A.G.E's Joint

 It's Friday and I was at a loss on how to handle the topic this week. Yesterday, I was scrolling around, trying to avoid the subject when a Facebook notification came up for an exhibit called "Tiny Parks Atlanta", which is on display now until Sunday afternoon (10/18/2020). A group called Livable Buckhead organized it to promote green space, they set up the project along   Path400 near Lenox Square. It's a short distance from home and I'd rather spend my day in the sunshine than listening to the political bullshit hitting me from all directions.  The weather was glorious. I found a place to park and spent a minute chatting with the organizers. They explained the concept and how I might vote for my favorite. I made my way up the hill towards Lenox Rd.  42 dioramas were scattered on either side of the path. The theme was to envision the ideal park environment on a small scale. It got its idea from another project called Tiny Doors Atlanta ( #tinydoorsatl ), whe...

  The mass of men lead  Lives of quiet desperation They rise in the morning Work or not Interact or not Complain it is The longest day They rage to the Lord Over a lot with no control Not knowing whether They matter or not He cares or not Assuming the best Fearing the worst And in when it is all over They look to the heavens For one last time Is it true or not Is it light or not It is not the worst It truly is the best.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Topic-Michele Marko King Pic Christine Wichman Pic Guesses: Bath time, Bubbly, I am the queen, wet, kitty cleans, relax

There was a bar I was a regular at called Good Ol' Days, so much so the waitresses would have the pitcher (and however many glasses we needed) by the time My friends and I would sit down. And like any good bar, there are bar stories, one's you wonder how it happened.  The best one happened right after I got married. It was a pretty fall day and my wife and I sat outside watching the butterflies play on the patio railing as we watched the sunset across the road.  Since this was kind of a "date", she insisted I dress up a little. I had on a white sport coat with an open collar shirt. I was working out a bit then making me look a little like a bouncer. A couple friends stopped by our table and we waxed loquacious about jobs, relationships, and who would be the next spouse to get knocked up.  A =band was butchering a cover of "You Spin Me Around (like a record)", making it sound like "My Big Ten Inch (Record). The crowd was lubricated enough to substitute ...

I was looking at the prompts this week and I thought about doing a WOFT segment, with Harry doing a Surf Music retrospective with the Ventures. But Christine Wichman , beat me to the punch. And really, there wasn’t anything Harry hadn’t covered before out there to work with. I briefly considered a Devil’s Quill bit, using the “devil’s music” to draw the suckers in, but that didn’t really fly, either. Then it occurred to me, Walk, Don’t Run perfectly sums up my fitness protocol. Due to a minor electrical/valve defect, I can’t run more than half a mile before my heart hits 200 beats per minute. But if I keep the speed to less than 4 mph (a good power walk pace), I can go all day long. And for us...uh, older...folks, it is much less stressful on the joints. Do I do this in a gym? No. Those are meet markets down the street, where the boys and girls watch each other eat, when they only want to watch each other sleep. I’d like my scenery to change as I go. Hence my hobby o...

The topic this week is “ So many road blocks ”   OK, that naturally bleeds into one of favorite topics, Atlanta roads. Oh, this town is special. Not many places can claim their expressways catch fire and burn to the ground. Add one homeless dude, a rolling molotov cocktail and improperly stored pipe and this is what you get. This is just the latest of the fun.    3 major interstates intersect just south of the state capitol,and they are under construction, all of the time, 24/7. Orange barrels and “temporary” barriers as far as the eye can see. And not just inside the city, but for a 50 mile radius. Because of this experience in constant concrete, the road above was rebuilt in 44 days (the cost hasn’t been fully revealed). You spend your commute time staring at the bumper before you and hope the one behind is paying attention. Nothing worse than being part of the four car insurance seminar blocking traffic.   Then you have I-285 (also known as t...

Up is down Right is left In a world apart. Rules for the flock Not the Shepherd Aren’t what Thou art. I was kicking around various story ideas for this week and nothing really fit the topic, Full Moon Madness . I sketched out a Harry Handy bit. It didn’t quite work right. Then I looked at Devil’s Quill and how L.J. Beezelbub bamboozles with rules that apply to most people, but not the elite. No. That one didn’t work either. I even thought about bringing Jeremy from “The Bomb” back, now a homeless wreck on the street.    Still didn’t feel right.    But real life came through in the end. We had fatal encounters where Officer Itchy overrode his discipline with the all too common results. There was the terrorist with only half of Jeremy’s smarts building bombs traceable to his home. The Presidential Election quirks with Mrs. Clinton’s health. Locally, we had a well known writer and TV personality let loose a well deserved, no-holds barred barr...

I live in Atlanta. Kroger has been part of this community for many, many years. But some stores are better known than the others. Here is a definitive list.... Atlanta Krogers Well, one of them is about to fall to the wayside. The Murder Kroger (so named because there have been three deaths in their parking lot) is being replaced by a brutalist twelve story glass structure. Oh, they are going to put new small format Kroger in the lobby, but it won't be the same without the shooting gallery parking lot. Paradise must be paved. Edit... It's official. Death of Murder Kroger

The black Benz made the turn into the garage, its driver mildly irritated. How did he get roped into this trip? The plan was to soak in the hot tub until 12 and do some golf. But, no. Martha called and said her car was in the shop again and she needed a ride to some book event. All she did was read books and write poetry. Even the law practice was changed to represent authors, rather than industrial patents. It was a new challenge, dealing with real humans and their problems versus manager’s profit and loss statements.   He found her standing on the curb chatting with the Concierge. A blue peacock covered dress covered the petite frame. With a hat to match, she looked like something out a movie. It made Jerry wish he had the convertible. He pulled up next to her and got out with the engine still running. Light on his feet , he opened the door for his lady. Smiling broadly at him, she slid onto the tan leather. With a prim swivel, sandals cleared the door. Jerry ret...

“Ya. Come down hill late. Got off work much later that supposed to. Then found ‘im dere by car.” He said pointing at the chalk outline. Ma took a drag off his cigarette as he repeated his story for sixth or seventh time. Don’t these cops talk to each other? Maybe he shouldn’t have bothered. It wasn’t like he was illegal like so many in the complex, but it was giving him a little higher profile than he liked. Back home, that could get you killed. Here, it did seem to matter as much.  “So, Mr. Ngyuen, have you ever seen the dead man in the complex before?” Murray chewed on the end of his pen while waiting for the answer. “Not here during day. Alway working. Don’ know nobody here. Usually when I get home, everyone in bed.” Rubbing his head a moment, Murray figured that was it. But there was one more thing to clear up. “Sir, do you remember seeing any other cars or people as you were walking toward your apartment?” A smoke ring   exha...