Inside The Perimeter

Day two of feeling rundown with runny nose. I suppose I can not take credit for staying healthy for and entire month. Dangen! I want to feel better by tonight…

Bread, T-Shirt, And Dinner With Friends
Last night I met up with ITP-Readers Jenka and Martha (and their men) at The Midway Pub in East Atlanta. Remembering that it was Thursday I parked my car and rushed over to the East Atlanta Farmers Market in order to pick up a loaf of bread and a brand new King of Pops t-shirt (I’d also would have purchased a popsicle, but I knew that I was going to eat dinner) before going to The Midway.

Inside The Midway (which was thankfully not very smoky last night) I had three beers and a burger with fries — well about two-thirds of a burger. As I am wont to do I ordered my burger “medium” which is usually ignored and served well-done. Last night the center portion of my burger was closer to rare, so I decided that I didn’t really need to eat all of my burger.

Tonight I Get All Classy And Shit
Unless my runny nose continues to destroy my happiness I will be found attending the Theatrical Outfit‘s performance of “A Confederacy of Dunces.” John Kennedy Toole’s only published work has long been one of my favorite novels. Earlier this year I revisited it through the listening of the audiobook version. Tonight I hope that the live performance lives up to what I consider to be a brilliant story.

ITP Flickr Pic
Eye sore.

About a year or so ago this house on North Druid Hills was converted into a business. Apparently there are no signage codes because if this isn’t the ugliest thing I’ve seen in some time then I don’t know what is.

Traffic was bad enough yesterday that I was stuck nearly in front of this eye sore long enough to grab my iPhone and take this photo.

It’s Been Too Short
If you are roughly my age and of my musical demographic then you, like me, used MTV as a music discovery service in the 1980′s. Sure, in hindsight I realized that MTV was a very limited music discovery service, but they served me well for nearly a decade.

If I say the name “Michael Been,” or the band name “The Call,” neither of those may ring a bell. But if you watched MTV in the 1980′s you undoubtedly saw/heard both via the music video for The Call’s song “The Walls Came Down” (you know, I just found out that I don’t possess the album on which that song appeared!).

I am not a “lyrics person,” rarely can I sing along with a song because I either don’t pay enough attention to the singer, or I can’t understand what the singer is saying. If I play an album from The Call I bet I could sing almost every song while it plays.

This morning I found out through a Facebook post from ITP-Reader Terri that Michael Been suffered a heart attack last night and passed away at age sixty. Damn, that sucks.

A Weekend Challenge
I’ve done this often, but Michael Been’s death brought the thought to mind again this morning. For most of us music, much like smell, has a transformative property. I challenge you to dig through your music collection this weekend and listen to something that you’ve not listened to in a long time, something that takes you to another place, and remember the person you were back when you first heard that music.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – sad, frustrated
Current Music – silence, resisting the urge to play my entire The Call collection
Website Of The Day – Rumor has it that Darya Pino, creator of Summer Tomato, is dating Digg founder Kevin Rose. I knew from that tidbit that I’d be recommending her site today.
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 – 77

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~4 miles, Wheel Mileage – 102.2 miles
Pushups – 0, Situps – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 3 (8)
Vegetarian Days – 1, Carnivorous Days – 18
Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 3

August Goals
- Not to get sick for the entire month (I did it once, I can do it again!)
- Not get fired from my job
- Ride my bicycle no fewer than 200 miles
- Get the Sharpened Stone, LLC moving further
- Complete at least one iPhone application (seriously, this needs to happen)
- Completely plan out my August/September Colorado trip

2010 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 185 pounds (starting weight was 198 pounds) [update: On July 1 I've sadly gained weight; I'm at 203 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 Sharpened Stone.
- 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 Objective-C
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Sleep trumps blogging this morning. I woke up insanely tired, and with a bit of a runny nose (I hope today doesn’t destroy my goal of two illness-free months in a row) and decided to give my body a little bonus by going back to sleep.

(Crappy) ITP Flickr Pic
Last night’s seats for the Braves game were awesome (thanks again ITP-Reader Debbie!). I took this shot with my iPhone’s digital zoom all the way zoomed in.

Remember kids, digital zoom is not your friend.

Gotta Run
Well, work that is. Back the “norm” tomorrow. Talk amongst yourselves…

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – tired
Current Music – silence
Website Of The Day – New Blues today reports of a rumor of the lovely Dagmar Midcap leaving WGCL. In other news, I found out that there is a website called News Blues.

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 – 77

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~4 miles, Wheel Mileage – 102.2 miles
Pushups – 0, Situps – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 2 (8)
Vegetarian Days – 1, Carnivorous Days – 17
Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 3

August Goals
- Not to get sick for the entire month (I did it once, I can do it again!)
- Not get fired from my job
- Ride my bicycle no fewer than 200 miles
- Get the Sharpened Stone, LLC moving further
- Complete at least one iPhone application (seriously, this needs to happen)
- Completely plan out my August/September Colorado trip

2010 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 185 pounds (starting weight was 198 pounds) [update: On July 1 I've sadly gained weight; I'm at 203 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 Sharpened Stone.
- 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 Objective-C
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Everything I purchased from Publix this morning cost $2.50 each.

• 1/2 gallon of Silk Almond Milk (vanilla), $2.50
• box of Kashi cereal, $2.50
• pint of blueberries, $2.50

It makes for easy math. And fwiw, it appears as if we’ve reached the end of blackberry season as a medium box of those was now priced at $5.99, hardly $2.50-friendly.

I Must Look Hungry In Las Tortas Locas
No matter how hard I try, the people at Las Tortas Locas always want to give me three tacos. Before I continue, you should know that I attempt to order in Spanish, which may cause some of the confusion.

For a while I tried ordering in this fashion: “I’d like two tacos, please… one pastor, and one carnitas.” I came to the conclusion that the cashier girls were hearing “I’d like two pastor tacos and one carnitas taco.” thus totaling three tacos.

Last night I tried this approach: “I’d like a pastor taco and a carnitas taco.” and still the cashier girl initially rang up two pastor tacos! I had to revert to English and hand gestures in order to correct the matter before the order was place, after which I was “The Gringo.” Ugh.

Regardless of the confusion, my two tacos were delicious and I was pleased with my dinner.

You Can’t Be Serious
This morning I was driving along Flat Shoals and I noticed flour (“The keen-eyed hasher is able to notice blobs of flour in an instant.”). Not being a “Tuesday” hasher I decided to check out the Atlanta Hash website to see which hash traipsed through the neighborhood last night (I already knew that Monday’s Moonlight Hash was held in Smyrna). Some, now many, years ago people started creating extra Tuesday and Thursday hashes because the concept of drinking by itself seemed too mundane.

Last night was the third Tuesday of the month, which as I found out this morning, meant it was a “Tuesday With A Theme” hash.

Meet C_NT’s sister hash! TWAT is a fun walking hash of decorated and costumed hashers! No shiggy on these trails, we want to be seen! TWAT hashes every THIRD Tuesday of the month, year round. TWAT is an A to A hash, starting at a bar or restaurant. No bag car will be provided as all cars will be at the end. Every TWAT hash has a theme, which hashers are encouraged to dress up and bring accessories for. Hashes are ONE mile with one beer stop. Hash cash is $4, to include GIMMES of that hash’s theme, as well as hash beer! Landmark attendances (10, 25, 50, etc) will be awarded with personalized gimmes!

Huh? Are you kidding me? A one mile hash — with a beer stop? What is the point? Just go to a bar and drink people, it’s that fucking easy!

ITP Flickr Pic
While in the lavanderia (laundromat) last night I noticed the attendant working on the store’s signage. As I found out, this particular laundromat is shortening its hours by closing at 10pm instead of 11pm.

As I was drying my clothes I noticed that all of the laundry bags the sell have the laundromat’s hours of operation printed on them. Make that the now incorrect hours of operation printed on them. I’m sure that I’m one of the few people who will notice.

Preparing For A Name Change?
It seems to me that Wachovia is setting up for a rebranding/name-change to Wells Fargo, the bank which purchased Wachovia a few years back. Lately I’ve noticed that many Wachovia branches have what appears to be Wachovia banners covering yellow permanent signage. Anyone know if I am correct? I’m sure that I’m not breaking any news, I’m just curious.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame, Please
As I was driving home from the laundromat last evening I was stunned how clear the sky was and that there was virtually no threat of rain. It seems as if it’s been some time since this combination has occurred in Atlanta. Well, I’d like it again tonight please as I am scheduled to attend the Braves (Boo! Hiss!) game thanks to the generosity of ITP-Reader Debbie (Yay!). Mind you it’s not so much that I care whether or not the game is played, I just don’t want the rain to water-down my beer.

Happy Happy Birthday
Today is the annual celebration of birth of one ITP-Reader Stacy (aka “Cheese Nips”). I hope that you have a happy birthday, young’in.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – meh
Current Music – silence as I scurry about
Website Of The Day – Big Trip planning continues… Looking at America’s State Parks.
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 – 77

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~4 miles, Wheel Mileage – 102.2 miles
Pushups – 0, Situps – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 1 (8)
Vegetarian Days – 1, Carnivorous Days – 16
Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 3

August Goals
- Not to get sick for the entire month (I did it once, I can do it again!)
- Not get fired from my job
- Ride my bicycle no fewer than 200 miles
- Get the Sharpened Stone, LLC moving further
- Complete at least one iPhone application (seriously, this needs to happen)
- Completely plan out my August/September Colorado trip

2010 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 185 pounds (starting weight was 198 pounds) [update: On July 1 I've sadly gained weight; I'm at 203 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 Sharpened Stone.
- 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 Objective-C
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Well, swollen at least. My left forearm is still fighting the battle of the bite. It’s not grotesquely large or anything, but I can still feel the extra mass when I shake my arm.

No Time For Mexican
I should have guessed that my desire to eat for the first time at El Zorrito would get smashed. I got caught up at work (actually working) and before I knew it there was not enough time to get from Perimeter Mall to Roswell (thanks Atlanta traffic!) in order to eat. Instead, I stopped at a Chick-fil-A drive-through and picked up a dinner that I could scarf down in a matter of minutes before the Roswell Photographic Society meeting.

I probably didn’t need to eat dinner last night. The lunch at Bo Bo Garden that I shared with two co-workers was probably sufficiently large (and meaty!) to get me through the entire day. The three of us ordered three dishes — ribs with Peking sauce, steamed fish with black bean, string beans (my “go to” order) — which were delicious. If you don’t think I’m telling the truth, check out the Blissful Glutton’s review.

ITP Flickr Pic
There was no joy in my personal Mudville as my photo received few accolades.

However my friend Andy took first place and two of the other FlickRPS members also placed well, so I guess I’ll have to settle for a “team” victory.

Before you ask, it’s a top-down shot of a beer on a blue table cloth. In Photoshop I pumped up the colors and swirled the beer to give the shot more interest.

Strange Business Models
Yesterday I received two emails, each of which had me scratching my head.

• Atlanta Cycling sent the following message about an upcoming class: “How to properly wash and lubricate your bicycle as well as how to change a flat tire with a hangs (sic) on tube changing demo. The hands on demo will show students how to change a tube on the road as well as how to boot a damaged tire.”

  They are obviously not reading this blog otherwise they’d know that I already know how to change a flat tire and how to make a makeshift boot. But what really confuses about this class is that Atlanta Cycling is charging $25 per person for this class, and “All materials will be provided, so you do not need to bring your bicycle.” so you are not even cleaning your own bicycle!

• Amazon sent the following message about one of the eBooks I’ve purchased from them: “The version you received contained some errors that have been corrected. An updated version of The Design of Everyday Things is now available. We have issued a refund for your original purchase, and your copy of The Design of Everyday Things will remain in your account. If you are interested in the updated eBook it can be purchased.”

  So instead of downloading the corrected version they’ve credited my account and I can repurchase the corrected version? Huh? How does that make sense?

I’ll never understand business.

Take Me Out To The Laundry
Tonight should be a nerdfest with me attending the iPhone Developers monthly meetup. However, a lack of actual iPhone development and a small window of opportunity to do laundry this week has led me to pack the Jackmobile full of dirty threads for a good washing tonight. I guess if I want clean clothes somebody has to wash them. The only question left remaining for tonight’s activity will be whether I eat at Lee’s Bakery or Las Tortas Locas…

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – meh
Current Music – silence
Website Of The Day – I’ve not had the time to read through the Congress for the New Urbanism‘s agenda, but it’s on my “to-do” list.
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 – 77

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~4 miles, Wheel Mileage – 102.2 miles
Pushups – 0, Situps – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 9 (9)
Vegetarian Days – 1, Carnivorous Days – 15
Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 3

August Goals
- Not to get sick for the entire month (I did it once, I can do it again!)
- Not get fired from my job
- Ride my bicycle no fewer than 200 miles
- Get the Sharpened Stone, LLC moving further
- Complete at least one iPhone application (seriously, this needs to happen)
- Completely plan out my August/September Colorado trip

2010 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 185 pounds (starting weight was 198 pounds) [update: On July 1 I've sadly gained weight; I'm at 203 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 Sharpened Stone.
- 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 Objective-C
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

As weekends go, this one was routinely unusual. Though it consisted of many of my normal routines — drinking at Taco Mac; failed attempts at bike riding, house cleaning, and organizing; hashing with the Black Sheep Hash — this weekend felt different to me.

Two Steps Closer
On Friday your humble author took two steps closer to claiming his 125th beer at Taco Mac. Our happy hour ended earlier than it usually does, otherwise it would have been a three-beer evening.

What’s so special about #125 you ask? Well, once you eclipse your 125th “different” beer as part of Taco Mac’s Brewniversity (formerly Passport Club) you get to consume 20-ounce draft beers for 16-ounce prices for the rest of you die, or until Taco Mac goes out of business, whichever comes first. I’ve already informed ITP-Reader Stacy that I would like for her to be present when I get my 125th because she and I signed up the same day, March 4th 2006, after laying a hash together.

ITP Flickr Pic
Here is some of the beauty we hashed by yesterday.

Kidding!
This was actually taken up near Highlands, NC on the FlickRPS group outing to the Nantahala two weekends ago.

This is my first attempt at an High Dynamic Range (HDR) image in which I, well Photoshop, combined five photos of varying exposure to produce this one.

Yesterday’s Hash Was A Blast And I’m Not Lyon
Yesterday was the nteenth running of the Lyons for the Black Sheep Hash. The hash started south of Atlanta off Exit 61 near Fairburn — aka near BFE. The area is prime for Black Sheep and Southern Comfort because it contains many creeks, swamps, shiggy, and critters which sting or bite. This area also contains a man with a stick shoved so far up his ass that he can’t see straight any longer, but I’ll get to him in a minute.

Check out this cool image I found in Google Maps when searching for the start of the hash. (Click the + button inside the image and watch what happens to that plane.)

View Larger Map

What appeared as if it would be an overcast day turned into a sunny, humid affair as a good number of hounds (forty perhaps) marched off in an attempt to catch Sanitary Not!, Bagless’ wheelchair which was being driven away by Foreign Lesion, and Soggy Biscuit. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I shouldn’t be wearing a cotton shirt, especially once I went chest-deep into water attempting to get into a tunnel. I ran as fast as my now-cycling-only-legs could go in order to stay with the pack

The trail was phenomenal, with the slight exception of some short patches of pavement. Unfortunately I ran into one of Nature’s unfriendlier creations which either stung, or bit, my left forearm. I felt a sting and a burn, and even today it’s a bit swollen and uncomfortable.

The trail ended with a bit of confusion as I missed the Turkey/Eagle split and wound up running the Turkey trail which took me down a sewer-line easement to the unmarked (?) end. With 98% percent of the hashers in the GM decided to start circle. We successfully got through trail trial and were about to welcome our virgins to the Black Sheep Hash by making them park their butts on a block of ice when Mr. StickUpMyAss arrived. “I need to speak to whoever is in charge.” he bellowed. Which, by the way is the wrong thing to say around the hash because no one is really “in charge.” This man then went on to inform us that we needed to pick up all of our litter and get out and that he’d already called the police. Thanks, Captain Buzz Kill!

Here is where we ended:

View Larger Map
We cleaned up and were mostly done when the police arrived. The police, to whom our hares had already previously spoken, were nice enough and told us that this guy is just a nuisance with whom they must deal.

All and all the day was a success.

It’s RPS Critique Night
Tonight I’ll be attending the monthly critique night at Roswell Photographic Society. Tonight’s theme is “abstract”, and yes I’ve submitted a photo, and no it wasn’t the one I posted on this blog last week. If my abstract creation gains any critical acclaim I will post it as tomorrow’s ITP Flickr Pic.

Also tonight I’ll be trying a Mexican restaurant for the first time. The last time the FlickRPS gang met up for dinner at El Zorrito I was unable to make the meeting.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – okay, all things considered
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The Day – I’m thinking of participating in Meatless Monday even though I’m not a big fan of alliteration.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – hashing, ~4 miles of humid run/walk
Morning Weigh-In – didn’t check
Pages Of 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die Read – 77

Monthly
Foot Mileage – ~4 miles, Wheel Mileage – 102.2 miles
Pushups – 0, Situps – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 8 (8)
Vegetarian Days – 1, Carnivorous Days – 14
Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 3

August Goals
- Not to get sick for the entire month (I did it once, I can do it again!)
- Not get fired from my job
- Ride my bicycle no fewer than 200 miles
- Get the Sharpened Stone, LLC moving further
- Complete at least one iPhone application (seriously, this needs to happen)
- Completely plan out my August/September Colorado trip

2010 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 185 pounds (starting weight was 198 pounds) [update: On July 1 I've sadly gained weight; I'm at 203 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 Sharpened Stone.
- 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 Objective-C
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

With the exception of (perhaps) attending this Sunday’s Black Sheep Hash I’m going to confine myself to doing chores within the house. If the predicted rain arrives this should convince me to do so. I’ve been galavanting around a lot the past few weekends, so I need to do this in order to clean up the messes I’ve created.

Look Ma, No Flats!
My ride home went off without a hitch last night. I repeated my route which took me down Clairmont to the I-85 access road, to Briarcliff, to East Atlanta, and then added enough mileage to bring my day’s total at thirty-five miles. The ride was a hot one, but by ride’s end I was proud of my efforts.

Because I waited around at the office before heading out on my ride it was about 9pm by the time I cleaned up and put everything away and all I felt like doing was chill with a movie. So, I fired up the Netflix app (I’m still smarting because I failed to buy NFLX when it was below $50 a share) and decided for some reason that I was going to watch Julie And Julia. While I thought the movie was okay, I don’t think that it was as good as I heard that it was.

ITP Flickr Pic
I’m giving you another break from rafting photos…

This is a “macro” shot of one of the Jackmobile’s rims (which I’ve obviously converted to a blueish color) that I took while we were traveling up to the Nantahala last weekend.

Radio? Yeah, I’ve Heard Of It
I downloaded a Mac application called Radioshift with the hopes of recording the Friday afternoon hardcore show called “I Don’t Care” on 88.5 (WRAS). Radioshift provides the capability of listening to radio stations over the internet as well as schedule recordings for programming on the stations.

Sadly none of the 107 stations found when I searched for “Atlanta” using RadioShift’s search were WRAS. Looks like I’m SOL.

Short Hits
Every once in a while I stumble across things that don’t warrant much explanation.

• Man buys bike once owned by Floyd Landis at a yard sale for $5
• Ten weight loss tips from pro cyclists
• Twain’s in Decatur is today’s Scoutmob deal.
• Look at me! I’m up over one hundred miles for August already. Sadly it looks as if we are going to get a long spell of rain though.
• I’m starting to miss listening to music. I think that I’m going to start killing some of my podcast subscriptions in order to make time for music again.
• I’m hoping to collect at least three box loads of stuff to donate to Goodwill on Monday

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – not bad
Current Music – listening to the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club live performance podcast from KCRW
Website Of The Day – I’m looking into insuring some of my electronics through SquareTrade. If I do, I’ll let you know what I think of their service.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – cycling, 35 miles
Morning Weigh-In – 200 pounds
Pages Of 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die Read – 77

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0 miles, Wheel Mileage – 102.2 miles
Pushups – 0, Situps – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 5 (6)
Vegetarian Days – 1, Carnivorous Days – 11
Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 3

August Goals
- Not to get sick for the entire month (I did it once, I can do it again!)
- Not get fired from my job
- Ride my bicycle no fewer than 200 miles
- Get the Sharpened Stone, LLC moving further
- Complete at least one iPhone application (seriously, this needs to happen)
- Completely plan out my August/September Colorado trip

2010 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 185 pounds (starting weight was 198 pounds) [update: On July 1 I've sadly gained weight; I'm at 203 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 Sharpened Stone.
- 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 Objective-C
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Anyone remember the Dennis Leary song by the same name?

Scoreboard, Part 1
Flat Tires, 1 – Apparently I pinch flatted because of my roadside repair. This morning I noticed that the rear tire was a touch soft so I pumped it up to a rock-solid state prior to my ride this morning. A little more than two miles into my journey I hit a bump in the road (literally) and immediately heard pffffffffffft. DANGEN! Not again! So it was off the bike for another roadside tube change. Looks like I’ll be walking over to REI for another patch kit, and because all of my CO₂ cartridges are now at home, another one of those for my ride home tonight.

Mini-Lectures, 1 – After getting my ride in order again I restarted my pedaling to work. Along Oakdale I passed another cycling commuter and because I was lagging I popped through the light at McClendon Av. As I was stopped at the light at North Av / Moreland Av she pulled up behind me and the following conversation occurred.
Her: “You know you shouldn’t run red lights.”
Me: *taking my earbud out* “Pardon me?”
Her: “You know you shouldn’t run red lights.”
Me: “I’m fine.” (In an asshole-ish tone because the last thing I wanted this morning was to be lectured)
Her: “Well, I had a friend die six months ago running a red light.”
Me: “Oh, well I’m sorry to hear that.”
At which point the light changed and I let her go ahead of me.

I then noticed that she had not rear light on her bicycling. Odd for someone so concerned about safety.

Pulling a “Schleck”, 1 – As if flatting wasn’t bad enough I had to stop one more time in order to repair a chain malfunction. My chain coming off probably cost me the chance of winning this year’s Tour de France.

ITP Flickr Pic
Hey look! A rafting photo!

Scoreboard, Part 2
Second place isn’t bad, right? Even when you come in second out of four?

Last night I joined some old friends for team trivia at F.R.O.G.S. Oddly there were only four teams playing and we managed to finish in second place. The evening was quite fun even though I didn’t eat anything other than chips and queso and didn’t realize that they had decent beer on draft.

After trivia I headed over to Trader Joe’s where I picked up some blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and bananas. Can you tell that I’m trying to eat a little healthier?

It’s Official, I’m Going To Stop Looking For New Flip-Flops
A couple of weeks ago I had a minor blowout on my favorite pair of flip-flops. Unconcerned I assumed that I could go out an buy another pair at a decent price, even if I couldn’t recall where I had purchased the pair of Columbia’s that I’m wearing. I couldn’t be any more wrong.

I’ve checked REI, Sports Authority, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Target all with no luck. It seems as if flop-flop styles have changed and I can’t find a pair which fits, fits my minor concern for fashion, and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.

Any suggestions?

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – A bit asshole-ish today
Current Music – listening to last night’s Top Chef because I missed it last night.
Website Of The Day – iPhonic is a cool website collecting great photos taken with iPhones.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my bike
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Morning Weigh-In – didn’t check because I was afraid that I wouldn’t like what I saw
Pages Of 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die Read – 77

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0 miles, Wheel Mileage – 67.2 miles
Pushups – 0, Situps – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 4 (6)
Vegetarian Days – 1, Carnivorous Days – 10
Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 2

August Goals
- Not to get sick for the entire month (I did it once, I can do it again!)
- Not get fired from my job
- Ride my bicycle no fewer than 200 miles
- Get the Sharpened Stone, LLC moving further
- Complete at least one iPhone application (seriously, this needs to happen)
- Completely plan out my August/September Colorado trip

2010 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 185 pounds (starting weight was 198 pounds) [update: On July 1 I've sadly gained weight; I'm at 203 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 Sharpened Stone.
- 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 Objective-C
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Rinse. Repeat.

Conceptually, Decatur Is Awesome
If you live within walking distance to it. I suppose the same sentiment could be said for my neighborhood of East Atlanta, not that I do any walking to and from the village thanks to the asshats who’ve effectively ruined that aspect of living there.

Last night I drove the Red Rocket home and decided that I wanted to stop for a half-decent bite to eat before heading home to do some work. Even though the bike is locked to the roof rack I didn’t want to stop in a neighborhood in which having my bike exposed would keep me on edge (I’m looking at you EAV, Cabbagetown, Kirkwood) so I decided that I’d try to eat in Decatur, specifically either at The Marlay House or at Farm Burger. It was early (6:00-6:30pm) so I hoped that I could score a parking space for which I could keep my bike in somewhat sight. I was so wrong…

I had the same (lack of) success at The Thinking Man Tavern and then threw my hands up in disgust and headed home to eat a peanut butter sandwich for dinner.

ITP Flickr Pic
I’ll spare you a third day of rafting photos (although be prepared to see another tomorrow). Instead I’ll show you a piece of abstract art on which I’ve been working in order to submit for this month’s Roswell Photographic Society critique.

What says you? Other than completely scrapping it, how would you change this to make it more appealing? And if you real hate it, or find it incredibly boring, go ahead and voice that opinion.

And Then There Was One?
I received news yesterday which makes it appear as if I will be the sole Atlanta representative at this year’s Colorado Invihash. My how things have changed. Four years ago there were at least ten of us out there. Two years ago there were about eight of us out there. This year there may just be one — me.

This turn of events will make this hash very different for me. In past trips I tended to hang out with the Atlanta folk; I gravitate to my comfort zone; it’s what I do in these situations. It’s the same reason I don’t enjoy parties (I’m the guy who stands in the corner observing). It’s the same reason I don’t meet women as well. So, this will either be the worst Colorado Invihash, or it will be a personal breakthrough for me. Only time will tell.

RealiTV Update: Ramsay’s Stock Is At An All-TIme Low
Well, I’ve all but had it with Gordon Ramsay’s television series. Last night was the finale of Hell’s Kitchen as well as my finale for watching Master Chef.

Hell’s Kitchen this year was a complete yawnfest, and this season’s winner Holly (oops, I hope I didn’t spoil the surprise) was clearly the weakest “chef” to win Hell’s Kitchen. Even the show’s ending has gotten weak in the past few seasons. In the first seasons the finalists had to decorate their restaurants as well as work up its menu. You’d think that with the decoration portion of the finale gone that emphasis would be placed on the food (for once), but no, it’s all about the bullshit.

Master Chef is just an absolute train wreck. I gave it three episodes to win me over and like they say in baseball, three strikes and you can kiss my ass. Well, they say something like that…. I’m done.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – fair
Current Music – silence at the moment
Website Of The Day – I was a fan of the movie “Helvetica.” I was a fan of the movie “Objectified.” I can’t wait until Urbanized is released. Rinse. Repeat.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – cycling, 16.5 miles
Morning Weigh-In – didn’t check
Pages Of 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die Read – 77

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0 miles, Wheel Mileage – 67.2 miles
Pushups – 0, Situps – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 3 (6)
Vegetarian Days – 1, Carnivorous Days – 9
Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 2

August Goals
- Not to get sick for the entire month (I did it once, I can do it again!)
- Not get fired from my job
- Ride my bicycle no fewer than 200 miles
- Get the Sharpened Stone, LLC moving further
- Complete at least one iPhone application (seriously, this needs to happen)
- Completely plan out my August/September Colorado trip

2010 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 185 pounds (starting weight was 198 pounds) [update: On July 1 I've sadly gained weight; I'm at 203 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 Sharpened Stone.
- 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 Objective-C
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

The weather forecast for Atlanta this week is (fucking) hot for the first part of the week and thunderstorm chances for the second part. It’s this weather forecast which inspired me to ride my bike home last night and back in to work this morning. Now I’m saddled with the decision… do I do it again today? This may be the last time this week that I get the option of riding to/from work.

All The Signs Were There
I am nothing if not stubborn enough to do something when I set my mind to it. That “something” yesterday was to ride my bicycle home from work. All of the signs were there telling me not to do so:

• I broke one of the shoe laces on my biking shoes while putting them on. No problem, I re-laced the shoe with the remaining string.
• I noticed that my tires were a bit low on pressure, but the bike pump was back in the office and I didn’t want to have to go back up there to pump the tires up. No problem, I’ll just ride home on the lower-than-optimal tires, I’m sure I’ve done it before.

About two miles into the ride, and while climbing my first incline, I felt that strange sensation that something bad had happened; it was a little regular thump coming from one of the tires. A flat? WTF? I quickly hopped off the bike and onto the sidewalk and confirmed my suspicion — the rear tire had lost all of its pressure. It didn’t take long for me to discover why as I saw the shine of a nailhead against the black rubber of the tire. I somehow managed to hit about a 1″ flathead nail and punctured the tire to the point where it came out the sidewall! Dangen!

I may be stubborn, but I’m usually also prepared. When road biking I always have a spare tube and a CO₂ cartridge at the ready. So, I unpacked all of the shit from my seat bag, took off the rear tire (getting my fingers nice and greasy in the process), and proceeded to change my tube.

Because I had all of this stuff available in case of “emergency” you may rightly assume that I am not much of a risk-taker. So, I altered my route home and dropped by REI to pick up another new spare tube, a patch kit in hopes of repairing the two tubes I’ve blown recently, as well as a couple more CO₂ cartridges (knowing that I already had two in my biking bag which was at work, and today I found that I had two more cartridges in my basement). I’m sure I looked like quite the sight entering REI in full Yoo-Hoo kit, still wearing my helmet, and sweating like a pig — but at that point I couldn’t have cared less.

Riding question. In order to get to REI yesterday I took the I-85 access road (old 85?) from Clairmont to REI and then from REI to North Druid Hills. Was this legal for me to do, or is that considered part of the interstate?

ITP Flickr Pic
What interests me most about whitewater rafting is the sub-culture of its guides.

Just look at that guy and tell me that you don’t think he has a hundred stories to tell…

Oh How Lucky He Was
Last night’s Moonlight hash was hared by Davy Crochet and started at the Target on North Druid Hills. Because of my REI detour I rode near the start and even located a mark along my route. Oh, how I wished that I had a bag of flour or at least a little chalk to do some trail hijacking. On a bike I could have added a really fun YBF or count-back.

Can We Put It To Rest?
For years I’ve called bullshit on this notion that women are not interested in looks and that they are seeking a “funny” man. I’d retort that if this were the case then why aren’t comedians getting laid all of the time.

I think the final and conclusive argument comes in the form of a fictional character — Don Draper. The amount of female lust I’ve seen about Draper (and probably John Hamm, the actor who portrays him) is phenomenal. Guess what. Draper is not funny! In fact, he may be the most unfunny leading man ever to grace the small screen and women want to screw his brains out. Why? I’ll tell you why. Because the man is good looking.

So the next time I’m told that looks don’t matter to women, I’m just going to reply with the two-word phrase — “Don Draper” and move along.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – better, though still fighting the battle of the bulge
Current Music – silence
Website Of The Day – While I’ve said it ad nauseum I really am planning on doing iPhone/iPad development. The other day I help fund a Kickstarter project for Glyphish and in the process earned some icons which I can use in my upcoming applications.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my bike
Exercise (b)Log – cycling, 17.2 miles
Morning Weigh-In – didn’t check
Pages Of 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die Read – 77

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0 miles, Wheel Mileage – 50.7 miles
Pushups – 0, Situps – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 2 (6)
Vegetarian Days – 1, Carnivorous Days – 8
Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 2

August Goals
- Not to get sick for the entire month (I did it once, I can do it again!)
- Not get fired from my job
- Ride my bicycle no fewer than 200 miles
- Get the Sharpened Stone, LLC moving further
- Complete at least one iPhone application (seriously, this needs to happen)
- Completely plan out my August/September Colorado trip

2010 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 185 pounds (starting weight was 198 pounds) [update: On July 1 I've sadly gained weight; I'm at 203 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 Sharpened Stone.
- 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 Objective-C
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Saturday was a long day made longer by the fact that I was unable to get a place to sleep in Black Rock Mountain State Park (I arrived later that I should have and the campground was full), I didn’t feel like paying the $72.99 (before taxes and fees) to stay one night at the Quality Inn in Clayton, GA, or attempt to sleep in the Wal*Mart parking lot. Because I came home on Saturday night I also had to bail on the notion of riding the bike ride I highlighted on Friday. Even worse, I was so tired and uninspired on Sunday that I never left my house.

My current plan is to get some bike mileage in via commuting. I’ve once again shuttled the Red Rocket with me to work and plan to ride it home tonight. I need mileage. I need exercise.

All Was Not Failure On Saturday
My trip on Saturday almost never happened. I (finally) learned that I need a better alarm clock system. At some point Saturday morning the power to my house went out, rendering the Chumby’s alarms useless. I also planned to use an alarm clock app on my iPad, but they seemingly never went off as the iPad itself had gone to sleep.

Saturday proved to be a great learning experience for what and what not to do when taking a lot of crap on a long drive. This experience will be quite helpful in a few weeks when I pack up the Jackmobile and point it Westward for my big Colorado trip. I believe that I should do more planning, though I want to leave my agenda as open-ended as possible. I’ve learned how to better pack my trunk so that I can access the things I’ll need to access and not have to move unneeded items constantly. If it helps my big trip go more smoothly than Saturday’s travails were well worth it.

Another Year Has Gone By
It’s funny that it took a tweet mentioning how much someone was glad that August 8th was nearly over, because she doesn’t like August 8th, to remind me of my own dislike for the date. The last time that August 8th fell on a Sunday (six years ago thanks to leap year) was the day during which I was held up at gunpoint in my driveway by two pieces of sub-human shit (with at least one more driving the truck from which they emerged). It was the day that the Jackmobile, then all of two years old, became the “Jackmobile” when those assholes stole the car along with my wallet, keys, phone, and belief that all would be good in my life. It was the day which stirred enough anger and angst within me to start blogging, though that would have to wait for to months to transpire from the date.

Happy August 9th everybody!

ITP Flickr Pic
Saturday morning started in Atlanta and my travels reached as far North as the Nantahala River in North Carolina — with a few impromptu offshoot trips for good measure.

Expect to see more “rafting pics” this week as that is the crux of what I shot on Saturday.

This might be the technically weakest shot that I’ll post this week, but I loved how I was able to capture the moment of this kayaker being perpendicular.

Bonus ITP Flickr Pic
I think that I may be allergic to something…

Fear not, it’s only the handy work of a clever iPhone app called FatBooth. At Friday night’s Taco Mac happy hour (which moved over to Outback Steakhouse if you believe it!) some of my coworkers were showing off this app as well as one called AgingBooth. I laughed so hard on Friday night that I bought the two $0.99 apps immediately. I couldn’t help perpetuating the viral marketing on Saturday with my FlickRPS buds by snapping a few photos of them, as well as the self-portrait gem depicted above.

I Wonder How It Will Be Commemorated?
At the end of last night’s Mad Men episode the series begins the year 1965. I happen to know someone who was born in New York during that fantastic year. I wonder how the writers incorporated my birth into the story line?

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – contemplative
Current Music – silence as I let new podcasts download
Website Of The Day – PiVi & Co are the clever minds behind FatBooth and AgingBooth. I certainly wish that I had thought of these.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car, bike on top for ride home
Exercise (b)Log – nothing, unfortunately
Morning Weigh-In – didn’t check, didn’t want to know
Pages Of 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die Read – 77

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 0 miles, Wheel Mileage – 33.5 miles
Pushups – 0, Situps – 0
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 1 (6)
Vegetarian Days – 1, Carnivorous Days – 7
Marta Rides To Work – 0
Bike Rides To Work – 1

August Goals
- Not to get sick for the entire month (I did it once, I can do it again!)
- Not get fired from my job
- Ride my bicycle no fewer than 200 miles
- Get the Sharpened Stone, LLC moving further
- Complete at least one iPhone application (seriously, this needs to happen)
- Completely plan out my August/September Colorado trip

2010 Goals
- Reduce my weight to 185 pounds (starting weight was 198 pounds) [update: On July 1 I've sadly gained weight; I'm at 203 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 Sharpened Stone.
- 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 Objective-C
- Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]