Inside The Perimeter

It’s that time of year again. Time for me to go into hiding…

(B)lame Canada
Our supposedly friendly neighbors to the north really caused Meet The Hashers much grief last night. I guess we didn’t bring our “Eh” Game… OOOOOOOHHHHHH! BUUUUUUUYAAAAAAAH!

“I’ll be doing one show tonight and two in Chatsworth, Georgia this weekend.”
“Make sure you take care of your waitstaff, since they’ve taken care of you.”

Not only did we not know that Victoria Day is celebrated in May (I guessed June), we did not know that Quebec is the largest province in terms of land mass (we guessed Manitoba). Stupid Canada!!!! Next thing you know they are going to try and tell me that they have their own money or something.

Our ignorance didn’t end with Canada however. We also had no clue who Esquire magazine picked as their “Sexiest Woman of the Year.”, for which SEC school Kevin Nash played college basketball, or which city in Kansas has the largest population.

Need I tell you that we won no house cash? Oh the horror!!!

It’s Almost A Pity That Mystery Mountain Weekend Happens In November
I sure could use the twelve miles toward this month’s goal.

Back when I signed up for the Mystery Mountain 12-Mile Trail Run on the last day of June it really seemed like a good idea. The plan was to force myself to start training again and lose a few pounds in the process. And since I would be sufficiently trained for the brutality of twelve mountain miles, I’d be in perfect shape to run thirteen (point one) on the relatively flat streets of Atlanta on Thanksgiving Day. Oh if plans would only play out as they have been mapped…..

This Sunday I’ll be in Chatsworth, Georgia hobbling around on a gimp knee, completely unprepared for the punishment through which I will put my body, and hoping that I don’t do any further damage to the knee that will force me to abandon the half-marathon (it sure would be nice to get another shirt for a race that I did not run however).

Tune in Monday to read the gory details as well as a stunning photo of a North Georgia sunset.

ITP Flickr Pic
Beer. I sure could use one.

And I’ll be sure to have more than one this weekend.

Okay, I Was More Like A 9/15ths Vegetarian
Did Canadians invent math? That’s the only explanation that I can give for 18/30 != 5/7.

The tally shows that, omitting today, I managed to eat vegetarian food eighteen of the past thirty days. While not quite as strict as the goal I set forth, it is an impressive feat for someone who confesses to love to eat beef, chicken, and pork.

Since November 1st will be this weekend I will commit now to attempting the 5/7 Rule again, and hopefully with some (more) exercise next month I will actually lose a few pounds doing so.

I Hope The Only “Falling Back” I Experience This Weekend Is With The Clocks
It’s time to fuck with our heads again. However, the thing we have going for us this weekend is that we set the clocks back an hour, therefore “gaining” an extra hour (for sleep of course). So, if you find yourself the only one at church, tailgating, starting line of a stupid race, or whatever come this Sunday you’ll remember reading this and know why.

Additionally, I hope there is major “falling back” in the college football polls for the Georgia Bulldogs. Yes, this weekend is also The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Go Gators!

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - hungry, cheeky, cold, nervous
Current Music - Listening to CBC Radio3’s “Highlights From Halifax Pop Explosion” podcast. (apparently trying to learn more about stupid Canada)
Website Of The Day - Have you ever wanted to meet someone “half way” but didn’t know were “half way” was? Now you can use a tool called Meet In Between Us to figure out the best place to meet.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 37.5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - my car (when I finally leave the house today)
Monthly Marta Rides - 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 45 (110)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 4
Vegetarian Days - 18
Carnivore Days - 12

October Goals
1) Lose no fewer than three pounds
2) Drink nothing but water, coffee, beer, wine
3) Run no fewer than 75 miles
4) Bike no fewer than 125 miles

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Okay, half of the work week is over, and I’ve attended my final career fair for the year. Now is the time for things to start looking up.

Why Has Target Become My Nemesis?
When I went Target the other day to purchase a replacement French Press they were out of the one that I wanted. When I went to stop at a different Target on my way back to the office from the career fair, I found out that the Johnson Ferry Target in Sandy Springs had moved! Dangen! It was a that point that I vaguely remembered seeing major construction on Roswell Road just ITP and thinking that they were going to move the Target there.

A new French Press has been ordered from Amazon and could be here tomorrow, but probably arrive Monday. No, I didn’t buy the MacDaddy one from Frieling, instead I purchased the insulated one from Nissan.

And Why Is A “Cup” Not A “Cup?”
While shopping for the French Press I kept seeing references to models that where “8 Cups.” only to find out that they held 32-34 ounces of liquid. WTF? Do I not correctly remember that a Cup of liquid is 8 ounces? If that is true shouldn’t a 8 Cup French Press hold 64 ounces? When did a cup of coffee get defined to be only 4 ounces? I’m so confused.

Have A Mac Return, Get A Shuffle
Round and round I went yesterday trying to get Apple to agree to take back the faulty Macbook. I talked to a lot of people who were more than happy to be helping me, but unfortunately I talked to a lot of people. Finally I talked to a person who could get the job done. As an added bonus, this person was also able to offer me a free 2GB iPod Shuffle as an apologetic gift. Yeah, Apple knows the power of my blog, especially since I’m a shareholder as well.

The Accidental Carnivore
Watch out! Sweet Tomatoes is culinary minefield. I went to Sweet Tomatoes last night to have a “healthy, vegetarian” meal. I think I had neither. At some point in the eating I tasted the delicious taste and texture of chicken and realized that all of the salad offerings were not vegetarian. Ooops. The healthy aspect was ruined by me as I ate a little too much of everything…. In my defense I only drank water and skipped dessert.

ITP Flickr Pic
Hmmm, I’m down to my last good shot from last weekend’s shooting.

I guess that it’s time to get out and shoot again.

I’m (Not Yet) A Georgia Voter
The plan was to wake up early and make it an early voting place before a line could form. That was a great plan until I slept later than expected. Dangen! I’m thinking that Friday morning will not be a good time to get out and vote early, so it looks like I’ll be voting with the masses on Election Day next Tuesday. I suppose that I should load up the iPod with enough content to keep me entertained while I wait in line.

Delta + Northwest = Delwest?
It’s official, Delta and Northwest have merged. Now please lower your prices and stay in business. That is all.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - better, still many things to conquer, but better nonetheless
Current Music - listen to last week’s “The Splendid Table” podcast. It’s sounding very familiar, I wonder if it’s a repeat.
Website Of The Day - I love bacon. I love mayonnaise. Why wouldn’t I love Baconnaise too? Surprisingly, it’s also vegetarian! I can’t wait to find it in the store.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing, perhaps I’m tapering for Mystery Mountain?
Monthly Foot Mileage - 37.5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - my car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 44 (110)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 4
Vegetarian Days - 18
Carnivore Days - 11

October Goals
1) Lose no fewer than three pounds
2) Drink nothing but water, coffee, beer, wine
3) Run no fewer than 75 miles
4) Bike no fewer than 125 miles

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Being “Tigger” is a lot harder than it should be. I know that I whine and complain a lot, but in my defense a lot of shit happens to me.

I am feeling lightheaded today, I can’t seem to get my bearings straight, and I need to be on my feet all day to work a local career fair today. Tune in tomorrow to see if I’m still kicking…

Macbook FAIL!
Last night I happily returned home with my new refurbished, last-generation black Macbook which arrived yesterday. Upon booting I noticed a problem immediately. The video on the screen was intermittently jittery. Look below at the video I shot using my Flip Video and uploaded to Flickr.

The whole reason I bought a refurbished Macbook was because I was under the belief that each refurbished machine was tested before being sent out for resale. Clearly this cannot be the case if a problem like this gets out of the refurbishing factory.

After getting bounced around to four different Apple employees in four different departments, the “resolution” to my problem was to call them back today so that I can get a return authorization and send the laptop back to them so they can ship me a different one.

Brrrrr, WTF?
I seriously thought that my heater had kicked the bucket this morning. I woke up cold, but that’s not unusual. After fighting the urge I finally exited bed to turn the heat on. To my dismay I saw the temperature at 60 and the target temperature at 66. Why no heat? Sometimes my thermostat gets confused, so I changed the target temperature to 63 to remind the heater that it was time for it to work. Nothing happened. I waited for a few minutes, and nothing happened. About to break-down I turned the thermostat off and then returned it to the Heat position, and the heater finally kicked on…

If I can get my wits about me I just may attempt to replace the thermostat.

ITP Flickr Pic
Just like in this photo there is something missing in my life.

Hoping to fill in the gaps some day.

At Least Something Went Right Last Night
I successfully upgraded the memory in my iBook; it’s now kicking with 1.25GB of memory instead of the 768MB that it had previously. Now that I’ll have to rely on the old guy for at least another week I’m glad that this upgrade went smoothly.

No George’s For Me Tonight
It’s cold and I’ll be dealing with things that still need to be taken care of because the Macbook consumed far more time than it should have. Run well. Stay warm. Drink responsibly.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - Completely out of it today, hoping November will be better than October
Current Music - listening to my Hüsker Dü Radio station on Pandora via my Chumby.
Website Of The Day - I feel like I walk around with a huge bad luck target on my back. If you feel the same way and have trouble with your internet try Down For Everyone Or Just Me? to see if it’s just you having the problem.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 37.5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - my car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 43 (110)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 4
Vegetarian Days - 18
Carnivore Days - 10

October Goals
1) Lose no fewer than three pounds
2) Drink nothing but water, coffee, beer, wine
3) Run no fewer than 75 miles
4) Bike no fewer than 125 miles

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Last night I stopped at Target and Kroger on my way home from work. Of course I failed to buy everything I needed at Target, and in addition to forgetting one key item at Kroger I failed to remember that my Kroger Customer Card has fallen off my keyring.

Once home I consumed a dinner of bread, brie, hummus, and beer, before heading to the basement for a little television and a lot of sleep. I was out like a light and oblivious to phone calls, lights, television, and sound.

The Amazing Race Loses Its Dark Horses
Before dozing off I managed to watch Sunday’s The Amazing Race.

I dare say that I didn’t expect the long-distance dating couple to be ousted so soon. I thought that they had the athleticism to keep them around longer. Oh well, I guess that getting the last plane out of Bumfuck will do that to a team.

I’m still struggling to find a team for whom to root. For some reason I can’t get behind Starr and whatever his name is. Mom and Dallas are okay. And the rest of the remaining teams have at least one member who aggravates the stuffing out of me.

ITP Flickr Pic
Oh the power of (the lack of) punctuation.

I doubt that my argument would carry much weight, but as this sign is punctuated it I read it as “No Trespassing Violators Will Be Prosecuted” How cool is that?

And now for some shameless self-promotion…. I’ve uploaded a new photo to Jalapeño Beach. It’s a larger version of yesterday’s photo. If you subscribe to the RSS feed for the site then you will always know when I’ve put up a new shot. If you don’t subscribe to the RSS feed, then check on Tuesdays… because that’s when I am supposed to have a new shot uploaded.

I Wore A Sweater So Of Course The Heat Is On At Work
Yesterday my office was cold. I am sure that this was worsened because I was feeling crappy. Last night I finally cranked up the heat at home, the temperature had dipped to sixty-one degrees, and this morning chose to wear a sweater in order to beat the cold.

Of course they cranked the heat up in the office too. Bummer. I hope no one minds when I take off my sweater and reveal my undershirt.

Digital Download Of The Week
I don’t know what disappoints me more

1. The fact that I apparently listed this week’s new releases in last week’s blog entry
2. The fact that no one noticed

If you want to see what came out this week check my blog entry for October 21st.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - fair
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Zutons — “Pressure Point” (wow, I wonder what the Zutons have been up to lately?)
Website Of The Day - Yesterday the hard work of Bring Yuengling To Georgia paid off. Now had I only remembered to get some while in Kroger so that I could celebrate appropriately.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing, I was feeling run-down
Monthly Foot Mileage - 37.5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - my car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 42 (110)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 4
Vegetarian Days - 17
Carnivore Days - 10

October Goals
1) Lose no fewer than three pounds
2) Drink nothing but water, coffee, beer, wine
3) Run no fewer than 75 miles
4) Bike no fewer than 125 miles

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

For nine-and-a-half years I’ve been know as “Wee Little Bit,” at least in some circles. At the end of yesterday’s hash I received a gift from ITP-reader and good friend Brenan (aka “Squid Dick”)…

This awesome shirt has the Highland Brewing’s motto “Just a wee bit different” on it. How cool is that?

It Was Almost Like Bait And Switch
On Saturday I joined a group of photogs at South City Kitchen for a food photography workshop. Overall the experience was a good one, but there were certain things that should be changed.

First, we had the misfortune to have the scheduled food stylist cancel at the last second. She had family emergency, but still the food stylist is key to a workshop based around food photography. I think I could have gained a lot more knowledge had she been there.

Then there was the space itself. We were placed into a small corner of South City Kitchen. On the surface this seemed like a good idea — until I started to shoot. Much like the frustrations I experience when I tried to shoot at Elliott Street Pub, photogs were everywhere, walking into my light, or into my frame making the shooting experience frustrating. Oh, and I’m sure that I did the same thing to them…

I stepped away and ordered a beer (the solution to many of my irritations) and prepared myself for the pre-paid lunch. As each plate of food was delivered to the table for shooting I decided if it would be the dish that I’d consume, even though each plate contained meat. As we sat for lunch we were given a menu from which we could order one of the two appetizers, and one of the three entrees listed. However, none of the entrees that we had just spent time shooting were on the menu! Had I not pre-paid for lunch I would have assumed that this was a classic bait-and-switch. Our entree choices were blueberry pancakes, a chef’s omelet containing turkey, or eggs benedict served over brisket. At 12:30pm I was in no mood for pancakes, so I went for the eggs benedict — and the cook managed to over-poach the eggs.

ITP Flickr Pic
From Saturday’s Food Photography Workshop

As I mentioned above, I was sad that I did not get to eat it.

I Guess I Like Being In The Dark
One of my coworkers wanted to do the Dialog In The Dark experience, and because she knew that I had already done it, asked me if I’d return. What the heck. I figured that even though I knew that I’d remember the layout of the exhibit it would be fun to do again and that there were probably still things I could learn doing it a second time.

One of the things I learned was that Atlantic Station is a nightmare on Saturday night. Holy crap, could that place be any more annoying? If it wasn’t the non-moving traffic, it was the people crossing the street willy-nilly as if they had a sense of entitlement to do whatever the fuck they wanted.

As for the exhibit itself, this go round didn’t have nearly as much impact as the last time. I think a lot of that was due to the larger group size as well as the fact that we seemed rushed because of the greater number of people doing the exhibit on a Saturday as opposed to a Monday as I had done previously. I still recommend it for those who want to challenge themselves and spend an hour in the dark.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - sniffling and tired, so overall not great
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Wolf Parade — “Language City”
Website Of The Day - Well shit, if I knew that Brevard had the White Squirrel Research Institute perhaps I would tried harder to get there a few weeks ago. (thanks to non-ITP-reader MC Hasher for this site)
Exercise (b)Log - Sunday: hashing, 5.5 miles
Monthly Foot Mileage - 37.5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Monday Morning Weigh-In - 200 pounds (damn, I’m going in the wrong direction)
Mode Of Transportation To Work - my car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 41 (110)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 4
Vegetarian Days - 16
Carnivore Days - 10

October Goals
1) Lose no fewer than three pounds
2) Drink nothing but water, coffee, beer, wine
3) Run no fewer than 75 miles
4) Bike no fewer than 125 miles

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

If I ever write an autobiography I may use “Be Prepared To Stop” as its title, it just seems fitting for my life.

Being OTP for the past couple of days I don’t know when the “traffic flow stop lights” for the entrance to The Connector from Freedom Parkway were activated, but I got stopped by them for the first time today. Unfortunately, I predict that, while this may improve traffic flow on The Connector, it will most like add a few minutes to my commute time as I wait to get onto The Connector. Dangen!

One Small Misstep For Me, One Large Misstep For My Goal
I was feeling pretty crappy as I drove home yesterday. I was run down, had slept well but in a foreign environment. And to top it off I shook the hands of and close-talked to many students the day before. Something was (and hopefully not is still) working on me.

It was at that time that I started craving meat, and the immediate food coma that can only be delivered by a Chinese buffet. Sure, I knew that stopping at a buffet would wreck my goal to remain a 5/7ths vegetarian, but that the time I could have cared less.

I ingested as much spicy-hot food as I could stand and waddled out a happier, if not somewhat tainted man.

ITP Flickr Pic
They have some big rockets over there at the Space and Rocket Center.

I was trying to mimic some of the photos that I saw in the lobby of the hotel in which I stayed in Huntsville. I came close, but I think that theirs were still better.

The Road More Traveled, Only Less Traveled By Me
I decided to change things up a bit yesterday. Rather than take my “Three Hours To Atlanta” route, and in the process realize that I could take no photo of where I nearly died in 1994, I chose the US431 to I-20 route which took me through Albertville (not the one that had the Olympics), Gadsden, Anniston, and so on. It’s a darn good thing for me that I am no longer a speeder as I drive because there were ample police sitting around waiting to nab speeders. I should have timed that route. Perhaps I’ll used Google Maps to do my heavy lifting later.

The Night I Should Have Died
Before I moved to Atlanta I used to make some trips over for concerts. In 1994 the band Sugar was playing The Roxy and there was no way that I was going to miss it. Around the same time I had become somewhat disenchanted with Huntsville and decided that I was either going to move to Altanta or Austin, Texas — wherever a job arose first. My friend Bill had just moved from Huntsville to Atlanta and got me a job interview with his company. Sneakily I set up the interview day to correspond to the day Sugar was performing, this gave me a great excuse to be in Atlanta.

I had the interview, kicked around Atlanta, and then went to the concert. Those were all good decisions. The bad decision I made was to attempt to drive back to Huntsville after the concert. I was good for a while, but as I snaked through the mountains I started to grow tired. I opened the window to let cold air in, this was in late November, and vowed to stop for a Mountain Dew (this was before I drank coffee) at the next opportunity.

Look at this map.

View Larger Map

I was awakened by the sound of an 18-wheel-truck traveling south on AL Hwy 35 honking its horn repeatedly as it recognized that I must had fallen asleep at the wheel since I failed to stop at the stop sign at the end of AL Hwy 40. When I came to, my car was mid way in the intersection with nothing ahead of me but some road, a small strip of land, and Guntersville Lake. I hit the brakes with all my muster, quickly assessed that I was somewhere I shouldn’t have been, and backed up to safety.

I never met the person in that 18-wheeler. I wish there was a way I could someday to thank him or her for saving me from injury, if not death.

Local Beer Hunt FAIL
I wasn’t able to find Olde Towne Beer in Huntsville retail stores, but I did manage to bring back two six packs of brew that cannot be purchased locally. So while my hunt for local beer failed, at least I have something new to try.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - whew, I’m ready for a change
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Flight Of The Conchords — “It’s Business Time” (no help from Dish Network, the music tags seem to be broken)
Website Of The Day - The City of Decatur has a cute little website. On it you can find out all about tomorrow’s Fall Electronics Recycling Event happening at Decatur High School.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing of note, although I did buy a knee brace yesterday and I think I did about two miles of hiking around Monte Sano yesterday.
Monthly Foot Mileage - 32 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - my car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 38 (110)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 4
Vegetarian Days - 14
Carnivore Days - 9

October Goals
1) Lose no fewer than three pounds
2) Drink nothing but water, coffee, beer, wine
3) Run no fewer than 75 miles
4) Bike no fewer than 125 miles

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

I was fortunate to have a few hours to myself yesterday after my recruiting event was over. One of the things I wanted to do was find my old apartment and see how the neighborhood had changed since I left at the end of 1994. My first step was to Google Maps the area in order to remind myself of the streets around the old home. At first I thought that the apartment complex was gone! And then when I got to the neighborhood I realized that what I saw on Google Maps was the clearing of the old empty field next to the apartment complex for “new” houses that are on the site.

As for other changes,

• The grocery chains Food World and Bruno’s are gone. Apparently this happened when a bunch of Bruno’s execs died in a plane wreck a few years ago.
• The K-Mart in which I used to shop is gone. No shock there.
• Huntsville and Madison now have traffic problems.
• Many of the restaurants have change
• Huntsville has one micro-brewery, Olde Towne Brewery whose beer I’ve yet to locate in retail stores.

Fourteen Years Of History In One Night
Last night I headed to downtown Huntsville to meet up with my old friend Eric. As I mentioned yesterday I hadn’t seen him since I left Huntsville and happened to find him on Facebook the other night.

As you can well imagine the meeting was rather strange at first, but it was great to hear about people I knew in my former life. Additionally, since Eric has become an ultra-runner in the past three years we were able to talk about that craziness. The conversation really made me wish that my knee was better, and believe it or not, almost made me want to enter Mountain Mist, almost.

ITP Flickr Pic
Guess where I went yesterday…. Space Camp.

Okay, I just went to the Space and Rocket Museum, but it was pretty close to Space Camp.

My Numbers Seem Wrong, I’ll Have To Investigate
After twenty-two days I’m showing fourteen vegetarian and eight carnivorous. Since I’ve been strict about my 5/7ths vegetarian lifestyle those numbers don’t seem to add up correctly. After twenty-one days I should have fifteen vegetarian and six carnivorous. Of course, I didn’t do something smart like start on a Sunday, so maybe that’s why my counts seem out of whack. No matter what, I’ve already used my two meat-filling days this week so I’ll have to find vegetarian-friendly fare on my way home today and resist the urge to plow into a turkey sandwich during my employer-supplied lunch tomorrow.

In other dietary-restriction news, I’ve still only consumed one soda during the entire month of October. Sure, my beer count is probably up, but let’s not dwell upon that.

Ugh
The other day I whined about updating Adobe software. In the end I concluded that I finally got everything up to date. And then yesterday I read that Adobe just released updates to Lightroom and Camera Raw. Ugh…

Damn, Brooks Jensen Was In Atlanta Last Week?
In a recent podcast photographer Brooks Jensen mentioned that he was in Atlanta last week for Atlanta Celebrates Photography. And why do I always seem to forget about Atlanta Celebrates Photography? Dangen!

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - good, confused, wish my knee would heal
Current Music - listening to the “KUT : Radio Without Borders” podcast
Website Of The Day - Alabama is not the only state to stake claim to a city called Huntsville…. Check out the one that’s in Texas.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 32 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - my car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 37 (110) [on hold, I'm hoteling today]
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 4
Vegetarian Days - 14
Carnivore Days - 8

October Goals
1) Lose no fewer than three pounds
2) Drink nothing but water, coffee, beer, wine
3) Run no fewer than 75 miles
4) Bike no fewer than 125 miles

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Unlike my friends who come to Huntsville every year to run the Mountain Mist 50k the last time I drove some of the roads that I drove yesterday was nearly fourteen years ago. At that time I was a twenty-nine year old, had a budding programming career, and now that I think of it — both the internet as well as the industry in which I currently work were barely in their infancy. Yesterday I trusted my memory for getting back to Huntsville, only getting turned around once, and identified the place at which I probably should have died in 1992. If I can pull it off I will have a photo of that point-of-near-death along with that story (I don’t think that I’ve blogged it) in the coming days.

Once my work is done today I am going to investigate what has and hasn’t changed in my old stomping grounds.

Slow Drive, Expensive Gas
In the Great Olden Days (circa 1993) there was a photocopied sheet of paper entitled “Three Hours To Atlanta. The Fastest Route.” which was passed around. It was the route that I took whenever I visited Atlanta, so naturally it was the route that I tried to remember yesterday. (As a side note, I searched for this map on the internet to no avail).

I waited to fill my tank until I got into Alabama because I figured that gas would be cheaper here than in the metropolitan Atlanta area. Whoops, I was very wrong! Gas in these here parts is actually more expensive. I filled my tank last night for $2.89 per gallon for the lowest grade available (87 octane) at the Shell station. I wish I remembered what gas cost when I moved away from Huntsville in 1992.

This Hotel Has No Street Sign, But That’s Okay Because It Has Internets
This hotel has reminded me that I have at least one undone task — update the maps in “Jill The GPS.” The hotel in which I am staying is relatively new and is not in Jill’s database.

I drove up and down the road looking for, but not finding my hotel. If I had the power to do so I’d force all municipalities to make some indication of addresses on street signs, and all buildings along busy roads to have large, easily readable addresses. After two passes I gave up and pulled into a parking lot so that I could call the hotel. The guy who answered the phone told me to look for Hooters because the hotel was located right behind it (I know how to pick classy joints) but never mentioned that they took down their street sign because they are constructing another hotel in the front portion of their property — strange.

It took me some time to find it, but this is one of the nicest instances of this hotel chain in which I’ve stayed. My room has a refrigerator, ample electrical outlets, a large lcd screen tv (which I will probably not turn on), a new bed and bedding, and the internets! I couldn’t be happier.

ITP Flickr Pic
I got in to Huntsville too late to snap any photos so you are stuck seeing my last uploaded shot from Sundays trip to Stone Mountain.

With any luck I’ll have new material tomorrow.

Facebook: America’s Greatest “Hey, I Used To Know You” Tool
Believe it or not I wasn’t much of a drinker when I lived in Huntsville. There were a few places that I frequented, one of which being Ruggby’s bar. I was somewhat surprised to see Ruggby’s still open, so naturally I went inside for a beer. While there I decided to Google my old friend Eric and lo and behold found out that he and his wife and family still live in the area.

Even more surprisingly I found out that Eric has completed multiple Mountain Mist 50k’s and has a Facebook page. So naturally I went onto Facebook last night and shot him a message. I don’t know if we’ll be able to get together and catch up on nearly fourteen years of life, but we’ll see.

No matter what happens I am constantly amazed how well Facebook connects people with their past. Since joining I’ve connected with two guys I knew when I was in high school, the guy who was responsible for helping me get a job in Atlanta, and now Eric. Hell, I could probably find and ex-girlfriend or two if I tried. Naaaaaaah.

Hurry Up And Wait
Last night I received an email from the company from which I ordered the extra memory for the iBook. The email warned me that there has been great demand for the product ordered and there would be a short wait for my order to be filled. Dangen! Since I’ve been using the iBook in its current configuration for over two years there is really no rush, but when I order I like to have the gratification of receiving the product soon. Hell, I even paid an additional $4 for faster delivery…. I wonder if I should argue to get that refunded.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - good, although I didn’t get nearly enough stuff done last night
Current Music - listening to the “This Week In Photography” podcast
Website Of The Day - Unless you are one of my long-distance running freak friends when I say “Huntsville” you say “Space Camp“.
Exercise (b)Log - I walked to dinner, but it wasn’t that far
Monthly Foot Mileage - 32 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - my car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 37 (110) [on hold, I'm hoteling today]
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 4
Vegetarian Days - 14
Carnivore Days - 7

October Goals
1) Lose no fewer than three pounds
2) Drink nothing but water, coffee, beer, wine
3) Run no fewer than 75 miles
4) Bike no fewer than 125 miles

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Yesterday I walked up to the money tree and shook it with all my might. I needed to shake it hard. You’ll see, keep reading….

Last Generation (Refurbished) Macbook… Come To Daddy!
Yep, a decision has been made and a purchase order placed through Apple. In five-to-seven business days I will be the proud carrier of a black Macbook — 2.4GHz cpu, 2GB ram, and 250GB drive. Sweeeeeeet. Considering it will be twice as fast, have nearly twice as much memory, and a hard drive that’s eight times larger than the iBook on which I currently type thrills the living shit out of me — all for 1100 bones.

While I’m At It, I’ll Add More Memory To The iBook
To squeeze another year or so out of this aging iBook I’ve also gone and dropped $50 for a 1GB stick of ram. This computer will be relegated to a household slave, used to listen to music, watch videos, and surf the internets. Regardless, the extra umph added by more ram will make it feel that much snappier.

Anyone know off hand if this 1.2GHz PowerPC machine can handle Leopard?

Bow Down To The Mighty Tasty China!
Yesterday I met up with Barb and Stacy for some Tasty China. As usual, it doesn’t pay to have any preconceived notion as to what you will order, because the owner will steer you into something else. I do not mind this…

The three of us dined on some hot and numbing beef rolls (a must for me), some twice-cooked shan city pork, and some chicken and mushroom dish whose name I didn’t catch. Overall the lunch was delicious and so filling that I ate only a Clif Bar for dinner. Truth be told I wasn’t even that hungry when I ate the Clif Bar, I just thought that I should have something semi-solid with the two beers that I consumed.

We tried to get non-ITP-reader Gary (aka Rat’s Ass) to join us, but there was something about a doctor’s appointment because of a Merry Naders event or something…..

ITP Flickr Pic
I don’t take many portraits that I like.

However, that is one of them.

For Such An Expensive Program Photoshop Sure Is A Pain In The Ass
Recently I learned a tip that through version 2.0 of Lightroom I can directly export photos which go together to make up a panorama directly into Photoshop. Previously, I exported the photos to large JPEG files and then opened Photoshop to import them.

Things weren’t as easy as I was led to believe, however. At first the option to do the direct export was grayed out in the menu. After researching this problem I found out that I needed to update my Photoshop from version 10.0 to version 10.0.1. No problem right? I went into Photoshop and looked for the “Update” option. I found it, it too was grayed out. I found out that I needed to manually download the patch and update Photoshop that way instead of using Photoshop to update itself.

With that done I went back into Lightroom where I was able to select the merge to panorama option only to be told that I needed to update Camera Raw to at least version 4.5 in order to complete the task. I went into Adobe Bridge and then back into Photoshop and found no magical or functioning “update” option for Camera Raw in either. So back to Adobe I went where I manually downloaded Camera Raw 4.6.

Inside the download there was nothing but a plug-in, and all attempts to update the plug-in through Photoshop failed. So it was back to Adobe’s website to find a manual process for updating the plug-in. It turns out that I had to go deep into a directory tree to replace the current plug-in. Which I did and alas I finally had a way to do panorama merging directly from Lightroom.

Hallefuckinglujah!

You’d think that software which retails for around $650 (Photoshop CS3’s cost) would function a lot better than that. Shame on you Adobe.

Another Hump In My Morning Commute
I wish Atlanta would stop installing speed humps on every goddamn road I drive. As of the other day Colquitt, a small road that connects Highland Av and Euclid Av in Little Five Points has them.

I’ve been around the virtual block many times arguing with people about the merits and demerits of speed humps. I’ve made it clear that I cannot stand them. And even though people confusingly speed down my little one-segment city block I hope that I never see them on my street.

In my opinion speed humps are just more of my tax dollars wasted. Speed humps are right up there with the stupid “Stop for Pedestrians in Crosswalk” signs which are constantly being replaced because they are put in the middle of streets and are destroyed by cars and trucks that hit them.

Digital Download Of The Week
RUN don’t walk to Walmart and look to see if the AC/DC disc is there yet!!!!! Eh, I’m kidding because

1. It’s not available as a digital download so I could buy it brand new
2. But I wouldn’t because it’s only sold at Walmart
3. And why would I want to buy a AC/DC release in 2008 anyway?

Instead buy something cool.

• What about Deerhunter’s “Microcastle”?
• What about Bloc Party’s “Intimacy”? (which was released digitally on Aug 21)
• What about Kaiser Chiefs’ “Off With Their Heads”?
• What about Snow Patrol’s “A Hundred Million Suns”?
• What about Lucinda Williams’ “Lu in 08″? (Digital only EP)

All of those are better options imho.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - frustrated
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Modest Mouse — I don’t know the title, Dish’s information is missing
Website Of The Day - Have a cool word like “Hallefuckinglujah” that you think should be in some dictionary? Go add it to Addictionary and see what happens.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 32 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - my car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 37 (110)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 4
Vegetarian Days - 13
Carnivore Days - 7

October Goals
1) Lose no fewer than three pounds
2) Drink nothing but water, coffee, beer, wine
3) Run no fewer than 75 miles
4) Bike no fewer than 125 miles

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Or at least the mountain closest to Atlanta. Last night I joined a group of hardy souls for a hike up Stone Mountain near sunset in order to watch the sun set behind downtown Atlanta.

Pizza, Pasta, Rice, Repeat
Because I’m not getting the required exercise I am also not losing any weight by following my five-sevenths vegetarian diet. And because of some house issues I am eating out a lot more and noticing that vegetarians have very few choices. I picked up a vegetarian cookbook that I’ve had for some time and almost every entree was constructed around pizza, pasta, or rice.

Friday night I had a near breakdown and sought comfort by visiting my old China Buffet friends and eating meat like there was no tomorrow.

Saturday morning I returned to The Cause and ate a skillet breakfast at Kasan Red (with soy sausage thankyouverymuch) and in the evening ate dinner at Grant Central Pizza because Cantina La Casita was so busy I was ignored so I left in a huff.

Yesterday’s brunch was a return to Cantina La Casita where I had chips and salsa with some vegetarian empanadas. And last night I wound up at Flatiron where I ordered a black bean burger with french fries; while the burger was good, even though it fell apart each time I bit into it, it just wasn’t the same as meat.

I have no plans to give up! I am still going to struggle for a while as I attempt to eat less meat. Maybe I should try eating a salad or something?

This Is Going To Be One Tasty China
However there will be no salad eating at lunch today, because I am meeting Barb and Stacy at Tasty China for lunch. I will also be picking up the Red Rocket (aka my road bicycle) in the process. The bike has undergone an overhaul by master mechanic Allan (aka Service My Tool) and will be all ready for me to ignore until next year (kidding!). [note to self: bring checkbook to lunch to pay for overhaul.]

ITP Flickr Pic
If you look at my Flickr (still looking for alternatives) contacts you’ll see that this weekend we attended one or two of the weekend’s major happenings.

I chose for the “climb Stone Mountain on Sunday evening event” over the “Marietta Air Show event on Saturday.”

And had I known, I may have also shot the annual Highland Games in Stone Mountain this weekend as well.

Lights On Concourse Buildings
The retailers have confused the light operator at the Concourse buildings (the King and Queen at I-285 and GA400). For the first half of the month the Queen was turned an ugly shade of red, supposedly pink, in order to celebrate National Breast Cancer Month. During this time the King was darkened, to the point at which I feared that some low flying plane or helicopter might hit it. This morning the King was again illuminated, now in green.

So there we have it, Christmas is officially here as the King is green and the Queen is red.

Less Amazing, But Quite Compelling
I actually fell asleep before I could watch The Amazing Race last night. However, my night’s slumber allowed me to wake early enough to watch it this morning. Here are some observations, including a SPOILER.

I still don’t care for Ken and Tina. Every time they are interviewed he harps on how they are still working on their relationship, and then she looks at him and I think she’s going to open her jaws and eat his head like a snake eats a mouse.

Terence and Sara are going to be around longer than I wish. I predict that their relationship post-Amazing Race will falter quickly. He is such a wuss that I can’t imagine her putting up with it for too long. “Give me some love. Touch my hair.” Yes, that’s what he said…

The divorcees are just complete bitches (at least this is what the editing leads us to believe). They probably married me who were into their own looks as much as they were, and that’s why their marriages ended. Next week they make a Teen Wolf reference. Teen Wold was in the theaters in 1985. Old much?

Nick and Starrrrrrrrr. Is it wrong for me to wish that Starr had to finish the Amazing Race in a sling, or be taken off the show due to injury?

The Southern Belles (aka “Miss America wannabes from South Carolina”) can barely get by. I am glad to see them go. At the end they said that they will be best friends forever; of course they will…. they are the same person!

The seem to like the rest of the teams, but with the exception of the African-American “Long-Distance Relationship” team, I think that they are mere blips on the radar.

Work French Press : 2006-2008
Instinct can be a very funny thing. This weekend I began a subscription order of Yuban coffee from Amazon. While doing so I convinced myself that I was going to have to make more of my own coffee at the office in order to not have the shipments stockpile. I was okay with this since I knew that I had the means of making my own coffee using my French press.

This morning I arrived at work and remembered that I had forgotten to wash out the French press from last Friday’s brew. No worries… As I walked to the break room I started patting myself on the back for using a French press, which is obviously reusable and uses no filters, over a standard percolator.

While washing the French press I noticed it had developed a large crack in its glass vessel. Dagen! Now what to do? But another French press, or buy a standard coffee maker?

Rest in peace my old friend.

Same Old Deadbeat Dads, Brand New Outcome
Wow, I won a game! How’d that happen?

My East Atlanta Deadbeat Dads, including a starting player on a bye week and one scoring negative points, managed to win! I even managed to have players scoring big numbers while sitting on the bench. I take no credit for the victory, I thank my opponent for having a team who played worse than mine did this week.

And in other Deadbeat Dad news…. another one of my players was suspended because of indiscretions occurring off the field. I am like a proud papa right now.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - better
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Regina Spektor — “Better”
Website Of The Day - I’m trying a new file synchronization service called Dropbox. When I get some time with it under my belt I’ll give a revie
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 32 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Monday Morning Weigh-In - 199 pounds (expected to be higher than last week)
Mode Of Transportation To Work - my car
Monthly Marta Rides - 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 36 (110)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 4
Vegetarian Days - 13
Carnivore Days - 6

October Goals
1) Lose no fewer than three pounds
2) Drink nothing but water, coffee, beer, wine
3) Run no fewer than 75 miles
4) Bike no fewer than 125 miles

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]