Well, we won!

Yay, Atlanta. Bring on the monkey bars!

You do have to register on the site to cast a vote, which kinda stinks. Voting ends 12/21, and winners will be announced on 1/8. While user votes will not be the only determining factor, they will play a part in the final decision.

Watch Atlanta’s entry and vote now.

The clinic is staffed daily from 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. The fee for a flu shot is $35 for passengers (it’s a reduced $25 for airport employees). They also accept Medicare and Medicaid for low income and elderly passengers.

We all know that when you’re talking about more than 85 million people passing through a place (like Hartsfield), you’re going to have a lot of germies. While I’m choosing not to get a flu shot this year, I can see this service being really convenient for people who travel a lot or are traveling through Atlanta and want to get a boost of protection against the flu.

For more info on AeroClinic, visit their Web site.

As a white southerner, I know i am probably not alone in often feeling that the world at large thinks we are all bigots and racists. It is nice, in the shadow of stories like the Jena 6, to hear about southern towns putting their differences aside and welcoming one another as neighbors and friends. It does make me wonder, though, why it seems easier to cross church boundaries when the people on the other side are immigrants, than it is when we are talking about black and white Americans. It saddens me that we have so much baggage that we have trouble looking past our shared history.

It also kind of bugs me that the author of the article referred to 285 as “The Atlanta Beltline.”

It’s at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center on Saturday.

More info here.

Husband and I ran the 5K in the morning. The weather was perfect for the field of 200 or so runners. The course is pretty easy, with the exception of The Widowmaker (a.k.a. Van Vleck hill.) All of the volunteers were wonderful, and it was nice to have some of the neighbors out in their yards, cheering us all on. I will admit that i was a little disappointed that more of you weren’t out - How hard is it to pour a cup of coffee and walk out your front door and wave at some people running? It also would have been nice if some of the neighbors had scheduled outings before or after the 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. hour of the race; It is not fun for a bunch of runners to pull up to let the idiot lady pull out of her driveway and into the course mid-race. All in all, though, it was a great experience, and well-planned. Did I mention that the winner’s plaques are very East Atlanta, and very cool? Wooden, hand painted plaque picturing the Strut flaming sneaker. I covet.

One other disappointment? No breakfast after the race. I thought for sure something other than the Australian Bakery would be open to take advantage of the post-race crowd. I’m not knocking the Aussie Bakery, and in fact, i love the place, but I really wanted a big brunch, complete with Bloody Mary. We ended up having to go to Ria’s. (Oh, the hardship!) Not a big deal, but it seemed like a missed opportunity for local businesses.

With brunch and showers and lunch, we missed the parade, but plenty of shutterbugs got great shots of it. Looked like a good time, and I’m not sure who the Abominables are, but love the name. We made it back in time to check out the Artists’ Market, grab a beer or three, and take in the wares. I bought a beautiful bib from Adrienne at AngelArts, and Sarah’s kids’ smocks were adorable. Loved J’s comics-inspired paintings. My daughter took an odd liking to his likeness of Johnny Cash giving the finger, which probably doesn’t bode well for me in about fifteen years. Lori K’s quilts were totally cool, and i love her idea of memorializing pets in quilted form; I predict cat and dog ladies of the world will be knocking her door down in the name of their dead Fidos and Fluffies. I also bought a cute shrinky-dink necklace from the Guh Guh and Phangs guy. Just in time for Halloween!

We had a great time, and my only regret was that I didn’t last long enough to take in the bands that night. Oh, and that I didn’t win that plaque. Damn you, Van Vleck!

My pics here. More great pics here.

If you can’t make their 2nd Anniversary Kickoff Party, make sure you stop in some time. The employees are great. Just last week, I was in the store and one of the guys suggested I pick up the Gabriel Garcia Marquez autobiography, Living to Tell the Tale. (The first in a three-part trilogy? Gutsy.) I walked out with a lovingly-used hardback copy for far less than I would have gotten at the big box up Moreland. They are great there - They really take the time to talk to you about reading suggestions, what they are reading themselves, and will gladly order you anything they don’t have in the store. I believe they went above and beyond the call of duty to find my husband the copy of Ecology of a Cracker Childhood that I wanted for Christmas last year.

If all of that hasn’t lured you in, they also have authors’ readings, a book club, a writing club, children’s story time, and ooh-la-la, a monthly salon discussion.

Tell Kona the cat I sent ya.

Bound To Be Read Books
Sat., Sept. 15th, 8:00-10:00 P.M.
Same day as The East Atlanta Village Strut!

Festivities begin with a 5K. I’ll be doing that with the hubby. I’m already dreading the Van Vleck hill. The events in the Village last all day long and include: Children’s area, Artist Market (make sure to check out AngelArt gifts, an East Atlanta local), food (I’ve had the Salt Potatoes - they are that good), a parade, a silent auction, and bands.

Full event info here.

Know what rhymes with Mark Teixeira? “Probly marr-ya.” “Mass hysteria.” Stuff like that.

We already set the Tivo up to record it.

I think it will be interesting to see if anyone asks the hard questions at this forum, and even more interesting to see if Franklin and Pennington give any straight answers.

WHAT:
Public Safety Forum with Mayor Franklin and Chief Pennington

WHERE:
Georgia Power Building
241 Ralph McGill Boulevard
Atlanta, GA 30308

WHEN:
Saturday, August 11, 2007
8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.