I must disclose before starting that this girl is my buddy, Tori. She’s up for Favorite Fark TV Girl on SuperDeluxeblog.com. Represent the ATL and a local and vote for her – She’s Fake Wife #1.

If you don’t do it for Atlanta, or just to make a local girl happy, then do it for polygamy. Everyone loves a little polygamy.

The Connect Atlanta Plan wants to know how you feel about transportation in Atlanta. You can take their online survey to let them know how you feel about transportation and [im?]mobility in Atlanta.

I already took mine. I’m guessing James will not be far behind.

Someone sent me a link to a kind of interesting new website called Peachtree360. The idea behind it is that you can get information on Atlanta events all on one page. (Events include farmer’s markets, sports events, music, comedy and theater, etc.) It also includes links to videos dealing with the subject of Atlanta or something in Atlanta, and a page that contains lists of five things (Five places to Eat, Five Places to Shop, etc.) The design is clean and easy to use, and the offerings seem varied enough to catch the eye of most users, and it seems to list events in different parts of Atlanta, not just on Peachtree or in Midtown or Buckhead. It could maybe use a little more thorough listing of events, though – For instance, on it’s “Upcoming” events page, there was only one show I’d even be interested in seeing listed. (Van Halen!!!)

Anyway, thought I’d give it a shoutout, as it is a nice idea.

If you don’t know if you’re registered to vote or if you’ve just lost track of the cute little card that tells you exactly where to cast your ballot, visit this site,enter the info it asks for and you’ll be rewarded with the pertinent details.

If you’re not already registered, the last day to do so was Monday1/7, so I’m afraid you’re screwed for this round of fun and games.

If you’re waffling on who will be getting your vote, these are two good-ish resources I found for comparing the candidates:

http://www.2decide.com/table.htm

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/compare-candidates/index.html

There was also a fantastic side by side comparison of half a dozen or so key issues in this months issue of The Advocate, but it’s not available (for free, anyway) via the web. Swing by your local newsstand/bookstore for scanning and making mental notes or purchasing – and PS the article about Lance Bass isn’t half bad.

I digress.

There’s plenty of time to educate yourself on the best person for the job, and I hope you do just that. If I hear one more woman say they’re voting for Hillary without the ability to back it up with anything that doesn’t have to do with her having a uterus, I’m going to jam them in the eye with a spork. You’ve been warned.

Also having their primary on February 5th: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho (D), Illinois, Kansas (D), Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico (D), New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah.

Well, you know the Apocalypse is coming when Pitchfork mentions my not-remotely-hip hometown of Roswell. Okay, so really they just mentioned it because that’s where Atlanta’s Chunklet Whirlyball show and games are played. Criminal and the Black Lips get a shoutout, too.

Basically, if you want a ticket to the Whirlyball show on Jan. 19th, you have to buy a Black Lips single at Criminal, and that single is your ticket to the show. Also playing: Gentleman Jesse & His Men, The Baby Shakes, and Coffin Bound.

I’m still never moving back there. Ever.

Good people, it is 72 degrees outside and today is January 7th. I say this, yes, I say this as a Yankee in your fair city, but I say it all the same: What the hell? We are not hardly past the Winter Solstice and I’ve got long-tailed birds outside my window dancing and flirting like French courtesans.

I like winter. I like it a lot. I like having a few months when my house isn’t an outpost in a jungle of bugs. Please, please don’t let this go on so long that the bugs unpack their things. Not yet.

Yet… yet it is so nice outside that I feel like I should get one good gulp of spring in before it’s gone again. I should hit the zoo or eat outside or do something outdoors to take advantage of this. But what?

You tell me, Atlanta. It’s taking me all my rational thought just to remind myself not to put on a sweater on account of it is January.

FYI, the sign has been replaced and there is fresh new paint on the road.

BAM.

Sure, it may have taken a smidge longer than it should have, but I still feel damn good about it. So there.

A few years ago, a woman was attacked on The PATH near my apartment on the cusp of Vi-Hi and IP where I ran regularly under the cover of night when the city was at it’s most peaceful.

More recently, a woman was attacked and killed while riding on the Silver Comet near where I now reside and where I loved to ride solo with the wind in my face and the song of the trees cheering me on.

Last week a woman was presumably attacked and has gone missing while hiking in our peaceful north Georgia mountains where I’d hike solo listening to the crunch of leaves and the heaving of my own breath.

During none of my visits to these places was I without a triple action defense spray given to me by a friend who was as concerned for my safety as I should have been, and I have been lucky to never have to engage it. I like to think of the canister in my had as three friends who were along with me for my runs, rides and hikes: pepper spray, tear gas and UV dye.

If you’re an independent exerciser, I urge you to pick one up – it’ll be the best peace of mind $25 investment you’ll ever make, and the lightweight prize fighter fits in your hand like a roll of quarters. Independent to or in addition to, there are several places in town that offer low or at least semi reasonable cost self defense classes – why not make 2008 the year you won’t be terrorized into staying home? The year you’re prepared?

A quick Google search brought back this 5 week course that is blowing my mind with its content at Trinity on Ralph McGill.

So ladies (and gents, you’re not immune either!), here’s my question: have you ever taken a self defense class? Do recent events make you more wary of going out and enjoying the things you always have? Are you taking other precautions?

Authors note: There have undoubtedly been a number of other tragic attacks between that I’m not listing, and not because they were any less significant or frightening; but rather because these three spotlight different activities and were prominently reported on.

Still have a Christmas tree sitting in your living room, bumming you out? Take it over to Grant Park to be recycled today between 9 and 4. They use them to help control erosion in the park.

Details here.

in case you weren’t aware, former investigative journalist and candidate for the democratic nomination for senate in 2008, dale cardwel cardwell, has decided in a publicity stunt generally reserved for morning drive radio shows to perch himself on top of the corey tower in downtown atlanta, until opponent vernon jones admits he is a bigger bad-ass or something that i can’t quite figure out.

for kicks, andy over at cl fresh loaf has been having a rip-roaring time at dale’s expense, so head over there and check out his posts.

and if you are tired of wasting time at work on facebook playing online scrabble (oh wait, that’s me) dale even has a live web cam up.

then again, i am writing about it and andy has written about it multiple times, so maybe better to be a relevant joke than an irrelevant joke.

h/t to frequent commenter abby for suggesting via suggest-a-story who points out that if you are looking to have a little fun you can also leave some comments on dale’s web site.

abby’s nomiation for best comment so far – “Maybe Dale is filming an urban version of Man vs. Wild”