As a father of two kids, one of the places we frequent often is the local park.  One of Ally’s favorite things to do is be on the swing for long periods of time.  Now that she’s bigger, she doesn’t ask me to push her to get her started.  I mention this because when I’m standing next to her, I’ve been asked by quite a few kids of the course of the past few years if I could give them a push on the swing.  In this day and age of predators and perverts and lawsuit-happy parents, I almost always decline.  I say politely to the kid that it might be best if they have their parents ...

Not much time to write today but I did want to show a picture (courtesy of the NY Times) I’ve been holding on to since the Pope visited New York City a few months ago.  Who knew the Pope was a connoisseur of pimp shoes?

Yesterday I posted a few examples of newer houses in the neighborhood that I thought fit in with the zeitgeist of the neighborhood.  Today I'm giving examples of ones that swung and missed.  Again, this is totally subjective so what I like doesn’t translate to what everyone else likes.  Take my critiques with a grain of salt.

First up has nothing to do with the house structure itself.  This bungalow was one of the smallest houses in the area until the new owners ...

Today yours truly is going to play the role of local Architectural Critic.  Actually most of my comments are going to be positive, as Decatur residents really “get it” in terms of smart growth and also the rehabbing of old bungalows.  It’s one of Atlanta’s oldest suburbs and is the first suburb you hit heading east from Atlanta.  This means there are a ...

Some of the beer-based blogs I read have been participating in asking head brewers what four people they would like to sit down and have dinner with – past or present, living or deceased.  I figured I’d bite and give my list (The General from my blog also suggested this topic).  While there are living people that I would like to have a dinner conversation with, I decided to only include deceased people from the past 200 years since this is a fantasy list anyway.

I’m worried. 

I don’t care which side of the political spectrum you’re on; we’re in a recession.  Jobs are falling by the wayside, prices are increasing exponentially, real estate prices are in a freefall and there isn’t really a light at the end of the tunnel just yet.  Obviously our economy goes up and down and these ebbs and flows are a natural cyc ...

After 2 ½ years, I have yet to successfully come up with a replacement for the word “blog”.  After 2 ½ years, I still hate the word.  With the word “blog” becoming more and more a part of everyday conversation and also a buzzword for the media to use, this bastardly coined word won’t be leaving our consciousness any time soon.  The sound of the word just grates on my ears.

As gas prices have risen and risen and risen some more, the “lightbulb” in my head didn’t flicker on until the other week.  It’s been depressing enough seeing a gallon go up 10 cents at a time every few days.  Even worse though?  For those borderline OCD people like myself, there was a subtle shift in my pumping habits.  Ever since I’ve been pumping gas as a teen, I find the need to have the total amount end in ‘0’ or ‘5’.  This means that if the pump automatically stops at $38.88, I need to quickly pump the gas price up to $38.90.

I will begin to have a semi-regular series called “Signs I’m Getting Older”.  I understand I’m not the oldest person reading this blog but as a 35-year old I can start to relate to some signs of Old Fogy-ness.  Let’s reiterate – I’m only dipping my toe into old age.  I want to be at least 50 before I consider myself knee-deep in the pool.

Progress can be a two-edged sword sometimes.  It’s a necessary component of accommodating for more people, it allows for things to be updated over the course of time (from people’s clothing styles to renovations of buildings), and it also can revitalize a neighborhood.