Daytripping: Breakfast, DMV, Stone Mountain Village & YDFM

A chore turns into a trip… Having relocated to Atlanta from Vegas, the GA DMV made us get state licenses. They track the movement of people into the state via insurance records. Thus we were spotted and told to get ourselves new licenses now! And we did, but not before breakfast. We had “the most important meal of the day” at Radial, where we again had another good meal. The neighboring martial arts studio teaches a collection of fighting styles. Some more familiar than others, “Kill Bill”, “Jedi Style?”…

We then went out hunting for the DMV. The direction had us going to Candler Rd. near Flat Shoals and searching the quazi-rundown mall for the unmarked DMV hidden inside. The people were fine and the pictures bad. But since we reserved our arrival times in advance on their phoneline, less time was spent waiting than expected. So, with the rest of the afternoon open, it was time to explore.

First, we headed to Stone Mountain Park. Where we turned right around and left when we found it was cash-only to enter. Instead we went to the admission-free Stone Mountain Village. Which is soon to be holding its local elections. Lawns were littered with candidates’ signs, like the following examples from Williams and Peterson…

Ponce De Leon Ave cuts through Stone Mountain Village, and we started back on it. We stopped at Your Dekalb Farmers Market. I had first heard of it when listening to an NPR show about the market (NPR : Visiting the DeKalb Farmers’ Market) and had some idea of what to expect. But my wife had not a clue, and wasn’t expecting the expanse of organized chaos. A little shopping was done with definite plans to return. Strangely enough, the market has a “no photography” policy.

And now I end my evening writing about our day’s adventure.

Shrunken! Tiny!! Automobiles!!! Reducto Would Approve

A favorite Adult Swim villain with a penchant for shrinking things would love The Bruce Weiner Microcar Museum. I am so there! I discovered this place about 20 minutes ago on Jalopnik. After finding Madison, GA via Google Maps, and visiting Bruce’s website, I am awaiting the day I can go. An unusually full work schedule has me putting off this trip, but my wife has been promised/warned that I must go here.

Some examples of the cars on display. . .

1956 Avolette Tourisme (de Luxe)
1964 Zeta Sports
1958 Zundapp Janus

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The upcoming show at the Museum of Design is coming along quite nicely. A showcase of the designer Raymond Loewy, the museum will be exhibiting a collection of his works. A seriously nice collection of pieces. Good works makes it almost impossible to screw up the exhibition.

Raymond Loewy Exhibition Fully Booked for Three Year US Tour

3 Things: Blogging Potpourri

Post-work decompression = surfing a bunch of MP3 blogs. Found a gorgeous vocal/choral/electronical song by Kelly Polar. Find this song and listen to it.

Curious about my new musical find, I went to Amazon to research Mr. Polar. What greeted me on the site’s home page was this…


Yes, the Philips HeartStart Home Automated External Defibrillator. When you care enough to jump-start the ones you love. It’s a strange time we live in.

And for those who like Samurai Jack and bands like Ratatat (Pitchfork Review)… the best music video (mov format) you’ve seen where animated Vikings in long boats having a battle-of-the-bands on the open sea. And the boats turn into robots. It’s that good!

Blog's Worth & Blah, Blah, Blah


My blog is worth $7,339.02.
How much is your blog worth?

Now if I could take a loan out on my blog, I would like to buy… well, a lot of things. Instead, I will chill out, detox after work and gasze upon my sweet wife. We have 15-minutes until plastic surgery drama Nip/Tuck and my sweet wife (this is one of the reasons she is sweet) says to me, “Your butts cuter then Christian Troys.” Nip/Tuck shows his ass quite a bit and it being Fox its naked butt along with an excess of profanity, kinky sex and gorey surgery.

Good, clean fun.

Dinner with the Sweetie

Friday was our 5th anniversary, so I surprised my wife with dinner out at Dantes Down The Hatch. The pirate ship-and-wharf themed restaurant was great, the fondue meant slow eating and quality time with my sweet wife and the service was great. If that sounds like an exercise in bad taste, it was actually pretty great. But then again I liked Vegas, so you be the judge.

Road Tested Chair: Sit/Don't Sit + Car Talk


It’s far too big, matches nothing in our house and at $3,200 would be a down payment on most cars. But I love this chair in all its… insert appropriate adjective. Available at UncommonGoods, along with other cool, overpriced things.

The chair falls under my love of vintage airstreams/travel trailers/roadside attractions. If it shiny, lights up and/or has wheels I like.

If I had me a silver house on wheels, I’d be towing it with my car. I’ve had a black ’50 Mercury since my days in high school. Thing of beauty, but with $3 gas, I don’t know what job I would have to get to actually afford the bill. So, for now it sits in upstate NY with my mom and pop. It’s best that it stays there, with the crazed drivers and narrow streets here, I worry about our little car. Never mind this black and chrome battleship cruising the little streets of Atlanta.

At the first APWBWGTTD (Atlanta People With Blogs Who Get Together To Drink), this car was the answer to the question “What’s the one thing you would save in an emergency?”

Halloween: An Early Treat

Halloween, great holiday! I’m looking forward to my first Atlanta Halloween. In Vegas, its lame neighborhoods are too spreadout to got T&T’ing and lots of neighboring houses don’t automatically make for close neighborhoods.

Now, New Orleans, the costumes would come out a day or two in advance, parties, pride in creativity. Dressing up is a Big Easy tradition, one that won’t be overcome by Katrina. That being said, what you got Atlanta?

My treat for you is the Vice Records Do They Know It’s Halloween record. Dedicated to preventing the spread of Halloween to other countries, a who’s who of indie/pop artist came together to keep other countries from experienceing the horror that America is subjected to every October.

STARRING (In alphabetical order)

ARCADE FIRE’S WIN & REGINE
BECK
Buck 65
DAVID CROSS Bob and David
DEVENDRA BANHART
DESSERT’S LIANE BALABAN
ELVIRA, MISTRESS OF THE DARK
FEIST
GINO WASHINGTON
LES SAVY FAV’S SYD BUTLER
ISLANDS’ J’AIME
MALCOLM MCLAREN
NARDWUAR THE HUMAN SERVIETTE
PEACHES
POSTAL SERVICE’S JIMMY TAMBORELLO
REDD KROSS’ STEVE MCDONALD
R.E.M’S JOEY WARONKER
RILO KILEY’S JENNY & BLAKE
ROKY ERICKSON
SLOAN’S CHRIS MURPHY
SMOOSH’S ASYA & CHLOE
SONIC YOUTH’S THURSTON MOORE
SPARKS’ RUSSELL MAEL
SUBTITLE
SUM 41’S STEVO
TAGAQ
THAT DOG’S ANNA WARONKER
WOLF PARADE’S DAN & SPENCER
YEAH YEAH YEAH’S KAREN O

N.A.H.P.I BAND:
ADAM GOLLNER – GUITAR
NICK DIAMONDS – KEYBOARDS
STEVE MACDONALD – BASS
JOEY WARONKER – DRUMS

Abandoned Motel: Downtown Atlanta, but Where?

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CRW_0870, originally uploaded by brookenovak.

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CRW_0871, originally uploaded by brookenovak.

I’ve passed the abandoned motel where these pictures were taken. Of course, it wasn’t on purpose, and now that I am trying to find it again I can’t. So, any clue where this place is?

CommonCensus Map Project


How far does a city’s influence go?

“The CommonCensus Map Project is redrawing the map of the United States based on your voting, to show how the country is organized culturally, as opposed to traditional political boundaries. It shows how the country is divided into ‘spheres of influence’ between different cities at the national, regional, and local levels.”

The website offers a poll and then uses the results to come up with the maps shown here. When I started taking the poll, I didn’t know the city well enough to answer the questions. But it is interesting to see how far into the surrouding countryside Atlanta’s sphere of influence is shown.