OK - WHAT?!
December 10th -

Its 65 degrees out and there's not only a tornado watch and LOUD cracks of thunder
BUT it appears to be snowing?!
This is not officially confirmed but everyone in my office on the 14th floor agrees it looks an awful lot like SNOW falling....

WHOA.

this gas thing is cccrraaazzzzyyyyyeeeeee.

yesterday i counted 40 cars in line at the Krogers gas station at 10am (2 lines - one with 18 cars, one with 22 cars, i was able to count because the 22 car line was blocking my parking lot exit).
I can't even imagine how long a wait that would be.
They also had hired what looked like security personnel to direct traffic.

Brian's car has been past empty but he couldn't find gas so this morning i took a detour to work and found that at 6:30am Krogers had gas with no line and BP had gas with 1-2 car line deep. I rear ended a car looking for gas cause i wasn't paying attention. Luckily i was crawling slow so there was no damage. I said "i'm sorry i was looking to see if Krogers has gas" and the guy said "me too - there seems to be no damage and i need to get in line for gas before they run out."
Wow.
I have 3/4 of a tank and considered stopping to top off, but i'm going to be optimistic and think i can get gas tomorrow or the next day at 6:30am.....

Last night driving home from work i saw cars parked at gas pumps and owners just chilling in the seat, i assume waiting to be the first in line. The news says people have been sleeping at the pumps to get gas.

In a 2 mile stretch I saw 2 separate men walking with gas cans down the street.

It's just nuts - and the news said it will be 2-3 weeks at least until gas will come back reliably to atlanta. and not to mention that goods like food may experience shortages if truckers can't fuel up. oy.

At least it's absolutely making me consider what trips i need to take and what i don't need to take.
Hopefully more people are thinking that way too.

can i just say i feel so lucky to only work 5 miles from my house and live in a part of Atlanta that has pretty much everything i need to live day to day?

there has been a gas shortage since hurricane ike and people seem to be going a little, um, crazy here.
like crackheads without their crack.

but, really, i've heard so many stories of altercations from people waiting for hours in line for $20 max fill ups, and people running out of gas waiting in line to get filled up, people not coming to work because they have no gas - funny how the system breaks down when something so relied on becomes scarce.

i'm afraid to see what happens if and when the water actually runs out....

OK, this picture has a little of an explanation.
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oh my

so 71 degrees feels cold to me and 97 degrees, while hot, isn't oppressive.

huh.

OMG so busy at work...
but not too busy to look at pictures i took this morning :)
Not 366 Challenge related - just listening to Muse going to work and feeling inspired by the soundtrack in my ears.

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I come bearing many photos!
Just downloaded 3 days worth.
A couple of 366 Self Portrait and the rest just stuff:

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a reason why i love atlanta:

walking to work this morning i noticed down the block a man, looking like he was homeless, was going up to people walking by and saying something and they kept walking.

I braced myself for the inevitable "i'm hungry, can you spare a $1" spiel.

I got closer and the man walked up to me and with a big smile on his face says:
"have a great day m'am"

and i smiled back and said:
"you too, sir!"

and his smile became super big and we both went on our way.

it's amazing some of the stories these "homeless" people come up with for money.
and when they involve food, and i have food in my bag, i give them it and they look so disappointed.
I remember one guy was complaining he was a diabetic and he hadn't eaten for 12 hours and was feeling awful and i had an orange and banana in my bag so I gave him both and he was pissed! He was like "can't you give me a couple of bucks instead so i can go over to the store over there?" and i said no that if he was hungry he could take my fruit but i didn't have any money and he took the banana and walked away.

it's such an awesome surprise when someone who looks like they have next to nothing just wants to wish you a nice day for nothing in return.

I'm a Georgia Voter:

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It pays to always have a camera handy!!
Pictures of the snow!
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HOLY FUCKING SHIT IT'S SNOWING!!!!!!!


For those who don't live in the USA it's NOT supposed to snow in Atlanta.
Maybe some sleety mixture but NOT snow.

Wow people are FREAKING OUT!!!

well that's a nice way to wake up.
i had just gotten up, about 9am, and was sitting on the couch on this here computer when i saw 2 cop cars driving down our little out of the way street with their lights on but no sirens. They were obviously looking for someone. They circled about 4-5 times. Then the helicopter starts circling over our house and i see one of the cop cars speeding down our little street - like if you go, oh, maybe, 50 mph you'd get from one side to the other in less than 10 seconds cause we live on a very short street. And he was going fast and i was just praying all the cats and new kittens were out of the street cause they like to sit in the middle of the street for some reason.

So, then eric and i go stand on the back porch trying to figure out what was going on and we hear yelling down on a connecting street which is also a dead end. And then see 8 cop cars, about a minute a part, drive back to the main street - it was like a clown show cause how did all those cop cars fit on the dead end?

Anyways, who knows what was going on but it's good to know the cops are around.
Unlike what happened on my brothers street, 2 miles away, last weekend.
And now there's somewhat of a hullaballoo in my neighborhood about the police and ability to respond to emergencies.

Ah, yes, living in a transitioning neighborhood has proven to be quite eventful.
We thought the neighborhood had pretty much transitioned but no.
And it's weird that nothing happened the first year and half we lived here but now all of the sudden in the last month we've been at ground zero for police and helicoptors.

lookie at what my brother noticed on his car today:
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Oh my.
It is FREEZING out! Where do I live again?
Wind chill said 6 degrees with chance of flurries.
That chance must not be too high because there's not widespread panic like there usually is when talk of the white stuff emerges.

I didn't walk to work this morning - i wussed out and took the train.

Yesterday Eric and I went to a New Years Day party at the fancy pants house.
It wasn't disappointing at all - definitely fancy.
But delicious fancy.
I SOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOOOOOO broke my diet.
OMG the lemon bars were to die for!
As was the artichoke-spinach dip.
And there was a mango salsa they made that I got the recipe for - it was heaven in my mouth i tell ya!
Mr Fancy Pants is quite a chef.

There was a lot of wine and champagne flowing, but i was very good and abstained.
Eric and I made a fresh squeezed case of Clementine oranges and brought it over and I did have a flute of that with maybe a shots worth of champagne, and felt a little light headed but nothing too bad.

I even finally had collard greens and black eyed peas!
I've been down South for almost 2 years and had yet to try this delicacy that Southerners hold true and dear to their heart because it's almost always made with pig fat, but Mr Fancy Pants made it vegetarian.
I didn't really like it though. Kinda gross. But i tried it.
Apparently the tradition is you have to eat it because it brings you health and wealth in the new year.
Let's hope so !!!!

But there was a great mix of folk there - very diverse interests and conversation.
And it's a pleasant surprise when I can actually be social sometimes.

Now, back to the work grind.
I'm waiting for normal and routine to kick back in.
And I think I'll go back on the original HMR diet for 3-4 days to clean out my system again.
Although that food was good, I can feel the effects on what was my well oiled machine.

ok
the curiosity is killing me....

gunshots
fireworks
or
hammering?

I tried to make this layout look like some of the places I've been walking in downtown Atlanta.
Which is why I also included some pictures of the background before the pictures went on.
I think it looks really cool - beautifully trashy and dark. :)
And it was actually fun to take pictures of myself walking home after work!
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home.
in atlanta.
yes!
lessee
so dad and i got a hotel room
i got a massage at the hotel spa (omg i had been needing that for awhile) and it wasnt too overpriced and it was actually GOOD
dad and i went out for a leisurely meal and had a very good conversation
went to bed around 9:30pm

got up at 3am and went back to the airport.
it was already a madhouse so we joined the line/s.

as i was waiting in line i called the 1-800 delta number and eventually got booked on a flight to leave out of toronto at 6pm. (much better than 10am tuesday) and then i went up to the ticket counter and got a standby request ticket. At 6:15am i found out i could get on the 6:30am flight.
SCORE!

Sat on the runway for 2 hours then finally up up and away and
now i am on my living room couch with charo in my lap and herschel at my side
and this is the shit.

i feel jetlagged even though i didnt change timezones.
i don't think i can nap
so i guess i should tackle my to do list and venture out into the atlanta world.

home is where the heart is and my heart is here.

I just found out I worked 6 hours overtime last week.
Maybe that was part of the reason i was so crabby?!!!!

Here's a question for you Southern folk:

How, WHEN and WHY did Macaroni and Cheese become a Vegetable in the South?

It's something that's been bugging me since I moved here!

This is why i like taking MARTA.
and this is why i like living in the South.
Cause i sure as heck don't recall ever hearing these things in the North:

1) Outside the station a pretty black girl walks by in the shortest short shorts i've ever seen not on TV. Oh and spike heels. Some older guy is standing off to the side eating some chips and another guy walks by him and goes "now that's some chocolate cake..." and the older guy goes "yessir, and i love chocolate cake..."

2) Waiting for the train a man is standing a couple of feet from me holding a vase of red roses. Two women start talking to him saying things like what a special lady he must have etc etc and he says "i love my woman like christ loves the church" and one of the women goes "amen brother"