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Posts from 2007


dec 07

Thoughts while waiting in line for the women’s restroom at a Nashville Predators game  •  Please, use your hands some more when you talk so as to wave around your giant rock. I think once you reach 30 you can’t … 30 dec, 3:30 a.m.

2008  •  So, I’ve been making a small list of things for 2008, kind of resolutions but not exactly. Here is what I have so far. 1. … 27 dec, 12:39 a.m.

2007: Books  •  I read very few books this year. I’ve touched in this before, but I’m always pretty amazed by this because I read copiously. Constantly. Without … 22 dec, 7:26 p.m.

Some Christmas music I endorse  •  The Carpenters — Christmas Portrait This is the only Christmas CD you will ever need, ever. It reminds me of my childhood and I still … 12 dec, 7:56 p.m.


nov 07

So long, November  •  It’s finally the end of NaBlaPlaMoFo, and I am relieved. This year was hard, nay, painful. During 2007 I’ve strived to write quality posts — … 30 nov, 6:52 p.m.

A pledge  •  As a web developer, I pledge to do my best not to build anything that requires you to sign up for Yet Another Damn Account™. … 29 nov, 7:08 p.m.

Presents  •  I bought my first Christmas present tonight. Obviously I’ve already been out shopping, and I’ve been planning, but actually making that first purchase is vital. … 28 nov, 11:43 p.m.

Doggie paw  •  One of Shaun‘s and my favorite topics of conversation is the dog we’re going to have someday, probably later rather than sooner. Shaun wants an … 27 nov, 11:19 p.m.

AB lists  •  I’m not sure where I originally read about this idea, but I’ve been trying out AB lists on my weekday evenings. This is kind of … 26 nov, 9:57 p.m.

Hard drive  •  As I reported in a rather frenzied fashion a little over a week ago, my MacBook hard drive died. This is actually the second hard … 25 nov, 11:57 p.m.

August Rush  •  My mum and my sisters and I went to see August Rush today. This movie has horrendous reviews on Metacritic, but I’d say it’s at … 24 nov, 11:55 p.m.

Participating in commerce  •  So for the third or fourth year in a row Emma and I got up early this morning for crazy Black Friday shopping. Sure, there … 23 nov, 10:40 p.m.

Thanksgiving in the South  •  Today we deep-fried a turkey while drinking Thanksgiving-themed malt beverages. I cannot even make this stuff up. Hope you had a good one, too. 22 nov, 11:58 p.m.

Cake for Thanksgiving  •  For the past few years I’ve made an apple pie for Thanksgiving, actually, more than a few years. Apple pie is my favorite and also … 21 nov, 11:14 p.m.

Crutch  •  I have a confession to make. I didn’t think I’d be able to get through NaBloPoMo, so last month I bought Maggie Mason’s No One … 20 nov, 11:14 p.m.

Django generic view hater  •  The other day at work I was attacked by my coworkers who demanded an explanation for my hatred of Django’s generic views, and by attacked … 19 nov, 10:41 p.m.

Five things I would have Twittered today, but I am turning them into a post instead  •  Lots of engagement photos in Piedmont Park today. Getting kind of sick of Tom Brady and the Patriots. No Country for Old Men was really … 18 nov, 9:46 p.m.

Miscellaneous  •  I got this Motherboard Christmas Tree at Urban Outfitters today. I thought it was the perfect thing to put on my desk at work. My … 17 nov, 9:08 p.m.

OMG!  •  Dear friends who are still reading me even though it is the weekend and you should be out having fun, My MacBook is sick! I … 16 nov, 11:27 p.m.

Intervals with my iPod  •  In my lowercase-q quest to improve my running I’ve started interval training, which is when you have a period of high intensity exercise followed by … 15 nov, 11:24 p.m.

Django + pYsearch  •  Recently I’ve been exploring search options for my site. Now, I’m really not so vain as to think there’s a pressing need to search my … 14 nov, 8:57 p.m.

Banned  •  The other day, apropos of nothing, I was thinking about banned books. Actually, no, it was apropos of something — I read an article in … 13 nov, 10:20 p.m.

Up to: running  •  I’ve enjoyed Not Martha’s up to category, and I’m going to borrow it today. wanting: be a better runner. Shaun got me the Runner’s World … 12 nov, 9:35 p.m.

Thoughts after a day of watching NFL football  •  Has anyone else noticed the new headshots they have for the NFL players this year — the ones they show when they are listing stats … 11 nov, 11:51 p.m.

So long, twenty-five  •  I’m actually a little sad tonight, because twenty-five was such a good year. And twenty-five is so much nicer a number than twenty-six. And oh, … 10 nov, 6:45 p.m.

MacBook vs MacBookPro  •  My home computer is a black MacBook, and my work computer is a 15” MacBookPro. Here they are: Though I enjoy the Pro, I have … 09 nov, 6:39 p.m.

Go Braves!  •  I’m not feeling very well tonight, so this will have to be short. Shaun and I got our 2008 Braves season tickets today. We’re very … 08 nov, 11:11 p.m.

Work  •  I don’t think I’ve ever officially mentioned this, but since July I’ve been working as a web developer at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. (And might be … 07 nov, 6:38 p.m.

Rapid fire album reviews  •  I haven’t talked about music in a looong time. Jimmy Eat World - Chase This Light / As a long time fan, I found this … 06 nov, 11:26 p.m.

OpenSocial vs Facebook  •  Last week Google announced their OpenSocial API. I have to agree with those who don’t get it or are panning it — I think I’m … 05 nov, 10:24 p.m.

Daylight savings  •  In the past I’ve been a big proponent of daylight savings time, but now that they’ve moved the dates up and back I’m not so … 04 nov, 10:46 p.m.

Another leisurely stroll  •  This morning was Nashville’s Race for the Cure, and as usual people with strollers and some weighed down with too much breast cancer paraphernalia hindered … 03 nov, 7:09 p.m.

Redesign blues  •  I’ve been working on a refresh for the site for some time now, tinkering in the evenings and dutifully checking into Subversion. Even though it’s … 02 nov, 11:51 p.m.

Day One  •  Well, it’s that special time of year again, when I (and many others) unleash a barrage of daily posting for the month of November. This … 01 nov, 6:12 p.m.


oct 07

Clearing misconceptions about Django  •  The D is silent. Silent. Ask my coworkers — you should probably not say “duh-jango” around me. (FAQ: What does “Django” mean, and how do … 30 oct, 8:55 p.m.

Last weekend  •  This weekend Emma came to visit, and we partied like it was 1999, and by that I mean we pretended we were in high school, … 29 oct, 9:17 p.m.

Pork notes  •  I made this Apple Cranberry Stuffed Pork Roast on Saturday. It was very delicious. It is attractive and festive enough for a holiday meal, although … 22 oct, 11:05 p.m.

Accounts  •  We’ve been talking a lot about OpenID at work lately, and this has got me to thinking about the number of user accounts I have … 17 oct, 9:48 p.m.

Bullseye  •  Ah, it’s been so long since I mentioned my first favorite store. Checked out the new Target in Atlantic Station tonight, which opened yesterday. (From … 15 oct, 11:33 p.m.

Django Style  •  In the Django docs, there’s this wonderful little section on coding style. Only recently did I find this myself, as it’s in the section on … 08 oct, 8:47 p.m.

Django Tips, Vol. 1  •  Recently at work I talked a bit about some Django best practices, both in general and for us internally. It’s cool to work with other … 03 oct, 8:07 p.m.

Pedestrian rage  •  If I am standing on a street corner waiting to cross, and I don’t have the benefit of a light (or maybe I do, that’s … 01 oct, 10:56 p.m.


sep 07

Rapid Fire Movie Reviews  •  (Stolen from Emma.) Obviously I haven’t updated the reviews section of my site in some time, and it’s being phased out in version 2. Here’s … 29 sep, 2:15 p.m.

Random internet-related grammatical gripe  •  Login (logon) is a noun. Log in (log on/sign on) is a verb. From answers.com: The process of gaining access, or signing in, to a … 25 sep, 11:33 p.m.

Cute baseball players  •  I spent this weekend with some rabid Red Sox fans—my family. We bar-hopped on Saturday night, trying in vain to catch the Sox/Devil Rays game, … 23 sep, 11:42 p.m.

In Praise of Akismet  •  In all of my blogging history, I’ve had very little problems with spam. I’ve always kept a really tight rein on my comments, shutting them … 19 sep, 11:33 p.m.

Foreign Key  •  I posted my first Django snippet today. Yes, it’s been a big week for both myself and Django. Usually I am just on the receiving … 17 sep, 11:10 p.m.

Glass  •  This weekend I finally got the warm Atlanta welcome I’d been waiting for. On Friday, my car was broken into via the driver’s side window … 16 sep, 3:33 p.m.

Chalkboard  •  On Saturday night before The National show, Shaun and I went to The Euclid Avenue Yacht Club for dinner and some pitchers of beer. Unfortunately, … 10 sep, 10:41 p.m.

mom txt msg  •  My mother learned how to use text messaging this week, apparently. On Wednesday I received this: Hi how r u? are u having pizza tonight? … 09 sep, 11:36 p.m.

The Best Pizza  •  On Sunday night Shaun, Kelvin and I waited in a very long line for at least an hour for Grimaldi’s pizza in Brooklyn. Arguably, Grimaldi’s … 04 sep, 8:24 p.m.


aug 07

From the Peach State to the Big Apple  •  This weekend I’m heading out to New York for a wedding in Central Park on Saturday. I like saying that because it really impresses people. … 30 aug, 9:56 p.m.

RSS Spam (No, Not that Kind)  •  Wired has this mini-feature where they define/coin esoteric tech terms. It’s called “Jargon Watch.” For example, many eons ago, dooced showed up in the magazine. … 26 aug, 10:25 p.m.

Atlanta Skyline  •  This is the Bank of America building in midtown Atlanta. It’s tall. I didn’t know this until I moved here, but it is actually the … 22 aug, 9:42 p.m.

Minty Django  •  Tonight I (finally) upgraded my Mint install to version 2. I am convinced I did this entirely because payment is through PayPal, thus I did … 20 aug, 11:13 p.m.

Things I Do More of, Now that I Live in Atlanta  •  Walk Parallel park… I am hoping this will become second nature soon. I still do too much adjusting. Walk Take public transportation… Overall this has … 16 aug, 11:50 p.m.

Badge Culture  •  For my new job I have a security badge to get in and out of the building. It has my name, a picture, and the … 15 aug, 7:28 p.m.

A Tourist No Longer  •  On Friday I walked over to CNN Center for lunch. They have a food court there, with mostly fast food fare, and hopefully I’ll stay … 12 aug, 2:03 p.m.

The Perimeter  •  In Atlanta Interstate 285 is the bypass/beltway that encircles the city, forming what is colloquially known as the Perimeter, a semi-official boundary of the city. … 06 aug, 9:53 p.m.


jul 07

Tolerance  •  Late Sunday afternoon I was searching for a recipe. I wanted it to be Asian (or, at least, Americanized Asian), it had to include pork, … 30 jul, 11:48 p.m.

Reasons why living in Atlanta is awesome, week 1  •  I am so close to my Netflix distribution center. 29 jul, 6:34 p.m.

Moved  •  So, I moved to Atlanta this past weekend. I had a lot of help, and I hope by saying this I don’t trivialize my help’s … 23 jul, 10:31 p.m.

Coincidences  •  On Monday I was having a rough time getting electric service set up with Georgia Power. On a related note, they offer online services such … 19 jul, 11:13 p.m.

I made falafel, and it was delicious  •  I forgot my camera in Atlanta this past weekend, which is rather unfortunate because we made falafel and I wanted to share. I chose this … 17 jul, 7:19 p.m.

June  •  June was a completely insane month for me, and only now that we are nine days into July can I really reflect on it. I … 09 jul, 10:06 p.m.

Food catchup P.S.  •  Unfortunately, I forgot the most important part of the Thai Pineapple Chicken Curry story last week. On the weekends, when Shaun makes a dinner, he … 02 jul, 10:14 p.m.


jun 07

Food catchup  •  I’ve been eating some new recipes, and I haven’t been sharing. Every weekend is a new and exciting glimpse of what it must be like … 27 jun, 11:59 p.m.

Flying hates me  •  Rather unexpectedly, I found myself booked on a flight from Atlanta to Boston this past Tuesday, on Delta Air Lines. My flight was scheduled to … 24 jun, 11:47 p.m.

The Power of Technorati  •  A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I made a post about how great Kinko’s was. I had to print twenty or … 13 jun, 9:23 p.m.

What I’ve Been Up To  •  Oh man it’s been a week. That is a long time. I have been holding out a little because I haven’t finished the second section … 12 jun, 10:42 p.m.

Corn  •  I’m reading (Shaun‘s copy of) The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan. Perhaps you’ve heard of this book: New York … 05 jun, 10:25 p.m.

Not serious  •  This weekend was the Virginia-Highland Summerfest in historic Virginia-Highland. Atlanta has a festival practically every weekend in the summer, and this past Saturday and Sunday … 04 jun, 11:03 p.m.


may 07

A weekend fit for a food blogger  •  A couple of months ago Shaun bought Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen: Capturing the Vibrant flavors of a World-Class Cuisine, a cookbook of traditional Mexican food. … 29 may, 7:43 p.m.

What does this mean?  •  Something weird has been happening to my coworker Alison lately. Someone has been leaving quarters on her car door handle. At first she could have … 23 may, 10:55 p.m.

Fogo de Meat  •  With the recommendation of many and in celebration of Shaun‘s birthday, this weekend included a trip to Fogo de Chão, a churrascaria, which translates roughly … 21 may, 11:32 p.m.

BFF Wedding Part 2  •  A couple of weekends ago I went to my college BFF’s wedding. They had a short ceremony in a church and a cake-and-punch reception next … 15 may, 10:49 p.m.

You know you’ve become really pretentious when every sentence starts with…  •  “Well, I was reading this article in the New York Times…” 13 may, 10:19 a.m.

Some thoughts on food  •  My Target has raised the prices of Lean Cuisine. This was quite a shock to me last night. I figured for those prices I could … 08 may, 11:10 p.m.

Email of the Day  •  Shaun: Doh. I forgot how to write again! Maura: Just throw some words together. The more random the better. Maura: Also use big ones. Shaun: … 02 may, 8:16 a.m.


apr 07

Scams  •  Weddings. Baby carrots. They’re actually just pieces of carrot. Which is why they taste more like regular carrot. Greeting cards. Auto insurance. Your mom. Just … 30 apr, 11:48 p.m.

Fun Panda Facts  •  Yesterday I visited Zoo Atlanta to see their new baby giant panda, Mei Lan (“Atlanta Beauty”). Mei Lan currently lives in a small, glass-enclosed and … 23 apr, 9:19 p.m.

A Scream  •  When I was younger I had the temper to match my hair color. I am not even kidding. I inherited this pleasant trait from my…oh, … 19 apr, 10:55 p.m.

BFF wedding  •  My BFF from college is getting married in May, but really, who isn’t? As it turns out, he and his fiancée have decided to eschew … 16 apr, 10:10 p.m.

IRS  •  I had to call the IRS the other day. Turns out I never got my refund from 2005. So I should have called about this … 12 apr, 10:08 p.m.

MacBook update  •  Tonight I took my ailing MacBook to the Genius Bar at my Apple Store. Wait, back up. First I made an online reservation for the … 10 apr, 9:07 p.m.

Calling in  •  Emma is sick right now, and I spent six hours in the car with her going to/from my parents’ this weekend as well as the … 08 apr, 11:22 p.m.

Idol on Fox Part 2  •  Holy crap, I watched American Idol again tonight. And I voted. I voted! Yes, I need help. While I was voting (for Jordin!) I thought … 03 apr, 10:44 p.m.

Renting V Owning  •  My apartment complex sends out a monthly newsletter, which includes seasonal content I’m sure they buy from some apartment complex newsletter store. April’s issue included … 02 apr, 9:07 p.m.


mar 07

Idol on Fox  •  For some reason I’ve gotten into watching American Idol this season, something I promised myself I would never, never do. This is somewhat in contradiction … 28 mar, 11:27 p.m.

The sheep says BAA.  •  At SuperTarget tonight doing my regular weekly grocery shopping, I wandered over to the housewares section because I was looking for Pyrex measuring cups, but … 26 mar, 8:42 p.m.

Eggs  •  We’ve been talking about Jello quite a bit at work recently (evidence), though I’m not really sure why. A week or so ago I wondered … 22 mar, 11:07 p.m.

Ageism  •  I celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by going to a Bat Mitzvah. I’ve never been to any Jewish celebration of any kind, but I’m glad to … 19 mar, 9:42 p.m.

Cheating  •  Tonight I cheated, and it felt sooo good. I’ve gone to the same hairstylist for a while now, years I suppose, and although I thought … 14 mar, 9:13 p.m.

Ski  •  Yesterday Shaun and I got up early and drove to Cataloochee Ski Area in beautiful Maggie Valley, NC. This was my first time skiing, but … 11 mar, 9:23 p.m.

Wednesday  •  When I got back to the office from my piano lesson today, I opened my car door and the wind opened it the rest of … 07 mar, 10:59 p.m.

On Adulthood  •  In the US you are considered an adult when you turn eighteen. You can vote, and you can buy cigarettes (because you’re old enough at … 05 mar, 11:09 p.m.

Things I’m really into right now  •  A list entry. Why not? Jell-O Sugar-Free Dulce de Leche pudding snacks. These are probably the richest sugar-free pudding snacks I’ve had… The caramel topping … 01 mar, 9:31 p.m.


feb 07

Hitting many, many fans  •  Since Kottke consolidated his feeds I rarely read his full posts anymore. They’re given the same weight as a remaindered link and thus fall in … 26 feb, 9:03 p.m.

SAD :-(  •  In January and also this month I experienced what I thought was a work-related, daily afternoon funk, but looking back I’m more convinced it was … 21 feb, 9:29 p.m.

On the Corolla  •  I drive a 2004 Toyota Corolla. I love my car. Out of all the compact economy cars, I like the new Corolla’s body style the … 20 feb, 10:50 p.m.

Recipe Copyright  •  I read a lot of recipes. I read several food blogs. Recently I was looking for a new recipe for Crockpot chicken tortilla soup, because … 19 feb, 9:03 p.m.

C is for cookie  •  For Valentine’s Day I wanted to make cookies for all of my coworkers delivered in adorable little treat bags. A while ago I bought five … 14 feb, 11:23 p.m.

Siblings  •  I’m very lucky in a number of respects, and one of those is that I have really great siblings. I mean, I still think three … 12 feb, 11:16 p.m.

Random Acts of Kindness  •  Tonight Meredith and I were talking about a guy she works with (I can’t imagine he would read this, so whatever). Meredith: we closed together … 08 feb, 10:58 p.m.

Maura <3s football  •  I did not understand football at all in high school, which is funny in retrospect because I went to every game via marching band. In … 07 feb, 11:48 p.m.

Ode to the QuikTrip  •  Dear QuikTrip, I just wanted to say a quik thank you for having so many delicious beverage options at rock-bottom prices. You allow me to … 05 feb, 11:15 p.m.


jan 07

Spike  •  I’ve never learned to walk in serious heels. What’s the secret? 31 jan, 11:35 p.m.

Some other health tips  •  You can make it to the delicious popular page or the front page of Digg nowadays with a well-written (or badly-written, really) weight loss tips … 29 jan, 11:51 p.m.

Delusions of grandeur  •  I like to call the stretch of I-75 between Knoxville and Chattanooga “cities that are better known as cities in other states.” There’s… Athens Decatur … 28 jan, 11:53 p.m.

Measuring up  •  Over the month of December I was really obsessed with Facebook. Allen and Emma are pretty active members, so my motivation partially lied with seeing … 23 jan, 9:24 p.m.

Weekend  •  I recently got a new cell phone, and, I have to be honest, the whole number-porting thing had me crazy scared. Would it go smoothly? … 22 jan, 10:39 p.m.

Maura knows Jack  •  When I was in Franklin over Christmas, I tuned my car radio to the local JackFM station, 96.3. In case you don’t know, JackFM doesn’t … 17 jan, 10:46 p.m.

Ordering online  •  I’ll admit it, I don’t want to talk to people. I mean, not all people, ever, but it’s nice and often less complicated when you … 15 jan, 8:47 p.m.

Music Recommendations  •  It’s that time again… I’m bored with all of my music, and I need you to recommend new stuff. I received 30$ in iTunes gift … 11 jan, 9:06 p.m.

On Job Perks  •  Recently, Google has been in all over the press for being named Fortune’s Best Company to Work For. Onsite amenities such as free gourmet food, … 10 jan, 6:07 p.m.

January is blah  •  I have a LiveJournal account, so naturally I’m used to people complaining and venting. The thing is, that’s what LiveJournal is for, so I say, … 08 jan, 10:34 p.m.

Wii-tastic  •  For Christmas this year I gave the gift of Wii, and I’m not trying to toot my own horn or anything, but I thought I … 02 jan, 9:33 p.m.

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