Many Things

I went with some friends from one of my Meetup.com groups to go on a tour of the Fox Theater. I've been here many times for events, but this tour showed me things I've never seen. Here is one of the photos I took. The rest of them are on my profile in Facebook . This chair was one of a set of two in the women's "powder room" and the guide told everyone not to sit in them. I thought they are very pretty. (Yes we toured two of the "tea rooms" because of ornate features.) The tour is inexpensive and I highly recommend it for a nice Saturday morning outing in Atlanta.

Boy and howdy, am I glad today is a holiday . Otherwise, I would have been in traffic hell all day. I started this morning driving to downtown Atlanta (think Five Points ...not Little Five Points ) and interviewing for the contract job in Birmingham. The drive is about 30 miles one way. I allowed extra time since I wasn't 100% sure where the building was located, but it was an easy find off the Downtown Connector and I had time to relax and prepare myself. The interview went well and I have a follow-up conference call interview Tuesday morning at 9:30 with the folks in Birmingham and Atlanta. If that goes well, I may get the job, which should start next week. I think it is a good fit. I've never been a technical writer for a utility company, but I would be doing what I have done for almost 20 years. Only the technology and some of the methodology would be different. I stopped for a quick lunch on the way home. I have mostly been eating at home since the layoff. Fortunately, I...

Thanks to Ann for the link. ...and a video response... BTW, yesterday I went to the Little Five Points 8th Annual Halloween Festival and Parade. One woman was dressed as Palin, and she did it well. I will be posting parade and festival photos during the week.

My buddy Michele and I went to the Fox Theatre to see Wicked today. Had a great time. The Fox is one of Atlanta's greatest treasures, and it is always a special treat to attend a play or concert there. I may have seen a movie there too, but it was a long time ago. Just to think...overzealous developers almost had this theatre destroyed back in the 70s. Oh yeah, Wicked was great too and I'm not much of a musical kind of guy. I noticed that they used silver slippers in this production instead of the ruby ones of The Wizard of Oz fame, to be true to the book. Oh, and preceding the play, we had a wonderful lunch at another Atlanta landmark, Mary Mac's Tea Room . Atlanta can be so much fun.

I am not a huge sports fan...at least to watch on TV. Although I did enjoy watching some of the Olympics this summer. No, where I thrive with sports is to go to a live game, except for golf or bowling (dull sports). I enjoy the crowd and the atmosphere and the beer*. *I don't enjoy beer at Turner Field. They only sell Bud brands (fake beer). I'm a Guinness Stout (real beer) drinker. Bud sucks. So, take me out to the ball game works for me. I can't afford it most of the time, so if you are paying, I'm game. I have more photos from this game that I may post some other time.

I took this photo on my first visit to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens this month. I am returning to a childhood hobby of mine, photography. Click the photo to see a larger version. Hope you like it.

Let me just say a few words about PFLAG . If you don't know what it is, check out the link. In February 2007, a few of us at my church decided we needed to form a chapter because LGBTQ folks in the area did not have a support group nearby, unless going all the way into Atlanta is nearby. Not! In fact, my suburban area is very conservative, so finding any support for non-traditional causes can prove difficult. My church, while fairly inactive on many social justice causes, is very supportive of the LGBTQ community, so we have a safe place to meet. Our group averages from 8 to 24 in attendance each month, and you can tell that for many who attend, it is one of their few outlets for speaking what is on their hearts and minds. Some are parents learning to cope with a recently "out" child or adult child. Some are LGBTQ and are dealing with coming out issues, new relationships, old relationships ending, or parenting. Today one member finally took on the Hospitality Coordinato...

The lines snake around intersections. Accidents and fights have happened. Cars run out of gas before they reach the pumps. Stations run out before people make it to the pumps. Prices vary wildly from one station to another, but they are all well over $4 a gallon. People sleep in their cars at stations overnight waiting on another shipment to arrive. After doing nothing for almost a week, our dumb ass governor, Sonny Purdue , steps in to allow for dirtier gas to be pumped until the crisis is averted. (With a name like Sonny, how bright could he be. Right?) Stations are partly to blame in that they don't require, say five gallons or more minimum fill up . As it is, many folks are topping off their tanks, adding to the problem. It all reminds me of the oil embargo of 1973 , when most stations closed at night and on Sundays. One thing I will predict: Events such as this will become more common over the next few years. Individually, we need to adjust to this new reality. I adjusted in a...