Hi Ho Hi Ho - It's off to Sun N Fun We Go

Updates..possibly with pictures...coming soon.

VACAY!

http://www.sun-n-fun.org/content/

I B IZ OLD

Well folks, I turned 30 on Monday. Get EXCITED! I must say I feel a new maturirty now that when people ask how old I am, I can say, "30" - I've left those pesky 20's associated with new drinkers, newlyweds, and professional students behind for a new era of irresponsiblity.

I don't know what its going to bring, but I bet you one thing, its gonna be a good time!

Call the LAWWW!!

My god some red-neck trash has moved in behind us.

Not wanting my fence to get all grown up, I did some trespassing and cleaned up the property line. An, unfortunately until the summer growth hits the chinese privit, we can see these folks.

Last night I came out to tend the grill and there are these two dudes, hands up in the air, and they appear to be engaged in combat of some kind. I think, Damn, these are those people who practice martial arts down in the park and they have moved in right here...I always wondered where those people lived... WRONG!

So, Larry the Cable guy, or whatever his name was back there yells, "CALL THE LAW" which is quickly followed by "AINT NO NEED FOR NO LAW" to whit I got the cell phone of the wifey and call 911.

I don't give a shit who you are, if you got people in your back yard fighting with you, I'ma call the law.


Epilogue - the law came and I told them to hit up my "neighbors" house. I didn't hear anything else but you better beleive I set the damn house alarm.

Let the Games Begin

You could call it the Summer of the Outdoors. I prefer to call it the summer I plan to paint my house. I finally went and bought some high quality paint. Don't use anything but the Benjamin Moore paint. Yes, its more expensive, but I think I've tried them all over the years and beleive me, the Benjamin Moore is by far the easiest to paint with. Try it, you'll like it.

On the expense side, its amazing how expensive this painting is. I've already spent over $100 bucks on paint and some sanding pads. Oh well, you can't have a home that looks like this assessed....

Back in the Saddle Again

Well folks, after traveling about 600 or so miles in three days, I'm finally back home. Yesterday was spent paying bills. I hate bills. I think everyone does. Since we got out of the law school and developed this phenomenon know as pay checks, I've purchased a copy of quick books and have begun to be very dilligent about paying bills on time. This has also caused me to rearrange our study area to be most conducive to family financial responsiblity.

So, you can imagine my horror when I discovered several bills that were covered in some trash and they were late. Gawd that makes for a long evening. But, I do think I got everything paid and well, the good news is that Friday is payday.

Just trying to make it through another week folks.

i dont know about the geek squad, but this guy's cool

So folks, I'm in Birmingham on business tonight. As I post this, I'm sitting at a bar at an outback with some random ass folk. But I digress. . .


I have this gps that gets me everywhere I go but today the mount broke. I go to best buy to get a replacement and lo and behold, I'm thinkful the place is open after nine pm.


So, I start looking for my little part and after driving over 300 miles today I'm not with it. I walk roght by I get guy 1 to help and we can't find this stupid little part. They have everything else, but no part I need.


Did I mentio I had the gps on the little shelf in front of the speedometer eith the cigarette lighter behind it and it sliding all over and talking to me?

So yeah, this guy comes over and says, how long have you had it? Since christmas. Ok. And he proceeds to open a new box, had me the part and say, "don't you ever tell anybody I did that."

Sweet. Random acts of kindness are really amazing.

All over da world

Sorry for the absence, I've been driving all over the place this week. More later.....

A damn fine weekend

Well folks, I actually had a real weekend. Yesterday I did absolutely nothing but sit and watch TV and though I can't say I could do it for more than one day in a row, it was glorious. We did make a big breakfast to share with the roommate and her finace, but other than a little cooking and cleaning, I was on the couch, with the dog.

Today has been a different story. The household finances were . . . well give yourself three years with no income and law school bills . . . now double it, and there you have us. So, I've been working to get my head around this and I've been struggling with whether to buy or not to buy the new version of quickbooks but I started with this project today and the new version of quickbooks was a worthwhile investment.

It will interface with your bank records and it makes reconciling statements a cinch. I even found some errant charges and saves some $$. I don't know that I can whole heartedly recommend the quickbooks for someone who doesn't have a sigifnicant amount of understanding of the double sided accounting system, but if you can work with it, its a damn powerful tool. Hopefully I'll have a much better understanding of our cash flows and whether or not we are actually making more than we spend here in the next couple months. I think we're doing pretty good but if you as anal as I am, you want to know where good is to the penny.

Rainy Day to Close out the Week

Well folks, no, I'm not dead. I have been traveling back and forth to the ATL for this and that. Meetings with experts, clients, and the like. Not much going on this weekend. Rest up and do some work around the house. Still trying to lose weight. I've been down five pounds for like two weeks now. I think its going to take some work to hit 210. I think i'll start next week.

So, thats about all thats going on around here. I did get a call this morning from my room-mate/tenant's boyfriends just to tell us we make excellent coffee. That is a damn good way to start the day.

And now for a few commercial words

I got a cold and I can't help but put up a plug for the zicam cold remedy rapid melts with vitamin C.

I think these really put a kibash of the cold, but I would have a hard time attesting to that because about twice a day I take a handful of pills that would make any good nursing home doctor proud. alleve, vitamin c, mucinex, euchanicia, and others have all contributed to this apparent victory.

Creme De Brule

Ok, here we go. I think I'm far enough though the head congesiton to write a coherent post on the creme de brule and to the matter T directly addressed in her comments the other day.

First, let me tell you that I am a huge fan of this desert which, as I understand it was developed by a monk who need a way to use the leftover yolks after making mirange. a good article can be found here. http://www.coquinaria.nl/english/recipes/05.2histrecept.htm

I myself have made the creme brule on many occasions. This is the first desert that wifey and I made in our apartment after we moved into downtown Atlanta. We have made many renditions of this favorite and I must say it is quite difficult to prepare. I always found the custard to have warmed or the toping not sufficiently crispy or there was liquid on top or the custard didn't make and you didn't have a dessert and on and on. So difficult did we find the creme brule that I know we prepared a back up on several differnt occasions.

So, when I ran into the tortious one in the Kroger buying stuff for creme brule at 11:30 or so on Saturday, I must honestly say I was skeptical. I really thought it took more time for the stuff to congeal and it seems the times we had best success was went the little pots made it to the fridge well before noon. (side note - making it the night before is fraught with peril becasue the custard often develops a tough layer on top)

So, I engaged wifey in a bit of discussion as to the liklihood of acutally having creme brule for dessert and I must say wifey thought it could be done. I was hopeful.

So, over for diner and out come these little ramikins for the creme brule. I must congratulate the tortious one on several fronts. 1) finding a real vanilla bean here in maconga. I had no idea you could get those here. I'd never seen one in person before. I thought for sure you could get one off the internet, but local procurement before the opening of the fresh market is a showing of mad skilz in deed. 2) The custard set up perfectly, nuff said. 3) The use of the brown sugar on top. Well played indeed. The brown suger caramalized easily, leaving the creamy custard below quite cool as it the proper way. Once caramalized, the brown suger gave the appropriate crunch for successful creme brule.

I'll take a few notes from that dinner party, yes I will.

Sick Day

Well I'm taking my first sick day. I hate a head cold. I just gave in, took two benadryl, slept till 9 or so and have spent the remainder of the day on the couch. Not my idea of a great day but the dog appears to enjoy the company.

Feeling better though. that's the good news.

Now that was a Tasty Steak

Was invited over to the abode of McD for a very tasty steak dinner with wifey and Tortious. Easily on of the best new york strips I have ever had. Damn good bottle of wine too I might add.

It is nice to go somewhere other than my house or an expensive restaurant for a really good dinner. It is my opinion that we accomplished that last night.

Thanks guys!

VICTORY

Ha - I finally got this desktop computer hooked up to the internet. After failing to get it to work wirelessly, I went on ebay and ordered some kind of tester. The tester came from Hong Kong, no joke, there was a customs sticker from Hong Kong on it and it came singature required mail.

However, the little device works great and I finally have this computer on the internet for real. Hopefully I can finally finish that stuff for my CPA and I can get my taxes done.

ITS A CELEBRATION!

Feiry Charriot

I witnessed the most surreal thing today.

I remembered I forgot to put my 25lbs of charcoal out of the rain and I was headed back home when this Pontiac Grand Am was coming down ridge. Only, there was a whole lot of orange light coming out of the bottom of it. Was that some new effect?? No - clearly not as the dark acrid cloud of smoke would indicate it. There was a car being driven down the road and it was on fire.

I stuck my arm out the window and pointed. People were honking, and well, how do you tell someone their car is on fire?

Anyways I went home, put my charcoal up and then drove back to see what happened. I would like to think I could have pulled in front of them and stopped them from driving any further, but honestly I as so amazed all I had time to do was gesture real big.


To my releif, the lady had pulled over and gotten out of her car. The car was totally engulfed in flames, but it did't appear that anyone was injured.

What a weird thing to see on the way to work.

Yoga continues

But some lady butted into a spot that was not big enough and made me scoot back and blocked my view and was really awful at yoga and just damn it that didn't ruin my che

I weighed in at 215.8 today. A recent low.

I have to be in atlanta tomorow for CLE for new lawyers. Really, this is a bit much but it is an excused day out of the office.

Salsburry steak dinner - its what's for lunch. It amazes me that you can have one of these tv dinners with 280 calories and about 10 ounces of food when the small snack of cheezits i just ate weiged 2.2 ounces and had 220 calories. modern food science - go figure

The mother in law was in town and I played some tennis with her and the wifey. I think i'm still a little sore but I think the tennis is pretty good times.

Work is going well. just working working working

I had a good dumb blonde moment the other day. I have benn struggling mightly with the desktop computer we have had for five years. I put a few hundred dollars into it, new memory, a wireless card, keyboard, etc and have been trying to get the wireless to work. The wireless wouldn't work, after many many calls to lynkssys so I decided to try and wire it. I plugged a wire in, which i thought was hooked up to the telephone and the thing went dead. didn't plug in, nothing. I really thought I blew it up. After panicked calls to my brother and looking for a motherboard online, I then went back in and sat there and stared at the thing. Turns out my rattling around down there turned off the power strip. What a moron.

Finally, I got the thing on the internet. Now to do the taxes!

It has been a big week

Last night I attended my first yoga lesson. I don't know if I buy into that whole - yoga, a way of life bit, but its a damn good way to stretch out. I rolled around on the floor and contorted myself but I must say the experience was very favorable in general. If you sit at a desk all day or are on your feet all day or have shoulder problems like I do, it might be worth it to spend 90 minutes or so looking gay to releive that pain.

We had a real weekend here in Cadleized land - I bought some clothes. I think i have a great idea. Get two suits with two pairs of pants each. You can wear the same suit all week and leave two coats and matching ties in your office.... that way you're always ready to go and need only wear a clean shirt and pants. why only four - Casual Friday people. show me your pieces of flair!

I also went to a great 30th birthday party where my friend Nail was totally surprised and I had some of the best fried chicken I've encountered in quite some time. Good times had in the gold rush town of Dalongah. the Smith house has some damn good fried chicken.

the champ v. Rockington

It was a helluva sport to watch last night. In one corner, weighing in at 180 pounds, you had the Champ, the contender and in the other corner, you had Rock Rockington weighing in at 275 pounds. Champ sought to go beer for beer with the larger and undermatched Rockington. Rockington was dressed like a title holder with a shirt showing a thumbs down sign and the word panties on his shirt. Also adorning the champion was a coorinating Mardi Gras Beads.

Who would have thougth that lil' Champ would match Rockington beer for beer as Rockington pulled out his meal of Popeyes chicken and biscuits and quenched his thrist with a twelve-pack of Colt 45? Who would have thought it.

But no, the end of the contest saw the Champ, in his full glory dancing to some latin music and having placed a budwise select on the mantle for each of Rockington's Colt.

Did I mention the superbowl was last night?

Muscially Blessed

It was going to be a good week when the 'rents flew up in their little plane to meet us for coffee and we got a plane ride. The great part was that "Live and Let Die" was playing as we took off.

Another GNR classic came on - Paradise City while I began my lunch break today

Its the life of a Big Hair RockStar I lead here!

ANother day

Well, sorry I've been away so long. I have been traveling to different Department outposts doing open records meetings. While I think it terribly unfair that the Department can come and take your property, to add insult to injury the force you to pay the expense of having your attorney travel to say, Tennille Georgia, and look through some documents and mark them and then you have to pay for coppies....as you can see this all adds up and it is not a cheap process to defend your property against the government.

I must say most of the employees of the DOT I have met are nice folks and they seem to be doing their jobs well. I've always said the state of Georgia has the best roads in the nation.

On the personal front there is not a whole lot going on. I'm trying to buy some scaffolding so I can paint my house and work on the dormers. ITs such a pain to buy stuff off craigslist. My Explorer's conneciton for trailer tail lights doesn't work and so I have to wait till the weekend to go get the scaffolding and I don't know if they will still be available then. We'll just have to wait and see. I guess I can give the guy a call today and see what's shaking.