Me, now.

This is who I am becoming.

Religion 101

This looks like a good book. I know I could use reading it.
Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know - And Doesn't

In other news, I went to a Big Easy Rollergirls bout this past weekend. Good stuff.

Rib Update

Speaking of nice photos of Mobile scenes, the sign below is a good one.


(And notice the shining rays of God's approval)

Mobile in the NYT

Well I'll be. Mobile is in the Times today!
You Can Call It the Little Easy
How strange is that? It mentions Oakleigh, which is right next-door to where I live now.
Nice photos, too.

Back to Cali

So I'm California for a few days to recuperate from my recent struggles and help Cheryn move back to New Orleans. Things here in Santa Monica are glorious, as usual. I've been hanging out with several old friends, eating and drinking well, and breathing in the fragrant foliage and ocean air. One particular treat was yesterday, Esha and I went to Cafe Bolivar, a coffee shop/cafe I hadn't been to in almost 4 years, and right away this girl that works there came up to me and said "Hey, where've you been?" and "You got a haircut" as if I'd just been in here a month ago. Everybody was so nice and asking about me, and remembered my love for arepas. The nice girl, Norine, even encouraged me to come back in and they'd get me in the kitchen and teach me to make my own arepas, which I just did. I'm at the cafe enjoying them now! Another fun thing yesterday, Esha and I drove up the PCH to Paradise Cove. Neat place.

Here I am at the beach Thursday evening.


Here I am with the arepas I just made.

Chickenz in tha hood

Exciting news! There are chickens in my neighborhood! I was just on a walk with Foster when, about two blocks away, I came upon a house with a beautiful Barred Rock hen in the yard! When we approached, it scooted into some nearby bushes, where I spied several more hens! Brown and white ones too. There were at least 5 in all, maybe more. And it was a pretty nice house, too. So there is some precedent for keeping sweet chickens in this nice old neighborhood. I will be paying closer attention to that yard.

MacBook & Foster

So I'm spending my days studying for the impending exam. The new computer got here last week, and it is amazing. Incredible technology. One thing it has is the built-in camera, allowing me to have video chats using iChat. If anyone out there has a webcam, my AIM id is boatloadofpigs. I've never been much for instant messaging, but doing it via audio/video is neat!

Also, I have a study buddy with me right now. Foster is here! He is a wonderful gentleman, as ever. He mainly just hangs out while I study, but from time to time we go on walks. A few nights ago I took him to his first Mardi Gras parade. Here is an image of how we're spending our days lately...

Tip of the Day

Don't snorkel in Oregon.

Tip of the Day

Always be careful not to take the wrong bus.

Live from Mobile

I can hear the Mardi Gras parade from my couch right now. Conde Cavaliers, first of the season.

Update

Greetings. It's been a busy and unsettled few weeks, but I'm able to post now. The biggest news is that I just moved to Mobile. Found a great little house in the Oakleigh Historic Garden District, a few blocks from Parks. Yes, after years of following Dan around the country, I felt it was time to make a change. Parks is my new beacon. I left DC last week, got here last Friday, and I'm now basically settled. Come visit.

Painfully, I still don't have my computer back, which made it hard to wrap up my affairs in DC - subletting the apt., etc - but I made do by using other people's computers. The bad news is that it's now been 4 weeks since I had my computer, but the great news is that Apple told me last week that they're replacing my broken iBook with a new MacBook! Amazing! The iBook was still waiting on a part, and they didn't want to make me wait indefinitely, so they're sending me a new one! And it's a huge leap over the old one, so I'm about to jump out of my pants I'm so excited!
Another bit of pleasant computer news is that as of today my DSL service is operational, I've got the wireless going, and I remembered my old Dell laptop still works for simple things, so for the first time in a month, I can sit on the couch and be online. It's a huge relief. But I do need my Mac, with all my data & stuff, before I'm back at full strength.

So there are the headlines. More tales & details will be along in time.

Still no computer

Well it's been a week and my computer is still in the shop. It's very frustrating. I've still been able to get online every day, at the Apple Store, or the Cleveland Park library, or a friend's house, but it's not the same.

In other news, the Saints play tonight. Go Saints!

Holy S**t!!!

It's here!!! It's really real!!! Introduced today: the iPhone! This thing is unbelievable! Normally things don't quite live up to the rumors, but this thing meets and exceeds them. Phone, ipod, movies, web browsing, email, camera, wifi/cellular/bluetooth, widgets, light/proximity/orientation sensors, and more! It's everything in one. At $499/$599, it seems expensive at first glance, but look at the whole picture. It's not just a phone or ipod, it's in the Treo/Blackberry class (and at the top of it). It's a mini-computer, running Mac OS X. With shocking new touch-screen technology. Yes, I'M CRAZED!!!!

Sad Day

Once again, I'm reporting in from an Apple Store (Arlington, VA), but this time, I'm not here for leisure. I'm here for a crisis.
Last night my computer started acting funny, freezing on me. I'd never seen anything like it before, having had a year and 5 months of flawless performance. The freezing was intermittent, so I was able to go online and schedule an appointment with the Genius Bar (in-person tech support) for this afternoon. When I woke up this morning, the computer worked fine for awhile and I thought I might have nothing to show them at my appointment. Alas, right before I came over here, it started acting up again. I was able to surf around enough beforehand to find out that it was a recurring kernal panic. Got here to the Apple Store, they confirmed the "KP," troubleshot it, and determined that I'm having logic board failure. Not good. Computer needs to be sent off for repair. Booooooooooo! And I still had never really backed up in my life, and I've been meaning to, so I just bought a LaCie 250gb drive. They're transferring my data now, and the iBook will be sent to repair tomorrow.



Lisa says it should be back in 4-6 days. Let's hope all goes well. In the meantime, obviously, my access will be less frequent. Luckily I can plug the external drive into a friend's computer to get at my stuff if I need to. That's all for now.

Hearst Tower

Here's another scene from New York a couple of weeks ago. You may know that I've become an architecture buff. Here I am checking out the new Hearst Tower, by Norman Foster. It's built atop Hearst's original pre-Depression headquarters. Neat.

Live from the Apple Store, Fifth Avenue

Now this is getting ridiculous, isn't it?

Hey, look who was at this computer before me:

Live from the Apple Store, Soho

Greetings from New York. Trevor and I are here at the Apple Store in Soho. It is glorious, as usual. We've had a good day... running in the park with John S., browsing and carousing downtown. Later, Trevor will get his freak on.

Today in Washington

John appears before the Court, argues that Houston's should put the Flying Chicken Platter back on the menu rather than having it off-menu.

Another Halloween Shot

Saluting the Major...

Halloween Party

What were you for Halloween? I was a guy who's stuck in the 80's. I chose this because I wasn't sure if I was even going out, and all this costume took was 5 minutes of delving in my closet and sticking up my hair. A couple of people thought I was Max Headroom, which occurred to me as I was getting dressed, but I was not Max Headroom because I didn't want to have to be in character all night. Nonetheless, my look was well-received, especially for something with so little effort involved. I'm glad I still keep weird garb. The event was a party that my friend Molly took me to, and the best part is that it was only a block from home.

Here I am suited up:


K-Fed was also at the party. He had four babies pinned to himself. Two white, two black.


In other news: Yes, I am in Washington, DC. I moved here a few weeks ago and have been busy getting the apartment in order and starting the job search. I also dashed down to Alabama last weekend to see Stephanie and Foster in Montgomery and run some errands in Mobile. It's not a bad commute.

Dog Days on Dog River

Long time no post.
After an early September trip to DC to find an apartment, I've spent the last few weeks in Mobile and Montgomery, hanging out with family and Stephanie and Foster. Events included seeing a Willie Nelson show and eating many hot dogs from Chris' in Mgm and Smokey Dembo on DIP. I now have about a week left before I load up the U-Haul and head north. Here are some shots of recent life...

Stephanie, Foster and I swimming in the river.


Chip & Stephanie's dog Fox leaping off the wharf.

Goodbye Andre

Farewell, and Happy Retirement, to my all time favorite player. It was an awesome ride.

PS... RIP Steve Irwin. Unbelievable.

TubeSock & Chickens

Reporting live from Panera Bread on Airport Blvd.

Check out this great new program I just read about. It's called TubeSock. You can rip YouTube videos to your computer/ipod/whatever. Cool.

Also, today I saw many chickens right down on Bayou Road! Detailed report coming soon.

News from Mobile

I just had dinner with Trevor at Dreamland. Ribs & beans plus tales from the trucking & waste business equals a good damn night. For example, Trevor recently had a run-in with Leon Lett. That's right, the former Dallas Cowboy and Trevor had some business! Get him to tell you about it.

What else? I'm just getting some things done at home after a week or so in Montgomery with Stephanie and Foster, her new puppy. I went by her office at the AG's office and also paid a visit to Noel Barnes. Photo soon.

Down on the river, I'm apt-hunting and job-hunting, plus just enjoying being home and relaxed for the first time in three years. Today I bathed Frances (big job) and Sugar (little job) and took a nice swim in the river. Felt like old times. Now I just need some bulls here to get out there on the Dark Star.

Finally, I'm coming to you at the moment from the parking lot of WCHX headquarters. No wireless or even high speed at home, so I'm stuck with dial-up there. Hence, every so often I come into town to get on wireless somewhere for more serious surfing. Hopefully I won't get killed sitting here in the car, like someone recently did in the Panera Bread parking lot just up Montlimar from here.
Better get home. Happy trails.

Back to Chickens!

One of the joys of the BVI, like many islands, is the abundance of chickens running around everywhere. We saw all colors, ages, and sizes of regal chicken friends on Beef Island and Tortola. One afternoon, as I followed a few in front of the Pusser's store in Roadtown, one bemused local even said to me "You can have it!"

This beautiful hen ambled around the tables as we dined at Capriccio di Mare one evening:


And here is a handsome rooster and a little pullet I ran into one afternoon.


Exciting!!!

Sweaty in Alabama

I'm finally all moved out. Good riddance, Tuscaloosa. Went to Mobile a few days ago & unloaded the U-Haul into the garage, then went for a swim and a boat ride. It was great to get home. Now I'm in beautiful Montgomery for the week hanging out with Stephanie and the dog. She starts work at the AG's office tomorrow.

Also, despite the difficulties of getting quality photo processing in Alabama - seriously, it's nigh impossible - I have the BVI photos now. Here's a teaser until I put them online.

Exodus

Well, I'm back in Tuscaloosa, one last time. The trip to the islands was good; thankfully we got home before this new airline trouble arose. We got home Sunday night, on Monday went to Malbis to pick up Stephanie's puppy, and Tuesday night I got back here. From Wednesday to the present I have been packing up and moving out of my house. It is a loathesome task. At this point, Friday night, the U-Haul trailer is mostly loaded and I'm down to one last room to deal with. It has been the catch-all room the past few days, holding stuff that didn't fit better somewhere else, plus some things I just haven't gotten to yet. Emptying this room is my mission for the rest of tonight:



Then tomorrow morning I'm off to Mobile to unload this bitch.
One good thing - I saw Talledega Nights a few days ago. It's quite entertaining.

It's Over!

Finally, the long national nightmare is over. The bar is behind me. It was horrible...I hardly got any sleep and battled through grueling conditions in south Montgomery. It's done, though, hard as it is to believe. Thanks to everybody who commented.

I've been back in Tuscaloosa since Friday packing up my house. Tomorrow, a much needed vacation. Stephanie and I and the Doctors Lakey are going to the British Virgin Islands until the 6th (after which I move out of T-town). Strange as it will feel to be without them, I'm not taking my BarBri books.

Here's where we'll be:


Maybe we'll see some chickens down there and I can post something in the original theme of this blog! Chickens RULE! See you in a week.

Battle Stations!

It is upon us. My first bar exam. The Alabama Bar Exam commences tomorrow morning and runs through Wednesday afternoon. I'm to report for battle at 8am each morning at the Montgomery Quality Inn & Suites Convention Center. Check out the photos of this fine establishment.

Hopefully I'll make it through okay and live to tell about it later this week. Until then...

Here we go...

Puppies

Another quick update during a study break. Stephanie is getting a dog soon. Last Friday we met the puppies for the first time (can't bring one home for another month). Here's a picture. She'll be getting one of these, her sister will probably get the other.



The next day we went fishing, caught some yummy snapper. Maybe I'll put one of those pictures up sometime. Now back to law.

New Bar Study Music

Miss Radiohead? Check out Thom Yorke's new record, The Eraser.

This is Awesome

Have you heard about this guy's experience trying to cancel AOL? Here's the NYT article, which includes good links:

"AOL Said, 'If You Leave Me I'll Do Something Crazy'
A frustrated AOL customer's recorded phone call to customer service has become the online equivalent of a top-of-the-charts single."

Especially don't miss the video entitled "A Comcast Technician Sleeping on my Couch."

PS - no news from Tuscaloosa. Just studying and following World Cup and Wimbledon. Going to Montgomery tomorrow (helping Stephanie move) and to the beach this weekend.

Adventure in Tuscaloosa

Recently, Stephanie and I were bored and went looking for some adventure here in Tuscaloosa. We wound up at a local hunting and fishing superstore. Here are some scenes:

Camo attire and dead animals


Housewares and dead animals


Inspirational tableau of dead animals


Gun room and curious cat


Fake dead animals (to help lure real live animals)


Never too early to get 'em started

Ben Folds covers Dr. Dre

Check it out.
Did everyone know about this? He did it early last year. I just downloaded it; it's awesome. I like the album art too.

Wild Week of Weddings and Wheel Work

Well it's been another wild week around here. Liz's wedding last weekend was great. Hard to believe she's married now! It was great being around her and Van and family, not to mention Dan, T-Boz, Jan, Beth, Lindsey, Parks, and everybody else. Dan should have photos up soon.

Then, I got back here and decided to go get the Explorer's wheel bearings checked as recommended by Rick last week and Trevor over the weekend. Well, my bearings did need replacing - as did my front brake rotors, pads, my radiator, rear axle(!), and some other things. It took all week to get done and cost a pretty penny. Remember last week when we fixed the tranny thinking it was okay to put that much into the car if nothing else big was wrong? But there wasn't a great way to make *sure* there wasn't something else lurking? Well maybe I should have towed it all over town getting everything checked, 'cause between last week's bill and this week's, I think I may have made a different decision had I known. I love my Explorer...it's my tank...but I can't afford to pour this much money into it to preserve it beyond it's natural life. I'm happy to roll with it as long as it wants, but if there had to be an end to the era, and a new beginning, August and the new life in DC seems like a good time for it. Not now...me & the tank will be rollin' for quite some time.

Don't get me wrong...I love the legendary Explorer, I'm just disgruntled about its being a money pit these last couple of weeks. There are limits to what I can afford vs. what would be a better use of resources.

In other news, BarBri continues, and a favorite cheesemonger of mine, Cowgirl Creamery out of Point Reyes Station, CA, just opened a store in DC. I'm looking forward to that.

Finally, check out this new ACLU ad.

Weather Right Now

Tuscaloosa: Sunny, 97 degrees (7:11pm)
Santa Monica: Sunny, 69 degeees (5:11pm)

The Explorer is Back!

This afternoon I called Rick at Rick's Quality Transmission, just for a status report. I expected the Explorer to be ready tomrrow or perhaps next week, so imagine my surprise when Rick said it would be ready in about half an hour! So I got 'er back, with a whole new transmission and a new U-joint. The old one was about to fall out in the street.

Here I am driving joyously away from Rick's:


I've already gotten some road time, as I went to Birmingham this afternoon to pick up my photos from California and go to the good grocery store. Next item on the agenda: head to Mobile tomorrow for the big Liz Hallett wedding. I haven't been home in a long time; it will be good. It's always good to get back to the coast and escape from the damn hinterlands of West Central Alabama.

PS...in case you're wondering, the mileage is now just a hair over 270,000.

Explorer, etc.

The Explorer will ride again! I decided to fix it; shopping for a new car would just be too much of a hassle and distraction right now. Thanks to all who weighed in. The Explorer and I will be back on the road again soon, making you proud.

In other news:

Have you seen the I/O Brush? Look how cool this is.

Also, a recent LA Times article on shopping in London had the following absolutely true passage: "If I'm in the mood, I cross the street to Marks & Spencer, a British institution. The underwear floor is amazing, and Marks & Spencer's basic house-label T-shirts are softer than any I've bought in the U.S." YES! These are the shirts I have loved for 10 years! Article here.

Finally, I recently had the pleasure of meeting the mother of Dawn and Danielle Ripple. She's the secretary of Stephanie's new landlord in Montgomery. You'll be glad to know that the Ripples are doing fine. Danielle just had a baby. Jim...that could have been yours.

Transmission or Retirement?

So bar exam prep classes are well underway. Pretty miserable.

Also, the Explorer diagnosis is: all forward gears are burnt up. So unless I learn to go everywhere in reverse, a decision must be made. Either fix it, for a pretty penny, and hope the beast holds out for a few more years, or accept that the end is here for our glorious 12 1/2 year run. Normally, I would be all for repair, but considering the future, I'm not sure if it isn't time to let him go and downsize for my move to DC. That makes some sense, but then again, I don't know if I can bear letting the Explorer go until it really dies, no coming back. You know...if all we need is a transmission...hey, keep the good times rolling.

And if we did retire it, what would I do with it? Try to get something for it, either whole or in parts? Found the John Haffner Explorer Museum?

Also, I can't get by for two months in Alabama without a car, and looking for a new car during BarBri is not a good idea.

Hmmmm...

Wondering about fractals?

I give you, our old friend, Benoit B. Mandelbrot.

Other news: the Explorer is down, with a broken tranny. Diagnosis tomorrow.

Back in Tuscaloosa

After a nice last partial day in Santa Monica and a pleasant flight, I got back here late last night. I knew I was back when I heard a woman behind me on the jetway say "Okay, we're in the area of the country that knows how to fry okra; we're alright."

So...law school completion: check. Finally returning to Cali: check. Now I have two days to readjust before the bar exam prep class begins and I'm back in lockdown for two months. It's gonna be a great summer in Alabama!

Final Night

Last night was the last night of my trip. Hence, even though it was cloudy, I still went out to enjoy the sunset, one of my favorite LA activities.



So today I'm doing some last fun stuff, then packing up and heading east. Esha and I just went to Peet's and to California Map & Travel, a store I used to frequent. Sadly, they are going out of business, but it means good deals until they close in a week or so. Right now everything in the store is 75% off, so I just got 5 books that would normally be $106 but I got them for $26.

Time to pack...

Desert Day

I had a long day yesterday in the desert. Drove out to Palm Springs and then south over the mountains to Anza-Borrego. It took a long time; lotta ground covered. I finally got down into the desert, after many winding mountain roads, in late afternoon. It was great to commune with cacti again. And I went through so many different climates and geographies, the temperature ranged from 107 to 53! It's amazing that there are so many diverse worlds in such a small area. California, baby.

After nightfall I went to La Jolla to have dinner with Cheryn. That was great too. Now I'm back for my last full day here. Unless I just stay.

A few pics from yesterday:


The Colorado Desert


Me with a friendly barrel cactus


Another friend - the Ocotillo

Eat Chocolate

From CNN: "Study: Chocolate may boost brain power"

Now all I need is a study detailing the many benefits of bacon.

LA update: I'm about to go to the desert for the day. Out to the Palm Springs/Coachella Valley area, then over the mountain to Anza-Borrego State Park.

Busy Afternoon

Well today was busy. After the market and some light shopping in Santa Monica, I drove up the PCH, through Topanga Canyon, and up to the Valley to visit Katie Rogers at work. She gave me the grand tour of the animation studio where she works. There were all kinds of neat drawings and storyboards and other animation things everywhere. Looked like a really neat place to work.

Then I drove through Laural Canyon to Hollywood, got a bacon & cheese dog at Pink's, hit Samy's Camera, Trader Joe's, and got a mexican mocha at Sabor y Cultura. Next, a cruise through downtown to say hello to my old friend the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and finally back home. Now, I'm hungry and it's time to hit Norms!

First, some scenes:

Palisades Park


Redwood Hill Farm's feta: the cheese that started it all for me.



Topanga Canyon. You can see the creek lower left and kinda see the road on the right. This is 5 minutes from the ocean.

Cheese & Apples

Reporting live from the Apple Store on 3rd St. Promenade. Just went to the farmers market and got cheese - the very cheese from Redwood Hill Farms that sparked my cheese love about 3 years ago. It's another beautiful day.

Hello.

Planes

One of the joys of Santa Monica is planes flying overhead. Just to the south is LAX, so you see all kinds of trans-Pacific big beasts. And just to the east is Santa Monica Airport, so you have small private planes flying directly over you. This is all best seen from the beach, of course.

What prompted me to write this post just now is that I just walked out of the apartment and heard a distinct big jet sound above. It sounded like a lumbering 747. I thought, "that's gotta be a 74." And once I got clear of the trees and looked up...sure enough! 74, on downwind for LAX!

Live Report from Beverly Hills

I just saw Rick Fox, ex-Laker and husband of Vanessa Williams, eating at a sidewalk cafe on Beverly Drive. He looked at me with lust.

Also, I forgot to mention...I hadn't even been in town 30 minutes yesterday before I saw a film shoot in Santa Monica. Right there on Main was a bunch of crew, lighting, and other equipment, all swarming around a white Lamborghini. Hollywood, baby.

Eli

I just had a great 3 hour visit with my old compadre Eli. I met him at the old Raymond St. apartment and we walked down to Main for breakfast at Mani's, then a nice walk down the boardwalk in Venice and back. He's doing well. More on his world here.

Here we are sitting in stands watching basketball at the Venice Beach courts.


Alright...time to get back out there. I think I need me some Jamba Juice...

Back on the West Side!

So yeah, I'm finally back in LA. It's wonderful. I can't believe it's been almost three years. So great to be back. And after a few cloudy days in NoCal, it's absolutely gorgeous down here. I'm staying with Esha and Mary Kristen in Ocean Park, just a few blocks from my old apt. We had dinner tonight at Toi Rockin' Thai Food, where Jiin works, and Katie stopped by there too. I haven't even been here a day and I've already seen four of my friends here. Next - breakfast tomorrow with Eli.

Here's a little natural beauty for ya - today's sunset, from the edge of the continent.

"Urinates in Toilet"

I arrived in sunny LA today. Saw this ad on a bulletin board in Venice:

SF Antics

Stephanie and I listening intently to Matt & Marielle at dinner at Medicine on Thursday night.


Here's Dan eating in Chinatown yesterday.


And here's me & Matt at the Apple Store last night. Photo taken by a MacBook's iSight webcam. Stephanie and Marielle were close by, enthralled as ever.

Sea Lions!

Yesterday afternoon:


Today, heading north to Marin Co. & Napa.

New Music Explosion!

In the midst of finals and graduation, we've got new Pearl Jam, new Chili Peppers (and a double album at that), and Neil Young + WAR! All in just over a week! I'm overwhelmed. So great to have a bunch of new stuff to listen to. It's been too long.

PS...coming soon: live reports from San Francisco! (got here yesterday at 5:30.)