I Heart Ted Drewes

Friday, May 12th:

No trip to St. Louis would be complete without 2 things:

1. The Arch
2. Ted Drewes

And in terms of pure enjoyment, Ted Drewes wins. Don't get my wrong, the Arch was cool. But the Arch doesn't melt in your mouth.

The best part about the Arch was outside looking at it (and jumping in front of it, naturally). Going up was a must, but it wasn't all that special. You have to ride up in a tiny claustrophobic capsule that feels more like an amusement park ride than an elevator. It was a little sketch to say the least.

At Ted Drewes I got a cardinal sundae (tart cherries with hot fudge over their vanilla custard) in a little plastic Cardinals baseball helmet. It was my favorite ice cream-ish experience of all time. Hands down. Now that's saying something.

Gateway to the West

Thursday, May 11th:

We made it to St. Louis. Thanks to Hotwire, we stayed at the amazing Hyatt Regency. The rooms themselves were bland, but the Grand Hall blew us away -- it was gorgeous.

Addie recommended a couple restaurants and we obeyed. One featured a jazz band followed up by belly dancing (unexpected, but fun). The other was the Chocolate Bar -- a tiny bar where you can indulge in just about any form of chocolate you wish. I went for banana and Nutella crepes. I wasn't disappointed.

On our way back to the hotel, we walked through the adjoining mall (it was closed, but you could enter with your hotel room key). One of the doors to the mall was propped open, which Lauren happened to point out as odd. The mall was deserted except for one kid that started to walk away very quickly once he saw us coming. I can't prove it, but I think he saw my bulging biceps reflecting in the nearby fountain. Anyway, upon reaching the store where he just left, one of the glass doors was freshly cracked and you could still hear the glass creaking. So we rushed up to the main desk and told the clerk what we saw. The next day the door was covered in cardboard.

So the foiled robbery wasn't anything exciting, but I'm still going to put it down on my resume.

Nash Vegas

Thursday, May 11th, noon:

During our almost-cross-country trip, Lauren and I swung by Nashville for some lunch. We stopped at Big River Brewing Company, across from the Hard Rock Cafe and down the street from The Coliseum where the Titans play. I ordered the beer sampler -- a must for any weary traveler.

From the short hour we were there, I'd say I liked Nashville and wouldn't mind returning for a weekend trip. Grand Ole Opry anyone?

The "Elbow of Death Metal"

Sunday, May 7th:

Considering it was my last weekend in Atlanta, Addie decided to visit one final time. Lauren and I had left my place earlier, so I gave Addie my keys. The plan was for everyone to meet up at Bab's for one last spectacular brunch. It was well past our original meeting time and Addie had still not shown up, nor would she answer her phone. We couldn't figure out what was going on, but we all decided there probably had to be some random explanation.

There was -- and it involved my balcony, a locked door, Addie, her head wrap, her elbow, and my bedroom window. I'll let you piece things together. It wasn't too funny then (ok, it actually sort of was), but it will be great fun this time next year. We love you Addie!

Minnesota

So a lot has happened since my last post. My bedroom window was broken. I co-purchased a new home. I took a 1200 mile roadtrip with Lauren that included Nashville microbrews, the St. Louis Arch, Ted Drewes, stopping a burglary, a (nearly) blown tire, the world's largest truck stop ("The Place for Chrome"), and naturally lots of pictures. And now here I am, starting a new job. I'll delve into the details when time allows. Same with the pix. It's hard not having internet access at home. What a cruel world we live in.

It's the Final Countdown

The movers are coming today. I can't believe 2 years have gone by so fast. I'm not looking forward to seeing my condo completely bare. I have a lot of mixed emotions right now.

GottaWannaNeedaGettaHava Spellchecker

We went to Bojangles' for lunch the other day because Diana heard so much about it recently.

Bojangles' slogan is: "GottaWannaNeedaGettaHava". If you ask me, I think they GottaWannaNeedaGettaHava employee that can spell. I don't mean to sound harsh, but if biscuits are your specialty, you probably don't want to go advertise bisciuts.

My favorite part about Bojangles' was that instead of getting "sides", you order "fixins". I have to give them credit -- they really know their audience.

Drive for Show, Putt for Dough

I spent most of this past Wednesday "at work" out on Woodlake golf course. It was the first company-sponsored golf tournament of the season, and I got to play best ball with three other coworkers. We were having a good ol' time drinking Modello and playing fairly well for a group of people whose last year combined total rounds of golf was under a baker's dozen.

Woodlake is one of those newly planned community golf courses surrounded by large houses that go for less than $300k because you're out in the middle of nowhere. One of the cool features was that the carts were outfitted with GPS, so at any point in the course you knew exactly how far away you were from the pin.

The clubhouse was renting the latest and greatest drivers for $5 per 18 holes. Not having a driver in my bag, I figured what the heck and decided to give a Titleist 905R with a stiff shaft a try. And what a smart decision that was...

Hole 16 at Woodlake is a 315 yard slight downhill par 4. I pulled out the 905R and just cranked one down the fairway. My best shot all round. We drove down the fairway looking for my ball, and couldn't find it. Confused, we kept on going until we realized my ball was sitting to the left of the green on the fringe. We couldn't believe it. It was a 305 yard drive.

From where my ball lay, I had about a 12 foot putt with a slight uphill over the fringe. Nervous and excited, I stepped up and putted. My ball scooted up over the fringe, took a slight hop once it hit the green, and rolled right smack dab into the middle of the pin. My first eagle. I jumped for joy.

It's Politiks to me

If you're a reader of my posts, you'd realize that I would sooner post about Politik (the Coldplay song), than I would about Politics.

I figure there are roughly a gazillion ways to find news out there, and you don't need to hear my interpretation -- I'll let you pick your own bias: Fox, CNN, Boortz -- oops, did I say "bias"? I meant "source".

If you go to the Daily News (LA's newspaper), the whole front page is about the major immigrant marches taking place across the country. If you go to the Chicago Tribune, their main headline is the same. Even Iowa's Des Moines Register highlights the protests. Now we come to Georgia's Atlanta Journal Constitution -- a sample of the headlines on the front page: "Keith Richards falls out of palm tree", "Stone Mountain amusement", "Poor Gasper the beluga whale", and "Grading the network anchors".

Apparently if Michael Vick wasn't there, then it's not news. I literally could not find one link on the front page of the AJC website that mentioned this monumental and major national event that affected the entire country. Thank you, Georgia. Can I get a Lil John Wwwwhhhhhhaaaatttt?

Niki in the Garden

About a year ago I became a member of the Atlanta Botanical Garden (Nowakowski and I opened up a family account together – I still get mail with both our names on it). Recently I received a members-only invite to come to the opening night of Niki in the Garden – the world’s largest exhibition of artist Niki de Saint Phalle’s outdoor sculptures.

Lauren and I thought it would be a fun date and decided to attend. The Botanical Garden is definitely one Atlanta landmark that I will truly miss, and this exhibit is a perfect example of why. They do a fantastic job of lighting the Garden at night, and you can tell they took lots of care in picking where to place each sculpture. I’ve personally never heard of Niki de Saint Phalle, but I loved her work.

Her sculptures are huge, and they are built tough and meant to be touched and played on, in, and around. They’re metal frames that are “brilliantly embellished with mirrors, glass, semi-precious stones, and ceramic mosaics”. If you eve get the chance to see her work, I’d highly recommend a visit.

Pictures will be Flickrized shortly.

I don't know what I was thinking

So I make the biggest purchase of me life - a very important event - and I don't even take a single picture. I take pictures of signs posted in bathrooms, of chicken and waffles, of a random grown man in the park who wears tutus and twirls batons, yet I don't snap a quick pic of my future residence that I am very excited about and want to share with everybody? Go figure.

Nouvelle Maison

As you may or may not have noticed, I haven't posted for about a week. So you may be pondering if I have been traveling around the world conquering all of life's greatest quests? No, you weren't wondering? No, you didn't notice my absence?

I've been away from the great state of Georgia, spending the last 4 days in a gruelling hunt for a place to call home back in Minneapolis. And today was our day. A good friend of mine and I found a great home, offered, counter-offered, and finally settled. One less stress off my back...but a new stress of explaining our "partnership" added.

Going Polar

I don't know how we got on the topic, but Lauren and I were recently discussing how an object on the equator would weigh differently than if it resided on one of the earth's poles.

So my quiz for you:
If you were visiting Santa on the North Pole and weighed 200 lbs, what would you weigh on the equator?

Is it:
a. 195 lbs
b. 199 lbs
c. 201 lbs
d. 205 lbs

And the answer is (highlight this text and the space beyond to see): b. 199 lbs -- in other words, 0.5% less.

Did you guess correctly and win the showcase showdown?

Time to go pro?

I just uploaded some pix from our Savannah trip. I'm now also sitting at 97% full of my 20MB Flickr limit for the month. This is my first month of Flickr where I have met my free subscription quota. So do I go Pro? Or do I become more selective on what gets uploaded?

Happy Easter

(thanks mom)

So Much to Say

I've been busy lately. Too busy to post. I think this is as much for me to help remember and record my life as it is to share my experiences.

April 5th - I got to see Death Cab for Cutie at The Tabernacle. I've been meaning to go to the Tabernacle for the longest time. It was a great show and a great venue. Thank you Lauren.

April 6th - An anniversary date to The Sun Dial on top of the Westin (the tallest hotel in the Western Hemisphere according to the website--could that possibly be true?) in downtown Atlanta for the Turner First Thursday Artwalk event. The Sun Dial is a revolving restaurant and bar that every first Thursday of the month is host to a free art exhibit. The best part? Free finger food. The downer? Looks like they cut out the free martinis -- Sunny, you left just in time...

April 8th-10th - Lauren and I drove down to Savannah for the weekend. I loved Savannah. It is such a charming town rich with history and filled with so many squares (read: parks) and great old homes. One of the highlights was seeing the park where Forrest Gump sat patiently waiting for a bus.

April 11th - Music trivia at Angel. We could have used you Addie, Sunny, and MDN.

April 12th - Dinner at Gladys Knight and Ron Winans Chicken and Waffles. I kid you not. We decided to visit this Atlanta treasure for dinner, and we were not disappointed. The fried chicken was succulent, the waffles were moist, the grits were gritty, and the peach cobbler was a nice finish. I really am going to miss the south.

The Masters

April 4th, a crisp 75 degrees and blue skies, 148 miles from Atlanta, a 2 hour search for a ticket, and $160 later, I found myself standing in Augusta National Golf Club at The 2006 Master’s practice round – and I couldn’t have been happier.

Augusta National is immaculate. Every blade of grass is perfectly green, perfectly cut, and perfectly soft. Everything was in bloom. I was amazed and instantly excited upon entering. You could feel there was something special about this place.

Not knowing the course at all, I decided to join the crowds and randomly mill around wherever they may take me. I eventually let my ears be my guide, and moved towards the most “oohs” and “ahhhs”. This eventually led me in the general direction of Amen Corner.

Over the course of the day (no pun intended), I found myself drawn time and time again to the nook right around 15’s green and hole 16 (Redbud).

16 is a par 3, with water spanning the entire distance between the tee box and the green. The hole is exceptionally fun during the practice round because after teeing off, the entire crowd starts to chant “SKIP, SKIP, SKIP”. Almost always, the player will acquiesce by walking down to the edge of the water and attempt to skip a few balls across it and onto the green. If successful, the crowd goes crazy.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience that I am still excited about and hope to repeat someday if I am so fortunate. So in the years to come, if anyone out there wants to get rid of their badge, look no further.

Update: Photos from my Masters experience here.

April in the South is Spectacular

If you don't mind the gobs of pollen coating everything everywhere, then April in the south is for you (well, at least me).

This past Sunday the local gang all went down to Piedmont Park and spent the entire day playing Bocci Ball, football, and frisbee. Diana's pup Sampson also provided plenty of entertainment, as well as your typical Atlanta population, engaged in activities ranging from flying kites to playing kickball.

Then yesterday, I decided to go for Mission Impossible and drive down to Augusta to see if I could get into the practice round for the Masters. But that definitely deserves its own post when I have more time. So more (and pictures) to come later.

Never, Ever, Never Ever Ever Never

...ever carpool with your Quality department on a Friday. Never.

Cheese Doodle

You know you like them.

"Just two fingers"

My sister was flying from Hawaii to Norway -- you know, you're typical flight -- and had a 13 hour layover in Atlanta. I picked her up from the airport and we went to the new Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the world.

After pushing a few kids aside, we got to touch cownose rays (slimy), bonnethead sharks (rubbery), starfish (squishy), and shrimp (they felt like shrimp).

But my favorite part of the aquarium was going through the "Ocean Voyager" exhibit -- home to whale sharks and tens of thousands of other species of fish, all living happily (or at least I hope so) in 6 million gallons of water. The exhibit consisted of a cool acrylic underwater tunnel, as well as a massive viewing window 23ft x 61ft large for prime fish watching. If it wasn't so crowded, I could have sat in front of that window for hours.

You can see pictures from our underwater adventure here.

Lawyers are for sucks

I think I just figured out the secret to lawyers.

I'm pretty sure the bar exam is not about court cases, regulations, or laws. It's about Shakespearean writing and how well you can read olde English. Because if you're the best at it, you can confuse all of the other idiots around you. And that means making a lot of money. I was recently sent a Warranty Deed from my relocation company:

To have and to hold the said tract of parcel of land, with all and singular the rights, members and appurtenances thereof, to the same being, belonging, or in anywise appertaining, to the only proper use, benefit and behoove of the said Grantee forever in fee simple.

Now, I'm supposed to sign my name below this--as if I actually comprehended more than 3 words. As far as I know, I may be signing off on donating my kidney to the local science museum. Or perhaps I'm unknowingly enslaving myself to work at Affordable Dentures for the rest of my life. Good thing I'm one of the many idiots, or else I might actually be worried.

Scatter Brain

...while driving home from work today, I realized I left my cell phone on my desk. I was about 8 miles away, and considered for a brief moment turning around and going back. But then I decided that I'm not that popular. The sad thing is that I feel really out of touch right now...

...my NCAA bracket is about as accurate as the "intelligence" findings of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq...

...no future residence was purchased during my recent trip up to Minneapolis. The home buying process is exhausting...

...I received the sketchiest piece of junk mail yesterday. It was a Jesus-face prayer mat, saying that if I knelt on it and prayed, marked on the included sheet what issues I wanted people to pray for on my behalf, and sent the prayer mat and a donation back to them, that my prayers would be answered (examples included receiving $40,000, as well as a new car)...

...I have to give training tomorrow night at 9PM. Something tells me I won't miss plant life...

Sticker Shock

Looking online at houses and condos in Minneapolis is not fun. In case anyone out there gave up money/saving for Lent, I thought I'd throw it out there that I'm accepting any and all donations to the MattO-buy-a-house Fund.

A cool $250,000 would help nicely.

But don't worry, I won't shun any amount. I take personal checks, PayPal, cash, and many other forms of donation. If you want to make it fun, I'm even willing to setup an elaborate plan where I wait in line at a coffee shop, set down my briefcase, and "accidentally" pick-up one that happens to look just like it. Just let me know. I'm willing to work with you.

Relo Mania

So I've officially started the relo game and met with a Realtor and an appraiser today. The goal is to start showing people my place this weekend. So that means I have to live in a spotless, non-messy, sweet-smelling space for the remainder of my time in Hotlanta. Happy happy joy.

I should start a tally of every time I have to sign my name, fax a document, etc.. People could write in and place their bids. You know, give everyone something to root for after March Madness is over.

You boys aren't from 'round here, are ya?

I heard a sentence this morning that prompted me to post:

He sung that song good.

It's not the worst sentence I've ever heard in my life. But, you need to realize, that "good" (a one syllable word) was pronounced more like "guuuuhd" (somewhere in the ballpark of 4 syllables). Perhaps it is just southern dialect that dictates you must draw out your last word until your breath is exhausted? There's no such thing as a truck down here. It's a truuuuuuck.

However, my all-time favorite southern phrase is:

I might could.

As in, "I might could do that", "I might could help you", or "I might could get my truuuuuuck." The first time I heard it, it took me a few seconds to register that I never came across that in Mrs. Campbell's English class. It actually sounded correct when pronounced with a southern accent.

And don't get me wrong--I don't mean to offend anybody from the south. I'm just fascinated. Who knows, maybe I'll miss all of this so much when I'm back north that I'll integrate it into my vocabulary? Dontcha know you betcha I just might could.

Awards

There has been lots of awards talk floating around, and so I thought I'd share my 2 cents and give some awards myself...

• What: The Catcher in the Rye
• Award: A Ham and Cheese Sandwich
• Why: It's not my favorite by any means, but it's not too bad either, while some people think it's the best thing ever.

• What: The Godfather
• Award: A tobacco pipe (and smoking jacket for style)
• Why: A classic. Even though the contents are bad and I wouldn't smoke one, I have to admit I like the smell. I found myself rooting for the Corleone family -- even concerned for them -- although in the end they are still a bunch of mafia guys.

• What: The Terminator
• Award: An Atari 2600
• Why: It was super cool when it came out. So the graphics, music, and design might be a little dated...but it's still really cool.

• What: Michael David Seven Deadly Zins
• Award: A bottle of Michael David Seven Deadly Zins
• Why: I brought it to a party and was an instant hit. We all wanted more. A great red wine that even non-red wine drinkers would probably like.

• What: Barry and Colin's Dinner Party (and the food)
• Award: Ancho Chile Chocolate Flan Brulee
• Why: Both are vegetarian. Both took a lot of creativity and effort. The end result in each were very happy taste buds.

Southern Independence

My sister summarized it perfectly.

• Syttende Mai - the 17th of May -- Norway's independence from southern rule.
• The 16th of May -- My independence from the south.

We theorized that Norway probably won its independence on the 16th, but waited to party till the 17th, thus becoming the recognized day of independence. So it was pretty much predestined for me to leave the south and start anew on the same day as the motherland. I'm so proud to represent.

So what I'm getting at, is that with mixed emotions, I will be moving back to Minneapolis to start in my new role as an SAP Developer on May 16th. I'm pretty sure there will be a parade or something. Looking forward to seeing everyone again.

Dentures, Part 2

I was driving in to work the other day and decided to take the frontage road outside of Affordable Dentures (if you have no idea what I am talking about, click here). With camera in hand, I performed what may be the world's first "Dentures Drive-by". It's not much, but it's a start. View the photo in Flickr to get more of the story.

To be a kid again

I am in the process of making a large (40x56 inch) poster for a presentation, and recently printed out a test copy on our plotter. I was about to throw the test copy away, when I first happened to lay it face-down on my desk. Staring back at me was a big white blank sheet of paper. It was then that I had a mini flashback to the day when I would have loved to have such a treasure. Just think of all the stuff you could draw and color! But instead, it's about 5 seconds away from being recycled. How sad.

Now there's an Iowegian if I ever saw one

Mary and Jerry Nelson are the epitome of Iowa. She plays the organ at church. He's part owner in a family-operated electrical business. There nephew, Mark Parrish, was on the Olympic hockey team and they went over to Torino to cheer him on. Italian blood may be tucked away in their genes somewhere, but to me, they are 100% Iowegian. God bless Ames, Iowa.

The Upside to the Bad Guys

So there are a few hidden upsides to being sick:

1. Putting things into perspective. When all you want is to feel better, your other worries kind of slip away.
   
2. The ability to catch up on reading. I finished Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. A great book that reminded me that I miss learning and science in general. Apparently humans have the gene for growing tails, it's just not switched on. So there is hope for Jason and his squirrel tail someday. Additionally, "the background rate of extinction on Earth throughout biological history has been one species lost every 4 years on average...human-caused extinction now may be running as much as 120,000 times that level." -- aka, we suck.
3. Watching flicks from Netflix. I watched Mondovino. A great documentary on wine that I think most would enjoy, not just cultured winos.
4. An excuse to stay in on Friday night and catch up on random internet surfing. This actually has proved to be a good thing. I'm a fan of DJ Danger Mouse. If you're not, then go here and get the Grey Album. Anyway, I just found about Gnarles Barkley, a highly anticipated album coming out by DJ Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo in May. I also was fortunate enough to find some of the tracks from that album here and here. Good stuff -- I'm looking forward to the release.
   

Olympians at Heart

Keeping with the Olympic spirit, I thought I should mention an event that rocked the curling world a few years back....

It was the winter of 2002, and the Iowa State University Intramural Curling Championship was on the line. It was swingy ice that night - almost as if the stones had a mind all their own. Hog lines were being burned, vice skips were shouting, and the house was full of thirds sweeping. We had just completed the final end of the match, and the score was tied. You could feel the tension in the air.

It came down to the equivalent of sudden-death face off. Each team had to pick one member to deliver the final hammer of the night. One stone - one throw. The closest to the button wins. Eternal glory awaited.

Steve-J "The Great" Nerison was especially on that night. In fact, he was our secret weapon -- imported straight from the great curling lands of Minnesota. We all agreed to give the final throw to him.

And what a throw it was. Dead straight across the ice. The best throw the entire night. Victory was ours, and The Dietz Machine went down in history as one of the greatest curling teams to ever sweep Iowa State University.

I'm not getting shot at

Bundles of fan mail have been pouring in recently, asking what's up with me not posting for the past few days. The answer to that is I've been sick. I've literally spent most of my time either in bed or eating.

The only benefit to sleeping all day is that I'm not tired at night when The Olympics are on. For some reason I'm a really big fan of the winter games in particular. This year I (and my family) actually have a connection. Mark Parrish of the New York Islanders was chosen to play on the Olympic Ice Hockey team. Mark is a cousin of one of my best childhood friends (Nelson), and I remember playing cards with him back in my Legos building days.

My bro notified me that the Nelsons actually went over to Torino to watch him play. How exciting would that be? I'll have to see if I can get some pictures and post them. Too bad the men's hockey team's podium dreams were recently shot down by Finland...

Wrap it up B!

I was fortunate enough to catch most of Inside the Actor's Studio when Dave Chappelle was the guest, thanks to my condo's handy common room complete with a big screen and cable tv. It was such a good show that I actually wouldn't mind trying to find it online and watch it again.

James Lipton was an excellent host -- he kept the interview serious yet filled with humor. Chappelle seemed at ease, and I think he trusted Lipton by the way he openly talked about his personal history as well as current issues with Hollywood and the reason he went to Africa. The bottom line was that in Africa, the people surrounding Chappelle didn't know about his success at all. He said they simply treated him like a normal person, and that was all he needed.

The Chappelle Show actually taught me something that I try to employ (when possible) when writing my blog entries. Some blogs out there ramble on forever. I don't know if people are overly obsessed with themselves, or if they simply need to document everything and assume people care: "Today we woke up and had eggs for breakfast. Then we walked the dog. Here's a picture of my dog. He's so cute. I made my dog a doggy sweater. He's a picture of the sweater. It's so cute. Then we had lunch. We ate at Applebees, because it's the best. I had the surf and turf. Here's a picture. It was so cute..."

My Chappelle Show-inspired response to these ramblings (and the response you should give me in case I do the same): "Yo, you better wrap it up B!"

Surprised

I surprised Lauren on Valentines Day by bringing her to the Madame Butterfly ballet at the Fox Theatre. I surprised myself after realizing how much I enjoyed it.

Happy Asparatame Day!

I find that the older I get, the more interested in food I become. I don't know if it is a direct result of not being such a picky eater, or if my mind just needs to replace old means of entertainment with new ones. I used to play with Legos, now I eat. Maybe it's that simple? (OK, so I still want to play with Legos. I'm just too cheap to spend $100 on the latest cool set).

With my increased interest in food comes an increased awareness of what I am putting into my body. I find myself paying the whopping extra 20 cents per pound for organic. I also figure if nature created it, it's most likely better for me. That's why I still go for butter over margarine (the "M word", as my Mom likes to call it), sugar over Nutrasweet, and oranges over candy bars.

So I was a little bummed this morning with Yoplait when eating my new Light Thick and Creamy Key Lime Pie yogurt. I noticed mid-bite (or perhaps mid-slurp?) that on the front of the container it advertised Aspartame as an ingredient. Now, I don't know about you, but I've never heard anything good about Aspartame. A quick search yields pages and pages of people arguing for and against the product.

Does it cause brain cancer? Seizures? Migraines? Does it cause people to line up at 7:30 in the morning to wait for dentures?

One of my friends used to suffer from migraines. She tried medicine after medicine and nothing would help. Finally, one day her doctor asked her if she drank diet sodas. She said yes. The doctor told her to cut out all artificial sweeteners. She's been migraine-free ever since.

My point to this rambling? When buying your last minute Valentines Day chocolates, don't go for the "sugar-free/fat-free/zero-calorie" kind. It's chocolate. Go for the healthy stuff -- sugar and fat.

Improv (Everywhere)

Lauren's former co-worker Damian is part of an improv group called Babies Mit Bearden. They were performing at Relapse Theatre in Atlanta this past Saturday night so we decided to go. The style was long-form improvisation. You give them a topic (Joe C. chimed in with "titanium cookware"), and they start acting - everyone involved trying to figure out what each other is doing. It was overall quite entertaining, but did suffer some slow points. Fortunately the lack of heating kept us awake.

The highlight was two guys acting out a scene based on the audience-provided quote, "You can't handle the truth." The scene morphed into two brothers trying to pick out a casket for their 7'9" deceased father, and arguing about the cost and what they should do. One wanted to buy a 4-foot casket and fold the Dad in half ("It's his last sacrifice; he would have wanted it this way."). The other wanted to go with the $8,000 8-foot model, and wanted it so shiny that he considered plating the whole thing with mirrors. I know it sounds a little morbid...but it was hilarious. I guess you just had to be there.

The "(Everywhere)" part of the title is in reference to Lauren and I running into one of the actors the next day at Borders, where I was browsing for a beginner's guide to popular piano songs. I didn't find what I was looking for, but I did find a book so attractive that I had to call it into RingFo to share with y'all.

I Gotsta Gimme Some Dentures

I have a 37 mile commute (one-way) everyday to work. It can get really boring after a while. Carpooling, NPR, my iPod, and random General Lee sightings all help reduce this mundane part of my day. However, there is one thing that piques my interest every single morning.

And that, my friends, is the line of people standing outside of Affordable Dentures. I kid you not. At 7:45AM, with the doors still locked, there will be a line of people waiting to get in. And I'm not talking about 1 or 2 people hoping to get their dentures quick before their workday starts. This line can easily be 30+ people deep, just like today. I've been witnessing this for nearly 2 years.

It brings to mind a few questions that baffle me to the point that I'm seriously considering posing as a journalist from a local paper so I can go and interview those in queue:

1. Where are all these people coming from? Does Atlanta only offer Premium Dentures, so those looking for a deal feel the need to drive out to Covington?
2. Does the company line their dentures with crack before giving them to customers, causing them to come back for more every day?
3. Is Affordable Dentures just a cover-up for Jim Stalvey's underground moonshine business?
4. In order to make Affordable Dentures so affordable, did the company elect to not install any phones or internet connection, so people can not in fact call for an appointment, but rather must show up as early as possible to get in line and pick a number?

Before I leave Georiga, it's my goal to document this phenomenon with my camera. I'm sure all of you will be waiting on the edge of your seats...

You still haven't signed up for an ING Direct account and I don't know why

Some of you may remember an earlier post where I praise the benefits of an ING Direct savings account (as well as perform a little web pan-handling for new account referrals).

As far as I know, nobody took the bait. Well now the deal is even sweeter. Any new deposits between now and April 15th earn you a whopping 4.75% APY. And after April 15th, the rate goes back to it's regular rate (which is currently a not-too-shabby 3.8%).

So can you tell me one good reason why you haven't signed up for an account yet? And remember, if you do decided that getting free money is a good thing (or at least better than not getting free money), let me know before you sign up, and I will send you a referral email and we'll both come out on top (an extra $25 for you, $10 for me).

Work with me people.

Photo + Log = Phlog?

You might say that I have a slight obsession with jumping pictures. When possible, I try to grow my collection by convincing friends that a picture featuring them flying through the air would be really cool, and to not pay attention to the groups of people standing around. They're not staring at us -- they're just jealous.

In addition, thanks to Brad, I also realized how interesting macro shots can be. I think the general population of photographers (i.e. anyone that has ever taken a picture) always errs on the side of being too far away from their subject. This is something I am trying to overcome myself. Perhaps one day I will learn something about photography. Too bad they didn't teach it in Kindergarten.

Today

Today is...

• My 3-year anniversary at work
• Joe C.'s 34th birthday
• Rooker "Go Dawgs!" 's 43rd birthday

My Mom is Snorkeling

My mom is currently in Antigua, visiting two of her best friends from college.

How cool is that?

Pandora's [Music] Box, a.k.a The Coolest Thing...EVER

I wanted to start a running list on my blog of "Currently listening to..." artists and songs. I thought it would be a good way to share my latest musical tastes and findings, and hopefully get some feedback as to what else I may find enjoyable. So I did a search on Google for some sort of aggregator that would aid me in doing just that.

Instead, I happened to stumble across what I think may be the coolest thing I have ever found on the web. What baffles me is how I've missed hearing about it until now?

This wondrous find is Pandora.

Pandora is essentially your own personal radio station(s). It is a direct result of the Music Genome Project, another subject I've never heard about. And I thought I was "into music." I'm so ashamed.

You provide it an artist or song title you like, and it will (most likely) find it in its database and start playing it for you in surprisingly good quality. But thanks to having songs "analyzed using up to 400 distinct musical characteristics by a trained music analyst", Pandora will then continue playing music that matches the same characteristics of the song you provided. For each song played, you can tell Pandora whether you like it or not, which will then continually tweak your station. You can keep adding more preferred artists/songs to your station, and it will keep morphing to fit your needs. You can also have up to a 100 stations -- plenty for every genre you could dream up.

In the 30 minutes I've been listening, I've already heard some new bands I like, such as Adam F and Porcupine Tree. My only concern now? My savings account.

Can you imagine when the time comes that Wi-Fi is everywhere, and you can drive down the highway listening to your personal radio stations? Good-bye XM and Sirius.

I got eBayed

I almost completely forgot my reason for posting about SACD and DVD-Audio…

I saw a Michael Jackson Thriller SACD on eBay, and the price was right, so I decided to bid. I won the auction, but upon receiving it in the mail, found out it was not the SACD I bid on, but rather a plain-jane Thriller CD (which I already owned). I contacted the seller, informing her of the mess-up, and her response was, "I am SO sorry for the mix up…I see now where the listing says it is a SACD and I totally did not even know what that meant".

Betamizzle in the hizzle

I'm in the minority in the sense that I'm a fan of SACD and DVD-Audio. In fact, it's simpler than that: I’m in the minority in the sense that I am simply aware that SACD and DVD-Audio even exist.

Basically, the two formats kick butt. Both offer a greater sound quality than CD – and yes, you can hear a difference. If that isn’t reason enough to expand your musical horizons, a fair amount of the titles come in a multi-channel format as well (read: 6 signals for 6 speakers). My favorite so far is Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon SACD. They did an excellent job of separating the music across all channels. The opening of "Money" is money – the cash register sounds revolve around and around the listener, creating a wow-effect the first time you hear it.

I'm really disappointed that the audio industry never marketed these formats. And it's not like they stemmed from companies that only audiophiles have heard of. SACD was co-developed by Sony and Philips. DVD-Audio was created by a consortium of other big-name players in the consumer electronics world. It's too bad the two groups couldn’t come to agreement. I think having competing formats has hurt the evolution of multi-channel music more than it helped.

I won't try to go into the details of SACD and DVD-Audio (bit rates and sampling frequencies) -- I would probably bore you to the point you’d never read my rantings again (if I haven’t done so already).

Instead, I leave you with a quote from a magazine that my brother sent me that sum things up quite well. So in the words of LeVar from Reading Rainbow, "You don't have to take my word for it":

It is hard to explain the subjective difference between the sound produced by SACD and DVD-Audio and the sound produced by a CD. Essentially, trying to reproduce music with a CD is like trying to reproduce cool seaside air with the dry brittle air blowing out of an air-conditioning nozzle in a jet airplane and a spray bottle of salt water. In a very literal sense, the CD format is like playing a violin with a hack saw -- there is simply no way to smooth out the saw teeth sufficiently to make it sound correct. SACD and DVD-Audio fix the problem by giving you enough data to filter out the audible errors created by digitizing analog sound.

L.O.V.E.

I was browsing around the iTunes Music Store the other day and saw that L.O.V.E by Ashlee Simpson was one of the Top Ten Songs of the Day. I was curious to see if it happened to be a complete rip-off of the wonderful Nat King Cole song by the same name, so I clicked on the link to hear a sample. Fortunately, it was not a remake and therefore didn't ruin a true artist's piece of work. While listening to the snippet I happened to read a review of Ashlee's album that an iTunes user had posted. I found it too funny not to share with the rest of the world:

When I first found out that Ashlee Simpson had released a new cd, my first thought was "Ashlee Simpson isn't dead yet?" But, being the ever optimistic that I am, I decided that I would give the younger, less attractive, and slightly more retarded of the Simpson sisters another chance to please my eardrums. I am happy to report that I am now suing Ashlee Simpson and all her affiliates for the $9.99 that the cd cost me as well as $12.6 billion in damages that I have suffered after listening to this piece of rabit feces she tried to pass off as music.

Nothing would please me more than to meet the third grader that penned the majority of these songs and give him (or her) a swift shot to the jaw. These lyrics have about the same intelligence of a 12-count box of Crayons that my dog ate and left as a multi-colored surprise out on the back lawn. Let me give you one of my favorite examples of the lyrical genius that is Ashlee Simpson, and I quote, "L,O L,O L,O, L O V E/L,O L,O L,O L O V E/L,O L,O L,O L O V E/ x 14,000"

Wow.

Thank you Ashlee Simpson. Without these strong words of wisdom you have imparted on me, I honestly don't know if I could have continued to work to succeed in this cruel and heartless world. You truly are the voice of a generation. Unfortunately, the generation I am speaking of is direct result of the cross breeding a cockroach, that third-grader that has a meeting with my fist, and Celine Dion.

So please, if you fall into the above-mentioned category, purchase this CD. But as for me, I'll be seeing you in court Ms. Simpson.

The Gas Guy v2

Remember this post from back in November? Well it turns out that my creative juices must have been flowing just right, because I'm now officially 10x$100 gift cards richer.

Shocked? Yeah, me too.

And what's even more exciting is that they may use my slogan on a billboard / in their advertising at some point. So if you find yourself passing through Georgia in the future, make sure to be on the lookout for Georgia Natural Gas billboards featuring The Gas Guy and an especially witty comment. As for the caption itself, I don't even know which one they picked (since I think I submitted 4 or 5). I'm going to email them to see if I can't find out.

And the answer is...

Can't you just feel the tension in the air? A whopping 2 people played America's most exciting game, "My latest purchase - Can anyone guess what it is?"

And the answer is...

Six degrees of Ashton Kutcher?

I get my haircut at Beauty in a Bag, in downtown Oakhurst. It is advertised as being ran by a "Multicultural Stylist". Fortunately for me, Norwegians fall into this category.

I went to get my haircut tonight, and had to wait a little while for another woman to finish with her haircut. She said she had to run home to watch Beauty & The Geek, a WB show produced by Ashton Kutcher (a Cedar Rapids, IA native for those of you that were not aware).

Tria (the multicultural stylist) walks over to me and drops a copy of People magazine in my lap, open to a page featuring the show and its contestants. One of those contestants, Jennipher, is from Atlanta, and it turns out that she is the daughter of the woman currently getting her haircut. Small world.

My latest purchase

Can anyone guess what it is?

Fact

President Bush DID have a sure fire plan to end the war in Iraq; however, Chuck Norris was busy that day.

Georgia may be hazardous to my health

As sad as it is, I just realized that I haven't been paying any attention whatsoever to Iowa State / Big 12 basketball. Until now...I didn't realize that K State beat Kansas -- ending a 31 game losing streak between the two teams...and I didn't realize that we already beat Iowa, which means I missed my opportunity to send out as many emails as possible bashing the biggest loser of the major universities in the state of Iowa. (Did I mention that Iowa also lost to UNI?)

I just don't know what happened to the good ol' days when not only would we go to every game, but we would actually dress up as our head coach and hope to be as cool as him someday...

(The newspaper was unfortunately un-hip and cut off our last Larry impersonator and the sign reading "Old People")

Why haven't you signed up for an ING Direct account yet?

Honestly people. ING Direct is an FDIC insured savings account that is giving out a whopping 3.8% interest rate.

It's all web-based. You can easily switch money back and forth from your regular bank's checking or savings account. You can setup automatic deposits so you don't have to even think about it. No minimums, no fees...they should be paying me for this.

And what's better, is that we can both make money together. If you want to sign up for a new account (and you should) and are willing to open it up with more than $250 (and you should), then you will get $25 added to your account, and I will get $10. That's a 10% return in a matter of minutes.

So if you are interested on getting the most of your money (and you should), send me an email, and I will send you an invite, and we can both have a free beer (or 2 or 3) on ING Direct.

Flickr Addiction

I have a confession to make. I am addicted to Flickr. I find that I can easily pass an hour browsing from pictur to pictur, going wherevr the next interesting pictur takes me.

I think I'm going to start uploading random picturs that I particularly like, not ones that r necessarily most recent. I think what I like most about Flickr is the community itself. It seems to have drawn interest by pro and semi-pro photographrs around the world; so a lot of the photos you find ar really impressive.

Some searches that I think some of you out thr would enjoy:

• ISU
• Barns
• Norway
• Holland
• Loire

Yoga Fire

You may or may not recall that I took some Yoga classes while working up in Minneapolis, and I really enjoyed them. I learned the basics, but never really had the room to practice at home (unless James and Anders wanted to see my downward-facing dog in front of the tv). So I never got into the habit of practicing yoga in the home.

Enter Netflix. I was browsing around and they had this DVD. Now, these past few nights my living room has seen the likes of Adho Mukha Svanasana , Urdhva Mukha Svanasana , Virabhadrasana II . Up next, Hanumanasana.

Wine Smarts

My sister got me Wine Smarts Volume 1 for Christmas. It's kind of like a multiple-choice Trivial Pursuit all about wine. I thought I would spread my wine learnings with one its questions:

What is generally considered the inspiration for the original champagne "coupe" glass?

• A - The widow Clicquot's knee
• B - Marie Antoinette's breast
• C - A fully-blooming gardenia
• D - The top of Dom Perignon's bald head

And the answer is (highlight this text and the space beyond to see):B - Marie Antoinette's breast

Just lookin' out for my peeps

I thought I should mention a new critical Microsoft patch that needs to be installed by anyone that is using Windows XP or 2000 (Jen). You should go here and install it as soon as possible.

Randomness

It is January 5th. We went to eat lunch today at Stevie B's Pizza. The weather outside:


I know I'm not the biggest sports fan in the world, but I do enjoy a good football game when time allows. Anyone else think the BCS games this year were exciting?

Thumbs up to:
- Texas (and Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, and OU -- go Big 12!)
- Wisconsin (my true "home" team)
- Penn State (Go JoPa)
- Ohio State (for an exciting game)
- Iowa

Bummer:
- Iowa State (an unfortunate summary of our season)
- Georgia (have to support tgf)
- Texas Tech (cousin vs. uncle)

NYE ATL Style

I can easily say without a doubt that this New Year's Eve was the best of my life. I am typically frustrated with New Year's Eve because it is the one holiday that has never really lived up to its hype.

However, the Downtown Countdown, hosted in the Hyatt in downtown Atlanta with an open bar, buffet, multiple rooms and stages, and 3000 guests proved to be one heck of a party. (Just slightly better than last year when we watched a peach drop...New York drops balls, Georgia drops peaches.)

Happy New Year

To all my friends, family, and fellow dot commers, Happy New Year! May 2006 bring you better luck, more love in your life, and peace on this tiny planet.

Party Central

Last night The General had its holiday party in downtown Atlanta at the Hilton. Tonight is obviously New Year's Eve, and in about 15 minutes we are leaving for the Downtown Countdown. One of my favorite things about holiday parties? Women wearing dresses.

New layout

So I decided to make some changes. I wasn't that happy with the old layout. I actually picked it because it was my 2nd favorite -- my first choice was this one, but this was also what Brad was using at the time, and I couldn't copy him that much.

But now that he's moved on, I figure I can too (and copy Brad even more).

And while I was at it, I decided to create my very own Flickr account so I can share more photos with all of you (my friends, family, and complete random strangers).

Christmas Cheer

Me and my brother, showing a literal example of Christmas Cheer (thanks Mom and Dad). This picture also brings to mind SNL's Spartan Cheerleaders and their "Perfect Cheer":

My name is Craig
I give good hugs
You're not my friend
If you do drugs

Is Elvis in the building?

So I didn't quite make it to Iowa tonight. Not even close in fact. I'm sitting in my Holiday Inn hotel room in Memphis, Tennessee, loving the free wireless internet.

My connection flight to Memphis became a stay-over once NWA realized they oversold the plane by a whopping 7 people. They were looking for volunteers to give up their seats, and no one was budging. One woman was crying at the front desk, saying she had to get home tonight because her father had just passed. You could tell that she was genuinely upset and not just making up some story. I told the agent working the counter that I would give up my seat only if it went to her. It will probably be the best Christmas present I give this year.

But the story doesn't stop there...

The world is a small place. Iowa is even smaller. So naturally, when the 7 of us were taking the shuttle from the airport to the hotel, I found out that a couple was from Livermore, IA -- just down the road from Thor. We even talked about the ever-popular (and only place to dine) Unkies Restaurant in Thor. Small world.

But the story still doesn't stop there...

I went to the hotel restaurant and sat at the bar next to one of the seven that was bumped. We got to talking and figured out that his daughter not only went to ISU and lives in Minneapolis, but she is good friends with my friend Sara T from work. Really small world.

Merry Christmas

In the words of Addie, "Happy Christmahanukwanzaka to you and your family!"

And with that, I'm off to Iowa for a white Christmas...

Laughing Skull Santa

Even The Vortex is spreading the Christmas spirit.

Georgia + Patches of Ice = Mayhem

This morning's commute was definitely the most entertaining drive into work yet. It had been raining last night, and the temperature got low enough so most trees had a little ice on them, as well as a few patches of ice here and there along the roads. In the Midwest, it would have been considered a beautiful morning with near-perfect driving conditions. Not Georgia.

Schools were canceled. Accidents everywhere. Diana and I got to within one mile of our exit on I-20 and hit a dead stand-still. Both sides of the interstate were completely stopped. Lots of people had got out of their cars to walk around and see what the big hold-up was. This was 7:30 in the morning, and we spotted a guy from our plant standing on the other side of the interstate that had gotten off the night shift at 5AM.

About 30 minutes later we finally make it that last mile only to find our exit completely backed up. We were shocked to find a car on the right-hand shoulder on fire. Flames were coming from underneath the hood, and a billowing cloud of smoke was getting bigger and bigger as the fire grew. We couldn't believe it. We fortunately maneuvered around it and got out of there before any explosions happened. Where was my camera when I needed it?

The Mono Evolution

• Mono is short for mononucleosis.
• My mom always warned me that if I didn't get my rest I'd come down with mono.
• I got mono in high school.
• One of our senior party slogans was, "Come to our senior party and get mono."
• Sedges calls me "Mo P"
• Devo took that and changed it to "Mono P"
• Now people in Georgia simply call me "Mono".
• I've even camped in Mono Meadow.

Do the Bus a Bus

So IT is not necessarily the hippest of departments. We speak in bytes, gigahertz, assemblies, if statements, and raid arrays. But I have to give credit to my manager tonight. We had visitors from corporate down at the plant today, and my manager wanted to take them out for a fun dinner.

We were chauffeured to Atlanta in the bachelor-party-like Fur Bus to eat at a chic restaurant, Two Urban Licks. Now, I don't know about you, but if I were playing a word association game and came across "Fur Bus" and "Two Urban Licks", I'm fairly confident "Corporate America" would never pop into my head. But hey, that's ATL style for ya.

Make sure to check out the inside of the Fur Bus...

This is What Geniuses Do

This photo makes me want to start a Flickr account, which I think I will do once I find a free moment. If it were posted to Flickr, I could highlight the picture on the wall hanging to the left of my head, and point out that it is the same bread and milk picture that used to hang in Grandma's house. It's definitely my favorite piece of home away from home, and if there were a fire I think I would grab it on my way out the door.

And I almost forgot...being the genius that I am, I should probably explain the title for the laymen out there. Fortunately, it can be proven using basic algebra:

The facts:
The photograph above is a sample of what a person living alone does to entertain him/herself.
I live alone.
The majority of Americans do NOT live alone.
The majority of Americans are NOT geniuses.

Live alone = The minority
Me = Live alone
Genius = The minority
Me = Genius

Need I say anymore?

Martha Stewart, Eat Your Heart Out

Lauren and I were full into the Christmas spirit today when we made a gingerbread house. It's important every now and then to stop and consider the important things in life...like, should we use sweet tarts or gum drops for the sidewalk?

Everything I know I learned in Kindergarten

No, really, I mean it.

Tonight we went to Raging Burrito in Decatur to play trivia, eat burritos, and drink some Tecate. The only question I answered correctly the entire night was, "Chocolate, graham crackers, and what other ingredient make up 'smores'?"

Apparently my brain doesn't have the capacity to retain any facts, dates, or cartoon vehicle names.

------------------

And a a side note, now playing: The Southland, "Influence of Geography"...so far so good.

I Graduated from Jowa State University?

I should probably explain my Perfection post...

I was about to graduate from college and I had a mop of shaggy hair covering my head. I was planning on cutting it short, and knowing this, one of my roommates (WCB) convinced me to let him sculpt it into a mullet first. I acquiesced, and let him work his magic.

I had never been more self-conscience in all my life.

I went to a movie with a friend, and during the previews some guy from a few rows in front of us literally got up out of his chair and came over to me and said, "Dude, I just had to come over here and shake your hand. That's one killer mullet."

Perfection

Call me MacGyver

I decided to follow in my dad's footsteps this year and purchase a real Christmas tree. Being cheap and having a small car with no roof rack led me to buy a tree small enough for my wallet as well as my trunk (or in native Volkswagen terminology, the boot).

My Dad gave me a few tips, which I followed:

1. Cut the last inch off of the tree
2. Put the tree in warm water first, in order to open up the tree's pores so it will more readily drink up water

Not having a real saw, I broke out my Leatherman SuperTool and started sawing away using the handy little blade. It surprisingly worked like a charm; the SuperTool lived up to it's name.

Then, to continue my MacGyverness, I washed out an old shampoo bottle and cut off one end of it. Then, I cut some more holes in it so I could weave a twist-tie through it and around one of the tree branches. The result? A handy little tree-watering funnel.

And for some reason, I now have an urge to break out of a jail cell using a battery, a couple paper clips, a rubber band, and a belt buckle...and I have an overwhelming desire to cut my hair into a mullet...(again)....

Chateau Elan

Lauren's company's Christmas party was held this past Saturday at Chateau Elan, a quaint winery and resort about 40 miles north of Atlanta. The visit started off with what would turn out to be the best part -- a trip to the spa for a back and shoulder massage. It was my first time at a spa, and I absolutely loved it.

The men's room was decked out with a leather couch and big screen tv, steam room, sauna, and some sweet showers. The massage was excellent, and I couldn't believe it when my 30 minutes was already up. At this point, all I wanted was a nap, but dinner called.

Lauren's company is small, and the dynamic is definitely strange to say the least. I feel like NBC's "The Office" (which I love by the way) could film her company next season if they wanted to do a reality-tv version. I've never seen so many adults drink and yell so much while playing a basic dice game, Left Center Right. The one bonus from the party was that I walked away with an extra $40 in my pocket after a Texas-holdem game. God bless those marketing researchers.

Another hard day at work

Could you ask for a better Friday "at work": sleeping in, Whirlyball, barbecue, an open bar, and ramming your fellow coworker with a bumper car? Our Quality organization had their team offsite yesterday, and invited me to join them. Who was I to say no?

The highlight of the day, in my humble opinion, was the very first game. With the score tied, the clock was ticking down. I started yelling out the seconds to alert my team, "seven, six, five..." David saw me in the lane, and passed me the ball with one second on the clock. Just as the buzzer was sounding, in one continuous motion, I caught the ball and threw it at the goal. Score!!! Literally, a last second shot. I was so fired up as I left the court. Then I remembered we were playing Whirlyball. Then I went to the bar and got myself a beer.

I just couldn't resist

I felt my last post was missing a little something, so I thought I would throw in the visual element of comparing two of the world's greatest people who's name started with an "A":



And while searching for these above pictures, I happened to stumble across quite a lucky find. This truly is unbelievable: a cross stitch kit of Axel Rose. A perfect Christmas present just waiting for Grandma...

Aristotle and Axel Rose both had it right

Aristotle taught that patience is a virtue. Guns 'N Roses sang:

It'll work itself out fine
All we need is just a little patience

And that's exactly what I needed...The gas company returned to my door this evening at 7:30 and hooked me up. Who knew Axel Rose was such a scholar?

I didn't know this could happen

So the gas company came to my place today, and I walked the service technician out to the side of the building where the meters are located. When looking for the meter that was linked up to my specific condo, we were both surprised to find the entire thing gone. I didn't know this could happen, and of course, he wasn't expecting it either.

I was told that someone else would be out later with everything needed to get me all setup. That was 11AM. It's now past 6PM, and I think I'm out of luck. Oh joy.

The Gas Guy

Recently, I was shopping around the Internet for a new natural gas provider, and I came across Georgia Natural Gas's "Coin the Caption" contest. I racked my brain for about a day, trying to come up with catchy slogans such as, "I put the hot in Hotlanta". I believe the contest is for Georgia residents only, so if you think of a witty statement concerning natural gas in the middle of the night, send me an email and I'll enter it. I'll even be so kind as to share the $1000.

Washer + Dryer = Beer

Diana's boss was giving her his old washer and dryer, and they needed help moving them into her apartment. Considering the manly men that Sunny and I are, we helped out. The bonus? Beers at James Joyce in Avondale Estates (aka Little Bavaria).

Gobble, gobble

Thanksgiving -- one of my favorite holidays. A day to reflect on all that you have to be thankful for, spend time with loved ones, and reconnect with distant friends. Wait a minute...or is it a day to eat your weight in turkey and pie, watch football, and fight the Christmas season shopping crowds?

This year, I showed my thanks by helping Lauren with her church's Thanksgiving luncheon for seniors. Afterwards, we headed up to Greenville, SC, where I continued to show my thanks by stuffing myself past capacity and then falling asleep on her parent's living room couch while watching Moonstruck, an Irving-Family Thanksgiving tradition.

The rest of the weekend was full of eating, sleeping, bowling (and dancing), hiking, checking out Furman University (pictured above), getting in the Christmas spirit, and, in good Thanksgiving fashion, more eating.

I helped decorate the Irving's Christmas tree, and I was happy to see that the Olson clan is not the only family that puts up decorations and ornaments that the kids made before they could even tie their own shoes. Even though I missed home, all in all, it was Thanksgiving to be thankful for. Now, everyone in unison, "awhhhhhhh".

The Nerd in Me...

I'm currently reading Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything", and I came across a profound idea, and for lack of anything exciting happening today, thought I would share:

If you could travel in a spaceship as fast as you wanted, could you ever reach the edge of the universe? The (theoretical) answer is "no". Apparently, according to Bryson, "space curves, in a way that allows it to be boundless but finite."

He then continues to explain using an analogy: Assume there is a man in this world that has never seen a round object in his life, and therefore also doesn't know that the world is round. If you had him walk in one direction forever, we all know that he would eventually return to the exact spot he started. Chances are he would be absolutely astonished -- he wouldn't get it at all.

I guess that is what it is like when it comes to space. If you traveled forever in the same direction, you would eventually end up back where you started -- and not because space is round, but instead because the universe bends-- in conformance with Einstein's theory of relativity. And the reason it's so hard to fathom and seems like it can't be true is for the same reason the guy that's never seen a round object can't comprehend how the earth is a giant ball. We've never seen any physical thing like it, and the average person surely doesn't study such theories, so we just simply don't understand.

I just find this amazing...

More Banjo

Nothing says "Thanksgiving" like a little banjo.

We had our annual Thanksgiving "Covered Dish" potluck lunch today at work. I filled myself with (fried) turkey, stuffing, potatoes, corn, green beans, pie, fudge...and banjo music. It was another classic southern moment when nearing the end of lunch, Tammy sat down in front of everybody, pulled out her banjo, and began a-pickin'. Yeee haw!

Vertigo

Last night we saw U2 at Philips Arena. It was absolutely amazing. Hands-down the best visual show and production I've ever seen. I would try to describe the cool LED-on-a-string like retractable curtains, but I think it would take pages, and I'm pretty sure I'd lose everyone* a paragraph into it. Instead, you can read about it here, in the section called "BIRTH OF THE MiSPHERE".

As far as all-time favorite concerts go, it's definitely in the top 5. I'm still excited about it 24hrs later, and I pretty much sang U2 songs in my head all day today. My favorites were a tie between: Sunday Bloody Sunday, Elevation, and Love And Peace Or Else (where Bono and Larry played together at the front of the stage).

I went with Diana and Li, and during the show Li text-messaged a number to support the One Campaign. The reply was something like, "Hi, this is Bono. Thanks for supporting the One Campaign..." So for the train ride home Li kept on telling us that Bono text-messaged him personally and that we missed out.

The only odd part of the show was when Bono led the crowd in a rendition of Happy Birthday, sung to none other than Ted Turner. Apparently he helped out U2 back in the day before they were ultra-popular.

Also, I called my brother during "One" and left a 4 minute message. The quality of course wasn't the best, but Mike did correctly recognize the song.

The set list:
------------------------
City Of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
Elevation
I Will Follow
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Beautiful Day
Original Of The Species
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own / Torna A Surriento (snippet)
Love And Peace Or Else
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Bullet The Blue Sky / When Johnny Comes Marching Home (snippet)
Miss Sarajevo
Pride (In The Name Of Love)
Where The Streets Have No Name
One
MLK

Encore(s):
Until The End Of The World
Mysterious Ways
With Or Without You
The First Time
Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of
Bad

*assuming anyone actually reads this.

Java Monkey, I love you

I am a big fan of Decatur (and for more reasons than time affords me to explain at the moment). One of my favorite places in Decatur is Java Monkey. Not only is it a cool organic and Equal-Exchange friendly coffee shop, but it also has live music, wine tastings, and open mic nights every week.

Tonight was a special wine tasting night, where they celebrated Beaujolais Nouveau 2005. Diana, Li, and I went for a tasting and to enjoy the live jazz. Since it was a special event, you received a raffle ticket with each glass of wine. We were hardly paying attention when they happened to read off the number of one of the raffle tickets I was holding in my hand.

I won the "package" prize -- two Georges Duboeuf t-shirts, a scarf, a tie, and a $10 gift certificate to the Brickstore Pub-- which truly is my favorite place in Decatur. We couldn't have been happier. Who knew buying a glass of wine would pay off so well? Oh yeah, and the wine wasn't bad either.

Very Tasty

I'm currently eating an Arkansas Black Apple, purchased from Your DeKalb Farmer's Market.

Why, may you ask, am I blogging about eating an apple? Because it tastes good, and because you should know about Your DeKalb Farmer's Market. Even NPR produced a story about it last November.

Georgia, You Amaze Me

I have been meaning to keep a list of all of the amazing stories I have heard while living in Georgia. And now since I'm on the dot com, there couldn't be a better time to start...

Headline: Groom, 15, and pregnant bride, 37, add up to trouble .

Apparently a 37 year-old mother slept with one of her 15 year-old son's best friends and got pregnant. In the state of Georgia, it is legal to get married, regardless of age, when the bride-to-be is pregnant with the groom's child. After the marriage, the 37 year-old bride was then arrested and brought to prison for child molestation charges.

Thank you, Georgia.

Gooooooo Biltmore!

Possibly one of my favorite pictures of all time. Asheville (Ash Vegas as Addie likes to call it) was an excellent trip. Good friends, good food, good tunes, good wine, good scenery, and good mansions pretty much sums up the trip.

We spent the majority of our time at The Biltmore Estate. Saturday we showed up too late, finding the house had almost a two hour wait to get in. We decided to make the most of it and meandered around the gardens, took in the breathtaking view, and headed over to the winery for a tour and some wine tasting. I ended up bringing home a seasonal Christmas Wine, which tasted like a spicy and sweet Chardonnay, and, my personal favorite, the Century Red, which I believe was a mix of Syrah and Zinfandel.

That night we hit up the Digable Planets concert at the The Orange Peel. It was a cool show, and I had a weird moment finally seeing live the band which was my first CD purchase over 13 years ago (thanks to Bjork, and I'm assuming one of his older brothers). Who knew a bunch of early teenage boys in the middle of Iowa would be listening to grass roots hip-hop? Even Sunny had a moment -- when he randomly met a girl named Sunshine. How cute.

Back to the Biltmore on Sunday for the tour of the house. My favorite room was the library, but the pool room was a close second. Not too shabby of a shack for a 27 year old bachelor.

And last but not least, who could forget the French Broad?

"In my mind I'm goin' to [Nawth] Cackalacky"

Going up to Asheville, NC tonight to visit Addie. It will be a car-full with Me, Lauren, Sunny, and Baby Di. Not really sure exactly what's in the works, but there is a good chance we might hit up the Biltmore Estate, or the Blue Ridge Parkway. Definitely looking forward to the land James Taylor admires.

Wiggity Work

After work today, I came home, started up my computer, and did more work.



I thought about complaining. But how can I complain when work affords me certain luxuries, such as my work/vacation trip out to Cali?

Back in Black

My boss's boss knows I am into stereo equipment. In fact, last year at our group's holiday lunch the white elephant gift I received was a "Best of Red Sovine" LP. He mentioned to me recently that he had a record player and an old stack of 33s that he wouldn't mind getting rid of.

Today he brought the goods in to work. The diamond in the rough? AC/DC's Back in Black. I never knew Jim was so hip.

Thank you IKEA.

So much wine, so little time

Saturday was the 4th Annual Decatur Wine Festival. And once again, the festival was located conveniently in downtown Decatur, stumbling distance from my place.

Over two hundred wines available for tasting
+ a selection of food from local restaurants
+ good friends            
= a great way to spend a Saturday.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a number of the wines came from Lodi, California. And I discovered some new gems that I hope to pick up soon. The top of my (and Lauren's) list:

- Clay Station Petit Sirah (smooth the whole way through)
- Kingfish White Shiraz (light and fruity)
- Hahn Estates Chardonnay - an inexpensive yet solid Chardonnay
- Round Hill Cabernet Sauvignon (for a smooth Cab)
- Rutherford Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon (for a more spicy Cab)
- Clay Station Old Vine Zinfandel (nice finish)

And one wine that actually ran out before we could sample a taste, but was supposed to be a crowd favorite: Muscat Ice Wine.

I know there are a lot of stereotypes regarding wine connoisseurs, but I must admit I do enjoy the romantic aspect of enjoying a fine bottle of wine. I was told some great advice once:

"The best wine is the wine that you like best."

So true.

"Hi Tiger"

I went to the PGA Tour Championship today at East Lake Golf Course with a coworker, Woodrow. Even ran into Dave Kinley at the gate. It was my first golf tournament, and I couldn't have asked for a better day to enjoy it -- 76 degrees and sunny.

We started off standing in between #1's green and 2's teebox, so we could watch both sets of action. I was excited to get to see Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods for the first time in person. Vijay was a lot taller than I expected, and you could definitely tell Tiger was the most athletic of all the golfers.

Woodrow and I made our way over to Hole 5, a monster 520 yard Par 4, where we saw both Ben Crane and Davis Love III make stellar approach shots and land their balls just feet from the pin. From the same vantage point we could also see intimidating Hole 6 -- a 168 yard Par 3 with (for the most part) an island green.

We then worked our way over to the back nine, and plunked ourselves down in the cool shade along #15 -- a beautiful uphill hole that affords views of East Lake with the Midtown skyline in the background. We decided to wait it out until Tiger showed up, and it couldn't have been a better decision.

The pin was near the front-left portion of the green, with a threatening bunker bordering the left-hand side. We were standing right in front of the start of the bunker -- if golfing, a spot that you definitely wouldn't want to be in.

It just so happened that Tiger's approach shot landed right there -- 10 feet in front of us. The majority of the gallery follows Tiger, and there was a mad rush by everyone to get there...Woodrow simply turned to me, smiled, adjusted his hat and said, "We need to look good; we're about to be on camera".

Shortly after, Woodrow said good-bye and took off back to #18, while I continued on to #16. I found out that it was tiring keeping up with the crowd around Tiger. There's no stalling. You're either craning your neck to see a shot, or speed-walking to get to the next best viewpoint. I watched him tee off (WOW), and then decided the crowd was too much for me and thought about waiting behind 16's green for him.

A couple and their little girl ended up standing next to me. The girl couldn't have been older than 5. Tiger and Howell finished the hole and started coming our way. There weren't that many people around, and when Tiger approached, the little girl in the most innocent voice squeaked out a "Hi Tiger." You could tell Tiger was in the zone, and not expecting anyone (especially a pre-K child) to be talking to him, because it took a second for the sentence to register and for him to react. He paused for just a moment, looked down at her, said "Hey there", and walked away smiling. It was a great moment.

And yes, you can tell that I was (and still am) excited about being at The Tour. Now if I can only get my hands on some Masters tickets...

I've done all that can be done...

I have been working on a project with the Sanitation Manager at the plant, and we were recently discussing all of the data reporting capabilities that technology allows us to do. For example, we were talking about expanding the functionality of our sanitation checklist system to create alerts for team leaders so they could be notified near the end of a shift as to what sanitation still needs to be performed. They wouldn't have to go looking for it--it would just appear in front of their face with little-to-no effort (via PDA, computer, etc).

Then our conversation took a turn towards technology in general, and how we feel the number of inventions per year must resemble an exponential curve, considering all of the breakthroughs we hear about daily regarding genes, computers, hybrid fuels, and such. He brought up Charles H. Duell, who was the U.S. Patent Office Commissioner around 1900.

I had never heard of Duell before, but I learned that he left his mark on the world via a famous quote: "Everything that can be invented has been invented." This was 1899. Apparently he even petitioned the U.S. Government to shut down the Patent Office, as he honestly believed there would no longer be a need for it.

Guess he never thought anyone would ever be on the dot com...

That's a good man-barrier

This evening we supported Atlanta's indie scene and went to the Push Push Theater in Decatur to see one of Lauren's friend's short films. The theme was "Fight Scene." Some were violent, others hilarious.

My personal favorite was an ultra serious fight scene consisting of two guys shooting each other with rubber bands (but acting as if they were powerful guns--including flying across the room in an over-dramatic manner).

What could make such a night even better? PBR and corndogs.

It's not easy being easy

Freakin' spectacular. Possibly the best Halloween costume ever assembled, for the pure fact that it is 100% au naturel.

Mr. Nowakowski, you truly are America's greatest pen salesman.