Diesel Jetta

The 2009 Jetta TDI's will soon be here. Jim Ellis has one already for test drives. It's rated at 40 MPG. I've spent some time in the new Jetta's and they are roomy. Check out goodcleandieselfun.com for additional information.

"Smoking Alternative"

100_0697.JPG, originally uploaded by A Shipp.

Dietary Supplement
Lemon Flavor
Nic Lite
Nicotine Supplement
8 fl. oz (240mL)

What else do you need ?

Triple A Fastener.

100_0650.JPG, originally uploaded by A Shipp.

Apparently, they have quite a selection of fasteners. This was shot at Applebee Park in Lexington, Ky.

Same to you buddy!

100_0713.JPG, originally uploaded by A Shipp.

This is John and Marybeth's cat, Murphy. He's giving me a one-finger salute!

Clear Any Clogged Drain

Clear Any Clogged Drain | Plumbing | How-to | This Old House - 1

This worked for me this morning!

Don't talk to the police

A couple of awesome (long) videos about why you Don't talk to the police.

Tour de France 2008

Be sure and check out Google's content regarding the Tour de France 2008, They have Google Maps and YouTube stuff.

Drive-In, again ...

We're between movies at the drive-in. We just saw Wanted and in just a few minutes, The Incredible Hulk will start.

Art

I drew and colored this car tonight at Macaroni Grill.

Welcome Kristen to the Blogosphere

Please check out my niece's blog, "One Note at a Time". The URL is http://kristen-onenote.blogspot.com/.

6 bits, not 4

The Atlanta Journal Constitution will be increasing its daily rate on Monday. The price is currently 50 cents and will be increasing to 75 cents. That's an increase of 50%! The Sunday price will remain at $2.

The Grand Post

'Grand' in this case, is slang for 1000. This is the 1000th post to Does the fun ever start?

When I started this blog in May, 2004, it was an experiment and it still is. I don't know what keeps it going. Sometimes, I've felt pressured to post when I didn't have anything to say and often I'm surprised at just how trivial the posts are. At the end of the day, I like having a place on the internet. As I've mentioned before, I also have a wildly inflated sense of Ego because of my blog.

So, the experiment continues...

Brown Dog Pizza

Thursday night, we ate at Brown Dog Pizza in Telluride. We went there because on Wednesday, Will played golf with the owner, so he was the one person we knew in Telluride.

Traffic Jam

Traffic Jam, originally uploaded by eschulz.

When we were on the road on Wednesday from Grand Junction to Telluride, we were stopped due to a striping/paving project. They closed the road in one direction and then let 100-150 cars go through at once. It seemed pretty inefficient, but while I was looking through my pictures, I really loved this one.

Bluegrass Lineup

Here's the lineup from Bluegrass. I've marked in Bold the acts that we saw while we were there. We missed the others.

Thursday, June 19
10:00am — Gates Open
11:00 - 12:00pm — Darrell Scott
12:15 - 1:30pm — Cadillac Sky
2:00 - 3:15pm — Uncle Earl
3:30 - 4:45pm — Arlo Guthrie
5:15 - 6:45pm — Del McCoury Band
7:15 - 8:30pm — Ani DiFranco Band
9:00 - 10:30pm — Ryan Adams & The Cardinals

Friday, June 20
9:00am — Gates Open
10:00 - 11:00am — Spring Creek
11:30 - 12:45pm— Béla Fleck, Duos with Friends
1:15 - 2:30pm — Emmitt-Nershi Band
3:00 - 4:15pm — Peter Rowan & the Free Mexican Airforce
4:30 - 5:45pm — Tim O'Brien
6:00 - 7:30pm — Paolo Nutini
8:00 - 9:30pm — Ricky Skaggs & Bruce Hornsby with Kentucky Thunder
10:00 - 11:30pm — Leftover Salmon

Saturday, June 21 (the summer solstice)
9:00am — Gates Open
9:45 - 11:00am — Band Contest Finals
11:15 - 12:15pm — Steep Canyon Rangers
12:30 - 1:45pm — Tift Merritt
2:15 - 3:30pm — Jerry Douglas Band
3:45 - 4:00pm — Telluride Troubadour
4:15 - 5:45pm — Yonder Mountain String Band
6:15 - 7:30pm — Brett Dennen
8:00 - 10:00pm — Sam Bush Band
10:30pm - Midnight — The Frames


Sunday, June 22
9:00am — Gates Open
10:15 - 11:30am — Solomon Burke
12:00 - 1:15pm — The Duhks
1:45 - 3:00pm — Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile
3:30 - 4:45pm — John Cowan & Darrell Scott Band
5:15 - 6:30pm — Hot Rize with Red Knuckles & the Trailblazers
7:00 - 8:30pm — The Swell Season: Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
9:00 - 11:00pm — Telluride House Band

When it rains...

We're stil at Bluegrass. It's raining ice. I don't know if this sleet, hail or frozen rain. We're safe and dry in an empty tent adjacent to our tarp. It's only party cloudy, so it probably won't last very long.

Church

This morning, we're in 'church'. Solomon Burke is holding court with an awesome band. It's gospel time!

No helmets

Everyone in Telluride has a bike, but none of them have helmets.

Our chariot awaits...

Amy bought a tuque

For my American readers, it's also called a toboggan.

Throw Down Your Heart

This morning at Midnight, we went to the Nugget Theater in Telluride to see Throw Down Your Heart - Béla Fleck Brings The Banjo Back To Africa. Béla was there to introduce the movie. It was really good, but right now they have no distribution deal, so the only places you can see it are film festivals and music festivals where Béla is playing.

"Throw Down Your Heart follows American banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck on his journey to Africa to explore the little known African roots of the banjo and record an album. Béla's boundary-breaking musical adventure takes him to Uganda, Tanzania, The Gambia, and Mali, and provides a glimpse of the beauty and complexity of Africa. Using his banjo, Béla transcends barriers of language and culture, finding common ground and forging connections with musicians from very different backgrounds."

Greetings from Telluride

(I usually don't take requests, but a loyal reader asked...)

Dusk at Telluride

Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Hornsby and Kentucky Thunder just took the stage and they are playing an awesome version of Bruce's 'That's Just the Way it Is'. After burning up all day, it feels nice to put on a fleece jacket.

Point6 - Spread the wool

Point6 is having their product launch at the Telluride Blugrass Festival. They are giving away their great wool athletic socks. Amy and I are wearing ours today and they are very soft and comfortable.

Attention Ladies

The lock is there for a reason!

Got to go 'round...

Spinnin' wheel, got to go 'round...

This woman was sitting beside us yesterday. She's a weaver and brought a portable spinning wheel and made yarn from wool all day long. It was pretty cool.

Colorado Camouflage

This is our rental car in Colorado. It is snow white, so it would be good for camo in this area at certain times of the year.

Whataview...

We're waiting in line at Bluegrass and this is the view we're seeing.

Planet Bluegrass - Telluride Bluegrass

It's June 18th and it's finally here. Our nephew Will graduated from high school this past month. He's an avid golfer and banjo player. It's been Amy's dream for years to take Will on a great vacation for his graduation gift. Over the past year, it's been my dream too. Amy decided on taking him to the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and we all agreed. So, for months, Amy has been planning this perfect trip.

Planet Bluegrass - Telluride Bluegrass: "The 35th Annual Telluride Bluegrass coincides with the Summer Solstice and the days surrounding the full moon; the longest day of the year; the beginning of summer. It's a magical time of sun and light, when the the high country of Colorado puts away its skis and grabs hiking boots, kayaks, and a low-back festival chair to take in 'Bluegrass.'"

Today, we left Atlanta at about 6:30am (Eastern Time) and flew to Denver. Once there, we boarded a smaller plane to Grand Junction, Co. We then drove to Mountain Village, which is where we are staying. We took Will to the Telluride Golf Club so that he could play 18 holes. Amy and I took two (free) Gondola rides across the mountains down to Telluride.

More later.

Firefox web browser

Firefox web browser | Faster, more secure, & customizable
It's Tuesday and that means Firefox 3 should be available. I've been using the sneak peak versions for a couple of months and have been pleased with its performance. If you want to download it, you can help them reach their goal.

The kids are alright

This was shot at the Mall of Georgia. You should be happy this is a photo and not a video, otherwise you would have to endure the shreiking.

Neighborhood cat

100_0965 (Cropped), originally uploaded by eschulz.

We don't know who owns him, so we needed something to call him. Meet Frank Manischewitz

Check out my new grill!

100_0973, originally uploaded by eschulz.

A week or two ago, I bought this grill at The Home Depot. I finally got it assembled yesterday morning and grilled pork chops and turkey sausage on it last night. Both were edible!

Music Control System

makezine.com: Music Control System
I am going to modify this slightly to be our Music Control Systen at our new house. I have just the PC in mind.

Friday, the 13th

This has traditionally brought me good luck, so I'm not too worried.

How to Block Cellphone Spam

How to Block Cellphone Spam - Pogue’s Posts - Technology - New York Times Blog
In case you're receiving cell phone spam, this may be helpful.

Iron Maiden High Tops

Amy and I bought some shoes at Abbadabba's and they had these awesome Van's which I would have bought if i wasn't so....middle-aged.

1-800-GOOG-411

1-800-GOOG-411: Find and connect with local businesses for free from your phone.This is a really cool service from Google. Add this number to your cell phone for free 411 information, dialing and other services.

Insane Mountain Bike Trials Riding

This must be seen to be believed. Brought to you from the guys at thinkbikes.com.

Ram Tough.

My favorite beer has a ram's head on the label and my truck has one on the hood. This one is mural under the hood of a burnt orange 1940 Dodge Panel Wagon. We saw it at an antique car show in Gadsden, Al.

The Concorde at Twains

A taste of all seven of their beers. Five of them were good and I didn't care for the other two. That's where we ate last night. The turkey meatloaf was really good.

Bed full of horns

I saw these three air horns mounted in the bed of a 4WD Ford Ranger. This seems like the PERFECT vehicle to travel around Atlanta in.

The elusive camo bikini ...

Available now at Bass Pro Shops...

I wanna be a Rockstar

Can you count the cameos? Wayne Gretsky, Gene Simmons, Billy Gibbons, Ted Nugent, Kid Rock...

If you want the complete listing, here it is.

Dubs (and then some)

You see these all over town. This was shot in almost the same spot as the green Charger.

Survive a Zombie Apocalypse

Survive a Zombie Apocalypse - Wired How-To Wiki

Graduation Day!

Today, we're in Fort Payne, Alabama for the FPHS Graduation. Will is graduating today. When I met him, he was 8 and a wonderful kid. He's not a kid anymore,, but he's still wonderful. Congratulations, Will (and Brandy, Hunter and Liz)!!!

'cuda is short for Barracuda

I saw this at Horseradish Grill. You might think it's purple, but it's actually Plum Crazy. It was parked righ next to a black Acura NSX.

Indiana Jones and the Ultimate Quest

I just watched an awesome show on the History channel called Indiana Jones and the Ultimate Quest. It's going to be on a couple more times in the next week or two. Check it out if you have interest in Indiana Jones or archeology.

Throughout history there have been legendary artifacts that have captured the imagination of adventurers everywhere. While belief in their existence seems to fly in the face of reason and science, there have been those who have devoted their lives to their discovery. One man has looked for some of these remarkable treasures. He is Indiana Jones--professor of archeology and an adventurer who has uncovered some of the world's greatest mysteries. But Dr. Jones is just a fictitious character and it's widely assumed that the artifacts he searched for were also figments of a writer's imagination. But were they?

Coronitas Extra

Right here in Oakhurst! 7 ounce bottles of goodness. Just like in Key West... If you come to Decatur, we'll hook you up.

The Faure Requiem

Tonight, we're at Schwartz Center for Performing Arts at Emory University with friends to see the above work. It's a beautiful space.

Great Strides

Amy and I are walking in Great Strides, a fund raiser for Cystic Fibrosis. It's a beautiful day and we're walking five kilometers (Or apprixmately 32 miles (never mind - it's only 3.2 miles)).

4th Anniversary

Birthday? Anniversary ? I don't know, but Does the fun ever start? is 4 years old.

Yesterday's fortune cookie

Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it.

ScanGaugeII - Scan Tool + Digital Gauges + Trip Computers

Amy's Passat has a great trip computer that provides a lot of information like fuel consumption (average and current), average speed, driving time, driving distance and distance left with current fuel amount. One thing I learned recently is that most cars made since 1996 provide all of this information (and more) to a port located within a few inches of the steering column. To access it, all you need is something like the ScanGaugeII - Scan Tool + Digital Gauges + Trip Computers which sells for $169

"The ScanGaugeII is an extremely compact automotive computer designed to read and display information about your vehicle in real time.

Simply connect the ScanGaugeII to your vehicle through it's OBDII port using the included cable, turn the ignition key and the ScanGaugeII automatically connects to your cars internal computer - it's that simple."

Movie Tavern is here!

Movie Taverns consist of two concepts: the "Original" style locations that provide counter-service in the lobby and the "Premier" locations that provide full wait-staff service in each theatre. Both style of Movie Taverns combine first-run movies with a casual dining menu offering a wide range of choices that include half-pound burgers, homemade pizzas, chicken sandwiches, wings and fries, appetizers, beer, wine, and margaritas. Of course, you can always get traditional concession items, such as soft drinks, candy, and fresh-popped popcorn as well.

We've been waiting for a replacement for our beloved Alamo Drafthouse since we left Austin. Hopefully this will be it. We hope to check out next weekend to see Iron Man. This chain exists in Houston where Alamo also exists, so we have some hope that it will be 50% as good as Alamo.

An Engineer s Guide to Cats

Maybe the coolest carport in Oakhurst...

Ryan Perrilloux calls Nick Saban

This is the actual news:Dismissed LSU QB Perrilloux failed drug test - College Football

This conversation might have occurred. If it did, I assume that it happened soon after.

Ryan Perrilloux: Coach Saban?
Nick Saban: Yes?
Ryan Perrilloux: This is Ryan Perrilloux.
Nick Saban: From LSU ?
Ryan Perrilloux: Yes, sir. It seems that I was cut from the LSU Tigers for failing a drug test.
Nick Saban: Ouch! They still do those ?
Ryan Perrilloux: Yep. Anyway, I though that you might have a need for a QB.
Nick Saban: Always. Have you done any jailtime?
Ryan Perrilloux: Not yet. But Coach, I'm willing to do whatever it takes.

The Chargers of Edgewood...

Today, on Edgewood Ave, I saw about 10 customized Dodge Chargers. This was by far the best example.

States I was in from Monday to Friday

1. Kentucky
2. Ohio
3. Indiana
4. Tenessee
5. Georgia
6. Alabama

That's 12% of the United States!

Best Seats in the House

Amy and I are in Lexington Kentucky visting Marybeth and John. bought
us tickets to the Applebee's Park. We're sitting in the second row
behind home plate. The Lexington Legends are playing the Lakewood
Blueclaws. This is awesome!

Hummer HT

When you just don't care about the environment (or basic human decency)!!

Frequent Automotive Mispronunciations

Kelley Blue Book - Frequent Automotive Mispronounciations

I was right on all of them except Jaguar which I pronounce the way all educated Americans do. Apparently, though, I pronounce Volvo incorrectly, which I don't understand because:

• It has five letters (and only three different ones!)
  
• It has two syllables (and one of them rhymes wirh "O")
  
• My mother-in-law drives one (and I think she pronounces it wrong too)
  

See how you do...

Yet another Verizon complaint

For a long time, I've been live blogging stuff from my phone. These are pictures that I take and then submit to Blogger with text that posts right to my blog. For the past couple of months, it's been very slow, sometimes taking hours to post. I didn't complain. The past few I've sent adds the following text. This is nothing but an ad for Verizon Wireless (a company I despise, in spite of being their customer for several years). I tonight called to have this disabled and the polite Customer Service Representative explained that this was a new feature.

I explained that I didn't want to put advertising on my blog without a fee being paid by Verizon Wireless. She explained that this text is only added when sending to an email address. I explained that's the only way I would ever send a picture. I asked if she would cancel my contract without penalty, since I am no longer receiving the service I chose and have paid for. She said that she wouldn't because I can still send the message. I asked if I could speak to a manager and she said that "No, we are running a skeleton crew today" and I should call back tomorrow. This is what their advertisement says (I have changed the Verizon Wireless link to point somewhere else, since they aren't paying me to provide a link to their site.

This message was sent using the Picture and Video Messaging service from Verizon Wireless!

To learn how you can snap pictures and capture videos with your wireless phone visit www.verizonwireless.com/picture.

To play video messages sent to email, QuickTime� 6.5 or higher is required. Visit www.apple.com/quicktime/download to download the free player or upgrade your existing QuickTime� Player. Note: During the download process when asked to choose an installation type (Minimum, Recommended or Custom), select Minimum for faster download.

Oakhurst Skate Park...

This is the skate park within the city park adjacent to our house. BMX bikes, skateboards and inline skates are allowed. There are ramps, quarter pipes and rails.

April 20, 2008

Today was the day that Amy turned up the radio. When it was playing a Kiss song. Twice. And sang along. At the top of her lungs.

Hybrid Center

A cool site about hybrids. I'm thinking about one. It's from the Union of Concerned Scientists. Check it out!Hybrid Center: Hybrid Cars, Trucks, and Suvs

Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery

Woohoo! According to their website, we may be getting Tilted Kilt Pub in Atlanta! (see the bottom right corner of the screen)

AJC Auto Show

We're gonna go to the AJC Auto Show again this year. Last year, we had a great time but we weren't looking for anything in particular. Amy had bought her car a couple of months before. This year, I'll be looking at several things. I plan to purchase a vehicle in about a year. At that point my truck will be seven years old and will have about 90,000 miles.

Canvas prints from photos

Canvas Prints For Less looks like a pretty good service. Prices start at $40. Once I take a suitable picture, I may order one.

Half Price Wine ?!?!

Amy and I went to Little Azio in Decatur tonight. Some of my mosr loyal readers have dined there with us (Hey, John and Sara) or at the chain's other restaurants (Hey, Jeff). The Decatur location (at least) has half-priced bottles of wine on Saturday nights. Amy had pasta and I had a chicken salad and we split a bottle of Chianti and our total bill was $25.57. What a great price on a wonderful meal.

Competing Media Players

Adobe Media Player is available and there's some content available like MTV Cribs. It might have trouble catching Hulu, where you can view all three seasons of Arrested Development.

Stranger Photos Have Happened

So, I'm trolling the blogs I read regularly and I see a link to The Plug - Stranger Photos Have Happened. This guy had a neat idea: He tied a disposable camera to a bench and taped a note that said:

Good afternoon,
I attached this camera to the bench so you could take pictures. Seriously. So have fun. I'll be back later this evening to pick it up.
Love, Jay / The Plug

So, I thought that was a pretty neat idea, so I checked out the photos and none are fabulous, but some are interesting. Then I noticed on Photo 14 that I know the location of the bench. It's at the corner of Virginia and Highland. You may remember that the first place we lived in Atlanta was in Virginia Highlands (named for it's proximity to those two rtreets). This is one of our favorite areas to hang out.

Our Japanese Red Maple.

Look Ma!

Shot on the campus of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Slightly modified Pedestrian Crossing sign.

New schedule

My new schedule allows me to leave work on Fridays at 13:20. The Fry's sale starts each Friday. Coincidence?

Well, actually, it is just a coincidence.

Pollen count is high...

This is part of the hood of my truck. The green spots are pollen. They're there because yesterday, the pollen count in Decatur was over 1000.

LiveBlackCrowes.com

If you're a fan, you owe it to yourself to register at LiveBlackCrowes.com. You can download their new album, Warpaint for $9.95 (MP3) or $12.95 (lossless).

The first 10,000 fans to register at LiveBlackCrowes.com will receive a free MP3 download of "One Night Only," a two hour compilation from the band's recent club gigs.

Solo Row Across the Atlantic

I had no idea that anyone had ever rowed across an ocean by themselves. According to Wikipedia, ocean rowing is a sport. Sam Williams is the guy in the video; if you want more information, check out his blog.

Jesus Saves

That's the sign near the top of the steeple. Shot out of the sunroof on Auburn Ave last week.

Lenny's Bar

Lenny's Bar is located (apparently) at 486 Decatur St SE. This is just a few hundred feet from where a tornado caused significant damage to the Stacks Lofts.

They wanted to be sure that we knew that they are still open for business.

About a week ago, they nailed a sheet of plywood to a telephone pole with 'Lenny's Bar Open' with an arrow. That was removed at some point last week.

Now, the signage has escalated. This is the retaining wall at the strip center that houses Lenny's. You can't really tell in the picture, but this is a 6 foot high wall. I saw it yesterday and assume that it will be gone soon, so I stopped on the way home and shot this picture.

I'll bet you $20 that Squiggy doesn't even know about the sign.

Oakhurst Fire Station

This is the Oakhurst Fire Station. It's not every day that all of their truck are outside all at once. This place is two city blocks from our house, so if we need them, it's nice to know that they're there.

Finally: My day in court...

About six weeks ago, I got a ticket in my truck for expired registration. The cop asked if I had the sticker on me and I said "No, but I have it at home". When he gave me the ticket, he said that all I needed to do was appear in court on my scheduled date with my receipt for my registration (dated before the ticket) and the charge would be dismissed.

Today, was my court date. I've never contested a ticket before, so I didn't know what to expect. I got there at 2:30 for a 3:00pm docket. I checked in with someone and explained my situation. I then filled out a form with my plea (Guilty, Not Guilty, or Nolo Contendre (No Contest)). I decided to plead Not Guilty. The prosecutor called me up and I discussed the situation with him and he said that he would move to dismiss the charges.

At about 3:10, the Judge entered the courtroom and we all had to rise (just to sit back down). She called everyone with a last name up to M and had them stand in a line, while she dealt with their charges and pleas. Almost all plead guilty, which didn't make much sense to me, because if you're gonna pay the ticket, you can do that by mail. I noticed that every time someone plead Not Guilty, the judge asked if they wanted to be represented by a lawyer at a hearing (which would be rescheduled at some later date).

I was starting to get concerned because I didn't want to waste another bunch of time on another day. So, then the people who have a last name beginning with a letter greater than the letter M were asked to stand in line.

Then it was my turn. I stood at the podium and was about to state "Not Guilty, Your Honor", when the prosecutor sidled up beside me and said "Your Honor, I've reviewed the documents and move that we dismiss all charges". The judge said "OK. Dismissed." and I left.

Robbed of that opportunity, I would just like to emphatically state "Not Guilty, Your Honor"!

Honey I shrunk the Passat

Today I drove Amy's Passat to the dealer for her 20,000 mile service and the airbag snsor had gone bad and that item needs to be special ordered. Since one shouldn't be driving with a bad airbag sensor, VW furnished a lovely Jetta with 2,000 miles.

A little early...

Yesterday, on our way to Alabama, we saw a woman being given a field sobriety test at 8:45AM.

Tenants, Landlords and Homeowners

Today, we are all three. On Sunday, we will cease to be Tenants. With any luck, we will cease to be landlords a couple of weeks later and then we will just be homeowners...

Old Gas Pump...

It predates gasoline that costs more than $0.99 per gallon.