My Jimmy Buffett Experience

I'm eating my lunch as my boss walks over and asks if he can speak with me in my office. I walk in, and he asks me to take a seat. He proceeds to close the door. I'm thinking, oh man, I'm about to get chewed out for something I didn't do. But instead, he pulls out two (2) tickets to the Jimmy Buffett concert this Wednesday at Phillips Arena and asks if I would like them. Says I've been doing a great job at work recently, and he wanted to reward me for my efforts.

I'm just sort of staring at him thinking; is this the same boss I met four months ago? It can't be... or can it? Is he really offering me almost $300 worth of concert tickets just for doing my job? There must be a catch.

There's no catch. I think I'm going to give the second ticket to my co-worker since he's been helping me in the background these past few weeks with all the random projects. If not, I'll be sure to let you guys know. Did I mention I love my job?

In other news: Turns out the GT vs. UGA charity baseball game is Tuesday, and not last Sunday. Apologies go out to all my friends who woke up early on Sunday to go downtown with me. At least you got a little sun on your shoulders, right?

My prayers

I don't know the students who were shot and killed at VA Tech this morning, but my prayers go out to everyone affected.

A horrible shooting like that makes you think about life, and how our 70-80 years here can be cut short in a mere instant. Tomorrow is promise to no one someone once said, and how true it is...

The Lord has provided us with lifeboats in our time of need and distress. We can go to him in the afternoon, in the evening, or in the early hours of the morning. He will offer us comfort in times of tragedy and pain. In times of confusion and unrest. And in times of anger and sadness.

One of my favorite verses is Matthew 11:28-29 which says:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

My heart is beeping for the departed. I cannot imagine what the friends and families of the students are going through right now. I just feel this overwhelming sadness pulsing through my entire body.

I'm so sorry this happened. May the Lord draw near and give you peace and comfort over the coming weeks.

My active life

Recently I've run into people who question the reason why I keep such an active social life. I generally answer with the classic: It was my New Year's resolution... to plan something every night of the week.

For the past 3 months, that has been exactly what has happened. I am always busy. Always on the go. Always have something to do. People usually have to book me 2-3 weeks in advance for big things (like weekend trips to Savannah). It's crazy I know, and I never really questioned "why" until now.

Part 1:
Scene: A phone call with Mike.

Mike: Are you coming to the Braves game with us on Saturday?
Me: I don't think the timing is going to work out.
Mike: The game doesn't start till 7.
Me: I know, but I have plans on Saturday until 5pm, and I need to help Claire doing something with her website afterwards, so I don't think I'm going to make it.
Mike: Dude, are you serious?
Me: Yeah, I'm sorry...
(awkward silence)
Me: Okay, well have a good night man.
Mike: Hey, what.. oh, I see how it is. Later.
(click)
Me: Mike...? Hello?

Part 2:
Scene: Reading the partial back of a Perplex City Card.

The Hand (January 11 - February 10)

You are a dedicated consumer, and though the economy is grateful, you do come off as a bit shallow most of the time. Despite this, you tend to keep a large bevy of casual friends who rely upon your expertise to choose what to wear, what to do, and where to go.

Your need for meaning in your life causes you to look in all of the wrong places. You have a deep-rooted insecurity that others will dislike you if you were to drop your forced jocularity and have a quiet few nights in; and you are not far from the mark in this.

Strangly enough that is how I feel. And it seems to be re-assured every-single-time I decide to take a night off for myself.

Why is that...?

My Speeding Tickets

I was reading an Ask Yahoo! question earlier today and saw a link to an article on how to fight a speeding ticket. It offered several tips, but none of them seemed that useful. Now, being a repeat offender myself, I have decided to share my knowledge and inner workings of the court system to offer some REAL tips on how to avoid speeding tickets.

Note: For the sake of discussion, all references to an officer, solicitor, or judge will use a masculine pronoun.

PART 1: Interacting with the Officer

1. Don't speed more than 10 miles over the limit. But if you do...
2. When you are traveling at night, try to be on the lookout for cars ahead of you that suddenly brake. They probably saw something you'll be seeing very shortly.
3. Resist the urge to speed around a slow moving car in the fast lane to cut in front of them.
4. If you do get pulled over, be very polite to the officer. Do not argue with him. Take note if he is a city cop, county cop, or Highway Patrol. Try to remember what he looks like, because you won't be seeing him for several months.
5. Ask if he got you using radar, laser, or some other method like pacing.
6. Ask for a calibration check if you have a few minutes to spare.
7. If the officer still writes you a ticket, say something to the effect of, "So I can just call this number on the back and pay my fine without having to go into court?"
8. Do not do or say anything that will leave a lasting impression in the officer's mind.

PART 2: Before your court date

1. Find out who the solicitor is for your court system. This is especially useful if you were pulled over by a small city cop.
2. Call the solicitor and try to set up a meeting. When or if you can meet with the solicitor, ask if he would reduce the points from the ticket for insurance purposes. Even if you have a DMV record that is 4 pages long, the solicitor will usually knock off 1 or 2 points. In Georgia (the state I live in), anything 14 MPH or less receives 0 points, and therefore will not affect your insurance at all.
3. Offer to do some community service and pay a small fine, in lieu of going to court. The solicitor does not want to go to trial any more than you do. He'll also appreciate being able to take care of your case before the arraignment.

PART 3: The Arraignment

1. Show up early, especially if you have not talked with the solicitor.
2. If you have a prearranged deal, mention it to the solicitor, ex: "I talked with Mr. White and we reached an agreement for my guilty plea."
3. Otherwise, plead Not Guilty. Save your Nolo Contendre for when you really need it.

PART 4: The Trial

1. The great thing about the trial, is that if the officer who originally pulled you over does not show up, the charges are dismissed on warrant of prosecution.
2. Look for the officer in the crowd. If he is not there, you are home free.
3. If the officer is there, and you are forced to go to trial, simply ask the judge one last time if he can reduce the points on the ticket for you if you change your plea to Guilty.
4. Tell the judge you can pay the fine today and that you were polite to the officer when you were given the ticket.
5. If you are hard-set on sticking with the Not Guilty plea, feel free to cross examine the officer at your leisure.

PART 5: Other Tips

1. Small city cops always show up for court (e.g. Redneckville, MS).
2. County cops are about a 50/50 (e.g. Orange County).
3. I have never had a Highway Patrolman show up for court (e.g. Florida HP).
4. I have never had a large city cop show up for court (e.g. City of Atlanta).
5. Always ask for a court date for that chance the officer will not show up.
6. If you cannot pay the fine on your court date, ask the court for a 30 day extension.
7. Know the laws in your state.
8. Slow down.

Tickets I remember receiving in the pats 10 years along with the outcome...

County: dismissed (no officer)
County: nolo contendre
Small city: guilty, 13 over (original speed, 70$)
Large city: dismissed (hwy patrol, no officer)
Large city: dismissed (no officer)
County: dismissed (hwy patrol, no officer)
County: guilty (stone cold solicitor, 2 points, 150$)
Small city: guilty, plea to 14 over (120$)
Small city: dismissed (50$ fine with 8 hrs community service)
County: guilty, plea to 14 over (90$)
Small city: dismissed (hwy patrol, no officer)

So out of 10 tickets, I have a grand total of 2 points on my license with ~430$ in fines. Not too shabby for making it to work 5 minutes earlier...

My missing Braves tickets

So someone (Aaron N.) forgot to buy the 24 tickets we need for Friday night's game last week. As Jen M. says, they are sold out, gone, done for!

Melanie A. thinks we should just go to Jocks & Jills downtown and watch the game there, but I'm kind of up a creek without a paddle, because at least 4 people so far have been asking me where the tickets are, where we're sitting, and all that good stuff.

Here's what we're going to do --

I'm going to try and leave work Friday afternoon around 1pm to head downtown and stand in line for tickets. I have my old GSU ID that I can use to BOGO free. Last year, they let me buy 10 tickets with my single ID.

But we need 24 tickets this year, so I'm going to need some help. If anyone is off Friday afternoon *cough* Aaron *cough*, I implore you to join me standing in line for a few hours. Make sure to bring a hat, something to read, and any old student ID's, because I have a feeling it's going to be hot outside.

With any luck we'll get the tickets... but if worse comes to worse I can just change my phone number and move to Raleigh, NC.

My NCAA bracket

My bracket was officially null and void over a week ago. I picked Ga Tech and UNC to be in the final game. Everyone called me crazy, and perhaps I was, but when there was only 10$ on the line, I had to go with the ACC.

I want to watch the championship game tonight between Florida and Ohio State, so if anyone has any suggestions on where to go, I am all ears. I have a feeling Frankie's and The FOX Sports Grill will be packed out, but who knows?

Random fact: Did you know I was named after Joakim Noah's father? Yep, my parents were at a tennis match in Paris 26 years ago where Mr. Yannick was playing. They were looking for a biblical name, Yannick was playing well, and the rest is history.

A few weeks later my mother had Mr. Yannick on a flight, where he signed a Delta postcard for me... he told me where his last name came from, and wished me the best of luck in life. My mother had that framed, and gave it to me many years later. I'll show it to you sometime if you'd like.

While Joakim is pretty good (okay he's very good), I still think the best college basketball player was Pistol Pete Maravich himself. I remember seeing a movie about him when I was younger and my father always talked highly about him -- once, he told me that Pistol Pete would dribble the ball in the air with his hands instead of on the ground, and that's why he was such a good ball handler.

Hate to say it dad, but I've never heard that from anyone but you. I found a video tribute to Pistol Pete on YouTube, which is pretty amazing, but there is no "air dribbling" to be seen.

PS. I decided not to do that private blog thing. I barely have enough time to work on this one!