b)Log - nothing, no time

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Off The Grid

Dammit! A power outage last night at the house brought down my server, and with the power's return this morning I forgot to restart it. So, I will effectively be off the grid today. I may be able to bring it up again at lunch, but don't be surprised if I don't get back to you today. Sorry.

A Hoarse Is A Hoarse Of Course
A long day of talking to college students, followed by the season opening Monday Night Football game has left my vocal chords a bit of a wreck today. How does Dave Grohl do all of that screaming and singing every night for an entire tour?

Strange Days Have Found Me
On the way to last night's game my friends and I passed a car wreck. Unfortunately I knew one of the participants and, although he was out his car walking, his face was bloodied and he was obviously shaken. I felt like a total tool because I had left my cell phone at home (who would I be calling from the game?) and couldn't help him out in any way. Since I didn't see the accident occur (we got there scant minutes later), and I wasn't driving my car, all I could really do was to clear out and allow the police, firemen and EMTs do their job. I don't think he reads this space, but if he happens by I want to apologize for not being able to help more and hope you are okay.

Brightest In The Darkness, Loudest In The Silence
I was awaken this morning (around 4:30am) to the sound of silence, or perhaps the light of darkness. If you had a video camera in my house you'd see that there is always a tv or radio on (and I wonder why I don't read...) and usually a light on somewhere in the house.

Since I had only gone to sleep a few hours earlier I was really confused when I woke up the first time. In fact, I really thought I was dreaming. When I woke again a few minutes later it took my mind a few seconds to piece together what was happening. I stumbled around the house looking for a flashlight (luckly I am pretty smart about leaving them in the same place), but then couldn't find my cell phone or pda in order to call Georgia Power. I keep one "old time" phone in the house for these occassions, so I meandered to the basement, dialled 411, and then reported the outage. At that time Georgia Power said that the problem had been identified, but gave no ETA for completion. When I called again at 8:00am (after waking again on my own) the power came on immediately; it was like I had flipped the switch.

No CD Pick Today
I don't have the time or the open bandwith to do my research.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - hoarse
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Rob Dickinson -- "My Name Is Love"
Website Of The Day - Oddly, given my current state, Fat Dynamite cracks me up! *doing my best Fat Albert laugh*

Yesterday's Exercise (b)Log - nothing, no time

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Out And About

A weekend wrap up and coming to the conclusion that I am in serious weight trouble...

Friday On My Mind
After a quick happy hour stop Friday I Marta'd to my car and drove into midtown. On the revised agenda for the evening was a stop at the art show and then up to The Loft to catch Lucero again.

Not seeing much (at least in the way of art) at the art show I left earlier than anticipated. For some reason that sucked all of the wind out of my desire to stay out, so I headed straight for home.

I Can't Go Home Again
Saturday's Atlanta Hash started in Sandy Springs at the Kroger Shopping Center on Northridge Drive and Roswell Road. When I moved to Atlanta ten years ago I lived in the apartments then called Spring Creek Crossing. (yes, I once lived OTP -- oh the shame). Who knew that we would end the hash in that apartment complex? I must say it that it was a bit strange to be there again, especially since we ran past a dilapidated basketball court on which I used to play.

Movie And Tv Can Relax... For Now
This weekend I tried hard to download some tv series that I passed on in the past. I tried downloading "Lost" and "Men Behaving Badly" using Bittorrent. Holy shit did it go badly. At one point Bittorrent told me that my download would be completed in ten days. TEN DAYS!!! You've got to be kidding me...

Doing It... For The Kids
It's recruiting season again. Today I'll be schmoozing the kids at Georgia Tech trying to convince them that they should come work for me. I'll just have to forget to tell them that the office has moved OTP.

Doing It... For Me
It's football season again. Tonight I'll be down at The Dome for the first of three Monday Night Football games to be played by the Falcons.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - vacated
Current Music - nothing
Website Of The Day - Lifehacker makes a boiled omlette. Yum!

Yesterday's Exercise (b)Log - hashing Saturday, running/walking Sunday
Monday Morning Weigh-In - No report, because I am writing this on Sunday night. UPDATE @7am Monday... 202lbs. Fuck. It keeps going up, time for drastic measures.

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Pulled Apart, Not Put Together

That is how I am feeling today.

It's 7:30am, How Can My Day Be Decided Already?
It's sad when the first minor victory of the day is barely fitting into a pair of pants one size larger than your desired weight.

Where Is The Time? Where Is The Time?
I figure I spend eleven of my waking hours for work (eight working, two+ commuting, one lunch). Wow, that seems like a lot.

Traffic By NASCAR
Going OTP for a concert can only mean traffic and traffic there was. Trying to get to the Gwinnett Civic Center is a nightmare unless you peform the traffic slight-of-hand pulled off by my friend Mike. It involves understanding that most of the traffic is coming from Atlanta, not Gainesville, and exit 111.

Both Weezer and Foo Fighters kicked ass last night. Rivers Cuomo must have had his medication just right because he was the most animated that I have seen him be. There was even a special acoustic version of "Island In The Sun" performed by Rivers in the center of the arena (which would have been real special if the floor was not only partially filled -- ouch). Apparently some of the kiddies had curfew because a good 25% of the audience was gone by the time Foo Fighters launched into their encore around midnight.

Anyone Have An "In" With The 40 Watt?
I finally got around to calling School Kids Records in Athens to buy a Sufjan Stevens ticket only to find out that the show is sold out. Fuck. I should have known that it would sell out in a heartbeat, but no one (save FAB) seems to talk much about Sufjan around these parts.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - pulled apart, not put together
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing The Flaming Lips -- "Race For The Prize"
Website Of The Day - nothing lined up for today, gotta run...

Yesterday's Exercise (b)Log - no time

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

The Number Of The Count Shall Be Three

Third Time Is A Charm
Tonight will mark the third time¹ I have seen Foo Fighters, and the third time² this year that I have seen Weezer.

1: partial set at Music Midtown in 1997(?), once at the Tabernacle where I was in the wrong place in the venue and it sounded like shit, and tonight.
2: at the Tabernacle (fantastic!), at the Underground (fiasco!), and tonight.

Still Virgin Shoes
I was unable to run last night, nothing like a late-afternoon meeting to disrupt my plans. Of course that didn't stop me from dropping by George's Bar and tilting a few beverages with my hashing friends. I kept my intake to one.... pitcher (minus a pint I gave to a friend). Problem? What problem?

But I Am Trying, Amazon
A few weeks ago I applied to be an Amazon Associate, aka a schlep to help them generate sales. In return for me linking to products if anyone buys things from Amazon I get a slice of the action.

Today I received an email from them stating that I've activated the account, but have generated no sales. What, is this a contest? Does the winner get a Cadillac and the loser fired? Amazon, I am trying over here, so back off! :)

Seen On Marta
A woman dressed in a Waffle House uniform. Unfortunately for my waistline that triggered a desire for breakfast. Since I didn't want to follow the lady to Waffle House I stopped in the little cafeteria on the ground floor of this office building. Chicken biscuit and home fries -- fantastic, but faaaatening. I might have to climb the stairs a few more times today to work it off.

For All You Readers In The House
The USA Today has published their Fall Book Guide 2005. I am sure that there are a lot of great books listed, but I am also fairly sure that I will never get around to reading any of them.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - day three of four, then the weekend will arrive
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing The Streets -- "Fit But You Know It"
Website Of The Day - read up on some geeky news at TechDirt.

Yesterday's Exercise (b)Log - well, I was supposed to run last night, but a late-afternoon meeting squashed that.

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Skipper!!!

He Moves In Mysterious Ways
With an open schedule what's a boy to do? Well, since I finally remembered the cd I wanted to purchase ("Cats & Kittens" by De Novo Dahl) from Criminal Records I headed over to Little 5 Points. According to Criminal's weekly email it was selling for $8.99. When I got to the store I saw that it was really selling for $13.99. Bait and Switch? My efforts quickly turned to other purchases. I rummaged the used section and found Lucero's latest Nobody's Darlings. Oh so excited I grabbed it (only to put it back later... read on).

For some reason spending (only) $7.50 wasn't good enough, so I started rummaging through the large bin of "buy one for $10.99 or three for $29.99". I was like a kid in a candy store. I saw Beasty Boys, different Lucero releases, older New Pornographers, older Modest Mouse, so much stuff I wanted. What to buy? It was at that point I made an Executive Decision. One $10.99 cd and one "other" (perhaps full-priced) cd. Since I decided that my $10.99 cd was going to be Lucero's That Much Further West, I put the used "Nobody's Darlings" back in the bin and went searching for something a little more obscure. BINGO! I noticed that Criminal stocked Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea which was recently listed on Spin magazine's Hundred Greatest Albums, 1985-2005.

Heard In The Vortex (L5P)
"Tiny Dancer" by Elton John. WTF???? At The Vortex? What the hell happened to The Vortex? I nearly tossed my burger.

Heard On The Marta Train
Nail clipping! Ewwww, Fucking, Ewwww. Hey Lady, how about taking care of that shit at home! Hopefully in a week or so I will never hear this again because yesterday I purchased some noise-cancelling headphones from Buy.com. Have I ever mentioned how pleased I have been with Buy.com's speed in delivery of late?

Goodbye Little Buddy
Bob Denver best known as "Gilligan" died yesterday.

(from the USA Today's "Hip Clicks" column) A message on BobDenver.com says the actor was surrounded by his family when he died. It added, "There are no words to describe how much his wisdom and gentleness will be missed."

Who knew that Bob Denver had a website???

Maybe in Heaven he can find out who is really more popular, Ginger or Mary Ann...

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - ready to try out my new running shoes
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Grandaddy -- "The Crystal Lake"
Website Of The Day - I'm digging on Mac Dashboard widgets, but what's perhaps even better are the "original", cross-platform widgets for use with Konfabulator (now part of the Yahoo Empire).

Yesterday's Exercise (b)Log - nothing to report

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

You Know How I Know You're Gay?

You read blogs.

How could I possibly complain about a Labor Day full of sun? A day where I didn't go into work but I get paid regardless? Oh yeah, those motherfucking Braves beat my hapless Mets again! Fuck You, You Fucking Fucks!

Hey, did anyone notice that college football started this weekend and the pros start Thursday? Baseball? Who cares! (yes, that is the sourest of sour grapes you hear)

Tennis Anyone?
For the first time in a good seven years I stepped onto a tennis court yesterday to hit a ball around. Surprisingly, I wasn't that bad. I guess it's like riding a bike (something else I should have done a lot of this weekend but didn't).

Clothing A Go-Go
How convenient! After tennis my friend Stacey and I walked up for a soda from Mr Lee's in Candler Park (Mr. Lee no longer owns the store, but I still refer to it as Mr. Lee's). On the way back we noticed a sign in front of Kashi Atlanta asking for donations, both monetary and otherwise, for one hundred families that have sought refuge from Katrina in Atlanta. As luck would have it I had those two boxes of clothing that I packed up on Saturday in my trunk, so on my way home I stopped by and dropped them off.

Typical Tuesday, Non-Typical Music Day
The cloudiness of a long weekend has worn off, and to my amazement I find out that it is officially a "Blast From The Past" Tuesday. Just take a look at some of the people releasing CDs today.

Heaven 17? Yep, that Heaven 17.
Howard Jones? Yep, that Howard Jones.
C'mon, The Proclaimers??? Yes indeed, that Proclaimers.

But my pick of the day goes to The Rolling Stones.
The Rolling Stones? Yep, that Rolling Stones. But be forewarned that their release of "A Bigger Bang" will probably be very different from your grandfather's Rolling Stones children.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - not bad, ready for a short work-week
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Brian Jonestown Massacre -- "God Is My Girlfriend"
Website Of The Day - Once I find a headshot of me that I like I am sooooo going to buy a caricature of myself from Iconize Me!.

Yesterday's Exercise (b)Log - ninety minutes of smacking a tennis ball around with Stacey

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Working For 'The Man'

But not today!!! W00t! Happy Labor Day to any (Americans) reading this on Monday. I said that I might post and I am. It's one of the few things that I said I was going to do this long weekend that I am actually doing.

My intent was to blog from Joe's coffee, but it's late and I haven't much time before I need to jump in the shower and head out, so here I am at home in my pajamas. Lucky you.

Sometimes Procrastination Pays Off
For the longest of time I have been meaning to clean out my closet of those clothes that I no longer can wear (hello, when will I start exercising again?). The two boxes I packed up Saturday made a minor dent in my wardrobe (how does a man like me own so much?). Today it's off to find a place accepting clothing donations that are earmarked for the hurricane victims. I am sure that sometime in the future I will think "Hey, whatever happened to that t-shirt?" and will remember packing it up for donation. Believe it or not, that will make me smile.

If you read this and realize that you too could donate but think it is too late, think again.

Is Forty Too Old To Be A Virgin?
Of course I am not...

I went to see The 40 Year Old Virgin on Saturday night. I can't tell you the last time I laughed so hard during a movie. Perhaps the movie hit real close to home which made it that much funnier to me. I don't know, but I will recommend to go see it if you haven't already.

Jerry... Jerry...
I feel badly for Jerry Lewis and The Muscular Dystrophy Association. Surely Hurricane Katrina will hinder their efforts to raise money to help find the cause of this dibilating disease.

Since my childhood I have been watching Jerry's Labor Day Telethon. My viewership has tailed considerably in the past decade, I think that this year I cannot bear to watch it. Too much misery in too little time. Good Luck Jerry and MDA.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - chubby, but I don't know 'cause I won't get on the scale
Current Music - Dramarama on the iTunes
Website Of The Day - The American Red Cross, The Muscular Dystrophy Association -- you know why.

Yesterday's Exercise (b)Log - none

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

100% Katrina Free

It's not that I am being callous, it's just that I have no more to say on the subject.

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'
I've committed to Marta for at least ten more trips with the purchase of a roll of twenty tokens. It's not a long-term commitment yet, but it's a start. I may eventually go the unlimited ride card, but since this all comes out of my pocket I am sticking with the non-expiring option. If Marta had a pre-paid card... I know that is asking too much.

How Can Hell Be So Cold?
I've been in my new office building for six weeks now. I've asked constantly for someone to alter the air condition. As of now it is sixty-six degrees in my office. BRRRRRR!!!

I Am Open For Suggestions
So far my weekend plans consist of (tentatively) running the Black Sheep Hash on Sunday. I've done a lot of "playing it by ear" this summer, but this amount of non-planning is unprecidented for me. Does anyone have suggestions for things to do? I'd much appreciate it.

Maybe It's The Arrow And Not The Indian
My camera is not thrilling me. You may rememeber that I purchased a Pentax Optio s5i a while back. I have never gotten it to take the quality pictures that I desire. I can't seem to get a sharp image when I try to take a close up on text. I used to think it was me, but maybe it's not. Hrmph. I guess one of my tasks this weekend should be to figure out who's at fault.

[UPDATE] It is the Indian. When I talked about it with a co-worker, he asked "Are you using that little flower setting?". Um, no. What little flower setting? I really need to start reading manuals...

I Can't Believe I Ate The Whole Thing
Wow, I did it! I finished the entire jar of Jif that I had in the office.

Here is the proof taken with the camera that does not please me. The sizes have been modified to fit this template (another sore topic).



This picture is the size you'll see on Flickr (sorry about the template spillage but I wanted to give the picture complete readability)



Maybe the quality is not so bad afterall...



Hey all, be safe and healthy this weekend. If you plan on driving anywhere, good luck with that whole gas situation. I'll probably blog on Monday if anyone is interested in stopping by....

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - blah
Current Music - Bob Mould's performance at KEXP
Website Of The Day - Even though they don't support Macs, I'll give props to KEXP in Seattle for putting music on the net.

Yesterday's Exercise (b)Log - none

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Katrina Is Bringing Out The Worst

Gas... You Know By Now
I am fortunate. As I mentioned the other day I filled up before the price gauging began. Gas in the hood was $2.99 (and up) per gallon. We Atlantans can help each other out by not trying to fill up every car we own. Relax folks, it will be okay.

Marta is feeling the heat, and I will predict that due to current delays and crowding people will quickly return to their cars once gas prices drop again. It might also help if Marta didn't smell like dog shit, as the car I entered did this morning, as well.

If You Loot, They Should Shoot
I am not a violent man. However, if people take Katrina as an opportunity to loot they should be dealt with in whatever means necessary. I can understand the need for food and water, but the Criminal Element has taken liberty and helping themselves to whatever they wish.

And Now For Something Completely Different
The Onion has redesigned their website and opened their archives to all. Go read, forget about Katrina for a while and laugh, even if just a wee little bit.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal...
Current Mood - sad
Current Music - none, watching CNN
Website Of The Day - The new Gulf Coast should be made from the Lego Factory.

Yesterday's Exercise (b)Log - none

Cheers!
Paulie [eatl/ga]