view from the thirteenth floor

filling in the gaps

2012-01-30T19:45:00.000-05:00

bakeshoppe is all gone --- lime fresh is in the works --- by spring, we should have four new dining opportunities within a two block radius of the building ---

2012-01-30T18:17:00.001-05:00

The language of GOP racial politics is heavy on euphemisms that allow the speaker to deny any responsibility for the racial content of his message. The code words in this game are 'entitlement society' — as used by Mitt Romney — and 'poor work ethic' and 'food stamp president' — as used by Newt Gingrich. References to a lack of respect for the 'Founding Fathers' and the 'Constitution' also make certain ears perk up by demonizing anyone supposedly threatening core 'old-fashioned American values.

you don't say

winter flowers

2012-01-29T20:39:00.001-05:00

the helleborus is starting to bloom --- and, no, it's not too early

nuttin to report

2012-01-28T18:48:00.002-05:00

the garden

2012-01-28T17:55:00.000-05:00

somebody gave my ma the orchid on the right for her birthday last september, but she was killing it due to the fact that they don't believe in sunlight in the house --- it has recovered nicely here and continues to set buds --- for xmas, my nephew gave me, weirdly enough, a gift card to whole foods, which i wasted on the other two orchids --- robert gave me the variegated violet last year sometime, which i repotted, causing it to double in size --- a number of stalks of incipient phalaenopsis are under development in the other room --- orchid daze commences at the botanical garden next weekend ---- there are reports of jonquils blooming out doors --- wheeeeee!

a damp evening

2012-01-26T18:48:00.002-05:00

our tax dollars at work

2012-01-26T18:20:00.002-05:00

the anti-govt people forget or, more likely, just don't care about things like nasa

leave it to the dutch

2012-01-26T17:56:00.002-05:00

this is one of the most wonderful bridge designs that i've ever seen and possibly the all-time best for sensitive design at a historic site

boogering up the bank

2012-01-26T17:53:00.003-05:00

i'm not even sure what they're doing to that poor building now, but it looks like they're putting in new, deeper metal trusses, which is not an easy thing to do and still leave a roof on the building --- probably because somebody told them that "it didn't meet code" --- that is one of the bullshit phrases that cost us a lot of historic buildings --- of course, it doesn't meet code, no building does except those built in the last ten years --- even the building codes recognize that, but there is no incentive for an unscrupulous architect or contractor who might be making a percentage off all the work that he directs to do less rather than more ---

longer days?

2012-01-25T19:28:00.002-05:00

a loss

2012-01-25T18:12:00.002-05:00

built in 1958, itthey pretty much destroyed the interior when it was converted into margaret's museum back in the 90s, but the exterior, including most of the landscaping, was wonderfully intact --- then earlier this year they rented it out for filming a 3 stooges moovie in which the building itself was not seen, being surrounded by a purpose-built set that left only the front doors exposed --- in the process they cut down the old burfordi holly and broke one of the panels of cararra glass that finished the top of the building --- now, all of the cararra glass, the plaster soffit, the aluminum-framed windows, and what was left of the interior are gone --- as a friend pointed out, all that is left is to paint or stucco the brick to complete the defacing of the building ---

fog and light

2012-01-24T19:29:00.001-05:00

we've had a lot of foggy nights and mornings the last few days and, this morning, as it was starting to break up for real sunshine, it was intense downtown, with the towers in and out of clouds, clouds pouring over the top of the omni hotel, and a great misty glow down alabama street, but as i got up to the sixth floor, a spectacular, minutes-long display was in progress with the morning sun reflecting off 101 marietta and back through the fog --- one of the best light shows i've seen in a while

new eating opportunities

2012-01-24T19:18:00.001-05:00

somebody else is making another go at operating a restaurant in the building on piedmont next to five napkins --- italian, named campagnola

occupy!

2012-01-24T17:53:00.000-05:00

i liked the occupy movement from the beginning ---

It's a stunning turn of events. Last summer, all the Beltway press wanted to talk about was deficits and the Catfood Commission. Today, even the Republican nomination contest is revolving around Occupy's themes of rogue capitalism and income inequality.

atheism 2.0

2012-01-23T20:05:00.001-05:00

the march to equality

2012-01-23T18:59:00.002-05:00

they've got the votes in washington state and in maryland for same-sex marriage ---

fogtown

2012-01-23T18:13:00.002-05:00

i thought the sun might break through this afternoon, and it tried, but the fog was rolling in again as i was walking home --- visibility is now less than a quarter mile ---

a gray day

2012-01-22T17:51:00.001-05:00

an adjective or a verb?

2012-01-22T17:44:00.003-05:00

When a conservative audience boos gay soldiers, cheers for letting uninsured people die, cheers Newt Gingrich’s blatant race-baiting, boos Juan Williams, and shouts “string him up” when Gingrich mentions Obama in his SC victory speech, “the base is revolting” is right on the mark.

2012-01-22T10:43:00.002-05:00

saintpaulia

2012-01-21T19:14:00.002-05:00

this one got a little less light this time around, resulting in the blossoms not being trapped by the foliage --- it is choice

the dog relaxing . . .

2012-01-21T17:29:00.001-05:00

. . . after sleeping all day

an unsettled situation

2012-01-21T17:15:00.001-05:00

the bank

2012-01-21T12:33:00.000-05:00

i can't say much for how the history center has treated this building --- i'm glad it's being re-used, but hate the alterations --- they had already let the movie company destroy the mature holly at the west end of the building and the movie company broke one of the panels around the top of the building, which i guess necessitated replacement of them all --- i always assumed they were plastic, but they were actually black carrara glass that had been overpainted red at some point ---

to add insult to injury they pruned the two beautiful crepe myrtle which had a perfect form, having never before been pruned --- can't have nothing nice anymore

ninety six

2012-01-20T20:57:00.000-05:00

one of the best things about ninety-six are the old road traces, especially that of the cherokee path from keowee to congarees

it intersected another trading path to charleston

by the time of the revolution, island ford road was the main road to the north from ninety six

the remains of the star fort (1780-1781) are impressive ---- the fact that they were preserved by the local community for two hundred years is amazing --- the grove of deciduous trees in the distance marks the original site of the ninety six settlement ---

what you can't see are the remains of kosciuszko's tunnel, dug by the patriots in a failed attempt to plant explosives to blow up the fort

winter sunset

2012-01-18T18:43:00.002-05:00

newtiespeak

2012-01-18T18:02:00.000-05:00

“Those who, you know, live in high-rise apartment buildings writing for fancy newspapers in the middle of town after they ride the metro, who don’t understand that for most Americans the ability to buy a home, to have their own property, to have a sense of belonging is one of the greatest achievements of their life, and it makes them feel like they are good solid citizens,” he told the crowd."

the younguns don't understand the continuity from lester maddox and hummun and ol' gene and all the rest here in georgia . . . .

williams street

2012-01-15T18:32:00.002-05:00

tbs remains a city landmark

sunday afternoon

2012-01-15T17:30:00.001-05:00

sunny and 50s, a lazy dog, and purty flowers --- for what more could one ask of a sunday afternoon in january?

construction update

2012-01-15T17:17:00.003-05:00

i'm not sure how much any of these structures will add in a positive way to the overall architectural aesthetic in midtown, and all three will impact the viewshed from the thirteenth floor, but nevertheless they are all three under construction, which means the city's moribund construction industry is lumbering back to life, and they will all bring warm bodies, many of them residents, into the neighborhood, both of which i consider good things at the present time --- the fact that the new residents will be renters is a plus as well

the weirdly dual hilton 12-story garden inn and homewood suites hotels at tenth and williams is actually out of the ground --- as long as i can remember that corner had been a dreary surface parking lots

novare's 23-story skyhouse on twelfth between w. p'tree and spring is notable for being apartments, too, but unfortunately cut from the same cookie cutter as the spire

it is, however, depressing to think about what the stupid parking deck for the development will have replaced, even if the dairy building has been gone for 25 years

part of the 12th & midtown development, the 22-story 77 twelfth street at southwest corner twelfth and cypress will also be apartments --- all and all, the best design of the lot --- it replaces the old c&s bank drive-throughs from the 1970s, which replaced mostly craftsman bungalows and what not ---

no shit

2012-01-14T21:04:00.002-05:00

friday the thirteenth

2012-01-13T21:20:00.001-05:00

a fine sunset with color all around followed by my monthly dinner with three old friends, this time at nino's on cheshire bridge --- i had never been though it's been there since 1968 --- great place and not the old creaky clientele i was expecting ---

nice recovery from a crappy day at work

charles!

2012-01-11T18:41:00.000-05:00

somebody pressed charles barkley for his thoughts on tebow, which he did not hesitate to share:

The national nightmare continues. Hey listen I like Tim Tebow but there comes a point, he had a great game. He’s supposed to have a great game. They want to make it seem like oh the world is aligned correct. I’m like he does play quarterback. He is supposed to play well. (Host: So you’ve had enough of Tebow?) I think the world has. (Host: There’s a lot of Tebow fans out there. I’ve had enough and I’m not a big Tebow guy and they’re just killing me about Tebow.) First of all Mike I don’t know anything you said about Tebow but let’s just say the jury is still out on Tebow. He seems like a nice kid but these ups and downs are so different. The jury is still out on Tebow. Just because he had a great game and made four or five great throws yesterday doesn’t mean he’s gonna be a great starting quarterback in the NFL.

love his mouth, figuratively speaking of course, plus he's (relatively) all slimmed down and shilling for weight watchers

always a sale at drew

2012-01-10T20:31:00.002-05:00

why we are in deep doo-doo . . .

2012-01-10T19:10:00.000-05:00

“They are,” he says, “simply the 1 per cent of people who have no conscience or empathy.” And he argues: “Psychopaths, rising to key senior positions within modern financial corporations, where they are able to influence the moral climate of the whole organisation and yield considerable power, have largely caused the [banking] crisis’.

plug ugly

2012-01-10T17:38:00.001-05:00

but i kinda like it, when i fergit about what it replaced ---

These behemoth structures of Béton brut, most built in the 1960s and ‘70s, are slowly crumbling from wear and disrepair, ignored by communities that no longer want the burden of upkeep of a giant, lifeless rock. But even horrendously ugly and soulless abominations are part of our architectural heritage and need to be preserved for future generations.

romney is a dick . . .

2012-01-10T17:19:00.002-05:00

. . . to dogs and to people

drums!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2012-01-09T19:37:00.000-05:00

if you liked the drummers at the opening ceremonies of the beijing olympics, you'll love this --- god i wanna see them live ---even if it's not at the odeon of herodes atticus in athens --- thnk tbogg for the link

a canadian perspective . . .

2012-01-09T18:51:00.004-05:00

riffing on 1963:

But it doesn’t change the need to fully understand the degradation of a once-ambitious nation that was a moral force internationally. The paranoid style in American politics is full of hate. Hofstadter said that in the right combination of circumstances, it could indeed triumph. I look at the nation south of us and shudder at what approaches.

best gay in america

2012-01-09T18:01:00.003-05:00

a lot has happened in the last thirty years, that's fer sure --- according to the advocate's annual ranking, san francisco is #18 and salt lake friggn utah is #1!!!

just as there are no longer one or two "gay" neighborhoods in the city, there are no longer just one or two "gay" cities in the country ---which is a fine, if bittersweet, thing

atlanner is #9

full wolf moon

2012-01-08T19:29:00.004-05:00

thnx for the image, allen

the garden

2012-01-07T16:48:00.002-05:00

the cattleyas are earning their keep

the thirteenth day of christmas

2012-01-06T18:05:00.000-05:00

an excellent start . . .

2012-01-04T19:34:00.002-05:00

on the eleventh day of christmas . . . .

2012-01-04T17:58:00.001-05:00

they stuck up a giant, multi-color hand at the dome . . . details anon, i hope

just kill me now

2012-01-03T17:42:00.002-05:00

how to destroy a democracy

2012-01-03T17:36:00.003-05:00

look at hungary today ---- granted, they elected their representatives, but is this really what the electorate had in mind? and the republicans would do it here if they could get away with it --- although the real problem goes way beyond political parties, as the image here attests ---

and with the ninth day of christmas . . .

2012-01-02T19:27:00.000-05:00

my holiday is concluded, leaving me rested if not exactly anxious to get back to werk

winter for a new year

2012-01-01T19:31:00.001-05:00

a great wind at the end of the balcony tonight, from the northwest, bringing in some purty cold air --- wheeee!

happy new year

2012-01-01T10:47:00.000-05:00

bring it on

2011-12-31T22:54:00.001-05:00

seventh day of christmas

2011-12-31T15:52:00.000-05:00

the other cattleya has started to open! a fresh flower for the new year! it was actually the first orchid i ever got to rebloom, usually twice a year ----

sixth day of christmas

2011-12-30T18:22:00.000-05:00

the camellia sasanqua are looking good --- took a load of stuff to salvation army, a total of about four cubic feet! el condo seems a whole lot lighter all the way around ----

fifth day of christmas

2011-12-29T21:13:00.000-05:00

christmas wars

2011-12-28T23:01:00.003-05:00

for centuries, various sects of christianity have fought over holy places in israel --

"The annual cleaning of one of Christianity's holiest churches deteriorated into a brawl between rival clergy Dec. 28, as dozens of monks feuding over sacred space at the Church of the Nativity battled each other with brooms until police intervened."

one more time . . . .

2011-12-28T22:55:00.000-05:00

the lights at the garden have been the best thing about this christmas

more lights

2011-12-27T09:21:00.002-05:00

took cousin angela last night and it was great except that it was absolutely mobbed

get outta the car!

2011-12-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

Megabus.com and BoltBus led U.S.curbside bus companies that boosted trips by 32 percent thisyear as travelers opted to leave their cars behind and surf theInternet while traveling, DePaul University researchers said. . . . “Bus travel is suddenly cool,” Schwieterman said.“There’s a fatigue over driving combined with a revitalizedimage of the bus.”

a friend took a bus to savannah over thanksgiving and loved it . . . .

christmas surfeit

2011-12-25T20:18:00.001-05:00

peachtree is a dead zone this evening ---

the real war on christmas

2011-12-24T18:15:00.001-05:00

The Puritans, who rejected ceremony in favor of direct communion with God, were opposed to all of the old seasonal celebrations. They also objected to the license and disorder of the winter festivals. Among the practices they took exception to during the Christmas season festivities was cross-dressing, a vestige of ancient winter saturnalias. Role reversals were a common feature of the winter celebrations: the fool would be king for the day, peasants would temporarily command the wealthy, men and women would exchange roles. According to a minister writing in the early 1700s, Christmas mumming often involved “a changing of Clothes between Men and Women; who when dressed in each other’s habits, go from one Neighbor’s house to another … and make merry with them in disguise.” The merry making involved the objectionable habit of caroling, which, the minister said, occurred “in the midst of Rioting, Chambering [fornication], and Wantonness.”

"rioting, chambering, and wantonness"

a merry christmas to all

2011-12-24T08:21:00.002-05:00

from the folks at atlanta lab rescue

watching the sun go up and down

2011-12-24T07:49:00.001-05:00

solstice ceremony

2011-12-21T20:47:00.003-05:00

i had only gotten as far as a strand of white lights and the christmas pickle, but a box of excellent ornaments arrived from dallas and forced the issue --- i should have gotten out the stepladder so the ornaments were more evenly distributed, but i didn't

besides being the solstice, which actually occurs at half past midnight tonight, today was the last day at rich's for twelve consecutive days!!! and having gotten every loose end sorta tied up, i can relax and enjoy some quality time with the dog

waiting on the train

2011-12-21T18:57:00.003-05:00

we have a range of messages expressed here

crescent avenue

2011-12-21T18:51:00.002-05:00

i love midtown: slick and shiny in one block, the old neighborhood in the next

winter solstice sunset

2011-12-21T17:36:00.004-05:00

it'll soon be moving north again --- more light!!!

bright lights in the rain

2011-12-20T21:06:00.001-05:00

it was a damp night at the botanical garden and some of the lights had shorted out, but it was still quite the spectacle, even the third time around --- i'll probably go again before its run is done

intown building

2011-12-20T17:33:00.000-05:00

novare, the crew that built metropolis, spire, and viewpoint is supposed to be building a 23-story apartment tower with a w. ptree street address, location marked in red below --- i haven't been by recently to see if they actually broke ground for it yet --- 12th&midtown also announced a similar building --- wonder if they'll get built --- at least this one would replace nothing but surface parking lots

christmas on peachtree

2011-12-19T18:12:00.000-05:00

georgian terrace

st. mark's

federal reserve

805 peachtree

he was fearless

2011-12-17T20:31:00.000-05:00

writing

2011-12-17T20:03:00.001-05:00

via andrewsullivan

If he has not made himself a worthy vessel, he has in the largest sense failed. Call it complete and utter nonsense, but when it eludes you — the tone, or the feeling of surprise, the current you can feel when the circuit is complete — when you know what that’s like and don’t have it — then such repudiation is useless. The psyche is irrational.

harmonic convergence at 1308

2011-12-17T18:15:00.000-05:00

after six years, i still love my sky house --- sunlight flooding every room, including the entrance hall where, once a year for about a week around the winter solstice, the sun reaches its conjunction with the rbc bank building and the setting sun illuminates the hall --- and the only reason that happens is that when they straightened out the old country road into peachtree street in the 1880s, they laid out the street about four degrees east of north --- cypress, juniper, myrtle, and penn along with third through seventh are laid out accordingly --- eighth street and beyond are laid out more or less true east-west

america

2011-12-16T19:11:00.001-05:00

Where else could six heirs to a brutal retail megamarket’s founders own more than a third of the nation, simply for their luck in being born to the Right People? Where else could a business that has done more than any other business to cheapen and scar the entire American landscape then turn around and throw nearly a billion dollars at a fine art museum dedicated to natural American landscapes? What a country!

yes, we are bitter

atl bot gdns lights

2011-12-15T22:35:00.003-05:00

just as good on a second visit --- runs through the twelfth day of xmas

ending bush's war

2011-12-15T17:00:00.001-05:00

what a fukn waste --- 4,500 of our guys killed, 35,000 with permanent injuries, and at least 100,000 iraqis dead --- god only knows the war crimes that will never be prosecuted --- never mind the trillions pissed away in the process --- where would be if we still had those lives and that money?

the changing view

2011-12-14T18:15:00.000-05:00

sunset is almost always colorful but the sunset this evening was above average

city hall christmas

2011-12-13T17:28:00.001-05:00

city council confirmed my appointment to the urban design commission --- swearing-in in january begins a 3-yr term --- wheeeee!!!!

fading fast

2011-12-11T15:32:00.001-05:00

all things considered, it's been a decent fall

approaching the solstice

2011-12-10T17:42:00.001-05:00

with the rbc building marking the end of the cycle

meanwhile, the cavalia tents add a festive air to the neighborhood and are purty impressive from the downtown connector

that was quick

2011-12-10T16:59:00.001-05:00

by 11:00 one of the orchid blossoms had opened and this afternoon, all three are open ---

garden update

2011-12-10T09:23:00.001-05:00

i was afraid this cattleya was going to open while i was gone, but it is only just getting started --- it's fairly disturbing at this point in the process, with those weird, very viscous, droplets at the end of each bud

a new addition to the st. paulias

and the crassula is starting to bloom --- no smell or anything, just a lot little white stars all over the plant

equality for all

2011-12-09T21:41:00.001-05:00

a landmark speech at the u.n.

nctc

2011-12-09T21:17:00.001-05:00

the national conservation training center is a fish & wildlife service facility used by all of the dept of interior bureaus --- right on the potomac river just north of shepherdstown, west virginia, is a part of the federal largesse showered on the state by the late sen. byrd --- purty much defines "bucolic"

three great residential lodges, fitness center, really nice training facilities, and a big-ass dining hall with just about the best food you could wish for a place like that --- a lot of trails but it rained most of the time so the trails were a mess, although i did get down to the river yesterday

harper's ferry, west vrignia

2011-12-09T17:57:00.001-05:00

it's vastly changed from what it was during the civil war, but it remains one of the most picturesque towns in america

great architecture

2011-12-09T17:15:00.001-05:00

experiencing saarinen's terminal (1958) at dulles is always wonderful

"virtual choir"

2011-12-09T16:35:00.001-05:00

this kind of thing is what makes the internet so wonderful--- he's also got a website

harper's ferry, west virginia

2011-12-06T19:38:00.001-05:00

really a beautiful place

evolution of the police state

2011-12-04T19:59:00.001-05:00

the trend is disturbing

obamacare

2011-12-04T19:31:00.001-05:00

This is the true ‘bomb’ contained in Obamacare and the one item that will have more impact on the future of how medical care is paid for in this country than anything we’ve seen in quite some time. Indeed, it is this aspect of the law that represents the true ‘death panel’ found in Obamacare—but not one that is going to lead to the death of American consumers. Rather, the medical loss ratio will, ultimately, lead to the death of large parts of the private, for-profit health insurance industry.

in the not-to-distant future "obamacare" will no longer be a pejorative

getting ready for orchid daze

2011-12-04T13:44:00.001-05:00

the tri-color cattleya opens the show, very soon, and a bud has poked forth from the other cattleya --- plus one of the phalenopsis and one of the oncydium have also started to bud --- with the others that are coming along, we should have blossoms til spring in 1308

lights

2011-12-03T20:32:00.001-05:00

i'm not sure i'll get any further than this

2011-12-03T19:38:00.001-05:00

nothing like little five points ---

approaching the solstice

2011-12-03T17:37:00.001-05:00

missing a friend

2011-12-03T16:32:00.001-05:00

she died a year ago today

an evening in cabbagetown

2011-12-02T22:11:00.001-05:00

love it

2011-12-02T18:47:00.001-05:00

poor nigeria

2011-12-01T20:34:00.001-05:00

i am sincerely glad not to be queer in africa

xmas on p'tree

2011-12-01T20:02:00.000-05:00

i'm not sure that the old macy's building on peachtree is yet at its highest and best use, but at least they're maxing out their display windows

2011-12-01T18:10:00.001-05:00

i know that i have posted this before, but some friends are passing it around and so here it is again --- translation of the song lyrics:

The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day
runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.

It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth in numberless blades of grass
and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.

It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth and of death,
in ebb and in flow.

I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life.
And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.

new retail on p'tree

2011-11-30T19:50:00.001-05:00

bobby berk home --- another home furnishings store