Inside The Perimeter

Oh to find Meg Ryan in Seattle. Although, I have seen a many women that satisfy my au-natural, slender, short-haired, Subaru/Jetta-driving girl desires throughout the area. It’s still not a good enough reason to make me pull up stakes and move here however.

Blame It On The Rain
I didn’t pack an umbrella for this trip. Sure I knew that rain was possible, if not probable, in Seattle but I was attempting to be an optimist. Yesterday I stopped into Macy’s to buy an umbrella in an effort to wage somewhat of a preemptive strike against Mother Nature. According to the Weather Channel’s forecast it appears that I have failed.

I won’t let this change in weather patterns get me down, but it will present a challenge for me, the pedestrian, and concern for me, the photographer. Hmm, maybe the rain will force me to process some of those many pictures I have taken over the past two days.

It Was Time I Ate A Proper Meal
One thing that I have not been finding was a proper meal. I haven’t been hungry. Saturday night I arrived late, so all I ate were a couple of cookies from the hotel vending machine. On Sunday I ate nothing but two doughnuts at Top Pot Doughnuts and a pile of garlic fries at the ball game. Yesterday started out on the same way with “breakfast” at Top Pot. By lunch I knew I needed to crack this pattern.

With daylight abundant I set out on foot for food. I wound up at Zeeks Pizza for a slice and a beer. Later last night I headed to Pike Brewery for an amazingly good turkey club sandwich, and beer of course. Are you sensing a pattern?

ITP Flickr Pic
Beer sampler from Pike Brewery

Not bad stuff. My pick of the litter was their Kilt Lifter Scottish Ale.

Seattle Has Qwest; I Have Quests
- Find Top Pot Doughnuts — that has been accomplished
- Attend a Mariners’ game — that has been accomplished
- See a concert in Seattle — that has been accomplished

- Not duplicate a beer consumed while in Seattle — ongoing
So far I have drank the following beers (that I remember)
Mirror Pond : India Pale Ale
Alaskan Brewing : Amber Ale
Full Sail : [I forgot which variety]
New Belgium Brewery : Fat Tire Amber Ale (not surprised by this are you?)
Georgetown Brewing : Manny’s Pale Ale
Pike Brewery : Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale
Widmer : Hefe Weissen
Snoqualmie : Copperhead American Pale Ale

Why so few? Don’t really know to be honest. I think it might have something to do with the lack of food that has been in my stomach.

Steak And Shrimp? Really?
The cable tv in this hotel room blows. When you combine that with the fact that I forgot that Hell’s Kitchen was on so I missed the first thirty minutes it really sucks. I have a dream — and in that dream America has nothing but perfect reception and all media is available on demand. When historians read this blog in fifty years they will no doubt wonder how we managed to survive…

What I did see of last night’s episode was interesting. I’m not one to gossip; I’ll leave those matters to today’s birthday girl (read below). That being said (typed?) me thinks Chef Ramsay liketh the blond named Bonnie. I’m just sayin’. Next week the red and blue squads merge to black (Why not purple? That would be the natural progression) and I still think that the Final Two will be Rock and Jen. In fact, this is how I predict the eviction ordering will play out — Josh, Bonnie, Julia, Rock, Jen. Yes, you read it here first, I think Jen is going to win it all.

Confucius Say “He Who Wishes Happy Birthday Get Laid Often”
Confucius was an idiot!

Happy birthday to my friend Barb, aka “Primer”. I hope that you are having a great day and that you are reading this after-the-fact because you have the day off from work.

CD Pick Of The Week
Today offers up a dew interesting music releases. There is Editors’ “An End Has A Start” and Magic Numbers’ “Those The Brokes”, but I am going to trump them both by picking the heretofore unheard Meat Puppets’ “Rise To Your Knees” as my pick of the week.

What can I say? I’m old school. Shit, with my 42nd birthday coming on Sunday perhaps I am just old. Naaaaaaaaah.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - trying to figure out what to do now that it’s raining
Current Music - the The Word Nerds podcast.
Website Of The Day - I am a time and date fanatic. Time And Date provides a great set of tools for people just like me.
Exercise (b)Log - walking, walking, and more walking
Mode Of Transportation To Work - None, I’m on vacation

July Goals
0) Celebrate my 42nd birthday
1) Get my first Ruby / Ruby on Rails program written
2) Get my photoblog up and running

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Okay, I’ll be straight with you — nothing is wrong. In fact, that’s just it. Nothing. Is. Wrong.

I’m on vacation in Seattle and so far everything has been perfect, including the weather. However I must admit that I think I’ve already scratched this town off of my “Where Will I Move When I Move OTP?” list. I just don’t see myself spending considerable time here.

A Monster Has Been Created
If you read about my trip to Arizona you may remember that I flew First Class for the first time in my life. You may also remember that I was reticent to do do because I had feared finding out what I have been missing out on my whole life.

Saturday “Paulie the Big Spender” upgraded his AirTran ticket to Business Class (no First Class on this flight, Business Class was the best) for $80. I just couldn’t stomach the idea of a nearly five-hour flight in Coach, at least not for only another $80. My seat (the last one available in Business Class) was in Row 1, which I think is ideal since no one could lean a chair back into me.

As it turned out, it was money well spent. After we got in the plane we waited at the gate an additional forty-five minutes until a technician could fix a seat. During that forty-five minute delay I drank a beer (a Corona — In a can? WTF? — because that was the “best” beer available. My friend Betsy would have been satisfied with the selection. Betsy, do you still read this? Have Reese bark twice for “Yes” and once for “No”). During the long flight I had ample leg and shoulder room and I consumed one more Corona (I would have drank a lot more if better beer was available) and snacked on some TGI Friday “potato skin chips” (not real food, think “ultra thick potato chips”). Not even my crazy aisle-mate, a woman who could not sit still and kept sticking her head into the window (she had the window seat) like a dog trying to look out of a car, could dampen the spirits of my flight.

With Two Pounds To Spare
I somehow managed to pack forty-eight pounds of shit, two pounds fewer than the “no-cost” limit, into my checked suitcase. With the exception of my tripod I have no idea why my suitcase was so goddamn heavy. While I do plan on jettisoning some shirts and underwear by the time I return home I don’t think that I will be lightening my load by that much. I guess that this will stop me from buying unnecessary things to bring home.

Top Pot Is Top Notch
This coincidence just killed me. While waiting for the Marta train to take me to the airport for my flight to Seattle I listened to NPR’s The Splendid Table podcast. On the show their “Road Food” foodies talked about the best doughnuts the had ever eaten recently were in a place in Seattle called Top Pot Doughnuts. Well ain’t that a kick in the head!

Want to guess what Paulie ate for breakfast yesterday? Want to go double-or-nothing on what I will eat today?

ITP Flickr Pic
Caught this while walking through Seattle

It’s obviously not a place at which I wish to worship.

How Do It Know?
First, I opened a fortune cookie while driving to the parking garage and it read “Treat yourself to a good book for a needed rest and escape.”
Then, “The Splended Table” talks about Seattle.
Then, while Googling for information about Seattle’s public art an AJC was returned.
And then while walking in Seattle I put my iPod on Shuffle and it played a Pearl Jam song immediately.

How do it know?

Baseball By Day, Music By Night
I am all of two blocks away from one of my current favorite radio stations, KEXP. In fact, this hotel room is only a few blocks away from a lot of cool shit.

After walking around a lot yesterday morning (walking off the doughnuts), I walked by KEXP in order to get a photo (okay, the outside of radio stations aren’t glamorous, but I’m in Seattle so why the hell not). While I walked by I noticed a tour bus being unloaded but there were no markings on it. When I got back to my room I found out that The Polyphonic Spree were going to do an in-studio. I thought about trying to get in, but since my plans had me seeing them last night I chose not to do so — I also had something else on my agenda for the afternoon.

I stopped by the hotel’s front desk to inquire about the best way to get to Safeco Field for the day’s Mariners‘ game. Lo and behold, the hotel had a $5 shuttle to the stadium. No shit! How awesome was that?

The game was a blast. I spent more money to get in than expected, but I had a decent seat, at least for the innings I spent in it. I tip my hat to Safeco Field and the beer selection provided. Because the were $8 each I only had two — a Mirror Pond IPA and an Alaskan Brewing Company Amber Ale. For those keeping score, New Belgium Brewery’s Fat Tire Amber Ale was also available.

After a much needed nap I walked about a mile to a Seattle club called Showbox for The Polyphonic Spree show. What a show! I’d venture to say that only The Flaming Lips put on a more joyful, uplifting show. The night was even special for The Poylphonic Spree as well since yesterday marked the seven year anniversary for the band.

Additionally, when the band launched into their incredible cover of Nirvana’s “Lithium” the place went nuts — for obvious reasons.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - tired, but happy
Current Music - I am listening to KEXP streaming via iTunes, even though I could pick them up on that archaic technology called “radio.”
Website Of The Day - none today, I’ve given it all up above.
Exercise (b)Log - a lot of walking
Mode Of Transportation To Work - Work? HA! Not today.

July Goals
0) Celebrate my 42nd birthday
1) Get my first Ruby / Ruby on Rails program written
2) Get my photoblog up and running

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

But since I do not I am just plain “bat-shit crazy.”

Forget The Alamo, Remember The Canyon!
Tomorrow I will embark on another trip. When I last traveled I went to the worst destination for a person with a fear of heights — the Grand Canyon. Continuing with that theme, this time I am going to the worst place for a person with disdain toward Starbucks — Seattle.

I will also be losing my Canadian Cherry as I will be crossing the border for the first time in my life and heading to Edmonton to visit my friend Tamara. I can’t wait to meet Eskimos, kill polar bears, and smoke Cuban cigars. Wait, they do have Cuban cigars in Canada, right?

Fear not gentile reader, there will be daily updates and plenty of photos. However, much like when I went to Arizona they will be a little later in the day for the East Coasters and dependent on Wi-Fi connectivity.

And now you know one of the reasons I have been staying home and de-cluttering. I want the house to be spotless upon my return and not because someone robbed the joint. (btw - if you are planning on doing so, don’t bother all of the “good stuff” will not be there). Oh, and I finished the book “It’s All Too Much”. If anyone cares to give it a read, drop me an email. You won’t learn anything ground shaking, but it may motivate you to start the process as well.

Finally, does anyone out there have suggestions for what I should do in Seattle? Don’t bother to tell me to go to Starbucks — that shit’s not even funny.

Combining Interests
For this trip I am going to try something a little “out there” even by my standards. I will be combining my house de-cluttering with my travel packing. In my suitcase I will pack numerous shirts and pairs-of-underwear that will not be returning home with me (please don’t let them know, they think that they will be coming home).

Call me stupid, but the idea of coming home with more space in my suitcase then when I left and that I will also have more storage space in my closets when I return home has me grinning.

Sometimes it’s the “little things” that make the “big things” better.

ITP Flickr Pic
Traveling to Seattle requires a really long flight when departing from Atlanta. In case I can’t find anyone to join the Mile High Club with me I figured that I’d purchase some software as Plan “B”.

This was $580 cheaper than an iPhone and I can use it on a plane. Besides, I need to practice up on my cribbage.

If You Were Granted Three Wishes iTunes Songs
With my Interpol CD purchase this week I was given three free iTunes downloads.

Here is what I plan on purchasing
1: Genesis — “Turn It On” (I have been singing this song for weeks)
2: Frankie Goes To Hollywood — “Two Tribes” (another song that seems to enter my head too often)
3: ???

I realize that the two I’ve mentioned are ancient, but this is a hard decision for me because I already own much of the music that I like. What three songs would you pick?

I’m A Fucking Jenius Too
[Big Brother 8 Spoiler Alert: You Have Been Warned]

It’s one week into the show and I am already thoroughly disgusted.

- Julie Chen is awful, and she has always been awful! I know she’s married to some CBS exec (or something like that), but doesn’t anyone at CBS have the cajones to get a better host?
- I really wanted Carol to stay over the always-crying, battered-wife-looking (is she wearing red eye shadow?) Amber. My only hope is that God spared her so that He can electrocute her later in the season.
- I thought America’s Player, Eric, might be a hired actor. But we found out that he’s a real schmuck whose friends and family were disappointed find out that he’s our puppet.
- How is it possible for Jessica to still sound like she is seven-years-old? On top of that she is smug! Why was she given the pleasure of watching Carol get evicted? Did she earn this revenge? CBS should have been much smarter than this and made it so that all six “rivals” were exempt from eviction for the first week. They invested a lot of plot-line in the “rivals”; they should have worked to keep it going. (Is this going to be another failed experiment like when Survivor had the Grand Social Experiment of splitting tribes along racial lines which lasted all of three weeks into the season?)

Jen is HoH? HAHAHAHA! This will be grand! When the big teacup was spinning and the players determined how much water it could hold for their tie-breaking question I was screaming “Nothing, it’s got a big fucking hole on the side!”. I would have never answered “zero” because I have learned in life one should rarely be so literal. I really think that Jen thought that it could only hold forty-one gallons. Is that as high as she can count?

Think You’ve Got Top Chef Chops?
From 12-4pm this Sunday Top Chef will be holding a casting call at the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Atlanta (That place still exists?). If you think that you have what it takes, check out the Top Chef Casting Info.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - anxious
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Meat Puppets — “Up On The Sun” (I’ll be seeing them, at least what remains, at The EARL. Will you?)
Website Of The Day - Have you missed any of your favorite RealiTV shows and don’t have a DVR or the time to watch them on the web? Go to TVgasm and read their hilarious recaps. (thanks Phil)
Exercise (b)Log - no formal exercise, but plenty of movement while cleaning. Of course it did little to work off the bacon blue burger I ate at The EARL.
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car

July Goals
0) Celebrate my 42nd birthday
1) Get my first Ruby / Ruby on Rails program written
2) Get my photoblog up and running

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

If you’re not feeling emotions then you’re not living. If that statement is true then I’ve been close to living a full spectrum of emotions over the last few days.

Happiness Is An Almost Clutter-Free House
While I have yet to finish “It’s All Too Much” I have read enough to inspire me to continue my house de-cluttering project. I am starting to see a marked difference and with it I am starting to feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders (now if I can also get around to removing it from my waist I’d be really happy).

Yesterday the trash collectors / recyclers removed
- a trash can filled with boxes for electronics, some of which I no longer own
- a large bag filled with plastic garbage bags (these were stored in a kitchen cabinet, why I had so many I could not figure out)
- a large shopping bag filled with magazines I have not opened in years

Tomorrow I will be filling the car with things that will become the property of Goodwill.

Man it feels great to wake up to a clean house. Just think how happy I will be when it’s air-conditioned again.

Nothing Makes My Blood Boil Quicker
On my commute home yesterday I rode behind some fucktards who were certain that the Earth was their personal trash can. On no few than three occasions I saw pieces of paper get thrown out the window by the car’s passenger. How hard is it to keep the trash in the car until you reach your destination? How hard is it to then take that trash and put it into a trash can?

I’ve probably mentioned it before, but littering infuriates me! Littering is lazy. Littering is pointless. Littering is disrespectful.

ITP Flickr Pic
I managed to confuse myself yesterday (seriously, it’s not that difficult). When typing a description for this picture I wanted to use the word which describes a person who sews (not “seamstress”, a different word)

I typed the word “sewer” and immediately thought “Wait a minute, that’s the word for the pipes which transport sewage. This can’t be correct.” so I changed the word.

As it turns out, I was correct after all.

Mini RealiTV Wrap Up
Joe Don Is Long Gone
My guilty partial-pleasure recently has been watching Pirate Master. The show is filled with flaws (imho), but I have found it to be intriguing. This week the captain and his two officers managed to continue to pluck off the men on the ship who pose threats to their power by getting rid of Joe Don. I will be interested to see what happens when the crew gets pared down to the point where they cannot have teams.

Who Packed Their Knives?
I watched Top Chef last night and I cannot remember who was booted. I do remember that Gail Simmons was once again absent and that doesn’t make me happy at all. I still think that this is the most “real” of the RealiTV shows I watch because the contestants are judged on their skills and there is little politicking.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - all mixed up
Current Music - none, I am watching the Tour de France (Interesting TdF fact: According to what I heard, the first American to ride in the TdF was Jonathan Boyer in 1982. Huh, I thought the first American would have ridden a long time before that.)
Website Of The Day - Speaking of trash, do you ever wonder about all of the plastic water bottles we have made since the inception of “bottled water”? Refill Not Landfill is trying to raise awareness of this problem.
Exercise (b)Log - none
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car

July Goals
0) Celebrate my 42nd birthday
1) Get my first Ruby / Ruby on Rails program written
2) Get my photoblog up and running

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

I can’t party like the twenty-something I once was. Hell, I can barely keep up the pace that I had in my thirties. When I returned home from The EARL around 1:30am and then watched last night’s episode of Big Brother 8 there was no way in hell that I was going to keep my normal routine.

The EARL May No Longer Have Corndog-A-Rama, But It Can Still Host A Sausage Festival
To say last night’s Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit concert was “male dominated” is a bit of an understatement. There were some women in attendance, many quite attractive even, almost all of whom were on the arm of their boyfriend all night long.

Isbell, the former guitarist for Drive By Truckers, was celebrating the release of his new CD (overlooked in my reviews yesterday). The show was sold out, the band was tight, and they put on a long show making sure that no one left the building feeling cheated.

While I had heard nothing of the new disc (remember, I didn’t even know that it dropped yesterday) and do not declare that I am a huge Drive By Truckers fan, I enjoyed the band’s efforts greatly. I was further pleased when they covered Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” and then ended the show with Thin Lizzy’s “Jailbreak”.

It was good to be out at a show again. However, I still have a hard time coming to grips with all of the cigarette smoking, and the annoyance of people holding conversations at elevated volumes while songs are being played.

ITP Flickr Pic
I’m still digging through some Peachtree pics.

I tried a photoshoot prior to heading out to The EARL last night and was seriously frustrated. Tonight I am going to make my first attempt at sensor cleaning. I figure that if I fuck up my camera I’ll just have to buy myself an early birthday gift.

Me-Gifting
My birthday is a week from this coming Sunday and Christmas is still in December. Is it wrong that I think that I already know what I am going to buy myself for these occasions?

For my birthday, in addition to the vacation I’ll be taking soon, I am either going to buy myself a “serious” telephoto lens or a new camera body.

Come Christmas I think that there will be a new Mac laptop in my future. I have priced a new keyboard for the iBook (anywhere between $75 and $115) and that combined with the red stripe on the screen I mighty be persuaded to upgrade.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - alright
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Peter Bjorn and John — “Amsterdam”
Website Of The Day - The good folks at Zoho are trying to provide an online alternative to Microsoft Office products. Cool.
Exercise (b)Log - none
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car

July Goals
0) Celebrate my 42nd birthday
1) Get my first Ruby / Ruby on Rails program written
2) Get my photoblog up and running

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Last night’s “itch” was dinner. For over a week I have been craving that wacky Thai Chicken Pizza from Slice Pizza (Seriously Slice, a Comcast homepage? C’mon…) in Glenwood Park but have been denying myself. When I finally cracked last night I was so glad that they didn’t let me down. The dinner was nearly perfect (especially once the whining kids went outside) with the exception that the restaurant was freezing inside (which is what ultimately forced the family outdoors). I know that my lack of a/c has made me a bit sensitive (appreciative?) of the modern-marvel that is cold air in summertime, but Jesus there is no need to make the building that cold.

ITP Flickr Pic
Hasher, Multi-Sport Athlete, Soap Box Derby Racer

Wil (You Suck!)

Talk TV With Me
Do you know that now that CBS has bumped Pirate Master to Tuesday nights I almost have a RealiTV show for every day of the week?

Sunday: Big Brother 8
Monday: Hell’s Kitchen
Tuesday: Big Brother 8, Pirate Master
Wednesday: Top Chef
Thursday: Big Brother 8
Friday: none
Saturday: none

Last night I watched Hell’s Kitchen (because last night was Monday — see how that works?). I really thought that last night’s episode was good. Not only do I think that the right person was kicked off, I was amused to hear how accomplished a chef Jen is and to see Rock lose his temper when his team lost the challenge. I think we’ve identified our Final Two.

Are You Flying With The Conchords Yet?
It’s the Indie Buzz of Summer ‘07 — Flight Of The Conchords. I’ve been on board since its inception, although somehow I managed to miss the first of its four episodes. Luckily this episode (and perhaps the other three by the time you read this) is available on iTunes (I will also bet that all episodes are out on a BitTorrent site somewhere).

Flight Of The Conchords is a comedy about a band (Do I need to give their name here?) composed of New York to New Zealand transplants Jermaine and Bret. In each episode we are usually reacquainted with the band’s inept manager, as well as the band’s only fan, who is also the sole member of the band’s fan club.

The best way that I can describe the show is “quirky.” Each half-hour episode usually contains two or more clever songs which interweaves with the plot line of the episode. The writing is smart and sometimes uncomfortable as in the case of the latest episode where Jermaine tags along on all of Bret’s dates with his girlfriend Coco (and don’t think that the fact that her name rhymes with “Yoko” a coincidence).

Some may find the show slow, and I can’t guarantee that the won’t grow repetitive quickly, but I find it refreshing to find something different from the norm on tv and suggest that you check it out.

Inside Of Old Smokey
Tonight I’ll be at The EARL. I’d have to scan through my activity list to tell you the last show I’ve seen there. It seems that I have not gone to many shows recently for one reason or another. Tonight’s show is Jason Isbell, former guitarist for Drive By Truckers now striking it out on his own. I don’t know what to expect for tonight, but I do know that I’ve decided not to bring the camera gear and just have a relaxing time.

CD Pick Of The Week
There are numerous titles that catch my eye this week. And, unlike in previous weeks I’ve done some homework. Last night I listened to the new Spoon, Bad Religion, They Might Be Giants, and Smashing Pumpkins/2 (only half of the original lineup recorded this cd so I only give them half-credit), all thanks to AOL’s Full CD Listening Party. (note: I am no shill for AOL, I just think that this service rocks! Well, almost rocks. This morning I tried to get on to listen to the new Interpol, but the service choked the hell out of my aging iBook.)

I would have given the new Buffalo Tom disc a listen as well if it was on AOL’s page.

My (Now-Trademarked) One-Listen Reviews
Spoon (”Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga”): I’ve panned Spoon in the past, mostly for their live show. I’ve not seen the genius that others have recognized. That being said, I enjoyed this recording although it got a bit repetitive to my ears toward the end.

Bad Religion (”New Maps Of Hell”): Listening to Bad Religion I can’t tell if it’s 2007 or 1999. Sometimes that’s a good thing, sometimes it’s not. I really like Bad Religion’s energy and this release is full of energy, but I can’t help feeling like I’ve already heard this Bad Religion CD.

They Might Be Giants (”The Else”): The two Johns have put together another solid, quirky, TMBG record.

Smashing Pumpkins (”Zeitgeist”): This is standard Billy Corgan. While I loved this music very much in the early-to-mid nineties it doesn’t have the same attachment to me as then. I’ve tried listening to this disc a couple of times and have become bored quickly each time.

My overall assessment of these is that if you liked the previous music from each of these bands odds are you are going to like these releases.

It’s a toss up for me today, but based on what I’ve heard I think that your best bet is either the Spoon or They Might Be Giants offerings.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - feeling like things are coming together
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Editors — “Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors”
Website Of The Day - How could I not link to a blog called I Hate Crocs. There, I feel much better.
Exercise (b)Log - none
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car

July Goals
0) Celebrate my 42nd birthday
1) Get my first Ruby / Ruby on Rails program written
2) Get my photoblog up and running

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

The Gods have placed a large metallic object in the way of my car so I am unable to get out of my driveway. Oh wait a minute, that’s just a car parked there from yesterday. What’s strange is that I normally would ask people to park in my driveway so that I can get by their car “just in case”; I guess yesterday it just didn’t cross my mind.

“Old Paulie” would have been frantically trying to figure out how to get to work. And if this was two years ago I could have ridden my bike into work. I probably could ride my bike to Marta, but I don’t want to.
“New Paulie” will see it as an opportunity to get some things done around the house and take the day off from work if necessary.

If the car owner is reading this:
1. I am glad that you didn’t drive it home because I don’t think that would have been a good idea.
2. If you make it here around lunch time, let’s get lunch.

[UPDATE @ 7:10am : Car has been retrieved. Damn Yo, you got up early. You could have knocked on the door to say "Good Morning", but you were probably hoping I didn't notice that the car was still there and blog about it. Too late. Anyway, I still want to stress that I think #1 above was important. Cheers!]

ITP Flickr Pic
What’s for lunch if the car is still there by noon you ask? Well, I could always do a solo walk up to the village, or I could eat some leftovers that I have in the refrigerator.

This is a shrimp and andouille mock-gumbo that I prepared Saturday night. It’s not “restaurant quality” but given the fact that I just threw it all together without any recipe it turned out alright.

OS X Is Driving Me Fucking Crazy!
I want to love OS X.
I really want to love OS X.
But I spent the entire weekend cursing it.

First, the maximum volume for the podcasts I am listening to is way too low. Granted, I am running fans full-speed in the house currently, but even with the system volume as well as that for iTunes maxed out am having difficulties hearing the podcasts.

Then there is Automator. I am a programmer at heart so the idea of using Automator to automate tasks intrigues me. I have one such task in mind that needs to occur ASAP before disaster strikes but Automator seems incapable of pulling it off. Here is what I want to do:

But first some background…
I have a folder called “Filtered Originals” into which I dump all unaltered photographs that have made the first cut. In that folder exists sub-folders which correspond to the memory cards from which the photos are extracted.

Here are the steps I want to achieve:
1. Search “Filtered Originals” and its sub-folders for photos which were Created and/or Modified within a specified date range (generally this will be a week’s time, but I’d like it to be flexible).
2. Burn those photos onto as many DVDs necessary to complete the task.

This seems so simple, but I cannot get this to happen and I have tried multiple times. If you are a Mac user and have tips for me, please leave a comment.

Mmmmm Bop
Is the sign of a successful blogger a malfunctioning keyboard? Lately my iBook’s ‘m’ key has taken to multiplying like Tribbles. The slightest press of the key results in two or more letter m’s strung together.

I tried taking the keyboard out to see if anything is lodged under the key, but could find nothing.

It’s getting a little frustrating going back and deleting the extra letter, although I have yet to start avoiding words which contain the letter. I guess that commes (argh!) next.

Maybe Another Day At Home Wouldn’t Be So Bad
It seems like I didn’t do a whole hell of a lot this weekend.
1) Haircut : Check
2) Lawns Mowed : Check
3) Hashing : Check
4) Half a book read (What, what, what?) : Check

Yes, you just read that I read half of a book this weekend! You might not be too surprised when I tell you that the book is It’s All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff knowing that I am constantly trying to get my life in order.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - confused
Current Music - Listening to the CBC Radio 3 podcast
Website Of The Day - You may have noticed that I am eating more seafood lately. If you are too and are interested in the impact we are making on the environment, check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch.
Exercise (b)Log - hashing yesterday
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car

July Goals
0) Celebrate my 42nd birthday
1) Get my first Ruby / Ruby on Rails program written
2) Get my photoblog up and running

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

It’s all I could think about last night as I dragged photo after photo into the virtual trash bin. Don’t quit your day job. My budding career as sports photographer is on hold thanks to the wheelchair participants who outpaced my shutter speeds creating blurry photos. My mamby-pamby telephoto combined with the low light of the pre-dawn morning and a bit of instable camera holding just couldn’t hack it.

ITP Flickr Pic
Here’s a shot I did manage to capture.

It helped that this guy was struggling mightily. In fact, the AJC even wrote an article about him.

Fifty Down, Seventy-Five To Go
Showing my true colors I returned to drinking last night for a little “hair of the dog.” Okay, that’s a bit over-dramatic for what really occurred.

Last night being “keep the glass night” and me but one beer shy of fifty for my Taco Mac Passport I had planned on drinking a beer prior to watching the season premiere of Big Brother 8. Plans were made to meet Stacy at the Taco Mac in Decatur where we’d drink the Beer of the Month. Unfortunately for me, that meant beer #50 was going to be a PBR.

Choosing the Decatur location provided an added bonus for the evening as some other hashing friends also joined us for a beverage.

I had all of one beer along with some terrible boneless chicken wings. If you need to be reminded why I had only one beer, read yesterday’s post.

I Regret That I Have But One Hash This Weekend To Run For My Country
On July 1st I ran the Canada Day hash. On July 4th I celebrated the birth of our country with the Peachtree Pub Crawl Team. And on Sunday it’s time for the annual Bastaard Day Hash (we know that Bastille Day is really July 14th, but we don’t let facts get in the way of the hash). If you are looking for me this weekend, that will be your best chance. Other than that I believe I will be in hiding getting my house and yard in order.

Who knows, I just might have a photoblog started by Monday.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - Happy that it’s Friday
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing The Knife — “Silent Shout”
Website Of The Day - If you’ve been looking for an online backup solution, and who hasn’t, they look no further than Mozy — especially if you are a Mac user like me.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car

July Goals
0) Celebrate my 42nd birthday
1) Get my first Ruby / Ruby on Rails program written
2) Get my photoblog up and running

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Damn me! Damn me!! Damn me!!! My apologies for not posting anything yesterday. Keep reading and it will become obvious why I did not.

Happy Fucking Birthday, ‘merica!
I know better, but somehow I just couldn’t keep myself in line yesterday.

I started the day exactly as planned. I woke up early and was out the door by 5:30am. After finally figuring out where I wanted to park I grabbed my camera gear and started walking down Peachtree to the finish line of yesterday’s Peachtree Road Race. This was the year that I avoided doing the hash’s pub crawl — sobriety was the goal.

After watching the wheelchair racers speed by I started my walk back to my car, parked strategically close to where the final beer stop for the pub crawl was to happen — one or two beers would be okay.

After watching the race winners speed by, later followed by those for whom “speed by” would be a generous assessment, the Black Sheep beer stop opened. It was at that time beer drinking started and race photography ended.

Had I ended the morning’s escapades then today’s post would have a completely different flavor. No, instead I thought that it would be a good idea to follow the pub crawl up to Black Bear Tavern. Smooth move, Ex-Lax. I think that my thought process had something to do with food and the lack of it I was suffering.

I am sure that I annoyed the living shit out of all of those I encountered. At this point I was officially drunk. I remember snagging one of the few remaining hot dogs, that was the only thing I had to eat.

Much fun (at least for me) was had until I ripped my favorite pair of shorts trying to squeeze by a chair to get out of the building.

The walk back to my car was hot, but incredibly refreshing.

A while after returning home a sudden and overwhelming feeling of lack of control struck me. I can’t figure out how I was on the bathroom floor, but I was. I think the cool kids call it passing out. I thing the rock stars call it standard operating procedure.

Nothing was accomplished beyond this point.

Things I wish to not repeat
- Comparing the relative comfort of hardwood floors to ceramic tile
- Puking (so long, hot dog)
- Waking up on the bathroom floor to find out it’s 7:00pm
- And then again to find out it’s 9:30pm
- Staggering from the bathroom floor to bed
- Missing fireworks… again
- Waking up sometime later, starving and head pounding, only to go get some bread and milk from the kitchen before returning to bed

I have only myself to blame. I regret so much of what I did yesterday and I cannot let it ever happen again.

I hope that your day was better.

ITP Flickr Pic
Here is a photo I might have posted yesterday. It’s another of those that I like that has seemed to gather no interest on Flickr. Oh well.

In case you a wondering it’s part of a statue in Decatur and I used a wide open aperture (f/2.8 if I remember correctly) to get the shallow depth of field.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - disappointed and still rough around the edges
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Mando Diao — “TV & Me”
Website Of The Day - Social Networking for and an activity that long pre-dates the web — book reading. Go find out what your friends are reading at Good Reads.
Exercise (b)Log - walking, approximately 3 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car

July Goals
0) Celebrate my 42nd birthday
1) Get my first Ruby / Ruby on Rails program written
2) Get my photoblog up and running

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Thank God it’s virtual Friday. For most Americans today is an okay day because tomorrow we will be off from work. Please be safe, don’t drink and drive, don’t drink and firework, and if you live in the Atlanta area please remember that rain has been somewhat scarce so don’t play Sherman and burn the area to the ground.

no, No, NO, You Donkey!
Hell’s Kitchen Spoiler Alert
I guess it was bound to happen since they booted two people off in one week. Last night’s non-elimination of Michelle on Hell’s Kitchen annoyed me. Whether it be clever editing or not, she and all of her bossy attitude got on every one of my last nerves. And did anyone else think that thing on her chin looked more like a soul-patch instead of a zit? I will be interested to see how the men handle having her in their kitchen. I think that Rock is going to do all in his power to take out both Joshua and Michelle in the next two weeks. If he can pull it off then he is the clear leader as they head toward the finish line.

If you know me in real life, please do me the following favor. Although the likelihood that I am going to get married is very low, if you are the woman of my future or a friend of said-woman, don’t let us get married on tv — especially in Hell’s Kitchen. ‘kay? Thanks!

Absently Minded
This morning was a ATM-stop morning (I need cash for a lunch out) so I stopped at Einstein’s Bagels for coffee and a bagel (sesame seed today) on my way in to work.

Have you ever had that feeling that your mind is slipping away, ever so slowly? That’s all I could think about while rummaging through the trunk looking for the lid to my Einstein’s coffee mug. I just *knew* that I had seen it recently, but could not find it. I gave up and went inside to get a new mug along with my bagel.

Wouldn’t you know that as soon as I sat behind the wheel of my car the image of the coffee lid being in the back seat came to me as clear as day. And there is was.

Anyone want to buy an almost-new coffee mug? Ah never mind, I’ll just keep it.

ITP Flickr Pic
Taken while strolling Midtown on Saturday morning.

I really like the way that this photo has a painting-like quality to it.

What, What, What?
With the exception of one or two years I have either run the Peachtree Road Race 10k or walked the Atlanta Hash’s Peachtree Pub Crawl since 1996.

Tomorrow I will do neither. But unlike the other few years where I didn’t participate in July 4th activities, this year I am going to play amateur hobbyist photographer. If you see me, give me a big smile so I can take your picture. Hopefully it will be a nice, dry day and I will get great photographs.

btw- If Stacey, Andy, Mike, or Sandy are reading this, I miss the Good Old Days of us having a “White Trash Fourth of July” party. Say it with me — “Spaghetti-O Casserole (Spaghetti-O’s is no longer branded as Franco-American, who knew?), PBR, and Pop-Ice.”

CD Pick Of The Week
I don’t know what to tell you today. For me it’s a toss up between The Chemical Brothers and Velvet Revolver. To be honest neither is getting any airtime on Sirius 26, at least in the scant time that I am listening to “broadcast” radio these days. Therefore I’ve heard neither. I will probably give the Velvet Revolver release a listen today via the AOL’s Full CD Listening Party service.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - considering that I continue to fail to impress women, can’t get my weight down, and have no a/c currently, tomorrow is a paid-day off and I am going on vacation soon so I have hope.
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing The White Stripes — “Conquest”
Website Of The Day - Unclutterer — even typing their name gives me a momentary feeling of happiness. By Monday I want my life uncluttered, so I will be visiting their blog a lot in the next few days.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car

July Goals
0) Celebrate my 42nd birthday
1) Get my first Ruby / Ruby on Rails program written
2) Get my photoblog up and running

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]