I’ll be on dave fm (92.9) tomorrow morning sometime between 6 and 7 discussing Creative Loafing’s 2005 Best Of issue.

The Best Of issue hits newsstands this evening, but for those of you who just can’t wait to find out who offers Atlanta’s best bikini wax, it’s already online right here.

Last night, our very own Daniel Moore and I enjoyed a handful of adult beverages with Detroit Metroblogger Melissa Kilbride. She is in town for a convention and was nice enough to take an evening to regale us with tales from the city that gave us Kid Rock, Eminem, and Madonna. Surprisingly (or not), it sounds like there are several similarities between our two cities. For instance, mutual resentment between people living inside and outside of the city, problems with race relations, simultaneously trying to ignite and control growth, etc. I guess those things exist in any major city, but, since my time in Detroit has been limited to a single airport layover when I was a kid, I was hoping to hear wild stories of an unfamiliar industrial metropolis nestled in the thumb-crook of the Mitten of Michigan. “Since the U.S. auto industry is based here, we get all the latest technology first. All of our cars can fly. Oh, and all the beer is free, state law, but all the liquor stores are owned and operated by sabre-toothed tigers, so you take your chances.” There was none of that. Regardless, it was a lot of fun and the world is a little smaller, which I always like. Atlanta is a pretty happening town for conventions and conferences. I hope to meet many more metrobloggers in the future.

Oh Captain, Your Captain:

Really, is there anything else to say about number 14?

(Yeah, that’s the rooks holding up the pennant)

P.S. I have a theory that journalists write these “incredible run” stories about the Braves sometime back in July when they have an off day or something and they just fill in the quotes night of.

In today’s AJC, there’s an article (login) by Christopher Quinn attempting to defend the wildly unpopular and seemingly indefensible public policy of emminent domain. Quinn’s article doesn’t come down firmly on one side or the other, but it lays both sides of the argument on the table via specific examples, ultimately leaving it open at the end. I’m left rolling the debate over in my head since my town of residence, Smyrna, is used as an example advocating the rights for municipalities to acquire land through condemnation. (Back in the late eighties and early nineties, Smyrna undertook a massive citywide public/private redevelopment project, which has been hailed by nearly everyone as a huge success. To get it off the ground, however, there were several instances of property being acquired through condemnation.)
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For thirteen (non-sequential) nights in October, you can get your ghostly fix at Rhode’s Hall. Starting with a little Mystery Dinner Theatre on October 5, The Georgia Trust for Historical Preservation is celebrating the supernatural in the “Castle on Peachtree” with a month of ghost stories, lantern tours, house hauntings and paranormal investigations.

(Of course, you could always spend your October weekends with Mr 6 … but that’s just too scary to consider.)

This website, provided by 11Alive, is a great resource in seeing how ‘safe’ a neighborhood is. It’s a little crude; I think it just takes into account all crime, so there is no filter for violent crime, etc.

My neighborhood (the Morningside-ward side of Va-Hi)? Well, it gets the highest rating (green). I’m pretty sure that that has something to do with my living there. And everybody knows that I don’t tolerate any such bad behavior.

I’ve been quiet of late, I know. My house has been overrun by family and friends from New Orleans since Katrina hit and I haven’t had much time to devote to a quality post, just a comment here and there.

Things are starting to settle down and I have to admit, I’m really pleased with the welcome my fellow Atlantans have given the refuges from Katrina who have come here, many to settle down permanently. One of the first things I noticed when my wife and I first moved here a year ago, was how friendly most everyone was. That hasn’t changed. Everyone from bartenders to landlords, bankers to civil servants have been extremely understanding and most gracious. Fees are waived, deposits not required, and rules have been bent. As the self-appointed spokesman for New Orleanian transplants, from the bottom of our heart, we thank you.

There has been an influx of some very talented and unique people to Altanta. Hopefully, they will settle in and start making their presence known soon. Give them a little time to find their niche, and keep an eye out. Atlanta is about to become a much better place.

I spotted this sign in front of a church at the intersection of Howell Mill and Chattahoochee Industrial.

Slow down and kick a dog?

Slow down so children can safely kick dogs?

Slow down and watch a boy kick a dog so hard that a ball flies out of him?

Last night the Thrashers beat the competition 4-2, but the truth is I was there to see a fight and press myself up against the glass as the boys slammed into it. I was satisfied with the former but not the latter, because there was an unfortounate row of folks in front of me. Alas, it was almost balanced out by some Thunder Sticks thrown in for good measure and used in excess. It’s the pre-season, after all, and I expect in a few months those big boys on skates will be full of P & V, and the fights I long for will be plentiful.

After a few hours of iced aggression I could think of nothing better to balance it all out than a visit to The Land Trust, sitting in front of a bonfire and listening to folks jam on fiddles, guitars and drums.

The Lake Claire Community Land Trust (LCCLT) is a non-profit incorporation of neighbors who are developing land between Nelms and Arizona Avenues, resulting in a ìgreen spaceî for community use and enhancement. Members of our neighborhood are encouraged and welcomed to enjoy the Land Trust gardens and play areas regardless of membership in the LCCLT.

When they say “green space”, they mean it. Beautiful trees and well groomed single track walking paths lead from gazebos to picnic tables to the bonfire area and beyond. If you’ve ever longed for a slice of nature and peace tucked away in the city where you can sit quietly and undisturbed for hours on end, this is it. No one will look at you as if you don’t belong, instead they’ll smile and say “hello” in a way that reminds you how communities are built.

Related link: http://www.treeclimbing.com/

If you dig the trees, I’ve also heard rumors that there are tree houses to rent somewhere in our great state (outside Atlanta, if those of you who get agitated with “non-Atlanta” posts will please simmah dahn nah), equipped with hammocks and the like. I’ve found information on The Hostel in the Forest during my search which looks incredibly promising, but if you’ve got more 411, please share.

If you live in-town and you’ve driven by Piedmont (on the 10th Street side) on a Friday night, you might know what I’m about to say. You’ve seen and wondered about the traffic congestion, the throngs of folks in red shirts and the heavy pedestrian traffic heading…the wrong way? It’s entirely possible you’ve never stopped to attend a Grady High School football game, and in doing so, have committed a crime, robbing yourself of an incredible experience.

A friend of mine and I took in a game the Friday night vs. Decatur, strategically positioning ourselves next to the band so the thump-thump-thump of the big drums could shake us to the core. We were there to watch those kids play their hearts out on the field, and they did, but I admit I was more fascinated with the four distinctly different cheering squads and the kids in the band. We’ve subsequently decided that each time one sits or stands they should do so with an individualized flourish. Go to a game, you’ll see what I mean and you’ll understand why this would make the world a better place if acted upon in offices across the globe. Oh, aren’t I a horrible tease?!

Over the course of the evening under the blinding stadium lights I was transported back to my youth. Beyond the realization that I never once attended a school sporting event I was suddenly filled with regret that I wasn’t a “band geek”. The fact that I have no musical ability is of little consequence, these kids rocked it and I envy them. Their energy, their passion, their skills.

$7 is all it will run you to support the team, watch a kicking sunset with a midtown backdrop and potentially recapture a fragment of the youth you never had.