Who's Your Daddy?

BELUGAS

Here are the other pictures I took of the beluga whales at the Georgia Aquarium:

Georgia Aquarium Opens

Paige and I went to check out the new downtown aquarium last Monday. Paige had class at Noon, and our reservation was for ten. So, our visit was a bit hurried. We stood in line for about forty-five minutes in the biting winds of downtown. There was a steady drizzle of rain, and the temperature was in the low 40's. I believe the weather cleared out many of the rumored protestors, but several remained. I can see their point, but I belived the educational and conservational lessons presented by the aquarium far outweigh the protestors' concerns. The popular chant, "House people, not fish." was a stab at local government, but the aquarium was primarily funded by the founder of Home Depot. Also, the revenue earned by the city could be utilized to expand some existing social policies.


Once inside the aquarium, we noticed it was divided into five galleries joined together in an expansive, common area. Our first destination was the Ocean Voyager. This is a great starting point. The area houses the aquarium tunnel and North America's largest view window. Two, fifteen foot whale sharks are here as well, not to mention a school of rays, giant grouper, and hammerheads.


The Tropical Diver was next. This area houses a diverse mix of tropical marine life. Apparently, this area houses the coral reef and jelly fish exhibits, but we missed them. We kind of rushed through this area. One cool aspect of this area was that kids could go through crawl spaces that provided uniqued views of the displays.


We skipped the Georgia Expolore entirely. It was beside the touch tanks and was too crowded. We decided to save it for our next visit.

In Cold Water Quest we saw some penguins and sea lions, but the beluga whales were incredible. We stayed here for a while and watch these guys swim. They're very active, and it's like they are posing for you. I got some cool shots of them. This exhibit alone was worth the wait in line.

We finished with a quick romp through the River Scout. There were some frisky otters here. The sea otters in the other gallery were all asleep, but these guys were on the move. Other attractions contained marine life that inhabit various river habitats around the world.

I'm glad that Paige and I bought annual passes because the Georgia Aquarium warrants repeat visits. I could easily spend more than twice the amount of time we were limited to on this trip. And I know we will be going back whenever anyone comes to visit. My only complaint is the mascot, Deepo. Pretty weak, huh. And the fish looks and sounds like a Nemo ripoff.

LINKS

Here are some really cool links I've had saved in my hotmail inbox for a couple years. Thanks primarily to Jason P. I believe he sent me two of these. http:/http://www.topeuro.co.uk/blagger/the_duel.html
/www.patmedia.net/marklevinson/cool/cool_illusion
http://www.henry.martinez.net/misc/whatswrong.htm

WWW.MYSPACE.COM

One of my friends just began a site that features the music he produces at home. Give it a listen and let him know what you think:

http://www.myspace.com/jodyperritt

You should also click the link from Jody's page to Sean's in the friends section. Sean's a guy from Waycross who was in some bands with Jody back in the day. He's got some good stuff on his site, too.

Texas Hold'em

I took a bit of a ride tonight. I finally decided to play poker with some of my co-workers. I had heard them talk about their weekly game for 8 months, but I was reluctant to play. You see, they require a $20 buy-in, and the dealer calls the game. I don't mind buyin' in, but I do mind the game switchin'. And it bit me in the ass tonight. I played the Hold'em hands almost perfectly (both of them), but I lost over $30 on two hands of Omaha. When I heard the rules described the first time, I thought that, "You have to play two cards.", meant you have to play at least two cards. $15 down, no problem, right. Well, I made the same mistake two hands later when I tried to play all four cards in my hand with one on the board. Another $20 was gone.

On the bright side, once I got home, I logged on to partypoker.com, and I won my money back. Thanks to luck and some aggressive betting, I am now only $1.30 in the hole, as opposed to $40. WHEW!

Modest Mouse

I found this concert poster and wanted to post it.

Bill Hicks

This was the best comedian that has ever lived.

I affectionately tell people that Gallagher was my Big Bird, and I grew up watching “Showtime Comedy Club Network” on the premium cable channel. I’ve watched dozens of hours of stand-up comedy. I watched Jerry Seinfeld develop his routine. To me, he was the guy who looked like John Travolta in “Saturday Night Fever”. He wasn’t Seinfeld. I had Sam Kinison on cassette when I was twelve years old. And this guy, Bill Hicks, is the best comedian. He is the best comedian that has ever lived. But don't take my word for it. Here's Jesse Custer:

Listen to ‘ol Jesse Custer before he makes you. Check Bill Hicks out.

AEON FLUX

Somehow, this slipped below my radar. Aeon Flux remains one of the most cryptic and visually stunning works of animation around. Its erotic undertones and John Woo action are as impressive now as they were ten years ago. And, now, it is a motion picture starring Charlize Theron. It opens December 2. You know how these things go; they can hit or miss. But I have high hopes for this one.

Wha?

This photo was posted by Cernunnos on the ginger roots blog. It's pretty creepy. It reminds me of the assassins sent to kill guy in the movie, The Last Starfighter.

Foucault's Pendulum

Think of this book as a literary DaVinci Code. It is steeped in Templar mysticism and the occult. If you are interested in the occult, the Crusades, or conspiracy; you should check this one out. I’m fascinated with cultural histories, and I have read much about the Knights of the Temple of Solomon. But this book is full of cultural and historical references that had me spinning. These intricacies have much to do with the storyline, and I hope one of you reads it. Don’t let the references put you off. I would love to be able to speak with someone about it.

I believe this photo shows the location of the novel’s climax. Even if it doesn’t, it somewhat correlates to my created image of the scene. The pendulum is much smaller here than it was in my head. But it still puts a concrete image with the story. Which makes me wonder; did it really happen?

Harajuku Lovers Tour

On Monday, Adam and Jimbo flew into town to celebrate Jimbo's 35th birthday. Jimbo is a huge fan of Gwen Stefani and the Black Eyed Peas, so we all got tickets. These bands are not my cup of tea, and I went to the show primarily to hang out with some of my best friends. But suprisingly, the show was outstanding. The songs were tight, the vocals were right on, and the break dancers were phenomenal. The super hot harajuku girls, Gwen, and Fergie certainly made their contributions.

One of Paige's Paintings

This is one of my favorites. I read it as a kind of self-conscious self-portrait. As with her others, this one has no title or asking price, but let me know what you think.

The Valarie Plame Leak

These pages from last week's "Newsweek" give an outstanding overview of the Valarie Plame leak. Print them out take a look.

Georgia Aquarium

"The Georgia Aquarium opens on November 23rd and will stake its claim as the World’s Largest Aquarium. With over 8 million gallons of fresh and marine water, and 100,000 animals representing 500 species from around the globe." - www.georgiaaquarium.org

They've got a whale shark in this thing, not mention beluga whales. These behemoths are going to be housed next to Centennial Park, Philips Arena, and CNN Center in downtown Atlanta. I'll let you know what it's all about after a visit. I should be a real spectacle.

Andruw Gets His Due

“He's got RBIs in his bat and in his glove." – BOBBY COX

Earlier this week, Louisville Slugger announced Jones as one of their Silver Slugger Award winners for this season. He was one of eight National League selections to earn the award for the first time. In his bid he led the Majors with 51 homers and the National League with 128 RBIs.

Yesterday, he was awarded his eighth straight Golden Glove award. With a .995 fielding percentage, Jones tied Milwaukee's Brady Clark for the second-best mark among National League center fielders.

Jones joins Alex Rodriguez, Willie Mays and Ken Griffey Jr., as the only players to hit at least 50 homers in the same season that they won a Gold Glove.

Along with his latest awards, Jones has already been named The Sporting News' Major League Player of the Year and the National League recipient of the Hank Aaron Award. In addition, today he was named both the Major League Baseball Player of the Year and the National League's Outstanding Player during the 2005 Players Choice Awards.

This was a truly remarkable season for Andruw. Hopefully, the MLB will honor him with the NL MVP award next week.

-source: www.altantabraves.com