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Two Books
2009-05-18 03:42:00
I still read books, and I still write about them.#36 -- "Falling Off the Map" by Pico Iyer#37 -- "Identity" by Milan KunderaI'd never read any of Iyer's books before, though he's well-hailed as a travel writer. This shows why -- sometimes. It's a collection of very-loosely-themed pieces about places that just ... don't fit in, for lack of a better word. North Korea, Iceland, Australia, Argentina (it's early-1990s, so not all of it applies any more -- I'm a bit pissed that Albania didn't make the cut). At its best, it's really engaging. I'd pay good money to read a full Iyer travelogue on Iceland or Bhutan. Argentina, I presume, has changed a bit over the years but this piece is a little bit haunting. Others didn't grab me as much; Cuba read like an "Our Man in Havana" outtake, Australia read like every other piece of travel writing on Australia I've ever read. But I can see why so many people dig Iyer and I'll look up some of his one-subject books.As for "Identity," tak...
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Misty Morning
2009-05-16 16:49:00
So it undoubtedly didn't show through but I may have been under the influence of a wee bit of alcohol when I posted last night. Just a drop. Not only is Fat Tire now available in Atlanta, but walking up Highland Avenue yesterday evening I was barraged with signs promising "FAT TIRE NOW AVAILABLE." What's a simple lad from the countryside to do? I indulged. It tastes good. No, angels don't sing when a new bottle is opened, it doesn't give my skin an increased luster. People who suggested I was romanticizing it just because it wasn't available were probably right. But it's good and it's a little bit of Colorado.So after that it was undoubtedly a fantastic idea for me to be in a bar at 7:30 this morning. And yeah, there I was, watching Manchester United versus Arsenal at the Brewhouse. Given that I railed against dumbo nationalism in hockey in the last post, it's a bit goofy that I'm now wholeheartedly embracing soccer, a sport where unpleasant jingoist sentiments make hockey...
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The Joyless Summer
2009-05-16 03:23:00
By all accounts -- I haven't caught as much as I'd like -- the NHL playoffs have been pretty spectacular this year. What I've seen backs that up; when I've caught a game, almost without fail and regardless of what teams are playing, I've been drawn in heavily. The intensity seems higher this year. That's probably my imagination, but having suffered through some drab playoff seasons in the past (2004, just for one) this has been great.And it's left me almost completely cold, and I'm struggling with that. Yeah, none of my teams are a factor, but none of my teams have been a factor for some years and I've still got into it. So why? No joke, I'm paying more attention to soccer these days. Why is this?A few things, I guess, and I think it stems more from your average hockey fan than from the game (which I still love above all others). One factor is that as the playoffs are heating up, the Jim Balsillie/Hamilton story has returned to the forefront, to the chagrin of all thinking...
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Signs of Improvement
2009-05-15 13:33:00
This has been a crap week, but there's at least one glimmer of hope:Those there are some of the first New Belgium bottles in Atlanta -- the Fat Tire bottle even says it's the special "Georgia On My Ride" limited edition, which I guess means I should save it and sell it on eBay or something.I'm not drinking them this morning, though it's tempting.A friend recently warned me that having it available here now will strip it of all its mystique, and I'll grow bored with it quickly. That may be (remember how excited I was when Czechvar reappeared?) but for now I'll take the enjoyment.
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Nicky
2009-05-14 01:21:00
The family dachshund, Nicky , was put to sleep this morning. It wasn't unexpected -- he'd been in a decline for a while, and that had just accelerated in the past month to the point where keeping him alive would be an act of cruelty. But it's still scarring. Every time I've visited Colorado since leaving in 1999, I've made a point to say a special goodbye to him, knowing it may be the last time. Now that's a reality.This has been coming for a few days but I'm still not really sure what to write now. I remember a great quote about the pain of saying goodbye to a dog, but I can't find it now, which is not really any help. But before the family got Nicky, back in the early 1990s (I was still straight edge, for god's sake), I was not much of a dog person. I felt about the same way about dogs that I feel about Al Qaeda or Sarah Palin now -- I saw them as things that other people liked for no discernible reason.Nicky won me over, but it took a while. The big moment (and here this ...

Human Landfill
2009-05-11 02:43:00
Times I wish I had a camera: I went grocery shopping this morning, parked, and as I strolled in noticed that a car a few spots down from mine had what looked like steam coming from under the hood. "Huh," I said, and walked on.When I came out about ten minutes later, the car was engulfed in flames, black smoke billowing high above. Firefighters and police had it surrounded. They were kind enough to let me get my car the hell out of there, which was cool, but I really would have liked a picture.Not too bloggy here lately, huh? I've actually had lots of posts in mind, but absolutely zero energy or creativity, except for one day when a wicked hangover was an excuse. Nothing new, in any case. There was gonna be one post about how Kiss it Goodbye's "Sick Day" is the best song ever after a bad day at work, and how the opening scream of KitG's "Target Practice" is the best thing to clear your head when you're hungover. But I didn't write it, except now, I guess.I was also gonna write a...
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Greg Stays Skinnier, Gets Sadder
2009-05-05 17:25:00
Well holy crap. Saw this sad news on Atlanta Metblogs -- if there was a restaurant in town I wasn't worried about going under, it was Dusty's. It always seemed to be packed. I've been itching for BBQ lately but put it off because of health concerns, blah blah -- I guess I should have strayed for a day.Think I've mentioned it before but when I first moved out here Dusty's played a large part in me ballooning a bit -- it was right near my first place of residence so I'd go through the drive-through on the way to work. It didn't happen near as much in recent years and I hadn't been back since last fall. Now I won't get a chance again. The catering business is still going, which does me zero good, but I'm hopeful they're still making the sauce. It's good good stuff.Now I really want barbeque, too. There's plenty of other places in Atlanta, but Dusty's was always number one.
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A Drinking Life
2009-05-04 00:30:00
I have a few friends who really, really dislike Trader Joe's. One of the things cited is that everyone's so happy and nice there. It is a bit weird -- once I got sushi there, and it sucked, and I drunkenly wrote in a (very polite, and drunk) complaint. The next day I got a call from the manager, who was almost suicidally apologetic, offered me free sushi, and a free shopping spree if that wasn't enough. I felt so awful about it all that I never took them up on either.Anyway, I don't have a problem with the happiness and I shop there often. But one thing I found out today: it's really the worst place on earth to go shopping when you're severely hungover. God.On a happier note, I went out drinking bloody marys (in an attempt to subdue said hangover) with the Elk, and at the bar we attended there were several posters indicating: New Belgium beers are coming here soon. Which means Fat Tire. Which means that problem drinking is about to get a lot better.* * *I actually forgot to po...
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Riding the Rails
2009-04-28 00:47:00
#33 -- "Blood on the Tracks" by Miles BredinWhen I was a little kid, Angola was my second-favorite African nation. (Everyone, if you would, leave lists of your top five in the comments.) I'm not sure why. Mom says that when I was young I heard a news story about a fellow falling off a ship off Angola, and was obsessed -- drawing pictures of the scene, etc. (The guy apparently survived.) Could be. It could be that I thought the flag was cool. It could be that Angola was becoming independent at about the time I was becoming aware of the wider world. Or it could be...The Adventures of Angola and Chad would be one of the better webcomics around, I think.Anyway. As these things do, even as things have gone poorly for Angola over the years, I've still kept an eye on the place, and when I find a book I've never heard of that deals with it -- well, I've got to get it.So, "Blood on the Tracks." It's an early-'90s account of a rail journey from Angola (emerging briefly from a civil war ...
More About: Books , Rails , Riding

Your Airstream Future
2009-04-24 23:47:00
Several Airstreams have suddenly popped up in my neighborhood; I've seen a couple as I wandered around in the last few days. I think Airstreams are pretty cool, on an aesthetic level at least, but this is a bit strange... before this month I don't think I'd seen one in a decade plus. Maybe not since the 1980s. Now I can't escape the bloody things.Maybe they're hauling Satanists into town -- we've suddenly got this rash of inverted crosses scrawled on mailboxes and garage doors. In the early Atlanta years, I went on a date with a woman who at one point started telling me that Colorado has a big problem with Satanists. I got glassy-eyed and just silently and sadly drank my beer, and didn't heed her warnings, and now they're here.
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Rediscoveries
2009-04-23 03:33:00
I've been listening to Aimee Mann a ton lately. This is a bit odd -- she doesn't have mosh parts or steel guitar, at least one of which is usually a prerequisite, and she doesn't hail from Bulgaria or Ethiopia or the hills of Kyrgyzstan, which is where most of my other listening hails from. But at one point last week I was creeping above 66% Aimee Mann CD-saturation, which is pretty impressive. It's also kinda interesting because it's taken a few years to sink in. I've had friends who were into Aimee Mann for years, dating back to when my response was probably "the 'Til Tuesday singer? Snicker snicker." A couple years ago two friends were going to see her on Valentine's Day; one bailed and I got a free ticket. I thought the performance was ok. Then I met the Ski Bum, an A.M. devotee. We went to see her last summer (and right there, she's tied for the lead in "performers I've seen most since moving to Atlanta," with Steve Earle and the Neil Diamond cover band) and she was p...

Albania Hockey Watch
2009-04-19 20:49:00
Maybe this can be a recurring feature! Let's ask the Society for International Hockey Research (of which I'm a proud member) about Albania n hockey...No ice rinks and no ice hockey played in the country.Oh.Well, anyway. Desperately looking for something good after the Blues went down 2-0 to the Canucks (the Canucks!), I did some reading on Blues prospect Aaron Palushaj (now playing for Peoria) and discovered: dude is Albanian! This is, natch, awesome news for me and other Albaniaphiles, although reading further in a story it talks about how he passed up an Albania vacation, which shows some poor judgment, in my opinion.He looks like a pretty certain bet to make the NHL, where he'd be (as far as I know - if anyone knows of others, please tell me) the second Albanian-heritage player in the league, after ... Tie Domi. Domi's a lot to make up for, so please join me in cheering for Palushaj to succeed, and we're going to add him to the PPA Ring of Fame. (Ring of Fame does not actuall...
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I Could Follow You and Search the Rubble
2009-04-18 21:58:00
The Peachtree Medical Arts Building, seen last week -- previously seen here. Still standing, not exactly standing strong. The building to its left in the earlier photo is now a big crater. Not really sure what's going on with the building. On the one hand, the fact that it's still standing could be construed as a positive sign. On the other, development going on around it could go the other way.* * *Spring has finally officially hit here, after fits and starts and the occasional snow. As my friend Nixy and I were sitting at the Park Tavern last night, enjoying a swell white wine and watching the sun go down over Piedmont Park, my parents called from Boulder -- where they had about eight inches of snow. It's rare that I'm glad to be here instead of there, but last night it felt good to be young and in Atlanta.And an added benefit for you, the reader: when I finally got home the wine sent me into a deep slumber, so you were spared the dimly-remembered and probably incomprehensible...
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Little Late
2009-04-17 02:06:00
It would have been nice to get this out before the playoffs actually started, but: when I announced to the world my boo-hissery over the NHL playoffs, I had sort of written off the St. Louis Blues' comeback. They threw me, though, and now the team of my pre-Avalanche love is in and going up against (and losing to) the Canucks. So hey, go Blues. I'll bring the Pronger jersey out of mothballs. Somewhere there's a picture of a much younger me wearing a circa-1992 Blues jersey and standing in a California parking lot; I'd post that for good luck, but I'm too lazy to dig it out. Just pretend it's here.
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Here Comes A Regular
2009-04-13 00:22:00
Went to a friend's birthday party Friday night, and got fairly drunk. Usually this wouldn't be noteworthy, but post-Year Zero in the new Healthy Era, I haven't been out that much. I planned to stay for a beer or two, but then it started raining heavily, and I didn't want to leave in the rain. Then it started hailing heavily and I didn't want to leave in the hail. Then more rain, and by that point beers seemed to be regenerating magically, and how this all ends is that I blathered a whole lot and felt like shit all day Saturday. It was great. Just like old times!The party was held at Solstice, a little place that I've heard of but never been to -- it's a little out of my normal roaming range. It's cool, though (apparently too cool to have a website, near as I can tell) -- seemed like a neighborhood joint with lots of friendly regulars, kind of hippieish/funky in a way that makes me Boulder-nostalgic (though with better music playing -- nary a Phish tune to be heard), good bee...
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Red Wings Suck
2009-04-08 02:39:00
Inappropriate title? Perhaps. But between rooting for the Spartans last night and reading the next book, this has been probably my most pro-Michigan week since the last time I visited. The only way it could be moreso is if I'd been playing the Laughing Hyenas all week (I haven't: it's been Mastodon, Aimee Mann, Dirty Three time here). So for balance, I need to remind the world: the Detroit Red Wings do, indeed, suck, regardless of what it may say in the standings.That out of the way:#31 -- "Thunder City" by Loren D. EstlemanThis is the most recent in the Detroit series that started with "Whiskey River"; in the afterword, Estleman indicates it's probably the last, while leaving that open to backtracking. It actually (I'm pretty sure) takes place chronologically earlier than the rest. It was the only one I hadn't read, that I know for sure.If I were reasonably confident of living to 160, I'd set aside a month sometime and read all of Estleman's Detroit books -- I have a feelin...
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Sunday in the South
2009-04-06 00:10:00
One of the benefits living down here is that it's usually really nice in April, but the weather forecasts say there may be snow tomorrow. At the very least, it'll be cold (won't make it into the 50s). It's been raining intermittently today, keeping me inside on one of my off days. Bah humbug.#30 -- "The Road to Kosovo" by Greg CampbellIf I'd been a little speedier I could have hit #30 in March, giving me an average of 10 books per month for the first three months, and establishing me as a grade-A nerd. But I missed out.I didn't really expect to like this, and it lingered on my shelves for a really long time. It's not usually referred to among the top books on the 1990s conflicts, and it was published by Westview Press (of Boulder!), which usually runs a bit more scholarly than suits my taste.Surprise, surprise: this is really good. It's a blend of personal narrative, history, and analysis, and all three are done well. Campbell is both sympathetic and cynical without going to...
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A Burnt-Out Case
2009-03-31 01:05:00
Went for a nice long walk yesterday, down North Avenue into a part of the city I drive by a lot but visit rarely. The weather was just right for going all to hell and gone (i.e. I didn't have to worry about a sunburn) and I felt a little bacon guilt, so it was good all around.It also gave me the chance to stop by and take some pics of an old building that won't be there too much longer. I've taken pictures of the old Dixie Seal building (755 North Avenue) before; sometime late last year, I believe, it burned down (I can't find any notes on it in the AJC archives). It's right next to the proposed Beltline route and between that and it being a shell of what it once was, goodbye Dixie Seal.It was pretty haunting, moreso since it was such a gray day. Once upon a time, someone poured their heart into this building and business -- now there's nothing left. (at least at this location -- Dixie Seal does still exist with a Tucker address, at http://www.dixieseal.com)If any Atlanta type...
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Bacon, Bacon
2009-03-29 20:01:00
Yesterday was the third annual Bacon fest at Dad's Garage (here's photos from 2007 and 2008), and I'm pretty sure one of the top things they recommend for a recent heart surgery patient is "eat bacon," so I headed down. For chrissakes, I've been to all of them so far -- that's not a record you take lightly, friends.But my parents and cardiologist will be thrilled to hear that I played it pretty cool. I only had three beers, spread over four hours. Granted, in my new weakened/healthy/lighter state, that's enough to get me tipsy and babbling. And I only had three handfuls of bacon. I think two years ago, I had that much in the first fifteen minutes. The Elk and the Wall (another three-time Baconfester -- at the very least, we deserve medals or tattoos) also showed up, good times were had. I went a little lighter on the photos this year, but did have the Elk take this one just before my first handful of bacon (first bacon since pre-surgery, no less):I call that picture "America." ...

Addendum
2009-03-27 17:53:00
The perils of blogging when exhausted: part of the point of mentioning Beyond Failure in the last post was to note that apparently some time in the past there was yet ANOTHER Groundwork, down here in Atlanta. I haven't downloaded that particular comp yet to give them a listen, but I will this weekend. Perhaps at some point, every state had their own Groundwork?
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Flatlander Recluse
2009-03-27 01:17:00
I've barely left the house this week (other than for work), thanks in large part to some insane stomach bug that apparently entered me on Sunday. Seriously, by last night I was looking into the ins and outs of E. coli contamination, just so I'd be prepared. Then -- it was over and I'm more-or-less healthy again. Go figure.Occupying me while I've been staying inside, feeling sad: I got the Obits CD, which is hopefully a sign that in 2009 I'll buy more albums that weren't made 40 years ago. It doesn't quite live up to their blazer of a 7", but since I'm obviously never going to learn that it's easier to sustain intensity over two songs as opposed to 11 or 12, I can't really hold that against them. It's pretty good and fills the hole in my heart left by the Hot Snakes' demise. They actually played here not long ago, but I'm working at 7:30am now and not feeling all that energetic at night. Plus it was St. Patrick's Day and the streets were filled with fools. (on the other...

Walking Distance
2009-03-22 15:26:00
I don't know what it means, but it hints to me: "Greg, you missed a legendary party." Years from now, they'll still be talking about the time Bill threw the cone in the tree.I'm trying to walk five miles a day, part of my recuperation and building up endurance. It also has a dual purpose -- I lost a crapload of weight post-surgery and I'd like to keep it off. I'm eating pretty healthily as well, but the walking helps for that inevitable day when I decide to have nachos for breakfast and wings for lunch and wings with nacho cheese sauce for dinner.Obviously, it helps to take the camera out with me -- looking for interesting stuff makes the walks go a bit quicker.I know I've taken photographs of this before, but somehow I can't find them on the blog -- perhaps they predate it, or perhaps I didn't attach the coveted "old buildings" tag. It's one of my favorite buildings in Atlanta, the old Wrecking Bar (an antique place, not, as you might imagine, a drinking establishment), an...
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The Rich Field of Steven Tyler Art
2009-03-20 21:22:00
corner of Virginia Avenue and Ponce Place, Atlanta, Georgia, Earth, March 18
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Writer's Block
2009-03-19 22:44:00
Before the surgery, I thought I'd spend most of my recuperation writing. That never happened, mostly because my attention span shriveled away to nothing, eventually leading to scenes like this:Greg: Birdie!But, about a week and a half ago,I dragged out the novel that I've been working on for what feels like half my life, and bang bang bang, I figured out how to fill several plot holes that had been holding me up. Really, it was amazing, because some of these have lingered for a looooooong time, and I came up with satisfying (to me) solutions. So now, for the first time, I've got a fully-outlined book. And of course, since then, I haven't written a single word. Ha ha ha ha ha.
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Back to Work
2009-03-17 00:38:00
56 days later, I returned to work today. It wasn't that hard of an adjustment, and I actually kind of liked it -- after spending 20 hours a day alone since Mom left, it's good to be around people. If nothing else, the last two weeks or so have taught me that if I ever get really rich (note to self: MegaMillions drawing tomorrow), I'm going to need to travel a lot or keep a job. Lacking outside stimulation, I tend to blow off large chunks of the day staring at the walls.* * *#27 -- "A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters" by Julian BarnesI've now read three Barnes books in the last year; I'm guessing that's more than anyone except van de Wetering and Block, and it's a bit more impressive since I'd never read Barnes before. This is a collection of 10 (and a half) loosely connected stories, and while my first impulse is to say the sum of the parts is greater than the whole, I'm also going to say something I never do: I have a feeling this will gain something with repeated r...
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I Was Born in a Laundromat
2009-03-12 16:16:00
My washer conked out some months ago, and I've taken my time in getting a new one (though it should finally happen in coming weeks). Rather than wear dirty clothes, I've been going to a laundromat -- first time in years.If they're available, I always -- I mean always -- gravitate toward washers 21, 22, and 23.I didn't really think about that too much. Until yesterday morning, when I found myself referring to those washers as Forsberg, Kloucek, and Hejduk.If anyone has a way to spin this so that I look cool, I'm all ears.* * *#25 -- "Penguin Lost" by Andrey Kurkov#26 -- "The Japanese Corpse" by Janwillem van de Wetering (re-read)Well, I didn't hold out too long on the second penguin book. I think this one is better (though it's definitely necessary to read the first beforehand), although Misha the penguin gets less on-screen time. Misha's the best character in the book, which is a bit of a weakness -- I think even non-penguin-oriented people will find him a bit better develop...
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Blood Simple
2009-03-09 22:08:00
#24 -- "Red Harvest" by Dashiell Hammett (re-read)A couple years ago, I was discussing old books with Alanah, and this book came up -- specifically, a paperback copy I'd found years ago in Tucson, then given to a friend. Generous yeah, but that copy had perhaps the best book cover I've ever seen, and I missed it.Alanah, bless her Bertuzzi-lovin' heart, subsequently found this for me:A lovely book. Years later, thanks again, Alanah!So this past week I started the penguin book to take a break from a hefty non-fiction tome I've been reading, then started a new re-read to give me a break between penguin books after #1, then started THIS when the first re-read didn't really grab me. This did, of course. For years I've been telling people this is my favorite Hammett, but since I haven't read it (or any of his books, I think, other than the "Nightmare Town" volume of uncollected stories) in 12-13 years, did it hold up? Oh my, yes, it did. Did it ever. This is crime literature at its...
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Penguin Dreams
2009-03-07 20:00:00
#23 -- "Death and the Penguin " by Andrey KurkovA friend with a shared interest in Eastern European literature recently pitched this one. A Ukrainian novel in which the main character keeps a pet penguin? Why, yes, that does sound like my sort of thing.That premise is tough to live up to, at least in my eyes (others may not have such high expectations for penguincentric literature) but thankfully Kurkov pulls it off. It's the story of a depressed writer whose only companion is a similarly depressed penguin (with a heart problem, no less) rescued from the Kiev zoo. He (the writer, not the penguin) gets a job preparing obituaries for a newspaper, to be used upon the subject's death; not long after he starts, the obituary subjects start croaking on a regular basis.It manages to be absurdly charming, blackly funny, and bleakly sad all at once. I tore through it and enjoyed it immensely; there's a sequel, "Penguin Lost," also contained in the omnibus edition I got. I'll take a break b...
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Got the Headphones On
2009-03-06 02:01:00
Having Mom here for a while changed my music-listening habits quite a bit. She's pretty cool but not likely to think that, say, Unsane is as crucial listening as I might. So generally when I had the stereo on, it was jazz or classical.So I made fuller use of my iPod than I ever have before -- for instance, several years into my ownership, actually ripping songs from CDs to put on it, as opposed to just relying on online material.I rediscovered a lot of stuff that I hadn't listened to in a long time. Some of it was not great, but other rediscoveries -- Glossary, the Jesuseater EP, Poison Idea -- were pretty welcome.And I started listening to Half Off for really the first time in my life. I liked (and still like, actually) Haywire, and I dug the "Shoot Guns Eat Pussy" 7" a long time ago, but never really took it terribly seriously and never listened to them beyond that. Now, I spent a shitload of time listening to "The Truth," and even though I'm about 15 years past the time when I...
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Multiple Choice
2009-03-01 19:23:00
You live in a place where it rarely -- but occasionally -- snows. Where do you keep the snow brush for your car windows?a) inside the carb) inside the trunkc) inside the housed) who the hell knows, I'm never going to need it anywayThat picture's from about an hour ago -- it's come down considerably more since then, and things are pretty messy. I ventured out, without any reason except that I'm stir crazy spending 20 hours a day in the house. But cars are sliding, the roads are dangerous, and places are starting to close up. A few years ago I would have shrieked "it's just a little snow! This would be nothing in Colorado!" but now shutting down seems like the smart option. Atlanta's not prepared for snow, much as Colorado isn't prepared for a tidal wave, and it's scary out there. Seeing a pickup truck with a "Southern by the Grace of God" bumper sticker skidding in front of you makes staying home appealing.* * *I went to another hockey game last night -- second in a week, and...
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