I used to think that I understood my life. I was beginning to take solace in knowing where it was heading. I don’t anything any longer. Suffice to say that what’s going on is nothing good like falling in love or anything like that. Can’t comment on this more, but it may explain my blog today.
Read Along With Me
Today’s passage from Notes To Myself.
Most conversations seem to be carried out on two levels, the verbal level and the emotional level. The verbal level contains those things which are socially acceptable to say, but it is used as a means of satisfying emotional needs. Yesterday a friend related something that someone had done to her. I told her why I though that person had acted the way he had and she became very upset and started arguing with me. Now, the reason is clear. I had been listening to her words and had paid no attention to her feelings. Her words had described how terribly this other person had treated her, but her emotions had been saying “Please understand how I felt. Please accept my feeling the way I did.” The last thing she wanted to hear from me was an explanation of the other person’s behavior.
To all who have helped me — Thanks.
I’ve Got Some Mad Grill Skill
With no break from the heat (and I just realized that the air conditioning company I called yesterday never returned the message I left) it was time to cook outdoors again. Fairly confident that I’d not find another birds nest in the grill, I whipped it around onto the area of the deck that I use for cooking.
On the menu last night? I cooked up some barbecue sauce covered chicken breasts, roasted onions, and roasted potatoes with rosemary. I served that all up with some artisan(ish) garlic clove bread, and a fantastic Coney Island Lager from Shmaltz Brewery. Come to think of it, I should have served this beer with some Nathans hot dogs instead.
ITP Flickr Pic
There’s A Whole New View In Town
I received a head’s up yesterday that Google has just turned on Street View for Atlanta.
Google employs trucks to drive up and down streets taking photos which they then seamlessly stitch together for viewing. It’s really rather cool, but I warn you that it’s rather addicting and will chew up a large portion of your day if you are not careful.
RealiTV Update: Hell’s Kitchen
Hell’s Kitchen started the night with five remaining cooks. Since it was relatively easy math I figured that by night’s end there would be but four. I was sincerely hoping the Jen, Hell’s Kitchen’s version of Cerie, would be the one ousted.
The night stared out with the cooks having to teach The Housewives of Los Angeles how to make a lobster and spaghetti dish. The cooks were not supposed to help, but merely instruct. Jen was caught on camera no fewer than two occasions preparing the dish for her pupil. In the end it still didn’t help her, because she received the worst evaluation from Ramsay. Christina and Corey were in a close race to win, and in the end Ramsay picked Christina. For her victory she got to pick the brain of two chefs from the area — I must admit that I have never heard of them, nor the restaurants for which they own/work. The losers must clean the kitchen thoroughly while Christina gets her time. The camera captures Jen lallygagging and eavesdropping on the conversation, and then eating some of the leftover food on the plates.
Now it’s time for the cooks to prepare for dinner service. For the first time during the season I start to dislike Christina as she can’t keep her mouth shut during prep, spouting culinary knowledge like she’s all of a sudden Susie Knowitall.
As we’ve come to expect, the cooks have a difficult time through the night’s service. Jen and Bobby seem to be catching the most shit from Ramsay during the evening. In the end Christina is declared the winner for the night and nominates the two of them for elimination. Ramsay has each party plead their case, and sadly it’s Bobby who gets the boot.
And then there were four.
And now for some ideas stolen from LiveJournal…
Current Mood – scared, confused, my whole life seems to be off track
Current Music – Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 26 playing The Hold Steady — “Sequestered In Memphis”
Website Of The Day – Shawn Feeney’s BFF Project is really rather neat. He started with sixty-four sets of friends and for each is making a composite sketch of the pair. This process will continue until there is one composite drawing consisting of features from all sixty-four participants
Exercise (b)Log – nothing
Monthly Foot Mileage – 5 miles
Monthly Wheel Mileage – 38 miles
Mode Of Transportation To Work – Marta
Monthly Marta Rides – 11
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 71 (71)
Books To Read To Earn Kindle – 5
June Goals
1) Run no fewer than 75 miles
2) Ride no fewer than 100 road miles
3) Ride Marta no fewer than twenty times (ten round-trips)
4) Read at least one book
5) Make my bed every day
6) Eat out at a bar/restaurant no more than twice in one week
Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]
Hey! I just noticed this about your blog:
“There are 972 Posts and 5,637 Comments so far”
That’s a pretty cool ratio, dude. 🙂 We the people out here must really like reading your blog.
And now I’m off to Google Street View Atlanta all day long. I’m not kidding.
Of course about half of those comments are my replies. 🙂
I figured you’d be all over the Street View. 🙂
I did it, I can put a 1 in my monthly Marata rides.
It wasn’t bad, biked to Garnett (easier to navigate than 5 points), rode to Chamblee, then another 2 miles or so on the bike to work. 70 minutes, about twice as long as driving but cost half as much and I got a little exercise. I think one I get the hang of it I can get it to under an hour. I’m going to shot for two times a week.
I really like the picture. I love those little lizzards and the colors are just great, everything is so bright and vibrant.
I don’t like hearing that your life is falling apart?
Yessirree! Of course, one of the first views I had to get was down at Oakland Cemetery. Then I had to see the closest photo to the old ‘hood (right on the corner; closer than I had thought!), then I had to check out YOUR ‘hood…and, well, it just hasn’t stopped.
I want that job: driving around, taking photos for Google.
When I heard about Street Views it was from my neighbor down the block. One of his comments about what he saw was “Paulie was home.” because the photo of my house shows my car parked in the carport.
Excellent job Martha! I’ve yet to work up the ride the bike to Marta desire yet.
Holly time-waster Batman! That f’n rocks hard! Gray day at my house, but how cool is this shit?
Next up: personal gastro-intestinal videos of your favorite stars, from Google stomach cam!
/we’ve snuck a stomach-cam into Mel Gibson’s bagel and lox, let’s see if he notices…
Hey there. This is Zak from Shmaltz Brewing Co. Just wanted to say thanks for the shout out. Great to hear that you’re digging our beers. If you like that one, we’ve got a couple more coming down the pipeline…Albino Python is a white spiced lager brewed with coriander and orange peel, and Sword Swallower is our “IPA-inspired” hoppy lager. Check ’em out. L’Chaim!!
I couldn’t think of a better place to advertise this, since your blog is read by tens of thousands of people a day …hope you don’t mind.
I have 3 amish friendship bread starters that will be ready for yummy bread making in 9 days…anyone want one? Each one makes 2 loaves of bread and 4 additional starters.
I made my first ones last night, one vanilla and one vanilla with cranberries….yummy! Wish I was going to make it on Sunday the would go great with some bacon.
In the spirit of the ITP Community Posting Board:
@ Bob: Great answer yesterday.
-Randy
Paulie, put down the tomato and back away…let’s talk about this, life can’t be that bad, you have friends and people that love you….it just isn’t worth it!!!!
Thanks Bob, I totally missed your answer yesterday day
@Randy: Thanks, I forgot to bring up Bob’s answer from yesterday. That was brilliant.
@Martha: Things are bleak, but may be okay. The tomato eating was an oversight on my behalf. Serves me right for eating vegetables. I should just eat a healthy diet consisting of only bacon!
LOL at the Martha! Put down the tomato… bahahaha! Apparently we all Twitter along with you too, ITP. 🙂
Well P, if you ever need a friend to buy you a drink, I’m just around the corner. I’m after the day I had I see one in my future this evening.
Stacy, I know! Can you believe how funny I am?? 😉
What time are you thinking Martha? I’m on Marta so I doubt that I can be back in the hood before 6:15pm.
I haven’t a clue…I don’t want to ride in the rain so I may stick around the office until the worst part passes.
I can give you a ring when I get closer but I won’t be home before you.
May be later…. Hell’s breaking out in the form of rain; really bad for someone who has to walk a quarter-mile to a Marta station. 🙁
7 miles on the bike for my trip home 🙁 🙁
And we call ourselves “smart.” 😉