So...Mrs. Mau and I were in Chik-Fil-A today. You know how they keep a few copies of the local newspaper around? Right.

Well, I happened to notice the front of the Metro section. The headline read "Camp workers, victim's kin await justice in teen's death". I thought to myself "Only in the South. The NY Times would have used the word 'family'.".



My initial goal was just to share that observation with you, my readers and friends.

I got back to my desk, and went to my trusty ajc.com to pull up the article. What do I find? This:


It turns out that you can view the Print Version online, separate from the standard online version.

Why the difference? Hm? I don't make this stuff up, peeps.


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You can take a Player out of the game, but you can't take the game out of a Player.

So...US Army Lieutenant Colonel William H. Steele is being brought up on charges of "Aiding the Enemy" in Baghdad by supplying detainees with an unmonitored cellphone.

Among his other EIGHT offenses:

• Unauthorized possession of classified information
• Fraternizing with the daughter of a detainee
• Maintaining an inappropriate relationship with an interpreter
• Storing classified information in his quarters
• Possessing pornographic videos

No home training. Know What I'm Sayin'??

So, TDot wrote a post about hot dogs, which my brother saw, and then he wrote his post about hot dogs.

I figure it's my turn. Only I'm not talking about hot dogs. I'm talking about full-fledged meals. Many, many years ago I learned that the three things that human being require to live are food, shelter, and clothing. That's what I'm talking about. Food, the requirement of life.

Many of you know that I got married last year. Well, it's anniversary time. The theme for our wedding was "For Centuries to Come". Therefore, I have dubbed this week "For Centuries to Come Week". This week, I'm making it a point to contact the entire wedding party to wish them a happy "FCTC Week". I'm also making nice "FCTC Dinners" for Mrs. Mau.

Monday night, it was salmon steaks. I made a nice marinade out of mustard and olive oil and dill. I managed to cook them perfectly. Great flavor, and moist. Not dry at all. On the side, sauteed asparagus, and roasted red potatoes with rosemary and garlic. A nice bottle of Riesling to top it off.

Last night, I went to the Farmer's Market. It took me a while to decide what I was making, but I finally came up with something. Something a bit lighter this time. Angel Hair Pasta with Grilled Chicken and Pesto Sauce. Came out very nice also. On the side, Spring Mix salad, with a little bit of fresh dill for an extra kick. For dessert, organic strawberries with fresh whipped cream (real cream, not that Cool Whip stuff).

I also picked up a flank steak. Flank steak is notoriously tough, so tonight we're having 24-hour marinated and tenderized Flank Steak and...probably a corn and tomato salad. Maybe a nice succotash. Something like that.

Tomorrow? We'll just wait and see. We're having drinks with a friend of ours, so it may be an "out" dinner.

I already have Friday planned, but that one will have to be a surprise for Mrs. Mau! Hopefully, she won't see this until tomorrow, and the Flank Steak will be a surprise, too.

Next week, we'll be back to hot dogs.

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I'm teetering on the edge of mySpace, folkz.

I just don't know what to do. On one level, I feel like I'm missing something by not being...in there. On the other hand, whenever I go there, even just for a visit, I find that I don't particularly enjoy myself.

Why is this?

Well, in part, I think I don't like mySpace for the same reason I don't like WalMart. It's just junky. You visit people's pages, and your senses are assaulted by music, crazy backgrounds, and crazy colors and stuff blinking on and off...it's like Las Vegas, or Times Square. It's too much.

Ideally, I'd like a solution that would allow me to be in mySpace without visiting mySpace. Kinda like a really sophisticated RSS feed. That way I could have a presence there, without actually going. I've actually got an account, two actually, because I've got one for my side gig. I just have no desire to maintain them. Mrs. Mau and I have even discussed a joint mySpace page, for our familial unit. I just haven't been able to bring myself to do it yet.

So, for now, you'll have to keep coming here for your daily/weekly/monthly dose of Mau. Don't forget that you still have numerous options for staying connected if you just don't feel like coming here personally. I won't be offended. I would like you to fill out the survey, though.

By the way, please send good vibes and prayers our way. We have a few family members who have been admitted to the hospital recently. We want everyone to pull through.

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I just came from the Dentist. Had a cleaning, and a consultation.

One thing I can say after this cleaning is that my last handful of cleanings were woefully inadequate. They just weren't nearly as thorough as this one was.

The biggest concern that my Dentist had was...that I don't floss.

That being said, I'd like to take a survey. Don't worry. Your answers are completely anonymous (I think). I just want to see. This will be fun. I'll publish findings in a week or two.

Word on the streets is that Dave Chappelle did standup at the Laugh Factory in LA this past Sunday. For six hours, and seven minutes. According to reports, the audience thoroughly enjoyed the performance. The previous record for the longest performance was set earlier this month at 3:50. The record before that was set by none other than Richard Pryor, at 2:41.

Is the man back? Hopefully!

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Okay, so...first of all, let me start by saying that my Mother wasn't too upset about seeing her kitchen put on display for all to see. What she WAS upset about was that I didn't clarify that it was my Father who insisted on keeping ALL the knives around, rather than going with the adage of "Out with the old..." That being said, IT'S MY FATHER WHO INSISTED THAT MY PARENTS NOT THROW OUT THE OLD KNIVES WHEN THEY GOT NEW KNIVES.

Secondly, I've already had at least two people tell me that they think it's a smashing idea to include an extra envelope in a pack of stationery. Of course, if you mess up an envelope, there's always the chance that you'll waste a second envelope, but the loose consensus is that it's a good thing to have that extra envelope, just in case you make a mistake. If you make two mistakes, well then, that's on you.

Third. Remember that ticket I got? My court date was yesterday and, well, it didn't start off to great. The "start time" on the ticket was 8:00am. Whenever I've been to court, they usually start at 8:30. Yesterday, I woke up at 8:30. When I went bed last night, I just totally forgot that I had somewhere to be the next day. When I realized the predicament I was in, I uttered an expletive, and my wife quickly surmised what had happened. She said..."Just go, they probably haven't called your name yet." I went. Made pretty good time, too. Made there by 9:00, navigating around and through morning rush-hour traffic. I get there, and it's not too late! I don't know if they had already called my name or what, but it wasn't too late. I'm not gonna bore you with the details, but I got the impression that the judge at some point had had some words with the police officer about issuing silly-ass tickets like for stopping in front of a firestation. He downgraded me to a warning, and sent me on my way.

An IM convo I had with this dude I hang out with sometimes:
Mau: by the way...that ticket...the firestation?
Dude that I allow to hang out with me: uh huh?
Mau: judge reduced to a warning!
Mau: *NICE*
DTIATHOWM: *slaps five* Niiiiice!!!

HHHmm...What else? I found this press release about the Ford/BP dealings. I guess BP is giving Ford lots of free stuff in exchange for "recommending" their fuel on the gas caps.

Oh yes. It's not looking good for Vonage. Their initial conclusion is that Verizon's patents on VoIP technology are so wide-reaching that it would be no easy matter to create workarounds to the technology. Their only recourse is to "recreate the wheel." We'll see, but like I said, it's not looking good.

Know What I'm Sayin'?? Holla.

I've gotten the license tags out of the way. Now it's time to share a few things that I've come across since November-ish that caught my eye, for one reason or another.



This was taken before Christmas around the corner from our house. There is this guy who...sells trees. This is his new location. The past few years, he's been further up the block on the other side of the street, but someone is getting ready to build something on that land, so he had to move. On this particular night, it was extremely COLD. Cold by Atlanta standards, at least. It was also very windy. It had been this way for a few days, and most people in the city were generally pretty miserable during their comings and goings. These trees had been this way for DAYS! I don't know if, or even how he sold the things. They looked so cold, and sad and lonely out there, all blown over.



Hopefully you can make out this blurry mess. For a few months I was working this side gig at Philips Arena, with the Atlanta Hawks and the Thrashers. After one game, I was walking back to my car, and I couldn't find my keys in any of my pockets. When I reached the car, I snapped this picture. From the outside of the car. See my keys there? On the front seat? Inside the car? With the doors locked? Yeah. Good times.



Saw this one just a couple of weeks ago. Uumm, who buys a Mercedes Benz and slaps a security light on top?! They don't even do that at dealerships. That's like a $45,000 car, base!



This is the back of a package of stationary. 20 sheets of paper...and 21 envelopes. Do they just assume that you're going to mess up an envelope?



Interesting, huh? This is the gas cap of a 2007 Ford Ranger. By the way, Congrats to my Dad for purchasing the exact retirement gift for himself that he wanted. We're a Ford Ranger family. This is our family's 4th Ranger. Maybe more on that in another post. The point is, since when do auto manufacturers recommend a particular brand of fuel? I'd love to know the underlying deals going on there.



I hope my parents don't get upset at this one..."Hi Mom!". This is an actual shot of their kitchen. I was in there a few weeks ago, and this caught my eye. That's a LOT of hardware.

Okay, folkz. Gotta go. Holla later.

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Yes, folkz. I'll bet some of you thought I was kidding when I said that I read license tags. Nope. I'm still at it. Additionally, since I now have a forum to share them, I now make a concerted effort to photograph the noteworthy tags I encounter.

I haven't shared any tags since let's see...November. Wow. Long time. No wonder I've got a good little stash squirreled away on my phone. Well, it's time to reclaim my camera phone memory...

I'll start you off easy. Pace yourself, because there's like 10 of them. If the photo is too small, you should be able to click on it, and go to my Flickr page for a better look. Some are taken from just in front of the subject, and others are taken from the front seat of my car, through the windshield. Quality will vary.



KINFOLK - Nothing special. Just slightly amusing.










Not a vanity tag. I just thought the contrast of the physical condition of the tag against the actual wording to be...provocative.











EVOLVE - Love this one. It echoes personal sentiments. For a while I've maintained that if I get another tattoo, that it'll be the word "PRO GRESS." I want the gap in there too, to emphasize the meaning of the word as derived from the meanings of the roots.







IMAGING - Run of the mill "This is what I do. This is what I am." Slightly boring.











KNG ME - Scholarly, but playful. Not enough people play chess anymore. Of the ones out there, I'd venture to say that not many of them are...adventurous enough to put this on a tag.








Different, but boring nonetheless.












Saw this one at Whole Foods on Ponce here in Atlanta. I mentioned it to a friend of mine, and he said that he's seen this one around as well.









Went with this one as a nod do my sister-in-law. She's a Butterfly also. I'll get a pic of her's one of these days.










This one was on a PT Cruiser. Slightly amusing, but very played. It's 2007, people.











Not MY GUMDOC, mind you. Just one that I came across.










That's all I got for now. My next post will have some photos that I've come across that I snapped just because I saw something I thought was...odd and slightly noteworthy. Some are more amusing than not. I'm really enjoying this license tag thing. It's like an ongoing treasure hunt.

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Random one-sided conversation I just had with my dog:

Me: "You hungry, man? Well I'm going to feed you after I floss, because if I feed you before I floss, then I'll have to wash my hands and I still might, you know, miss a speck. And that would be nasty."

Just felt like sharing.

Carry on.

Article

Vonage was ordered to stop signing up new customers until they stop infringing on technological patents held by Verizon.

THEN...hours later, an appeals court temporarily stayed the order pending a hearing on Vonage's request for a permanent stay.

A couple of thoughts:

• This has shades of those stories about the big guy pushing around the little guy, only this time, it's a really big guy pushing around a medium-sized guy, who actually has a pretty vicious left hook.
• It's funny how big business manages to get government to act so quickly. I suppose money talks.
  

Interesting stuff. Know What I'm Sayin'??

I briefly mentioned the controversial sex offender law that was looming here in Atlanta a while back.

I just came across this article. Down in Miami, there are 5 sex offenders who, for the time being at least, are living under a bridge. They're having trouble finding housing that that is 2500 feet from places where children gather.

Some of them sleep on stacks of cardboard or pallets to raise themselves off the ground in an effort to protect themselves from the rats. At least one of them has to wear GPS tracking equipment, but there are no power outlets under there, so he has issues charging the thing.

Sigh.

So, KITT is for sale. That reminds me of two...let's call them "irrational fears" that I have, and have had for a good, long while now. They both are related to car accidents:

Irrational Fear 1
Here's the scenario: I'm driving down the street, minding my own business. I come to a red light, getting ready to make my right turn. It's a two-lane road, but nothing out of the ordinary. The light is still red, but you can turn right on red here in Georgia. I make my right turn. Just as I make the turn, KITT comes screaming down the street. He's going full tilt, because Michael has to pee or something.

So, I'm making my turn, and here comes KITT going full speed, which is like 350 mph or so, and there's just not enough time for him to stop without hitting me, and there's nowhere for him to go. He plows into me, and I'm dead. Michael and KITT are both fine.

How long has it been since Knight Rider was on? That's how long I've been dealing with this. The second irrational fear is a bit more probable.

Irrational Fear 2
Similar to Scenario 1. I'm driving along, and doing nothing special. Maybe changing lanes, maybe making a right turn. The thing is, it's the middle of the night. Pitch dark. When I make my maneuver (whatever it is), I collide with someone. It turns out that there was a little car either in my blind spot, or coming down the street or whatever, and the car has it's lights off, so I can't see it.

Maybe it's a bad accident, maybe it's not so bad. The thing is, before the police arrive...the person turns their lights on. There are no witnesses, and of course, the person isn't going to admit they were tooling around town without their lights on. Instantly, my excuse/reason is out of the window. My fault.

There you have it. I told you they were irrational.

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Hi Folkz...

Darien Brockington's next Atlanta show will be on Saturday, April 14th at the Apache Cafe.

I've mentioned Darien before. Good friend of mine. He really studies and practices his craft. Come on out. You won't be disappointed.

This is a rough video of the shrimp incident that I managed to capture from Fox 5's website. It's a screen capture of the video while it was playing on my computer, so please excuse the general crappiness.



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