Inside The Perimeter

It’s another Tuesday (although for some reason I thought it was Tuesday last night because I waited around watching the tv for Hell’s Kitchen to come on) which means that there is a slew of new music releases today. Per my Media Purchasing Plan (whose proper name I cannot recall, but have been following religiously regardless) the I will not be buying any of these new on plastic. And as has happened in the previous weeks I am dismayed by the amount of money being charged ($9.49 in this case) for digital downloads. Like most Americans (people?) I only have so much disposable income and I am choosing to spend it elsewhere on products from which I expect to get more bang for my bucks. In fact, I’ll tease you by telling you that tomorrow’s blog will be all about my disposable income…

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

“Talking at” and “talking about” appear to be communication but are not. Gayle and I “talk about” when we go over to another couple’s house and all evening the only thing said is, “Yes, and isn’t it so,” as if the rule were to quickly find something outside ourselves to talk about that we can all agree on is terrible. The only personal comments are made while we are driving home.

Two ways I have talking “at” the other person instead of “with” him are: Taking in order to seduce him into thinking I am right, and talking in order to sound right to myself.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

The Jackmobile Got A Clean Bill Of Health
One of the benefits of driving to work is that I get to take care of some necessary errands without having to plan ahead well. With my birthday coming again in July (22nd for those planning to lavish me with gifts) it’s that time of year to give the State of Georgia a ridiculous amount of money for the benefit of driving a car on the roads. However, before I can do that I must get the emission checked.

While I think emission checking is a valuable thing for us to do the process is flawed, and the regularity at which it must be done is a political scam. First, cars that are more than twenty-five years old are exempt. Wouldn’t they be the most likely to pollute? Then, a few years ago politicians played a game of Three-Card Monty with us.

• They made it so that you only have your emissions checked every two years
• In doing so they upped the charge of emissions testing from $10 to $25
• Within a few years they returned the process to an annual one and left the price at $25

On my ride home last night I stopped at QT for some gas and money out of their Wachovia ATM. A block further down Briarcliff I pulled into an service station cum emissions checking center where the Jackmobile got its emissions seal of approval. Now it’s time to write my check to the State so I can get that expensive sticker…

ITP Flickr Pic
It’s rare that you walk through Oakland Cemetery and see a freshly-planted body.

Living Without Air Conditioning Doth Suck
It’s not that I don’t want air conditioning in my house again, it’s just that this is another one of those tasks which seem to linger for me.

• It requires me to call someone and follow up with them
• It requires me to schedule a meeting time at my house, which may mean that I have to find time to take off from work
• It will be expensive to complete
• I get just enough cool(ish) nights to help me procrastinate

I really need to outsource my life.

For shits and giggles I might set up my small tent on my deck and do a little urban camping. I want to do more camping, and if the Wizard Of Oz taught me anything, it’s that there is no place like home.

(If I Were To Buy Music This Would Be My) Digital Download Pick Of The Week
There is one release today that would already be mine if not for the $9.49 digital download price at Amazon (fwiw- it’s $9.99 on iTunes); that virtual disc is Alejandro Escovedo’s “Real Animal.” I’ve seen Escovedo in concert a few times, and his concert at Variety Playhouse will be the reason that I will be missing Grammar Girl’s book signing in Decatur on July 16th. As you can tell, I really dig Escovedo’s music.

fwiw- Another disc that intrigues me is Less Than Jake’s “GNV FLA.” If you know me and understand airport codes then you’ll understand why.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - fair — the ankle seems to be coming around
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Morrissey — “First In The Gang To Die”
Website Of The Day - With all the talk of Amish Friendship “bread” I started thinking about measuring units. Luckily at the same time someone pointed me at a neat website called Sensible Units.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing, I was lazy and giving my ankle a break
Monthly Foot Mileage - 22.75 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 38 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Monthly Marta Rides - 22
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 83 (83)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 5

June Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than twenty times (ten round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day
6) Eat out at a bar/restaurant no more than twice in one week

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

If I could change one thing about my hashing experience it would be the regularity of which I turn/sprain my ankles. Yesterday while cruising along I took one misstep and rolled the living Hell out of my left ankle — popping sound effects were provided at no extra cost. I hobbled my way through the remainder of the trail and returned home to begin the painful recovery process of RICE (Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation.) With the Cartersville Century ride on my calendar for Saturday I will be out of commission for the remainder of this week in hopes that I’ll be strong enough for the ride.

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

I must do these things in order to communicate: Become aware of you (discover you). Make you aware of me (uncover myself). Be ready to change during our conversation, and be willing to reveal my changes to you.

For communication to have meaning it must have a life. It must transcend “you and me” and become “us.” If I truly communicate, I see you in a life that is not me and partake of it. And you see and partake in me. In a small way we then grow out of our old selves and become something new. To have this kind of sharing I cannot enter a conversation clutching myself. I must enter it with loose boundaries. I must give myself to the relationship, and be willing to be what grows out of it.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

Just Call Me Rain Man
On Saturday morning I went to Oakland Cemetery to take photos. It rained.
On Sunday I went hashing. It rained.

Sadly, neither weather event provided a whole lot of rain, nor did they cool temperatures significantly.

“Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, CockSucker, MotherFucker, and Tits”
Words by which to live. These of course are the seven words which cannot be said on broadcast television. George Carlin made them popular. George Carlin died yesterday. There goes another one of the legends with whom I am rather familiar. I’ve just gained one more notch on my “Live For Today” belt.

ITP Flickr Pic
This was not the shot I had intended on using today.

However, with the news of Carlin’s death it just seemed to be the “appropriate” shot for the day.

The Bread Is A Lie
I made the Amish Friendship “bread” with great success this weekend. While I realized that this “bread” was not “bread” but more of a muffin or cake I didn’t realize just how much it would make. I quickly found out that the recipe as stated would make one 9″ round cake pan plus two ramekins worth of “bread.”

I’ve got three batches of “starter” underway, one of which will be turned into another “loaf” of “bread” next weekend. I only hope that this process doesn’t expand my waistline along with my knowledge of Amish “bread” baking.

In other news, one of my coworkers gave me a jar of Apple “butter” on Friday. I think that I will spread some of the “butter” onto the “bread” and call it “breakfast.”

Always Know Rule #1 Of Barbecuing
What is Rule #1? Always check the amount of propane in you tank in order to guarantee a sufficient amount is on hand.

I didn’t follow Rule #1 and nearly paid for it on Saturday night. I started a London Broil along with two potatoes, and had two ears of corn still in their husks awaiting their turn on the heat. After about ten minutes I went to check on the cooking process and saw, to my horror, that the cavity of the barbecue was nowhere near my desired temperature. At that time I also noticed that the flame had gone out. A quick inspection of the tank of propane explained why — I was out of gas.

Against my desire I cranked up the oven (for the second time on Saturday) and cooked indoors. The meal was delicious, but I really need to continue to cook outside until air conditioning has returned to the domicile.

RealiTV Update: The Next Food Network Star
First let me say that from what I see none of these contestants will be Food Network “stars”, but I digress…

On last night’s episode the contestants are introduced to current Food Network start Tyler Florence and Michael Simon.

For the Tyler Florence segment the contestants much produce a minute’s worth of instructional video using an ingredient which is revealed to them prior to making the video. I feel for the contestants because one minute is barely enough time to pull this off, and few even come close. The highlight of the contest (because it was so bad) had to be Nipa and her inability to clean a squid. We learn a lot about Nipa, our mid-western Indian girl, in this contest. First, we see that she is absolutely squeamish about touching seafood (more on this later) and second, she obviously has never eaten squid. The second revelation is apparent when she yanks the head, tentacle, and guts from the squid and proceeds to “clean” the squid by ignoring the body (the most commonly eaten portion) and then trimming a small piece from the remaining portion and presenting that as the finished product. The Tyler Florence segment also shows us why Jennifer won’t win. Jennifer suffers from the same lack of confidence that I do — which is one of the many reasons that I won’t be the next Food Network star.

For the next challenge Michael Simon (who last year became the new Iron Chef through a similar process) greets the contestants. The contestants must take one fish and prepare it two ways — one conventional way, and one Iron Chef way using a bizarre added ingredient. As an added “bonus” the “best” dish will be featured on Red Lobster’s menu and I am reminded why I haven’t eaten at Red Lobster in over twenty years. During the fish selection and preparation we see that Nipa has a hell of a time picking up a dead trout and also has no idea how to fillet a fish! WTF?! This contest produced many “misses” and a couple of “hits” as far as the food was concerned. We also got to witness Lisa slip and fall because her choice of cooking shoes is incredibly impractical.

In the end the selection committee narrows the elimination targets down to two — Nipa and Adam. I fear that Adam and his “over the top” antics are finally going to cost him, but apparently the judges must have watched the tape of Nipa’s inability to do anything with seafood and give her the boot. For some reason this pleased me greatly, after all she did already quit once and got a reprieve.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - bummed
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing The Dandy Warhols — “Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth”
Website Of The Day - Over the weekend I was introduced to a great little shot for bargain camping gear called The Gear Revival. If you live in Atlanta and do outdoorsy things, then I suggest you find them and do some shopping there.
Exercise (b)Log - walking/running, 4 miles
Monthly Foot Mileage - 22.75 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 38 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Monthly Marta Rides - 22
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 82 (82)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 5

June Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than twenty times (ten round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day
6) Eat out at a bar/restaurant no more than twice in one week

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

At college career fairs I preach “passion” to the students. I want my passion back. How I get it back is the $64 Question.

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

My experience indicates that blunt honesty with my feelings gives me greater empathy with other people’s feelings. My feelings appear to be a truer register of another person’s feelings than my intellect. To better get at what is going on in him I sometimes ask myself not, “What is happening in him?” but “What do I feel is happening in him?” In order to see more clearly what he is feeling I at times have to stop listening to what he is saying, and what I am thinking, and look inside myself. Then if I speak from this feeling within, and tell him what I understand him to be saying, he will usually set me straight if I have not got it right.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

Getting One Book Closer To A Kindle
I’m about two-thirds through reading Nick Hornby’s Slam. So far the book has been engaging, but I couldn’t have less of a connection with the main character if I tried. The story is about a teenager from a broken marriage, who was conceived when his mother was sixteen, and who subsequently knocks up his girlfriend at sixteen. Currently they’ve not had the child yet, nor have they told anyone that she is pregnant, so I’ve not learned what is to become of this.

I think Hornby’s High Fidelity “spoke” to me more…

ITP Flickr Pic
Sometimes getting to your goals seems incredibly obvious. However, as this photo illustrates, you can always be certain.

How are we certain that the edges not included in the frame provide us the direction necessary to make to the center? How’s that for some obtuse thinking for a Friday?

The Numbers Go Up, The Numbers Go Down
Unlike many of the social networks, Twitter has stuck. Even with its numerous outages (and I nearly registered www.TwitterIsAtCapacity.com yesterday) I return daily. As you may read along the right-hand galley of this blog, my Tweets (Twitter postings) rarely relate to anything — they are simply off-the-cuff thoughts which occur in my twisted mind.

What’s really odd about Twitter is watching the number of people “Following” me go up and down like the tide. Are these people judging me? Were these people expecting something greater out of me? It’s rather odd. It’s even odder (juggle that juxtaposition of words for a moment) that I care.

More Than Likely My Weekend Commitments Will Be Non-Existent
With the exception of running Black Sheep on Sunday afternoon I have committed to making no commitments. There are things which may, or may not, occur and I’m okay with that right now.

Many options exist, few will be executed…

Ezekiel, Make Me Some Goddamn Bread!
On Wednesday I received the gift of an Amish Friendship bread started from Martha (aka Laura). Even though I failed to stir it with a wooden spoon as directed (I believe that I understand why I am more passionate for “cooking” as opposed to “baking”), I will be attempting to “Amish the hizzie” by baking the bread tonight.

Here are the ingredients that will go into my bun in the oven…

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 - (5.1 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup nuts

Bun in the oven? Maybe I have more in common with Slam than I realized?

Of course my house contains everything except instant vanilla pudding, so I’ll be making a pit stop on my way home tonight. With any luck neither my lack of direction following nor my lack of baking skill will result in me producing a paperweight.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - somewhat lost
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing The National — “Fake Empire”
Website Of The Day - Pet Peeves sells dog chew toys, but also appears to be so much more. Since I am not a dog owner I will leave it up to the reader to determine this site’s worth.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 18.75 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 38 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - Marta
Monthly Marta Rides - 21
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 78 (78)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 5

June Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than twenty times (ten round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day
6) Eat out at a bar/restaurant no more than twice in one week

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Or “The One Where I Prove That I Am No Bob”

I made it into George’s Bar last night early enough to see ITP-reader Bob (I’m sure this is not how he wishes to be referenced, but this is my blog….) get five minutes of his fame on a news piece done by WSB. The sound was down and the closed-captioning off, so I didn’t hear what he had to say, but from the way they cut that piece they made it look like he had to ride and entire leg of the Tour de France in order to get to work. Remember dude, get it on YouTube and I’ll embed the video in a blog post.

Today I was supposed to emulate Bob by doing my own bike commute. Two funny things happened along the way to getting there however. First, I woke up a little run-down and sniffling (not a good way to start a fifteen-mile ride) and unlike for the past three weeks the temperature actually dipped into the “cool” zone last night, so I wimped out.

At least I took Marta today…. I got that going for me.

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

I am afraid of your silence because of what it could mean. I suspect your silence of meaning you are getting bored or losing interest or making up your own mind about me without my guidance. I believe that as long as I keep you talking I can know what you are thinking.

But silence can also mean confidence, And mutual respect. Silence can mean live and let live: the appreciation that I am I and I you are you. This silence is an affirmation that we are already together — as two people. Words can mean that I want yo make you into a friend and silence can mean that I accept your already being one.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

These Are The People You See On The Marta Train (Again And Again)
For all of the people who ride Marta you’d think that you’d rarely see the same people more than once. However, I guess it’s that we all seem to get out of the house at the same time, many of us transfer at Five Points, and we tend to get into the same train car (whether it be front, middle, or back) repeatedly. Today I saw the two postal workers that exit the train in Midtown and the really pretty girl (who you’d never pick out of a police lineup because she is totally not my “type”) who gets off at Buckhead on my ride in. However not seen recently is the guy who gets off the train at Medical Center and intrigues me to the point that I want to do a long-term photo project of him. I wonder if they notice me, and if they would describe me?

And then there are the people I’d like to see more often like ITP-reader Romanlily.

ITP Flickr Pic
Slim pickings in the old photostream right now because I haven’t shot in days.

Is it the weekend yet? No? Shit, I’ll have to figure out a way to get some shots in before then I guess.

You Snooze, You Lose, And Sometimes You Save
Yesterday I decided to torture myself by looking at that expensive lens online again so that I could admire it much like a child admires all the candy in a candy store (Do candy stores still exist, or have they gone the way of the full-service gas station?).

My torture didn’t last long, or more specifically it turned to dismay as I saw that in less than a week’s time the lens is no longer in stock. There must be a lot more people more confident in their financial future then me for it to sell out that quickly.

Speaking Of Snoozing, Did Anyone Else Watch The Top Chef “Reunion” Show?
Talk about false pleasantries… I lost forty-two minutes (which would have been sixty if not for my DVR) of my life watching the Top Chef reunion show. Atlanta’s own King Richard Blais was not with the rest of the cast because he remained in Atlanta to be with his wife as they gave birth to their first child, a girl.

The only thing which might have provided amusement was the unveiling of this season’s commemorative t-shirt bearing the infamous Andrew quote “I’ve got a culinary boner.” First, I don’t ever remember hearing about t-shirts from past seasons (was this the first time I’ve watched a Top Chef reunion), and why exactly would I want to wear a shirt that says “I’ve got a culinary boner.” on it?

On the show we learned that Top Chef Stephanie was also voted “Fan Favorite” and won another $10k for her pleasantness. Not a bad season for the Chicago lass.

Did I Really Forget To Pick A Website Yesterday?
And no one called me out on it?! The only reason I know now is that I copied yesterday’s template into today’s post and saw that the “Website Of The Day” was empty.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - meh, but sad
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing My Morning Jacket — “Evil Urges”
Website Of The Day - Have you ever tried to use something you own but have no idea where its manual is? If this happens in the future try searching Safe Manuals to see if they have it.
Exercise (b)Log - running, 4.75 miles
Monthly Foot Mileage - 18.75 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 38 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - Marta
Monthly Marta Rides - 19
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 77 (77)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 5

June Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than twenty times (ten round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day
6) Eat out at a bar/restaurant no more than twice in one week

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

It’s not what did I eat last night at Tasty China, it’s what didn’t I eat last night. Today I think that I am suffering a food hangover. About the only dish I passed on last evening was a fried rice dish that someone ordered. And the only reason I passed on it was because it looked completely bland.

From what I remember I consumed, cilantro fish rolls, dan dan noodles, hot and numbing beef, spicy won ton soup, rabbit cubes, pork belly, shrimp, fried fish, beef, chicken, eggplant, millions of hot peppers, and a fortune cookie (whose fortune I’ve misplaced). And I wonder why I am feeling a bit “off” today.

The only bad news from the restaurant is that one of the chefs has burned himself badly so some of the items on the menu have been nixed. Fear not, I think that I’ve proven that there is still plenty of delicious stuff to eat.

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

I want you to say anything.

Even what you don’t mean.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

A New Day Has Dawned — Let There Be Lights
While traveling the top end of the perimeter last night, on which I saw to accidents between Roswell Road and I-75, I saw that some of the new “traffic regulating” on-ramp red-lights have been activated. I’ve watched these lights get installed for over a year now, and am rather suspect of their capabilities to solve Atlanta’s traffic woes. Let’s face it, the problem is too many cars on the road at the same time, mostly because there are too many cars in this area. My concern is that these lights will simply move the traffic jams from I-285 onto the surface streets which feed it.

I’m not traffic engineer and I hope that I am proven wrong on this one.

ITP Flickr Pic
Last Friday I went to lunch at Beyond The Bayou. Since I’ve last eaten there they have moved into a small house in Chamblee. If you decide you need a Cajun fix, do yourself a favor and avoid Googling for the address — Google Maps shows the old location. Because I care, I’ve placed my photo on a map so you find the restaurant if you wish.

This is the room in which I ate.

I was kicking myself for not bringing my camera, so what you see was actually taken with the camera on my phone.

This just in…. I’ve not been shooting enough.

A Man Walks Into A Bar To Pick Up An Amish Bread Starter
Tonight I’ll be darkening the door of George’s Bar. With any luck I’ll be running five or so miles and not dying. And with any further luck I’ll be taking home an Amish bread starter so that I can become a master baker. That’s baker, people, baker!

I wonder how successful I can be baking inside my grill? Only time will tell.

RealiTV Update: Hell’s Kitchen
Ack! I missed it! And, unfortunately for me my satellite dish is a little on the wonky side right now so I wasn’t able to record it either.

I’ve seen who was booted, now I am going to see if I can watch it online.

Watching it now, won’t be done before my 7:30am meeting though. How do these cooks have any taste buds left? They smoke up a storm every week!

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - meh
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing My Morning Jacket — “Librarian”
Website Of The Day - .
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 14 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 38 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car (so I can blog before a 7:30am meeting)
Monthly Marta Rides - 18
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 76 (76)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 5

June Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than twenty times (ten round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day
6) Eat out at a bar/restaurant no more than twice in one week

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Something that I’ve been itching to buy is back in stock. A Kindle? Nope, not a Kindle (yet). It’s a new Nikon lens and it’s on the expensive side so I’m struggling with the idea of pulling the trigger. On the one hand I have the “Live for today!” mantra bouncing through my head, while one the other I have the “You must fix the house, buy a new air conditioner, save for the future, pay for a long summer vacation, yadda, yadda, yadda…” If I was a professional photographer I’d have no problem making the purchase, but it seems extravagant for what I do. What’s the most extravagant “off the cuff”, luxury purchase that you’ve ever made? Do you regret your purchase?

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

I won’t hold you to your words. Deep emotions are often expressed in irrational words.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

Why Does Decluttering Make Me So Goddamn Happy?
Another of the extravagant purchases I’ve made recently was a $170 office cabinet in which I am storing a bunch of shit that’s been sitting on my den/office floor for way too long. “But Paulie, you are supposed to be getting rid of things not hiding them, right?” True that. But, the items stored in this cabinet are not on the “discard” list, so getting them organized and out of sight pleases me.

Next up, actually getting rid of stuff…

I Could Almost Feel The Pounds Melting Away
Running in the 6:30pm heat last night was not the brightest thing that I’ve done. It’s probably a good thing that there wasn’t a whole lot of “run” in either Martha (aka Laura) or me.

However, the slow pace caused Martha and me to hear, and then see the aftermath, of one of the worst residential car accidents I have ever witnessed. From three blocks away we heard the tire swerve noise, followed by a thump, followed by a series of thuds. When the two of us made it to the corner of Glenwood Av and Clifton Rd we saw the front two-thirds of a VW (Jetta/Rabbit/Passat) convertible on a lawn facing the road with its airbag deployed, and a van on its side blocking the right-hand land of Glenwood about twenty yards further down the street.

ITP Flickr Pic
Some random events are pleasurable. A few weeks back while strolling through Piedmont Park I came across this scattered set of cards.

This was exactly how I found the cards. I couldn’t help but play around with a little depth of field trickery.

If You Hear A Loud Explosion From The Marietta Area
Fear not, it’s just the sound of my belly exploding from eating too much Tasty China.

Digital Download Of The Week
Here is a list of the releases today. I can’t pick just one of these…

• The Briggs - “Come All You Madmen”
• Coldplay - “Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends”
• Confide - “Shout The Truth”
• Anthony David - “Acey Deucey”
• Goo Goo Dolls - “Greatest Hits Volume 2″
• Ice Cube - “Raw Footage”
• MIGGS - “Unraveled”
• Judas Priest - “Nostradamus”
• The Notwist - “The Devil, You + Me”
• The Offspring -”Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace”
• Ride The Boogie - “Ride The Boogie”
• Silver Jews - “Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea”
• Tilly And The Wall - “O”
• Sister Hazel - “Before The Amplifiers, Live Acoustic”
• Wolf Parade - “At Mount Zoomer”

I will say that the ones that tickle my fancy the most are Tilly And The Wall and Wolf Parade, both of whom I will be seeing in concert at Variety Playhouse in July. I think that I’d also like the Silver Jews disc, and I have a longstanding soft spot in my heart for The Offspring.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - not bad
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing LCD Soundsystem — “Someone Great”
Website Of The Day - I keep chuckling at this one. Over at Color Wars 2008 they have a blog going called Young Me - Now Me where people recreate photos from their youth.
Exercise (b)Log - walking/running, 4 miles
Monthly Foot Mileage - 14 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 38 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - My car
Monthly Marta Rides - 18
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 75 (75)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 5

June Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than twenty times (ten round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day
6) Eat out at a bar/restaurant no more than twice in one week

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

I’m a New Yorker by birth and had my parents not moved me to Florida in 1978 when I was twelve then I probably would have remained a New Yorker my entire life. This weekend I spent parts of Saturday and Sunday around the remnants of the Civil War. On Saturday I got about twenty minutes of shooting time in the Confederate section of Oakland Cemetery, and on Sunday I ran around Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield.

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

I don’t want to listen to what you say. I want to feel what you mean.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

Another Concert Scheduled, Another Concert Skipped
I was supposed to go to The EARL on Friday night to see Shearwater. I really had all intentions of doing so. However, after returning home from a happy hour at Fellini’s near Sandy Springs I felt like ass. I really felt like I was going to hurl so I stayed home.

I am getting peeved at myself for missing another concert. It’s happening too often again.

OMFG!
I was stunned, stunned I tell you, when I realized that I’ve forgotten to blog about this…

Last week I heard that Cheerwine is being introduced into Atlanta stores! Woo Hoo! No more will I have to stock up on my trips to North Carolina. Instead I can use that trunk space to import beer!

ITP Flickr Pic
This is one of three shots that I was able to take Saturday morning before the sky opened up with massive amounts of rain.

I pride myself on being over-prepared, so naturally I had my huge golf umbrella in tote to protect the camera gear.

RealiTV Update: The Next Food Network Star
Before I start, there was a RealiTV related Iron Chef episode last night. On the episode April Bloomfield, who was one of the three Heavy Hitter sous chefs on last week’s Top Chef finale. Bloomfield battled the newest Iron Chef, Michael Simon, and the judges were Michael Ruhlman, Donatella Arpaia, Andrew Knowlton — who were the judges who anointed Simon as the next Iron Chef. You’d think that the there was no way Simon would lose. You’d be wrong.

Following Iron Chef was The Next Food Network Star. While I am starting to get a feel for thes contestants, I still don’t really know much about them. Last night’s episode was a little oddly structured. The contestants had a QuickFire-style Challenge in which they had thirty minutes in which to prepare a potato dish which represented their cooking style. However no winner was declared, and it was left at that.

For their Elimination Challenge they had to concoct their own “product” which they were going to use in a dish, and the pitch to fifty buyers as well as one very special mystery guest (who we knew was Martha Stewart because they pimped the hell out of that on the commercials). Upon seeing Martha Stewart Lisa and Kelsey nearly pee their pants (actually I think that they did pee their pants but Food Network chose not to show us) and Adam does some embarrassing song for her.

At the Judges’ Table we find out what the grand plan of the day’s events were. The winner of the QuickFire was Adam, who made some bacon cheese fries, and he was given immunity. The buyers who tasted all of the samples chose Lisa to be the best and she was given immunity. Of the tastings done by Martha Stewart, Aaron was determined to be the best and was also given immunity. The elimination boiled down to Jennifer and Jefferey. I’ve yet to figure out how they feel who gets booted, and Jeffery got the boot.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - meh, bloated because I need to exercise more
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Blitzen Trapper — “Wild Mountain Blues”
Website Of The Day - I’ve only heard about Gather this morning. I’ve not had much time to investigate, but it looks like a good place for NPR-style literature and news.
Exercise (b)Log - running/walking, 5 miles
Monthly Foot Mileage - 10 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 38 miles
Monday Morning Weigh-In - 196 pounds
Mode Of Transportation To Work - Marta
Monthly Marta Rides - 17
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 74 (74)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 5

June Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than twenty times (ten round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day
6) Eat out at a bar/restaurant no more than twice in one week

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

Oooooh scaaaaaaaaary.

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

If I ignore the emotional plea and respond only to the words, I will not be communicating with you, there will not be a flow of understanding between us, I will not be feeling you and so I will be frustrated and you will be also. The heart of any conversation is the demand being made on my emotions. If I feel frustrated, that is a good sign I am avoiding the emotions you are trying to communicate — I have not paused long enough to ask, “What do you really want from me?”

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

The Odometer Is Not Broken, I’m Just Not Driving
Since I filled up my tank last Saturday I have logged about fifty-five miles in total. Ah the power of public transportation! Of course I will more than double this on Sunday when I drive to Kennesaw to do a Sunday morning run but I don’t really mind.

Admittedly riding Marta daily has changed my lifestyle. I have not exercised much because it’s too easy for me to bag out of doing it since I am ready to eat when I get home. I am trying to read on the train, but it’s rather difficult for me. For one I don’t read well, and that is exacerbated by the motion of the train. Also, I really need to be seated to read and seats are usually not available when I ride, and then there is the transfer at Five Points…

These Are The People In The Martahood
Two days ago on Marta there was a guy who freaked out D.D.D.Dave and me; he was talkative and kept asking people to move back because he needed “some space.” Um, welcome to the world of public transportation when gas is $4+/gallon my friend.

Last night I all but changed trains because the two girls across from me were playing a game of Hail Mary tennis. For no fewer than five minutes the two sat next to one another, one with her eyes constantly shut, working the rosary beads, uttering Hail Marys. Being raised in a Catholic environment should have hardened me to this, but these two were doing it in such a cult-ish way that I was spooked.

Let There Be Light!
The other morning was a “lights go out day.” When I turned on the bathroom lights one of the three vanity bulbs popped. Later on my drive to the Marta station I pulled up behind another car and realized that one of the Jackmobile’s headlight bulbs had died.

The bathroom light was a piece of cake to replace, especially since I was astonished to find that I had a spare vanity bulb.

While not completely difficult, the replacement of the headlight bulb was a challenge. First, at my local AutoZone they didn’t have the book to help me identify what bulbs I should purchase so I had to find help. Then I had to figure out how the newfangled halogen bulbs are installed. Then, because apparently Honda never expect these bulbs to be replaced, I had to remove some plastic cover and nearly another piece of equipment in order to replace the driver’s side bulb.

ITP Flickr Pic
Me and my shadow…

I don’t know why I like this photo so much, but I do.

Life Without Air Conditioning Is Not So Miserable When The Heat Isn’t So Great
The last two nights have been okay with fans blowing the night’s cooler air into the house. This does not mean that I am going to continue to live without air conditioning. I have made one attempt at calling a company to come out and quote a new system, and they have failed to acknowledge my existence. Harumph!

Who’s Going To A Concert Tonight? This Guy
Tonight I will make my first visit to The EARL in some time (it wouldn’t have been that long if not for me skipping shows). Tonight I’ll be there to see Shearwater. I am debating if I want to bring the camera along or just go and enjoy myself. It’s been about six weeks since I’ve done any concert photography and I want to get back into it, but the thought of not having to worry about my gear, or fight my way to the front also sounds attractive.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - fair
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing Midlake — “Roscoe”
Website Of The Day - It seems odd to recommend a site called Do I Need A Jacket when it’s so damn hot outside.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing (this must change)
Monthly Foot Mileage - 5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 38 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - Marta
Monthly Marta Rides - 15
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 73 (73)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 5

June Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than twenty times (ten round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day
6) Eat out at a bar/restaurant no more than twice in one week

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

I’ll talk more about the Top Chef finale later, but this is what happened last night. I stayed home, defaulting on my Mudhoney ticket, so that I could watch the finale in real-time. As the show came back from commercial to announce the winner of Top Chef my satellite receiver (loaded with Beta software) rebooted! I. Was. Furious! I ran down to the basement and turned on another tv and managed to hear the winner speak, but never really saw the justification for the decision. How frustrating!

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

I talk because I feel, and I talk to you because I want you to know how I feel.

My statements are requests.

My questions are statements.

My trivia is an invitation to be friends.

My gossip is a plea: Please see me as incapable of that. Please respect me.

My arguments insist: I want you to show respect for me by agreeing with me. This is the way / say it is.

And my criticism informs you: You hurt my feelings a minute ago.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

Things Not To Do On Marta
After waiting out the majority of lightning yesterday I accepted a short ride to the Marta station nearest the office. As I entered the train car I noticed something odd — young (late teen), white, girls and guys of the OTP/Country variety. Obviously they weren’t returning home from work, nor did they act as regular Marta riders.

After some time I saw that one of the guys, who was wearing blue jean overalls with one strap undone, was drinking a Bud Light from a can. I’ll avoid the obvious “tasteless beer” joke and instead focus on the fact that not only is drinking of any sort verboten on Marta, this state has something called “open container laws” and if you can’t separate yourself from your alcohol you should at least be smart enough to put it in a nondescript container. The police officer who either was on the train already, or had been somehow summoned felt the same way. At the next station the drinks were discarded, and I got off a few stops later before I could see if the officer also wound up citing or arresting the guy.

On a brighter Marta note, I ran into D.D.D.Dave on the train yesterday. Actually, he saw me and said hello. Unfortunately this is usually the case as even after telling you the story above I can be rather oblivious to my surroundings whilst riding Marta.

ITP Flickr Pic
Things may be starting to look up.

Yesterday I sent out dire vibes, much like that of a siren warning of impending tornadoes. While I cannot divulge the (one of the) source(s) of my dismay, I think that things may not be as bad as I feared.

RealiTV Update: Top Chef — The Finale
Bravo to Bravo for not making us sit through insufferable recaps where we “remember” all the chefs who were asked to pack up their knives and leave, and then watch the Final Three toss knives into one of those Will It Blend? blenders to symbolize their demise.

No, with the exception of excessive product placement, Bravo takes the high road when it comes to Top Chef. We start the show watching last week’s whine from Lisa about not getting congratulated, then King Richard’s “Congratulations, you won the fucking Bronze Medal.”, and then into the competition.

For the final competition the chefs have to create their own tasting menu consisting of four courses…. including a dessert. They will have two sessions to conceptualize and then execute their plan. To help them they get a sous-chef. Will their sous-chefs be castaways from episodes gone by again? Nope, this time they get Heavy Hitters. It’s at this time that I shed some of my foodie cred by admitting that I only recognize one of the Heavy Hitters and that is Eric Ripert. Two of the Final Three will get to pick which Heavy Hitter with whom they will work. We then find out that Richard and Stephanie have each won four Elimination Challenges (and I believe Lisa won zero) so a tie-breaking knife-pull is in order. Chivalry is not dead as Richard suggests that Stephanie pull first, she get #1 and therefore picks. As I would, because he was the only one I recognized, she goes for Ripert.

With Heavy Hitters assigned it’s game on and the preparation begins. At night’s end we are led to believe that Richard is in the shit (even though he show Ripert a technique that Ripert had never seen before), Stephanie is worried about her dessert, and Lisa is calm, cool, collected, and as annoying as ever.

When the next day arrived the patented Top Chef Curveball is thrown when Chef Tom informs the chefs that their Heavy Hitters have retired and that each chef is on his/her own from here on out. With food now prepared it’s time for judgment! It’s clear that King Richard has dropped the ball. While his food got nods for creativity, it wasn’t the spot-on meal we’ve come to expect. Frighteningly Lisa’s meal got a lot of praise, and for a moment I shuddered to think that she was going to win it all. Stephanie produced some hits and misses. Bravo got their last chance at making money by going to commercial, the chefs returned for the announcement of the winner, and then my fucking tv screen went black!

From what I have seen and heard, Stephanie has become the first woman to be deemed “Top Chef.” I am happy for her because she appeared to earn it. As I’ve watched this competition I do fear for her future however. It appears that she’s packed on a bit of weight… I hope that she realizes this soon and maintains a healthy weight. I don’t know if second and third place were announced. Congratulations Richard, you won either a fucking silver or fucking bronze medal!

And so ends another season of Top Chef.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - cautiously optimistic
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing I’m From Barcelona — “We’re From Barcelona”
Website Of The Day - My name is Paulie and I am a geek. There, I said it. Now I must admit that I got hooked on watching TWiT Live TV with Leo Laporte last night.
Exercise (b)Log - nothing (although I am getting some mileage walking to/from Marta stations)
Monthly Foot Mileage - 5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 38 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - Marta
Monthly Marta Rides - 13
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 72 (72)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 5

June Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than twenty times (ten round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day
6) Eat out at a bar/restaurant no more than twice in one week

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]

I used to think that I understood my life. I was beginning to take solace in knowing where it was heading. I don’t anything any longer. Suffice to say that what’s going on is nothing good like falling in love or anything like that. Can’t comment on this more, but it may explain my blog today.

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

Most conversations seem to be carried out on two levels, the verbal level and the emotional level. The verbal level contains those things which are socially acceptable to say, but it is used as a means of satisfying emotional needs. Yesterday a friend related something that someone had done to her. I told her why I though that person had acted the way he had and she became very upset and started arguing with me. Now, the reason is clear. I had been listening to her words and had paid no attention to her feelings. Her words had described how terribly this other person had treated her, but her emotions had been saying “Please understand how I felt. Please accept my feeling the way I did.” The last thing she wanted to hear from me was an explanation of the other person’s behavior.

To all who have helped me — Thanks.

I’ve Got Some Mad Grill Skill
With no break from the heat (and I just realized that the air conditioning company I called yesterday never returned the message I left) it was time to cook outdoors again. Fairly confident that I’d not find another birds nest in the grill, I whipped it around onto the area of the deck that I use for cooking.

On the menu last night? I cooked up some barbecue sauce covered chicken breasts, roasted onions, and roasted potatoes with rosemary. I served that all up with some artisan(ish) garlic clove bread, and a fantastic Coney Island Lager from Shmaltz Brewery. Come to think of it, I should have served this beer with some Nathans hot dogs instead.

ITP Flickr Pic

There’s A Whole New View In Town
I received a head’s up yesterday that Google has just turned on Street View for Atlanta.

Google employs trucks to drive up and down streets taking photos which they then seamlessly stitch together for viewing. It’s really rather cool, but I warn you that it’s rather addicting and will chew up a large portion of your day if you are not careful.

RealiTV Update: Hell’s Kitchen
Hell’s Kitchen started the night with five remaining cooks. Since it was relatively easy math I figured that by night’s end there would be but four. I was sincerely hoping the Jen, Hell’s Kitchen’s version of Cerie, would be the one ousted.

The night stared out with the cooks having to teach The Housewives of Los Angeles how to make a lobster and spaghetti dish. The cooks were not supposed to help, but merely instruct. Jen was caught on camera no fewer than two occasions preparing the dish for her pupil. In the end it still didn’t help her, because she received the worst evaluation from Ramsay. Christina and Corey were in a close race to win, and in the end Ramsay picked Christina. For her victory she got to pick the brain of two chefs from the area — I must admit that I have never heard of them, nor the restaurants for which they own/work. The losers must clean the kitchen thoroughly while Christina gets her time. The camera captures Jen lallygagging and eavesdropping on the conversation, and then eating some of the leftover food on the plates.

Now it’s time for the cooks to prepare for dinner service. For the first time during the season I start to dislike Christina as she can’t keep her mouth shut during prep, spouting culinary knowledge like she’s all of a sudden Susie Knowitall.

As we’ve come to expect, the cooks have a difficult time through the night’s service. Jen and Bobby seem to be catching the most shit from Ramsay during the evening. In the end Christina is declared the winner for the night and nominates the two of them for elimination. Ramsay has each party plead their case, and sadly it’s Bobby who gets the boot.

And then there were four.

And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood - scared, confused, my whole life seems to be off track
Current Music - Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing The Hold Steady — “Sequestered In Memphis”
Website Of The Day - Shawn Feeney’s BFF Project is really rather neat. He started with sixty-four sets of friends and for each is making a composite sketch of the pair. This process will continue until there is one composite drawing consisting of features from all sixty-four participants
Exercise (b)Log - nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage - 5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage - 38 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work - Marta
Monthly Marta Rides - 11
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) - 71 (71)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle - 5

June Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than twenty times (ten round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day
6) Eat out at a bar/restaurant no more than twice in one week

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]