Inside The Perimeter

(This is no news flash, but) I’ve given up on dating, instead I’m looking for photographic inspiration. This weekend I’ll be attending a The Mindful Eye “Inspirational Weekend” workshop up in Nashville, Tennessee. I like going to Nashville and hope to make it a fun weekend — read all about it on Monday.

You may find it strange, but I’m also looking forward to the four-five hour drive as I’ll be able to listen to the rest of the audiobook “What Would Google Do?” I started listening to the other day.

My Progress Is Slowgress
I feel as if I’m moving at a snail’s pace these days. I have so many tasks to complete in a short amount of time, but each one is taking significantly longer than I had anticipated.

Today I’m hoping to order some business cards for the photography exhibit, and by next Monday I’m hoping to place an order for the prints that I want to sell.

Speaking of Monday, I also need to select a photo to submit for Monday’s Roswell Photographic Society critique; the category this month is the frustrating “Open” meaning that I can submit anything I desire as long as it was taken within the last twelve months.

ITP Flickr Pic
Last weekend I went to this strange place called a “grocery” store. Inside this establishment they sold all sorts of raw ingredients. Who knew?!? So, I thought that I’d take a shot at making a dish from some of these raw ingredients using my crockpot.

This was a beef stew I made the other day. The original photographic plan was to make a diptych using a shot of the ingredients in the crockpot waiting to be cooked and this cooked image. However, I hated all of my “before” shots, so I scrapped that idea.

Another Five Seconds Of Fame, Well Recognition At Least
I’ve corresponded with Coverville once in a while, and occasionally have suggested songs to be played on the podcast. The other night while listening to Coverville episode #664 I heard a familiar cover of Billy Idol’s “White Wedding” and thought “Huh, I forgot to request that, I guess someone else did.” Was I somewhat surprised to hear Brian say “that was suggested by Paulie in Atlanta, Georgia.” Ha! I completely forgot that I had sent Coverville an email asking them to play that song.

What’s Going On With You This Weekend?
Leave me a comment, I’d really like to know.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – bummed that it looks like I’m driving in to rain in Nashville tonight (and I’ve yet to put the new wipers on the Jackmobile)
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The Day – It’s Friday, give yourself a break and watch some fun cartoons at Starktoons.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – did not check
Pages Of 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die Read – 52

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Pushups – 0, Situps – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 11 (11)
Vegetarian Days – 0, Carnivorous Days – 15
Marta Rides – 0

April Goals
- Not to get sick for the entire month
- Not get fired from my job
- Ride my bicycle no fewer than 100 miles
- Get the Sharpened Stone, LLC moving…

2010 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 185 pounds (starting weight was 198 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.
- Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
- Attend at least one professional photography workshop
- Enter no fewer than three photographic competitions / gallery showings
- Get the Black Sheep stats out of Excel and online
- Ride in no fewer than two 50 mile or 50K bike rides
- Complete my Taco Mac Passport requirement of 125 beers

The Unmeasurable
- Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
- Become a proficient programmer in PHP and CSS
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Oh you’re probably thinking today’s title has everything to do with today being US Income Tax Payment Deadline Day. You’d be right in part.

Today I’m also suffering from I’m-Getting-Too-Old-To-Stay-Out-Until-Midnight-And-Get-Up-At-5:30am disease.

Is Manchester Orchestra Peaking?
Since I first lucked into seeing Manchester Orchestra perform at Smith’s Olde Bar a few years ago I’ve seen them perform about a half-dozen times. On each occasion there was always something which detracted from the show, whether it be the length of time they performed, or whatever. Last night I feared that “something” was going to be the recent departure of original drummer Jeremiah Edmond who departed to focus more on his personal life.

If I had to say anything negative about last night’s show it’s that lead singer Andy Hull’s voice may be starting to get thrashed. Hull mentioned having a sinus infection, so I hope for his sake that it was the root cause of what I heard.

The only other negative had little to do with the band. Hull was sporting an Oakland A’s baseball cap and some of the people near me shouted that he should be wearing a Braves cap, and later on started chanting the Tomahawk Chop chant (if you know not of what I speak consider yourself lucky).

Even with the new drummer the band was tight musically. Manchester Orchestra’s set was about an hour-and-a-half to two hours long (I failed to check when they started playing), covering much of the material from the band’s musical collection as well as a few interludes where Hull conversed with the crowd.

I had considered going back tonight for the second show, and my interest was piqued further when Hull said that they’d be playing a different set tonight, but I’m bushed and I don’t really need to spend the $20+ again.

ITP Flickr Pic
My annual correspondence with “The Man” (or since the State also collects they should be called “The Men”).

This year I also have the pleasure of sending Uncle Sam quarterly estimated tax payments.
Anyone else wishing we had Fair Tax?

Not So Awesome To See An Opossum
With the many neighborhood cats which frequent my yard I’ve grown accustom to slowing down and looking for them as I pull into my driveway. In doing so last night I saw an opossum scamper across my driveway.

In days gone by I might be amused to see a nocturnal creature such as this, but with the rodent infestation that my house has seen I’m a little less thrilled to imagine the possibility that this guy (or gal) might attempt to take up residence in my abode.

And what’s up with the neighborhood cats? Shouldn’t they be hunting and chasing these rodents? Isn’t that built into their genetic makeup? WTF!

A Follow Up From Yesterday
Evernote admitted to finding a bug in their Mac client and released a new version yesterday. I’m happy to report that the new release fixes my syncing problem, but I’m a little slower to put my trust into Evernote than I was earlier.

Tonight Is All About Home Time
Rest and catch up. That’s going to be tonight’s theme. Besides, I have another action-packed weekend planned — which I’ll discuss tomorrow…

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – bummed about some non-tax-related stuff, and tired
Current Music – silence as I write
Website Of The Day – I wish I had known about The Plastic Loose Fill Council before I tossed that large bag of packing peanuts a few weeks ago.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – didn’t check
Pages Of 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die Read – 52

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Pushups – 0, Situps – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 10 (10)
Vegetarian Days – 0, Carnivorous Days – 14
Marta Rides – 0

April Goals
- Not to get sick for the entire month
- Not get fired from my job
- Ride my bicycle no fewer than 100 miles
- Get the Sharpened Stone, LLC moving…

2010 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 185 pounds (starting weight was 198 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.
- Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
- Attend at least one professional photography workshop
- Enter no fewer than three photographic competitions / gallery showings
- Get the Black Sheep stats out of Excel and online
- Ride in no fewer than two 50 mile or 50K bike rides
- Complete my Taco Mac Passport requirement of 125 beers

The Unmeasurable
- Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
- Become a proficient programmer in PHP and CSS
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Last night was a fairly productive evening. I picked up my prepared tax forms (ugh, things are worse than I was led to believe) and from there headed to a new laundromat, which wound up being okay (though I kicked myself later when I failed to take a photo of the place — stay tuned). From there I had intended to get my cheap Chinese buffet feedbag on, but found out that the buffet at which I normally eat is now closed on Tuesdays — which is probably a good thing for my waistline. With a lack of creativity I went home and grilled up a wonderfully tasteful hamburger and later ate a sweet potato I cooked up while I was seasoning an old cast iron skillet which had lost its beautiful black luster.

I’ve Lost That Syncing Feeling
I have been becoming more reliant on Evernote recently. With free clients for the Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Windows it is one piece of note-taking software that runs on most platforms that I use and can sync up to each. I keep my shopping lists on Evernote. I store links to information I need to read on Evernote. I take screenshots/photos of information I want to keep handy on Evernote.

However, for the last few days Evernote has not been syncing properly and I’ve wound up with notes on some devices which are not appearing on others, and notes which I’ve edited but the changes aren’t getting propagated.

Even worse, I have no workaround for my problem and I’ve been unable to contact Evernote with the proper information in order to get some assistance.

At this point I don’t know what to do. On the one hand I want to put all of my trust in Evernote’s capabilities, but on the other I have an almost unresolvable situation which is leaving me in a lurch.

ITP Flickr Pic
Yep, another autocross shot.

Fear not, tomorrow I have something else planned.

They’re Not From Manchester, Nor Are They An Orchestra
Tonight I’ll be hanging at Variety Playhouse for the first of what may be, but probably won’t be, the first of two Manchester Orchestra shows I see this week. I’ll be sporting a hipster black t-shirt and my skanky old Puma sneakers, so if you see me, please say “Hello” (or “‘Sup,” or “Hey,” or whatever).

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – frustrated, concerned
Current Music – silence as I write, getting ready to listen to “MacBreak Weekly” as I code
Website Of The Day – SquareSpace has been making a lot of waves in the blogging world recently. I’m contemplating starting new websites using their service.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – failed to check
Pages Of 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die Read – 52

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Pushups – 0, Situps – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 9 (9)
Vegetarian Days – 0, Carnivorous Days – 13
Marta Rides – 0

April Goals
- Not to get sick for the entire month
- Not get fired from my job
- Ride my bicycle no fewer than 100 miles
- Get the Sharpened Stone, LLC moving…

2010 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 185 pounds (starting weight was 198 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.
- Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
- Attend at least one professional photography workshop
- Enter no fewer than three photographic competitions / gallery showings
- Get the Black Sheep stats out of Excel and online
- Ride in no fewer than two 50 mile or 50K bike rides
- Complete my Taco Mac Passport requirement of 125 beers

The Unmeasurable
- Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
- Become a proficient programmer in PHP and CSS
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

It seems if I’m having an ever-increasingly difficult time getting on top of things in my life. Forget any health issues, some of which I’ve divulged in this space, I’m talking about the day-to-day activities. Today is particularly hectic as I have to work a full day including a voluntary lunch-time iPhone training session, go pick up my tax returns (I owe again this year — Dangen!), and then try out a new laundromat because the one that I regularly frequent is in the wrong direction from my accountant in relation to my house. My plans to cook a crockpot meal, as well as to drop things off at Goodwill and pick things up at REI have to take a back seat because there is not enough free time in my day to accommodate them. I’ll just have to reschedule these tasks for tomorrow or Thursday.

Where Does The Time Go?
After arriving home to meet up with ITP-Reader Willy (“Little Willy” for those in the hash) to measure my kitchen window for repair, and then whipping up a burger for dinner I sat down to take care of some business. Before I knew it, the time was past 9:00pm and I had not accomplished nearly all that I had hoped. I dragged myself and my laptop into the bedroom and was fast asleep within an hour.

I suppose one of the benefits of falling asleep earlier than I used to, especially now that the mornings are not as cold as they were mere weeks ago, is that I can get out of bed earlier. This morning I was able to pack my dirty laundry and make a much-needed stop at QuikTrip (I don’t like that there is no ‘c’ in their name) for gasoline. I’m starting to drag a bit already, I should have purchased some QT coffee.

ITP Flickr Pic
It’s not all big cars at the autocross.

Every once and a while they let the go-carts out on the course.

Spring Cleaning Delivers A Good Surprise
I’m not sure that anyone does it any longer, but when I was a wee lad, in fact even before I was a wee lad, some of my relatives gave me United States savings bonds as gifts. During this year’s great clean out I came across these savings bonds.

The internet is a magical world. On the internet you can go to sites like Treasury Direct (it’s a .gov site) to find out information about specific savings bonds such as their current worth, and whether or not they are still accruing interest. As it turned out, a number of my small-denomination bonds had stopped accruing interest, so I’ve done what any sane person would do, I cashed them in.

If you calculate that these were initially $25 bonds, and that at least one of them was nearly forty-five years old, the “investment” wasn’t all that great. But, if you think of these bonds as found money, since they were given to me as a gift and that all they were doing now were sitting in my safety deposit box, then it was a pleasant surprise — one which will go toward a small house repair.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – concerned
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The Day – Last night I was reminded what an informative magazine Inc. is.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – didn’t check today
Pages Of 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die Read – 52

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Pushups – 0, Situps – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 8 (8)
Vegetarian Days – 0, Carnivorous Days – 12
Marta Rides – 0

April Goals
- Not to get sick for the entire month
- Not get fired from my job
- Ride my bicycle no fewer than 100 miles
- Get the Sharpened Stone, LLC moving…

2010 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 185 pounds (starting weight was 198 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.
- Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
- Attend at least one professional photography workshop
- Enter no fewer than three photographic competitions / gallery showings
- Get the Black Sheep stats out of Excel and online
- Ride in no fewer than two 50 mile or 50K bike rides
- Complete my Taco Mac Passport requirement of 125 beers

The Unmeasurable
- Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
- Become a proficient programmer in PHP and CSS
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

I had an opportunity to do a lot of things on Friday and Saturday but managed to squander both days and nights by staying at home. Well, it wasn’t all bad as I did manage to get to Publix on Saturday and do a little bit of food shopping and watch Finding Neverland (only six years after its release) Saturday night.

Sunday Was A Busy Day, However
I woke early on Sunday morning and treated myself to a pancake and coffee breakfast at the Majestic Diner.

From the Majestic I drove down to the former location of Fulton County Stadium to do some autocross photography. Time was short for me as I had a 1:00pm appointment, and the morning would have been a lot better if those running the autocross didn’t stop the event twice to chastise me and a couple of other photographers for hanging out to take photos including once where they told us that we could stand! I’m glad to see that they care about the safety of their spectators, but calling me out over a public announcement system is not the way to encourage me to come out and publicize your sport. I was even more pissed when one of the other two (official?) photographers walked out to where we were stationed and set up his camera gear not five feet in front of me and right in my line of shooting. I swear if I didn’t know that it would get me into trouble I would have clocked the guy for being such an asshole. The more I think about this the less likely I am to return to future events.

ITP Flickr Pic
This is one of the many shots I took yesterday.

Unfortunately I didn’t get many shots of my friends who were driving because I had to leave. Had the organizers not stopped the event twice I would have been able to get more shots.

A Long, But Very Informative Workshop
Did you know that I’m exhibiting some photography for sale in May? You know, the May that occurs in two weeks? Yikes, May used to seem so far away!

Yesterday I sat through a four-hour workshop put on by Atlanta Photography Exhibit which highlighted the steps necessary for printing, matting, and framing photos.

What the workshop really highlighted for me was how far behind schedule I am for having work to sell. Looks like this week is going to be another busy one.

Speaking Of Deadlines
Thursday is Tax Day. On Friday I contacted my tax preparer and have still not heard back from her. To say I’m a little nervous is an understatement. If I don’t get confirmation that my taxes are done by tomorrow I’ll be attempting to file for an extension for the first time in my life.

This was not the tax experience that I was expecting — especially since I’ve used her services without incident the past two years.

RealiTV Update: The Amazing Race — I Don’t Like The Lesbians
SPOILERS!
YESSSS! Team LezBeFriends is gone! Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against lesbians, but the attitude spewed by this pair of women had really worn on my to the point that I couldn’t stand seeing/hearing them.

Last night’s Fast Forward would have been my Achilles heel; there is no way that I would have been able to leave one car and climbed to the other.

That being said, I think that I would have enjoyed the hell out of that zip line, not to mention that I think I would have kicked ass with the drumming.

Is it really that easy to count 521 chain links when surrounded with all that noise? I guess that it was for Team Clouseau since he had a pitch-counter clicker with him. Was it so easy for the others because they had clipboards?

Did Team LezBeFriends actually carry any ice cream to sell? If not, shouldn’t they have been assessed a penalty — not that it mattered since they finished in last anyway.

We’re down to the Final Four! For some reason will air in two weeks instead of next week, though I don’t mind since I wouldn’t have been able to watch next Sunday night anyway. I’m not really sure who I want to win it all. Honestly I’m a little surprised to still have Team Model Citizens and Team Clouseau still around, I figured each would stumble along the way.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – okay, though somewhat bothered
Current Music – listening to last week’s “Sound Opinions” podcast
Website Of The Day – Were I training for anything I’d be logging my workouts on Daily Mile.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – 200 pounds
Pages Of 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die Read – 52

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Pushups – 0, Situps – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 7 (7)
Vegetarian Days – 0, Carnivorous Days – 11
Marta Rides – 0

April Goals
- Not to get sick for the entire month
- Not get fired from my job
- Ride my bicycle no fewer than 100 miles
- Get the Sharpened Stone, LLC moving…

2010 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 185 pounds (starting weight was 198 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.
- Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
- Attend at least one professional photography workshop
- Enter no fewer than three photographic competitions / gallery showings
- Get the Black Sheep stats out of Excel and online
- Ride in no fewer than two 50 mile or 50K bike rides
- Complete my Taco Mac Passport requirement of 125 beers

The Unmeasurable
- Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
- Become a proficient programmer in PHP and CSS
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

This week I’ve been popping out of bed as if I’d been given a new lease on life. That is until this morning when Atlanta’s temperature dropped back into the 40′s, then it was “I think I’ll stay under this warm blanket for just five more minutes…”

When Getting ITP Sucks, I Spend A Little More Time OTP
A glance at the traffic maps yesterday afternoon convinced me that heading home during rush hour (and pre-Braves game) would be a bad idea. So instead I hung around the Dunwoody area a little longer than normal (and desired).

I hit the local Target and picked up some things I needed. I swung by the Post Office and dropped off what should be the last of my third-party long-distance phone bills for some time. I ate a rather lackluster salad at Jason’s Deli. And I did something that I’ve never done before — I purchased a pair of Converse All-Star high tops at DSW. The pair I bought were black (the only solid colored offered at DSW) even though I was considering getting something a little more wild. The pair I bought were $40, a price I thought I’d never pay for canvas sneakers (note these are not “joggers” these are not “tennis shoes” these are “sneakers”). But I did it, I sprung for my first pair of Chucks, shit it only took nearly forty-five years and for them to go in and out of fashion a million times.

ITP Flickr Pic
A few weeks ago I noticed that a robin had build another nest on a downspout of my house.

The other day as I was out on the deck around sundown I noticed a few heads popping out of the nest. So I did what anyone with my hobbies would do, I grabbed my camera and uploaded a photo. Now I admit this is far from a photo that I love, but it was the best that I could do on that day. I’ll probably try to get a few more shots of these birds before the fly the coop.

And As Soon As Install, Apple Updates
I have to admit that thrill of finally completing the Apple Developers Program enrollment process caused me to immediately go out and download the latest version of the Software Developers Kit (SDK). Had I been thinking a little more rationally I would have recalled that Apple was holding an “event” yesterday which was rumored to be the announcement of the new SDK. So last night I pounded my AT&T U-Verse connection to download the latest version.

A few weeks ago I did a really smart thing — I purchased a used iPod Touch to use for development testing. Last night I discovered that I’ve done a really dumb thing — I can’t find where I put the iPod Touch.

RealiTV Update: Survivor — I’ve Voted Myself Off Of The Island
When Boston Rob was voted off last week I was really disappointed. At the time I concluded that I was giving up caring for Survivor (again). Last night I had no desire to watch Survivor at all, and I think that the final nail has once again been hammered into the series’ coffin for me.

Trying A New Venue Tonight
Sometime last year Ye Olde Failed Village Sports Bar was turned into 529. Somehow this small location holds concerts. I’m going to find out how tonight when I go to see Dead Confederate play.

If you’ve seen a show at 529 previously, could you tell me what time the headliners play? I’m assuming that it’s very The EARL-like and that there’s no need for me to show up before 10:00-10:30pm.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – okay, though I thought that today was Saturday when I awoke
Current Music – silence
Website Of The Day – If things were different in my life I’d so have a hydroponic farm like those shown at Window Farms.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – 200 pounds
Pages Of 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die Read – 52

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Pushups – 0, Situps – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 4 (4)
Vegetarian Days – 0, Carnivorous Days – 8
Marta Rides – 0

April Goals
- Not to get sick for the entire month
- Not get fired from my job
- Ride my bicycle no fewer than 100 miles
- Get the Sharpened Stone, LLC moving…

2010 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 185 pounds (starting weight was 198 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.
- Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
- Attend at least one professional photography workshop
- Enter no fewer than three photographic competitions / gallery showings
- Get the Black Sheep stats out of Excel and online
- Ride in no fewer than two 50 mile or 50K bike rides
- Complete my Taco Mac Passport requirement of 125 beers

The Unmeasurable
- Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
- Become a proficient programmer in PHP and CSS
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

By my standards last night was an oddly productive night even if I did crash by 10:00pm while watching a Stanford iPhone class.

When I pulled into my driveway yesterday I was disheartened to see the gutters, which I recently paid $105 to have cleaned, covered with crap from the surrounding trees. The afternoon’s original plan was some lawn mowing to be followed by the grilling of a hamburger on my little portable grill.

I got the lawnmower out (and it started on the first pull!) mowed the front and back lawns (swallowing a pound of pollen in the process I’m sure) and then something weird happened — I got inspired. Once the lawnmower was put away I grabbed a ladder and my leaf blower and headed to the roof! After spending some time blowing gunk out of the gutters I descended from roof, cleaned the debris off the deck, and then proceeded to blow the carport, walkway, and driveway clean. I must have been delirious from the intake of pollen.

I then returned to my regularly-scheduled evening of showering and then cooking a hamburger on the grill.

To cap it off, all this was done by 7:30pm. There was nothing that could stop me from learning and writing iPhone code.

Well There Was One Thing That Could Stop Me
Sleep.

I dragged laptop in to the bedroom (which possesses the only freely-opening window) to watch a Stanford iPhone class and attempt to write some code. I’m not sure how long it took me to fall asleep but I know it wasn’t long after I started watching the video. I struggled mightily. I decided that I was in no condition to learn, so I switched to an entertaining podcast — I fell asleep again. Not much later I gave up the ghost and fell asleep for good.

Oh well, at least I had the knowledge that I’d been somewhat successful at getting things done.

ITP Flickr Pic
Digging into last week’s shots (which means that I need to shoot more).

I baked a chicken last week. When I do I follow the manufacturer’s recommended cooking time, but then I insert a thermometer into the bird — just to be sure it’s fully cooked.

I like “environmental” shots like this, and aspire to do them as well as my friend Romanlily one day.

Ich Bin Ein Apple iPhone Developer
The paperwork was approved, the $99 annual fee has been supplied, it’s official, Sharpened Stone, LLC is an iPhone Application Developer. Now if I could only learn how to develop for the darned thing…

Actually, I’m rather stoked. This completes an action that I had tried to get done in early 2009. In order to become a “Company” iPhone developer you have to be a company and supply paperwork proving this. Now any applications I distribute through the App Store will be coming from my company name, Sharpened Stone, as opposed to my name.

Progress may be slow, but at least it’s progress.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – pretty good
Current Music – silence
Website Of The Day – There are a couple of really good graphics apps available on the web, Aviary is one of the best.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – 200 pounds
Pages Of 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die Read – 52

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Pushups – 0, Situps – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 3 (3)
Vegetarian Days – 0, Carnivorous Days – 7
Marta Rides – 0

April Goals
- Not to get sick for the entire month
- Not get fired from my job
- Ride my bicycle no fewer than 100 miles
- Get the Sharpened Stone, LLC moving…

2010 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 185 pounds (starting weight was 198 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.
- Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
- Attend at least one professional photography workshop
- Enter no fewer than three photographic competitions / gallery showings
- Get the Black Sheep stats out of Excel and online
- Ride in no fewer than two 50 mile or 50K bike rides
- Complete my Taco Mac Passport requirement of 125 beers

The Unmeasurable
- Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
- Become a proficient programmer in PHP and CSS
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Unless you know of a social engagement to which I’ve committed to attend, but have overlooked.

I Now Know Why It’s Called “Blue”land
The Thrashers put on a sad performance last evening leaving most everyone in attendance blue. There was one notable exception in our group, ITP-Reader Barb’s husband Allan who was sporting his NJ Devils’ jersey while cheering them one. I guess Barb is somewhat of a Devils fan as well as her cousin Jamie Langenbrunner (spelling has not been checked) plays for them.

Even with the Thrashers getting shutout the evening was a good time. I consumed a (relatively) small portion of “Chinese” food and one massive Sierra Nevada from Gorin’s. I’ll call my “restraint” a win.

ITP Flickr Pic
Finally got my new shadow box set up and figured out how to use my wireless flash capability. Look forward to many more “studio” shots. I’m sorry. No I’m not.

Anyway, this shot highlights something that bothers me. Compact Fluorescent bulbs were marketed as great replacement for incandescent bulbs because they used less electric, generated less heat, and lasted much longer. The last of those marketing promises seems to be invalid.

This bulb, which you may be able to tell was installed on 7/2/07, didn’t last the “much longer” time that I was promised. This photo is generous as well because this bulb expired months ago and I finally found the time to take this show therefore the bulb lasted two-and-a-half years at best.

Now I have a package containing Mercury that I need to dispose of properly. I’ve heard that Home Depot does CFL recycling (does REI?) so I’ll have to investigate.

A Fax? Really?
At times I’m amazed how hard the world tries to hold on to past technology. Yesterday I signed Sharpened Stone up for Apple’s Developers Program and received an email telling me that I needed to fax them some paperwork in order to complete the process.

A fax?
What is this, 1987?
Are we still loading applications onto computers using 3.5″ floppy discs?

So today I’ll be faxing Apple the required paperwork because I’m itching to feel like a business.

I’m Taking A Bit Of An iGamble
I had no hesitation telling every one that I was going to pre-order an iPad 3G. But now there is hesitation. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I will own one the day that the 3G model is released, it’s just that I don’t know if I’ll pre-order.

With the initial WiFi-only release Apple gave you the option of either picking it up at an Apple store, or having it delivered somewhere on the release day. For the 3G pre-order no such option is provided — its shipping only — and there is no guaranteed delivery for the release day.

So, I think I’m going to gamble that Apple will have sufficient 3G stock when its released. And, on that day, I casually walk over to Perimeter Mall, plunk down my Sharpened Stone credit card, and walk out the proud owner of an iPad (hoping not to get mugged while doing so).

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – okay
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The Day – Somehow choosing Pollen.com seemed appropriate for today. (Hey ITP-Readers Lisa and Randy: According to them Raleigh is one of today’s “Worst Cities.” Congratulations!)
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – 200 pounds
Pages Of 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die Read – 52

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

April Goals
- Not to get sick for the entire month
- Not get fired from my job
- Ride my bicycle no fewer than 100 miles
- Get the new LLC moving…

2010 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 185 pounds (starting weight was 198 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
- Enter no fewer than three photographic competitions / gallery showings
- Get the Black Sheep stats out of Excel and online
- Ride in no fewer than two 50 mile or 50K bike rides
- Complete my Taco Mac Passport requirement of 125 beers

The Unmeasurable
- Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
- Become a proficient programmer in PHP and CSS
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

You know I’m no real Duke fan. Hell, I barely notice the ACC since I’m not a basketball fan either. However, in one of the two NCAA brackets I submitted I picked the Dukies to win it all — and win it all they did. By the virtue of my Duke pick I finished in a tie for third place, but the other person didn’t pick Duke to win it all (she picked Maryland — What? How’d she finish in third with that pick?, so I may actually claim sole rights to the Third Place podium position using a tie-breaking mentality.

I Lost My Chipotle Cherry
People who know me well will not be surprise to read that I’d never eaten at a Chipotle before yesterday. With the taco/burrito chain explosion in the 1990s (Willy’s, Moe’s, Raging Burrito, Chipotle, Qdoba, …) I saw no reason to eat at the one which was owned by McDonalds. At one point I tried to eat at the one they opened near my office, but it was so jam-packed full of people that I turned away and ate elsewhere.

If last night’s meal is any indication of the Chipotle experience then is little reason for me to return. I ordered a carnitas (pork) burrito and a cup of water. The $6.25 burrito came with no chips (which, I must admit I didn’t mind since I’m trying to lose weight — more on this below) and I saw no selection of salsas that I’ve come accustom to using when eating at a burrito establishment. To Chipotle’s credit the meat was the best part of the burrito, but it couldn’t overcome the oddly-textured rice and somewhat dry beans.

ITP Flickr Pic
Yeah, there are a few repairs which need to get done…

I replaced these numbers, oh I don’t know, five, six, seven years ago. The front of the house is south-facing so the sun has done a number on the numbers.

Time To Start The Spring/Summer Ritual
The wet Winter combined with the current spat of heat has encouraged my lawn to blossom almost overnight. Tonight I’ll be dragging the lawnmower from its hibernation zone, checking its air filter, oil, and gasoline, and crossing my fingers that it fires up for yet another mowing season.

For some reason it seems a bit early in the year to start mowing. Atlanta is just about to get pelted with biblical proportions of pollen and it seems as if I should be able to wait that out before having to push the mower around my patch of weeds.

Speaking of the pollen, I think its imminent onslaught is going to force me to delay the re-staining of my deck. I’d sure hate to live with a puke-green deck.

Time To Start A Life Ritual
This actually started Saturday, but I didn’t have the time to write about it yesterday. Besides, it wasn’t until this morning that I stepped on the scale (twice) to see it read 200 pounds.

When I arose Saturday morning I was sick. No, not sick as I had been from Tuesday through Friday, but rather sick of feeling a mass of goo which has settled between my shoulders and my legs.

So I did what any American would do I scheduled a liposuction appointment I cobbled together a weight-loss plan. I know myself really well. I know the very second I say that I can never eat potatoes again, I will crave potatoes until I go crazy. So this plan had to be centered around moderation instead of elimination.

Here’s the plan — it’s brief, but in reality the only good way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more.

1. Eat no more than half of what I’ve been eating. Avoid sides such as chips or fries; vegetables are the preferred side.
2. Drink only water, milk, juice, coffee, or tea for all breakfasts and lunches; dinner may be accompanied by any liquid though the consumption of soda is discouraged.

Pretty limiting, huh. Okay not really but considering my lifestyle has been centered around eating enough Calories to sustain a Third-World family the reduction of intake should help with the reduction of Paulie.

Unspoken in these rules is the desire to cook at home again (who knows, this might save me some money as well).

Currently I plan to keep my manual labor as my primary source of exercise, though in the near future the Red Rocket shall spring forth from its hibernation zone and return to the streets of Atlanta.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – fair
Current Music – listening to yesterday’s “The Story” podcast
Website Of The Day – Sure I’d love to on a Karma from Fisker Automotive but man would it suck to watch it get covered in pollen.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – 200 pounds
Pages Of 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die Read – 52

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Pushups – 0, Situps – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 1 (1)
Vegetarian Days – 0, Carnivorous Days – 5
Marta Rides – 0

April Goals
- Not to get sick for the entire month
- Not get fired from my job
- Ride my bicycle no fewer than 100 miles
- Get the new LLC moving…

2010 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 185 pounds (starting weight was 198 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
- Enter no fewer than three photographic competitions / gallery showings
- Get the Black Sheep stats out of Excel and online
- Ride in no fewer than two 50 mile or 50K bike rides
- Complete my Taco Mac Passport requirement of 125 beers

The Unmeasurable
- Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
- Become a proficient programmer in PHP and CSS
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

It was a busy weekend for me. Did I get everything I wanted done? The height of my lawn would tell you “No.” but I did manage to get a lot of things organized and accomplished this weekend. After three days of sickness it felt great to be able to be productive again.

Speaking of being productive, thanks to last week’s illness I’m now behind schedule at work so this will be short today… Why don’t you tell me what fun things you did this past weekend?

Oh, and in case you are wondering — I did not get an iPad on Saturday. I am pre-ordering an iPad 3G this week.

Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad
I managed to make it to two of the three concerts that I wanted to attend this weekend; at least they were the two for which I had pre-purchased tickets.

On Friday I headed to Variety Playhouse for the Midlake show. The show was pretty good, but unfortunately for me the last vestiges of my sickness hit about four songs into Midlake’s set. At that point I decided that the band sounded so much like their CDs that I would probably not miss much by leaving early and getting some much-needed sleep.

Last night I headed to Masquerade for the Ted Leo and The Pharmacists show. This was the first time that I seen Ted Leo perform and I was not disappointed.

ITP Flickr Pic
One for the money, two for the show.

It’s been some time since I’ve grilled burgers.

On Saturday I figured out that if I tucked the legs of the grill under this paving stone that the grill would have increased stability and the stone would act as a heat shield for the plastic cabinet on which I was cooking.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – much better
Current Music – listening to last night’s The Amazing Race
Website Of The Day – My friend Bill has long been a good photographer. I found out the other day that he has his own website Cattail Photography.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – didn’t check today
Pages Of 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die Read – 52

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Pushups – 0, Situps – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 0 (0)
Vegetarian Days – 0, Carnivorous Days – 4
Marta Rides – 0

April Goals
- Not to get sick for the entire month
- Not get fired from my job
- Ride my bicycle no fewer than 100 miles
- Get the new LLC moving…

2010 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 185 pounds (starting weight was 198 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
- Enter no fewer than three photographic competitions / gallery showings
- Get the Black Sheep stats out of Excel and online
- Ride in no fewer than two 50 mile or 50K bike rides
- Complete my Taco Mac Passport requirement of 125 beers

The Unmeasurable
- Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
- Become a proficient programmer in PHP and CSS
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]