| Summer |
[Jun. 24th, 2008|08:55 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | Crown Room ATL B | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  tired | ] |
| [ | music |
| | everyone's cell conversations | ] |
It's been a pretty busy year and I haven't been posting a lot so, given that I have a few minutes to kill in the airport, I thought I'd make a few notes.
Bev has been working at summer camp for the last 3 weeks near Dalton, GA. Rather than pick her up on Friday and drive her back the 100 miles on Sunday, I decided to camp out with her. It was a nice little camping area on the side of the creek next to the camp where she works. My only complaint was that were a lot of bugs but the fire eventually took care of them.
We went into Summerville on Saturday to see Paradise Gardens. Much as I'd feared from the web site, the gardens were closed for renovations (appears to have been the last 5 years) and from what we could see from the fence was in pretty bad repair. I only hope that the foundation can raise enough money to at least preserve if not completely restore for now. At least Bev got to see the Gardens from the outside and understand a little more about "found object" art.
After that, we went to a thrift store on the way back to the camp. I bought a couple of hardbacks in the series I'm reading and, surprisingly, Bev found a dress for the "dressup" dinner that they have on Thursday night at the camp.
I'm glad that she's gotten into camping now. She even took her Saturday night bath in the creek rather than wait for an actual shower on Sunday at the camp. I guess she has a litttle bit of country in her after all. |
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| ....not dead yet |
[Apr. 13th, 2008|11:17 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | home | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  sore | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Prarie Home Companion | ] |
Somehow the Maynor vacations can never be free of some kind of danger and excitement. A couple of years ago it was me breaking my leg; now Beverly has taken up the mantle and decided to be the daredevil.
We decided to go with some friends to the Florida panhandle at the end of spring break this week - down to a little campground between St Joe and Apalachicola. We got there Wednesday about dusk and my friend Andrea and her son arrived later that night. Thursday blossomed sunny but windy so the boys decided to skip sailing and take the kayak over to St Mark's island. Andrea, the girls and I decided to go for a walk on the beach facing the channel to see what was around.
While Andrea and I walked on the beach the girls were splashing in the waves. A few minutes later, we turned to see that the girls had decided to swim to the island...maybe a couple of hundred yards away but in pretty cold, deep (and supposedly shark-infested) waters. I wasn't too happy about it but my disappointment turned to dismay when I say Bev waving her arms to us from about 3/4 of the way out then the girls started drifting fast to open ocean.
After a couple of minutes we realized that the girls were caught in the outgoing tidal current washing against the island and were being swept past it faster than I could even walk. Andrea headed back to the campsite to try and find the boys and the kayak while I kept a watch on Bev and Ramen getting further and further from shore. When I saw how fast that they were moving I flagged down a couple in a pickup to call 911 and some teenagers to go to the boat launch on the point and find a fisherman with a boat to try and pick them up.
After a seeming eternity, the girls had gotten so far from the beach that I could barely see their 2 heads bobbing in the water and drifting what seemed like a mile downshore from where we started - having to jog sometimes to try and keep them in sight. Even more frightening was the times I lost them entirely, unable to pick their bobbing heads from the breaking waves.
Finally came the sound of a motorboat setting out from the launch. It quickly made its way down shore and I frantically pointed out the girls. THe fishermen went out to the floundering swimmers and pulled them in, quickly bringing the shivering girls to the beach where we bundled them in a beach cart and drove them to the campground office. Beverly seemed fine but her friend Ramen, at 100 pounds of skin and bones, was shivering so badly she could hardly walk or speak with serious signs of dehydration and hypothermia.
At the office, we wrapped her in blankets until the ambulance arrived. The paramedics checked the girls out and found Ramen's body temperature down to 92 degrees but, thankfully, she seemed otherwise OK with no water in her lungs or other injuries. We were just lucky that all the time Bev had spent training on how to deal with a situation like this paid off as she was able to keep her weakly-swimming friend's head above water and almost calm awaiting rescue.*
Eventually, the warm ambulance and blankets got Ramen's body temperature back to normal. Both girls, checked and recovered, walked back to the camp site to sleep most of the rest of the afternoon. By evening, they had recovered and we spent the rest of the weekend joking about what coud have been a disastrous experience. As I pointed out, both girls were now set for school essays for the next 2 years. (Bev, of course, with the real version AND the one where they DID get eaten by sharks.)
The rest of the trip was relatively uneventful except for me possibly breaking a finger (makes it a bit hard to type) and capsizing the sailboat with a few scrapes and bruises Saturday afternoon. I told Andrea not to worry about that - the leg is titanium now and can't break again.
...we're not dead yet.
* I found out later that Bev had once tread water in a pool for 3 1/2 hours on a bet. It would have been nice to have known that while I was freaking out on the beach. |
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| Life in North Fulton |
[Apr. 2nd, 2008|06:56 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | home | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  stressed | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Driveby Truckers - Dead, Drunk and Naked | ] |
I was driving home from jury duty areound 12:30 this afternoon when suddenly the Roswell cop a few cars ahead of me pulls into the turn lane on Holcomb Bridge and stops the traffic in both directions. I didn't see him pulling anyone over and there was no wreck - I was wondering WTF when...a mother duck and her duckling go waddling across the highway and into the subdivision next door. |
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| Got a Marriott Rewards room this morning |
[Mar. 14th, 2008|09:57 am] |
I was looking for alternative hotels this morning that I could book via my Marroitt Rewards and the Marquis popped up in my search. I snagged it (although it was showing no Kings avaialable) for Friday through Monday.
Thought I'd post in case anyone else was looking and there might be more available. |
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| today's deadly sin: envy |
[Feb. 27th, 2008|03:45 pm] |
I'm about to fly home from 3 days at a sales meeting where there are some very successful people. It seems that the key to success for most of them was to have a small, successful company that you then sell to the company I work for. My dinner companion last night was going on and on about the car he just bought, the Astin-Martin M7 (the Bently had good trunk space but just didn't make the right statement). After dinner I went to the bar where one of the sales managers was sharing a bottle of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 1997 with some of his top salespeople.
Being from a small town full of simple people, I find it hard to fathom spending $150,000 for a car or $600 on a bottle of wine. I'm torn between living a simple life and wanting to be one of the "wealthy elite". Envy is one of the deadliest sins...I find that I do much better with gluttony and lust. |
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| Trouble in Paradise |
[Jan. 17th, 2008|09:32 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | home | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | tired | ] |
Beverly was telling me that she witnessed her first fight in her new school today. She was walking down the hall when she heard this boy and girl screaming at each other:
Boy: "You impudent, pompus bitch!!!"
Girl: "Hey - YOU'RE an impudent, pompus bitch!!!"
Boy: "Wait a minute...I said it first!!"
Girl: "Yeah? Well...I said it COOLER!!" |
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| Back to School |
[Jan. 8th, 2008|01:05 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | home office | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  optimistic | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Zep - Ramble On | ] |
Well - both kids have started in their new schools this week.
Beverly is attending Connected Academy. She's taking Drawing and Painting this quarter (her school does 4, 4 class quarters per year) and really likes it. Her favorite part about the school is the cafeteria so far which is a bit perplexing since the school only has 80 students. My guess is that since the building also houses the North Fulton Teacher's Academy that they upgrade the food for the teachers. She's taking 2 on-line classes this quarter to finish out her 10th grade requirements and will be taking German and Japanese on-line next quarter.
Jay is at Roswell High this semester and finishing out his junior requirements along with German and, surprise, Theatre Technology. He figured he needed something easy to balance the academic load and so far says that the class looks like mostly hammer and nail work. (FWIW, he says that the food sux just like at Centennial).
It's going to be a hectic month in January with new schools, activities and Randy being gone for the next 2 weekends.
Oh - and we bought a new car Sunday...a Nissan Versa as Randy's new commuter car. Small car but good mileage. We're supposed to pick it up tonight.
---end of update-- |
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| mmmmmmmm |
[Nov. 13th, 2007|03:12 am] |
At my favoite bar tonight... The Monks Cafe in Philly. I've had a Rodenbach Gran Cru and Chimay draft...I really should wlk back to my hotel now but they have a Kasteel Rouge calling my name
Decisions decisions
Well, one more can't hurt, right? I can always take a taxi but
......Scratch that - went for the Rogue 10th anniversary ale. Nice, kinda a stout. Everything else was mostly cherry juice. Not that anything is wrong with cherry juice...just not my kind of beer.
But YOU know the Belgians.
Having coffee with my old boss in th e morning. It'll be good too catch up.
BTW - nothing on the beer engine at the back bar. VERY bummed by that. One thing I love about this place is real beer. |
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| An autumn day in Rivermont |
[Nov. 6th, 2007|02:13 pm] |
After lunch today, I was walking through the living room and happened to look up at some movement in my neighbor's driveway. Standing there, a bit skittish, was a huge doe...come to peck at the persimmons on the small tree at the end of the driveway. I minute later, I saw 2 fawns wander up from the cove and join her as she browsed for late summer nibbles. She decided to give up on the persimmons after a couple of minutes and go to the wooded island nearer the road where the fawns started to suckle her (they were big for that, I thought, having lost most of their spots but what I do know about deer?). She and they ran off when a car drove by and slowed down at the sight.
It's not often you see deer in broad daylight in my neoghborhood. I guess the season and the drought may be bringing them out in the daytime looking for food. Neither she nor the doe seemed undernurished so they are probably still finding plenty. I hope they do as well through the winter. |
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| ....don't be concerned about the firetrucks lineing the runway |
[Oct. 23rd, 2007|02:00 am] |
I hate Mondays. Generically. Categorically. I just hate them. Some are worse than others: this morning I kept hitting the snooze button - I KNEW I should stay in bed.
But, in the end, it all worked out. The pilot got the flaps down, I got a room at my fav hotel for tomorrow night and I'm sitting here drinkinh a Hop Devil draft
- and tomorrow is Tuesday. |
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| spoiled... |
[Oct. 17th, 2007|12:42 am] |
My day sucked. I mean really sucked. So, I was sitting in my first-class airline seat sipping a G+T about to blog about poor little Jerry: my plans changed, I can't get a rental car, I have to get a hotel and change my flight, I did a Cartman (screw you - I'm outta here) to my boss then found out I really wasn't.
I REALLY need to get over myself.
Now, with a bit more perspective, maybe I can wake up and realize that in the last 25 years I've gone from the holiday inn in Dothan AL to the Marriott in Newark and from having a dirt-road sales job to being considered a guru at project management on 2 continents. (And can get away with the Cartman routine).
I need to kick my own ass before someone does it for me.
Either that or get some good drugs. (Maybe both) |
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| Dead women can't say no* |
[Sep. 1st, 2007|02:15 am] |
Well...first night at D*C and I must say that I had a lot of fun. Hung out with friends for a while until they went back to MARTA and parties respectively.
Sat in on a couple of REALLY good sessions (Venture Brothers and Bab5). This year, since I have a room, I feel less driven to fill the day with sessions. I'm content to sit in the room and drink beer with friends while watching DCTV. Less stressful this way, I think. That's especially important in situations like tonight where 2 of the sessions we wanted were full/closed. It's a lot nicer when you can just head back to the room and hang.
Room is very nice - Marriott upgraded me which I am very grateful for. I have a suite with a sleeper sofa and wet bar and plenty of room to store the stuff I brought. Plus, a better place for the children to crash (whenever they are done whith whatever parties THEY are at tonight...not home by 2:30...tsk...tsk).
I went to a great party tonight with the boozepack group. A bit crowded at times but I met some very interesting people. Learned some stuff (like how a horsehair flogger is different than leather) and drank some passably good stout. I'll check them out tomorrow night since I have a "tier 2" membership. Altogether a really fun bunch of guys and gals.
*random quote from a t-shirt I saw...stolen to capture readership. :-) |
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| My babies are growing up |
[Jul. 6th, 2007|04:15 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | home | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  contemplative | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Bowie - Ziggy, Rise and Fall | ] |
I got a call from Beverly this afternoon. They had gone to Transformers with some friends and called to ask "was there any special time that they needed to be home tonight?"
"Why, are you going to Rocky Horror?"
TJ (one of their friends), taking the phone, "how did you know about Rocky Horror"
Me - "yeah, Lips Down On Dixie"
TJ - "Lips Down On Dixie!?!?! Yeah, Katie and I are in the cast"
Me - "OK - have fun but not TOO much fun".....
Sometimes, I guess it pays just to be Old Shool.
PS - in one of the worlds randon acts of synchronicity, Britzkrieg and I were discussing LDOD over a glass of wine Tuesday night. |
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| Side show and main act |
[Jul. 1st, 2007|08:41 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | home | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | tired | ] |
| [ | music |
| | the fan | ] |
This week's travels were, well, strange...but strange in a good way.
I had a last minute meeting that came up in Allentown, PA, (a place I've never been before). I decided to fly to Philly and drive since the plane ticket was less than half the price and I'm wary of small airports when the planes are full...too much chancce of getting stuck.
I had a bit of trepidation about the hotel that the office suggested - Comfort Inn. I had a long up-hill drive into the mountains through rain and fog and didn't arrive until almost 11. Surprising, the bar at the hotel was not only still serving (and good fresh food) but was fairly busy on a Thursday night. Most of the time the hotels I stay in have bars full of guys like me watching the baseball game and having a beer. Here was a bar full of 20 year-olds (mostly women), quaffing Yingling and warming up for their serious partying on the weekend. A very refreshing change from the normal burned-out road warriors.
I get back to the airport after my meeting and was a bit bummed since I could only get a middle seat in the back end of the plane. I decided to skip dinner since that kind of seat even makes it hard to eat a bad airport burger at. I was shocked when I got my boarding pass scanned and out popped a first-class upgrade.
I sat down in my seat next to a nice-looking, nicely dressed blonde - another change from the usual rumpled businessman/woman seatmate. I was trying to figure her out since she was opening FedEx envelopes and reading her personal mail that someone had forwarded to her. (Must be nice to have an assistant like that when you spend a lot of time on the road.) We sat for a while, buttoned up then got an hour ground hold so went back to our Blackberries...although, strangely, hers had rhinestones that flashed when it rang.
I got to hear a couple of minor personal dramas then finally the pieces fell into place when she answered her phone and I hear her say "yes, this is Lisa Lampanelli and I'm performing there next weekend." I was a bit shocked since I'm a bit of a fan and honestly didn't recognize her. She really looks younger and thinner than she does on TV and gave no indication in her personality that she was an A-list comic.
I tried my best not to act like a Fan Boy and pretty much treated her the way I would any other seat-mate. I was sort of strange when people came up for autographs (not a lot) and I got the feeling that they thought we were together.
That was my only real close-up brush with celbrity and it was fun but, she'd had a long week and was heading to an extended vacation so it wasn't 4 hours of non-stop jokes.
Anyway...a nice break from my normal boring life. |
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| Booth Babe |
[Jun. 20th, 2007|11:19 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | bed | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | tired | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Daily Show | ] |
I got back from vacation last Saturday only have to turn around and start playing booth babe for a conference here in ATL Sunday afternoon. Not a bad gig but no chance to catch my breath or catch up on things around the house this week like one always does after being gone for a week.
I have a beer to keg in the fridge that maybe I'll get to this weekend. Also have to work on the wife's car.
That and a LOT of sleep.... |
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| side effects |
[May. 1st, 2007|11:47 pm] |
I had dinner tonight with a bunch of folks from {****} [company name reducted] and the topic came up of Effexor side effects. These folks (who know more about your personal life than your spouse or mother) are new to the pharma industry and had the innocent thought that doctors knew everything and that company lawyers would let consumers know what was wrong with their drugs. They are big into "pattern recognition" and didn't understand why companies didn't mine blogs to discover and research side effects and develop ways to deal with them.
Silly statisticians: 'tis far better to never know you are killing people than to save a single human life and get your corporate ass sued off.
Anyway; my drunken rant for tonight. |
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| 'Possum in the pipe |
[Apr. 24th, 2007|07:50 am] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | home | ] |
| [ | mood |
| | mellow | ] |
I got up earlier than normal this morning since Randy was taking Jay to school early and I wanted to make sure that Bev didn't miss the bus (her birthday today). I had taken the day off yesterday and worked in my garden some - getting the peppers in and new fabric and bark down in the pathway.
I was standing with my morning coffee about 7 am looking out at my handiwork when I saw a big silver-black cat laying on the wall staring at something. I looked down and there, grubbing amoung the rocks in the sluice, was a baby 'possum. He appears to have taken up residence in the 4" pipe that drains from the corner of my gutters (at least until it starts raining tomorrow). I went out and scared the cat away since it was about twice the size of the 'possum. I tried to grab a picture but by now the 'possum had grown a little spooked and was unwilling to pose for the camera...besides, with the sun coming up it was probably getting to be his bedtime.
With the higher-order predators around here he may not have much of a chance. Then again, you never know which ones will be the lucky ones so I say give them a little help when you can. |
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| Milk |
[Apr. 2nd, 2007|01:05 pm] |
It's funny how something minor, something everyday can trigger a memory from your distant (in may case 40+ year) past...a forgotten part of your childhood. This morning I went to make my corn flakes and saw that the milk was almost empty. Randy had made her breakfast and left about half a cup for me.
Back when I was a kid - growing up in a sorta-middle, sorta-lower class household - there would be those weeks when the milk would start to run out before payday arrived. Mom would do the practical thing and when it started to get low would mix in enough water to get us through the week. I always hated it when it happened and would complain...not yet old enough to understand that was what you did to "make ends meet" and that my parents did the best that they could. Mom would deny doing it cause I guess she hated the fact that there wasn't enough grocery money to always last the week and, as the provisioner, thought it was her failing.
Now, as my kids ask for cell phones and Wii, I have mixed feelings. I want to be able to provide everything that they need and would like to provide most of what they "want". Then again, maybe a little watered-down milk wouldn't be a bad idea every now and then. |
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| Answers about my gay porn |
[Mar. 23rd, 2007|10:56 pm] |
| [ | Current Location |
| | bed | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  drunk | ] |
In answer to the questions at dinner:
1 - Fanfic from Prince of Tennis
2 - Bev didn't get the entendre' in the opening line
3 - Bev's collaborator wrote the opening, Bev wrote the close
4 - DEFINITELY slash (characters only met playing tennis in 2 episodes)
www.rivermontsolutions.com |
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