All Quite on the Southern Front

The weather has changed for the better in Atlanta and I’m happy to say the Summer is officially gone. I’ve been on two walks with Ryan and the sky can’t be more blue than it is right now. I’m happy to report the grass is greener on my side of the street.

I’m anticipating the new Michael Moore movie coming out in October. His last few documentaries have been amazing. I don’t agree with 100% of his ideas and politics but even with all the spin in this movie, there is truth. And truth is hard to come by these days. With all the junk in the media, news stations adding their opinions and fear tactics from our government, it’s a wonder that we all haven’t checked in.

Michael Moore is great at showing us what we’re not used to seeing. Although I don’t agree with some of his suggestions and disagree with his solutions to our nations problems, I respect what he has done as an artist. And before I'm labeled a pessimist I'd like to add that I did come up with a plan for getting us through the economic free fall. It involves a brick wall, a large shovel, 300 rotten tomatoes and a lot of peoples time. Details to follow . . .

Overall I’m sure the new flick will be better than watching some d-bag talk about Mackenzie Phillips and her horrific plight. Nor do I care to hear the update on Jon and Kate Gosselin. It’s hard to filter though all the mess on cable and find anything worth watching. And for some reason, I still pay for it.

Once Upon a Time at a Rest Stop Far Far Away . . .

I was having a really rough week a few weeks ago. The job was driving me nuts and I was running on empty with no sleep. Robin decided to go to Florida on Friday and that meant driving and trying to stay awake. After a really hard night of driving we got to Leesburg. We had a panhandler ask us for gas money at a rest stop just to make things more interesting. That was scary.

It was very nice to visit with the Holdens even if for only one day. I managed to get a nap in during the afternoon on that Saturday and hang out with my Nephew, William. It's fun to watch him grow up. We played with the frisbee and James cooked some really awesome chicken. Mmmmm! Bar-b-que chicken on a grill! Christy had fun watching Ryan and when Sunday rolled around, it was time to go home.

On the way home things seemed to get better. We stopped at Cracker Barrel but not to eat. Ryan needed a change. So after a new diaper and a bottle it was time to take his picture in a rocking chair. From there we made are way home but had to stop again in South Georgia.

Ahhhhh, South Georgia . . .

At the rest stop we encountered an interesting couple. Unfortunately words can not describe the gentle man so I'm including a picture. His wife had yellow capris and a red polka dot shirt. You may think I'm being a jerk for posting this guy's picture on the 'net but he's the one who went out in public dressed like this....

Ryan Smiled and the Whole World Smiled with Him.

In case you haven't been to my flickr site, go check it out. There's a bunch of pictures that still need to go up but I'm finding less and less time to do it. There are so many things that require a parent's attention that, well, for instance: as I'm typing this, I'm rocking Ryan in a swing. Not easy to do in-between sentences. But it's totally worth it. His smile is now the highlight of my life. Robin caught it on video and it's on the flickr site, but only for friends and family.

Email me if you'd like to see it and I'll be happy to send you a link.

Nonsense! I've recently bought a Dell Inspiron. I love the machine and the 4 gigs of Ram with 64 bit processing is amazing for graphic editing and multitasking. It runs like a dream. Everything is almost perfect . . . except . . . VISTA!!! Nooooooo..
Ok, that might have been a little over dramatic. My appologies. It's actually not the end of the world and I don't think Vista is as bad as the hype has made it out to be. There are, however, some major problems for people that aren't on the top of the computing game. Most users are probably ultra mega upset with the security features that annoy at every turn. Secondly, I would bet a large sum that the same people are upset with the file/folder setup. There's simply too many options and one can waste hours trying to find stuff. Vista likes to put downloads wherever it wants to. It also has two sets of "Program Files" folders. Microsoft will have to really pull their foot out and get their schtuff straight with Windows 7.

I'm happy about my new computer but I'm waiting on Windows 7 and keeping my fingers crossed.

Resteraunt Review

2 Establishments deserve a pat on the back from me. First I will comment on Roly Poly, a cute little chain resteraunt that serves wraps, salads, grilled wraps and other items. The location I visited was in Woodstock at Town Lake. It's in a newly developed strip of shops off the side of the highway (575).

9 out of 10! I'm usually critical but the food was soooo good I have to look past the size of the shop. It's nice to get away from the fast food and this was far from the normal greasy junk that is served at the usual places. I was served quickly and out of the place in under 15 minutes. Considering it's fresh food and made "to order" that's rather quick. There weren't any other customers due to the flood weather so that might have sped things up. Over all, I was impressed with the taste. Good job to Roly Poly.

Kayson's Grill is a small chain (6 locations) in Northern Atlanta. It is a well kept grill and bar style resteraunt with flat screens everywhere. The music is lively and the first thing a customer notices after arriving is the cake display. Mmmmmm, cake . . .

10 out of 10! It's not easy to get a perfect score. I've been to 3 different Kayson locations multiple times. I've never left the place feeling hungry, poor or upset with the wait. It's amazing that the 3 locations all operate with a good staff, plenty of entertainment and amazing food. Today I had the Luisianna Penne without the scallions. I had the french onion soup to start. Before I could finish my soup I had my food in front of me. That's quick. And if that's not good enough, I was watching the Falcons on big screen in high def. I can't remember the other meals I've tried at Kayson but I do know I've never been unhappy with thier food. This is a definant recomendation and I highly suggest visiting this place while in the North Atlanta area.

On a side note, I've downloaded Blender and it works on my new computer. I'm extremly excited about this program and the posiblilities that might surface from a designers point of view. It's the best alternative to a $3,500 over priced 3-D program.

As I drive to work . . . on my day off . . .

So I'm at work right now. The last place I want to be and to top that off, the weather is horrible and shooting conditions suck. I don't have a tripod and I'm wondering why I even brought my camera with me. But there is a point to this blog. I think.

Oh, I remember. I wanted to give a shout out to the Doctor who blew me off this week. I would normally brush it off my shoulder but this is the second time I've been unhappy with her practice. Rather than dump on her, I'll just say "good luck with every thing" and now I have to find another respiratory doctor.

No, I don't have a problem with my lungs. I just snore louder than all get out.

A little negative and grumpy today if you haven't already noticed. Maybe the caffeine will lighten up the poopie mood I'm in. More floods are scheduled for today. Time to buy a canoe.

Completely new to blogging so forgive the lack of professionalism...

A Marine that I served with is starting his campaign run for a congress seat from Virgina. I wish him the best. We worked together in Hawaii for the Marine's Support Battalion. We were on "the floor" together from 98 till 2001 when I left Company I to join the Radio Battalion at K-bay. I called David "Peterson" back then but now it's David. I last saw him up in Washington DC in 2004 during St. Patricks day. His wife and him joined me and Salmon for some drinks and the usual shinanigans. Nobody got hurt which was good. However, a trip to see Salmon is not complete with out drunken foolsihness. We ended up getting kicked out of a concert because we were actually cooler than everyone in the bar.

The Strokes and Jet if you were wondering.