ATL 8/20/07

ME NEWS - I can remember loving this playpen in 1967. The sides ratcheted up and down, - hinged on a central post like the leg rest of a cheap, aluminum-framed lawn chair - trapping my little brother between the netted sides.

Horrors! Child entrapment? Abandonment? Permanent Developmental Psychosis?

Maybe...

I used to crawl in there with books and stuffed animals to play with my brother for hours at a time...which led to building tents out of lawn furniture and pool towels in the backyard...which developed into a need to play "Gilligan's Island" on a blanket "raft" in the middle of the living room floor...which brought me to hiding under the stairs with a flashlight, a Jules Verne book, copy of the Millennium Falcon made out of Legos and Light Brite pegs, and a sandwich bag of finger Jello cubes.

All of this - I'm certain - can be blamed on...gasp...playpens.

(It's probably also why I live in a condo and always wear my seatbelt.)

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MOVIE NEWS - "Manufactured Landscapes" starts this Friday at Landmark Art Cinema. David forced me to like subject of the film - photographer Edward Burtynsky - so I'm going to force him to take me to this movie.

ART NEWS - The Atlanta Botanical Garden is open Thursday evenings for cocktails from 6:00 to 10:00 PM through September; August's theme is "Hostas and Hurricanes". No word on whether Hurricane Dean will be joining us.

PLANET NEWS - I've just read that many exfoliants contain tiny plastic particles to scrub away dead skin cells. That plastic then goes down the drain and out into the environment and directly into the tummies of helpless little barnacles! If you can't find a skin cleanser that promises to be all natural AND exfoliate, just pour the one you have into your hand and add some sugar before scrubbing away. Works for us! Leftovers can just go into your cereal.

FRENCH NEWS - Must be a slow news day; le Monde had 2 technology stories on the front page. 1) Canon announced the release of the 10.1 megapixel 40D for about 970 Euros (Canon captured 47% of the digital camera market last year, followed by Nikon with 37%.) 2) Nokia has pissed-off India by recalling 46 million cellphones with exploding batteries. Based on my careful budgeting for our Parisian vacation in July and the current U.S. export market figures, I estimate that 970 Euros costs about ... oh, I dunno ... $100,000.

NATIONAL NEWS -ABC News reports that pain medication use has doubled in the United States in the last 10 years. In the same period, so has marijuana use in Canada - commercialized vs. socialized medicine?

LOCAL NEWS - The AJC reports that after 2 years of "negotiations", the Atlanta city council is finally taking action to limit the size of McMansions on small, intown lots. New zoning will allow big houses on big lots, small houses on small lots. This little equation took 2 years to formulate? No word on where zoning will allow these corresponding big egos to exist.

RETAIL NEWS - Join us at McCray's Tuesday, August 21st, for a big throw-down! We hear it's closing to make way for the continuation of Viewpoint's retail down Sixth Street. Can Loca Luna be far behind?

Wednesdays in August are your chance to get some South in yer Mouth at Joe's on Juniper; $1 PBR (...in a can...in a brown paper bag), moon pies, tater tots, and more Daisy Duke shorts than you can shake a corn dog at.

MIDTOWN NEWS - Because of a judge's ruling last week, the Atlanta Botanical Garden plans to begin construction on their parking deck in Piedmont Park this October. (nearly 2 years after the city council's vote of approval.) Wait...that's funny...did I just dis on something I promoted?

WEB NEWS - I (heart) T-Shirts and I (HEART) Threadless.