Phew....

This is the first day I've come to work in a long time where I haven't felt stressed about getting something out the door THAT day. Don't get me wrong...there is plenty to do, but nothing is imminently due. However, how is it that people give deadlines but then want the info BEFORE the deadline passes? What gives?

Dog update: The dog is back at the hospital...although he's doing fine, he was going to be boarded there anyway tomorrow when I take my wife to the airport (& I subsequently leave town the next day). However, his drains coming out of his leg are gross & we were having trouble calming him down enough, or getting ourselves psyched up enough, to clean them. He also kept pacing around...I think he has too much energy, but we're not allowed to walk him, so he was being annoying. Apparently when he returns to our house on Monday night, he should even have the stitches out & will be back to normal. What an ordeal!!!

Nothing else is new, except I bought the Pimms for Carolina Cup. I'm so excited & the weather looks great. It'll be good to get away.

Off to get more work done then head home & mow the grass...

Finally pictures.

Taken mid March....(notice the Orange & Blue flowers match the UVa flag???)

The good, the bad & the ugly

What a weekend....
1) I'm in 1st place in my NCAA tournament pool among 25 UVa/Emory friends & 1st place in the Weather tournament pool amoung ~700 people throughout the country (world?). Imagine getting to take a storm chasing trip??
2) This weekend coming up is Carolina Cup this weekend. At last check (this morning), the weather is to be 78 & scattered thunderstorms. Much better than the freezing weather last year.
3) The yard is looking good. Although the daffodils are about done & I'm starting to bind them, the tulips are up & the pansies are going crazy. I promise at some point to post some pictures.
4) I'm not nearly as busy anymore...some breathing room today is very nice.

The bad:
This weekend was awful as we spent most of the weekend in the dog ER or taking care of him. He cut his skin very badly on an exposed electrical wire (he was not electrocuted however)...the damage was to the point that we were afraid that we might not be able to keep him. However he is healing exceptionally fast & so it looks like he'll mend. A $1600 vet bill is no fun though, & he's been grouchy since he has to wear a collar so he doesn't see &/or scratch the wound. Argh.
Also, we missed the neighborhood cookout b/c in all the confusion we thought that it was Sunday, not Saturday. Argh.

The ugly:
The weather today. Who cares though as long as it holds out for cup.

Finally, another story about this potential hurricane season here.

LSU v. Texas? Who would've thought?

So I'm on Cloud 9 today, not only b/c I picked both LSU & Texas in my NCAA Brackets (in addition to Memphis) but also I like both teams. I have picked LSU to go all the way, but in my heart I really want Texas to win. How cool would it be if they won both Football & Basketball tournaments? Go UConn, Villanova & Florida tonight (I'd picked UNC to be the other team, but I don't think anyone would've predicted George Mason v. Wichita State in a Sweet 16 game!).

In other news I cut my grass down to 1/2" and it still looks great. You can really see the Bermuda grass poaking through, which is the whole point. I didn't get a chance to edge though b/c about 2 seconds after I finished mowing the skies opened up. Hopefully I'll do that tonight if I don't end up going to Front Page news instead.

Oh Atlanta....

I hear you callin' - Allison Krauss

Big stuff here in the A...basketball is tonight, starting at 7, which means I need to get out of here at a reasonable time or traffic will be miserable. I work about 2-3 blocks from the Georgia Dome...Oh well...I always like when they have events there because they show beautiful shots of the skyline at night. I think Atlanta has one of the better skylines, especially because the city is so linear, so from the side it looks really big. Also, thought you were the only one not working?.

Also, the movie ATL is coming out next week. It's apparently about a bunch of high school kids from the Southside and one kid from Buckhead or somewhere similar trying to decide what to do w/their life. I don't think this is one of those Chamber of Commerce-approved movies though...haha. I at least wonder if it was filmed here. W/Dukes of Hazzard, I think they just filmed a few shots of the skyline & made up the rest.

Finally, if the rain holds out tonight, I'm going to cut the grass down to 1/2" for the summer (for the PGA tour of course!). I hope it doesn't look too bad after I do so. I can tell the Bermuda grass is coming up though underneath the Ryegrass.

UPDATE: I'm finally home but it was tough...w/a Trashers game & the Sweet 16 here, there were people EVERYWHERE. Lots of Duke & WVU fans...yuck. Go LSU & Texas (sounds like a good football matchup).

Also there is supposed to be some snow as far south as Cherokee County...crazy. Fannin, Towns & Union Counties are under a Winter Weather Advisory, where 2" of snow is expected.

Peachtree Road Race

Quick post today b/c I had an argument this morning at the Fulton County Courthouse & have been swamped ever since.

By now everyone that wanted to sign up for the Peachtree has hopefully turned in their numbers because I'm sure there's no more space. I've heard of someone turning in their information as late as Tuesday after it comes out in the paper, but that's it.

What I always do is to go buy the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday when the Sunday edition (yes you read that right) comes out. Then I take it home, fill out the forms & drive it back to the Post Office on Pharr Road where the Post Office Box that you mail the entry to is located. That way it's right there & the postman or postwoman just has to take my envelope & put it directly in the post box.

However, I noticed this year that the same entry was online. I don't know how that will change things however because I don't know if that is posted on Saturday or Sunday. We'll have to see next year. That would save me buying 2 papers & a trip to the grocery store!

There's never enough time to do something right, but always enough time to do something over

Think about that for a little bit...

Even though I don't like basketball that much, I kind of miss the NCAA tournament & am looking forward to it being on again Thursday. Duke, WVU, LSU & Texas will all be here then. It's interesting b/c WVU & LSU were just here for the Sugar Bowl and Peach Bowl respectively, although the latter is now just called the Chick-Fil-A Bowl (how excited can you get about that??).

Many forecasters & bloggers (see for instance the Weather Underground and Palm Beach Post links to the left) are saying that the Outer Banks up to New England are in the line of fire to get wacked by Hurricanes this year. Especially scary is the fact that NYC could get a direct hit by a 2, 3, or 4, which would make Katrina look like small potatoes. The season is just around the corner.

Finally, I hope this cold weather is the last of the season & that it gets warm again by next weekend for Carolina Cup in Camden, South Carolina. I can't wait! Pimms Cups it is!

March Madness Recap

I'm currently in 3rd of 23 in my bracket pool. Much of that has to do with the fact I picked LSU, Texas & Duke, but w/no help from UNC, who I'd originally picked to win.

W/the way that Texas has been breezing by, it's looking more & more like they could win a Basketball & Football championship in the same year, although there is a long way to go! I wonder if that's ever happened before. I know at the very least, someone has been ranked #1 in football & basketball at the same time. Duke, LSU, WVU & Texas are all in town this weekend for the Regional rounds.

Other than that, it's REALLY cold here for this time of year. Argh.

Also, I big tropical cyclone (a.k.a. Hurricane) is hitting Australia. It's a 5 on their scale (which is based on gusts), but only a 3 on the Saffir-Simpson scale (which is based on sustained winds).

Staying in on a Saturday...

Believe it or not, I think we're in tonight. Last night was long & rough (St. Patrick's Day will do that to you), so tonight we're taking it easy. In addition, I planted the hydrangeas/pachysandra in the back yard. It looks good but will look better once the pine straw lays down & the pachysandra get rooted. Tomorrow's our big Church dinner, so we'll be spending all day getting ready for that. We're so old...

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

I'm wearing my green today, & plan to hit up the Highlands later if I feel up to it (I'm exhausted after this week!).

My landscape lights went out last night, but Intermatic (the company making the lights) was awesome & is sending me a new Power Pack. I confirmed that it was actually the Pack & not a split cord or the lights themselves. Way to go for customer service!

Also, don't forget to get your Peachtree numbers this weekend! I realized that if we do the Quebec Marathon des Deux Rives (that's French for 2 Rivers), that'll be in the middle of our training...perfect!

UPDATE: As the games start today, I'm 12-16 in the 1st round. Not bad. I got screwed by A&M & Oklahoma, although I'm not upset that A&M won nevermind my bracket...it won't hurt me in any event b/c I had LSU going far & Syracuse not so much.

March Madness begins

...Although I don't care so much since UVa was unceremoniously dumped by Stanford in the NIT on Tuesday evening. In any event, go LONGHORNS!!!

So everyone is freaking out about St. Patrick's Day. They've obviously got the big celebration down in Savannah, which I've never been to, although I did live in Savannah for a summer. Even though I'm part Irish myself, I just can't get into it...I think it's Mardi Gras fatigue or something. Oh well...I'm sure I'll still go out, but just for the fun of it. It's only about a month out though until the Kentucky Derby festivities start up!

The tournament starts around noon today...good luck to everyone...

UPDATE: Don't forget to sign up for the Peachtree Road Race this weekend. I can't wait...this will be my 6th year!

Also, The NCAA has started...no final scores yet, but the games go all day & all night today & tomorrow.

Listen carefully, as our menu options have changed...

I'm just posting now b/c I've been so busy. In the last 24 hours, I've dealt with the IRS & amended tax returns (that's what I get for filing early!), Comcast (our "high" speed Internet decided to not work WHILE I was on the phone w/the IRS, & a computer at work that completely crashed. I've gotten very little done, but I've been exhausted & overwhelmed. I can't complain too much though b/c I know a lot of people have it a lot worse. In any event, it's been a little crazy.

Drew Brees officially announced today (or was it last night) that he'll be a New Orleans Saint (that's probably a double entendre if he starts to win) next year. He took our 1996 Westlake Chapparal football team 16-0 & won the state 5A Championship (at Texas Stadium in Irving, TX) 55-15, the largest margin of victory for any Texas high school football championship. This was a year after blowing out his knee.

Random thought for the day: Is The Grape turning into a Starbucks for Wine Drinkers? They're popping up ALL over ATL (Dunwoody, Vinings, Atlantic Station, etc., etc., etc.)

March Madness

UI was going to post a PDF of my March Madness bracket, but I can't seem to do it. In any event, I think it's going to be LSU v. UNC w/UNC coming out on top for the 2nd straight year. I think Texas, Memphis, Indiana, UConn, Villanova & Florida will be the other Elite 8 teams. Atlanta is hosting 1/4 of the bracket, including Duke...I don't think Duke will get past LSU though, which is just fine w/me. For some reason I hold a hatred in my heart for Duke (not the students, just the school itself)...almost as bad as my hatred for FSU in football season.

UVa is playing Stanford tonight at 9:30 out in California. I think we may have a chance to make a run at the NIT because we were doing great until the very end of the season, & played respectably in the ACC tournament. Our future opponent would be Missouri State, who I don't know anything about, but I imagine they're at least decent because they have a 1st-round NIT bye.

I mowed my grass last night as well. After 9 days it was very, very long, but looks very, very good now. I have to cut it back down to 1/2" soon (probably next Thursday), so that the Bermuda grass can come back. Hopefully that won't be too traumatic...just when the Ryegrass was looking nice too!

UPDATE: This is super nerdy, but there is a contest called Weather Dance put on by some University of Michigan students. The point is to predict which school's campus will be colder on the day they play. I filled out a bracket for the men & the women. Some is obvious (Texas v. UPenn), but some is really difficult (Alabama v. UCLA???)

Crabcakes & football...that's what Maryland does

- Wedding Crashers

I finally got to see the end of the movie when we went up to Philadelphia. We also drove through a good part of Maryland getting to and from Dulles Airport. Philadelphia was fun & beautiful, although they're about a month behind on seasons & talk funny. It was cool to walk everywhere...bars, stores, restaurants, etc. etc. were never more than a few blocks away. Although beer on the other hand...we walked & walked & walked to try to find a place to buy 6-packs, & we could find none except for this pizza place which was 1 1/2 miles from our friend's apartment. At that point we didn't want the beer so much as it was the principal of the thing...weird laws. Especially since you can buy liquor on Sundays there.

Delta also somehow managed to screw up our flights home...since my wife & I were technically on different reservations, they told her that her flight was actually the next one & that she had to leave...she was escorted off with everything just short of shoving. Needless to say we will be writing a strongly worded letter to Delta that will hopefully end with a travel voucher of some sort. Being that the plane was half full, and being that Delta let her on the plane in the first place, apparently without any sort of board pass was unacceptable. Can we say security breach? They also insisted that she had checked luggage, when in fact she did not. Should Delta have not checked that out? Wouldn't you be concerned if you thought someone had bags on the plane & they are insisting they they did not?

Yankees in Georgia? How'd they get in?

- Aunt Pitty Pat, Gone with the Wind

In truth, it'll be us Georgians going to Yankeeville today. It should be fun. I'm wearing my pale yellow pants in honor of pseudo-spring. I got my wife to take pictures of the daffodils today, as I'm not sure how much longer they're going to last.

This was one of the crazier weeks at work. Unfortunately, I got nothing done that I'd planned to do, & I can't really remember what I did do. In any event, my desk is still a mess & I've been meaning to clean it since Monday. Argh.

Interesting: The Clerk of the Orleans Parish Court is out of jail now. It's interesting b/c she's running for mayor, and missed the first debate because she was in JAIL!

Busy

In between my mad dash to get all my work done, I've been Mapquesting everything to get ready for our trip to Philadelphia. I know that I'm not actually in charge of us getting there, but for some reason I end up taking on the role of tour guide. I have done this all my life...even when I've never been to the city. For instance I led everyone around New Orleans my 1st Mardi Gras, & we never ever got lost.

The ACC tournament starts up today. Our game is at 7 against Virginia Tech, which I feel confident about. However if we win we have to play North Carolina, & that not might be pretty...on the other hand it literally could not get worse than the 45 point loss we had against them about a week ago. That was the worst loss by UVa to UNC ever, & we've been playing a REALLY long time. In any event, that game would be @ 7 PM tomorrow night.

Finally, there are tornadoes & thunderstorms rolling through the south today. This morning they were in Arkansas. Now they've moved right along the Mississippi River from about the Kentucky/Tennessee line down to where Louisiana jogs east. The big trouble spot is in the Delta/Casino area of Mississippi. We're supposed to get it all tonight...I watered this morning to make sure that the rain would come!

Wednesday already?

I finally caught the very beginning of Real World: Key West last night. In fact they do get caught by Katrina beforehand. I don't know if it delays their move-in or if it just happens right @ the beginning or whatever, but they were all affected. I doubt I'll watch the whole season...probably just until Wilma hits them. I don't think I've ever watched a season to the point of even them taking their big vacation. I just lose interest, especially now that this is the 17th time this will happen. It's like crack...you don't want to watch, but you do anyway.

I finally cleaned our windows...most were painted shut so it was a bit tricky to even try to open them. I had visions of me up in the attack & either falling through the drywall or cracking the window & falling out onto the roof. Yikes. In any event though, there's no more paint on there.

Finally, I think we're done with winter. As much as I'd hoped for a snowstorm, I just don't see it happening. The temperatures are going to start to climb into the 80's & at this point we'd have to have a drastic change. Oh well. Come on Spring I guess...that means Carolina Cup & Derby!

Finally, look here. This hurricane season just as bad?

Travelin' Man

So I've been trying to organize a bunch of trips. It's tricky trying to find all the deals. Currently I'm trying to:
1) Get a cheap airfare to Richmond;
2) Find out the best way to board our dog;
3) Try to find a cheap car rental for Carolina Cup to pack a bunch of people in.

In the next year plus, I'll be going to: Philadelphia, wedding in Charlottesville, wedding in Virginia Beach (which will probably be turned into a weeklong trip through VA), and then next year probably a little trip through Texas for my high school reunion at Westlake High School. That should be exciting, especially since my wife has never seen West Lake Hills or Austin for that matter.

Also, I have new interest in the Real World Key West. I've only seen the 2nd half of the 1st episode (it's one of those special hour-long editions), but they were a bit delayed apparently getting there b/c of Katrina & then they also go through Rita & Wilma. MTV picked it right this time. Obviously I'm sure they don't want to make light of all the devestation & trajedy, but I'm sure they're not upset either that the Real Worlders go through the very beginning of the worst U.S. natural disaster ever. FYI, for 9/11 Real World was in Chicago. The previews show them going through one hurricane (I imagine Wilma b/c that was the worst for Key West) & in a hotel & the hotel falling apart.

Mission Accomplished

& boy are my arms tired. This was a grueling weekend but I'm happy with the results. Friday we had a lazy night, just going to CPK in Atlantic Station...I love the BLT pizza...I was hungry so I ate the whole thing myself. MMM.

Saturday morning I woke up & mowed the grass & it was actually sunny once on a Saturday...crazy. We went out to Lithonia to take some pictures for my wife's grad school project & then slummed it down at the Steak 'n Shake @ the Mall @ Stonecrest. Finally in the afternoon I got around to burying the cable for the landscape lights. I finally got the cord underneath the walkway...I used an old broom handle & a hammer to create a hole, then took a straightened clothes hanger w/the cord taped to it. Now the cord is safely underground & I managed to do it so I won't accidentally dig it up when I change out the flower beds in April. Finally I started trenching the beds & got a good portion done. I also had enough dirt to fill in some holes in the yard. That night we went to an Engagement party in Mableton & then to E. Andrews & Dantanas, the former which I hadn't been to in forever & the latter which I'd never been to (FYI, it's kinda a cross between a nice restaurant & a sports bar, w/lots of TV's & dark panelling).

Sunday we started out a little slow, but took our dog to the dog park @ Piedmont, which was absolutely crazy. People looked like ants all over the park. I finally finished trenching that afternoon, planted pachysandra around the base of our house & then put the pine straw down & swept. By that time I was exhausted & still am.

The painters finish up today so I'm going to try to take some pictures & put them up...it's off to Philly this weekend.

Sleep, Part II

Another night of about 9 hours of sleep. I might actually start to feel like a normal person in a day or two. We might do something tonight but nothing crazy. Last night we went to a UVa Alumni Happy Hour in Buckhead...it's been a long time since I've been up there. Speaking of Buckhead, they have torn down Buckhead Saloon, which is very sad. That place, as far as I know, was opened in 1996 around the time the Centennial Olympics started here. Now they are tearing it down to build condos. Pretty soon, all of Atlanta is going to be condos, but there'll be nothing to do for all those folks living in them...argh. Not like we go to Saloon any more anyway...we're too old! haha.

This weekend should be the first nice, non-freezing weekend in a long time. Time to get out & get my projects done so I'm ready for spring. Good times.

Sleep

Last night we slept from 10 PM to 7 AM...it feels great. I'm still exhausted & a bit sick, but feeling much better. Busy day @ work today, but nothing too terrible.

Being that it's March, it's time to start some yardwork. I put down Bone Meal for the bulbs last night & will be putting down Scott's crabgrass preventer this weekend. Also, I have to retrench all the bed borders & put down fresh pine straw. That'll make a huge difference. I also have to finally bury the cable for the landscape lighting...going under the concrete I hope will not be too much of an issue. I plan to kind of dig it out with a tree branch. Lots to do before March 19 when the church folks come over (that's my self-imposed deadline so I don't procrastinate).

Also, for those wondering, my next big "holiday" I like is the Kentucky Derby. That starts about two weeks beforehand with the Thunder Over Louisville fireworks display (that's Loo-vul by the way). As it gets closer to May 6, Derby Day, I'll give more updates.

UPDATE: Interesting news of the day: The Criminal Clerk of Courts in Orleans Parish, LA (NOLA) currently has an arrest warrant out for her, which is playing havoc with the sign up (today and yesterday) for the Mayor's race. Only in NOLA. She is currently in hiding.

The UVa men's basketball team lost a really bad one to ranked UNC last night. There goes any hope we have of making the NCAA unless we beat Maryland & have a great ACC tournament run. Argh. I'm going to put out my flag though from now until the end of the NCAA's or the end of the NIT, whichever we make.

Phrase of the day: "on the lam": Hiding out from the law.

Pooped

I am Mardi Gras'd & Olympics'd out...I've been absolutely exhaused today & kind of sick. This comes from a combination of: 1) Staying up way too late for the last 3 weeks to watch Olympics coverage, 2) going out last night, 3) drinking a little too much & 4) eating much later than normal. Tonight I made a vow that for the rest of the week & next week, I'm going to tank up on sleep because it's killing me. Especially last Friday I was a zombie. I guess this will be a sort of Lenten vow...

In Mardi Gras news though, it sounds like it went successfully. Most of the city, at least as far as the local media is concerned, thought everyone was happy about it. Now it's time to go back to rebuilding & to elect a new mayor (unless Willy Wonka gets reelected, which is not looking that likely).

I guess it's back to watching the Weather Channel & doing yardwork!

P.S. The house is painted & looks like a completely new place. I'll try to post some pictures at some point of the detail work.