Inside The Perimeter

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook then you probably already know about what I will write today….

This blog, nearly five years old, was started in reaction to the carjacking which occurred on August 8, 2004. Back then I needed a place to vent, and today I use it for that purpose again.

I Always Knew It Was When And Not If
I am no fool. I know East Atlanta is an easily-accessible neighborhood surrounded by people of low morals who don’t give a fuck about anything but getting what they want, regardless of how they go about doing so. I have heard the accounts of many of my friends and neighbors who have had their lives disrupted by crime in the past five years so I was as prepared for this day as I ever could be.

Yesterday was a strange day even as it began. If you look back to yesterday morning’s Twitter/Facebook entries you can see that I was in no mood to get out of bed. Had I vacation days to spare I would have stayed home, but alas I went to work instead.

Because I’ve been a bit absentminded this week I had yet to perform my weekly data backup that travels off site. As I drove off from the house I played through the scenario of what I would lose if this were to be the day that my house was hit. Comfortable that no serious data loss would occur, even if my data drives were stolen, I continued my journey to the office.

My work day ended about 1pm when I received a call from my alarm company alerting me that they have received alarm signals for one of the motion detectors as well as the side door. I told the representative to send the police to investigate, but that I’d be unable to meet them at the house. But this incident felt different, this one felt real.

When I arrived home I found my kitchen door wide open, and called 911 to get the police to come out (for inexplicable reasons they were not dispatched by my alarm company) to the house. This is what we found.

That broken window is on the second story of the house and seems almost impossible to get to without the aid of a ladder. However, the robbers may have had a ladder. When I went into the den only to find my computer missing, I realized that the first attempt at entry was through the sliding door on my second-story (with no stairs) deck. The crooks were thwarted by my Rube Goldberg security system, but managed to find alternate entry through the kitchen window and exited from my kitchen door.

The computer is a loss. The thieves also absconded my Wacom graphics tablet. Thankfully, that’s all they appeared to take. In fact, they left my data drives on the desk. Sadly(?) I’ll make no insurance claim since I carry a high deductible and nothing else appears to have been taken. Why they didn’t want my 32″ tube television or broken XBOX360 baffles me.

Over the next few days I’ll assess my physical and emotional damage. Who knows, maybe I’ll start working on yesterday’s Bucket List sooner than I imagined.

The Upside
With nothing more than the idea of a quick vent I posted a Twitter message announcing my bad luck. Within minutes I had an outpouring of concern and condolences from friends.

That reaction was amazingly heartwarming and words cannot express how grateful I am to all those who responded. A special thanks goes out to my friend John (aka HamWithCam) who came over quickly and helped me get a piece of plywood in place of the broken glass.

Anyone want to buy a nice fixer-upper in East Atlanta?

May your fortunes be better than mine.
Cheers
Paulie [eatl/ga]

I’m writing this post early so that I can concentrate today. Stop laughing, I’m trying to get better…

The (Not So) Big Reveal
Yesterday I made mention of publishing a Bucket List, I’ll call it more of a “Things I Want To Do” List:

The Bucket List — To Be Completed Before I Die
1. Sleep at least one night in all fifty US states, as well as Washington DC.
   (I’ve struck through all of those I’ve already slept in during my adult life)
   Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
2. Take a ride in a hot air balloon (may not seem like much to you, but I’m very afraid of heights)
3. Spend at least one month of my life touring Ireland and/or Europe
4. Quit my job (some would also call this “retiring”)
5. Learn Sign Language
6. Sell my current house and either move into a proper loft, tiny house, or nothing
7. Take a long train trip (better do this soon since I don’t see many trail rails being installed these days)
8. Have a photograph published in a national print magazine
9. Visit, and photograph, Mount Rushmore, the Statue of Liberty, the St Louis Arch (I’m sure there are more that I can’t think of at the moment)
10. Plan and execute a multi-day bicycle trip

These are just the first ten of what will be an ever-evolving list. Now I need to figure out where to post this for future reference.

If You Cancel Trivia, Will They Come?
The answer to this is “Perhaps.” I wound up meeting friends for trivia dinner at F.R.O.G.S. in midtown. As could be imagined, the main topic of conversation was where the team would gather for future trivia outings.

As for F.R.O.G.S. it was my first, and most-likely last trip to the restaurant. The service we received was incredibly sub-standard, the menu didn’t really appeal to me, and the “Loco Nachos” that I ordered last night were not really to my liking. To be fair, F.R.O.G.S. has existed for a long time without me, so I’m sure they’ll do fine without any future patronage from me.

ITP Flickr Pic
One of the things I love about my camera, when I finally get around to using it, is its ability to fire at high shutter speeds.

Obviously taken at last Friday’s Chattanooga Lookouts game.

Bummer, The Jackmobile Can’t Get Humped
Ignoring the mechanical issues the Jackmobile has had in recent months, it has provided me will all I’ve needed. The other day I found one more shortcoming.

On my recent trip to Nashville I started thinking about buying a Yakima storage box for my bike rack. With such a device I could pack it full of stuff and do something crazy like take a long car trip.

The problem I have is that because the Jackmobile is a two-door car the position of the bike rack’s crossbars is too close to accept the connection mechanism of the storage boxes. Dangen! I’m sure that I can eventually cobble something together, or perhaps purchase a larger vehicle.

Happy, Um Belated, Birthday
I hate missing birthdays for people I call friends. When I looked at the calendar last night all I could do is smack myself on the head and sigh.

Tuesday was the birthday of one of my long-time friends, and ITP-Reader Lisa (Cheese). It doesn’t seem all that long ago when a group of poor-singing hashers joined together to serenade her on her thirtieth birthday…

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – fair, but I’m really not motivated today
Current Music – listening to yesterday’s “Buzz Out Loud” podcast from c|net
Website Of The Day – Tumbleweed Tiny House Company makes some really compelling (for me) plans for small houses.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – 201 pounds

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~6 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 4 (19)
Vegetarian Days – 2, Carnivorous Days – 28
Marta Rides – 0

July Goals
- Regain interest in my life
- Not get fired from my job
- Plan and lay a successful Black Sheep hash on July 19th

2009 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 190 pounds (today’s weight was 199.5 pounds)
- Completely read the book 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die
- Earn at least $150 through photography sales in order to cover the cost for the renewal of the Jalapeño Beach SmugMug account I opened the other day.
- Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
- Attend at least one professional photography workshop

The Unmeasurable
- Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
- Become a proficient programmer in Objective-C (iPhone development) and Ruby on Rails (Black Sheep web page concept)
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

After the hectic schedule that I posted yesterday I spent the night home alone. And that’s exactly what I wanted…

RealiTV Update : Hell’s Kitchen Starts At 8pm EDT? Who Knew?
I was lazying around the house when I read a tweet about what was happening on Hell’s Kitchen. This happened at about 8:15pm EDT, mostly because I was under the mistaken impression that Hell’s Kitchen started at 9pm as is used to. With the weather completely nasty I assumed that my satellite dish (which has less-than-stellar satellite signal) would be going in an out, so I chose to go to Ye Olde Television which is connected to Ye Newe Digital-To-Analog converter which worked like a charm.

While surfing the internet I “watched” the last forty-five minutes. This morning I came in to work and caught the first fifteen minutes which were recorded at the DVR on my desk.

This season of Hell’s Kitchen has already reached Jerry Springeresque proportions. Some dickhead (I’ll assume actor hired to play a dickhead) has already challenged Ramsay to a fist fight, resulting his early departure. Then another guy was immediately booted from the show.

As with every previous season the cooks can’t seem to get it together and produce food. About the only thing strange about this episode was that no one else was booted because of the guy who virtually eliminated himself.

ITP Flickr Pic
“Lottery winners are always from podunk towns.” I thought as I stopped in Adairsville for gas at the QT. I also had a hankering for a cold drink so I conjured the odd plan of getting four lottery tickets and a drink.

Having no “system” nor “lucky numbers” (Damn, I should have scrounged around for some fortune cookie fortunes in my car!) I decided to get three Quick Pics and then one containing pseudo-random choices.

Later in the day I checked the numbers purchased and hung my head in disgust.

WTF? Three tickets with seven, and two of those with six??? I there had been any hope that I’d win that hope was immediately dashed.

Oh, and there’s no need to lecture me about statistics and randomness, or the evils of lottery playing. I understand them all and still decided to play for the heck of it.

Trivial Thinking
If all goes to plan tonight I’ll be joining up with some old friends who used to be regular members of the Meet The Hashers trivia team. A few years back a faction occurred and they started playing on Wednesday nights at F.R.O.G.S. Cantina in midtown. Back in the day when I used to go to George’s on Wednesdays this posed a problem. Now that it’s no longer a problem I’m finally going to make the time to see them.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – nervous
Current Music – listening to this week’s “Mac Geek Gab” podcast
Website Of The Day – I’m no longer an Atlanta runner, but if you are you might have interest in The Stride.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – 201 pounds

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~6 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 3 (19)
Vegetarian Days – 2, Carnivorous Days – 27
Marta Rides – 0

July Goals
- Regain interest in my life
- Not get fired from my job
- Plan and lay a successful Black Sheep hash on July 19th

2009 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 190 pounds (today’s weight was 199.5 pounds)
- Completely read the book 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die
- Earn at least $150 through photography sales in order to cover the cost for the renewal of the Jalapeño Beach SmugMug account I opened the other day.
- Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
- Attend at least one professional photography workshop

The Unmeasurable
- Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
- Become a proficient programmer in Objective-C (iPhone development) and Ruby on Rails (Black Sheep web page concept)
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

No, I’m not talking about that 2002 Adam Sandler movie. I’m talking about the eight nights (originally planned to be nine) of activities that I planned around my birthday last week.

Let’s recap:

• July 19: Black Sheep Hash in Buford, GA
• July 20: Roswell Photographic Society meeting in Roswell, GA
• July 21: Atlanta Tweetup at Center For Puppetry Arts
• July 22: Magnolia Electric Co. at 40 Watt Club in Athens, GA
• July 23: Cracker at The EARL in Atlanta, GA BUGGER!
• July 24: Chattanooga Lookouts game in Chattanooga, TN
• July 25: Jason Lytle / Neko Case show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN
• July 26: Old 97′s show at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, GA
• July 27: M. Ward at 40 Watt Club in Athens, GA

I really wish I hadn’t been such a party-pooper for the Cracker show. Oh well, I guess one slip up isn’t that bad.

What’s next? An assault on my weight, house, happiness, and future…. nothing big.

And to think that I’m going to start it all off by having a relaxing night of sitting around watching Hell’s Kitchen tonight.

Let Us Continue The “War On Photography”
Even though after seeing the queue outside the 40 Watt Club last night I had all but made up my mind not to bring my dslr into the club I was more than taken aback by the signs explaining that the artist (M. Ward in this case) has requested that there would be absolutely no photography last night. To ensure the artist’s wish was upheld there were people roaming the crowd and confronting anyone who dare pull out a camera, or even a cameraphone.

I can understand an artist requesting a “no flash photography” concert, but in this day and age I think it’s a bit silly to request that no one take photos during a concert. We’ve paid to see the artist, who has chosen to be in the public’s eye by performing, let us have our fun.

ITP Flickr Pic
I like this shot from last week’s Lookouts game. Why?

First, the base runner is sharp (perhaps not tack sharp, but that’s a “me” problem). In addition the base runner, pitcher, and professional photographer with the bazooka lens make a nice line. Finally, the depth of field is such that the base runner is sharper than the pitcher, who is in turn sharper than the photographer. It’s the little things, really.

Do Paper Maps Make Sense Any Longer?
I love maps. I have always loved perusing maps. However, paper maps have a major drawback for the solo traveler — they can’t be easily read while driving.

Yesterday I decided that I would use one of the benefits of my AAA membership and order some updated maps for my car. And then it dawned on me. For the last trip to Nashville, in fact for most of the car trips I’ve taken over the past few years, I never referenced a paper map during the trip. Why? Because I own a Garmin Nüvi GPS, and more recently have come to rely on Google Maps for navigation (Canada not included).

Not only can these “new” technologies be easier used by the solo traveler, they also bring some additional features to the party that a paper map can’t match:

• Points of Interest: Need to find a Starbuck’s to use a cup of WiFi? Electronic maps are often able to point you toward one.
• Route Planning: Run into some unexpected traffic and/or road work? In nearly an instant and electronic map can reroute your trip in order to help get you out of the jam.

And in the case of the Nüvi, Jill’s voice completes the Jackmobile; it’s almost like traveling with a passenger. It is true, I am a sad little fat man…

One Sick MacBook
I love my MacBook, however, it has developed a habit that I can no longer stand so it’s time to make an appointment with the Apple Store for a little repair. The problem? Oh, just that the ‘W’ and ‘E’ keys tend to pop off the keyboard every time I type something — that’s all. I don’t know why I’m reacting so poorly to this, it’s not like I need perhaps the most used vowel and the letter I type at least three times for nearly every website, right?

My only fear about taking my laptop in for repair is that I’ve upgraded my memory to 4GB and that may cause me grief if they have to replace the MacBook instead of fixing it. Even though I’ve had minor issues with my Apple hardware in the past this is the first time that I’ve had to bring something in for repair. Anyone with Apple Store repair experience? How can I ensure that I won’t get screwed? How can I prove that my hardware has been upgraded (by me) in case of a dispute?

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – tired, oddly not exhausted however.
Current Music – listening to today’s “Daily Giz Wiz” podcast.
Website Of The Day – I’m not watching much tv these days, but if I were I’m sure I’d probably be watching most of the shows featured on Television Without Pity.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – 202 pounds (really 201.6 but I round)

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~6 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 2 (19)
Vegetarian Days – 2, Carnivorous Days – 27
Marta Rides – 0

July Goals
- Regain interest in my life
- Not get fired from my job
- Plan and lay a successful Black Sheep hash on July 19th

2009 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 190 pounds (today’s weight was 199.5 pounds)
- Completely read the book 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die
- Earn at least $150 through photography sales in order to cover the cost for the renewal of the Jalapeño Beach SmugMug account I opened the other day.
- Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
- Attend at least one professional photography workshop

The Unmeasurable
- Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
- Become a proficient programmer in Objective-C (iPhone development) and Ruby on Rails (Black Sheep web page concept)
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Like the Energizer Bunny I just keep going… I am a little disappointed in myself now for missing last Thursday’s Cracker show at The EARL since it would have been cool to complete the eight nights of birthday fun that I had planned.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game — Chattanooga Style
On Friday I took a drive up to Chattanooga to go to a Lookouts game. The night was nice and upon my arrival with the sun shining brightly I realized that I had made two rookie mistakes:

1. I had checked the weather report and knew that it was going to be sunny and hot, yet I still decided to wear a black t-shirt.
2. I had left all ballcaps in my car, thus requiring me purchase yet another ballcap. I think that my ballcap count is now somewhere on the order of twenty. Stupid is as stupid does.

The game itself was fun although I had a hard time following the logic of the strict seating policy for a stadium that may have been half-filled. My awesome, first row seat behind the first-base dugout cost only $8 (plus an unconscionable $3 charge to hold it a Will Call) so it’s not like moving “up” was going to get you a big gain. At one point I tried to move to a cheaper seat in a largely unfilled section. I showed the usher my ticket and asked that if it would be alright to sit in this cheaper section for a few innings. I was reluctantly told “okay” as long as I sat in the same exact row and seat as the ticket I held. Whaaa???

ITP Flickr Pic
I’m enjoying shooting at minor league baseball games.

Once I make time for editing I think I’ll have about a dozen neat shots from the evening.

One Night In Nashville
The whirlwind weekend continued with a night in Nashville, Tennessee.

Irony With A Side Of Bacon
I woke early on Saturday morning with a plan to eat a little free hotel breakfast and be on my way. Unfortunately the hotel in which I was staying was also holding a large family reunion (that’s large in count, not necessarily large fat people — although I saw many of those in Tennessee) so I didn’t want to fight my way to get some grub. Somewhat ironically I wound up eating at a Shoney’s. (The irony lies in that I took a photo of a Shoney’s coffee mug that I used in Athens on Thursday morning, even though I was not eating at a Shoney’s — and then on Saturday I found myself in a Shoney’s.)

Tour de Goodwill
As I finished breakfast I realized that I had no plans and could not check into my hotel until the afternoon, so I decided to take a slow roll on lesser-traveled roads hitting thrift stores along the way. I was hoping that I’d strike it lucky finding some old camera gear, but alas I was shutout.

The Show? Awe-Some!
With the exception that the Ryman Auditorium still fervently fights the “War on Photography”, unless you are an “official Ryman photographer” of course, it is an awesome place to see a show.

It’s an even better place to see a show when you luck out and score a seat in the third row, one the inner aisle.

Thanks again for your help, Vic.

What made my seat even better was that it was on the side on which Jason Lytle played, and Kelly Hogan stood (Neko Case stood center stage of course).

All The Lines, None Of The Dancing
After the concert I was planning to do what everybody does on a Saturday night in Nashville — go to the bars on Broadway. Unfortunately, everybody decided to go to the bars on Broadway and at 11:00pm CDT there were lines to get in everywhere. If you know anything about me it’s that I am far from hip and find waiting in line to get into a bar or restaurant an unworthy way to spend my time.

I decided to head to the West End near Vanderbilt. Surely in the college section of town there would be places for me to get some dinner and a beer. I was stymied at my first choice, and when the provided alternative was as smokey as a The EARL on a Saturday (stupid hipster college kids) I decided to bag my plans and head back to the hotel.

Oh To Have The Ultimate Power Of Timing And Opportunity
Driving along I-24E yesterday morning I passed a small roadside billboard advertising Neko Case’s latest CD “Middle Cyclone.” Knowing that Case’s tour bus was also headed to Atlanta yesterday I know that they had to pass that same billboard. How fucking cool would it have been to have the ability to stop the tour bus and take a photo of case standing next to her billboard. Well, I think it would have been cool.

I’m Already Missing le Tour
Admittedly I didn’t get to follow this year’s le Tour de France as in depth as I would have liked to. I was just too busy or not near a television that broadcast Versus. And so one the first post-TdF Monday I’m feeling the blues.

And For My Final Trick — It’s Back To Athens Tonight
Tonight I wind up my “Eight Nights Of Birthday Activity Tour ’09″ back at the 40 Watt Club for the M. Ward show. With last week’s starting time information in my back pocket I know not to rush over to Athens and to try and get a decent bite of dinner in my stomach prior to entering the 40 Watt. This should be a good, and most likely well-attended, concert so I’m debating the merits of bringing my camera gear into the club with me.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – weird, feeling like a turning point is headed my way
Current Music – listening to last weekend’s “le Show” podcast
Website Of The Day – If you ran my Black Sheep hash then you ran some of the trails of the Gwinnett Environmental And Heritage Center. You would have run more of its obscure parts had I not messed up so badly. It’s a nice place, too bad it’s soooo OTP.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – 201 pounds (not all that surprising)

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~6 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 1 (19)
Vegetarian Days – 2, Carnivorous Days – 26
Marta Rides – 0

July Goals
- Regain interest in my life
- Not get fired from my job
- Plan and lay a successful Black Sheep hash on July 19th

2009 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 190 pounds (today’s weight was 199.5 pounds)
- Completely read the book 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die
- Earn at least $150 through photography sales in order to cover the cost for the renewal of the Jalapeño Beach SmugMug account I opened the other day.
- Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
- Attend at least one professional photography workshop

The Unmeasurable
- Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
- Become a proficient programmer in Objective-C (iPhone development) and Ruby on Rails (Black Sheep web page concept)
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

This Friday brings new adventures.

Even though my blogs have been a bit short of late (Look! It’s happening again.) In case it hasn’t been evident, I’m packing my life full of adventures in an attempt to finally live life.

Hello Failure My Old Friend
I’ve been pushing myself hard lately, perhaps too hard. After winding up laundry yesterday I returned home to catch up on a little television and grab a nap before the Cracker show at The EARL.

I succeeded in watching Top Chef Masters as well as the two episodes of Hell’s Kitchen which were shown this week.

I also succeeded in taking a nap, which was the harbinger of my FAIL. I wound up waking up at 10pm with no intention of leaving the house. As much as I really wanted to see Cracker again the thought of getting up and going to a smoky The EARL, return home very late, and get up early today to head out of town again was just too much for this forty-four year old.

It’s all going to be alright.

ITP Flickr Pic
Believe it or not I didn’t shoot the DSLR once in Athens. I just felt continually rushed and never had the time to explore with my camera.

Instead I took one shot post-concert at The Grill where I capped off my birthday with a cup of coffee and a chocolate milkshake.

And For My Next Trick — Pardon Me Boy, Is That The Chattanooga Choo-Choo?
After work I’m Chattanooga bound for a Chattanooga Lookouts baseball game. After much deliberation I’ve also decided to cash in 10,000 of my “frequent stayer” points tonight and spend the night in Chattanooga cost-free. W00t!

And For My Next Trick After That — If It’s Saturday Then It Will Be Nashville
From Chattanooga I will be headed to Nashville. Tomorrow night I’ll be headed to the Ryman Auditorium for the Neko Case show with Jason Lytle opening (thanks again, Vic).

I’m pleased to be headed back to Nashville, if even just for one day. I plan to explore the city a bit with my camera, and load up my car with some beer that I can’t purchase around here.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – okay
Current Music – listening to last week’s The Next Food Network Star.
Website Of The Day – In case you haven’t figured out, I like “the arts.” Lens Culture is an excellent contemporary photography and art online magazine.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – 199 pounds

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~6 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 1 (19)
Vegetarian Days – 2, Carnivorous Days – 21
Marta Rides – 0

July Goals
- Regain interest in my life
- Not get fired from my job
- Plan and lay a successful Black Sheep hash on July 19th

2009 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 190 pounds (today’s weight was 199.5 pounds)
- Completely read the book 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die
- Earn at least $150 through photography sales in order to cover the cost for the renewal of the Jalapeño Beach SmugMug account I opened the other day.
- Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
- Attend at least one professional photography workshop

The Unmeasurable
- Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
- Become a proficient programmer in Objective-C (iPhone development) and Ruby on Rails (Black Sheep web page concept)
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Good time yesterday. Thanks for all of your birthday wishes. I’ve got another busy day ahead of me so this will be a short one.

Athens: Without UGA I’d Like This Place
Before last night’s Magnolia Electric Co. show I located a fancy-pants beer bar, which like all Athens bars did not allow smoking indoors (*ahem* it’s time Atlanta!), and bellied up to the bar. While sipping my beers I overheard the two guys next to me talking about Decatur’s Brick Store Pub; when their conversation transitioned to East Atlanta I couldn’t help but butt in. If the owners of The Glenwood read this, you can thank me for promoting your establishment later.

I must admit, I was more than a little taken aback when I exited 40 Watt at 1:00am to find the streets buzzing with partying youngsters (oh yes, I did say youngsters). I know, Athens is a college town, filled with drinking college kids, but it was only Wednesday (technically Thursday)! It very much reminded me of my old days in Buckhead.

I ended my night by locating The Grill where I had a cup of coffee and a large, chocolate milkshake.

ITP Flickr Pic
I’m staying at what appears to be a fairly new Comfort Suites in Athens.

While it doesn’t seem to be in the “nicest” of neighborhoods, it’s about a mile or so Northeast of downtown, everything in my room is top-notch — well, as top-notch as I am used to getting.

And For My Next Trick — Chores, Followed By Fun
I’ll eventually be checking out, may take some time in Athens for fun, and then head back ITP to do some chores including laundry.

The day-after-birthday won’t be all (day off from) work and no play however as tonight I’ll be at The EARL for the Cracker show.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – good
Current Music – listening to last week’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me!” podcast
Website Of The Day – Now that I’m an old man I plan to keep my mental acuity by becoming addicted to KenKen puzzles.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – n/a, I’ve taken the day off from work
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – no scale in sight (thankfully)

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~6 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 19 (19)
Vegetarian Days – 2, Carnivorous Days – 20
Marta Rides – 0

July Goals
- Regain interest in my life
- Not get fired from my job
- Plan and lay a successful Black Sheep hash on July 19th

2009 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 190 pounds (today’s weight was 199.5 pounds)
- Completely read the book 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die
- Earn at least $150 through photography sales in order to cover the cost for the renewal of the Jalapeño Beach SmugMug account I opened the other day.
- Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
- Attend at least one professional photography workshop

The Unmeasurable
- Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
- Become a proficient programmer in Objective-C (iPhone development) and Ruby on Rails (Black Sheep web page concept)
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

It’s mah birfday! It’s mah birfday! I’m gonna partay like it’s mah birfday! The only bad thing about today is that I am as old as ITP-Reader Barb again.

July 22nd Has Always Been A Peculiar Day For Me
All my life I have shared a birthday with my Uncle John. As a child when my family lived in New York it was all sorts of awesome because during the day there’d be a “kids” party at our house, and then at night the relatives would come over, a keg of beer would arrive, and the “adults” party would begin.

As it turns out today is also the birthday of quizmaster Alex Trebek and was also the birthday of the Kennedy matriarch Rose.

Nothing special there, right? Consider these then….

During my travels I have met two people, and currently still work with one of them, with whom I share the same birth date.

At one point there were three of us in my office who shared July 22nd as a birthday.

I briefly dated a woman named Jen whose birthday is also today. I was really looking to sharing some “birthday sex” with her, but she broke up with me before we reached the 22nd of July.

My last girlfriend’s brother’s birthday is July 22nd. Perhaps the best part of her breaking up with me is that I no longer have to share the honors of the day with him.

ITP Flickr Pic
A month ago I pulled into a QuickTrip to get gas. When I pulled up to the pump I saw these balloons jammed into the trash can.

There has to be a story with these…

Non-Flickr Pics Of ITP
All the rumors are true. During last night’s Tweetup at the Center For Puppetry Arts I was given a crown and balloon because today is my birthday. (And I had a conflicted beer advertisement night.)

But seriously, if you look at the Center For Puppetry Arts employee who gave them to me you’ll understand my joy.

(There is a better photo of her on Josh Weiss’ blog — it’s the ninth photo from the top, the one above me in the crown.)

And before you get all happy for me, the crown and balloon were the only things that I got from her.

And finally I was accidentally crushed by a huge Pinocchio foot.

(Luckily I survived.)

Jack’s Having Someone Twiddle His Dipstick
I’m more than a little nervous today as I’ve dropped Jack off at Firestone for an oil change. This is the first maintenance that I’ve performed since the ill-fated $2700 fiasco in February. To make matters worse this is also the first time that anyone else has had the opportunity to drive the car and I’m afraid that the key is going to get jammed up in the steering column.

I’m nervous about my car. How stupid is that?

And For My Next Trick, I’ll Travel Into Enemy Territory
Tonight I’m headed to Athens, Georgia, home of the hated Georgia Bulldogs. Why would I do this on my birthday? To see a show, of course!

Tonight’s act is seeing Magnolia Electric Co. at the 40 Watt Club. I’ve decided to spend the night in Athens (read “drink liberally”) and take the day off from work tomorrow. Fear not, there will be a blog post.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – pensive
Current Music – listening to today’s Tour de France stage
Website Of The Day – Ever wonder what “famous” people were born on your birthday? Give Famous Birthdays a go.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – not taken, ’cause it’s mah birfday

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~6 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 19 (19)
Vegetarian Days – 2, Carnivorous Days – 19
Marta Rides – 0

July Goals
- Regain interest in my life
- Not get fired from my job
- Plan and lay a successful Black Sheep hash on July 19th

2009 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 190 pounds (today’s weight was 199.5 pounds)
- Completely read the book 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die
- Earn at least $150 through photography sales in order to cover the cost for the renewal of the Jalapeño Beach SmugMug account I opened the other day.
- Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
- Attend at least one professional photography workshop

The Unmeasurable
- Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
- Become a proficient programmer in Objective-C (iPhone development) and Ruby on Rails (Black Sheep web page concept)
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Forty-three. Oh forty-three. There will be a day that I miss you, but today is not that day. It goes without saying that forty-three was another lousy year in my life. I can only hope to turn the corner tomorrow when I turn forty-four.

Honorable Mention Is Better Than A Poke In The Eye With A Sharp Stick
Last night I submitted my first photo for review at the Roswell Photographic Society. The category for the evening was “Open (non-vintage)” which meant the subject matter could be anything I desired as long as the photo was taken within the last year.

My first thought was to submit this

but I feared that the subject matter was too common for this group. As it turned out, my friend Dave submitted a black and white print of this hood ornament taken from a different angle and took second-place in the “black and white print” category.

Instead I decided to submit something for the “digital” category that would be more controversial, something that I felt the reviewer would either love or hate.

When my image was displayed on the screen the reviewer thought for a second, mentioned something about it being lit well, but offered no other information because he said it was not something he would normally shoot. Ouch.

As is customary we all had to leave the meeting room so the reviewer could deliberate and choose his winners of each category. When we were allowed back into the room I found out that I was one of four Honorable Mentions for the “digital” category (there were also four photos that placed ahead of the Honorable Mentions). Not a bad result for a first attempt, if I do say so myself.

ITP Flickr Pic
Here is another shot that I took on Saturday’s Worldwide Photo Walk.

This moped was pretty cool. The BSS had an accompanying sticker on the gas tank which said Black Sheep Squadron; I thought that fitting.

Stay In A Chattanooga Hotel, Get Ready To Be Reamed!
On Friday night I am planning on driving to Chattanooga after work. The plan is attend a Chattanooga Lookouts baseball game and spend the night in Chattanooga. By executing this plan I will be about half way to Saturday night’s destination — Nashville.

Why Nashville on Saturday night? Because, thanks to Vic’s help, I scored a great ticket to the Neko Case show (whose opening act is Jason Lytle) at the Ryman Auditorium. What’s that? Why drive all the way to Nashville to see this show when they will be playing the Cobb (look how much we’ve gouged you) Energy Center on Sunday? Because on Sunday night I will be at the Variety Playhouse for the Old 97′s show.

But back to Chattanooga (and probably Nashville too)… Last night I started looking into booking a hotel room in Chattanooga. Like everywhere these days hotels aren’t cheap. After much deliberation I decided on which one I planned to book only to find out that the price being quoted did not contain a 17.25% hotel tax. 17.25%?!?!? W.T.F! Talk about screwing people over…

Twitterers, Beer, And Puppets? Oh My!
Tonight is the monthly Atlanta Twitter Tweetup. This month we’ll be invading the Center For Puppetry Arts at seven o’clock. I’ll be there early for a bit of networking and alcohol before heading out for a spot of dinner at some local restaurant.

The only downer for tonight’s event is that we’ve been instructed that no photography (or video) will be permitted due to copyright restrictions. I think that it’s always a shame to suppress creative outlets, especially in a building constructed to encourage creativity.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – good, but I really need to step up my work
Current Music – listening to today’s tough Tour de France stage
Website Of The Day – There are a lot of interesting concepts on the web including the University of Nottingham’s Periodic Table of Videos
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – 199 pounds

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~6 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 18 (18)
Vegetarian Days – 2, Carnivorous Days – 18
Marta Rides – 0

July Goals
- Regain interest in my life
- Not get fired from my job
- Plan and lay a successful Black Sheep hash on July 19th

2009 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 190 pounds (today’s weight was 199.5 pounds)
- Completely read the book 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die
- Earn at least $150 through photography sales in order to cover the cost for the renewal of the Jalapeño Beach SmugMug account I opened the other day.
- Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
- Attend at least one professional photography workshop

The Unmeasurable
- Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
- Become a proficient programmer in Objective-C (iPhone development) and Ruby on Rails (Black Sheep web page concept)
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

As if the weekend wasn’t crazy enough, I still have another week of obligations and traveling ahead of me.

Dirty, Dirty, Projectors
On Friday night I ventured out for the sold-out Dirty Projectors show at The EARL. I arrived shortly before the night’s opening act took the stage. The opener was billed as Atlas Sound, which is a side project of the Deerhunter’s lead man Bradford Cox. I had seen Atlas Sound once before, at lease Cox performing as a DJ, so I wasn’t too eager to make sure I saw the set. However, to my surprise on Friday night Atlas Sound was a combination of Cox and the Atlanta band The Selmanaires. I thoroughly enjoyed their set.

On that night the Dirty Projectors were driving from Baton Rouge, LA and running late. When they finally arrived they set up stage and a call was put out to make the show a “smoke free” show since at least one of the band members wasn’t feeling well. (fwiw- I wish that all shows were “smoke free”). The Dirty Projectors absolutely killed it! Even with a sick band member they put on a hell of a show. Admittedly the Dirty Projectors’ sound isn’t for everyone, but I had a great time.

What Was, And What Could Have Been
Yesterday I laid the Black Sheep Hash trail. It was perhaps the worst haring performance of my hashing “career.” But, that was all erased by the fact that friends went all the way to Buford to run the trail. It was great to see ITP-Readers Martha (who looked great and brought birthday cupcakes too!), BWanA, and Squid Dick
You Can Take A Man OTP, But When His Brain Has Been ITP-Wired He Gets All Confused
All I had to do was run out, turn left, and head toward the Applebees. Who knew that there would be seven Applebees surrounding the Mall of Georgia?

I was feeling confident yesterday. I was full expecting to get snared at least once, and more likely three times. What I didn’t expect was to get lost right out of the gate.

Here is the trail that I was supposed to lay.

And here is an approximation of the trail I laid.

I think you might be able to tell where I screwed up (look at that circular bit around the one mile mark). After getting snared for the first time, in part because I saw a house that I was not expecting to see, I turned left. Unfortunately my left turned into a NASCAR left and I took myself right back to the start. FAIL!

When I ran back, straight into the pack I knew I was going to have a tough day. I severely altered my part of the trail, making it much easier than I wanted but knew that Burnt Rubber’s section was swamp, so I knew that the pack wouldn’t be too disappointed in the trail.

And It Could Have Been Worse!
As I awaited the tail-end of the pack to arrive at the trail’s water (and beer) stop I noticed one of Gwinnett’s Finest milling about. He drove over to us, asked us what we were doing, and when I told him that we were trail running and this was our water stop he seemed to buy it. Luckily, had he gone into the water (and beer) cooler he would have found no empty beers.

And With This Trail You Get A Song

B-S-H-3
(to the tune of Y-M-C-A)

Young hound, here is something to know
I said, young hound, there’s a place you can go.
I said, young hound, for only seven bucks dough.
There’s no need to be un-happy.

Young hound, there’s no need to feel down
I said, young hound, watch that snake on the ground.
I said, young hound, your white socks have turned brown.
There’s no need to be un-happy.

It’s fun to hash with the B-S-H-3.
It’s fun to hash with the B-S-H-3.

You can run through the swamp, you can sit on the ice
You can do a down-down, and make everything nice…

It’s time for us to, drink it down-down.
It’s time for us to, drink it down-down.

In Conclusion
As it may be obvious by now, I was severely disappointed with my screw up. At least everyone seemed to have fun and no one got arrested.

ITP Flickr Pic
This weekend was more than just hashing. On Saturday morning I met up with a bunch of photographers at Cabbagetown’s Oakland Cemetery for a stroll through the cemetery. This group was one of the thousands who did similarly as part of Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photo Walk.

I didn’t get many shots that thrilled me on Saturday, but I do like this shot of Bobby Jones’ headstone.

And For My Next Trick
Tonight I’ll be attending the photo critique night of the Roswell Photographic Society. For the first time I’ve submitted a photo for critique; it’s not one that will be universally enjoyed, so I’m interested to see how it is attacked.

I’ll show the photo here tomorrow with a summary of the criticism it raised.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – worn out, but need to get my shit together
Current Music – listening to last week’s “Sound Opinions” podcast
Website Of The Day – Thanks to Unscramble I was able to easily find a good one-syllable rhyme for “down”
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – hashing yesterday, about 4 miles when all was said and done
Morning Weigh-In – 199 pounds

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~10 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 17 (17)
Vegetarian Days – 1, Carnivorous Days – 19
Marta Rides – 0

July Goals
- Regain interest in my life
- Not get fired from my job
- Plan and lay a successful Black Sheep hash on July 19th

2009 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 190 pounds (today’s weight was 199.5 pounds)
- Completely read the book 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die
- Earn at least $150 through photography sales in order to cover the cost for the renewal of the Jalapeño Beach SmugMug account I opened the other day.
- Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
- Attend at least one professional photography workshop

The Unmeasurable
- Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
- Become a proficient programmer in Objective-C (iPhone development) and Ruby on Rails (Black Sheep web page concept)
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]