The Creatures Of Habit

During my life I’ve started no fewer than ten bands. And by started I of course mean “thought of names for bands in which I’d like to play,” because not only have I never had enough musical talent to be a part of a band, I am way too old now.

“The Creatures Of Habit” is the latest band name I’ve conjured, mostly because it’s an apt description of myself. And having said that I tried two new things last night…

Duds And Suds
I tried a new laundromat last night! With the exception of the ass-clenching traffic which snarls North Druid Hills Road between Briarcliff and Clairmont the decision to try out the laundromat in Toco Hill Shopping Center was a good one (and of course, with the size of Toco Hill I’m almost surprised that there is only one laundromat in that shopping center).

The laundromat is small, but clean. I managed to swing three differently sized washing machines costing me a total of $7.25 and have all of my wash done in about forty-five minutes.

While waiting on my clothes to cleans I wandered next door to Toco Giant Package Store where I rung up almost $30 in beer purchases, including two 22-ounce bottles of Fat Tire.

I’m thinking that this laundromat may give the one next to Buddy’s a run for its money, at least for a little while.

I Could Have Used The Phrase “Pass The Poi”
That is if any of us had actually ordered poi at Waikiki BBQ. I arrived early (because I couldn’t get an dryers and time was running low), so I initially parked in the parking lot across the road from Waikiki BBQ and browsed inside of Tuesday Morning. For some reason I decided that I should drive across the street (Hey, my ancestors fought the Nazis so that I wouldn’t have to cross Briarcliff on foot!), and of course my laziness was mildly punished when the key fought me when I tried to remove it from the steering column. Since blogging about my car nightmares back in February this issue has arrived sparingly, but still frustrates me each time it does; I guess that it could thusly be called a “nagging condition.”

Once inside the restaurant things got a lot better. First, I was not the only one to arrive, in fact I was one of four Flickrites who ventured out for dinner. I ordered an appetizer of flatbread with a curry dipping sauce (I advise you not to do the same), a delicious Hawaiian BBQ combo (containing short-rib, some other spiced beef, ham (spam?), white rice, and for some reason macaroni salad), and a Sweetwater 420. For dessert I ordered (another) Sweetwater 420 and a platter of sweet plantains. Overall the night was a success as each of us seemed pleased with what we had ordered (with the exception of the flatbread). I can see myself stopping in for dinner on nights where I leave the office late and drive home down Briarcliff Road.

ITP Flickr Pic
I have nothing today…

It’s a darned good thing that I’ll be taking a photography workshop in a couple of weeks because I’m supremely frustrated with my photographic work. Last night I reviewed and completely deleted the two dozen shots that I took last weekend of my burgeoning planter garden. Most shots were “okay,” but “okay” is not good enough for me any longer.

I’m Swimming In A Sea Of Acronyms
And loving it! Although I’ve yet to become the proficient PHP and CSS/HTML developer I desire to become I am waddling on my way toward that achievement. The realization of how much I’ve missed software development was a correct one. I only hope that I can kick the rust and cobwebs from my brain quickly so that I can be doing some real development work again soon.

Rumor Has It I’ll Be At The EARL tonight
For some reason I submitted my name for a free ticket for tonight’s free Dead Confederate show at The EARL. I usually know better than to go to a free show because it always draws a packed house with whom I get frustrated, but it’s been a little while since I’ve seen Dead Confederate perform and rumor has it they are recording a live EP tonight.

I think my plan for the evening is to show up at The EARL camera-less and shortly before Dead Confederate is to take the stage. If I get “lucky” by that time the room will have reached maximum capacity and I will be refused admission. If not you’ll certainly be hearing about the show tomorrow.

Stats & Goals
Daily
Current Mood – frustrated for many reasons
Current Music – listening to “The News From Lake Wobegon” podcast from last weekend
Website Of The Day – Believe it or not I’ve been interested in gardening for some time. I blame Mel Bartholomew’s clean and organized plan called Square Foot Gardening for my obsession.
Mode Of Transportation To Work – my car
Exercise (b)Log – nothing

Monthly
Foot Mileage – 7 miles, Wheel Mileage – 0 miles
Consecutive Days Of Bed-Making (Longest Streak) – 17 (17)
Vegetarian Days – 1, Carnivorous Days – 25
Marta Rides – 0

May Goals
Whoops, I didn’t even consider this. Perhaps something will be here on Monday.

2009 Goals
– Reduce my weight to 190 pounds (today’s weight was 199.5 pounds)
– Completely read the book 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die
РEarn at least $150 through photography sales in order to cover the cost for the renewal of the Jalape̱o Beach SmugMug account I opened the other day.
– Save $500 for the sole purpose of donating to charitable organizations of my choice
– Attend at least one professional photography workshop

The Unmeasurable
– Continue backing up all data, including the off-site storage
– Become a proficient programmer in Objective-C (iPhone development) and Ruby on Rails (Black Sheep web page concept)
– Do not create a solution for something which is not a problem

Cheers,
Paulie [eatl/ga]