The Explorer is all fixed thanks to a new transfer case and rebuilt transmission. Friday morning I'm getting new tires, and then I'm rolling out of Raleigh and headed east on 40 and south on 95 to Jacksonville. It should be a fun trip and hopefully it won't rain. If you want to watch the game, and why wouldn't you? It's on ABC at 1:00 PM on Saturday. Now I'll leave you with a song.
I'm a ramblin' wreck from Georgia Tech
And a hell of an engineer--
A helluva, helluva, helluva, helluva, hell of an engineer,
Like all the jolly good fellows,
I drink my whiskey clear.
I'm a ramblin' wreck from Georgia Tech
And a hell of an engineer.
Oh! If I had a daughter, sir,
I'd dress her in White and Gold.
And put her on the campus
To cheer the Brave and Bold.
But if I had a son, sir,
I'll tell you what he'd do
He would yell, "To hell with Georgia,"
like his daddy used to do.
Oh! I wish I had a barrel of rum
And sugar three thousand pounds,
A college bell to put it in
And a clapper to stir it round,
I'd drink to all good fellows
Who come from far and near.
I'm a ramblin', gamblin',
Hell of an engineer! Hey!
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Broke down busted
On my way back from Carrollton on Sunday I had major transmission issues around Commerce (about 2.5 hrs from home). I knew I was having issues and was planning on getting the transmission fixed when I returned from vacation, unfortunately it broke before I could get it fixed. I was able to limp into a truck stop and hang out for four hours while waiting on my dad to pick me up. He had the good idea of borrowing a trailer from a guy and ended up towing me to Burlington to the transmission shop that rents one of my grandparents' buildings. You're probably thinking, why fix the Explorer since it has 157,000 miles on it? I went through the same thought process and ended up deciding it was best to fix it and drive it until it dies. This was my master plan with the idea of getting something new in about two years before it broke down so might as well follow through.
Here's a camera phone pic of the Explorer on the trailer.
Here's a camera phone pic of the Explorer on the trailer.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
ACC Championship Game
If you're going to the ACCCG this weekend I'll be heading down with Jake and Matt Habib. Friday night we're staying at the airport La Quinta. I'm not sure where we're parking but we plan on hitting up the fanfest on Saturday before the game. Postgame, Jake and Matt are driving back to ATL but I'm not sure of my plans yet. I'll most likely head north on the way back to NC but I may hang around if people are doing stuff. Let me know.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Thanksgiving
My vacation has been great and entirely too short, but I guess that's the story of one's life after starting to work.
Wednesday was the annual "class reunion" as Mark and I call at one of the new restaurants on the Square. This year the crowds of people returning from college and new jobs elsewhere was at the Rome Street Tavern and Grill. I'd guess there were probably at least 150 people there and probably more. We all had a good time seeing old friends and making the obligatory small talk trying to find out what everyone is doing, etc...
Thursday we headed to Atlanta to my Aunt and Uncle's for our annual Turkey Day get together. The food was copious and great as was the weather.
Friday dad and I test drove a used H3 at Mark's dealership in anticipation of maybe buying one a year or two from now. It drove very well and gets pretty good mileage for an SUV with the offroad capabilities it has (20 mpg). Unfortunately it lacks storage space; I couldn't fit my golf bag in the back sideways. I could fold the back seats down but that's a problem if you have four golfers. While a pretty cool vehicle I've been spoiled by vehicles with ample cargo capacity. After the vehicle driving we went golf ball driving at the Par 3 course in Bowdon. Neither of us played well but we both had three pars which was pretty good. I shot 88 and dad 81. After golf I went to dinner with Mark and Shaun at Mellow Mushroom and then we met some folks at Loco's and then headed to Rome St. afterwards.
Today I went helped put up Christmas decorations and made a trip to Home Depot. This afternoon was the low part of the trip while watching Tech give the game away to U(sic)GA for the third year in a row to extend the losing streak to six games. ARGHHHHHHHHHHH. There is no reason we should have lost the game. In case you didn't hear the final score it was 15-12. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Here are some photos from Thanksgiving:
Wednesday was the annual "class reunion" as Mark and I call at one of the new restaurants on the Square. This year the crowds of people returning from college and new jobs elsewhere was at the Rome Street Tavern and Grill. I'd guess there were probably at least 150 people there and probably more. We all had a good time seeing old friends and making the obligatory small talk trying to find out what everyone is doing, etc...
Thursday we headed to Atlanta to my Aunt and Uncle's for our annual Turkey Day get together. The food was copious and great as was the weather.
Friday dad and I test drove a used H3 at Mark's dealership in anticipation of maybe buying one a year or two from now. It drove very well and gets pretty good mileage for an SUV with the offroad capabilities it has (20 mpg). Unfortunately it lacks storage space; I couldn't fit my golf bag in the back sideways. I could fold the back seats down but that's a problem if you have four golfers. While a pretty cool vehicle I've been spoiled by vehicles with ample cargo capacity. After the vehicle driving we went golf ball driving at the Par 3 course in Bowdon. Neither of us played well but we both had three pars which was pretty good. I shot 88 and dad 81. After golf I went to dinner with Mark and Shaun at Mellow Mushroom and then we met some folks at Loco's and then headed to Rome St. afterwards.
Today I went helped put up Christmas decorations and made a trip to Home Depot. This afternoon was the low part of the trip while watching Tech give the game away to U(sic)GA for the third year in a row to extend the losing streak to six games. ARGHHHHHHHHHHH. There is no reason we should have lost the game. In case you didn't hear the final score it was 15-12. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Here are some photos from Thanksgiving:
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Monday, November 20, 2006
Update
The conferences on Wednesday and Thursday were productive events where I met quite a few people and saw a couple of old friends. Hopefully some of the new contacts will prove productive.
Thursday night after the conference I attended trivia at Willy's on Howell Mill with Shaun and a couple of his friends. We were in first place going into the second half but finished in third to win $10 in house cash.
Saturday I headed to Atlanta for the Tech vs. Duke game and had a great time cheering on the seniors on Senior Day and watching Tech stomp Duke 49-21. It was definitely an improvement from the past two weeks. After the game I attended the Handel's annual WCF Thanksgiving dinner at their house in Morningside and had a great meal and social time with everyone.
Sunday was pretty lazy and today I will probably do some stuff around the house. I can already tell that the vacation isn't going to be long enough. Oh for the days of being a student.
Here are some camera phone shots from Saturday:
Thursday night after the conference I attended trivia at Willy's on Howell Mill with Shaun and a couple of his friends. We were in first place going into the second half but finished in third to win $10 in house cash.
Saturday I headed to Atlanta for the Tech vs. Duke game and had a great time cheering on the seniors on Senior Day and watching Tech stomp Duke 49-21. It was definitely an improvement from the past two weeks. After the game I attended the Handel's annual WCF Thanksgiving dinner at their house in Morningside and had a great meal and social time with everyone.
Sunday was pretty lazy and today I will probably do some stuff around the house. I can already tell that the vacation isn't going to be long enough. Oh for the days of being a student.
Here are some camera phone shots from Saturday:
Monday, November 13, 2006
Woo...Woo Woo!!!
Late this afternoon my company president offered me one of our company tickets for the Carolina Hurricanes game and even though I had to pack and get ready for my trip I took him up on it. I went to the game with another co-worker and one of his friends and had a great time. The seats are amazing and are the same seats we had last year when I went to one of the playoff games, center ice about seven rows up. Unfortunately the Canes lost tonight in a high scoring contest.
Tomorrow around lunchtime I depart for two days of conferences in Atlanta on Wednesday and Thursday and then I begin my Thanksgiving vacation. I'll be in Carrollton/Atlanta through the 26th when I drive back to Raleigh. I'll be in Atlanta on Saturday 11/18 for the Tech vs. Duke game but other than Thanksgiving Day I don't have anything planned. If you read this and are in town let me know and we can hang out.
Here are a camera phone photo and video from tonight.
Tomorrow around lunchtime I depart for two days of conferences in Atlanta on Wednesday and Thursday and then I begin my Thanksgiving vacation. I'll be in Carrollton/Atlanta through the 26th when I drive back to Raleigh. I'll be in Atlanta on Saturday 11/18 for the Tech vs. Duke game but other than Thanksgiving Day I don't have anything planned. If you read this and are in town let me know and we can hang out.
Here are a camera phone photo and video from tonight.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
A Win is a Win
It was an absolutely beautiful day in Chapel Hill yesterday. Dad, who flew up Friday, and I arrived in the Hill around 8:45 and immediately joined the line waiting for the Carolina Coffee Shop to open. The CCS is my favorite breakfast location in Chapel Hill and I could pass up the chance for some corn flake French toast. Dad was impressed and commented several times that he really liked the place while eating his breakfast and listening to the classical music.
After breakfast we walked around campus and took in the sights at Tar Heel Town on Polk Place. We needed to kill some time before the game so we checked out the Carolina Collection at Wilson Library and dad was again impressed by the Sir Raleigh Room (a recreation of a British room from the 1500s with real oak wall paneling and period furnishings) the maps and other memorabilia were also interesting. As we headed out the front doors of Wilson we were greeted by the UNC band playing a selection of UNC tunes and we followed them to the stadium.
As far as the football game goes, it was pretty sorry for both teams. The highlights were: 1)The weather, a little warm but gorgeous, 2) the Tech crowd was great, 3)the Tech defense has only given up 1 TD in the last 3 games 4) we won and clinched the Coastal Division and are on our way to the ACC Championship Game on Dec. 2 in Jacksonville. The ugly 1)the offense other than Tashard Choice's 100+ yard day. Sometimes you have to win the ugly ones but as the saying goes, a win is a win.
Here are some camera phone pics:
Warmups
The Captains (R-L): Ball, Anoai, and Johnson
Victory!
Post-victory "Ramblin' Wreck" Singing"
I finally got YouTube to recognize my cell phone videos correctly so here are two:
Cell phone video of the Tech player entrance
Post-victory "I'm a Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech" Singing
After breakfast we walked around campus and took in the sights at Tar Heel Town on Polk Place. We needed to kill some time before the game so we checked out the Carolina Collection at Wilson Library and dad was again impressed by the Sir Raleigh Room (a recreation of a British room from the 1500s with real oak wall paneling and period furnishings) the maps and other memorabilia were also interesting. As we headed out the front doors of Wilson we were greeted by the UNC band playing a selection of UNC tunes and we followed them to the stadium.
As far as the football game goes, it was pretty sorry for both teams. The highlights were: 1)The weather, a little warm but gorgeous, 2) the Tech crowd was great, 3)the Tech defense has only given up 1 TD in the last 3 games 4) we won and clinched the Coastal Division and are on our way to the ACC Championship Game on Dec. 2 in Jacksonville. The ugly 1)the offense other than Tashard Choice's 100+ yard day. Sometimes you have to win the ugly ones but as the saying goes, a win is a win.
Here are some camera phone pics:
I finally got YouTube to recognize my cell phone videos correctly so here are two:
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Fun times
Thank you to everyone that came up and down last weekend for the game. I had a blast and our first real attempt at tailgating went really well. You've probably seen the pics on Facebook but here they are anyway.
Where's the T? (Actually it just fell during the game but still cool)
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Here's the Update
Yes I've been slack in my promised recap of the weekend, so here it is.
Friday:
Left work around noon, got my ears lowered, and hit the road for a rainy driving all the way to Georgia. I've come to the conclusion that South Carolinians can't drive, thanks to three wrecks on 85.
Saturday:
Woke up at 5:30 as I was at home in Carrollton to get to campus for the Wreck Parade at 8:15. I met Jac's friend Missy for the first time and the three of us hung out most of the morning at the parade and then Starbucks where I had a hot chocolate and my first scone which was blueberry and very good.
WCF had a great turnout for the homecoming tailgate and Chris' bbq skills are to be envied. I guess it helps having a real smoker too, but big props. The game was great other than the fumble in the first 30 seconds which was recovered by Miami for a TD adn the sorry refs. More props to the football team for having tons of character this season and not getting down after big momentum swings. Some camera phone photos are below. After the game Shaun and I went to the Everybody's Pizza by Emory and then headed back to his condo. We fast forwarded through the game and hit the highlights and I fell asleep in my chair.
Sunday:
Normally I would have hit the road in the morning but Sunday was the Atlanta Team Trivia Championships at the 755 Club at Turner Field for the top 150 teams in the metro-wide league, we were ranked 84. Shaun's team consists of three intellectual property attorneys, another lawyer, an investment banker, and then me who was subbing for another attorney. Trivia, as always, was a great time and we were in 10th place at halftime and 14th going into the final question which we bombed. Unfortunately we didn't win the $5,000 grand prize but had a great time anyway. A funny story from trivia, the first question of the day was "Which company has their trademark named the Dynamic Ribbon Script." It was all down hill after that when you have three IP attorneys and one of which has the company in question as a client and works on protecting the brand. What's so bad about that question? The actual name of the logo is the "Dynamic Ribbon Device" and the script of the writting is Spencerian Script (sp?). The attorneys in the group immediately started debating how the question was flawed and the differences between trademarks and copyrights. Pretty funny. If you don't know the answer, you haven't lived in Atlanta long enough. It's Coca-Cola, not Coke.
I hit the road after trivia a little after 6 and made it back to Raleigh in six hours, much better time than on Friday.
Monday and Tuesday:
Closed my second deal, a $3.6 MM equity infusion from us for an adaptive reuse of a historic textile mill.
Saturday:
You probably received the e-mail, but we're tailgating at the NCSU Vet School lot beginning around 2:00 on Saturday for the Tech vs. State game. If you're a random reader of this you're welcome to stop by.
Friday:
Left work around noon, got my ears lowered, and hit the road for a rainy driving all the way to Georgia. I've come to the conclusion that South Carolinians can't drive, thanks to three wrecks on 85.
Saturday:
Woke up at 5:30 as I was at home in Carrollton to get to campus for the Wreck Parade at 8:15. I met Jac's friend Missy for the first time and the three of us hung out most of the morning at the parade and then Starbucks where I had a hot chocolate and my first scone which was blueberry and very good.
WCF had a great turnout for the homecoming tailgate and Chris' bbq skills are to be envied. I guess it helps having a real smoker too, but big props. The game was great other than the fumble in the first 30 seconds which was recovered by Miami for a TD adn the sorry refs. More props to the football team for having tons of character this season and not getting down after big momentum swings. Some camera phone photos are below. After the game Shaun and I went to the Everybody's Pizza by Emory and then headed back to his condo. We fast forwarded through the game and hit the highlights and I fell asleep in my chair.
Sunday:
Normally I would have hit the road in the morning but Sunday was the Atlanta Team Trivia Championships at the 755 Club at Turner Field for the top 150 teams in the metro-wide league, we were ranked 84. Shaun's team consists of three intellectual property attorneys, another lawyer, an investment banker, and then me who was subbing for another attorney. Trivia, as always, was a great time and we were in 10th place at halftime and 14th going into the final question which we bombed. Unfortunately we didn't win the $5,000 grand prize but had a great time anyway. A funny story from trivia, the first question of the day was "Which company has their trademark named the Dynamic Ribbon Script." It was all down hill after that when you have three IP attorneys and one of which has the company in question as a client and works on protecting the brand. What's so bad about that question? The actual name of the logo is the "Dynamic Ribbon Device" and the script of the writting is Spencerian Script (sp?). The attorneys in the group immediately started debating how the question was flawed and the differences between trademarks and copyrights. Pretty funny. If you don't know the answer, you haven't lived in Atlanta long enough. It's Coca-Cola, not Coke.
I hit the road after trivia a little after 6 and made it back to Raleigh in six hours, much better time than on Friday.
Monday and Tuesday:
Closed my second deal, a $3.6 MM equity infusion from us for an adaptive reuse of a historic textile mill.
Saturday:
You probably received the e-mail, but we're tailgating at the NCSU Vet School lot beginning around 2:00 on Saturday for the Tech vs. State game. If you're a random reader of this you're welcome to stop by.
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