Our new home!

Yesterday, at 14:40, the following email arrived in my inbox.

Hi Amy & Eric,

I am very pleased to tell you that the seller did accept our last offer.
CONGRATS!

This is truly a beautiful home!

When you have a moment today, please give me a call and we can discuss next
steps.

Kind regards,
XXXXX

So, we will soon be homeowners again! If you didn't already see the pictures, Here they are! Our new House ? - a photoset on Flickr

Our new House ?

Our new House ? - a photoset on Flickr
Tonight we put an offer in on this house! We're very excited about it.

A few words from Coach

Coach Tommy Tuberville of Auburn talks about the 2007 Season on 07/18/2007 at Atlanta Auburn Club's Annual Scholarship Evening & Silent Auction

Mexican food in Atlanta

Uncle Julio's Casa Grande – Translation “Big House” – Named appropriately, tastes much like prison food. The décor is nice, the service is good and the horrible food is very, very overpriced.

Zocolo - This is a cool place with great outdoor seating. Even the indoor seating is outside, because the front and right side walls are temporary and roll up. The food is very good and the menu is not standard Tex-Mex.

El Azteca - This is a standard Tex-Mex restaurant, the decor is OK, the service is wonderful and the food is very good.

An oddity about Georgia restaurants: We're used to ordering 'Queso' or 'Chile Con Queso' as an appetizer. If you order that here (even in a Mexican restaurant) they look at you funny and say "Cheese dip ?".

I was scared that we wouldn't be able to replace Chuy's in Texas. We haven't been able to, but we have found a couple of places to satisfy our Mexican food cravings/

Atlanta Journal Constitution 2007 Auto Show

Saturday, Amy and I went to the Atlanta Journal Constitution 2007 Auto Show. Check out the photos!

Starlight Six Drive-In - First Time!

You may remember that last April, I mentioned our plan to attend the Starlight Six Drive-In. It was a hoot. Amy had never been to a drive-in and I hadn't been to one since I was in college. We had a second row spot in the center of the screen. We took Amy's car and the sound played through the stereo, so it sounded great.

We saw Daddy's Little Girls and Dreamgirls. Guess which we liked better!

Be sure and look on DriveInMovie.com to find a drive-in in your area.

Daddy's Little Girls

The other night we went to see a double feature, and one of the movies was Daddy's Little Girls. On the surface, it was a pleasant enough movie with a predictable and happy ending. The movie has been very popular here in Atlanta, because it was made here (just 2-3 miles from our house)

As I've thought more and more about it, I've decided that it was a badly written mess. It was clear that it was written by a man who doesn't respect women. Every woman was a caricature of a woman's worst possible attributes. There wasn't one female adult character that I would want to be in the same room with for even a minute.

The film was not the least bit believable. When I went to IMDB to get the link for the movie, I see that it is rated at a 2.1 (and is the 32nd worst movie ever).

For the first time since I was 16...

I find myself without a Texas Driver's License. Saturday, I got my new Georgia DL and they took my Texas DL. It's like Canadian money; it's pretty, but it doesn't seem real.

Songwriters Tour

Last night, we went to the Tabernacle (concert venue, former church) to see the Songwriters Tour featuring Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, Joe Ely & Guy Clark. It was awesome. These four great songwriters just sat on stage with 4 guitars and played for a solid two hours. They took turns playing and singing. First was Guy Clark, then Joe Ely, then John Hiatt, then Lyle Lovett. They did that 5 times, and then played a song together, then left the stage. After an encore, they did 5 more songs.

Amy and I have been Lyle Lovett fans for years. He introduced as to Guy Clark via Lyle's Step Inside This House album. Joe and John get a lot of play on KGSR in Austin, so we were familiar with them.

I think Amy and I are going to have to head out on a CD buying spree.

Trip to Stone Mountain

stone mountain carving, originally uploaded by Joelk75.

Yesterday, we took Amy's new car (I expect you can read about that in the next few days at her blog) to Stone Mountain. As some of you may know, I used to work for Stone Mountain Insurance Company and this image was embossed on all my business cards.

This is the second time Amy and I went there (the first must have been 7 years ago). Last time, we didn't have much time, so we took the Skyride to the top, snapped a few pictures and then rode the Skyride back down.

Yesterday, we had more time, so we took the Skyride to the top, then walked around on top of the mountain, then walked down the mountain and back to the car, which was a pretty good hike.

Here's a little bit about the carving:

The Confederate Memorial Carving depicts three Southern heroes of the Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson. The figures measure 90 by 190 feet, surrounded by a carved surface that covers three acres, it is larger than a football field – the largest relief sculpture in the world. The carving is recessed 42 feet into the mountain. Work on the carving began in 1915 and was finally complete in 1972.

Franchise Record - Thrashers

Tonight, during the first period, the Atlanta Thrashers set a franchise record by scoring 3 points in 100 seconds:

Thrashers vs Islanders

Ilm here. Match is about to start! Sitting in the high dollar box seats at mid-rink!

Dinner and a movie comparison

You may remember that a couple of years ago, I wrote a post called Things I'll miss about Austin (if we ever leave).... Well, we've left. I really was hoping to find a replacement for the Alamo Drafthouse. For those of you who don't know, the Alamo is the best place in Austin to see a movie. Here's how they describe it:

The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is Austin's only independently owned and operated movie theater. We serve a full menu of dinner and drinks to your seat while you watch the movie. The theater is laid out like a traditional movie theater, except every other row of seats has been replaced with a long narrow table for your food and drinks. Those who have never been to the Alamo may worry about disruptions during the movie, but we have devised an ordering system that minimizes interruption during the film, allowing you to order, eat and enjoy the movie with minimal distraction. We recommend arriving 30 minutes early so you can order while the lights are up (it gets tough to read the menus in the dark). seating begins 45 minutes before the show and there is always pre-movie entertainment on the screen while you wait for the movie. We have waiters that serve you at your seat; orders before the movie begins are taken in the traditional way. Once the movie starts if you need anything at all, there is paper and pencils at the table, write down what you need on the paper, stand the paper up on the card holder attached to the table. This acts as a flag, your waiter will only come by if he sees the card, otherwise he will stay out of your way so you can enjoy the film.

Last night we went to the Buckhead Backlot 6. This is an AMC theater which they described similarly:

Do you love movies? Do you enjoy going out to restaurants? How often have you done dinner and a movie? Then how would you like to do both simultaneously? At AMC Buckhead Backlot you can enjoy a first-run movie while having food brought to your seat by our friendly servers and staff. Located on Piedmont Road at Tower Walk, we offer a full bar-style menu, plus a wide range of draft and bottled beer, wine, and beer alternatives. Buckhead Backlot is the perfect spot for a night out with your significant other, or for a casual night out with friends.

Buckhead BackLot is also available for special events and business meetings. Details are available at the theatre.

If you would like to download our regular in-theatre menu, click here.

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Here's how I would say they compare:

• Parking: Backlot has a parking garage and they validate, so parking is free. However, it's a hassle and really only is an advantage when it's raining. Alamo just has a plain parking lot (like most other theaters). Advantage: Tie
• Pre-Movie Entertainment: Backlot plays still commercials and trivia like most theaters. Alamo plays bizarre, old, film clips which may or not be related to the movie that you're there to see. Advantage: Alamo
• Drinks: Both serve beer and wine and have a good selection: Advantage: Tie
• Food: The Alamo has wonderful food. It compares favorably to restaurants in the area. Backlot has food. It compares favorably to frozen dinners. Advantage: Alamo
• Waitstaff: The Alamo has perfected how to make their waiters blend in and not be obtrusive, that wasn't the case last night at the Backlot. Advantage: Alamo

We only went to the Alamo at mealtime, because we loved their food and it saved time, because you had dinner and a movie, in the time it takes to see a movie. We did have a nice overall experience at the Backlot and I feel sure that we will go back. We won't go at dinner time. Summary: Backlot is a nice theater and is probably great if you haven't been spoiled by the Alamo.

New Jobt

This weekend, I drove about a thousand miles from Austin, TX to Atlanta, GA. In about 90 minutes, I will leave for the office. Amy showed me how to get there yesterday and it took about 20 minutes. Today there will be some traffic, so I plan to allow an hour (don't want to be late on Day 1)

I'm finally moving to Atlanta

I start my new job two weeks from today on October 30th.

Busy Weekend

Thursday: Work until 2:00PM. Go to airport. Fly to Atlanta. Dinner with Amy. Watching Lost (it's Tivo'd, don't ruin it for us).
Friday: Job interviews at 10:00, 12:00 and 12:30. Lunch at some point. Drive to Auburn, AL.
Saturday: Watch Auburn beat the Razorbacks of Arkansas. Tailgate with family and friends.
Sunday: Brunch with Family. Head back to Atlanta. Anniversary dinner with my lovely wife.
Monday: Fly to Austin. Take care if ticket.

5 Tribute Bands !!!

Check out the Beer and Whiskey Fest. It's happening in Atlanta a couple blocks from our house. They're having 5 tribute bands! We might go...

Back to my home in Atlanta

That seems like an odd subject. My home is in Atlanta, but I just haven't been living there. The reason for my return is that I have an interview tomorrow at 10AM. I really feel like I have to nail this job, so wish me luck!

Our new place in Atlanta

Be sure and check out the photoset (54 pictures)!

MARTA - Atlanta Tourist Loop

Next week, we'll have to try the MARTA - Atlanta Tourist Loop.