Tennis Anyone

The French Open has just started...as usual the Americans aren't doing very well. Andy Roddick retired from a match early b/c he hurt his ankle was already down 2-Love in Sets. Wimbledon & the Australian are the best. My family would always have strawberries & cream for breakfast on Wimbledon Men's Championship morning.

We have to take a ferry to get to my parents' house this weekend...how old school. Click here for more info. Apparently being on the boat gives you the same view the colonists had in 1607. Unfortunately though I can't seem to find the current schedule (on the website, the schedule is valid through Memorial Day, as in yesterday). I can only imagine that MORE boats go back & forth in the summer (except of course during a hurricane).

The Pacific hurricane season officially started with Aletta yesterday, although no damage occurred except a few wind gusts. Nothing in the Atlantic yet, although the season starts in 2 days.

Memorial Day Weekend

I'm hanging in at work, definitely with a lot to do but ready to go home. I did my 3 miles today for the marathon training & 10 miles are up for tomorrow. We're going out tonight w/our Charlotte/Chapel Hill friends so that should be fun.

If you like Grey's Anatomy, you have to watch this. DO YOUR ROUNDS!!!

There was a story today from NOLA where a girl was in a thunderstorm & grabbed her suitcase to start packing...how sad!

We were just issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for Northern Georgia...there are some storms in extreme Northern Georgia & NE Georgia. Yesterday was weird b/c there was a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Fulton, but where we were in Fulton was sunny skies...the storms were 30 miles north in extreme northern Fulton, north of Alpharetta even. There was a tornado in Cherokee too. Also there are currently some strong storms in James City County, VA where my parents live.

Brad & Suzy

I wish that I was Brad or Suzy...I really do....She was a professional teller machine user and he was your basic beautiful loser...
Alright, the lyrics aren't in the right order, but I love that song. It's on what I call my "Katrina" CD, b/c it was made by our evacuee friend & we listened to it for the 1st time on the way to a gameday in Athens, Georgia last September...I can't believe it's almost been a year.

Car update: Although it's not running perfectly, apparently when they reset the computers it takes a while to be normal...they said 1-2 days & it'd be fine...it is getting better & better though!

One week until Hurricane Season...The Weather Channel is trying to advertise the hell out of it for ratings...

This morning I got run off the road not 1x but 2x by a car with an "I Love NY" sticker & Cobb tags...way to reinforce the bad stereotypes! This was the worst driver ever...I got the last laugh though b/c she wasn't paying attention at the street I turn onto & I had to honk @ her to go.

Speaking of which, where is my "If you love NY so much, why don't you go back there", or the "If you love NY so much, take I-85 North!" sticker?

QUESTION OF THE DAY: What is frattier...a gas grill or charcoal grill?

So you had a bad day...

Sorry...the song is stuck in my head, but it's half true.

I picked up my car yesterday and after $900 of service it's running worse than it did before the service. I took it in because the "Check engine light" was on. Nothing was happening though in terms of how it drove. Now however the starting is rougher & when it's at a stop it will jerk slightly. Before when it did that the RPM's would flutter & then it would stall...at least it's not doing that. Argh.

Also our dog has taken up chewing the wood blinds. This is especially frustrating because we went around when we moved in & fixed all the blinds that the previous dog had chewed...why did he think this was a good idea???

Plus, work just got super busy...of course this has to happen when I'm about to go out of town. Argh.

Well, I guess I better get to work so I can leave early & then pick up my wife's car & possibly drop mine off again.

Miscellaneous

1) I learned yesterday that we're going to get an upscale WalMart soon in the new District at Howell Mill, based on the product mix at a new WalMart in Park Cities (P.C. is are a pair of upscale "bubble" suburbs in the middle of the city of Dallas: Highland Park & University Park). We're also getting a new Target at Atlantic Station. Now is the dilemna: do we go to the "nicer" big box stores off of Howell Mill & 17th Streets respectively, or do we go to the nastier ones off of Cobb Parkway for the cheaper Cobb County taxes?

2) New Orleans today is holding a huge mock hurricane drill, called "Hurricane Alicia". This is not to be confused with Hurricane Alicia which hit near Galveston, Texas in 1983 as a Cat 3.

3) Tip of the Day: Do you have to evacuate & worried about both flooding & wind? Take the racks out of your dishwasher & put your valuables & papers in there...it's airtight & waterproof...one of the radio guys on WWL did dishes the night before the storm and although his house flooded, his dishes were pristine inside the dishwasher.

4) I've been listening to the Sara Evans song, "Missing Missouri". Is this the first time that Missouri has ever been sung about? My wife pointed out that at the end of the song she says, "It's where they Show Me", as in the "Show Me State". Also, she's a Cardinals fan?? GO BRAVES!

Oh No Barbaro...

It looks like he's still fighting for his life, but having some fun while doing it. His doctors give his chances of survival at 50/50, but he jogged back to his stall after his surgery & was checking out the female horses, which is good because they hope to breed him. It's too bad b/c I really thought that he could be a triple-crown winner. Read an article from the New York Times about Barbaro.

Congressman Bill Jefferson of Greater New Orleans got caught taking a bribe from a wealthy Virginia on tape. Pretty dumb, especially since he is apparently the 1st black Louisiana Congressman since Reconstruction.

NOAA is predicting an above-normal hurricane season, including 4-6 MAJOR hurricanes (Cat 3+), along w/all the other predictors, who I can't keep up w/. They will not make a prediction on when & where they will hit. There currently is a tropical disturbance in the Caribbean, but it's not expected to turn into anything.

Finally, I know I don't watch NBA, but does it seem that the NBA finals have been going on FOREVER? Be done w/it already! I think even if I was a fan, I'd be bored by now (it's probably the one pro sport I don't watch at all!).

Another Lazy Sunday

We're Country Fair'ed out...enough rednecks for one weekend...although we did see a redneck fight including potbellies & a chain smoking redneck mom kicking. haha. Sara Evans, Pat Green & Montgomery Gentry were awesome though. Download "Coalmine" by Sara Evans...it's great.

In not so good news, Barbaro is fighting for his life after being injured in the Preakness....he was a 3-5 shot for the win last time I saw before the race (meaning I think that you'd get less than your entire bet back if you put $$ on him). How shocking.

Mayor Nagin won his bid for reelection in New Orleans, narrowly nudging out Landrieu. I don't know how I feel about this, but he'll lead the city in the largest recovery effort of any American city ever.

Lastly hurricane season is coming up, but will most likely start slowly. Will Jorma Duran be a hurricane dude?

Preakness Eve

Go Barbaro...he may be just the horse to get the Triple Crown, which would be a shame b/c I think that Visa is no longer giving the $5 million bonus (although that may be next year). In any event, I hope he wins...he was my original choice & then I decided to go w/Lawyer Ron & Sweetnorthernsaint.

Also, we're actually going to Country Fair finally....I'm excited...Sara Evans, Lonestar & the RubberBand. We MAY go tonight too....

Finally, I took my car in...the "Check Engine Soon" light is going to cost me $900. Cheaper than a car payment though...at least w/the cars I want. A 2004 or 2005 Pathfinder, fully loaded would be ideal, but a downgrade in a sense. I love my QX4 and will try to keep it as long as I can...

Hurricanes Brewing

Well, not quite yet. The patterns are getting more favorable though, as the wind shear is dying down, especially around Panama & the western Caribbean. Potentially by next week there might maybe be something brewing, but right now there aren't enough clouds.

However, Accuweather is predicting this hurricane season to be especially rough for North Carolina, Myrtle Beach, & Manhattan/Long Island/Connecticut. The map is here. Who knows how accurate it will be...the downside to this is that last year they also predicted New York was doomed & that the Gulf Coast would probably get off easy...who really knows though?

Isn't it sad that one of the things I'm looking forward to is the fact that in a few days it'll be Memorial Day which means casual summers???

Hurricanes & Izzie Stevens

I saw a commercial today for the "lost" episode of It Could Happen Tomorrow, the Sunday night weather channel show. This show was filmed in NOLA in April 2005, and is about a Cat 5 striking downtown New Orleans. Apparently much of what they "predicted" actually did happen, even though Katrina only hit as a 3 in lower Plaquemines Parish on August 29. They are showing this to kick off "Hurricane Week" on June 4...the real Hurricane Season starts in 17 days on June 1...at this point the National Hurricane Center will start issuing daily updates.

Grey's Anatomy: The Season finale finally ended last night after a total of 3 hours...1 Sunday night & 2 last night. My friend pointed out that it is longer than most movies! Anyway, Izzie screwed up big time, but I've heard she is going to still be on the show in some capacity, just not as a surgical intern...any truth to this???

My landscape lights went out AGAIN. The 300 watt power pack just blew out. The on the phone told me to look to see if I have 12-gauge wire, which I have a sneaking suspicion was not in the box. If that's the case I have to pull up the wire & rebury it...fun times. Oh well.

Finally, sounds like W. has a plan for the illegal immigrants. I've heard it's more expensive to have them here & take care of them than their beneficialness (is that a word?). Also, it's making a lot of the immigrants that did it the LEGAL way angry to have them here & demanding rights...it's like giving someone who stole a car the car & free gas for life.

Off to Ole Virginia

Just a few more hours at work...once again my deposition got cancelled as I was on my way...made it as far as the Marquis II Tower doors & had to turn around.

It's always tough to do work when you know you're leaving early. I wish we could move up our flight, but to no avail. My mother-in-law will be sure to feed us a LOT.

Sunday we're going to the final round of the Kingsmill Michelob Ultra LPGA tournament. That should be fun...kind of like horse racing with golf clubs. We have tickets to the hospitality tent, which is very nice.

Speaking of this weekend, it's my sister's birthday, my wife's graduation, Mother's Day, my grandparents coming from Florida, the McKee/Koons wedding, etc. etc. Yikes.

We're meeting up with a friend of mine from Duluth, Georgia for drinks before the weddings....funny how some people you never see, even if they live in your metro area, unless you're both out of town in the same place.

It's getting closer to the sign-up deadline for the Quebec marathon. Again, who thought marathon #2 was a good idea???

I learned today that Gainesville, Florida is the southernmost deciduous city in the world (meaning trees), and it's considered the "End of the South".

Finally, why does Virginia not have a signature song, like the Carolinas (Going to Carolina) or Georgia (on my Mind)? It'd be cool if there was a well-known "VA" song.

Thursday!

Check out this site. Interesting statistics, taken with a grain of salt.

After yesterday's deluge of rain, I'm going to try to cut my grass in record time before we go off to hear bluegrass...

Finally, I did 5 miles today in my training for the Quebec marathon. It was one of those runs that I started out dreading & ended up doing pretty well....I'm trying to get these "shorter" runs in at sub-8:33 miles so I can get 7 miles done in an hour, but I'm not quite there yet. Of course, I haven't ran since Kiawah (in December) before 2 1/2 weeks ago!

Another lazy evening

Once again the rain has foiled my plans to cut the grass...this means I might not get to it until Monday evening if we end up going to the Red Light Cafe to hear bluegrass music (not to be confused with the Red Chair, which is a gay bar in the same shopping area!).

In other news I heard that people in California are suing b/c their kids failed the high school tests which are a prerequisite to go to college. The reason? They couldn't understand English...are you kidding me!!!??? Doesn't that mean that they didn't learn one of their required courses!!???

Our dog went to daycare today at Barking Hound. He is absolutely exhausted, but the employees said he was a perfect gentleman...way to go. Someone else told us though that he has OCD...can dogs get OCD???

Finally, my wife wants to put Llumar film on our auto windows. I guess that is not something I can do myself, or am I wrong? She wants the clear kind which has no tint, but apparently still keeps out the UV rays. Does anyone know anyone in Atlanta who does this work???

Prelude to Hurricane Season

My trip to Chicago was cancelled at the last minute. I was actually at the airport and got a call from work saying not to go...crazy stuff...but I did spend a lot of billable time traveling to & from. Today I'm trying to get organized/play catch-up, which isn't too bad.

I found this cool website from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel about Hurrcane Andrew. Click here for interactive features & coolest of all the old Newspaper Articles from back then (I guess 1992 is "back then" now).

Finally, I signed up for this contest on the Houston Chronicle about when hurricane season would start with Alberto. I said June 5 & that Alberto would get winds of up to 71 MPH (strong Tropical Storm). You can enter too by going to Blogs, then SciGuy.

P.S. The most hits I get through Google are for people looking for Jorma Duran, the Weather Channel Guy. Think if I write his name a lot, Jorma Duran, I'll get more hits? haha.

Recovery

Well, not too bad, but it's been busy. Tuesday I just stayed up late, Wednesday I went to Treehouse, Thursday I went to the UVa Happy Hour turned beer pong, Friday was neighborhood party and Los Margaritas, and Saturday was Dunwoody Beer Fest, Kentucky Derby & Fox & Hound. On top of that I waxed my car yesterday, which is something I do yearly. I'm exhausted today, but on my way to Chicago soon for work, so maybe I'll sleep on the plane, & since I'll actually be in NW Indiana, there won't be a whole lot to do so I can catch up on sleep!!!

Louisville's Day at the Races

Ok, that's a bit of a Misnomer now, because the Kentucky Oaks in the last 15 years has drawn the crowds (over 110,000 last year) and the celebrities, and most of Louisville is shut down today. What most people don't know is that Oaks Day is one of the biggest sporting events in terms of attendance in the country, but very few people have heard about it because of its more famous sibling, the Derby. In any event the weather is great there....

...on the other hand, I'm not sure if Atlanta will be so lucky for Cinco de Mayo celebrations. I'm hoping it holds out though b/c it'd be a great day. The office is contemplating closing early, but no one seems to know the proper protocol for doing so. If we do close however, I'm going to mow my grass & then hit the neighborhood party...I'd really love to take a nap though!

I can almost taste the Mint Juleps/Quattro de Mayo

Tomorrow promises to be a good day if I can only get through today! Last night ended up being pretty late with a random trip to the Treehouse (the bar in Peachtree Hills, not the animal clinic). Tonight I have to mow the grass (assuming no T-storms) and go to the UVa Happy Hour/meeting at CJ's Landing.

But tomorrow, hopefully we'll get out of work tomorrow, seeing as the main partner is gone at his daughter's wedding, and our neighborhood party starts up at 5 PM. I think in honor of Oaks/Derby some seersucker wearing is in order.

Saturday is Dunwoody Beer Fest up off of Abernathy & Mt. Vernon, & then of course the Derby, possibly in Hi-Def or possibly at our neighbor's house.

I love the tradition of the Derby...the "And they're off!"...the playing of "My Old Kentucky Home"...Tom Hammond (a Lexington, Kentucky native) saying right before the playing "At this moment everyone is a Kentuckian"...the random shots of people trying to sing between sips of Juleps...the announcers in their hats & khaki suits...more to come tomorrow...I'll be listening to a Louisville station as opposed to WWL tomorrow.

In NOLA news, hotels will officially have to evacuate starting this year, so people don't get stranded at the Ritz again...haha. Remember this will be for Cat 2's & up (which someone on WWL called a strong thunderstorm!). Also a NOLA prosecutor got arrested today for rape...that looks good for the city.

Kentucky Derby Countdown

It's almost time....2 days until Oaks day (which incidentally schoolkids in Jefferson County, Bullitt, Oldham and other Kentucky County schools get off), which is the day I've always been to, and 3 days until Derby Day. Check out the official television schedule. The actual race is shortly after 6 PM EDT, where they'll sing "My Old Kentucky Home" (played by the University of Louisville band.

Yesterday was the Run for the Rose, which is where a bunch of local waiters & waitresses go through an obstacle course with glasses of Rose wine on a tray. Good times.

Finally, Mayor Nagin has declared it Hurricane Preparedness Month in the City of New Orleans. They're trying to figure out now how to use trains & buses to get everyone out, as there will NOT be a shelter of last result (i.e. Superdome) this time. Also, Nagin plans to do a mandatory evacuation for anything Category 2 & higher...that might be a lot of storms. On the other hand, most of the storms are supposed to hit mid-Atlantic & up.

FYI, that disturbance never came of anything...I guess we'll continue to wait for Alberto.

Start of Hurricane Season?

There is a tropical disturbance 500 miles off the South Carolina coast that NOAA is investigating...at this point it's highly unlikely to turn into Alberto or even a tropical depression, but it is exactly 1 month until the official start of the season.

Derby: I think I'm going for Brother Derrick, but the name Lawyer Ron is also cool so I might have to do more studying. In any event this is just a quick knee-jerk reaction...I wish I was going to Oaks on Friday!!

Finally, I played golf on Saturday at a new country club in Hampton, Georgia (home of the motor speedway). It was pretty fun even though I was horrible...need to dust off the old skills....