Inside The Perimeter

I just scrapped a lot of “lonely me bullshit,” no time for that these days. Instead I’ve taken the time to drive to Trinidad, Colorado to shop at Wal*Mart (sad, but true) because I needed a few things.

ITP Flickr Pics
Here’s another in my series of Colorado Landscapes.

And this one has animals….

Intermittent Internet Drives Me Insane
For the third night out of four the hotel’s internet connection has had “issues.” This time the signal is weak and occasionally drops out.

I know I have an internet addiction. I admit to all that I have an internet addiction. Hell, I’ve not turned on a television in the past five days (don’t tell my employer) because I’ve been getting my entertainment via podcasts.

I will as far as proclaim that I’d rather have a good internet over a comfortable bed. That’s how much internet connections mean to me.

Let The Hashing Begin!
But before it does, I’ve driven to Trinidad to make a few purchases. I incorrectly assumed that Walsenburg, being situated along I-25 and fairly “large” on a map, was more of a town than it really is.

Here’s what I bought
- A new 160GB portable hard drive. The intent was to purchase a new 4GB CompactFlash card, but one of those was half the price of the hard drive. And since it was my intent to back up the 12GB of photos that I’ve already taken on this trip, this will do the job nicely.

- A(nother) runner’s water bottle, because I didn’t think to pack one.

- Some long running pants. I didn’t read the trail descriptions prior to packing and apparently we will be running through some cacti tomorrow.

Have A Great Labor Day Weekend Everyone!
I’ll be back on Tuesday with a blog entry.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - tired, but no longer feeling sorry for myself
Current Music - silence as I am sitting in a coffee shop
Website Of The Day - As I write this John McCain has picked a woman for his Vice Presidential running-mate. Come November this country’s history will change dramatically. I am sure that The History Channel is already getting their ducks in a row in preparation for the election.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 50 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - n/a
Monthly Marta Rides - 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 27 (110) on hold because it’s not my job.
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 4

August Goals
1) Run/Walk no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 150 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
4) Read at least two books
5) Make my bed every day

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

So much for taking it easy…

Hello Salida, It’s Me Again
The last time I attended the Colorado Invihash it was held in a “town” called Monarch, Colorado. The nearest “real” town to Monarch is Salida, Colorado. The group of us who traveled together for that trip made quite a few trips into Salida for fun.

With another day of non-hashing ahead of me and Salida being only about eighty miles from Alamosa it was a natural destination. After finally finding wifi upon my arrival in Salida I was able to book a room at the Comfort Inn. In order to cut a bit of the cost of this trip I cashed in 20,000 of my Choice Rewards points and secured a free room.

I have to admit, although I’ve only been to Salida in the summer it’s exactly the type of town to which I can see myself moving. Salida, Colorado is second only to Flagstaff, Arizona so far. Unfortunately I think that each town is too expensive for me.

I woke up and instead of going out to find breakfast I partook in the waffle making at the Comfort Inn in Alamosa. Being surprised with the beauty of the morning I shoved the waffle down my gullet and high-tailed it to Great Sand Dunes National Park in order to catch the “golden light.” As you will see below, I was far from disappointed.

ITP Flickr Pics
Tuesday evening…

Wednesday morning…

Why it’s important to get out early and not be closed-minded…

When I arrived at the Great Sand Dunes I snapped a few shots (which were good, but not yet uploaded). Then I noticed that some people were climbing to the top of some of the dunes, so I decided to try it! (which I later found out that the tallest dune is about 750 feet tall.) This sole flower bush, at least in this patch of sand, was just ripe for some low-level photography; the blue sky was enhanced with the use of a circular polarizer. Had I not seen the people climbing the dunes and decided to give it a whirl I never would have captured this photo.

Waterfall? More Like Waterfail.
After departing the dunes I headed to the Zapata Falls. I had scouted the drive to the falls the night before so I knew that my car could handle it. Once at the parking lot it was a mere quarter-mile hike to the falls. Unfortunately the falls are some what guarded by rock and not visible from any distance. So, I slogged through the cold water camera gear in hand in order to reach it. Sadly, I was unable to get a photo because the mist from the falls quickly covered my lens; there was just no way for me to get a shot before the water obscured my view.

Have I Ever Mentioned How Much I Hate Windows Mobile 6?
When my contract on the BlackJack ends in December I will become a iPhone carrier.

The mysterious workings of Windows Mobile 6 have frustrated me to the point of no return. Normally I just can’t figure out why on some mornings my alarm rings ten times, while on others it only rings twice. This morning took the cake, however. Somehow my phone decided that I was in the Central Time Zone and rang the alarm at 3:00am instead of 4:00am (it’s still set for 4:00am for last Saturday’s trip; I’ve not had the desire to fix it).

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - good
Current Music - listening to the “Trucker Tom” podcast (Trucker Tom was one of the participants at the Tips From The Top Floor “Learning To See” workshop)
Website Of The Day - I’ve recently found out about this web-related interview site called TalkingHeadTV. (now if this Comfort Inn only had the bandwidth to allow me to use it…)
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 50 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - n/a
Monthly Marta Rides - 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 27 (110) on hold because it’s not my job.
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 4

August Goals
1) Run/Walk no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 150 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
4) Read at least two books
5) Make my bed every day

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Not the end of this blog of course, but rather today will be the final passage from the book since we have reached its end my friends. The end of my “free time” between Colorado commitments is nearing as well.

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

Ideas are clean. They soar in the serene supernal. I can take them out and look at them, they fit into books, they lead me down that narrow way. And in the morning they are there. Ideas are straight– but the world is round, and a messy mortal is my friend.

Come walk with me in the mud….

To all who have helped me — Thanks!!!

Colorado Is A Big, Fucking State
I feel like I’ve been racing around Colorado for the past four days like I’ve been on some sort of rally. In some ways I feel as if I’ve seen a lot, and in others I feel as if I’ve missed even more.

Today I am going to slow it down a bit. I am not racing out to find the sun. I am writing this blog. I am going to organize my clothes and camera gear. I will go into “town” to see if I can find a local diner. I will be spending some time in Great Sand Dunes National Park. And finally, I will determine where I will spend my last night before heading to Walsenburg for the hash.

ITP Flickr Pics
I can’t decide if I like the town of Alamosa, Colorado or not.

It is obvious that the town has seen better days, but has yet to have its plug pulled.

I’m Going To Need My Job Once I Return
Not that it is a surprise to me, but this trip has gotten rather expensive. Each night spent in a hotel costs around $90 (unless you are in Vail where it costs almost $150). The thought struck me to stay in one of the abundant campgrounds in order to save costs, but I’ve chosen not to. And while I’ve managed to get breakfasts from the hotels, I’ve been treating myself to restaurant lunches and dinners out.

Don’t take this a whining or complaining because I am not. I am have a great time, but am reminded daily that the credit card bills will be coming to me someday soon and I will need a source of income to cover them.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - not bad
Current Music - listening to the “Daily Giz Wiz” podcast
Website Of The Day - Believe me, I’ve wasted no food on my journeys however, Wasted Food is documenting this growing problem.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 50 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - n/a
Monthly Marta Rides - 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 27 (110) on hold because it’s not my job.
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 4

August Goals
1) Run/Walk no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 150 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
4) Read at least two books
5) Make my bed every day

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Or, “Dave’s not here.”

My room advertised WiFi, but I never could get it to work. This was a real bummer because I was planning on doing research for my travels today. Even worse, I chose to pay for a hotel room over sleeping in a campground to save money specifically to have WiFi access. Dangen!

ITP Flickr Pics
Unlike Bigfoot, I still exist

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - meh
Current Music - listening to whatever this coffee shop is playing
Website Of The Day - The coffee shop feeding my internet addiction Spruce Tree Coffeehouse
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 50 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - n/a
Monthly Marta Rides - 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 27 (110) on hold because it’s not my job.
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 4

August Goals
1) Run/Walk no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 150 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
4) Read at least two books
5) Make my bed every day

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Now I can tell “The rest of the story…”

For months B.O’B and I have been in discussion about being running mates. And in this context I’m not talking about the normal running to which I normally refer. I planned a trip to the Denver area under the guise of a “photography workshop” when in reality I was planning on being on the platform in Denver next to B.O’B for the Big Announcement.

All was set until I realized that I wanted to remain Inside The Perimeter, and not Inside The Beltway (a domain which has probably been taken by a domain squatter in hopes that I’d accept B.O’B’s offer) so I declined his offer to have me run as the Vice President. Yes, I broke up with him. (Seinfeld reference for all of you old enough to remember)

Have I mentioned that the lack of sleep combined with the altitude has made me rather delusional?

Read Along With Me
It is not that there is no evil, accidents, deformity, pettiness, hatred. It’s that there is a broader view. Evil exists in the part. Perfection exists in the whole. Discord is seeing near-sightedly. And I can choose this broader view — not that I always should — but I always can.

There is a certain beauty in poverty, loss and desolation. There is a certain strength and grandeur in suffering. Grays, storms, ruins, age are powerful subjects for a painting. Even a dump heap can evoke admiration.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

Travel FAIL! Or More Accurately, Vail
The Tips From The Top Floor workshop has ended. We wrapped around 4pm yesterday and I headed out of Fort Collins almost immediately. Although drinking many of their fine products I failed to make it to the New Belgium brewery.

My projected destination last night was Grand Junction, CO. At the very least I wanted to avoid one of the state’s well-known ski-towns for fear of higher hotel prices. After driving for about four hours I began to get hungry, tired, and physically irritated. I wound up at the Comfort Inn for a $125/night (this is the price after the 25% discount for my Elite status) in West Vail. The room is okay, but not nearly as nice as The Armstrong Hotel, especially for the nearly $40 price difference.

The workshop was a lot of fun. In addition to learning, seeing some stunning scenery I met a lot of nice people and had good times sharing a few beverages with them. Would I do it again? Yep, sure would.

You Can Call Me “Dave”
During the workshop we spent a few hours learning the basics of portrait photography. We broke into teams of three and were given two hours to work our magic.

For some reason one of the participants thought my name was Dave. For the entire shoot he said things like “Dave, can you please come over here and model?” Even after correcting him, as well as identifying myself as “Paul,” he continued to call me “Dave.” He uploaded that photo to Flickr (which I have “borrowed”) and titled it “Portrait of Dave.” I guess that I’ve been called worse things.

Unrelated: It looks like the hair is really starting to recede.

ITP Flickr Pics
Our excursion day took up to Rocky Mountain National Park. I awoke at 4:00am so that I could meet up with the group for a 5:00am departure in order to arrive at the park by 6:30am.

With the morning light you can get some brilliant light.

After lunch we headed back inside the park to Bear Lake. From Bear Lake we took a short hike up to Nymph Lake, pictured below. “Where’s the water?” you ask? Well in this shot I chose not to emphasize it. In the coming weeks I’ll post more shots.

At Least Animals Are Attracted To Me
This is Oreo, the “house cat” at the Armstrong Hotel.

For days I passed Oreo in the lobby and a couple of times I bent down and pet him. As I was getting ready to check out I opened my door to find Oreo outside of it. While I am certain that he was only there enjoying the air conditioning (I was practicing using one for my return home) that was escaping under the door. As I reentered the room to get a bag Oreo followed me and made himself at home. Oreo jumped on the bed, searched through my camera bag, and rolled around on the floor. About the only thing Oreo didn’t do is sit still for a good photo. Every time I raised the lens he approached it to sniff.

W.C. Fields had it right, never work with animals or children.

Great, Now Good Calendars Fails To Sync
What has happened to software? Perhaps the question should be why I rely on it so greatly. For the past few days I have been unable to sync my Google Calendars with my iCal Calendars on my iBook. The failure of software, or the technologies underlying it, has gotten increasingly frustrating. Perhaps it’s time to revert back to Web 0.01 — paper.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - wish my health problems had solutions
Current Music - listening to the “net@nite” podcast
Website Of The Day - I wish my photography was good enough to be in F-Stop Magazine
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 50 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - n/a
Monthly Marta Rides - 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 27 (110) on hold because it’s not my job.
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 4

August Goals
1) Run/Walk no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 150 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
4) Read at least two books
5) Make my bed every day

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Day One of the workshop is in the books. I am having a great time, even though no landscape work done yet. The only thing that I fear is that we won’t be making it to the New Belgium brewery.

Day Two will start in a few hours which will be followed by the recording of the Tips From The Top Floor podcast. This workshop has become a mini podcasting Who’s Who. In attendance is Randal Schwartz (”FLOSS Weekly” podcast) and Trucker Tom (”The Trucker Tom” podcast), and yesterday Jon Miller (”The Rest Of Everest” podcast) dropped in.

Today please enjoy one more passage from “Notes To Myself” and a slew of photos that I snapped yesterday (all of these are the way they came out of the camera).

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

There is a certain beauty in poverty, loss and desolation. There is a certain strength and grandeur in suffering. Grays, storms, ruins, age are powerful subjects for a painting. Even a dump heap can evoke admiration.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

ITP Flickr Pic
Yesterday’s breakfast

Photo turned in for first assignment You have fifteen minutes to go outside and take a photo.

Photo taken, but not used, for second assignment You have forty minutes to go out and take a photo of color — you may not use “The Rule Of Thirds” for your photo’s composition.

Photo turned in for second assignment You have forty minutes to go out and take a photo of color — you may not use “The Rule Of Thirds” for your photo’s composition.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - good
Current Music - listening to the “Roz Rows The Pacific” podcast
Website Of The Day - More about where I am staying, Downtown Fort Collins.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 50 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - n/a
Monthly Marta Rides - 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 27 (110) on hold because it’s not my job.
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 4

August Goals
1) Run/Walk no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 150 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
4) Read at least two books
5) Make my bed every day

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Although I don’t have much to say I can pump out a blog because I am up and wide awake at 5:30am because my body is functioning as if it were 7:30am.

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

How do I get love? I have it. I must drop definitions of love. Love is not saying nice things to people or smiling or doing good deeds. Love is love. Don’t strive for love, be it.

I love because I love.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

One Night At The Armstrong And I’m Already Spoiled
The host hotel for the Tips From The Top Floor Workshop is Armstrong Hotel in (Old Town) downtown Fort Collins. This place is the shit! The Armstrong is a magnificently renovated hotel which was erected in 1923. Hardwood floors, tiled bathroom, real coffee (none of those pods) with ceramic mugs, a comfortable bed, and kick-ass wifi (something not commonly found in 1923). I’ll have photos once I let the cleaning staff tidy it up again. I seriously doubt that I’ll have a better hotel experience on this trip.

Perhaps the only downer is that the area of the Armstrong used for the workshop last year is under renovation so we will convene outside the hotel. The weather is supposed to be nice, so maybe that’s not a downer after all.

There Was No Terror In The Air
The hoodie I packed in case my new University of Florida hoodie was too far down for me to swap the two yesterday. Therefore there were no acts of terrorism in the airways yesterday. Next time. Next time.

ITP Flickr Pic
Me? Think about beer? Never.

I Don’t Know What It’s Like To Live In Fort Collins, But It’s A Great Place To Drink
Because I am staying in downtown (think a bigger Virginia Highlands, not downtown Atlanta) I was able to walk to a great pub called The Crown Pub. There I managed to consume three pints of beer before 10pm Mountain as I watched the college students start to come out to play as I wound down.

I think I will try to drink as many different beers as I can while I am in Colorado. This is what I had to start the trip.

• New Belgium Brewery — Magic Arrow
• Odell’s — 5 Barrel
• Odell’s — 90 Shilling

All were delicious (and cost only $4 a pint I might add).

Okay, I’m Off To Have Fun
Forgive me if there is no update tomorrow.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - swell (too much Mad Men I guess)
Current Music - listening to the NPR: All Songs Considered podcast
Website Of The Day - Beer Me!. (Two very powerful words when put together)
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 50 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - n/a
Monthly Marta Rides - 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 27 (110) on hold because it’s not my job.
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 4

August Goals
1) Run/Walk no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 150 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
4) Read at least two books
5) Make my bed every day

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Today I am embarking on a journey that has been planned in part for two years, and in part since the beginning of this year. I cannot believe that the time has arrived. All of those planning chores I “put off until closer to the day” have now been put into the “I guess I won’t get around to it in time” category. Stay closely tuned to this channel for (hopefully) daily updates; I will make all efforts to make sure you are not disappointed if you do.

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

Love unites the part with the whole. Love unites me with the world and with myself. My life work could well be love. Love is the universe complete. Detachment is the universe divided. Detachment divides me from myself and from others. Love is the vision that can see all as one ans one as all: “I and my father are one.” Is there but one reality and one truth? Love shows me where all minds and essences unite.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

So What’s It All About Alfie?
A year ago I decided that one of my vacations was going to be based around a photography workshop. I’ve been listening to the Tips From The Top Floor podcast for some time and took great interest to the announcement of 2008’s workshops. It just so happened that one of the workshops was to be held in Fort Collins, Colorado (home of New Belgium Brewing — makers of Fat Tire) during a perfect time for me this year. I could have opted to go to Nashville two weeks ago, but with Fort Collins working out so perfectly I chose it instead.

Those who know me well in real-life also know what else will be going in while in Colorado, but I won’t mention it now as to not ruin the suspense for those who casually follow along with my life. (btw- It’s nothing as exciting as meeting a mail-order bride, or picking up an adopted child, or even interviewing for a job. Keep reading and you’ll find out.)

In the meanwhile I have loaded up the iPod with entertainment in preparation for ignoring television for the short term. I’ve purchased a few new discs to spin, a couple of audiobooks, and have a backlog of podcasts to listen to as well.

These Boots Were Made For Hiking, Not Flying
Due to the physical constraints of my luggage I have chosen to wear my hiking boots instead of trying to cram them into my suitcase. At first the decision seemed clever and innocuous until I realized that I am going to have to take them off when going through the TSA security line later.

Can we just stop with this nonsense already? I want my freedoms back! I want to wear my shoes the entire time I am in the airport. I want to be able to bring liquids on to the plane. I do not want to have to take my laptop out of its case so that it can be scanned separately. Flying should be stress-free and enjoyable, not harder to accomplish than taking a Greyhound bus.

Perhaps on my flight home I’ll wear my flip-flops. I’ll still have to take them off to get through security, but at least they will be a lot easier to take off and put back on.

ITP Flickr Pic
This was taken on my trip to Fort Mountain State Park a few weeks ago.

In a few days I plan to be on mountains which dwarf our east coast mountain range.

Jalapeno Beach — Now With Bigger Photos
Last night I upgraded the (five) photos which are posted in the current incarnation of Jalapeño Beach. The photos posted there are larger and still a high enough resolution to be enjoyed (read “copied” but isn’t everything on the internet?).

For the tech savvy amongst you, I have tested the RSS feed for the photoblog and it seems to work (at least with Bloglines). If you want to be notified every time I put up a new photo then add the RSS feed to your aggregator — and please let me know if it doesn’t work in your feed reader.

For those that enjoy visiting the site, keep your eyes peeled for a template change some time in the next month.

Where Oh Where Have My Moo Cards Gone?
It seems like an eternity to me since I ordered my business cards from Moo. It didn’t help matters when I watched an older “Lab With Leo” in which they praised Moo “…and two days later they arrive at your house.”

I did receive notification on August 12th that my cards were “dispatched” and that I should expect them within five-to-seven business days. However, there is no tracking number provided for Moo shipments even though you think one would be supplied since I paid $7 for shipping.

It Should Go Without Saying, But I Won’t Be At George’s Tonight
Have a beer for me tonight at George’s. By the time you are lifting pints I should be nearing my destination. Run well and drink responsibly.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - anxious
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Wolf Parade — “Language City”
Website Of The Day - Today is a little different. Today I’ll point you at a Consumerist article on a phenomenon they are calling “Grocery Shrink Ray” in which companies are playing games with consumers. I suggest you take a minute to read it.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 50 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 27 (110)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 4

August Goals
1) Run/Walk no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 150 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
4) Read at least two books
5) Make my bed every day

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

I wasn’t getting the night’s best sleep when I was rudely awaken at 4am by a sound that I managed to avoid before moving to East Atlanta, and one that has become far too familiar since — gunfire. The sound is unmistakable really, BANG… BANG. BANG. BANG. I only knew the general direction from which it came so I didn’t even bother to call 911 since I could provide no details. I don’t think that it was very close, but was close enough, and too close for my pleasure. My tolerance for East Atlanta and perhaps Atlanta in general is thinning.

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

I love people when I love them for being people, and not for being young or old or beautiful or hip. I wish I could love what man has built just because man has built it: streets, telephone poles, buildings, cars. It is easy to love nature. Why? I have been taught that nature is lovable. But form, rhythm, grace, melody, color are subjective. Why isn’t traffic music to me, and music noise?

I love myself when I am myself.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

Whoops, I Did It Again
I once again fell prey to my own devious plan to get you all to purchase things from Amazon and make a slim profit from that purchase. Yesterday I saw the college hoodies on sale for $15 and succumbed to buying one for the University of Florida.

ITP Flickr Pic
I’m dreaming of wide open spaces. I’m dreaming of getting the hell out of Atlanta.

A temporary solution comes soon. I am dreaming of a permanent solution.

I’m No Don Draper
I have been spending a lot of time catching up with the rest of the world in regards to Mad Men. I’m now about seven episodes into the first season with about six more to go and an a partial handful of season two episodes parked on the dvr.

The storyline of many of the episodes seems to be a bit far-fetched on occasion, but at the end of each episode I am wowed and ready for the next.

I realize that it’s been forty-eight years since this fictional ad agency was in existence, but I cannot fathom an office life filled with smoking, swilling hard alcohol all day, and denigrating women the way these characters do.

So far I’ve only recognized one kink in their Forrest Gumpain armor. In one of the episodes the elevator operator refers to the out-of-service elevator as being “down.” Was that common terminology for a broken device in 1960? For some reason I thought that was a relatively-new, as in the last thirty years, phrase used for electronics which has spilled into the mainstream for use on anything. Anyone have proof to the contrary?

One Audiobook Purchased, Still Considering One More
Last night I bought the audio version of Randy Pauch’s “The Last Lecture.” The book, while inspired by the “Last Lecture” he gave, is more about living life to its fullest. Heh, that’s not a bad idea.

D.D.D.Dave, I looked for “The Kid Stays In The Picture” but couldn’t find it in the iTunes store.

I am now considering plunking down too much money to get David Sedaris’ ”
When You Are Engulfed in Flames.” If I was a Kindle owner I could buy it for half of the price of the audio download. Dangen!

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - ready to pack up and leave
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Fleet Foxes — “White Winter Hymnal”
Website Of The Day - Sure the internet can be used for watching porn. I prove that daily. However, it can also be used to spread photos of Georgia bank robbers! That’s what they are doing at Georgia Bank Robbery.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 50 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 26 (110)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 4

August Goals
1) Run/Walk no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 150 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
4) Read at least two books
5) Make my bed every day

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Yesterday I joined some friends for dim sum at Oriental Pearl. I love dim sum eating but rarely go since it requires a group to experience it to the fullest. It might not have been the best choice of pre-hashing meals, but dammit it was good.

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

How much do I really love people? If I had been cut off from people for 20 or 30 years — totally cut off — I would love to hear the yelling upstairs, the screaming of the children, the barking dog, the loud record player, I would not want it to shut off as I went to sleep, bit would save it even as I dozed off.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

Hot August Nights
No, the air conditioning has not failed (thankfully), but the term “hot August nights” can best describe how I felt at Turner Field on Friday night as I started to sweat while sitting still.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this version of the Braves get beaten by the San Francisco Giants, although admittedly the game was sloppily played by both squads.

Early Morning Shooting, Early Lunch, Missed Hashing, Odd Cooking
That about sums up Saturday.

I met with a group of Flickrites in Little Five Points for an early morning photoshoot. L5P might be the location I’ve been to the most with my camera, so I decided to change things up a bit and see things differently through a 10mm-20mm super-wide lens; the results were mixed.

After the initial shoot we meandered over to the West Side where we dropped into Gear Revival, where I scored some wool socks for 20% off and buy two pair get one pair free, followed by lunch at Six Feet Under West Side.

I napped through the hash start time. Whoops!

I decided I was going to cook dinner instead of going out so I whipped up a sausage/shrimp jambalaya. This was a new recipe for me, and I didn’t follow it exactly so the results were mixed. I am interested to see how some of the leftovers hold up as my lunch today.

ITP Flickr Pic
On Friday night I went to the Braves game. I had the wrong lens with me, and since I was in the company of others I decided not to roam the stadium looking for shots.

However, prior to the game’s start the San Francisco bullpen marched right past us on their way to the bullpen. Wrong lens and all I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take a shot at the player who (must either be a rookie getting hazed, or had lost a bet) was wearing this pink backpack. He had another teammate a few yards back decked out in a purple one as well.

Sunday Was A Hashing Day However
Yesterday was the annual running of the Black Sheep Lyons’ Run, which is put on by a bunch of Leos.

We started near Panola Mountain in the land destroyed by developers, including those who ran out of money leaving nothing but clear-cut land and paved cul-de-sacs. Thanks for that!

The trail was going swimmingly until the pack reached a nearly unsolvable check-point. The hares swore there were plenty of marks from the check, but at least ten of us were unable to solve the puzzle. Luckily we were able to locate trail again instead of having to get picked up and driven to then end, a la last year’s Lyons’ Run. Our efforts to make it in to the end were rewarded with a river ending, the same location that the Pinelake hash used for their ending for their 1000th hash (which happened on my 41st birthday).

Now that I’ve been reacquainted with that location I will be dragging my camera gear out there for a little shooting sometime in the near-ish future.

This Should Come As No Surprise
There is a new version of TextExpander available today. I hope this one works.

Looking For Audiobook Recommendations
The other day I put a call out to the Twitterverse which fell upon deaf keyboards. Can you help?

I will have a lot of alone time coming up very soon. Further, there will be no way for me to update my iPod with podcasts, so I assume that I will run out of listening material (not taking into account the days worth of CDs that I have loaded onto it). I’m contemplating purchasing some audiobooks to ensure that not a single moment of undesired quiet time occurs. Can you recommend audiobooks that I should consider purchasing?

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - okay, but realizing that I have so much to do
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Okkervil River — “Lost Coastlines”
Website Of The Day - You know that I need help with my language skills, like getting phrases correct. That’s why I love The Phrase Finder.
Exercise (b)Log - hashing, ~4 miles
Monthly Foot Mileage - 9 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 50 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 25 (110)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 4

August Goals
1) Run/Walk no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 150 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
4) Read at least two books
5) Make my bed every day

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]