Sunday Six: Week 40

So, I'm a week late on this Recap Six, but better late than never, right?


I spotted several sunflower fields from the interstate while on my way to court one morning. I was determined to find them on my way back. Luckily, they were right off the interstate and I was able to snap a few pictures. I was too chicken to get out of the truck and walk through the fields.


Last Friday I took in the first game of the last Braves series. Derek Lowe was pitching against the Nationals. This was the first time I'd seen Derek pitch live for the Braves. It's just not the same seeing him out of a Red Sox uniform. :)


I was greeted by this on my way home from the Braves game. Usually, traffic isn't this bad late on a Friday night. For some reason, GDOT decided to close 4 lanes of traffic. Why on earth they would decide to close 4 lanes just as event traffic is picking up is beyond me!


On Sunday, I went for a long walk around historic Roswell. This is a broken headstone in the Old Roswell Cemetery.


The main street through the Roswell Square invites its businesses to create scarecrows for Halloween. I thought this one was pretty cute.


And, in case you were wondering, Elvis is alive and well on Canton Street!

This week's Sunday Six coming up in just a bit!

Sunday Six: Week 26

This week's Six is the halfway point for the year! Kinda crazy to think that we're already halfway through 2009. This week is a very underwhelming Sunday Six. I had absolutely no opportunity to get out and take pictures this week because I was moving! So, today you get a random sample of pictures from around my new place.


My Curious George jack in the box.


A fun picture my Mom found for me. I have no idea where. Go Sox!


A cute little notepad I found recently at Swoozie's.


Spices and dried pasta sitting on one of my island shelves. I picked up the Mi Madre pepper sauce, Almendia (homemade almond milk), and Coqui Fire when I was in Puerto Rico.


The kitty I'm babysitting. She's not in the mood for a photo here.


But, here she is! :)

Hopefully this coming week will let me get out and take some photos! 'Til then . . .

I'm a Winner . . .

Would you believe, after my big rant against the Atlanta Braves, that they may have redeemed themselves in my eyes. (I say may simply because nothing is set in stone.)

After my rant about the inability to purchase individual games tickets to the Braves/Sox series here in Atlanta, I begrudgingly registered with the Braves ticket office for the chance to purchase tickets for the series. Today, I received an email telling me that I'd been selected!

Come Friday morning, I will have all the passwords necessary to purchase tickets for the Braves/Red Sox series and the Braves/Skankees series! Although, I'll probably only dish out for the Red Sox tickets.

Needless to say, the Braves have moved closer to redemption in my eyes, even if it's only minimally -- not that they really care.

Of Etiquette & Fake Dandelions . . .

I've used StatCounter as my webtracker since I started this blog. Mostly, I wanted to see where people were coming from. It's always fun when you see a visitor from a place you'd never imagine your blog being read. (Some examples: Bangalore, India; Viet Nam; Serbia and Montenegro; Budapest, Hungary, and so on.) I have friends spread out across the U.S., and also into the UK, Germany and Australia, but I love seeing all these other places where people are coming from.

One thing I'd never really delved into was the actual search terms that brought people here. Most aren't that interesting, tending to be some combination of words bringing them to one of my pictures. Of the list of terms used in the last month, three stood out to me.

Who would have thought that this little rant on grocery store etiquette would garner 35% of my searches?! That came from a visit to the "Pick-Up Publix" in Vinings. (So called because of all the singles that shopped there. Supposedly, holding your handbasket a certain way told other shoppers whether you were single or taken.)

I wasn't surprised this post from last year's 366 was just over 20% of my keyword activity. I've received several emails from folks trying to locate fake dandelions of their own. Unfortunately, I've been unable to direct them as to where they can be bought. Hopefully they were successful!

The third search, and my obvious favorite, is "braves red sox tickets ridiculous" which leads you here. And, I'm not the only blogger who thinks this is ridiculous . . . even Keith from CNN thinks so! I'm still bitter about this, by the way. Don't even get me started on the unbelievable markup on prices at StubHub.

Not Cool Atlanta Braves, Not Cool At All . . .

Many of you know that my favorite baseball team is the Boston Red Sox. This has been the case since I was a little girl. Living in a city with a National League team might explain the reason I adore interleague play. It brings the Red Sox to me, at least most of the time.

The Sox are coming to Atlanta for a three game series in June, immediately after a three game homestand against the Skankees (allow me to decipher, Skankees=Yankees). However, the Braves, along with Ticketmaster are making it difficult for fans to get tickets . . . unless said fans choose to purchase a minimum 9-game ticket package. Sure, you can do a 6-pack of games, but this only gives you tickets to one game in each of the series. So, the Braves are not allowing their fans to simply purchase tickets to the individual three game series (this goes for the Skankees, too, btw).

What are they doing? They're allowing fans to register for the chance to purchase individual game tickets for the two interleague series.

Hello? Atlanta Braves? This is Turner Field. While the Ted is a fun place to see a baseball game, it is not Fenway Park where chance to purchase Monster Seats are auctioned off because of high demand. I get that! The Monster seats are awesome!

Why would I want to register for the chance to purchase tickets, so that you can call me and mail me all sorts of promotional material to try and persuade me to buy game packages? I get that you want to make a profit. I do. I also get that these two series are high demand tickets. However, Boston has come to Atlanta for interleague play each year since it began, except for last season. Boston tickets aren't that in demand. And while I loathe the Skankees, this is the first time they've ever come to Atlanta for a series. What if both teams are sucking it up in June? Think these tickets will still be high demand? (I certainly don't want to jinx my Sox, but this is an entirely plausible scenario for the Skankees.)

Yes, they are high demand tickets, but is limiting them to package purchases the best way to go? I anticipate when I arrive at the box office before the start of the first Red Sox series game I will be left to choose from only the crappy seats for all three games. All they're really doing is forcing the brokers to buy game packages so they're able to turn around and sell the individual series tickets. Trust me, tickets for both series are already way over-priced around the internet.

Can you tell I'm not pleased?

Coming to Atlanta . . .

This morning's AJC claims the Braves will announce Derek Lowe (a former Red Sock) as one of their new pitchers!

This makes me very happy! While my heart lies with the Sox, I do love the Braves, too. I especially like D-Lowe. He was on the 2004 World Series team, after all. He's also a solid pitcher, which the Braves really need!

Yay for D-Lowe!

Just a Few Things . . .

1. I hate allergies. This is one of the most frustrating things about living in a city with horrible air quality. This time of year is my worst for allergies. I am so hopped up on allergy medicine right now -- eye drops, decongestant, antihistamine, Nasonex, ear drops. It's becoming ridiculous!

2. I suspect there is a possibility that our next Vice President could be "Ms. South Carolina." It hit me tonight that many of Palin's ramblings remind me very much of the trainwreck speech Ms. South Carolina gave during Miss Teen USA. How terrifying is that? Oh, and let's not forget that she's "only been at this 5 weeks!" Just . . . no.

3. I love having freshly pedicured feet and manicured hands. This is what I accomplished during the debate.

4. Yay Red Sox! Jon Lester is a machine! He's becoming just as nasty as Josh Beckett. His pitching last night was filthy! It was awesome. If we win Friday night's game, I have no doubt we'll be in the ALCS.

5. October baseball without the Yankees is awesome.

I'm away again this weekend for fun with Allison. We haven't been able to hang out since our Memorial Day adventures, so I'm looking forward to seeing her!

See you soon!

366 Pictures: #307 Pens

A picture of my two favorite pens. No one should be surprised that one of them is a Red Sox pen. :)

Date: August 9, 2008.

366 Pictures: #86 Telephone

My Blackberry Pearl, complete with Red Sox wallpaper.

Date: August 3, 2008.

If It's So Wrong, Why Does It Feel So Right?

I may in the minority of Boston fans, those of us who are happy to see Manny Ramirez be traded from the Red Sox. I was shocked when I heard the news today. There have been rumors about trading Manny for the past few seasons, but it never really happened. I expected these rumors to be the same way. Not this time! Torre and the Dodgers get Manny, and Jason Bay is headed our way! His stats aren't too bad so far this season: batting .282, 22 home runs, 64 RBIs, and an OPB of .375. I hope he does well in Boston!

Boston.com has all the details if you're interested.

On a side note, Surviving Grady gave the Sox a good talking to today. Too funny!

Thank Goodness . . .

So it seems that Kevin Youkilis is staying in Boston! Yay! The Angels nabbed Teixeira from the Braves in a trade today. The Braves received first baseman Casey Kotchman and pitcher Stephen Marek.

So long, handsome Mark Teixeira! I wonder if Tito and the Gunshow will make a new Mark Teixeira tribute song?

Rumors Abound . . .

There hasn't been a whole lot of baseball talk here lately, but here goes. There are rumors the Red Sox and the Braves have some trade talks going on. Who are the contenders, you ask? (Or, maybe you don't, but oh well!) Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis (a.k.a. Youk).

I totally get why the Braves want to trade Tex. First, he's a free agent after this season which means he's unlikely to be with the Braves next year. They can't afford him. Isn't this the main reason Texas traded him last year? This makes Youk attractive because he's set at $3 million until 2011. His stats have been decent, he's currently .271 at the plate, but his on base percentage is better, around .380, I think? He's good for yard having hit 20 homeruns so far this season, and 77 RBI.

I also understand why the Sox would be interested in trading Youk. Their stats are similar -- Youk's BA is less, his OBP is higher, and he has 17 homeruns, and he's 10 down on the RBI's compared to Tex. Both have earned Gold Gloves in the past, and Youk is expected to earn another this year. Comparatively, there's talk that Youk will flame out, unlike Tex who is expected to be a solid position player for several more years. Tex would also be able to help out with power should Ortiz or Manny present problems. Theoretically, if Tex came into Boston and is successful, there is less of a need for Manny, if they find a fit in left field.

The Sox would have to offer up someone alongside Youk, probably a relief pitcher, which the Braves need. Boston has done well with their pitching depth this year. The most talk has been about Craig Hansen. Hansen hasn't been super productive for Boston, but when his slider is on, he usually does well. Just don't let him get behind in the count -- that's when he struggles. Another suggestion, Sox prospect Michael Bowden. To whom I say, no, no, no. Bowden did well at Portland this year, going 9-4 with a 2.33 ERA. He has the potential to develop into a great pitcher. I'd rather see Boston develop Bowden than send him to the Braves. Look how well they did with Papelbon!

So, I'm torn. I'm a fan of both Youk and Tex, and to be honest, it would be fun having Youk in Atlanta. He's a fun player to watch. I can see both sides. But, I'd be sad to see Youk leave Boston if the trade happens.

One thing I would like to again mention to Theo and rest of the Boston front office: Why not attempt to rid yourself of the faker within your organization? I've been saying trade Manny for years! He has no hustle whatsoever. He practically walks to first base on the ground ball. And now? Faking an injury so he's able to sit out? He's making $20 million! He sat out after MRIs on both knees came back negative. Imagine the surprise when, after being faced with disciplinary action, that his knee is magically okay! I am so tired of hearing it's just "Manny being Manny." Bullcrap. That would be one trade I'd be happy to see.

50:50

My teams were 50:50 last night.

Tennessee was defeated by Cal in what I suppose was a decent game. Both defenses gave up points, but Tennessee's defense hadn't given up this many in a long time. Let's just hope they do better next week against Southern Mississippi. Then, it's onto Gainesville and those awful Florida Gators!

The good spot in sports last night? Let me illustrate with a picture:



Clay Buchholz, who was called up by Boston just a few hours before the Baltimore game, threw a no-hitter last night in his second major league start! Final game score was 10-0! This is such a good thing for the Red Sox, especially after being swept by the Yankees and that near win over the O's Friday night. I hope this will boost them through September! 22 wins and the AL East belongs to us!

An Explanation Please . . .

Now that I have DirecTV I have the option of watching a wonderful network. One that I've always secretly wanted but could never have because I was a cable subscriber. It's a channel that all Red Sox fans would probably love to have. NESN, the New England Sports Network. Ah, yes, getting to watch Boston Red Sox baseball to the commentary of Remy & Orsillo rather than Joe Morgan (who never seems to get a score right) or Rick Sutcliffe (I have a very good reason for disliking Sutcliffe . . . just ask me!).

Why was I so excited about tonight's game? Because it's Red Sox v. Yankees, the first of a three game series, in New York, with Boston 8 games ahead in the AL East, and the pitching match for tonight is Dice-K v. PettiTte! Tonight's game should be a great pitching match!

So, now you are aware of my excitement for tonight's game. A game which, if I want to watch live, will have to be watched online via the MLB gameday. Why, you ask? Why would I have to watch in this fashion if I subscribe to NESN? Because stupid DirecTV blacks out the game! It's not even showing on another network! Tomorrow, fine . . . black it out all you want because I'll watch Beckett & Clemens duke it out on ESPN. (Hello! Beckett v. Clemens!) But why must they blackout tonight's game?

I've heard a vague rumor from my very good friend (who shall remain nameless because he's a Yankee fan) that DirecTV does the same with the YES network. This makes no sense to me! So, officially, DirecTV . . . you are on my list!

Ouch . . .

I've had a pretty good weekend. I've been all on my own, which has been nice.

Yesterday I watched baseball and football. Boston took one game from the Yankees, and then gave up the second one. They play another doubleheader today. Tennessee lost to Florida by 1 measly point! I was yelling at my television throughout that game so much I was hoarse!

Today, I went for a run. I went over to Lovett since I wouldn't have to deal with any traffic and it's a pretty campus. I ran 2 miles, if I mapped it out right, in 18:36. However, I had a negative split, running the second mile in 9:06, 12 seconds faster than the first. I'm not sure how that happened at all! On my way back, I was running across a wooden bridge which crosses the Chattahoochee River when I fell. I'm not sure if I tripped or if my left ankle gave out on me. I landed directly on my right knee. I was able to finish the run (and get a faster time)! My ankle's a little tight, but not swollen. My knee doesn't hurt but looks as if I've got a cotton ball stuffed under the skin! It's already bruising. I'm icing my knee right now, and then I'm going to ice my ankle afterwards.

Meeting some friends for lunch at Nino's Cucina Italiana. Hopefully my knee does alright.

My travel plans as far as work have changed, most likely to early next week. So, I'll still be in Atlanta this week. Hopefully my knee goes down so that I can still get my workouts in this week!

Another week . . .

It's been a busy week! The weekend in Florida was fun. The weather was really nice and it wasn't too crowded, which was surprising for Labor Day weekend. I've spent the rest of the week job hunting and taking care of things around the apartment.

My bootcamp sessions were pushed back to a September 11th start date. So, this Monday is when that starts. I'm looking forward to it. I still have yet to find much motivation to exercise, so hopefully this will kick me into gear. That's what usually happens. It will also be nice to see the group again.

On the sports front, my Red Sox are still playing very poorly. They're 9 games behind the Yankees in the AL East, and 5.5 games behind Minnesota in the Wild Card race. Seriously, when did the Twins become good? They've been pretty crappy the last few seasons! Although my baseball team is down, my Tennessee Vols won big over California last week (who was ranked higher and favored to win)! Tennessee jumped from #23 to #11 in the Top 25! I was very pleased. This Saturday they play Air Force, in Knoxville. Unfortunately, it's not on tv. Next week's game (9/16) is on tv -- it's the big UT v. Florida game! I don't get quite as excited with college football as I do with baseball, but I'm still excited!

Bootcamp: 3 days (again)!

Sucked in . . .

Normally, I don't watch reality television, save one -- I adore Project Runway. However, my step-brother and sister-in-law have somehow sucked me into another one. In Florida, I watched Rockstar: Supernova. This is an American Idol type show where contestants are competing to be lead singer of Tommy Lee's new band Supernova. Normally, this wouldn't interest me at all, but I'm a music freak and the songs the contestants pick are ones that I love! It's really hard not to watch when I find myself singing along. So, needless to say, I'm tuning in for the rest.

In other tv news, I'm so excited for the new season of Nip/Tuck, which starts soon! I loved the first 2 seasons, but last season's finale was horrible. I really hope Ryan Murphy does a better job with this season.

I'm considering training and signing up for a half-marathon. There are two I'm considering, one in February and another in March. This is a big step in my running because I've never done a race longer than a 5K. I have had longer runs, just not races. I really want to do the "Run for Justice" which is a 5K benefiting the Atlanta Legal Aid Society. I ran it last year, it was my first race, and had a lot of fun. It's November 11, but I may be out of town. Anyhow, I was thinking that if I put the fact that I would like to train for a half-marathon and posted about it that I wouldn't have a choice. You all would keep me in check! Right? I've been looking at some training programs and it seems like I have plenty of time. I've been told you only need about 12 weeks, so if I started now I'd be in good shape for the run.

I'm also hoping to get back into bootcamp with the next session, if it isn't booked by the time their new website is up. The instructors who actually did my camp have broken from Operation Bootcamp, but they're still offering the same camp at the same prices, with the same instructors. I just can't sign up until their website is up and running, which should be soon.

The Red Sox are still losing. They've lost 6 in a row, but are currently leading the Angels 5-1. I really hope they win. Their chance at the playoffs is in serious danger -- I'll be so disappointed if they don't make the playoffs!

Home at last . . .

I'm home! I'm exhausted and have spent the day catching up on email. Who knew a person could receive so many emails in one week? It's crazy! I'll be posting about the trip soon. I've got close to 200 pictures, not that I'll make any of you suffer through that many. I'll get a post together in the next day or so, with pictures if I can get it to work. I'll also probably post a link to all my pictures in case anyone is interested in sifting through all of them. We did get some beautiful shots.

Among the news that happened while I was away was this: http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060818/NEWS03/608180439/1017
Perry March was found guilty in the murder of his wife Janet March. I moved to Nashville the year she went missing, 10 years ago. They have never found her body. It was all over the news the entire 6 years I was living there. Dateline did a couple of reports on it and CourtTV covered the trial. Their two children have been through so much over the years, including a vicious custody battle between the Levines (Janet's parents) and Perry March. His father helped him dispose of the body and in hiring a hitman to have the Levines killed. It's very sad. I'm relieved the Levines have found some measure of justice for their daughter.

On another note, what is happening in the world of baseball? I leave for a week and my Red Sox get swept by the Yankees AT FENWAY! We're now 6.5 games back in the AL East and 4.5 games back in the AL Wild Card. This does not look good!

I read one of the best books ever while in Barbados, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. It was wonderful. I honestly don't know how long it's been since I've cried reading a book, and I cried more than once reading this one. The characters in the book are wonderful and the issues brought up are emotional and timely. It's an amazing book. To me, it seems like one that you could read over and over and discover a little something different from it each time. If you haven't read it, do so. I put off reading it for a long time, but I'm glad I finally sat down with it.

I've started Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer, but I can't seem to get into it. I'm only a few chapters in though. I've heard good things about it so hopefully I'll get into it soon. Any other book recommendations? I'm all ears!

Until I get the post regarding my trip set up, how about one beautiful picture. It might be my favorite of all the ones I took.

Not enough time in the day . . .

I haven't been able to update lately because of my studying. That's a good thing though. I'm really starting to feel the stress of all this. I had a "breakdown" last night. I called my Mom in tears! Luckily, she's done this, so she knows exactly the kind of pressure I'm under (she, however, did it while I was a teenager -- so she was under more stress). I just needed to vent to someone last night.

I have a three day review course Wednesday through Friday of this week. Hopefully that goes well. I don't know if I'm going to like being around 300 really stressed out people. I've scheduled a massage for the weekend prior to the exam and one for the day after the exam.

Bootcamp is still going well. People are telling me they can tell a difference in my weight. I can't. I'm so glad I decided to sign up for this. It's given me an outlet for my stress, which I desperately needed.

Some friends of mine are planning on seeing "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare" at Atlanta's Shakespeare Tavern either this Saturday or next Saturday. It's supposed to be hysterical -- three actors do all of his works in 90 minutes. I really hope they decide to go this weekend, so I can go too. It will give me a couple hours of normalcy. There's no way I could go next weekend, it's too close to the exam.

The Red Sox/White Sox game yesterday went 19 innings! That's a doubleheader! Can you imagine 6 hours in those uncomfortable stadium seats? Unfortunately, Boston -- who was primed to sweep the White Sox -- couldn't hold out. The All-Star break has arrived which is always fun to watch. Speaking of sports, what's up with the French footballer headbutting the Italian? (I'm not much into World Cup, but saw the story online.) Crazy!

Countdown to the Exam: 14 days! (Sheesh -- it's only 2 weeks away!)

110 . . .

Today was day 2 of Bootcamp. I literally felt like lead when we were finished. I have grass burns on my knees from doing push-ups in the grass and mud. It was great! Oh, and those push-ups, there were 110 of them. 110!!! I never in my life would've dreamed I could do that many push-ups. Granted, only the first few were military style, but they were all hard! I've felt the soreness coming on steadily today. It's worse than yesterday. A soak in Epsom salts has helped some. I dread getting out of bed tomorrow morning because I'll be so stiff.

I've been watching the Red Sox v. Mets on TV. It's so nice to see the Sox kicking butt when I'm actually able to watch. It was 8-0 in the 3rd, and currently 10-2 in the 7th. Poor Pedro got popped for some runs. If only the Braves could've beat the Yankees.

Has anyone seen this story?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/28/AR2006062801312.html

How crazy is that? And this part of the article:

Dakil defended use of the device after defense attorney Clark Brewster said it was an out-of-date treatment for erectile dysfunction.
"I still use those," Dakil testified.
Brewster paused.
"Not you, personally?" he asked.
"No," Dakil responded as jurors laughed. "I recommend those as a urologist."
*********

Seriously, why would a judge even consider using a penis pump DURING court? For that matter, why would anyone use a penis pump in public period? I don't get it. Honestly, I think any attorney, judge, or a juror would have a hard time maintaining decorum during this trial. I look forward to seeing how it turns out. I'll keep you updated.