Ouch!

This is the first time I've bought gas in the last couple of weeks. Luckily, I don't have to drive so much in Atlanta.

Jesus Freak

Based on the other stickers and markings, this is our guess for this plate. (This was originally placed from the Q in the parking lot of Raging Burrito in Decatur. I then edited a typo on the PC).

From Georgia to Georgetown

I am writing this blogpost in a friend's study in Georgetown, Kentucky. Amy and I drove up last night (about 6.5 hours from Atlanta). I am using Marybeth and John's computer while seated in a luxurious leather chair with two (of the five) cats sharing the study. They are both sprawled out in the sun.

This is the way a Saturday morning should be enjoyed. I'm not sure what we're doing for the rest of the day, but tomorrow we are going to Keeneland to enjoy some horse racing.

Motorola Q

Well, my faithful readers have been clamoring for information on what phone I purchased it (and then I went ahead and ruined the suspense by titling this post Motorola Q). I appreciate the interest from both of you.

The PN-820 did look cheap and old school, while the Q is sleek and innovative. There is nothing on this phone that doesn't need to be there.

I added a 2GB Mini-SD card that I bought a couple of months ago. I have loaded up some freeware and have been fairly pleased with it. Yesterday, I accidentally turned it off, which takes about 20 seconds. During the time it was powering off, I accidentally called my wife on speakerphone, so she answered and I was unable to respond and then the phone completed powering off and hung up on her. Twice yesterday, I somehow invoked the speakerphone.

It's a learning experience and it's fun.

Today, I get a new phone

I've had my Treo 600 for about two years. Today I can (finally) upgrade to a new device. The two phones in the running are the Motorola Q and the Verizon Wireless PN-820. I'll try to post something later in the day about the one I choose.

Big Man Package

Just so you know: Here 'liquor stores' are called 'package stores' so as not to upset any southern sensibilities. I guess 'Big Man Package' would, huh?

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/

The Miracles of Modern Medicine

Two and half weeks ago, I fell in the backyard and injured my foot. That day, I ended up walking 2.5 miles after the injury. When I got home, my foot and ankle were clearly injured, but in my opinion (not to mention the opinion of a dentist and a medical social worker) that my ankle was not sprained. So, ever since then, my foot has been getting better each day (the ankle never hurt after the first day). However, due to my advanced age and fear of hurting something else because I’d been walking like Dr. Gregory House for the past couple of weeks, I decided to go to a doctor. The office visit was $30 and it cost $179 for three X-Rays of my foot. It was worth it, however, because now (well actually in 10 days after my second visit), I feel sure that I will be told that my foot was injured in the fall and will heal in time.

What do you mean by High Gravity?

Tonight, Amy and I went to Manuel's Tavern in Atlanta and I ordered 2 pints of Terrapin Rye Squared. It's brewed in Athens and after the first one, the waitress said "This is a high gravity beer'. Well, about two sips into the second one, my IQ dropped by 30 (and if you know me, you know that I don't have 30 points to spare. It was way too drinkable to have 8.5% alcohol). Be careful. I write this hoping that it will make sense tomorrow when my IQ goes back to a more reasonable number.

RYE SQUARED
Rye Squared

Double the malt, double the hops, and double the flavor of the original Rye Pale Ale recipe. (Hence the name Rye Squared.) With its mammoth hop aroma, bitterness and flavor, this beer is not for the faint at heart. The Rye Squared clocks in at a hefty 8.5% ABV so double your pleasure and double your fun because Terrapin went a little crazy with this one!

Malt: 2-row pale, Munich, Malted Rye, Bisuit Malt, Honey Malt.

Hops: Amarillo, Cascade, East Kent Goldings, Fuggle, Magnum.

IBU's: 80
O.G.: 22.3
ABV: 8.5%

Get smart

The smart fortwo is finally going to be available in the US next year and you can reserve one today. 40mpg - $12,000. Be the first on your block...

'Coping' with an HIV diagnosis

Coping with an HIV diagnosis: "Apparently overwhelmed by a business deal gone bad and recently learning they were HIV-positive, two men in Midtown Atlanta attempted to end their lives earlier this month by placing their arms underneath a circular miter saw and lowering the blade until it chopped their limbs off.

The men amputated three of their arms before Atlanta police officers and emergency medical personnel rushed to their apartment building near 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue just after 10 a.m. on March 9. "

I wonder how they decided which one would die with two arms and which would die with one (it takes one arm to work the saw). I wonder if this incident will make them re-evaluate their relationship (they both lived). I wonder how traumatized the emergency personnel who entered the room are.

Hypnic jerk

Sometime my legs jerk when I'm falling asleep. I just foumd out that's called a Hypnic jerk.

Atlanta Journal Constitution 2007 Auto Show

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

Happy St. Patrick's Day

This is how to spend this holiday: Drive from Georgia to sit in a Texas Honky-Tonk in Alabama listening to a band named Reckless from Tennessee. Happy birthday, Terry. You were right: I like 'em!

Ready for St Patrick's Day?

Einstein Brother's is.. They have Green Chili bagels today.

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).

Congratulations Eber & Anna!

On Friday, Eber asked his girlfriend Anna to marry him. They're planning a September wedding. Please join me in wishing them all the best. Woohoo!

All the Best Picture nominees

Today, Amy and I are going to an AMC theater to see the AMC Best Picture Showcase. The tickets are $30 each. The tickets include a free large popcorn, free large drink, unlimited refills all day and a collectible pass. These are the movies we'll see:

• Babel IMDB Rating: 7.8
• The Queen IMDB Rating: 7.7
• The Departed IMDB Rating: 8.4
• Letters From Iwo Jima IMDB Rating: 8.3
• Little Miss Sunshine IMDB Rating: 8.1

We've actually seen The Departed, so if we need a break in the middle, we can take one.

Alannis, THIS is ironic

Wimbledon to pay men and women equally, here's an exploitative picture of a female tennis player (brought to you courtesy of Google Newa).

Tagged

Tagged: Wrote graffiti on

Consider this graffiti in response to my wife's tagging me.

Five weird things about me (it was hard to.... (never mind, nobody's buying that))

1. I have a wildly inflated sense of Ego because of my blog.
2. I have never liked, nor been in favor of, moving the headlight dimmer switch to a steering wheel stalk. I liked the button on the floorboard near the dead pedal where God intended it to be.
3. Even now, I absolutely despise getting haircuts.
4. I believe in quantity over quality when it comes to humor (and it shows)
5. I can't set the thermostat at our house and I have to have Amy do it. It's programmable, but who can figure these things out?

I choose to tag Al and Justin. Enjoy!

(Both of them could use some fresh content)

The Letter Zero

User: Do you mean the number Zero or the letter Zero?
Me: There is no letter Zero

Other possible lines:

1. Let's say for the purpose of this demonstration that there is no letter Zero
2. Yes, that's the letter Zero followed by the number Turtle.
3. Turn off the computer NOW!
4. Your pipe is large and holds many stones.

Most Successful Merger of the Year:

Pick just one:

• Chrysler and General Motors
• XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio
• Britney Spears and Crazy

Appropriate name

What would you call the new Cologne from Sean John Combs (AKA Diddy, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puff and Puffy)? Keep in mind that in order to fabricate a hit song, he exploited his relationship to the Notorius B.I.G while ruining a Police song.

Unforgivable

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.

NJ Based Pinnacle Foods Group Sold

Somehow, Google News decided that a picture of the Unabomber, Theodore John "Ted" Kaczynski, was the most appropriate picture.

Best headline about Windows Vista

Hassle-free Vista or hasta la vista?

Clocks shouldn't run 'fast' or 'slow'

I often hear people say that they set their watch or clock 'fast' or 'slow' for some reason. I don't get it. My watch allows me to set it ahead or behind, but I can't alter the speed at which the mechanism runs. If the clock runs at the wrong speed, then just say it's 'broken' and throw it away.

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!

Chattanooga Auto Show

I went to the O'Reilly World of Wheels Custom Auto Show Saturday and here's the Flickr set of photos.

Not anoher moving day!!!

Today, my mother moves into her new home in Fort Payne, AL. We borrowed a truck and have hired three guysm to move everything, but it's still stressful.

Ramones Mural

Shot with the Treo - Decatur, GA

Bad Kiss Mural

Shot with the Treo - Decatur, GA

Happy New Year!

Woman swallows spoon in laughing fit

New Laptop

To the tune of "To all the girls I loved before"

To all the folks who gave me cash.
I bought a Dell and got a rash

Note: I did not get a rash...

But several people have given me money for my birthday or Christmas. Tuesday, I ordered a Dell Inspiron 6400 (it's the same system as the Inspiron E1505, which is more expensive) . Here are the high points.

• Intel Core Duo processor T2050 (2MB/1.60GHz/533MHz)
• 15.4 Inch TrueLife Wide-screen WXGA
• 512MB, DDR2, 533MHz
• 80GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
• Microsoft Windows XP Home Service Pack 2, English
• 8X DVD+/-RW Drive
• Dell Wireless 1390 802.11b/g Mini Card (54Mbps)
• 85 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
• Microsoft Works 8.5
• 3 Year Dell Hardware Warranty Plus Onsite Service
• Dell Wireless 355 Bluetooth Module (2.0 + EDR)
• ExpressCard Media Remote for Bluetooth-enabled Notebook
• Express Upgrade to Windows Vista Home Basic

It cost almost exactly $1000, but that's a great configuration which should last me years (I do plan to upgrade the RAM to 1.5GB).

Bad Marketing 101

So, is the decapitated cat's head supposed to make the food more appealing?

Slow Day E

Yesterday was a slow day at work and I found a completely new use for Notepad...

Mobile Blogging Audio Test

I've already tested the ability to send text and photos from myTreo. This test will be to see if audio and drawings work too.

Lunch at The Vortex

This is a test of the mobile blogging features of Blogger. This picture was snapped the other day in Little 5 Points.

(The above portion of this message was sent directly to Blogger via MMS (this is often called picture messaging). The picture existed on my Treo and I just added the text. I then sent it to Blogger and after claiming the address of my phone, it was placed on my blog with no other intervention. This will enable me to get back to blogging as my schedule hasn't really allowed it, but I have my entire lunch hour to blog now. That means you can expect to see more content (not better content - this has to do with quantity over quality)

Blogger - Out of Beta !!!

Woohoo! Now everyone can add tags to their blogs and take advantage of all of the cool templates.

Another Bad Verizon Experience

You may remember that about 18 months ago, I purchased a new Smartphone (Treo 600). I have never been pleased with the voice quality of the phone, but I generally like everything else about it.

I have had several bad experiences with Verizon Wireless, some of which I have mentioned in this blog before and some I haven't. I will list them here to inform you and refresh my tired memory.

At the time of purchase, I was lied to a couple of times at the store, and contemplated canceling my contract. I didn't because another store made me a believer again.

After I started working for the company where I now work, I learned that I could get 25% off my bill. I filled out the paperwork and started getting the discount. However, I was only getting a discount on my voice service, not the data plan or insurance. I called Verizon when I noticed that they had a plan for $80, which included voice and data, so since it was a single price, I assumed (and customer service assured me) that I would get the discount on the full amount, At that tine, my two year contract had to be renewed to make that change. After this, my bill was virtually the sane and when I've complained, everyone has apologized that I was given bad data.

2-3 months ago, Verizon called me and said that my text messaging had gone over my limit and I should get a different plan, which would provide more sms / mms usage. That change never occurred,

Last week, Verizon called me and said that my text messaging had gone over my limit and I should get a different plan, which would provide more sms / mms usage. I made that change and before the guy hung up, he asked me how I liked my phone and I said I didn't and I was counting the days till I could replace it under the New Every Two plan. He said that I didn't have to wait and if I went by a Verizon store, they would make me a great deal because of the holidays and it would be even cheaper than if I waited until April.

Saturday, Amy and I went to the Verizon Store. I had narrowed my choices down to the Motorola Q and the Verizon (Audiovox) VX6700. I stood and waited for the next salesperson who said that I was due no discounts, so the Q would cost me $419 and the VX-6700 was $519, Now, if I were not a loyal Verizon customer, the Q would have cost me $99,

I really like the phone service that Verizon provides. Most of Amy's family is on Verizon and it works and save my minutes because 'in network' calls are free.

I am sick to death of the price gouging that I am enduring as a long time Verizon customer. I am considering what my options are (as I've discussed before), I could get a new phone from Verizon and get a PDA fron someone else (TMobile will sell me their version of the VX6700 for $24, a $495 savings). My plan is to go to a store and explain my situation and see what they offer me.

High School Football

Last month I mentioned that Amy's high school had completed their season undefeated for the second time in that school's history. A couple of days ago, I learned that my high school also completed the season undefeated. While the Fort Payne Wildcats were defeated in the second round of the state playoffs, the Lamar CISD Mustangs are still winning in the state championship and only have to win two more games to become the school's first state Champions.

AirTran Airways

One of the reasons my trip top Houston wasn't more frustrating was the airline I used. Sunday afternoon, I decided to fly out that evening and purchased a one-way ticket for $79. Tuesday, I decided to buy a return ticket for Wednesday (one of the busiest travel days of the year and was able to book it for $154. If you want to come visit us, AirTran seems like the easiest and cheapest way to go:

From their website:

AirTran Airways is one of America's largest low-fare airlines - employing more than 7,500 friendly, professional Crew Members and operating almost 700 flights a day to 50 destinations.

The airline's hub is at Hartsfield - Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest airport by passenger volume, where it is the second largest carrier.

AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings (NYSE: AAI), is the world's largest operator of the Boeing 717 and has America's youngest all-Boeing fleet. The airline recently added the Boeing 737-700 aircraft, one of the most fuel efficient and environmentally friendly aircraft flying today, to its fleet.

More information available at Wikipedia.

$ 9.82 meal at Hobby Airport in Houston

A plain hot dog and a pint (maybe) of Ziegenbock. The hot dog was tasty...

White Magnum

When I was in the Houston area, I rented a bright white Dodge Magnum wagon. I had signed up to get a Charger and got this instead. It looks like it should be fast. This one wasn't, but I'm sure it had the base engine, a V-6. It was very comfortable to drive and I was able to park it as easily as my pickup (which is to say: not very easy). I was a fan of the car before, but after experiencing it, I felt underwhelmed.

Shopping Cart Escalator

This is the escalator for your shopping cart at the two-story Target store in Atlanta, GA.

Some of the 50 states

In the past few days, I have been in multiple states almost every day. It's crazy!

• Saturday: Georgia -> Alabama -> Georgia
• Sunday: Georgia -> Texas
• Monday: Texas
• Tuesday: Texas
• Wednesday: Texas -> Georgia
• Thursday: Georgia -> Alabama -> Georgia
• Friday: Georgia -> Tennessee -> Alabama
• Saturday: Alabama -> Georgia
• Sunday: Georgia -> Alabama -> Georgia

No holiday spirits!

If you're ever in Adairsville, GA on Thanksgiving or Christmas, they ain't gonna let you buy any beer. They have a city ordinance banning the sale of alcohol on these two days. Odd.

Back in Texas

Saturday afternoon, we went to see the Iron Bowl. After the game, we were at a party and received word that my mother had fallen and the people that found her thought that she had broken her arm and had called the ambulance, We were unable to learn anything about her condition until I spoke to her by phone late Sunday afternoon. By then, I had booked a flight to Houston and had rented a car. I arrived late on Sunday night and went to bed. The next morning, I went to see her about 7am and was able to speak to her and her doctor. She has a vertical fracture of her left upper arm. It will heal on its own, so there's no need for surgery.

She has sold her house and will be moving to Fort Payne, AL in early December, Yesterday, I got estimates from three moving companies to pack and move her, We now have that booked.

She's been getting stronger over the past couple of days, but she cannot (yet) reliably get up from a seated position without assistance. Because of that, she is moving to a nursing home for the next 10 days.

At that point, Amy and her mother will fly out and coordinate the packing and moving and bring Mom and her cat to her new home, which Amy and I decided to buy on Tuesday.

Helicopter flyover at 2006 Iron Bowl

Last Saturday, we went to Tuscaloosa to see the Iron Bowl. Before the game, these helicopters flew over. They seemed very close (see what you think about it)

Birthday Cake at the Iron Bowl

At the Iron Bowl, there were 11 family members and five of them are Alabama fans and the other 6 are all Auburn fans. My birthday was the Tuesday after the game, so this is the perfect birthday cake for the occasion. In case you don't live in Alabama ... Auburn won for the fifth consecutive time.

How to Regain Control of a Spooked Camel

Yep. You read that correctly. This is an actual article on WikiHow. Issues:

• What are you doing riding a camel ?
• Did you ever really have control ?
  

Iron Bowl Satuday

This game has been made irrelevant for Auburn's chances to go the SEC Championship, but it should be a good game. Both teams lost this weekend, but at least Alabama put on a good show their loss to LSU. Auburn looked awful against Georgia, certainly not like the number 6 team in the country.

We have tickets and we're going to see the Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa with family. There are 10 of us going, so it should be a hoot. It will cause us to miss the Ohio State vs Michigan game that should be fantastic.

Great Football this weekend

Friday night, Amy and I drove to Fort Payne, Alabama to see the Fort Payne Wildcats play in Alabama's Class 5A high school football playoffs. They were ranked #2 in the final Alabama Sports Writers Association state poll of 2006. It was a fierce game and both teams played at 100%. Fort Payne won!

College coach steps in to protect child

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.

.

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.

I think not...

Toby peeking out the front window

Eric ?

When I had my badge made at work, the printer wasn't working, so my badge is blank. It works and I hope to get a picture on it today. One of my new coworkers said he could save me the trip to security by just drawing a picture. This is that picture.

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)

witty blog name goes here

Please check out a BUGDOG's blog,"witty blog name goes here". The URL is http://bugdog.blogspot.com/. This is a person I worked with until today and since they don't share their name on the blog, I'm not about to spill the beans here.

Bad Sun

Today, I ate at lunch at Taco Cabana and I saw a woman with a black T-shirt that said "We may suck, but we're better than Creed" on the back. Right under that, it had the band's website (http://www.badsun.net). I was too curious, so I checked it out and they're good. At the site, you can download 3 of their songs, so be sure and check 'em out.

Mozilla Firefox v2

If all goes as planned, this should launch tomorrow. You can download it at www.getfirefox.com.

Round Rock Pine Pre-Lit Tree

I've lived in Round Rock for 11 of the past 13 years and have never seen a Round Rock Pine. At least, I don't think I have. I guess it's possible that I've seen one, but couldn't tell the difference between that and an ordinary pine tree.

I can say with no uncertainty, that it was definitely not pre-lit.

This is almost a cliché.

I'm sure that by the time Christmas rolls around, I will have seen hundreds of inflatable Santas riding choppers with broken forks, but this was the first.

So much for Santa being a role model! I would have expected him to wear a helmet.

Santa, who knows when you're naughty or nice ?

A clean truck is a happy truck

I tried to prepare my truck for the 956 mile ride home. Today, I had it washed, had the oil changed and cleaned out the interior and the toolbox. It looks great.

Now this is variety!

3 Sizes

• Regular
• Double
• Triple

Scattered on the grill and...

• Smothered --Onions
• Covered -- American Cheese
• Chunked -- 'Hickory Smoked' Ham
• Diced -- Tomatoes
• Peppered -- Jalepeno Peppers
• Capped -- Mushrooms
• Topped -- Bert's Chili
• 'Scattered All The Way'

Waffle House rules. (I just had then scattered and covered)

How one man can build a Stonehenge

Technophilia: Get a free college education online

This looks interesting. I might have to check out some of these free courses.

RIP: CBGB

CBGB (Country, Blue Grass, and Blues) was a legendary music club located at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became legendary as a forum for American punk and punk-influenced bands like The Ramones, Television, Blondie, and Talking Heads. The club closed on October 15, 2006, following its final concert by Patti Smith on the same day.

Legend of War Eagle

A lotal reader asked me recently about where War Eagle came from. He wanted to know why the Auburn Tigers use it as their war cry. I couldn't answer and according to my sources, I'm not alone. This from the Auburn Tigers website.

Whenever Auburn people gather, the battle cry "Warrrrrrr Eagle!" is almost certain to be heard. Although little is actually known about how the battle cry originated, it has been a part of Auburn's spirit for more than 100 years. Since the first War Eagle, there have been five other birds throughout Auburn's history which have served as the school's symbol and kept alive the legendary battle cry.

• Read about Tiger at AuburnTigers.com
• Read How Auburn's battle cry became 'War Eagle' — maybe at AL.com
• Read about War Eagle at Wikipedia

At Wikipedia, I learned why the eagle we saw at the Auburn Arkansas game was introduced as Nova, rather that Tiger (two different birds). At AL.com, I learned that explanation given by Auburn may be the most popular legend, but there are others...

Here are the lyrics to WAR EAGLE (FIGHT SONG)

War...Eagle, fly down the field, Ever to conquer, never to yield.
War...Eagle fearless and true. Fight on, you orange and blue.
Go! Go! Go!
On to vic'try, strike up the band,
Give 'em hell, give 'em hell.
Stand up and yell, Hey! War...Eagle, win for Auburn,
Power of Dixie Land!

I'm finally moving to Atlanta

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

Google Maps for Treo

Google Maps is now available for the Treo. If you have a Treo (check!) and have ever been lost (check!) then be sure and check it out at http://www.google.com/gmm/treo.

This is the worst score ever

I noticed this yesterday on the CBS Sport site. Can you imagine how discouraging it must to be losing by two points to a team that hasn't even scored once?

Football Quotes of the Week

Terrell Owens: "My way of venting is going out there on Sunday, trying to win ballgames." This priceless quote occurred while T.O. "spoke the entire 45 minutes the locker room was open to reporters"

Terrell Owens: "Get the ball in the playmaker's hands." T.O. utterred this gem after a game in which he caught 3 of 13 passes thrown to him.

Read more about this overpaid jackass at Fox Sports.

Awesome Break Dancing

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.

A digital camera and a refrigerator

Things you shouldn't hand to a 3 year old...

The Most Lame of all the Carnivals

Mom: Hey, Joey! We're going to the carnival!
Joey: Woohoo!

This trick will work exactly one time.

Political Fortune Cookie

I went to China Wall today and got the following fortune:

In silence man can most readily preserve his integrity.

On the other side, it said:

Vote Nov. 6 for Prop 4
Invest in Austin's Creative Economy

I just haven't seen a fortune before with a political agenda. The worst part of the whole experience is that it seems like the fortune was urging me to keep my mouth shut about the whole sordid affair.

Free University of Texas Basketball !

The first two games this years for both the University of Texas Men's and Women's basketball teams are free this year. Here are those games. We went to see a University of Texas game last year and had a hoot. If you go to a Men's game, be sure to cheer for Round Rock hero, A. J. Abrams.

10/31/06	Men's	Lenoir-Rhyne(Exhibition)	Austin, TX	7:00 pm
11/02/06	Women's	Houston Jaguars (Exhibition)	Austin, TX	7:00 pm
11/06/06	Men's	Xavier (La.) (Exhibition)	Austin, TX	7:00 pm
11/07/06	Women's	Trinity University (Exhibition)	Austin, TX	7:00 pm

I got a ticket

I ran several errands this morning and on the way home, I got a ticket for going 60 in a 45MPH zone. Before you think I'm a dangerous driver, this was on a freeway, in a construction zone, where nobody was working. The officer was standing beside his car and pointed to me and the car behind me to pull over. I wasn't wearing my seatbelt, but corrected that quickly.

It will be expensive. I think it will cost me $104 plus a defensive driving class to keep it off my record. That's about the same amount to just pay it, but that might cause my insurance to go up.

Coinstar

Today, I decided to go cash in all my change. I figured I'd use Coinstar and use their free service to get an iTunes gift card. You might remember that I mentioned this service earlier in the year. I got over $23.00 worth and followed all the right selections. At the end, it said there was a technical problem and I would be given a regular voicher (with the service fee of 2.07 removed). I took the voucher to the register and got my cash.

I went out to the truck and decided that I had been wronged. I called the company and spoke to Matt in Customer Service who was very helpful and is speeding me a check for the $2.07. He not only made me feel like they cared, he also gave me the technical explanation of the problem and how they are changing the service to fix this.

Wonderful experience, in spite of the problem.

Typing About Technology – Treo Replacement

I’ve spoken many times about my cell phone, the Treo 600. It’s a multipurpose device which I carry daily. It provides the following functions for me:

• Phone
• PDA
• MP3 Player
• Web Browser
• Camera
• Games

Some of the above tasks are performed better than others.

• The phone is not great. When using it without a headset or headphones, the phone gets warm against your ear after 20 or 30 minutes. If using headphones, the sound is OK, but the sound quality that the other person hears isn’t great.
• The PDA is excellent; it is as good as Windows Mobile. The problem is that the synchronizing software (HotSync/Pocket Mirror) is not nearly as good as ActiveSync which is what Windows Mobile uses. For example, all my Outlooks contacts are categorized and when I sync them to a Windows Mobile device, those categories are honored. All my contacts, calendar, tasks are included here and are sync’d daily to my desktop PC.
• The MP3 Player is good. I use it to listen to podcasts, almost exclusively. I listen on my commute and usually at lunch. This gives me 2 or so hours of entertainment that I can’t get without carrying an MP3 player. I use an application called Pocket Tunes, combined with a 2G MiniSD card. This gives me enough capacity for several days worth of podcast listening. I do have to manage moving the data to it manually, but I have a pretty good system for that which has been perfected over the last couple of years (I was using the same system pre-Treo)
• The web browser that ships with the Treo is called Blazer. It is quite elegant, especially when using sites that are made for tiny screens. It is reasonably fast. There are some websites which make this browser even more valuable which I will talk about in a later article. I have a plan which allows unlimited data transfer, so I can use this feature as much as I want.
• The camera is lousy, but almost always available. Even though my Canon SD-450 can take nuch better pictures, having this camera around has been great for the blog, I have posted quite a few pictures taken with the Treo (even to my Flickr account).
  

Now comes the fun part. On April 22, 2007, I will be eligible for a $100 discount on a new phone. I would like the new device to provide all of the above functions and clear up some shortcomings. These include:

• Better screen – The resolution on this one is 160x160 and even when the characters are big enough to read, they’re sufficiently blocky to make reading it difficult.
• Larger screen – In addition to wanting a screen with a higher resolution, I also want a larger screen.
• Bluetooth – When the Treo 600 came out, this was not something that was available to any real extent. When I bought the 600, I could have gotten the 650 (which includes Bluetooth), but it was $150 more.
• Camera – I believe that any device I would be considering would have a better camera.
• Ability for the media player to sync with desktop, so that my manual process can go away.
• Wifi – If the phone I choose has WiFi, I might be able to do without the data plan, saving me $40-$50 per month. 802.11b will be sufficient for connectivity
  

These are only the options and prices that are available today. Chances are that in the next 7 months, these options will change.

• Motorola Q – This device is closest in physical appearance and spirit to the Treo. Runs Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone OS, so it doesn’t include a touchscreen, something I like about the Treo. It doesn’t have 802.11b. It has better resolution than the Treo 600, and the screen is slightly larger. Cost to upgrade: $ 319
• Verizon VX6700 – This is larger than the Treo. It has much better resolution (320x240) and a larger screen. It also has 802.11b wifi, so I would have Internet service where wireless service is available. The screen is large enough to watch videos as well. It has a full slide-out keyboard. Cost to upgrade: Cost to upgrade: $ 419

No substitute

There's no substitute for a Uniformed Safe Key Attentdant (except for possibly a coin box)

That ain't a lot of job security, huh?

Women in hats

Amy tried on this hat at the Puma store and she didn't buy it. This is the best that hat will ever look.

Dodge Ram SRT-10

This is the first SRT-10 I've seen and this one was a four-door. It's a Dodge Ram 1500 with a Viper engine creating 500 horsepower. $52,710 will buy you this pickup (well, that's the base price, this one may have had options).

1dn 4up

The above is a Texas license plate. The first person who leaves a comment that explains what it says and what that means will win a special prize.

Thanks Mom & Dad !

Today, I locked my keys in my truck at work. I called AAA and they sent someone out within 30 minutes or so, who made quick work of the job.

Twelve years ago, my Dad got me a AAA membership for Christmas and he and Mom have done that every year since. My dad passed away more than three years ago, but today my life was made easier because he always looked out for me.

Skating rink question...

Why do Zambonis have taillights ?

Forget the TV and watch the web

Lifehacker has a great article about how to stop watching TV and enjoy content on the web.

Movie Review: A Scanner Darkly

Sucked. Bad. Awful. Confusing. Retarded. Wierd. Long.

Real tech support conversation

Me: Does it give you an error message?
User: No, it just said “file could not be found”
(happened today)

I feel like a million ducks!

Cool portable camp chair

The Trail-Sling™ Ultralight's patented collapsible frame makes it a portable genius! When packed down in its handy sack, the Trail-Sling™ Ultralight is as small as a water bottle! In addition to its amazing compactability, the Trail-Sling™ Ultralight unfolds to create a remarkably comfortable off-the-ground seat with back support, ideal after a long day of outdoor activities. The Trail-Sling™ Ultralight's small size is ideal for backpacking but it's so comfortable you'll use it for all your outdoor activities!

Portable Furniture - GCI Outdoor - Everywhere Chair, outdoor chairs, lawn chairs

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...