Election night...

I didn't vote this Tuesday, but i did exercise a degree if civic duty at Manuel's Tavern. The walls are adorned with portraits of LBJ and JFK, and the PBR tallboys are cold like my heart.





It's not the greatest picture in the world, but you get the idea.

-joey

Exploring Atlanta...

Another TGI Monday, and the weather conditions were finally favorable for a bike ride. I pumped up the tires, strapped on my helmet, and set out to explore the sidestreets around my new pad. I haven't taken the bike out in quite some time, and my legs were feeling the burn early-on.

I cruised through the East Atlanta Villiage, across I-20, and through neighborhoods like Reynoldstown, Cabbagetown, and Inman Park, dodging potholes and drainage grates the whole way as I hugged the curb in the late afternoon hustle and bustle.

One of the most exciting things about coming to the big city is public transportation. I live a little further from the MARTA stations than I'd like, but it's nice to know the train is there if and when I need it. And for me, MARTA is only a 15 minute bike ride away, which means I don't have to worry about driving everywhere in my free time.



On the way home, I stopped at for an iced chai at a coffee joint in the EAV. The perfect punctuation to an afternoon of pedaling.

-joey

New newsroom...

My apologies for the lack of timely updates. I could say I'll try to do better, but honestly, I probably won't.

Many changes in the last few weeks. I was offered a job in Atlanta early in the month and scrambled to put in my two weeks, find a new place, pack all my things, say goodbye to my awesome Asheville friends, and get started at the new job in time for November sweeps.

As you can imagine, everything is bigger here. The Atlanta skyline towers over the standstill traffic on the interstate through downtown, all twelve lanes of it. I crane my neck to get a glimpse of the corner offices of those guys up there that drive the fancy cars and eat London broil. I look the other way and see a homeless encampment.



The newsroom is bigger too. I can barely hear the din of scanner traffic from across the room. There's a lot of news here, and we have a huge staff to cover it. Live trucks, sat trucks, a chopper. Here we get the tools we need to get the job done.

It's only been a week or so, but I feel like I'll be a good fit here, as long as I don't let the traffic bother me. We'll wait and see...

-joey

Underwater breathing...

Scuba diving with mom & dad near Huntsville, Alabama:




-joey

Marigolds...

-joey

View from a lake...

Lake Nantahala, located near the Clay/Macon county border in western North Carolina:





Those clouds are real!

-joey

New sunglasses...

Looking at the world through bug eyes:




-joey

Chasing waterfalls...

Spent hours in the news car yesterday with Russ Bowen. We were having a close encounter with the H1-N1 swine flu when the call came in of a waterfall accident in the outer reaches of our DMA. We beelined to Highlands on an archaic, winding mountain road to Glenn Falls.



We hiked down the mountain to the falls, Russ in dress shoes and suit pants, and me with 50 pounds of camera and tripod slung over my shoulders. I was as sure-footed as a Sherpa over rocks and tree roots as we raced the waning daylight down the switchbacks to the roaring waters.





I'm always in the mood for an adventure, but knowing the drop was 80 feet down to a shelf of rocks and two more sets of falls, I stayed behind the steel railings and got my shots.

I didn't want to become the news that day...

-joey

Three musketeers...

And a side dish of Ronnie...


-joey

Breakfast of champions...

The smiley face (sriracha "rooster sauce") over grits is about as culturally contradictory as you can get. I mean, they eat dogs in Vietnam and here they tie them to the porch and serenade them with banjo picking.





I'm just glad to have the "time" for a decent sit down breakfast. Hey, it's no waffle house, but it hits the spot!

-joey

Lost and found...

My grandfather recently gave me a pewter owl he had made in his metal shop. I pinned it to a favorite hat and wore it everywhere.

After a visit to the YMCA, I realized the owl was missing. I asked about it at the lost and found, but no luck. The owl was gone.

A few days passed. I decided to ask again because the girl at the front desk was wearing a cardigan sweater in my favorite color (lemon yellow) and seemed to be looking for something to do.



Sometimes it pays to ask again. The girl in the lemon yellow cardigan produced a small pewter owl from under the counter, and my Monday was made.

Happy endings...

-joey

Blue Ridge Forever

A very nice change of pace today out on the parkway, shooting two future stories on an excellent day.

Even took time at the highest point on the blue ridge for a photo op with reporter Karen Wynne:




-joey