Atlanta
1/5/06:
I took a nice little trip up to Atlanta to go see my car. My parents warned me that the trip up would take about 6 - 6.5 hours. Even with a stop at the first Confederate White House in Montgomery, I managed it in 5. I'm really not a dangerous driver, but my dad tends to go only the speed limit and no more. Plus, I happened to roll through Alabama (pun intended) on a great day. 'Bama beat Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl (Roll Tide!) for their record 30th bowl win. USC, by the way, is second in total bowl wins with 28, even though they lost the Rose Bowl this year. Pity, but we'll be back, and even though the 00s are only half-over, we're clearly the team of the decade. Again. Like the 30s, 60s, and 70s. I give us at least one more championship this decade. Oh by the way, Auburn was also winning a bowl game while I was driving making for some very deserted roads and some smooth sailing.
I got up to Atlanta after dropping my sister off at the airport and listening to the bowl games on the way up, and I headed straight up to northern Atlanta and watched Notre Dame lose to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl at my old sports bar, TJ's. I headed over to Bill's house that night, and that's where I stayed over. I didn't do much that night since he's recording engineer for Bobby Valentino (look him up under R&B, his debut album went gold) and he was recording a song that night. Bobby's next album, if it goes platinum, will put Bill on the map as a recording engineer, as he will likely place about 3 songs on it. Soon, he'll be asking five figures for each track. He's good.
Next day, Bill and went over to Sandy Springs, by where Lida used to live and where I used to coach at Glen Forest, and had lunch. After that, I headed up the 685 to Gainesville to talk to Contemporary. My car looks the same as it did months ago, but with a thicker coat of dust. They've closed down the shop at that facility, and I'm planning on moving it out. Robert and Jon are headed out to Scottsdale for the Barrett-Jackson Auction, but come February, the Charger will be headed up 85 to Inman, South Carolina and Hodge Restorations to be finished. Hodge did the famous "Akron" Arlen Vanke Superstock 'Cuda that I saw at Carlisle when I was living in Boston. Incidentally, on that same trip I stopped in at York US 30 and met Akron Arlen himself. He's so deaf that when he asked where I was from and I responded, in a normal tone, "Boston," he said "never heard of it." Nice guy though. Anyway, the car is still pretty, and all the work that has been done on it by me and the paint shop it's at now is still looking great. I dusted her off and she shined like a new penny. I'm excited to get her done, which, hopefully will be this summer.
That night, I headed back down to Brookhaven and Bill and I picked up Evan, who I hadn't seen in probably 5 or 6 years but was like my brother on Dynamo Swim Club. We made a night of it, and except for all the cool new stories we had to tell, it was like none of us had ever left. I had a lot of fun, but I had to get back to Florida. Bill gave me some caffeine pills, I stopped for coffee, and I was able to make the trip back in 5.5 hours, getting in at about 7:30 AM. The emerald coast is gorgeous during the sunrise, and when the sky is just getting light, the north Florida swampland is unbelievable. Cotton fields have never looked prettier to me.
I took a nice little trip up to Atlanta to go see my car. My parents warned me that the trip up would take about 6 - 6.5 hours. Even with a stop at the first Confederate White House in Montgomery, I managed it in 5. I'm really not a dangerous driver, but my dad tends to go only the speed limit and no more. Plus, I happened to roll through Alabama (pun intended) on a great day. 'Bama beat Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl (Roll Tide!) for their record 30th bowl win. USC, by the way, is second in total bowl wins with 28, even though they lost the Rose Bowl this year. Pity, but we'll be back, and even though the 00s are only half-over, we're clearly the team of the decade. Again. Like the 30s, 60s, and 70s. I give us at least one more championship this decade. Oh by the way, Auburn was also winning a bowl game while I was driving making for some very deserted roads and some smooth sailing.
I got up to Atlanta after dropping my sister off at the airport and listening to the bowl games on the way up, and I headed straight up to northern Atlanta and watched Notre Dame lose to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl at my old sports bar, TJ's. I headed over to Bill's house that night, and that's where I stayed over. I didn't do much that night since he's recording engineer for Bobby Valentino (look him up under R&B, his debut album went gold) and he was recording a song that night. Bobby's next album, if it goes platinum, will put Bill on the map as a recording engineer, as he will likely place about 3 songs on it. Soon, he'll be asking five figures for each track. He's good.
Next day, Bill and went over to Sandy Springs, by where Lida used to live and where I used to coach at Glen Forest, and had lunch. After that, I headed up the 685 to Gainesville to talk to Contemporary. My car looks the same as it did months ago, but with a thicker coat of dust. They've closed down the shop at that facility, and I'm planning on moving it out. Robert and Jon are headed out to Scottsdale for the Barrett-Jackson Auction, but come February, the Charger will be headed up 85 to Inman, South Carolina and Hodge Restorations to be finished. Hodge did the famous "Akron" Arlen Vanke Superstock 'Cuda that I saw at Carlisle when I was living in Boston. Incidentally, on that same trip I stopped in at York US 30 and met Akron Arlen himself. He's so deaf that when he asked where I was from and I responded, in a normal tone, "Boston," he said "never heard of it." Nice guy though. Anyway, the car is still pretty, and all the work that has been done on it by me and the paint shop it's at now is still looking great. I dusted her off and she shined like a new penny. I'm excited to get her done, which, hopefully will be this summer.
That night, I headed back down to Brookhaven and Bill and I picked up Evan, who I hadn't seen in probably 5 or 6 years but was like my brother on Dynamo Swim Club. We made a night of it, and except for all the cool new stories we had to tell, it was like none of us had ever left. I had a lot of fun, but I had to get back to Florida. Bill gave me some caffeine pills, I stopped for coffee, and I was able to make the trip back in 5.5 hours, getting in at about 7:30 AM. The emerald coast is gorgeous during the sunrise, and when the sky is just getting light, the north Florida swampland is unbelievable. Cotton fields have never looked prettier to me.
posted by Guy Fawkes at 4:56 AM
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