BRAVES WINTER FANFEST

If you are at all familiar with this blog, you know that I am more than your average Braves fan. So, with that in mind, I should let you know that I battled freezing wind chills to obtain the autographs of some of my modern heroes. First and foremost, I withstood the biting winds to get the signature of one of the most dominating pitchers of our era: John Smoltz. This was the first opportunity to get his Hancock, and I waited for over two hours. But, as a bonus, rookie phenom Joey Devine was with him, so it ended up being a sort of happy hour session: Two for the price of one.

I then moved to Brian Jordan's table. He is the author of a couple children's books, and since I am expecting a child, I thought it would be great to get an autographed copy. Brian was gracious enough to not only sign the book I had purchased, he also took the time to sign my baseball and pose for a photograph. (He didn't have a blue ball point pen, so I let him keep mine.) I wish him luck in Spring Training. After all, he is invited as a non-roster player. He's going to have to earn a spot. Regardless, he is a true professional. And how many people can say that they have played in the MLB and the NFL? Jordan has played with the Falcons and the Braves!

Everything else was gravy. I went upstairs and obtained Ryan Langerhans' signature. As he was signing, I made sure I congratulated him on his recent marraige. Then I jetted over to the other side of the stadium in hopes of getting the autograph of our newest addition, Edgar Renteria. No one was in the line when I arrived, and I knew he had beeen signing for about two hours. But, as luck would have it, I knew the guy who was organizing the line. Justin used to work with Paige at Gordon Biersch, and as I was speaking to him, Renteria waved me over and took the time to sign my baseball. What a class act! He's a great addition to the team, and I now, officially, have baseball fever. It's going to be a great season!

BEAN

This is the first photo taken of my progeny. It was taken 12/29/05. I should have another photo next week. Anyway, I wanted to take a poll as to what you think our little Bean looks like. The choices are as follows: Teddy Graham, Gummy Bear, Matt Damon. If you do not wish to be confined to these, by all means make your own suggestion.

FRIENDS...How Many Of Us Have Them?

This title is a little shout out to the rap pioneers, Whodini. They are probably more popular now, but they were my favorite group when I was in the 4th grade. I distinctly remember listening to them while playing with Hot Wheels. Anyway, enough digression. My main point is to bring up the value of a true friend. Do you know of a person that you speak to rarely; a person you have confided in at one point or another; and upon seeing them again, it's like you are picking up a conversation you began months or years before? Is there a person you know that is consistently elevating your spirits despite their own tribulations? If you know people like this, news flash, they are your true friends. I've recently lost my Dad, and though there was sincere support from family and others, I found some of the greatest relief from my pals Jeremy and Jason. My longtime hommies; Adam, Mason, Jody, and Jake; were all there for me, but I was honestly taken by the love and support Jeremy and Jason provided. I often communicate through this medium with Jeremy, but I had not actually seen him since the beginning of 2001. The same goes for Jason, but our communication these last few years has been even more limited. Despite all this, these two friends were there for me in this overwhelming time of grief. And they went out of their way to give me the most sincere and personally substantial gift I have ever received from another person:

So, to my friends, I thank you for your support during this ordeal. I can only hope that I can provide the same comfort to you in the future. I love you.

Scientific Projection

What follows is a scientifically produced prediction of my stature at the end of this holiday season. Looks like I'll be putting on some winter weight. This is what happens when you binge on turkey and have tryptophan blackouts. My compliments to Jody for giving me this figure to look forward to. Sorry, Jeremy, this post is just another pictorial.

"Bring me Solo and the Wookiee. They will all suffer for this outrage."

A Painting By Paige

This one hangs in our guest bedroom. What do you think? Be sure to check out her others in the Archives.

Concert Posters

I love these really well done concert posters. Decoder Ring released an original poster for each Modest Mouse show on their last tour. Each one was influenced by their lyrics. Look in the archives for a post called "Novocaine Stain"to get an idea. The photo presented is the poster for the Atlanta show. The following is a White Stripes poster I like.

Johnny Cash / Tiananmen Square

Here are a couple of my favorite photos. Which do you like more; why; and what do you think makes them so prolific?

Radiohead

They are in the studio finishing up their seventh studio album. Check their website for more information. It contains a blog posted by the band members. The photo above is from one of the posts.

http://www.radiohead.com/

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.