Beach Boy

I had Foster with me for Christmas. For 9 days! It was glorious. Here he is at Dauphin Island...



So, we had a nice Christmas, saw a handful of friends in town, spent some good time at Callaghan's, and walked and played a lot. He's back in Montgomery now and I'm back to trying to get my life moving forward...

It is 78 degrees right now

New York: 31 degrees and snowy.
Mobile: 78 degrees and sunny.

Winter here is always mild, but this is just crazy! Too bad the days are too short to get out there and enjoy it. I'd love to be in a kayak right now (or walking through Central Park with some hot chocolate; the lack of winter here has always bothered me).
Maybe I'll take some work and sit out on the sidewalk in front of the office...

Old Man River

A little fog last night down by the Ol' Mississip...

300,000

A great milestone has been reached! On Nov. 22, while driving up to Atlanta for Thanksgiving, the Explorer reached 300,000 miles! The site of this historic achievement was I-65 North, near mile marker 93; just south of Evergreen.

Fourteen years and counting; 300,000 miles and counting. The Explorer's Reign Continues!



Just over 4 years ago, on our 10th anniversary, I compiled and emailed some Explorer stats and accomplishments. I'll update that soon for a future post. Until then, keep drivin'... keep tryin' to catch the Explorer...
It won't happen.

Men on Planks

From The Guardian via Deadspin (some funny comments at this site) via Chris Hayes, your Picture of the Week:

SNL, Live

Granted, SNL hasn't been that great in recent years, but this had to have been awesome...a live club show at UCB!

Live on Stage in Chelsea, It’s Saturday Night!

And tomorrow night there's gonna be a live 30 Rock...that's gonna be great!

11.11.07

Man lifting crabtrap on the Causeway, Mobile Bay, AL

Life Here

Oh, how I miss girls. Do you know any? See any?

More Unbelievable Harm to the World

We've heard bits of this before, but this is just an incredibly upsetting tale. I am speechless. It is just incomprehensible what they have done to the country and the world. Just devastating!

The Secret History of the Impending War with Iran That the White House Doesn't Want You to Know

Banner Night

You know how in the movies they break down doors to get in somewhere? Yeah, I just did that for the first time. Some people were over here at my house today, and it seems one of them was fiddling around the the lock in the doorknob, because when I stepped out to take the trash out a little while ago and lightly pulled the door behind me just to keep the bugs out, it closed. And it locked. So here I am after midnight on the back porch in my boxers with no key and no phone. Even if I wanted to call Mom (who has a spare key) or a blacksmith to come over and let me in, I couldn't. That's okay, though, because I wasn't in the mood to wait around. After a minute of thought, there was really only one choice. Luckily I live in an old house and the wood's not the strongest anymore, so it only took a few gradually building shoulder rams to bust in. boom, BOom, BOOM! and I'm back in. You know, I'm glad I realized how easy it was before the local burglars did. Gonna have to beef that up. Luckily the deadbolt still works, which is all I really use anyway. Just had to stuff some wood and metal back into place and I'm back in business.

Here's how it looked right after the bustup:


This, along with some other disgruntling things, made for a brilliant evening here in fantastic Mobile. The one good thing? The Red Sox won the World Series!

Now back to your regularly scheduled bullshit.

Play of the Day

This is amazing!

Trinity (TX) Laterals Their Way to Division III Win

Sox Win!

The Red Sox beat the Indians tonight in Game 7 of the ALCS. We're going back to the Series! That's what happens when you mess with Papelbon...

Don't mess with Papelbon!!!

Update to Shooting Story (previous post)

There's another story in the paper today about the old lady who shot the clothes-washing intruder. It mentions that the police had to take her gun for the time being as evidence. But fear not, good citizen, for Ethel Sanders has backup:

"In the meantime, there is a hatchet sitting next to her bed."

True dat.

There was this story was on the al.com blog today...81-year-old shoots homeless man in her laundry room...and tonight I happened to catch the same story on the tv news. They interviewed a neighbor, who had the following to say: "She's bedridden but there ain't nothin' wrong with her trigger finger."

Shrimp & Cheese

Tomorrow I'm going to have a couple of adventures in south Baldwin County. In the morning, I'm running in the Shrimp Festival 10K in Gulf Shores, and in the afternoon I'm going to finally drop by Sweet Home Farm in Elberta. I was hoping to maybe get a tour too, and meet some friendly cows, like this blogger did, but I just called and they said they don't really give public tours. Oh well; should still be nice. Maybe I'll get lucky.

In Rainbows!

New Radiohead out today! Name your own price! Help redefine the music industry! My first listen is underway as we speak...

MyRightWingDad.net

Look at this great site I just discovered via Chris Hayes. I've gotten forwards like this from my Dad! Not many or often, thankfully, but a few nonetheless. I've seen even more of them in various email/document review projects for work. Disgusting or pitiful as they are, I love that somebody out there made this site.

Black Swan

Alice Waters' Call to Arms

Some of y'all know how in the last couple of years I've learned a lot about food and nutrition, and tried to get better at eating better. But it hasn't been just about my health, it's really been an embrace of the whole philosophy of a lifestyle that is better tasting, better for me, better for the country, and better for the earth, and a rejection of modern America's food-industrial complex and all its cheap, processed crap. Like milk. I didn't even like milk growing up, and now I like nothing less than the creamy straight-from-the-cow goodness that you can get at farmers' markets and some stores. It makes regular milk seem like milky water, plus it's chemical-free. And you all know how I am about coffee. No brown water for me, thanks.

But aside from enjoying things that are more tasty and more real, it's also about supporting conscientious producers who are better stewards of their animals, their land, their product. Another element is patronizing local producers when possible to support local economies and regional food diversity. I rather enjoy trying to live "off the grid" by not spending my few dollars on commoditized, processed box-food or at chain restaurants (unless they support these ways).

And just so I don't seem like a hypocrite if you catch me at Wal-Mart one day, I don't grow stuff, don't really cook from scratch, and do eat some frozen foods (but mainly just Boca stuff and the like). But I do try to enact these principles where I can, in a way that makes sense for my lifestyle and my wallet.

All this might not seem like a big deal to some of you have been at it for longer than I or who live in places where these ways are not uncommon, like in Cali where it's all around you. But down here in Mobile, AL it's not a common mindset and its not simple to fully live and eat this way. After all, Mobile is the chain-restaurant-and-SUV capital of the South! But it is getting better here. But I digress...

The point of this post is really just to call your attention to a nice article in today's NYT, Lunch With Alice Waters, Food Revolutionary. It uses a bountiful trip to the Union Square Greenmarket (which has good milk) and subsequent lunch to talk about Waters' new book and about her ongoing mission to get us to be "a country full of people who eat food that is good for them, good for the people who grow it and good for the earth." I'm all about that. And it you want to go further, check out Michael Pollan's book from last year, The Omnivore's Dilemma.

Bon appetit!

PS...This post does actually relate back to the original subject of this blog, because having pet chickens, learning about chickens, going to their farm of origin a few times, getting excited about fresh eggs....these were some of the many puzzle pieces that came together over time to make me want to "eat better" in the ways described above. Thank you Scratch & Scout!

TimesSelect Dies!

Hooray!

LA Legs

While in LA I went to the big Mary Kristen & Jon engagement party in West Hollywood. They took the opportunity to show off their respective gams...

Sheep Goodness

It's kindof a dreary Monday here in Mobile, so what better to brighten the day than pictures of livestock! The CA State Fair had all kinds of great beasts, one of which was this friendly sheep you see below.


There were also lotsa llamas. Check out this freckled friend:


That's all for now. More beasts to come!

The 'Gump

Today's destintion: Montgomery! What a trip! Maybe I'll see this guy again:




Josh is having a party; that's why I'm going up there for the night. I've still got much to post, though. There are some great photos from California that I need to put up, and there are some other links and things to mention. This week was just a busy week of catching up and exercising. I've been on a good fitness roll and this week I ran every night of the week. Combined with the diet, my summer-long fitness regime has gotten me...amazingly...down to a weight I haven't seen since I was 21. It's rather incredible, and I feel damn good!

Gotta go now, but I'll leave you with one thing I've been meaning to mention. There's a new magazine on newsstands in the south...I heard about it in the Mobile Press-Register a couple of months ago...geared toward the "modern Southerner":

Garden and Gun.

Priceless! Here's a description from the website:

Like the South today, Garden & Gun will be rooted in tradition and history but vibrant with energy and newness.

At the heart of Garden & Gun is a love for the outdoors - upland bird hunting, gardening, fishing, sailing, equestrian sports and conservation. From a look at Jefferson's plans for Monticello's gardens to a trout fishing expedition on the Soque River to a visit inside Hemingway's Cuba, extravagant and lush photography combine with precise and compelling articles to reveal the seductions of the South and the Caribbean.

It reflects the lives of modern Southern men and women and inspires us to enjoy the fruits of the land while preserving the natural resources for the future.

Well, to the extent that shooting the fruits and paving over the resources preserves them...yes!

Busyness

I'm back from another great trip to Cali, and there's much to report! And many photos! Lots going on here at home too. Unfortunately I'm in a depo all day so I can't post much. In the meantime, read here's a fun Mobile story... Nikes and porn seized from Prichard shop ...which includes this quote:

"He's not hurting anyone. How do they know all that porn is his?" she asked. "He could just be a freak, a big old freak. Maybe he didn't want to have it in his home."

Yesterday in Northern California

Good times in Napa, Sonoma, etc.


Nice view from up in the Spring Mountain District of Napa.


Lucious grapes!


Can I pick these? Mmmmmmm....


Clearly, it was a good day of wine tasting for Ms. Morales & friends.


Ending the day at Berkeley Pier. Dan enthusiastically points out the amazing scene.

Out of Gas

Blogging live from a parking lot on Montlimar Drive. I just ran out of gas. Right in the middle of Mobile. Yes, I like to push it sometimes until I can make it to a preferred gas station. Didn't make it this time. The engine started sputtering and when I was sure I couldn't make it to a station, I pulled off into the nearest parking lot. Ironically, it's Baehr's Auto Shop. Too bad nobody's here. But their parking lot has wireless! So here I am, waiting for AAA...

Heat Wave

It's hot in Mobile! The whole southeast is sweating under a nasty clump of high pressure, and it's made for two weeks of hot, hazy, beige skies. Temps have been around 95-100, with the humidity making the heat index around 110 most days. Our nice summer afternoon thunderstorms are gone, and now it's just dirty and sweaty! It's August in Alabama!

Going back to the recap, not much has been going on here. Weekdays are pretty mundane and monotonous...just working. Every now and then I might go down to the river in the evening or have a pint at Callaghan's, but basically weeks are pretty slow.

Weekends have been a little more interesting. I've been down at the beach a bit; went to the Blue Angels show off Pensacola Beach a few weeks ago. The following weekend I had a CLE in Birmingham and spent a leisurely weekend up there and in Montgomery. Not a bad getaway, it turned out. The weekend after that I went to DC for a couple of days then to New Orleans for a friend's moving-away party. The last month or so has almost been like living in Mobile is my Day Job and getting out on the weekends is when I live my real life and eat good food.

Not that I haven't been trying to enjoy being here; I go out to eat once in awhile and try to find new, interesting people/places/things, and it's great to be by the water, and I'm glad to see downtown improving. But it's still fairly bleak people-wise. You know, there's basically nobody here to do much with. I see Trev from time to time, and my family, but not having a dynamic, interesting community is a drag. So it's energizing to get out when I can to places where I do find such a community.

Alas, the sedation here just means I have more time to work on projects and try to figure out my next move. Good self-improvement time.

I leave you for now with a site we all can enjoy: Manboobs.
Back again soon for more backlog-clearing.

Been Awhile

Hey hey. Long time no post. Well, June wasn't a great month and July was a bit up and down, and I just never did feel like sitting down and writing much. I did keep a running list of things to post about, though, many of which are now not so pressing. Some topics were:

- That series in the Post on Cheney entitled Angler, which I found via Chris Hayes, and which Dan eventually posted on too.

- Another disgusting example of big business trying to ruin something good. In this case, good ol' chocolate. See Chocolate Fake.

- iPhone...the mania continues. It's amazing what hackers have got the thing doing already. And a new iMac came out last week. Up next: new iPods!

- Gordon Brown came to America! That was excting! See also, Beckham!

- David Pogue posted on how bad US cell carriers are. No surprise, but still, their gall is impressive. Get a load of this quote Pogue recounts:

As longtime Pogue’s Posts readers know, my biggest cellular pet peeve is the endless recording you hear when you reach someone’s voicemail: “To page this person, press 2 now. You may leave a message at the tone. When you finish recording, you may hang up. Or press 5 for more options”—and so on.

At the conference, I asked one cellular executive if that message is deliberately recorded slowly and with as many words as possible, to eat up your airtime and make more ARPU for the cell carrier. I was half kidding—but he wasn’t fooling around in his reply: “Yes.”

And finally, one more disgusting bit of news from last month. It seems that the former Surgeon General was frequently gagged from addressing important public health issues if they didn't accord with the current administration's political considerations. And to boot, "Dr. Carmona said he was ordered to mention President Bush three times on every page of his speeches." Brilliant!

That's all for now. Just wanted to clear some backlog. But I'll be back soon with more on what's been going on here in hot-and-humid-land.

iDay!

Well, it's almost here. After weeks, months, years of waiting, the iPhone is only about 24 hours away! After 6 months of a slow build in anticipation, the last couple of weeks have seen a cascade of exciting new information about the thing. Details like new features, good rate plans, videos on features and how-to's... every day there's an exciting new revelation. For example:
- You don't have to go through a long in-store activation process as like you normally do with new cell service. You do it through iTunes.
- Apple has a page, updated nightly, where you can check iPhone availability at Apple retail stores. Who else does that for any product?!
- The first batch of official reviews have all been good; the thing's living up to the hype.

And just today...another testament to the greatness of Apple...at a company-wide meeting at their headquarters, His Steveness told employees that every employee who's worked there for at least a year, including part-timers...everybody...will get a free iPhone next month! And not just the 4gb one, but the 8gb one. Isn't that amazing?!

If you want to follow along as obsessively as I do, add TUAW and AppleInsider and iPhone Matters to your frequently-checked sites. And no, I'm not camping out in line to get one, like some people have been since Tuesday. I'm not even going to get one anytime soon. I like to wait awhile, to let any bugs get worked out. Still, I will go to a local AT&T store tomorrow to check it out and see the frenzy. For those of you with an Apple Store in town, go forth and partake in the madness, 6pm tomorrow!

Livestock!

I went down to the beach over the weekend. Going through Robertsdale on the way back, I noticed something I'd never seen before: the Robertsdale Livestock Auction! Right off 59, it's a brick front-building with a long open-air shed behind it full of pens for livestock. Something that caught my eye right away was a rooster wandering around the adjoining parking lot, so I got out of the car and discovered many more chickens of all ages milling about. Chickens in downtown Robertsdale! It's great to see things like that still around.

Aside from the poultry, there were also many cows (as seen above) which, in addition to just bein' purty, called to me with their mellifluous moos and satisfying scent.

Beach + Livestock = a Good Day in Baldwin County.


A Handsome Fellow

Potus Visit

Bush was in Mobile this afternoon. The article about it in this morning's paper began with a funny, telling sentence:

The president and first lady are scheduled to visit Mobile today in the first presidential visit in more than 30 years unrelated to weather damage.

June in Mobile

It's been a quiet couple of weeks here in Mobile, getting back to day-to-day life after the glory of Chile. I'm doing more interesting things at work now, more lawyerly things, so that's good.

And I've been drinking the shit out of mate, that South American tea-like elixir. It's so good! It gives you a boost, but a smoother one than coffee, and it's a bit of an appetite suppressant, so I don't have the urge to constantly graze that reading or writing legal stuff usually gives me. It has indeed partially supplanted coffee in my daily routine, and one day last week I even did not have coffee for a whole day! I cannot remember the last time I went a day without any coffee, but it had been years.

The benefits of the mate, combined with the slight weight loss that I achieved while in Chile (it's so much easier to eat better and be more active when you leave AL), inspired me to focus in fitness again, so in addition to cutting way back on calories, I've been running more. Soon I'll be a steed again.

That is, if I don't get waylaid by the new Waffle House going in across the street from my office! It's just off the intersection of Hillcrest & Grelot. A month ago, it was an empty lot; now, this new beacon of hope and goodness has popped up less than 100 yards from my workplace. I do believe I am the only one of us who can boast of this. It is surely the closest any of us has ever lived or worked to a WH, and it is glorious!

And one last thing about food... I had dinner with Randy, Michael, and Caleb (8 mos) last weekend. They're good. They're moving to Monterey, CA in a couple of weeks! I'm damn jealous.

Finally, speaking of better places: As if health care and public transportation aren't enough, here's yet another example of the little things that give Europe a higher quality of life than here: Supermarkets Offering Personal Scanners. At least they're beginning to be rolled out here. We'll see if they ever make it beyond high-end East Coast & West Coast stores. Of course, that's where I aim to get back to (or abroad), so why am I carping?

Pollos!

Another great thing about my trip to Chile is that it has enabled me get back to the original theme of this blog: chickens! I saw many chickens out in the countryside when we were down in Araucanía. Here are a couple of pulse-quickening shots...

Post-Chile

So I've been back from Chile for almost a week now, back to the grind. The trip was amazing, nine days of one surprise after the next. The only disappointment was that it was cloudy most of the time, so I never really got to see the southern stars. But it was neat to see the sun and moon cross the sky along a northerly route rather than a southerly one. And it was by far the farthest south I've ever been, reaching far enough (in the Villarrica area) to be farther south than the Australian mainland, roughly even with Tasmania. Oh yeah, I tested the water drain thing...it drained counterclockwise in my sink in Santiago, just as it does in my sink here in Mobile...so no Coriolis effect. As for weather, it was really chilly, being in late fall/early winter. And the leaves had turned! Used to be, when I thought of Latin American flora, I thought dense and green. But central Chile is at such a latitude that there are seasons like in the US, so there was a lot of colorful fall foliage, reminding me of New England at times. Some leafy parts of Santiago even looked like Brooklyn or the Upper West Side or something.

All in all, it was an incredible trip, with so many great sights and activities and people, especially considering that two days before the trip I didn't even know I was going there. This week I've been trying to edit the roughly 950 photos down to a manageable number to post online. They should be on Flickr soon. In the meantime, here's a shot of Julie and I in Pucón, on the shores of Lake Villarrica.

D-Day on XM

For everybody out there with XM Radio, check out this awesome show that's airing in a couple of days.

Relive the D-Day Invasion
June 6 at 12:41 AM-June 7 at 5:45 PM ET

The '40s - XM 4 brings history alive when it presents a 40-hour real-time re-creation of NBC Radio's coverage of the the massive Allied landing on the Normandy coast of France on June 6th, 1944.

Beginning with the first bulletin on that morning, which aired at 12:41 AM Eastern War Time (same as Eastern Daylight Time), The '40s - XM 4 will provide minute-by-minute coverage of the invasion for 40 hours as heard on the National Broadcasting Company's radio network.

Happy Birthday Jim!

Happy Birthday to One James Lakey! 31 years of Unchecked Fury!

Also, happy birthday to my mom Betsy and uncle David.
And I'm back from Chile...photos soon.

Villarrica

Ahora Julie y yo estamos in Villarrica. We took the overnight bus from Santiago last night, and I awoke this morning to the sight of three massive volcanoes just visible at dawn. Today we explored this town and nearby Pucón. We planned to trek up to the crater of Volcán Villarrica tomorrow, but the weather up there is too bad, so we rented a car to explore more of this amazing area.

En Vivo de Santiago

¡Buenas noches!
So the trip has been great so far. On my nearly-free standby flight down here, I wound up in first class! First class for a 10 hour transcontinental flight is fantastic. Even the food was great. And I made a friend...the guy next to me was this nice young chileno named Francisco.
In fact I´ve made so many friends here! The first day, I met Julie from Quebec City and Tina from Germany, who are studying here. They´ve been great to hang out with. That first night they took me to a party and to a salsateca; my first day in Santiago and I was out until 4am. Increible. Friday night we went back to the salsa place and met Sebastian, a young lawyer here. Really nice guy, he invited is to a barbecue today, where I met even more cool locals. It´s great, because when traveling alone you usually meet nice other travelers, or encounter locals in the streets whom sometimes have to be wary of, so it´s great to meet nice, normal, fun locals. Y chicas bonitas y simpaticas. After the barbecue ended tonight, a bunch of us went back to the salsa place for the Sunday night class. Y mas cerveza.
As for sidetrips, on Friday I went to Valparaiso, a great old port city. Yesterday Julie, Tina and I did the wine tour at Concha y Tora. Good stuff. And I was thinking about going to Mendoza, Argentina for a night, which entails a great bus ride through the Andes, but that didn´t quite work out. And I was happy to hang here instead. Tomorrow night Julie and I will take an overnight bus to Pucón, a town well south of here near volcanoes and other natural beauty. Then I´ll be back Thursday for my flight home.
There haven´t been many bumps in the road, mainly just the stress of having to be careful with myself and my bag when walking through the more crowded, crazy areas. But I´m getting more comfortable, and my spanish is coming back nicely. I can converse pretty well now, and the socializing I mentioned is mostly in spanish. It´s challenging and exhilarating, y las chicas piensen que puedo hablar muy bien. Y lo que es la mas importante, no?

So, that´s the report from the southern latitudes. Until next time, soy,
John de Chile

One more thing...vocabulario: un submarino = a delicious hot chocolate consisting of thick bars of chocolate sunk into a cup of steamed milk, to melt at your pleasure. Wonderful.

This Week's Destination

Santiago, Chile!

Today on Fowl River

A rebel shrimpboat pulling a tube:

Local Cheese and Other Developments

Some recent news from the northern Gulf Coast:

Two weekends ago, I found out I passed the bar exam and and bunch of the old gang was in town for Merritt's wedding. That was a good weekend.

Last weekend I was in New Orleans for Jazzfest and other festivities. It was a big time, as usual. Saw many good acts and ate some serious boudin, meat pies, etc. Another highlight was going to Sucre, a great new chocolate shop.

This past weekend was big for Mobile. First, it was announced that we'll be getting a big steel plant, then, the Battle House Hotel and RSA Tower had their gala openings. They both look great. Here's a picture I took a couple nights ago.


Also, Mobile's Market on the Square has opened for the season, every Saturday morning in Cathedral Square. I found out from The Bread Lady (that's her name) there that there is a cheesemaking farm in the area! I had no idea! Sweet Home Farm, down in Baldwin County near Elberta, not far from the beach. Looks like a great place!

Otherwise, I've just been working and catching up on projects and organizing. Exciting times.

French Elections

I was just catching up on some news, reading about the French elections...did you know they had 84% turnout?! Amazing. That's my stat of the week; anytime I hear an American disparaging France, I'm going to mention that and say something about how they participate in their democracy. Of course, the riots at the end of voting day aren't exactly as respectable. Then again, you gotta love the interest & participation & sort of old-fashionedness of it ... when the French don't like something, they take to the streets!

That's even mentioned in this article, which also includes a nice few paragraphs comparing the French socioeconomic system with that of the US/UK; how it is cumbersome and all, but has helped maintain their great way of life.

Also, I enjoy the last sentence of this article, describing the transfer-of-power ceremony: "The Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honor will make Mr. Sarkozy Grand Master of the Order."

GRAND MASTER OF THE ODRER!!!

Lastly, here's a photo from a victory celebration in Place de la Concorde. Ah, the Greatness of France...

Chicken Store in the News

Today the New York Times had a little article about spending a day in Key West, and it mentioned the beloved Chicken Store! Check out this passage and the subsequent photos:

3 p.m.
5) CHICKEN RUN
People in this town don't kid when it comes to chickens. They're on the loose everywhere, and it's a battle — half the island is trying to save the little cluckers, the other half is endlessly annoyed. And then there are the kids stealing them for cockfights. Learn all about the Key West chicken wars at the Chicken Store (1229 Duval Street, 305-294-0070; www.thechickenstore.com), where you can hold a fuzzy baby chick, feed a rooster or buy a clever T-shirt. If the heart is swayed, you can even file for adoption.

Holding a sweet hen at the Chicken Store


Chasing a big cock in Mallory Square (a time-honored Key West activity)

Recent Purchases

I recently made two great new purchases, one to create heat, and one to dissipate it.

Creating heat is the exciting new Pentax K10D. After years of waiting for the right camera at the right price, I'm finally making the switch to digital as my primary photography medium. The old ZX-5 served me well for over 10 years and it will soon begin a well-earned retirement. I've got a steep learning curve to maximize the potential of the K10, but it's gonna be fun.

And dissipating heat is my new beaded seat cushion. The cockpit of the Explorer gets hot in the summer, and I have long sought a solution to my heat-trapping seatback. For years I toyed with the idea of the cabbie-style wooden beads, but just didn't have the guts. No longer. I'm now sporting the beads, in all their taxicab glory. Stay tuned for a report on how well they actually work.

Around the Web

This was in the news a couple of months ago, but I'm just now getting around to mentioning it. Have you seen the new Wikipedia competitor Conservapedia? Amazing. Check out the entry on dinosaurs.

Good news for your stomach: Mandina's, another old favorite, is back open (website by Christy Soto!). Great turtle soup.

Are you familiar with Mims' hit song "This Is Why I'm Hot"? I wasn't, until I sampled it on iTunes after reading this excellent "graphical dissertation" on the song.

And here's a cool site...Worldometers. World statistics updated in real time.

I leave you with a line that still tickles me:
Jack Abramoff??? But I hardly even know Abram!

Camellia Grill Reopens!

Another Nola recovery milestone - the Camellia Grill reopened Saturday! And the AP photo even captures my favorite waiter, Melvin! This is huge. Word?! Go here for more on the new owner and his plans.

Apple Store Birmingham

Is there any doubt that an Apple Store in Alabama was long overdue? Check out the crowd on opening day last weekend.

And here's a post from a guy who was third in line. He got there at 6am for the 10am opening.

Modern times are a'comin', slowly but surely.

My New Home

I'm finally catching up on my photo processing. Here's a picture of me at my new home in Mobile, taken when I got here in late January. Cute place, huh?

Around the Web

I don't know why I haven't promoted Chris Hayes on here before. I do so now.

Great luck for Mr. Peepers! Duck emerges victorious from car incident
Notice the caption under the photo.

I like Ralph Lupin's style. A recent Times-Pic article on French Quarter trash collection included the following:

A frustrated Ralph Lupin, the Vieux Carre Commission's tough-talking chairman, told the commission Tuesday, "I don't understand Ms. White's obstinance other than that she's a bitch."

From The Politico: Ron Paul: More Guns Will Deter Shootings

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) has a simple solution to future shooting massacres such as the one that ripped apart Virginia Tech university Monday: more guns. "People are a little more cautious if somebody might have a gun there," the GOP presidential candidate told Politico reporters Tuesday. "A concealed gun carried by a responsible person -- that might have ended the problem that they had at Virginia Tech with one person being killed or two people being killed."

Yes, and luckily we'd never have to worry about all the concealed guns carried by irresponsible people.

The Campaigns' Econ Advisers

From today's NYT:

Economix: The Advisers Are Writing Our Future
By DAVID LEONHARDT
The early economic advisers to presidential candidates can leave a big imprint if their candidate prevails.

Update

Greetings! Here some news from my new life on the Gulf Coast.

1. Starting with chickens, of course, I recently found out that another neighbor of mine has chickens! Bill Finch, the editor of the garden section of the newspaper, lives around the corner, and his yard is this amazing horticultural laboratory. Naturally, he has 8 or 10 beautiful hens to complement it. If you'd like to join me, he said I can visit them anytime!

2. Next, I'm working the nightshift now. The project I'm on at the law firm is so big they want people on it day and night, and I'm heading up the night bunch. Good times in West Mobile.

3. Alabama finally gets an Apple Store! The long-rumored store at The Summit in Birmingham opens tomorrow! I wanted to go the the sure-to-be-festive grand opening, but I can't make it.

4. Lastly, I ran the Crescent City Classic last weekend. Imagine a regular 10K race for some people combined with a 6.2 mile-long party for everyone else. In addition to the people passing out water every mile were others on the route passing out "Free Beer! Free Donuts!" and "Free Hot Dogs!" Not to mention the brass bands playing and runners in crazy costumes. When it was over, the first thing I consumed was not water but a jello shot, which were being handed out by this random group of guys just past the finish line. Then came the big post-race party at Tad Gormley Stadium where there was free Abita beer, jambalaya, and a band. Classic New Orleans.

I leave you with a post-race photo of me enjoying the festivities.

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.