I’m sorry I wasn’t a frequent contributor to this site. I swear that I had great intentions when it all began, but the real world got in the way. My life as a new dad has kept me very busy. I have a fourteen-month-old at home, and our second child will be here in February. (Yeah, we’re a regular baby factory…and we’re not even Mormon!) Beyond the baby-making and house-husbanding, I’ve also been overloaded at work and busy with my recently-redesigned personal blog.

I’ve been thinking of resigning from this site for a while, but kept hoping that I would get back to writing more after the holidays. With baby number two about to arrive, that’s not likely to happen.

Besides, although I didn’t realize it at first, I’ve always been a lousy fit for this blog. First off, I don’t really live in the city, I have a house in the Smyrna/Vinings area. And now that I have kids, I rarely ever leave that house. I can’t remember the last time I saw a movie at an actual theater, and I only ever eat in restaurants that have clowns on the wall or animatronic rodents. I’ve totally dropped out of the local art and music scene, unless you count weekend fairs and festivals (which may not be as inviting once I’m pushing a double-wide stroller). When I first moved to Atlanta five years ago, I spent the majority of my time exploring the city. Now, I spend most of my time changing diapers and reading bedtime stories. I’m not complaining, just trying to explain why I’m not exactly a font of local lore and knowledge. If this was a personal anecdote site, I might be a better fit, but I don’t have much to say about Atlanta, anymore.

So, thanks to everyone for this opportunity. You’re all absolutely brilliant writers, and I will continue to read the site regularly. Your unique perspectives and obvious love for this town makes for good reading, even if some of you do post less than others. (How’s that for the pot calling the kettle black?)

Anyway, feel free to drop by my site to say hi. Otherwise, I’ll see you in the comments. :)

Good luck to all.
Billy Mack, AKA Bill McLochlin

I knew who I was voting for, but I was dreading the actual voting process. I had heard news reports stating that we should expect three- to five-hour waits, and I’m not always the most patient person. Also, we’ve been very busy at work, and we didn’t “officially” get any time off for election day. I meant to vote this morning, before work, but my wife needed help with the baby and time sort of got away from me. Instead, I left work at 5pm to cast my vote, fearing that my whole evening was lost. I arrived at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Smyrna at about 5:15 and jumped into a line that was about thirty people long.

No more than fifteen minutes later, I was walking out of the building with my “I’m a Georgia Voter!” sticker on. Can you believe that? I thought I was going to have to wait hours, but I didn’t even have time to finish the lollipop I was sucking on. It was faster than when I’d voted in 1992, and that was on a college campus with three times the pollsters.

I was impressed with the speed and simplicity of voting in Cobb County. I couldn’t believe how easy it was. In fact, the only negative part of the whole experience was the fact that my votes didn’t count. See, I’m a Democrat. And I voted AGAINST the constitutional amendment to recognize marriage solely as a union of one man and one woman. I knew when I went in that this state was a Republican bastion, so I knew my Presidential vote was made more out of a sense of duty than to help my candidate. But I naively thought the amendment vote would be a closer race. I thought my vote would be a bit more important there. So far, it hasn’t been. That amendment will pass with something like an 80% YES vote.

So I have very mixed feelings about voting in Georgia. Although casting my vote was a painless process, it’s sort of depressing to knowing that the majority of the state thinks differently than I do. It doesn’t exactly make me excited about raising my daughter in this area. And despite the pride I felt in voting the way I did, it kind of felt like I was just spitting into the wind…

Did you know that the creator of the Rejection Hotline is an Atlantan? My friend Jeff, an Emory grad who used to intern with me at Turner Broadcasting, started up the hotline a few years back. He’s had some pretty major success with it. He now has hotlines in over twenty cities, and they’re so popular that he’s finally getting some attention from major advertisers.

I’m not really writing this post to pump Jeff up, however. As a lifelong Red Sox fan, he’s jacked enough right now.

This is really meant to get the word out about a charity event Jeff is sponsoring. It’s called Halloween Hookup, and it’s tonight at Tijuana Garage & Front Page News in Little Five. For a small price, there will be a free appetizer buffet, drink and food specials, and a bunch of different costume contests for cool prizes. The best part is that a portion of the proceeds from the shindig will go to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Good fun for a good cause. Everyone wins.

I have to confess, however, that I won’t be going. With a seven-month-pregnant wife, I’m banned from any location where alcohol flows freely and women in skimpy costumes frolic. (Although I keep telling my out-to-there wife that she could win the costume contest if she went as a slutty cheerleader, with lots of eyeliner and her belly sticking out of her cheerleading half-sweater).

While you hipsters get your schwerve on tonight, I’ll most likely be on the couch, watching the remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre that I tivoed the other day. I’ll definitely be jealous, since Jeff’s parties are always packed with pretty people looking for love.

Anyway, click the links above for info on the Rejection Hotline, or to get more details on the party. And feel free to tell Jeff that you know me if you see him at the party. You may get lucky, and get something free out of it…

As for the story our beloved Kendall mentioned in a previous post, about Falcons DT Rod Coleman’s auto accident, I have to say I’m on the side of the inquisitive press where this issue’s concerned.

Sure, AJC reporter Matt Winklejohn grilled head coach Jim Mora about the incident. But as more information came out, it became obvious why the Falcons were unhappy to talk about the situation.

Apparently, there’s evidence that Coleman had been drinking before his accident (which happened at 4:30am last Saturday). And he didn’t just bump something like he suggested in the press conference, he FLIPPED his Escalade. He then left the scene without calling the police. So Coleman was possibly drunk driving, probably speeding, and definitely left the scene of an accident. If this were you or I, we’d be in jail right now.

Since the police were never involved, however, there was no breathalyzer given. So there’s no proof now that Coleman was drunk (if he actually was). And the Falcons have protected their boy so much since the accident that head coach Jim Mora even paid a visit to the folks whose property Coleman crashed into. Mora was supposedly just trying to piece together what happened, but who knows if he wasn’t also there to thank the residents for not making any noise about the event…and to give them a few free tickets? :)

Sure, some of the suggestions above sound like part of a big conspiracy theory. Coleman could be the innocent victim of a wet patch of road and a sudden deer crossing. Of course, Coleman never said to the press that he was swerving to miss a deer–he said he didn’t know exactly what happened. The deer story came from one of his teammates. Coleman made his case by laughing off most of the questions in the press conference, speaking with the confidence and nonchalance of an untouchable athlete.

None of the questions or answers from this past week rule out the possibility that Rod Coleman was driving drunk. If that’s true, it’s just dumb luck that no one was hurt or killed. As someone who’s lost friends to drunk drivers, that’s not a kind of luck I like to bet on. If this gets swept under the rug (which it will, since no police report was ever filed and only Coleman knows what really happened) it could be a case of another celeb getting off the hook and not having to be accountable for his actions.

So Kendall, do you still support Jim Mora’s argument now? Sure, the members of the press were pressing the issue, but wouldn’t you like to know the truth here? If there are drunk athletes speeding around town in massive SUVs, wouldn’t you like to see them held accountable for their recklessness before someone you know gets hurt?

With all of the furor recently about Rafael Furcal’s second DUI arrest, it makes perfect sense to me that the local press was overly aggressive when investigating a story about another possible drunk-driving athlete. It’s a hot topic at the moment. But just like Furcal–whose time served was postponed until after playoffs–Coleman’s getting the kid gloves treatment by everyone BUT the press. I’m all for them investigating the matter, if the cops won’t.

I just have one question, if anyone can answer it. Why don’t athletes ever take cabs or have drivers? Every month we hear about another athlete wrapping his car around a tree. Heck, if I had the $10 million Coleman signed for last summer, I’d never drive. My chauffeur would be hauling my ass all over town while I played PS2 in the back. I’d become a Madden 2005 master just from the Atlanta rush hour commute…

Why am I angry with these aircraft? (Besides the fact that they consistently wake my one-year-old every time she goes down for a nap, that is?) Apparently, cirrus clouds caused by aircraft contrails could be contributing to global warming. How uncool is that?

Check out the Astronomy Picture of the Day from NASA’s site to see a Georgia scarred with such contrails. How horrid!

What can we do to avert this potentially apocalyptic catastrophe? I suggest we ignore it and hope it goes away. Or maybe we make a fantastical machine that teleports people over long distances (in one piece), so we don’t have to fly anymore.

[Thanks to Boing Boing for breaking this scary story.]

Seriously. I’m not a native Georgian, and I don’t pay as much attention as I should to regional politics. I only really noticed Miller when he made headlines during the Republican National Convention by challenging Chris Matthews to a duel. But as soon as he appeared on-screen, I noticed the capital “D” by his name and thought something was wrong with the picture. Wait, he’s a Democrat, trying to get Bush re-elected? And giving the keynote address at the Republican National Convention? What the…?

First off, how does a Democrat even get elected to the Senate in Georgia? Isn’t this a fiercely Republican state? I know that in 2000, Bush beat Gore by over 300,000 votes here. In fact, Bush only got more electoral votes in four other states, so Georgia was a key win for him. Was that just a fluke? Or was Zell a big “D” when he got elected, and he just switched mid-term? Maybe he was telling too many bad Democrat jokes, and he converted to keep the heat off. Sort of like the dentist in “Seinfeld” who converted to Judaism just so he could use Jewish humor. Zell wanted to be able to state “It’s okay, I can say that. I’m a Democrat, myself.”

What are the requirements to become a member of the Democratic party, anyway? Apparently believing in their causes and being a team player aren’t necessary for membership. Do you just have to send in enough boxtops to get your decoder ring or something? And what does it take to get kicked out? I thought it was harsh that my dad was booted out of the Catholic church many years back for getting a divorce. And he was still a loyal church-goer and all. How can Zell maintain his membership in good standing in the Democratic party when he’s doing everything in his power to keep them out of power? Maybe he just stays in their good graces the same way my pop got his Catholicism back (in a word, heavy tithing).

If membership in the Democratic party is so easy to come by, I’m surprised more Republican Senators don’t make the switch. Then, once they’re considered Democrats, they can say whatever they want about their new party. “Oh yeah, during initiation, they made us drink blood and mount goats. In the biblical sense.” But they have to be sure to find that balance between hating their party and being unable to leave. Sort of like abused wives. “They’re not so bad–they’re just under a lot of pressure at work lately. And they only get rough when they’ve been drinking. I can’t leave the Democrats, they need me! Things’re gonna change!”

Please, someone explain Zell Miller to me. Explain a man who speaks Republican, acts Republican, and does everything he can to keep the Democrats out of the White House…but still has that darned D by his name on TV. I’m not trying to bash him, I just want to understand…

Sure, I live in Atlanta now, but I grew up a Cubs fan. I have to root for them when it counts. Besides, the Braves have already clinched and don’t need these three games. My hope is that Bobby Cox rests his stars and gives some playing time to the kids, allowing the Cubs to stay in the wildcard race.

Does rooting against the Braves make me a traitor, since I live in Atlanta and work for the company that owns the team? Even if the games don’t matter in the long run?

Now, I’m no scientist (I’ll leave that kind of stuff to fellow blogger Daniel), but here’s a tip for the guys transporting that material: In the future, geniuses, why not ship the explosives and the detonators IN SEPARATE TRUCKS.

It’s like packing a truck full of hemophiliacs, and then tossing in a bag of super-sharp razor blades. Two great things that do NOT go great together.

The vegetarian, alone, creates anxiety whenever he’s hungry, just because you have to put so much thought into the dining situation. You can’t just say, “Hey, let’s go get some grub.” Instead, you have to peruse menus on the internet, play the “do you like that?” and “will you eat this?” game, and finally settle on someplace that has more than just bare pasta and salads to choose from.

The Vegan is a whole other matter. When she stays over, she goes grocery shopping on day one so that she can ensure that her meals are without eggs, dairy products, or accursed flesh. And when we go out? DEAR GOD. In her defense, she is very cool about the whole thing–actually, they both are. They never try to preach their diet to others, and are actually so mild-mannered that they’ll sit quietly while others eat meat around them.

I saw that someone posted about R. Thomas earlier. I wish I’d known about that place this weekend. What other veggie/Vegan restaurants could you recommend for the in-laws’ next visit? More specifically, what v/V restaurants are in Atlanta that also serve people food like R. Thomas does?

I had my first taste of this meat-centric Brazilian dining experience several years ago when I went to Fogo de Chao for my birthday. I’m not normally the biggest carnivore–I probably eat meat about once or twice a week–but I fell in love with the atmosphere, the salad bar, and the multitude of skewered offerings. I ate until I felt like I was going to explode. (Ironically, one of my fellow diners did just that, losing most of his meal on the way home.)

Since that experience, I’ve eaten several more times at Fogo, several times at Sal Grosso (which is dangerously close to my house), and have even tried Fire of Brazil. They each have their own unique traits, while sharing the great atmosphere and wonderful tastes that this dining trend is known for. I have yet to try Fogao Gaucho, Boi Na Braza and Carro de Boi, but they’re all on the list for future experiences.

Who else is a fan of this eating style? Who has yet to try it? Like other specialized dining experiences (Tapas bars, Fondue parlors, etc), it’s not for everyone. But if you like your meats in large supply and great variety, it’s a nice treat every few months.