Inside The Perimeter

Or a thumb-slice as the case for me. Do you know that karma cuts like a knife? Do you know that a sharp knife chops fingers as easily as it does green bell peppers? On Friday I found both of these to be true.

On Friday afternoon some co-workers and I were sitting around the lunch table talking about cutting with knives and I came out with the statement that I had never cut myself badly. On Friday night I was chopping some vegetables for dinner, using incredibly poor technique, and the next thing that I knew was that I could no longer make that statement.

I took the tip of my thumb off.

After bandaging myself up, failing to find good information about how I should remedy my new situation, failing to find a listing for a 24-hour emergency clinic, and heeding my mother’s plea that I have someone look at it, I drove myself swiftly to NextCare Urgent Care in the Edgewood Retail District before they closed at 8pm.

The people at NextCare were really cool. First attempts at stopping the bleeding by applying pressure for a long time failed. Step two was to numb the thumb (a fucking painful procedure) so that the doctor could cauterize the wound. In case you are unfamiliar with this procedure (as was I), cauterization produces an instant scab by burning the skin. Yippee!

Needless to say I didn’t make it to the Jens Lekman show last night. And odds are that I will be unable to run the hash today.

How do I feel? I’ll let the picture do the talking…

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - incredibly depressed
Current Music - Adam Curry’s “Daily Source Code” podcast from Friday
Website Of The Day - What else but NextCare
Exercise (b)Log - none
Monthly Foot Mileage - 31.5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - n/a
Beers Consumed Since 11/03 - 0, but nearly went on a drinking binge last night

November Goals
1) Run no fewer than 25 miles
2) Not worry about running the Atlanta Half-Marathon
3) Read at least one book

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

If I rode Marta every day I’d have a new daily segment. Seriously, how hard is if for Marta to correctly identify a northbound train? When I got onto the one labeled “North Springs” I chuckled at the good luck that I have had recently. It had been a long time since the first train to arrive at the Five Points station while I stood on the platform was a Doraville train. Until today. At Peachtree Center the new driver of the train informed us that the train we were on was a Doraville train. After four station’s worth of this announcement I took it to be true and jumped off at Linbergh. Sure enough as the train pulled away half of the cars still said “North Springs” although the driver change the front car to say “Marta.” Luckily for me a real North Springs train was directly behind the one I exited.

The Report Of Their Death Was Greatly Exaggerated
This was supposed to be in Wednesday’s blog — the one that had the Twain’s Quote website picked at the “Website Of The Day.” While riding the train I was listening to a podcast and they mentioned misquoting famous quotes and I thought “Did I ever actually write that bit about Gravity Pub?”

It appears that the death of Gravity Pub was greatly exaggerated. While they did shut down for a few weeks and have a change in some of the management the bar is once again open. Early reports is that is pretty much the same old shithole (which pleases me) and that the smoke is as thick as ever (which displeases me).

ITP Flickr Pic
I finally remembered to get some of my hockey pics posted.

Proof that Little Willy got older.

Proof that hockey players are not nice people (at least on the ice).

Weight Weight, Don’t Tell Me
On the continuing path of trying to figure out what I am becoming I actually used my dumbbells while watching Survivor and The Office.

Last night’s The Office was difficult watch, and I kind of liked it for that. During the original BBC version of the series there were many times when the humor was traded for uncomfortable situations. I’m glad to see that the writers (pre-strike of course) were able to introduce some of that into the American version.

Survivor Spoiled For Your Disapproval
On what has become the Most Fattening Survivor Ever! I can’t decide who I want to win this Survivor. All I know is that I have eliminated Peih-Gee and Courtney from that list.

What is the deal with some of these people gorging themselves on food so soon after coming back from a reward challenge during which the gorged themselves on fried chicken and mashed potatoes. I thought it was interesting that the reward challenge winners lied about the food they ate as well.

I thought t that decision to rid the camp of Frosti was a good move. However as much as I hate to think about it, I think that either Peih-Gee or Courtney will be in the final two (or three).

And what was up with that strange cliff hanger? Oh Survivor, you are such teasers…

Weekend-A-Rama
My weekend is already planned.

Tonight I will be headed to The Drunken Unicorn (btw- If any of you know the people responsible for their website let them know that their show schedule page is broken) to see Jens Lekman. This will be the first concert of my limited Prohibition era so I will have to see how it goes (hell, if I can not drink when I am around hashers…). Perhaps I’ll take my camera to keep my mind off of the lack of beer.

Tomorrow will be the toughest non-drinking day of all. I will be going to a hash. Tomorrow’s Pine Lake hash will be the one hundredth Pine Lake for StarWhore (aka Terri) and a birthday hash for Boner Rooter (aka Betsy). Since I won’t be consuming alcohol I’ll be there to witness the girl-on-girl wrestling. There will be girl-on-girl wrestling, right?

On Sunday night I can be found at Variety Playhouse for the Art Brut / The Hold Steady show. Having seen Art Brut at the Pitchfork Festival in 2006 and The Hold Steady twice at The EARL I’ll be interested to see how their shows play at Variety.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - okay, but things could be so much better
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Animal Collective — “Peacebone”
Website Of The Day - Be prepared to be amazed as you look at da Vinci’s Last Supper in 16 Billion pixel brilliance.
Exercise (b)Log - weight lifting
Monthly Foot Mileage - 31.5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - Marta
Beers Consumed Since 11/03 - 0

November Goals
1) Run no fewer than 25 miles
2) Not worry about running the Atlanta Half-Marathon
3) Read at least one book

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Yesterday the new “fly-over” bridge which goes over I285 and connects Lake Hearn Drive to Perimeter Center Parkway was christened. What got to me was the audacity of the press release telling us that the project was “Completed As Promised.” Um hello, the bridge was supposed to open in March of this year, and as I see it there is still no traffic being allowed on it. Completed as promised my ass!

When No News Really Is Good News
After receiving the bill for the physical I took three weeks ago I decided it was time they also told me the results. The fact that their lab lost my first blood sample combined with their delay in refusal to contact me has eroded much of the confidence that I put in this doctor’s office. That being said, the (all too limited) information delivered to me was positive. The doctor told me that I passed all tests and that his only slight concern was that my “bad cholesterol” was at 104 and that doctors recommend that it be under 100. I guess that I am as healthy as a horse.

Oh Marta, Why? Why? Why?
Has anyone ever ridden Marta for a week without difficulties? Given my limited ridership and the simplicity of Marta’s rail system I should rarely see a hiccup.

Yesterday I jumped on the train with enough time to make it down to George’s to meet up with the 6pm running group. One stop after getting onto a southbound train we were informed that our train was going out of service and that everyone would have to get off and wait for the next train. Fuggit! After a five-to-ten minute wait the next train arrived. Is it any wonder that people still use their car daily?

My commute was further munged by a semi-truck who, after turning left in front of an oncoming fire truck, either parked or broke down on Oakdale thus completely halting my lane of traffic.

To my credit I soldiered on to George’s and started my trek a good fifteen minutes after my companions. I managed a near-five-mile loop struggling with traffic, my iPod Shuffle (hate it — I need a screen), and oncoming runners. I am going to put this in print because it’s something that many of you have never heard me say.

“Even though I struggled and had to walk more than I would have liked to, I actually enjoyed running last night.”

To celebrate my journey I consumed a corned-beef sandwich with some french fries, all washed down with water.

ITP Flickr Pic
Rather than cook for this year’s pre-Thanksgiving pot-luck luncheon at the office I decided to construct a seven-layer bean dip.

It looks pretty fucking tasty if I do say so myself.

This American “Kitchen Nightmares” Is Boring Me
I fell asleep watching last night’s Kitchen Nightmares. I thing that they should rename this version of the show “Gordon Ramsay Visits Kitchens With Delusional Chefs And Gives Restaurant Makeovers.”

The only good part of last night’s show was when Ramsay found a copy of one his books in the kitchen.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - good
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing The Apples In Stereo — “Tidal Wave” (can’t believe I blew two opportunities to see them in concert this year)
Website Of The Day - Even though that Windows-loving Kim Komando over at USA Today beat me to picking this I am still going to recommend that you look at Refund Please.
Exercise (b)Log - running/walking, ~5 miles
Monthly Foot Mileage - 31.5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Beers Consumed Since 11/03 - 0

November Goals
1) Run no fewer than 25 miles
2) Not worry about running the Atlanta Half-Marathon
3) Read at least one book

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Rain? Is this possible? Our Gubner goes all Holy on us and rain appears? I’m no believer, and this stunt is not going to convert me either. Shit, I wouldn’t put it past a politician to seed the clouds the day of the event…

Blame It On The Beer
Alcoholic beverages have not passed through my lips in the past eleven days. However, I have found it difficult to come to grips that I just can’t blame alcohol consumption for all of my shortcomings; it was such a convenient crutch.

For instance, keys and wallet placement. In the Great Olden Days I had a specific location to put these items and I never had to spend time rooting around looking for them. In relative Recent Times I gave up on this practice (something about someone telling me that I was too structured, yada, yada, yada). It was easy, and probably somewhat correct, to blame the alcohol as I scoured my house retracing my steps looking for my goods. “Oh yeah, that’s right! I went into the living room to watch television, and ooooh, did I also eat something?”

Now I have no vice to accuse. If the items are not together and in a logical place then it just must be that I no longer pay enough attention to what I am doing.

Reality is such a fucking bitch…

ITP Flickr Pic
I can imagine the Craigslist ad

“M warthog seeks F for short jaunts around our zoo pen followed by a little 69-style napping”

Seriously though, these two give me hope.

Hockey Night In Atlanta
For the better part of the game the Thrashers played like ass. And then magically with 2.6 seconds left in the game they scored a tying goal and then Ilya Kovalchuk received a perfect pass from Todd White and ended the game with a brilliant goal in overtime.

Other highlights from the evening

• It was Little Willy’s birthday. And, even though they put his name under the “group” announcements instead of the “Happy Birthday” announcements, I managed to get a photo of the JumboTron. (I will post the picture as soon as I get the photos off the camera, Willy)
• I felt a little like an idiot savant as I saw my old friend and former business lawyer Lawrence, who I haven’t seen in over ten years. I met Lawrence at the old Bally’s gym on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs because he was wearing a NY Jets t-shirt one day. fwiw - I am usually really good at recognizing people, except of course when they are pointing guns at me.
• I signed up to volunteer for the 2008 NHL All-Star Game which will be played in Atlanta.
• Instead of getting two meats with my Chinese food in CNN Center I got one meat and mixed vegetables with my rice. What has happened to me?

Overall the night was a blast.

Attn: George’s Runners
There is an outside chance that I will be running with you tonight. If I can get out of my now-weekly 5pm meeting I will jump on the train and head to George’s when I get to my car. If I can’t get out of the meeting I will most likely do a solo run from my car and then head directly home to avoid the temptation of the beers.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - searching for meaning
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing The Faint — “I Disappear”
Website Of The Day - Whilst thinking about Twain (and not the bar in Decatur this time) I came across Twain Quotes.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 26.5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - Marta
Beers Consumed Since 11/03 - 0

November Goals
1) Run no fewer than 25 miles
2) Not worry about running the Atlanta Half-Marathon
3) Read at least one book

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

If this blog entry sucks, blame my host. I was all set to crank out a blog but was unable to get to my blog for an hour due to connection problems. Bum deal.

Last Night I Fell Off The Wagon
Not the drinking wagon, the exercise wagon.

While I was successful in avoiding the urge to drink, I somehow managed to go the entire evening without exercising. There were many reasons for this, not including television. Instead of exercising I did the following

• Went to Office Max after work (see why below)
• Got stuck in Atlanta rush-hour traffic (even though it was Veteran’s Day)
• Made dinner (I seared a chicken breast and put it over a salad. It was delicious.)
• Started reading The Elements of Cooking: Translating the Chef’s Craft for Every Kitchen
• Got frustrated because my Windows installation of iTunes still failed to play certain videos, including the episodes of Arrested Development that I spent all night ripping

I know, there is no excuse for missing exercising…

There Is A Chair Apparent
Yesterday I finally purchased a new office chair for my house. While I didn’t go overboard and get a real fancypants chair, the one I purchased will be a lot more comfortable to sit in than the wooden chair that came with a bedroom suite that my parents bought for me thirty years ago.

I was going to get one of those Herman Miller ripoff mesh chairs, but as I sat in each of them I didn’t find them comfortable. Instead I settled (literally) on this one.

ITP Flickr Pic
There is something about this picture that I really like.

If I had the mad Photoshop skills that I wish that I had I’d get rid of the feathers on the far right.

There Is Still Room On The Deadbeat Dads’ Bandwagon
Did you hear the popping of corks in Miami? That was the remaining 1972 Miami Dolphin players popping the champagne as the East Atlanta Deadbeat Dads handed Everpimp their first loss of the season. Of course Everpimp was forced to play without Tom Brady, who had a bye week, but at the same time the DD’s overcame the loss of Adrien Peterson who was maliciously attacked by those evil Green Bay Packers.

The DD’s are now settled in fourth place and hold their own keys to getting into the playoffs.

CD Pick Of The Week
Nothing that I see coming out this week excites me. Why don’t you tell me what interests you?

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - frustrated
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Manchester Orchestra — “Wolves At Night”
Website Of The Day - Have you been to Footnoted.org yet? No? Why not?
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 26.5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Beers Consumed Since 11/03 - 0

November Goals
1) Run no fewer than 25 miles
2) Not worry about running the Atlanta Half-Marathon
3) Read at least one book

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

What if your impact on life wasn’t greatly noticed? I started thinking about this yesterday as I read about the Writers’ Guild of America strike which has been underway for a week. I realized that I hadn’t really noticed that since with the exception of a few series, I watch very little television that has been scripted. While I understand that the full impact of the strike has yet to engage because many comedic series had episodes already in the can, but I doubt that this strike will impact my life in a negative way. Who knows, maybe I’ll find the time to listen to more music, watch more podcasts, do chores around that house, or *gasp* read. Oh, and by the way, I think the writers are right.

File Under: I Am A Terrible Ass-Kisser
Apparently my boss turned forty on Friday and I had no flippin’ idea. As I thought about it more, I realized that I have never known the birthday of any of my bosses. How about you?

Opening The Door For New Podcasts
On Friday night I stayed home. While there I cruised through a lot of the podcasts that I had downloaded. Feeling a bit in a rut I started searching for new material. I’ve now added the following to my collection

1. Beautiful Places TV: I am rarely awestruck by video. Tony Farley is taking a HD camera with him to some amazingly scenic areas and putting the results on the web. Go check out his episode on Yosemite Falls. It’s a hefty download (~100 MB) but well worth the effort to get it.
2. Amtrekker: Brett Rounsaville has fifty tasks he wants to complete before returning home to California. Regrettably for me he has already passed through Atlanta.
3. Shortorder.tv: Host Aparna makes dinner for one in about three minutes. I think that she should give herself a few more minutes and increase the meal complexities, but I may be able to pick up some ideas from this podcast.
4. Terra: The Nature Of Our World: As you may have figured out, this is a nature podcast.

As I look at the list it seems that I am on a bit of an outdoors kick. If you have any suggestions for new podcasts I’d be glad to hear them.

The Sobriety Society Is A Small Circle
After deciding that I wasn’t going to make it out of the house on Friday, which meant that I was neither going to go for a run nor was I going to make it to the Jonathan Coulton show I decided to make cookies — pumpkin cookies to be exact. But what to do with a batch of cookies when you are trying to lose weight? Take them to a morning run of course.

I struggled over a seven-mile course convinced that it was only the music delivered by Podrunner that got me through it.

After the run, cookies and bacon washed down with water began for me as my companions drank a variety of morning alcoholic beverages with their food. As the unseasonably cool warm morning turned to an unseasonably cool warm afternoon I cashed in my chips and headed home for a nap. Little did I know at the time that I’d be lured back to my friend’s house by the call of brats. I again stubbornly held my ground against joining my friends in alcohol consumption (I think that they really just wanted me to make a beer run and figured I’d be more willing to do so if I was drinking) and called it a day (again) after a few brats.

ITP Flickr Pic
The blog is a little later than normal today because this is how I looked this morning.

I just couldn’t seem to get out of bed.

However you may recognize this as a zoo animal, signifying that I went to the Zoo Atlanta yesterday using my new membership. I think that having the membership will be awesome because now I can go hang out for an hour or so, leave, and not feel like I am getting screwed.

Do I Think The Hash Missed Me? Nah.
Sunday’s Black Sheep hash was held in a place called Emerson, Georgia.

View Larger Map

Yeah, I didn’t think that you knew where that was either. I decided that I didn’t want to trek that far OTP in order to punish myself.

Did Food Network Tip Their Own Hand?
I guess that I should put a spoiler warning…
Not even midway through last night’s The Next Iron Chef finale there was a Kia commercial featuring John Besh. As far as I know there was no corresponding commercial for Michael Symon.

Psyche! Michael Symon is the Next Iron Chef! I guess that Kia figured that they could only use this commercial one time so they’d better get their money’s worth.

Also, in case you were wondering which Iron Chef is going to be replaced by the Next Iron Chef, last night’s episode should have convinced you that Mario Batalli has abdicated his position. Batalli was the only one of the American Iron Chefs that was not present on the panel.

While I understand why the Iron Chefs were the judges, it miffed me some. Here you have Ruhlman, Donatello, and Knowlton who have judged the entire way only to be pushed aside at the end? Sure, they had some input but I still thought that they were slighted.

Should His T-Shirt Read “Who’s The World’s Worst Daddy?”
Okay, I am already hooked on The Amazing Race 12.

If I had a father like Christina (think “Asian”) I’d not be around to write this blog — I’d either have killed myself or killed him. What an annoying sonnabitch. They were my pick to get ousted last night, and it will not be an episode too soon when they do.

Should someone forced CBS to put a Mature Audience rating on this episode because Grandpa stripped down to his Speedo in order to do the creek crossing? Is this the same network that digitally blurs butt crack on Survivor?

Here comes the spoiler
The married lesbian ministers were nice, but never had an ice cube’s chance in Hell of winning. Face it, having them on the show was CBS’ attempt to stir up controversy, and in turn increase ratings. I had nothing against them, but I doubt that I will miss them.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - a bit like a fool, my emotions today are rather mixed
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Tokyo Police Club — “Nature Of The Experiment”
Website Of The Day - Fellow Georgian Craig Tanner has a really neat blog called The Radiant Vista. You should check out is Daily Critique podcast as well.
Exercise (b)Log - Saturday: running/walking, 7 miles
Monthly Foot Mileage - 26.5 miles (psst- I finally completed a goal)
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Beers Consumed Since 11/03 - 0

November Goals
1) Run no fewer than 25 miles
2) Not worry about running the Atlanta Half-Marathon
3) Read at least one book

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

I was lucky enough to be to be born in the window of opportunity which made me way too young for Vietnam and too old for the current situation under which we find ourselves. For that luck I am more than thankful. This Sunday is Veteran’s Day (November 11th — one of those rare US holidays that always falls on the same date) and I urge you to either thank any veterans that you know, or spend a second or two to think about those men and women who served this country in times of war.

Now if we could only figure out a way to stop losing our civil liberties in the name of “fighting the terrorists….”

Here’s Something I Don’t Say Often
I’m happy today
My commute on Marta yesterday was efficient and pleasurable. While I did have to wait a little while for trains to arrive there was nary a hiccup and my commute only took the standard hour.

So naturally I drove to work today.

On the trip home yesterday I began reading Scott Kelby’s 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3 which arrived from Amazon yesterday. I know. I know. I am the last person in the world who should be buying more books, but this one I plan to read — I swear.

Also arriving in the post yesterday from Amazon was Michael Ruhlman’s The Elements of Cooking: Translating the Chef’s Craft for Every Kitchen. Ruhlman will be in Atlanta next Thursday tonight doing a ($70 per person!) demonstration at the Viking cookware store in Buckhead. In his blog Ruhlman mentioned that if he can hook up with an independent bookstore he’d be willing to do a free book signing as well. Can anyone out there think of an independent bookstore in Atlanta? I cannot.

ITP Flickr Pic
This was taken the other night with my Canon PowerShot SD750 from my seat, well a seat six rows closer to the ice than my seat to be exact.

I received great news yesterday that on the Friday following Thanksgiving I will be attending the game in a seat much closer! And since it will be after Thanksgiving my self-imposed drinking ban will be lifted. W00t!

Strange Office Matters
Talk about taking an odd idea and running with it. Did anyone else watch last night’s The Office? Perhaps the strangest moment of the show for me was how Jim was portrayed as an up and coming Michael.

Humor is most biting when it hits close to home. Not that I would ever try to combine birthdays or anything…

btw- Happy Birthday to all of you I’ve forgotten about this year!

Obligatory Survivor Spoiler Warning
I for one will miss Jean Robert. His comparisons of Survivor to poker last night were weak, but by-and-large I think that his abrasive personality was good television.

Am I the only one who wants to like Courtney but cannot stand her one bit? She’s a pretty girl, in need of at least thirty pounds, who irritates me constantly. I think that it’s because she’s a 26 year old woman who still seems to act like a high schooler (at least as presented by CBS’ editors).

I felt that Denise got the real screw job last night. Talk about your outsiders… First she didn’t get picked for either team in the reward challenge, which unfairly banished her to the losing team with no hope of reward. Then, she was the only one to vote for Peih-Gee giving further evidence that no one talked to her prior to Tribal Council. Poor “little” mullet-sporting lunch lady from Mass.

While it will never happen my new pick to win is Amanda. Any woman who can look that good rocking the glasses after twenty-four days of Survivor is alright by me.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - better than yesterday because I don’t feel ill
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Pavement — “In The Mouth Of A Desert” (I still have a serious desire to see Malkmus in concert)
Website Of The Day - My friend Maigh just got a Nikon D80 (trumping my camera until my D300 arrives next month). For her I will post a link to a valuable resource for Nikon owners The Nikonians.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing because I felt crappy
Monthly Foot Mileage - 19.5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Beers Consumed Since 11/03 - 0

November Goals
1) Run no fewer than 25 miles
2) Not worry about running the Atlanta Half-Marathon
3) Read at least one book

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

I could barely keep my eyes open long enough to watch episodes of Good Eats and Kitchen Nightmares last night. At 10:30pm I went into the bedroom to read before turning in and never actually got around to opening the book before falling asleep.

Speaking of Kitchen Nightmares, did anyone else watch? Does the phrase “Doomed to fail.” pop into anyone else’s mind when they think of the restaurant Sebastian’s?

Left, Right, Repeat
My 5:00pm meeting let out early enough to convince me to make it to George’s last night. I knew that I’d be trailing the 6:00pm running group by at least thirty minutes, but I could not let that dissuade me. I struggled through the nearly-five-mile route that I chose to run. My breathing was hard on occasion, but the cooler air cut through the garbage in my lungs helping me complete the task. Oh sure there were spots in which I had to walk, but it’s all about the baby steps right now.

Did I breakdown and drink a beer afterwards? While it was certainly tempting I manage to stave off the desire. I did have to leave the bar earlier than I would have normally; which, except for spending less time around my friends, is not really a bad thing.

I Don’t Want To Belong To A Club That Would Have Me As A Member
Living a mere few miles from Zoo Atlanta it astonishes me how few times I have visited. That’s about to change today as I will become a member of the zoo.

I am also contemplating becoming a member of the Atlanta Botanical Garden next year.

It’s all about the photography.

Add these two memberships to my High Museum membership and Horizon Theatre season subscription and I almost appear to be a learned, civilized male. I can’t wait until I am old enough to join AARP as well…

ITP Flickr Pic
This was my desk at work yesterday. Each pile represented a different task.

I took this using the Canon PowerShot SD750 point and shoot that I bought myself for my birthday. I cannot seem to take pictures that I like using the damn thing.

Finally! An Attractive Person Catches A Break
Well she may not be the next Iron Chef, but Jill Davie has bounced back nicely. I found out the other day that Davie is now the co-host of Shopping With Chefs. It’s about damn time that attractive people caught a break! They’ve been oppressed all this time….

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - feisty
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing The DB’s — “Amplifier” (when was the last time you heard The DB’s?)
Website Of The Day - Want to read great articles but just don’t have the time? Try Brijit - Great Content In 100 Words Or Less (btw- their grammar, not mine).
Exercise (b)Log - running/walking, ~5 miles
Monthly Foot Mileage - 19.5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - Marta
Beers Consumed Since 11/03 - 0

November Goals
1) Run no fewer than 25 miles
2) Not worry about running the Atlanta Half-Marathon
3) Read at least one book

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

While yesterday’s declaration of “not drinking until Thanksgiving” wasn’t meant to be earth-shattering, someone should have called me out to the fact that Thanksgiving is only like two weeks away. Somehow I thought it was much further away than that. Thankfully I am not planning on running a half-marathon or anything like that on that Thursday.

One Hurdle Lept
I will give myself a smidgen of credit because last night as I was able to sit at a table of six any be the only one without a beer. I believe that I even fended off some ridicule.

The oddest triumph last night was the reason that I didn’t drink — because I said that I wasn’t going to. My word actually meant something again last night and it made me rather proud.

We’ll see how things go if I can make it to George’s tonight.

ITP Flickr Pic
I like this picture

I like it so much that I put it up as my weekly photo over at Jalapeno Beach. [note to self: still need to update Jalapeno Beach]

File Under: I Shouldn’t Have To Do This Shit
It’s been over a week since I gave my second blood sample to the doctor as part of a physical. I have yet to hear anything about the lab tests, nor have they told me anything about my urine sample. On the one hand I can take this as good news — there is nothing so seriously wrong with my that warrants immediate action; on the other hand I’d prefer the doctor’s office to complete the job they are supposed to do and follow up with me.

It’s been well over a month since I received a parking ticket while recruiting at Florida Atlantic University. On the day that I received the ticket I filed an appeal (there were many reasons that I thought the ticket was in error) and was told that I’d receive a verdict in “about three weeks.” While I do not feel that I should have to pay the $25 fine I am more than a little worried that if I fail to pay now there could be some ramifications later on. It’s not like I never plan to go back to Florida or anything…

Annual Turner-Friend Call Out
If you have Thrashers’ vouchers that you don’t plan on using your good friend Paulie wouldn’t mind taking them off your hands. I still have ten games remaining in my thirteen-game-pack and would like to attend more games, especially if it doesn’t cost me anything.

Ramsay’s Back Tonight
Woo Fucking Hoo!!!

It’s been a long two weeks since I’ve seen a new episode of Kitchen Nightmares. The waiting ends tonight.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - fair
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Husker Du — “Makes No Sense At All” (and suddenly I feel like I am eighteen again)
Website Of The Day - You know how U-Haul has state-related pictures painted onto their trucks? Did you know that you can go to U-Haul’s Super Graphics to find out information about each?
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 14.5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Beers Consumed Since 11/03 - 0

November Goals
1) Run no fewer than 25 miles
2) Not worry about running the Atlanta Half-Marathon
3) Read at least one book

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Huh? Election Day? Goddammit, that’s what I get for hiring overseas scab comedy writers during this writers’ strike.

Sobriety Test
Last night was the second night of my sobriety test. I am attempting to go alcohol-free until Thanksgiving Day (that’s November 22nd for those not following the US calendar). Will it be hard? Yes. Will it be the hardest thing I have ever done? No, actually far from it.

Activities that will make this slightly difficult

• Hashing: although I have actually hashed without drinking
• Hockey games: those Gorin’s big beers will be awfully tempting
• Concerts: I can’t recall the last time I didn’t drink while at a show
• George’s: shouldn’t be too hard, it’s not like the beer flows for free

I will allow myself to cook with alcohol, but not drink it. In the end I hope to lose a few pounds, gain a little self-confidence, save a little money, and experience life a little differently.

ITP Flickr Pic (Twofer Tuesday Style)
I see a lot of myself in this tree

Although things do not look great for it, it has not yet given up trying to hang in there..

As an added bonus this photo also encapsulates today’s feelings

“Stop before it’s too late and you head over a cliff.”

A Lot Of Hard Work For Naught
For the past week I have been going back to every ITP post turning off comments in an attempt to stop comment spam. Somehow those asshats have figured out how to comment on posts which have comments disabled because I received an email asking me to moderate a new comment which was posted on a previously-altered entry. Crap! Crap! Crap!

I am attempting to fight this by starting to blacklist some words. So far the blacklist only contains the brand names of medication commonly found in spam comments. I apologize to you for having to do this, but I don’t want to spend the time fighting off these motherfuckers one comment at a time.

I Believe (That I Will Be) In Blueland
Do you think that Philips Electronics is happy that the Thrashers refer to the arena as “Blueland” instead of “Philips Arena?” After all, they did pay a lot of money for the naming rights.

Regardless I will be in the building tonight watching “our” Atlanta Thrashers take on the Washington CAPITALS (oops, that was a typing pun as I accidentally hit the Caps Lock key as I was typing the first letter.)

As you have just read I will not be drinking tonight. However, I will be down in CNN Center early enough to grab some dinner before the game. Look for me, I will be the one in the Thrashers baseball cap. If you don’t see me in CNN Center then you can always look for me during the game. Here’s a visual of where I will be…

(photo credit: Gentri)

Except the “my” in that photo does not refer to me, and to be completely honest, I will actually be in a nose-bleed section on the other end of the ice.

CD Pick Of The Week
I really don’t recognize much of what’s being released today. I am familiar with Sigur Ros but can’t say that I really enjoy it. So, therefore this weekend I am going to suggest something completely different. This week I suggest going to Amazon and trying out their mp3 download service. If you need a musical selection to download, why not get that new Okkervil River “disc” called “The Stage Names”.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - crummy
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Okkervil River — “Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe” (what a coincidence, no?)
Website Of The Day - I wonder if NY Girl Of My Dreams would work for me when I ride Marta?
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 14.5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - Marta
Beers Consumed Since 11/03 - 0

November Goals
1) Run no fewer than 25 miles
2) Not worry about running the Atlanta Half-Marathon
3) Read at least one book

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]