Inside The Perimeter

You didn’t expect me to train for an event for three months and not have a big post about it when I completed it, did you?

Read Along With Me
Today’s passage from Notes To Myself.

If I find I am afraid of getting beaten up I don’t have to choose between obeying the dictates of the fear or reacting against it; I have the alternative of acknowledging what I feel at the moment and allowing myself to do whatever grows of that. Self-awareness increases my options, my range of choices.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

Paying It Forward
On Friday I had someone sitting next to me that wasn’t my date after all.

As I sat comfortably with an empty seat next to me a young woman asked me “Sir…” (again!!!) “Are you here alone?” Now before you get all happy for me allow me to shatter your hope by telling you that I already knew that she was married. She went on to ask “If you are, would you mind switching seats with my mother-in-law so that she can sit near me?” I then told her that her mother-in-law could have the empty seat between us because I was in possession of the ticket and I knew that it would not be occupied. The only downside to my kindness was that her mother-in-law, while very pleasant, was a “larger” woman.

Poundstone put on a really entertaining show.

Here is the view that I had

(the photo was taken before the venue filled up)

BrING It On
I’m Not Sure If I Was In Heaven Or Hell
Those of you who’ve known me for some time know that I have definite “type” when it comes to women. I will not explain why, but for whatever reason I find myself highly attracted to fit women with short hair. Want to guess the appearance of the stereotypical running women that was at Saturdays Racers’ Expo? Yep. I was surrounded by them. I didn’t want to leave the Expo, hell it was such an abomination (more on this below) that I was almost unable to leave the Expo.

No More ING For Me
ING has sponsored many major paces in the past. Why does Atlanta’s keep getting fucked up?

For last year’s inaugural race their was much publicity about the hydration stations running out of fluids because the weather was hotter than anticipated. Since I did not run, I have no complaints although I am sure I would have been one of the loudest since I require fluids for my long runs and wouldn’t have been carrying any since I paid for them to provide assistance.

But then there is this year…

The organizers should consider themselves lucky that the tornado blew though a couple of weeks ago because it gives them a very convenient excuse.

While I realize that the Race Expo had to be moved from the Georgia World Congress Center to the Georgia Dome due to the tornado, the lack of organization was inexcusable. First, I had to wait at least five minutes to get my bag because no one was “manning” my number group station. All other lines were served as I waited, and waited. Having to wait for things is not to most heinous crime, however it has been a constant and rather annoying theme in my life recently. What is inexcusable is that I got no race shirt! No one told me that there wasn’t a shirt in the bag and I didn’t find out until it was too late. I made the assumption that because I was handed a bag with materials that were personalized for me — having my name, age, number, and shirt size — that the shirt was also inside of the bag handed to me. Apparently the shirt pick-up station was nowhere near the place where I picked up my bag or checked to make sure that the timer chip handed to me was programmed with my information. I am fucking frustrated and I don’t even need another goddamn shirt, it’s just the principle of the matter.

Then there was race day… Unfortunately for the organizers the weather this year couldn’t be much more different from last year’s. Sunday was a cold, windy, and overcast day; not bad for running long distances, but shitty for just about everything else like standing around waiting to get things before and after a race.

The race organizers did a great job of printing promotional signs to advertising ING’s financial services however they seemed to forget to print signs directing people to bag drop off and starting corrals. Hell, even having some volunteers with megaphones would have helped immensely. But signs and volunteers were few and far between so people wandered and fought the masses trying to find out where the hell they were supposed to go.

Lines, and there were many, were incredibly long and slow, which if the weather had been even remotely pleasant would have been bearable. To drop off your bag — you waited in a line. To get food at what appeared to be the only tent handing out food post-race — you waited in a long line. To get you bag post-race — you waited in an even longer line. It was a cluster-fuck of station placement.

Hey, did you know that a half-marathon is 13.3 miles? I didn’t either, because it’s NOT!; it’s 13.1 miles goddamnit! No fewer than four people (myself included) with GPS watches measured the distance 0.2 miles longer than it should have been. While an additional 0.2 miles doesn’t seem like much more, it is brutal when you’ve pushed yourself to your limits and aren’t expecting the extra mileage.

There Was Some Good In The Day Though
I did it and proved that I commit myself to exercising again.

My “official” chip time was 2:05:45. Keep in mind that’s for 13.3 miles. I saw my GPS watch at 13.1 miles was around 2:02-and-change. I ran the first 9.5 miles with my friend Laura (aka “Martha”) who then kept running at the same pace while I slowed. Unfortunately, I was still giving it everything I had, and the two remaining inclines beat the shit out of my feet, knees, and legs.

I want to thank those of you who came out to cheer as well. It was great to see you all out there, especially because I know that if I wasn’t running I probably wouldn’t have gotten out of bed.

ITP Flickr Pic
This is who I was.

It may be the last time that I run this distance on pavement.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - sore; happy for some reasons, depressed for other
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Gogol Bordello — “Wonderlust King”
Website Of The Day - The food that I made this weekend consisted of most of those delicious vegetables I ordered from Moore Farms And Friends.
Exercise (b)Log - running, 13.3 miles
Monthly Foot Mileage - 93.3 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Monday Morning Weigh-In - 195 pounds
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0

March Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
3) Read at least one book

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

This has been a long, trying week.

Read Along With Me
Today’s passage from Notes To Myself.

Often my fantasies express how I would like to feel rather than how I do feel. Here’s this man I’m afraid of and I fantasize the part of the very tough person — when actually I feel weak in relation to him. Do I want to actualize myself? OK, the actuality is I am afraid of him.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

I’m So Fresh
On Wednesday I received an email from Moore Farms And Friends detailing my purchase. Here is what was supposed to be delivered

$30 Farmer’s Pick Orders
Blackjack Tomatoes - 2lg/3sm
Strawberries - 1 pint
Yellow Squash - 1.5lbs (or 4 Oranges)
Fresh Beets - 1 bunch
Broccoli - 2 heads
Mixed Roots - 2#
Green Pepper - 1
Lettuce - 1
1/2 dozen Eggs

Here is what was delivered

and

(note that the one sitting in the lower right corner, in the Fanny Flagg seat on “Match Game”, is actually a pale shade of green)

and

I still have a lot of learning to do when it comes to food styling, lighting, and photography…

Not pictured are the four oranges which were part of the package. I was kind of bummed to see them since I was hoping to get the squash. Oh well.

I haven’t come up with a plan for cooking the vegetables yet, that will happen Saturday. Thanks to my friend Martha (aka “Laura”) who dropped off a care package of extra lasagne that she made I didn’t have to whip up anything last night. And since I know she reads this space, thanks! Martha it was delicious.

ITP Flickr Pic
What, I just gave you three! Okay, here is a cropped image of some strawberries

Not bad. Not bad.

Since There Can Be No Survivor Recap Thanks To Basketball
Here’s another thing that relates to Top Chef.

I recently found out that there is a podcast that does an approximately five-minute interview with the chef that gets ousted each week. The podcast is part of a larger effort done on Chow, which is a really cool food/drink-related website. Those of you who have been reading ITP for a while and have stellar memories will remember that Chow was a “Website Of The Day” one day last September (oh, I had to look that up).

I’ll Not Make This Mistake Again
The day is here, that day being the Paul Poundstone concert day. To date I’ve had zero dates since purchasing two tickets for this event (it’s much worse than that, but that’s another story). Tonight I will be eating the second $31 ticket because of my inability to engage women. For many other events I’d invite someone to join me just so that the seat is filled and the money didn’t go to waste. However this ticket was purchased with intent to be given to a date and since I don’t have a date, it will not be used. I’ll not make this mistake again, nor will I be starting a local chapter of the “Optimists’ Club” any time soon.

Literal Rain On My Parade Run?
Here is a Friday-morning forecast for the weekend’s weather in Atlanta

Can you guess on which day I will be running for two hours? I’ve trained in shittier weather than what is predicted for Sunday, but I was really hoping that I would be rewarded for this with a sunny, 65-degree day. And before you start telling my how low-50’s is such great running weather, stop!, I’d rather it be warmer.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - I feel like a loser, this time in a bad way
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Liam Finn — “Second Chance” (if you were wondering, he is the son of Neil Finn.
Website Of The Day - Since this entire week has seemed to focus on being a “localvore” it only seems fitting to highlight Local Harvest today.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing, damn I good at this tapering!
Monthly Foot Mileage - 80 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0

March Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
3) Read at least one book

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Think I am talking about my weight? Good try, but no.

I realized that all “legitimate” reviewers had a rating scale whether it be thumbs, stars, color-coded threat levels, or whatever. What could I used to differentiate myself from the rest???

Introducing the new patent-pending, trademark-awaiting, unofficially-copyrighted Inside The Perimeter Rating Scale!!!

• 0 mph - 25 mph = traffic jam — awful
• 25 mph - 35 mph = ugh why are we moving so slowly? — it sucked
• 35 mph - 45 mph = meh, at least we are moving — fair
• 45 mph - 55 mph = going against traffic — good, could be better
• 55 mph+ = clear sailing! — fuck yeah!

Read Along With Me
Today’s passage from Notes To Myself.

When I examine my fantasies for the values they express I am surprised at the pettiness.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

It Was The Most Anticipated Concert Of The Year!
At least for me.

Last night I went to Variety Playhouse for the Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks concert.

I arrived early, stupid early, because my dinner from Fox Bros BBQ (could-have-been warmer smoked chicken wings with awesome fried pickles) arrived so quickly. In fact, I was the third person in Variety when I entered so I sat my ass in one of the two perfect vantage points — the first section behind the pit.

John Vanderslice was the opener. I had heard much of Vanderslice’s music and, while I don’t own any, appreciate it for what it is. In fact, Vanderslice and his band rocked a lot harder than I remembered. I enjoyed his set quite a bit… wait, I mean I’d give his set a “45 mph - 55 mph”.

Malkmus & The Jicks were next up. Malkmus’ voice wasn’t up to snuff, but his guitar playing was unequaled. While I enjoyed their set, there was something missing. It felt as if I was miles away, as if their speakers were cranked to 8 instead of 10. It also didn’t help that two couples near me decided that mid-song was the perfect time to scream a conversation at one another. People. Shut. The. Fuck. Up! On the newly-minted scale I will give the show “45 mph - 55 mph”, although it was closer to the forty-five end of the scale.

The Ups And Downs Of Strangers’ Statements
As I was leaving work some guy in my office building said “You look like the stereotypical Apple employee.” I don’t know if his commentary on my long hair, beard, black Flaming Lips t-shirt, and jeans meant I looked like a programmer in Cupertino California, or that I looked like a retail employee at an Apple store.

At the concert last night one of the on-going conversation girls accidentally touched my leg and said “Oh, I’m sorry sir.” Sir? Argh! I know I look old, especially when I am at many of the concerts which I attend, but please don’t call me “sir.”

ITP Flickr Pic
Because I didn’t bring my camera to the Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks show, and I should have because I had the perfect vantage point and the show was fairly well lit, here is another from the Jonathan Coulton show I saw last Saturday night.

Truth be told, I was getting a bit frustrated with my efforts and wanted not to be disappointed with any photos I would have taken last night.

Another Reason To Hate Ticketmaster
Not that I needed another….

What are you doing April 28th? Me? Apparently I am not seeing Elvis Costello play at The Tabernacle. I received an email alerting me that the show has been postponed. Within the email there was information about obtaining a refund, including the following

Please make a copy of the tickets for your own records before returning the physical tickets in the mail. Include the name & address on the account, your Ticketmaster order number, and a daytime telephone number in case we need to reach you. Your tickets must be received in our office no later than April 9, 2008 by 3:00pm ES/DT. Ticketmaster is not responsible for tickets that are lost, stolen, or never received in our office. Please note, the $5.15 per order processing fee and any ticketFast or UPS delivery charges are non-refundable.

Note that I they have to receive the tickets within two weeks, and, that’s right, the $5.15 charge per order is non-refundable! Oh how I long for a day when I never have to deal with Ticketbastard again.

I’m Thinking Of Expanding
In a few weeks I will be doing my first camping trip of 2008. As I say every year, “This will be the year I do more camping!” To that point I am was contemplating purchasing a new, and larger, tent.

For those of you who have camped with me in the past you know that I currently sport the little two-person number seen pictured here far right and have had concerns with how well it holds up in rain storms.

As fate would have it the very tent that I was contemplating purchasing through Amazon went on sale for $60 off its $139 price tag so I purchased one. Score!

Look for me to be stylin’ and profilin’ around campgrounds throughout the Southeast this year. Because as everyone knows, size matters…

Top Cheffin’
Another episode of Top Chef is in the books and if you don’t want to know what happened…. skip ahead now.

“Would you like your taco in a flour, corn, or jicama shell?” Thanks to Richard Blais’ winning Quick Fire Challenge concoction that question can now be heard at Rick Bayless’ Mexican Fine-Dining establishment “Topolobampo” — because they stole it! With his victory Blais won immunity.

There is a reason the show is called Top Chef and not Top Vendor. That reason is because you are supposed to make culinary advances on the show, not pedestrian food. Last night’s Red Team effort of corn dogs, sliders (hamburgers), and such looked very forgettable to me. I could also say the same thing about Nikki’s horrible looking macaroni and cheese, but luckily for her she was on the winning Blue Team. Because of his soggy corn dogs Erik got the ouster and was told to pack up his knives and go. This outcome was not too surprising, and think that there was more going on (like the abomination he delivered for last night’s Quick Fire) which went into voting him out.

If I were to score last night’s episode, and I will, I’d give it a “35 mph - 45 mph.”

I Don’t Know What I Was Thinking
I am picking up my $30 Farmer’s Pick w/ Eggs from Moore Farms And Friends this afternoon. I’ll have photos, commentary, and a recap of dinner tomorrow, not today.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - somewhat empty
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Be Your Own Pet — “The Kelly Affair”
Website Of The Day - The other day a new commentor “Jenny” altered me to this neat RealiTV contest website called Last 2 Left. It looks interesting to me, and I plan to jump onto the bandwagon when Hell’s Kitchen starts next week.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing, oops
Monthly Foot Mileage - 80 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0

March Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
3) Read at least one book

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

I took a rest day yesterday. I worked late (for me) and then I did absolutely nothing constructive for the rest of the evening. No exercising. No cooking, I did bake some lousy biscuits which is all I needed because of the large Chinese Food Court lunch I ate yesterday. Not much reading. I did listen to a lot of music and podcasts as I surfed the interwebs though.

Read Along With Me
Today’s passage from Notes To Myself.

The injunction to be unselfish in an impossible ideal. Each of us is totally selfish in the same sense that we are always doing what some part of us wants to. Generosity feels at least as rewarding as greed. Selfishness is neither inherently good nor bad — it depends on the way we are selfish as to whether it nourishes or injuries.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

Looking Ahead
ING has not even arrived, although it’s very close, and I’ve already started to modify my training schedule so that I will be prepared for the Twisted Ankle Half Marathon in May. Given the time between runs it looks as if I will start my long runs at eight miles and move them to Saturdays instead of Sundays (which will work nicely for my hashing needs).

The new Master Plan is to find half marathons which are 6-8 weeks away from my previous race so that I can stay trained. And, come April I am also going to start putting some miles on my road bike again.

Like I Needed Another Time Waster
Yesterday I had a weak moment, crumbled, and joined yet another social network. Yesterday I joined HashSpace. HashSpace is a “MySpace for hashers.” Unlike other social networks to which I belong I currently know a surprisingly large number of people using HashSpace.

If you want to find me on HashSpace my user name is “Wee Little Bit” (of course) and if you are a Black Sheep hasher you should know that I started a group called “Black Sheep H3″ and join it.

ITP Flickr Pic
From the Jonathan Coulton concert at the Variety Playhouse last Saturday night.

Still not perfect, but I kinda like it.

What Has Happened To Our National Pastime?
I am sitting in the office watching the Major League Baseball’s second official game of the year. Like the first game this is a battle between the Oakland A’s and the Boston Red Sox and it is taking place live in Japan. Japan! WTF? This is supposedly America’s National Pastime and we don’t even get to host the opening game of the season?

Fucking greedy bastards.

Variety Playhouse Has Replaced The EARL As My #1
For as much as I love the convenience and intimacy of The EARL, there are a couple of things about it that I don’t like. First, it’s way too damn smoky inside — I can’t stand the way I feel and smell when I exit The EARL. Second, even during the week the headlining band never goes on stage early.

Variety Playhouse addresses both of these concerns. Variety no longer allows smoking inside the venue (although I have been to shows where they didn’t police this well), and during the week most of their headliners usually take the stage by 10pm.

Tonight I will be back at Variety Playhouse to see Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks. I am stoked! Tonight I will not be toting a camera along with me because I just want to drink and rock out. if you are looking for me I’ll be the one in the The Flaming Lips t-shirt.

Hey Steve, I have the most awesome birthday gift for you! That is, if you enjoy drinking Yuengling. Your birthday is in January, correct?

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - frustrated
Current Music - listening to Leo Laporte’s “The Tech Guy” podcast
Website Of The Day - Everyone seems to be talking about Muxtape. Muxtape allows you to make your own mp3 mix-tapes (for those of you who remember what they were)
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 80 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0

March Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
3) Read at least one book

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Last night I pounded out four decent miles of running. Unfortunately I then went and ruined it all by drinking two beers and consuming way too much food. Dangen!

Read Along With Me
Today’s passage from Notes To Myself.

I notice sometimes I think, “I ought to do so-and-so,” in order to cover up my desire to do it. If I “have” to do it I don’t have to admit I want to, or that I don’t want to.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

It’s All Too Much!
This is a bit of a downer (stick with me, it goes upwards from here).

What you may or may not know about me is that I used to be very in-tune with Green economics and lifestyles. I know that I don’t seem like an “off the grid” type, but the idea has always intrigued me.

The other night I watched a real downer of a video called “The Story of Stuff” on Terra (note that terra.com is something completely different). The nearly twenty-minute, two-part video discusses the horror of our Consumption Society and how much damage we are levying on the Earth. The images are not disturbing, but the information contained within certainly is.

Much of the rest of this blog entry is about “buying stuff’ so if you want to call me a hypocrite in the comments, feel free to do so.

Look Who’s Becoming A Semi-Localvore
I’ve placed my first order from Moore Farms And Friends. Moore Farms And Friends is a co-op of farms located in Alabama and Georgia and they deliver “locally-grown” farm products to designated pickup locations for those who place orders through them.

There is a $25 per year membership and the cost of the produce is higher than that found in supermarkets, but the idea of buying directly from the producer excites me.

For my first order I purchased a $30 Farmer’s Pick With A 1/2 Dozen Eggs. I believe that I will find out the exact contents of my purchase today, and I plan to whip up a meal around them on Thursday night. Look for an update then.

ITP Flickr Pic
Last Friday night before going across the street and getting plastered at Flat Iron I ate dinner at Kasan Red.

While waiting on my food I snapped this photo of some of the stars hanging in their window.

This Better Not Be An April Fool’s Joke Setup!
This morning I saw a banner ad on mentioning that Hell’s Kitchen returning to Fox on April 1st.

Bring.
It.
On!

While I realize that most of you don’t share my love for “Hell’s Kitchen” and Gordon Ramsay (no homo) I am stoked. If I had to rank my favorite RealiTV shows currently I’d have to say the order would be “Top Chef”, “Hell’s Kitchen”, “The Amazing Race” (can’t wait for its return), and then “Survivor.”

CD Pick Of The Week
I am sure that I will receive more than one turned-head when I say that there are two discs that I am recommending this week — The B52’s “Funplex” and The Raconteur’s “Consolers Of The Lonely.”

There will always be a certain soft spot in my heart for The B52’s, notsomuch because I live in Atlanta, but because they were the first band that I ever saw get booed off a stage. The year was 1982, the town was Orlando Florida, the venue The Citrus Bowl. If there was anyone to blame for this result it was the concert promoter. You see, The B52’s were opening up for Joan Jett And The Blackhearts, who were themselves opening up for The Who — not exactly a “perfect fit” for the crowd.

As for The Raconteurs, I really dug their last effort. And, given my current mood and how it relates to the title of their new release I can’t help but suggest it.

CD Pick Of The Recent Past
The other night I downloaded (purchased from Amazon) the latest release from Georgia’s-own The Whigs called “Mission Control.” I had been hearing “Right Hand On My Heart” on Sirius (which has just been approved for merger with XM, btw) and enjoying it, so I purchased the entire disc.

You should do the same. This disc is solid and I am now on a mission to find out when they play live again in the Atlanta area (not had the time to look it up yet) so that I can see them perform.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - lonely and frustrated; looking forward to finishing ING
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Bloc Party — “Like Eating Glass”
Website Of The Day - I found the name of the Citrus Bowl via a website which has some of the best information about the long-defunct professional football league, the USFL. Anyone know the name of the Tampa Bay Bandits first head coach? I do, I was there.
Exercise (b)Log - running, 4 miles
Monthly Foot Mileage - 80 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0

March Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
3) Read at least one book

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

It was a busy weekend for me, and I didn’t do anything special for Easter.

Read Along With Me
Today’s passage from Notes To Myself.

I was just asked to go somewhere. I said, “I can’t. I have to stay home. Gayle’s sick.” Clearly, I was not accepting responsibility for my actions. Next time I hope I have the courage to state that I do what I do because I want to do it.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

NERDS!
Saturday was chock-filled with nerds. To begin the day I met up with Phil and Alan at Agnes & Muriel’s where I ate a very disappointing lunch (folks, chicken should be fried and not completely fried to a crisp two the point where I consider sending it back). We three then headed up to Cheshire Bridge Road to take photos inside this month’s Atlanta Grid Project section.

After taking another patented ITP afternoon Power Nap I headed to Fox Bros BBQ where I ate an incredible meal of smoked chicken wings and cubes of fried macaroni and cheese.

Following dinner I headed over to Variety Playhouse to meet up with Phil (again) and Brian. We were there to see Jonathan Coulton. I knew that the crowd would be comprised of mostly nerds and even I underestimated this. This crowd consisted of two guys wearing t-shirts that lit up (one a fake Pong game, the other looked like a graphic equalizer) and some of the fattest nerds that I have ever witnessed. I swear that at Web 2.0 company could have whipped up as quickly as last week’s tornado if the proper seed had been provided.

Coulton and his opening act called “Paul And Storm” put on an extremely entertaining show. In my camera I have about forty shots which need to be processed.

One of the most entertaining things that occurred that night was meeting Brody (hope I spelled that correctly) who came up and introduced himself to me. I can’t tell you all how good it feels to meet people who have read this blog.

My Legs Are Burning
When I hopped into the shower after returning home from yesterday’s twelve-mile training run I expected my legs to burn. At least I expected my muscles to burn, not the top of my quadriceps. It seems that during the time I spent outside drinking a few beers after the run I allowed some of my white skin that is normally covered by shorts to be exposed.

Being of Irish and German descent I am not exactly “tanning stock.” However, I didn’t really expect to have to deal with sunburn issues, no matter how slight they are, this early in the year.

ITP Flickr Pic
I went to a little carnival in the parking lot of North Dekalb Mall on Friday after work. I thought that it would be a wonderful photography opportunity. This is one of the games at the carnival.

Frustratingly I got into a verbal confrontation with a carny because I was taking photos of the stuffed animals in his booth. He was a complete asshole. About five minutes after our confrontation someone else walked up to me, at the behest of the carny no doubt, and explained “the rules of photography” for their carnival. I left immediately.

Let The Tapering Begin!
Tonight I will be running with the running group in East Atlanta. I’ll be doing a slow, four-mile run as I begin my tapering for Sunday’s ING Half Marathon.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - sad
Current Music - listening to the “Sound Opinions” podcast
Website Of The Day - I received and interesting email the other day. It seems that the people at Comproses are running a contest. What you need to do is read a short story and then write a song that is inspired by the story. I’m no good at reading or music writing so I will leave this up to you.
Exercise (b)Log - Sunday: running 12 miles
Monthly Foot Mileage - 76 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Monday Morning Weigh-In - 196 pounds… it may be time to start working on my diet
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0

March Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
3) Read at least one book

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

3 - the number of miles scheduled to run
4 - the number of miles I set out to run
5 - the number of miles I ran

I’m still not running like it’s 1999, but I am running better than I did from 2001-2006.

Read Along With Me
Today’s passage from Notes To Myself.

I feel what I feel what I feel.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

Back At It
Yesterday was a much-needed day away from my normal routine. Included in my activities were eating a big breakfast, eating lunch with friends at the Flat Iron, walking through East Atlanta Village and snapping a few photos (none processed yet, so nothing new today), taking a long afternoon nap, going for a run, and then skipping yet another concert.

Last night I decided to stay home and go to bed at a reasonable time (10:30pm) rather than going to the Blitzen Trapper show at the Drunken Unicorn. I think this is the third time I was supposed to see Blitzen Trapper but didn’t. At this point I am doubting that I will ever see them.

ITP Flickr Pic
None today because I did no post-processing last night. There is something about only being able to process my D300’s RAW format on my home computer has put a crimp in my ability to upload photos from anywhere.

Looking Back, Looking Forward
It was one week ago that my neighborhood was trounced by a tornado.

In one week I will be attending the Paula Poundstone concert, apparently solo. Remember two months ago when I purchased two tickets and wondered if I could find a date? Well, I haven’t been on one since so the likelihood that I will in the next week is low.

RealiTV Recap
There is a standard editing technique in RealiTV, when you see a person getting a lot of airtime you can kiss their ass goodbye.

They’ve been out for two days, they’ve already spoiled

Who’s The Toppest Chef?
My girl Antonia didn’t get much airtime except for being one-third of a losing team and then backstabbing the eventual loser for the night, Valerie.

This week’s “celebrity chef” judge was Wylie Dufresne. Dufresne is a well-known molecular gastronomist and owner of the restaurant WD-50 in New York. On more than one occasion I’ve virtually planned a trip to New York so that I could eat at WD-50 so that I can eat their Tasting Menu.

The choice of Dufresne would have appeared to give Atlanta-chef Richard Blais an upper hand, especially in the Quick Fire challenge — it did not.

The rest of the episode was rather forgettable, which included a lot of BS about the event held at the Chicago Zoo.

Hundreds Of People Groan, All At Once
I for one was happy to see Kathleen quit. She had annoyed me from the start, and I skipped through all of the “I’ve tried but I can’t take this any more” garbage that they showed before she quit. I can only imagine all of the anger spewed by the hundreds of people who tried out for Survivor but were not chosen.

I was a little surprised that there was an Elimination Challenge even though Kathleen quit. After seeing Ozzy kick some major ass all show long and then watching his tribe scheme to vote him out I dreamed of a RealiTV Survivor-like show where there are no tribes and people are eliminated because of their inferior weaknesses and not because the meek have bound together and stabbed someone in the back. In the end I shed no tears at Tracy’s ousting; for some reason she irked me.

As for the next show it looks like Ozzy-wannabe Erik breaks a rib in one of the challenges. With people dropping so quickly can a tribe merger be too far off?

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - good, especially since it feels like a one-day workweek for me
Current Music - listening to the “Mac Break Weekly” podcast
Website Of The Day - Did you know that one of my most disliked government agencies, the TSA, has a blog?
Exercise (b)Log - running 5 miles
Monthly Foot Mileage - 69 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0

March Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
3) Read at least one book

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Meh. Anyone want to guess how I feel today?

I’ve decided not to go to work. Today looks like it will be nice, but not quite the day that tomorrow will be. I wonder if a four-day weekend is in my future…

Today won’t be a complete waste, I’ve already eaten a home-made breakfast of eggs and biscuits (not made from scratch unfortunately).

Read Along With Me
Today’s passage from Notes To Myself.

“Don’t feel bad.”

“But I do.”

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

Another Hockey Night, Another Loss
Bum deal.

A boatload of us piled into a car and drove through the rubble on the way to the Thrashers game last night. Some of the roads along the way were closed, but in actuality I think that it made getting to the game easier.

I nearly had a panic attack when I saw the atrium to CNN Center’s food court cordoned off, but luckily the tape keeping us from getting to Gorin’s in order buy a big beer were taken down as we arrived.

The Thrashers were down 2-0 before my arse ever touched a seat. They never recovered.

In addition to another beer inside the confines of Philips Arena I wolfed down one of the largest, yet non-memorable hot dogs that I have ever eaten.

Post-game I headed straight home when I got back to my car.

I wrote a scathing, beer-induced blog entry last night but decided not to publish it…

ITP Flickr Pic
One of the many shots that I took the other night.

One of the many shots that didn’t come out the way I wanted it to. Bob Mould’s face is not as sharp as I’d like it to be. My camera settings weren’t “to rule” but the conditions were difficult, so I was trying things to try and get the shot.

RealiTV Update
Haven’t watched Top Chef or Survivor yet. I will do as I lazy around the house this morning and have proper updates tomorrow.

If It’s A Day That Ends With A ‘Y’ Then There Must Be Something On My Calendar
Tonight I will be making a return to the Drunken Unicorn to see Blitzen Trapper. I’m not sure if I’ll be dragging the camera along with or not.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - angry, frustrated, morose, and not sure when I will shower today
Current Music - listening to the “Daily Source Code” podcast
Website Of The Day - Fork You. While it sums up my mood today, it is a really neat food-related blog.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing, I took another rest day
Monthly Foot Mileage - 64 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0

March Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
3) Read at least one book

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

I promise no dreary discussion about the tornado and its aftermath today.

Read Along With Me
Today’s passage from Notes To Myself.

“Don’t condemn yourself for your feelings.”

“Not even for the condemnatory ones?”

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

It Was Like A Twenty-Year Class Reunion
Last night I met up with my friend Miguel (”Portuguese Water Dog” to you hashers) at Variety Playhouse to see Bob Mould. Sadly the best ways to describe the crowd are “sparse” and “similar appearance to me.”

This doesn’t phase Mould however, for he rocked harder than I have seen him do in at least five years. The band’s set was comprised mostly of Sugar and Husker Du songs with solo material sprinkled throughout. I brought the camera and hope that I got some good shots (read below), even though I was a little phased when the door security checked my bag and told me that I could only shoot through the first six songs and without flash.

For me the highlight of the evening was the second encore. The band returned and Mould introduced them individually. Then he said that the bassist was going to be replaced for a song by Athens-resident and former Sugar-bassist David Barbe. The band then launched into Husker Du’s “Divide and Conquer” which is the song identified as “mind mutilating music” by my girlfriend in 1984. I felt like I was nineteen again and I was thrilled.

Does This Membership Make Me Look Gay?
Yesterday I sent in a check for a year’s membership to the Atlanta Botanical Garden not because I have a love of flowers, but because I want to go there to take photos.

Why should you care? Because I ponied up for a Dual membership which should allow two people to enter at a given time (there was no wording stating that the “other” had to be a “significant other”) and would like companionship some time.

ITP Flickr Pic
I took a lot of shots at the Bob Mould concert last night, but got home too late to process any of them. I still am not a great low-light shooter so I am keeping my fingers crossed.

I value my notice of "economic stimulus payment" one notch above the letters I used to receive from Publishers’ Clearing House. I doubt that I will see much, if any, of the money promised, but at least I should be glad that I don’t have to buy a magazine subscription to win.

What Happens When The Next Great Technology Isn’t?
Have you been noticing what I’ve been noticing? Light Emitting Diode (LED) traffic lights are starting to partially fail. LED traffic lights are being installed all over the place for their “significant lower demand for energy” and their “ability to last for years without replacement.” While to former may still be true, the latter seems to be over-exaggerated.

The new LED lights are really a collection of a large number of smaller, individual LEDs. I don’t know when municipalities started to installing them, but I don’t believe that it’s been all that long. Increasingly I go through intersections and notice that handfuls of LEDs have already started to fail.

More Hockey! Less Running!
I took a running rest day yesterday. Today I am doing the same. The forecast of rain, but more importantly a commitment to meet up and drink some beers before hockey tonight, will not permit a training run.

We are fewer than fourteen days away from the ING Half/Full Marathon and with the exception of a twelve-mile run scheduled for Sunday I am ready to start tapering. That’s right, tapering…

Oh yeah, this means I won’t be at George’s tonight (or next week for other reasons) so Steve, you’ll still have to wait for your Yuengling. Hmmm that sounds familiar.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - okay
Current Music - listening to the “Net @ Night” podcast
Website Of The Day - If you like game shows as much as I do then you may also like Play Cafe.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing, I took a rest day
Monthly Foot Mileage - 64 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0

March Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
3) Read at least one book

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Last night’s five-mile jaunt with the Monday Night East Atlanta Village Runners Group (which consisted of hashers plus a couple of locals) followed the path of Friday’s tornado. It was still devastating, but good to see that some good cleanup has occurred.

Read Along With Me
Today’s passage from Notes To Myself.

“You shouldn’t feel that way.” — My emotions do not originate in compliance with the laws of Aristotelian logic. My mind cannot know what my body “ought” to be feeling. My body has every reason of its own to be feeling the way it does, and all things considered (which my mind cannot do) it couldn’t be feeling any other way.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

You Snooze, You Lose
For weeks I’ve seen this tree in the village that I’ve wanted to photograph. The tree was old, but it also had an extremely large growth which serpentined its way up the tree giving it incredible texture.

Last night’s run showed me that I waited too long to take its picture because this tree was another of the victims of the tornado. D’Oh!

Well, it’s not like I’ve not had the time to go and shoot the tree while it stood…

ITP Flickr Pic
Here’s a photo I did get to take.

This is the breakfast that I consumed at East Atlanta’s Kasan Red on Sunday morning. This breakfast has been the source of energy for many of long runs through my training.

Did You Know That The Tornado Stopped At The Fulton/Dekalb Border?
Neither did I, because I have seen evidence of the contrary.

However Georgia’s Governor Sonny Perdue has declared a State of Emergency which includes the following passage

Now, therefore, pursuant to the authority vested in me as Governor of the State of Georgia, it is hereby

Ordered: That a State of Emergency exists in the City of Atlanta - Fulton County and that personnel and equipment resources of the State of Georgia be made available to assist in the response and recovery activities currently being undertaken in the City of Atlanta - Fulton County, and that the Georgia Emergency Management Agency activate the Georgia Emergency Operations Plan.

And here I thought that I disliked Sonny because he continues to try and keep me from buying beer in a store on Sundays.

Totally Unawesome
Here’s another reason I don’t “get” Facebook.

I finally take one of those inane surveys on Facebook which seems to be “the thing” on Facebook, and I can’t even get an answer. What a load of shit.

So Tonight I’m Going To See Bob Mould
Jeez, there must have be something about having a February 29th this year because I am one of a handful of people that I know who have misinterpreted their March calendar.

When last week I said that I was going to see Bob Mould play at Variety Playhouse, I was so wrong. On that night I went to see Meat Puppets and Built To Spill instead.

Tonight I am going to see Bob Mould. At least I think so…

CD Pick Of The Week
It’s sad when marketing gets involved. Adam Green, an artist who has put out some decent music over the past few years has a new release called “Sixes & Sevens” dropping today. Sadly, thanks to the success of the Juno soundtrack which featured his former band the Moldy Peaches it’s being marketed as “Adam Green (Co-founder of the Moldy Peaches).”

The New Pornographer’s Dan Bejar’s full-time band Destroyer has a disc coming out today called “Trouble In Dreams.” I will most likely wait until I see Destroyer play at The EARL on April 28th (assuming I am not too tired after seeing Elvis Costello earlier that evening) to pick it up, but who knows…

If you are not into buying a full CD today, I suggest you check out Joseph Arthur’s EP “Could We Survive” which is due out today. Arthur’s last release “Nuclear Daydream” wasn’t universally loved, so I am interested to see what he has followed it up with.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - fair
Current Music - listening to C-Net’s “Buzz Out Loud” podcast
Website Of The Day - I don’t claim to be a genius so I appreciate sites like Common Craft which explain complicated things in plain English.
Exercise (b)Log - running 5 miles
Monthly Foot Mileage - 64 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0

March Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
3) Read at least one book

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]