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

If someone criticizes me I am not any less because of that. It is not a criticism of me but critical thinking from him. He is expressing his thoughts and feelings, not my being.

Before, I thought I was actually fighting for my own self-worth; that is why I so desperately wanted people to like me. I thought their liking me was a comment on me, but it was a comment on them.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

Friday Is A Dangerous Night To Cook
While the injury I gave myself this past Friday while peeling potatoes wasn’t nearly as devastating as slicing off the tip of my thumb back in November it still hurt like hell. Apparently it’s a bad idea to peel potatoes using a Y-shaped peeler, at least that what the fingernail on my left-hand ring finger thought. Owie!

I carried on with the preparation and was rewarded with a fantastic meal. (see below)

ITP Flickr Pic
For Sal

This was Friday night’s dinner (and due to the size of the pork loin it was Saturday’s dinner, Sunday’s lunch, and I still have leftovers). What you see above is roasted pork loin (with a pepper, lemon, salt rub), Moroccan olive bread (that I purchased from Kroger), and a medley of roasted veg (brussels sprouts, potatoes, parsnips, carrots).

For the record, it was delicious.

Captain Sleepyhead
While I was up early enough to rush up to Rome in order to do the “Up The Creek” ride, I decided against it (something about driving all that way to ride when I can ride from my house, yadda, yadda, yadda). Instead I took the opportunity to use a beautiful Saturday to visit the Atlanta Botanical Garden. I must say that the nice, peaceful atmosphere of roaming through a garden setting is somewhat ruined by the loud sounds of construction of the much-argued Piedmont Park parking deck.

After getting my fill of flowers I headed over to the Green Market in Piedmont Park. I was hoping to find some really good vegetables, but sadly there wasn’t much that thrilled me. Instead I spent my money on stinky cheeses, five pepper chow chow, and some “rabbit-eye” blueberry jelly.

For The Birds
On Mother’s Day I found a mother around my house. Recently I’ve wondered why the birds sounded so loud outside my bedroom window. Now I know.

I wish that I was able to take a sharper photo of this but apparently the birds just ignored my posing requests.

I Think My Career As “People Photographer” Will Be Short
That is if it hasn’t ended already.

This week’s assignment was to do group photography. I have a hard enough time getting one person to pose for me, getting multiple people to do so has proven to be impossible. I even put myself in surroundings which should have made it easy but I am just completely socially inept.

I have wondered if taking a People Photography class would “make” or “break” me — “breaking” is winning.

Survivor Ended?
For the record, I didn’t miss watching it.

Who won?

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - I am as close to happy as I shall ever by under current conditions
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Klaxons — “Golden Skans”
Website Of The Day - Because of technical difficulties I had to turn to Hulu in order to watch “The Office”. The experience was pretty good.
Exercise (b)Log - hashing, 4 miles (I think)
Monthly Foot Mileage - 6 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 25 miles
Monday Morning Weigh-In - 194 pounds
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car, and a van from Curry Honda where the Jackmobile is getting its 75k-mile service
Monthly Marta Rides - 8
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 42 (42)

April Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

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

Raping, hunting, throwing stones at wild-life, buying exotic pets, picking flowers, criticizing prominent people, may at times be an attempt to make contact with, even identify with, that which is free and beautiful and so frightfully unlike us.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

You Know Something’s Not Right When I Pass On Free Food
One of the dilemmas I suffered last night was how not to be starving throughout Jay Maisel’s lecture. The doors for the event opened at 6:30pm, the lecture started at 7:00pm and ran until a little past 9:00pm. Since I drove to work yesterday I had the potential opportunity to stop somewhere prior to the lecture, but had convinced myself that it would be best to wait until I got back to East Atlanta (spread my cash locally and all that sort of stuff, and besides our newest establishment The Midway Pub has a couple of really pretty waitresses.) And then the people running the event brought out free food. While it was mostly standard fare, they did have a cheese tray and I have been on a cheese kick for the past two weeks. Remarkably, I didn’t eat any of the food.

My reward was a fairly tasty Mahi Mahi sandwich washed down with a Lagunitas Censored at The Midway Pub.

ITP Flickr Pic
The Atlanta Zoo has meercats…

… who are very willing to pose in amusing ways for photographers.

RealiTV Update: Top Chef
Ciao Nikki!

I got around to watching Wednesday’s episode last night. I am here to say that I thought the idea of working the contestants that hard was despicable. And who wants to have their wedding on Top Chef Top Chef anyway? Oh yeah, some girl from Marietta that’s who. There was something oddly familiar about that couple, perhaps it’s just that they looked like your average American couple?

I’m not the least bit sorry to see Nikki go. I didn’t care for the way that she cooked and I was truly bothered by the way she seemed to be leading the task then took a complete “I’m not leading this thing” attitude; leaders don’t do that.

I was impressed with King Richard’s move to give Stephanie the victory. I don’t know if he was being humble, she did make the wedding cake after all, or he simply wants to stop having a target on his back.

I was unimpressed by my girl Antonia’s attitude toward Andrew’s chicken idea. Even if she is 100% correct about it getting soggy in chafing dishes, and she is, she should have fought for the team victory over taking a passive-aggressive toward Andrew figuring he’d take the fall if they lost.

A Simple Request
Tonight I’ll be making a pork tenderloin; it’s possibly a test-run for next weekend’s camping trip. However, tonight I am making it for myself and can’t decided what I should pair it with. What side dish(es) would you you pair with a pork tenderloin? Would you apply a rub or cook it nekkid?

I guess vegetarians need not apply.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - okay, but wish I had taken the day off from work
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing The Kills — “U.R.A Fever” (I don’t much care for this song)
Website Of The Day - I have dug my own grave many times, mostly with relationships. However Dig Your Own Grave will have none of that pain; it’s a cool place to get Flash-based games and watch strange videos.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 6 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 25 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - Marta
Monthly Marta Rides - 7
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 39 (39)

April Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

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

Negative feedback is better than none. I would rather have a man hate me than overlook me. As long as he hates me I make a difference.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

Don’t Talk To Strangers
During my incredibly slow and arduous (you know, there is no good way to get to a place called “The Highlands” without going uphill) six-mile run from Lindbergh Marta back to my car I crossed paths with my friend Harold. After stopping (which took no effort for me) and talking for a second I acquiesced to the idea of going to George’s (which oddly also took little effort) after reaching my car. The plan was to have a beer at George’s and give Harold a ride home and have another at his house. Of course “one” at George’s meant “two or more” and the same occurred at Harold’s place as we heated a frozen pizza in order to make room in the freezer for two two pig heads that Tony bought (it’s a looooooong story). I returned home at 11pm, toxic, and too tired to watch last night’s Top Chef in its entirety. Needless to say, I did not run this morning as planned.

The Poor Taste Of Irony Was Left Lingering All Afternoon
Last week I read a glowing review of Canton Cooks by local food blogger The Blissful Glutton. The photos of the food in her blog post alone had my mouth watering. Finding out that the restaurant was “near” my office one of my coworkers and I decided to eat lunch there yesterday. Was I ever disappointed to see “Closed Wednesdays” on their door as we went to enter the building. Why couldn’t their internal clock be a day ahead as well?

I wound up eating some fair, but overpriced pizza from a chain called Artuzzi’s Italian Kitchen instead.

As an aside…. Hey web developers, 1996 called and they want their splash screens back! If you have to put a link which says “Skip Flash Intro” because your useless splash screen takes too long to load then perhaps you should kill the damn Flash splash screen completely.

ITP Flickr Pic
If the photography class that I am taking was called “Portrait Photography” I would have brought this in as part of my homework assignment.

But it’s called “People Photography” and even though “people” evolved from such animals I thought the connection would be missed but the class.

See Me, Hear Me
Tonight I am going to a lecture by world-renown photographer Jay Maisel which is being put on by American Institute Of Graphic Arts (Atlanta Chapter). I am really looking forward to it because it will be the first time since I got into photography that I’ve heard one of the “biggies” in the industry speak. I am also looking forward to it because the event is something way different than I’d normally do.

The only downside to this event is that it is being held at 7:00pm in that area North of IKEA so I was kinda forced to drive to work today so that I can get there on time.

RealiTV Update: Top Chef
I know who got kicked off only because I woke up during a replay just as they were asking the person to pack up knives and get the hell off the show. All I will say is that I’ve felt that this person needed to go for a long time now.

I’ll have a better update tomorrow.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - fair
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Born Ruffians — “Hummingbird”
Website Of The Day - If you have the desire to create your own comic strip but don’t have the artistic skills to do so you should give ToonDoo a look.
Exercise (b)Log - running, 6 miles
Monthly Foot Mileage - 6 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 25 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Monthly Marta Rides - 6
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 38 (38)

April Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

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

People don’t want me to always agree with them. They can sense this is phony. They can sense I am trying to control them: I am agreeing with them to make them like me. They feel; “I don’t want to exist to like you. I DON’T exist to like you.”

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

I Was Lost But Now I Am Found
I knew as soon as I blogged about not being able to find my Garmin GPS watch it would show up! This morning as I packed my clothes for my afternoon run back to my car (sorry, no George’s in the cards again tonight) I noticed that the velcro of the watch band had attached itself to the padding of my hydration pack. I had put the hydration pack, which I use only to transport items during these runs, away immediately when I returned home on Wednesday never noticing its hitchhiker.

You Can Buy Or You Can Stream
When I picked Elvis Costello’s “Momofuko” as my “CD Pick Of The Week” yesterday I did not know that I’d be able to hear it in its entirety streamed on the internet. W00t!

If you’d like to give it a virtual spin, you can do so here.

These Boots Were Made For PhotoHiking
I stopped by REI on my way home from work on Monday. After much deliberation I settled on these Merrell hiking boots.

I also picked up a pair of hiking socks — women’s hiking socks. Why women’s? Because they were brown (the only “feminine part” is the color of the stitching of the Smartwool name on the bottom of the sock), are large enough for a man’s foot (there was a man’s sizing equivalent marked on the package) and most importantly, they were in stock. As part of REI’s sale they have Smartwool socks 30% off and it appears that there has been a run on men’s hiking socks. Who knows, they might help me hike lighter? And if they are uncomfortable I am sure I can find another use for them.

ITP Flickr Pic
I told her that I’d make her a star! buy her a lunch.

This is my coworker Chrissy who willingly subjected herself to being my model for my People Photography homework for Week #1.

Another Night Of Oddball Dinners
On Monday night dinner consisted of bread/butter, cheese, radishes, and beer. Last night I substituted hummus for the butter, sausage for the radishes, and added some gherkin pickles. Oddly, I enjoyed each night’s dinner immensely. Sometimes it’s not a bad thing to have too little time to cook, as long as you have other quality items on which to nosh.

This American Life… TV
I’ve been meaning to mention this all week, but keep forgetting. This American Life has once again returned to television on Showtime (how did they not secure www.showtime.com?). It appears that Showtime is streaming episodes in case you don’t subscribe to their tv channel.

Go watch! It’s quality entertainment.

RealiTV Update: Hell’s Kitchen
Can anyone on Hell’s Kitchen cook? WTF? Do Sweet 16 parties like that shown last night really happen? DOUBLE WTF? We are a country with completely fucked up priorities; and no, I am not just coming to this conclusion.

Did you eat shrimp by the time you were sixteen? I am pretty sure that I had. If you hadn’t, would you at least try it to see if you liked it? I am certain that I would.

Last night the cooks in Hell’s Kitchen had to come up some items to be served up to a Spoiled Brat Sweet 16 party. The maid of honor has never eaten a shrimp, turns her nose at filet mignon because she thinks it’s “too fatty”, but has no problem ramming a “stuffed” chicken wing into her face — before heading to the bathroom to purge just like her other Hollywood friends. Amazingly, the men win a challenge and get a day at Malibu Grand Prix (what’s with the shitty-ass rewards?) while the ladies have to deal with Flamey McFlameAlot party planner and Plasticine Mommy Dearest.

During the night’s service both sides manage to screw up the dinners of the two most “important” guests, at which point Ramsay himself steps in to cook the meal for the princess (and I shout “Aw, Hell no! The bitch has been spoiled her whole life, she doesn’t deserve a meal made by Ramsay!”). Bumbling and stumbling, which is the norm for Hell’s Kitchen, ensues and by night’s end Ramsay can’t decide which team is worse so each team must nominate a candidate.

As has become the norm Ramsay overrules a team and brings up an extra whipping pony to join the race. In the end it’s the slow, fat girl who gets the ax — how fitting for a Hollywood “Sweet 16 Party” episode. Nothing like instilling more of the “Must Be Thin To Win” attitude… I’m sure that all of the kids waited outside after rocking out to the jams of The Pink Spiders just to ridicule Shayla as she left the show.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - concerned
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Black Mountain — “Stormy High”
Website Of The Day - All this time I’ve been trying to hire intelligent employees. Who knew that I could simply be targeting Good Looking Employees?
Exercise (b)Log - nothing, it was a photography class night
Monthly Foot Mileage - 0 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 25 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - Marta
Monthly Marta Rides - 5
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 37 (37)

April Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

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

When someone disagrees with me, I do not have to immediately start revising what I just said.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

It’s A Free Coffee Day At Joe’s In East Atlanta
While I still miss the satisfaction of seeing Ellen behind the counter I cannot complain when I go into my favorite coffee shop and they hand me a free cup of coffee (sure wish they had a website I could point you to).

Push One Area, Another’s Got To Give
Last night I was supposed to go running with the EAV Monday Running Group. However, I also had People Photography homework to finish for tonight’s class. Something had to give. That something quickly became running when one of my coworkers became a willing volunteer model for my homework assignment. I’ll post the best of the photos that I took here if she gives me permission.

ITP Flickr Pic
In the meantime you’ll have to look at another shot I took last Friday night.

Originally this shot was bathed in red because a red-gel light was turned on the moment I took the shot. However, I’ve found that this lighting can make for good black and whites.

The Things That Can Sway Me
Want to know why I would even consider riding forty-five (grueling) miles in North Georgia for the Up A Creek Without A Pedal ride? One reason is because they have ride-day registration, but the biggest reason is that their entrance fee is reasonable ($20 without a t-shirt — don’t need another one, thanks).

Want to know why I quickly dismissed the notion of doing the Muddy Buddy? Because their entrance fee is $140 for a two-person team! C’mon $70 a person? You can’t be serious.

As I get older I find that the price of entry is a huge factor in swaying my participation. I can, although I don’t often, run thirteen miles or ride fifty miles, without the need of support.

Bloggus Interruptus
My boss has called a 8am meeting (maybe it’s a good thing I woke up to late for a morning run as I would have missed it). I’m taking a break here from this morning’s post. So if you sense a disconnect from what you’ve read above, more so than you would have normally, you understand what has happened.

Okay, I’m back…

Mea Culpa
I really should have watched the content on Sometimes Daily before sending you there yesterday. Man, that was painful. I’m sorry.

CD Pick Of The Week
Hey, Clay Aiken has a new release today — PASS.
Hey, Neil Diamond has a new release today — PASS.
Hey, Keith Sweat has a new release today — PASS.
Hey, Barenaked Ladies has a new release today — PASS.
Hey, Iron Maiden has a new “Best Of” release today — PASS.

Hey, Elvis Costello has a new release today — hmm, alright. I’d be a lot better prepared to discuss this new release had I been able see Costello in concert as scheduled last Monday night. However, I’m still intrigued even if Costello has implemented some hokey distribution scheme where no CDs will be pressed.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - fair, would be great if things were different.
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Dinosaur Jr. — “Start Choppin” (J Mascus is one of the best guitar players of all time… imho)
Website Of The Day - To atone for yesterday’s gaff I’ll choose a topic that never fails — BACON! Want to know what sort of wondrous things you can do with the magical meat? Check out the Bacon Show blog.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 0 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 25 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Monthly Marta Rides - 4
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 36 (36)

April Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

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

There is an important difference between telling a person how I experience him and adding arguments to support my correctness of my view. My feelings about another do not require a case — I don’t notice them deductively.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

Up Close And Somewhat Personal With Dead Confederate & Cracker
On Friday night I was ready for entertainment. After turning down a very tempting invitation to join coworkers for happy hour I took the train back to my car instead. From there my destination was Fox Bros BBQ because I was still craving bbq meat a week after eating it two days in a row. I was not disappointed.

After dinner I headed over to Variety Playhouse to get in to line for the Dead Confederate / Cracker show.

A strange crowd it was. First, I was like seventh in line for the doors to open and I missed a chance to park myself in my favorite sections for photography. So instead I went “to the front row” where I set up shop front and center. Twice during the evening people asked my about my equipment and for a website at which they could check out my shots (is it time to resurrect Japaleno Beach?). Both times I had an incredibly hard time comprehending the questions they were asking me; have my forty-two year old ears started to fail due to too much rock and roll?

The show was great although much of the vocals for Cracker were low because being in the front row of Variety means that you are on the wrong side of the speakers in order to get good vocals from the headliners; sounds crazy but it has happened on more than one occasion to me.

ITP Flickr Pic
I was “that guy”, front row and center.

I’m still not thrilled with my photography (sharpness means everything to me) perhaps I should get used to feeling like this?

It Was Just Like Riding A Bike
In fact, it was exactly like riding a bike!

On Saturday I drove down to Moreland, Georgia (fwiw - taking Moreland Avenue seems like a good idea, but take my word it is not.) to my friends, and ITP readers, Debbie and Steve’s house (read “beautiful little horse farm”). The Red Rocket was placed atop the Jackmobile although I was certain that the weather would not allow us to go on our scheduled twenty-five-mile bike ride. I was so wrong and could not have been happier.

The course that Steve laid out was a wonderful combination of country roads and rolling hills. I have now been to and through the towns of Senoia (pronounced “Sen-oy” for some reason”) and Turin and have lived to type about it. It felt fantastic being out on the open road again even if I correctly predicted that I’d have a sore saddle on Sunday. The seven of us, including John (aka Afterbirth) who kept up even though he rode a borrowed mountain bike (show off!), kept a reasonable pace. For a first ride in some time it was exactly what the doctor ordered.

Post-ride we sat around and watched the Kentucky Derby, the first one I’ve seen in years, and the horror that ensued after Eight Belles fractured both ankles and had to be killed. My first thought was the joy that my friend Betsy only fractured one; she’s too young to die.

And what do you do after working off so many calories? Why put them back on with a delicious dinner and beers of course!

Hey, Why Not Use That Zoo Membership?
Waking early on Sunday morning I mapped out an action-packed day. My first stop was Kasan Red for a skillet breakfast.

Following breakfast I thought I’d “beat the crowds” and hit the Atlanta Zoo. I showed up minutes after it opened only to find out that there was some sort of sleep-over which had occurred and the place was already overrun with children. If you like MILF viewing and don’t mind the rugrats which accompany them, then the zoo on a sunny Sunday morning is an awesome place to be.

Next on the agenda was attending the Reds v. Braves baseball game at Turner Field. However something fell apart between the time I got home from the zoo and the time I was supposed to head to the ballgame; I became comfortable. I wound up missing the game completely and instead headed to Kroger later in the afternoon to fight the masses so that I could have the necessities to prepare my dinner.

I Knew This Would Be A Challenge When I Signed Up
When I signed up for a people photography class I knew that my biggest challenge would be asking people to pose for me. It’s not like I don’t understand at least one of the reasons I have difficulty getting dates, you know.

Unfortunately I am as right as rain on this issue. Today is Monday, my class is tomorrow night, and I have no idea how I am going to get subjects before then.

This six-week course has the potential to be either the most rewarding or painful experience that I have ever encountered.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - fair, I just wish that I was normal
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing The Whigs — “Right Hand On My Heart”
Website Of The Day - Former Rocketboom host Amanda Congdon has a new gig at Sometimes Daily.
Exercise (b)Log - riding, 25 miles
Monthly Foot Mileage - 0 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 25 miles
Monday Morning Weigh-In - 197 pounds
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Monthly Marta Rides - 4
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 35 (35)

April Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

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

“I agree” and “I disagree” are impossible states of mind. No two people can think exactly alike or antithetically. Sometimes I say “I agree,” because I want to avoid and encounter; sometimes I just want to get the other person to shut up. I usually say “I disagree,” when I want to exhibit myself.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

There’s A Fine Line Between Clever And Stupid, Part 1
Yesterday was May 1st. If only there was a song for that day… Oh wait, there was!

Jonathan Coulton’s “First Of May” (Not Safe For Work)

Time To Try New Things
During the months of May through November there exists an East Atlanta Farmers Market in East Atlanta Village. I decided that I should check it out at its new location of the Village Hardware store. While smaller than I hoped, I did manage to pick up some delicious cheese, a handful of rolls (one of which was this morning’s breakfast), and a couple of small batches of radishes. I look forward to returning in future weeks.

After the farmers market I headed to East Atlanta’s newest bar/restaurant The Midway Pub (website is parked and uninformative currently). The Midway Pub is a rework of an old automotive repair building on Flat Shoals Avenue south of Glenwood. Midway opened up this week and is still working out some of the kinks but I had no opening-week problems other than a little waitress confusion (a second waitress took my beer refill order and then my original waitress came by and asked me if I needed another beer). I drank two beers and ate a perfectly-cooked, and somewhat sloppy, cheeseburger.

ITP Flickr Pic
Another shot from the Destoyer show.

New shots to be taken this weekend.

There’s A Fine Line Between Clever And Stupid, Part 2
In this day and age why would anyone send out a legitimate email entitled “Mother’s Day Enlargement Special”? I’ve received so much “enlargement” email that I immediately dismissed this email as spam. As it turns out, the email was from Showcase and was for photo enlargements.

I have no need for either enlargement thankyouverymuch.

Friday Night And Beyond
Tonight I’ll be darkening the doors of the Variety Playhouse to see the Dead Confederate / Cracker show. Because my buddy Mike couldn’t make the trip up from Florida for last night’s American Music Club show at The EARL I decided to skip it, so I am ready for a show tonight. I’ll be bringing the camera along with me and will hopefully be getting some decent shots.

Tomorrow if Mother Nature smiles upon me I’ll be taking my bike out for its maiden voyage of 2008. I’ll be down in Moreland, GA (read “way OTP”) for the ride and to check out the new digs of friends of ITP Steve and Debbie.

Sunday? I have no plans for Sunday and I’m okay with that.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - glad the week is about to end
Current Music - listening to CNET’s “Buzz Out Loud” podcast
Website Of The Day - It’s Friday, go waste some time by popping Virtual Bubble Wrap.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 0 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - Marta
Monthly Marta Rides - 3
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 33 (33)

May Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day
6) Run Twisted Ankle in under 3 hours

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

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

I find it almost impossible to make a strong declarative statement in conversation without feeling little nagging doubts and reservations.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

Steak… It’s What Was For Dinner
I love steak, but I rarely make steak for myself. Last week while touring around Kroger I picked up a cheap cut of meat (a flank steak) with the notion of trying my hand at steak preparation. Last night was in an experimental mood and with no Chef Ramsay around to bitch me out if I fucked it up I gave it a go.

Along with my steak I boiled up some potatoes. Steak and potatoes…. The All-American Dinner! All I needed was a glass of milk and a piece of apple pie to make me feel great as an American and not pissed that I paid a whole shitload in taxes last month.

With My 20% Off Coupon
I am glad I waited (read “procrastinated”) to pick up a new pair of hiking boots from REI. In yesterday’s mail there was an sale announcement from REI which contained a 20% off coupon. I’ll be swinging by there tomorrow to pick up some new boots.

If anyone I know in real life has a coupon to spare I might also want to purchase a second bike tray for the Jackmobile. You know how to contact me….

ITP Flickr Pic
The other night I went to The EARL to see Destroyer. This is Destroyer’s drummer.

Shooting that night was difficult because the lighting at The EARL is not that bright. I had to bump the D300’s ISO to 2000(!) in order to get anything that wasn’t pitch black.

More Music Tonight? Perhaps
Depending on my mood I may be headed to The EARL tonight to see American Music Club. My old friend Mike was supposed to come up to Atlanta for the show, but he’s not contacted me so I don’t know if he is or not. I’ll probably go up for the show regardless in order to get more camera time in.

RealiTV Update: Top Chef
Ah the children they are the future, aren’t they? On last night’s Top Chef we were treated to a night of cheap cooking and children.

It was Antonia’s night to shine as she came out as a single-parent MILF thus giving her the upper hand on making mac-n-cheese a la Antonia. Actually she made made a rice salad using the evening’s pimped product Uncle Ben’s Converted Rice “when you can’t manage to find twenty-four minutes” to make regular long-grain rice. The guest chef/judge was Oprah’s personal chef — I guess we were to believe that Oprah eats Uncle Ben’s.

For the Elimination Challenge the chefs where handicapped with “helpers” as they prepared a healthy family-meal for four for under $10. I would have delivered a six pack of beer and called it a day, but the chefs took the challenge more seriously. The cream rose to the top as Antonia won (nothing btw) even though she had immunity for winning the 15-minute battle earlier in the show.

For his failed attempt to make a healthy vegetarian curry Marky-Mark was told to pack up his didgeridoo and go.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - fair
Current Music - listening to the MacBreak Weekly podcast
Website Of The Day - Tonight is “The Office” night. Go see what’s being sold at Dunder Mifflin Paper.
Exercise (b)Log - running, 5 miles
Monthly Foot Mileage - 0 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - Marta
Monthly Marta Rides - 1
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 32 (32)

May Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day
6) Run Twisted Ankle in under 3 hours

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

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

If I see someone I have been criticizing I am usually especially nice to him.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

Scoring Big On Sidney Marcus And Getting Screwed On Cheshire Bridge
Before heading to my first “People Photography” class I swung by the shopping center on Sidney Marcus which has the Home Depot, Best Buy, and Target. I parked the car and was able score a reasonably-sized piece of peg board for a project that I’ll be undertaking this weekend from Home Depot, and a new pair of waterproof headphones from Best Buy.

After the class Maigh and I went and had dinner at Taverna Plaka. Having spent some time near Tarpon Springs Florida, where there used to be a huge population of Greek residents, I have an appreciation for Greek food. While Taverna Plaka’s food is not quite to the level that I used to get in Florida my meal was delicious. My only complaint was that they charged $4.75 for a bottle of Sam Adams beer, granted I chose to pay this price even though I know it’s a complete screw job.

This wasn’t what you thought it would be about from the title, was it?

ITP Flickr Pic
Up until last night this was my take on People Photography.

The next five weeks of assignments are going to be very trying and very rewarding for me personally.

RealiTV Update: Hell’s Kitchen
As a television show progresses I expect it to run more smoothly than when it started. However in the case of Hell’s Kitchen things are becoming more awkward thanks to the gimmicks they continually introduce. I don’t know why they don’t feel that having a show based solely on cooking skills wouldn’t be interesting.

In last night’s episode we had the chefs inventing exotic pizzas. The winning pizza was featured as a special on the night’s menu and the team responsible for it got to go to a restaurant (Square One?) via helicopter and eat outrageously priced hamburgers. That’s just what the ladies did.

The men, who are some of the most incompetent contestants I’ve seen on any Hell’s Kitchen, lost and therefore had to prep for the night’s service while being served skimpy hamburgers for lunch. Later they were to find out that Ramsay started a pizza delivery service for the evening and whipping-boy Ben was going to become a delivery boy.

While prepping for dinner Valerie decided that she couldn’t take trying to work in a kitchen one-handed and quit the competition. I can’t say that I blame her for that decision as it appeared that she was having a really difficult time. Hell, I struggled when I lost the competent use of my thumb, never mind a whole hand.

For the first time this season both teams successfully completed a service. Ramsay decided that no team was a clear loser, so each team sent up a sacrificial lamb. Pulling their best Survivor bullshit the ladies did a “let’s blindside Ozzie” and picked Christina, while the men picked Louross (who according to last week’s preview was supposed to “make some time” with Corey this week but I never saw that happen). Chef Ramsay toyed with their emotion before letting them both breath easier by announcing that Valerie was the only person to get fired from Hell’s Kitchen this week.

Overall the episode was a snoozer for me.

I’ll Be Running By George’s, But Not Stopping
I’ve once again brought clothes in to work so that I can hop off Marta tonight and get in a five mile run to my car. The weather for running should be spectacular, and the ability to go straight home post-run so that I can do some of the bajillion chores on my “To Do” list will please me.

And as for seeing me at tonight’s EAV Singlerama meetup? Most likely not. All you playas with game go get yourself hooked up. I’ve swung that bat far too often and have tired of striking out.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - meh
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Interpol — “The Heinrich Maneuver”
Website Of The Day - I may be using Twitter more than I expected, but I am nothing like the Kings of Twitter listed at Twitterholic.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 61.5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - Marta
Monthly Marta Rides - 7
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 31 (31)

April Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

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

Whenever I find myself arguing with great passion, I can be certain that I am not convinced.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

I’ve Got Ants In My Pants Mailbox
Once again my mailbox was open when I went to get the mail. I don’t believe that anyone is going into my mailbox, it’s just that the door doesn’t close well and the mailman seems to ignore my “Please Close Door Firmly” note.

When I reached in to get the letters I was confused by a couple of black blobs that I saw. Upon pulling out one of the pieces of mail I realized that the black blobs were ants! Ants! Apparently they thought my warm, dry mailbox was like a deuxe apartment in the sky. Hopefully this won’t be an ongoing trend.

Doing Double Duty
Last night I got home and changed into running clothes immediately. The plan was to walk up to the village and run with the EAV Monday Night Running Group (which was me and three ladies!). We took off and completed a five mile loop and I headed home without stopping anywhere for food or beverage.

The reason I abstained from consumption was that I had to head home and shower so that I could make my way up to The EARL to see Destroyer. While there I ran into D.D.D.Dave and EAVBuzz’s Kevy Duty. I also dragged my camera along with me. I wasn’t in the best spot for shots and I’ve not had time to go through my photos yet. As for the music the show rocked. I was in a great place for sound, until a couple of loud talking girls worked there way up to the front and started dancing around and bumping into me.

ITP Flickr Pic
There’s plenty of room at the Tourist Lodge.

This place was probably once a really cool, isolated motel along Lookout Mountain. Now it’s just another rundown, partially abandoned reminder of yesteryear.

The Pain Will Start Tonight
Tonight I start a “People Photography” class at Showcase. If you don’t know me well you may not know that this is the type of photography that I fear the most. I never feel comfortable taking photos of people, unless that they are modeling for me. It should be interesting to see how my people photography progresses. Luckily I won’t be undertaking this task alone as my friend Maigh taking the class as well.

CD Pick Of The Week
There are a lot of new discs hitting the market today. Looking at the list nothing really excites me. Only the Portishead disc “Third” piques my interest in the least but I am definitely not so sold on Portishead to call this a “must buy” without listening.

I’ll just keep listening to the Destroyer disc that I bought at the show last night.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - okay but tired
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Gnarls Barkley — “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul” (who’s gonna save you career, this song is boring)
Website Of The Day - Have you ever wanted to record audio from the internets? Check out Chilirec then.
Exercise (b)Log - running, 5 miles
Monthly Foot Mileage - 61.5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 0 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Monthly Marta Rides - 6
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 30 (30)

April Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than ten times (five round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]