Just thought I’d post a few pics of where I’m working now. Cool Blue is located in what’s known as “Midtown” Atlanta, which is just north of downtown (I still don’t know where one stops and the other begins). I’ve not really explored much yet, but I drive through this neat shopping/residential area called Atlantic Station. It has a lot of stores including Ikea, a theatre, Publix grocery and a Target is coming soon. But more importantly than all that….a Starbucks is coming soon! I can’t wait.
Archive for January, 2007
My New Office
Wednesday, January 24th, 2007I Gotta Vibe
Saturday, January 20th, 2007
I got my new car today! It’s a 2006 Pontiac Vibe. I’d really been wanting a Toyota Matrix, but the Vibe is essentially the same car. And Consumer Reports rated them both really high. It’s a gray “wagon”, but without the fake wood paneling. It looks nice outside, but the interior, specifically the dash is really high-tech looking.
The gauges are all completely digital, and really bright. I just think that’s the bomb. I also got excited to see it showed the outside temperature. Hey, I’ve never had that before. Another cool feature is the dual power ports. One is a traditional cigarette lighter style, and one is a 115v AC outlet that you could plug a laptop or something into. And speaking of laptops, the passenger seat folds forward flat, and you can use its back as a tabletop work area.
The back seat is surprisingly roomy, Even with the driver’s seat in my normal driving position, I can sit in the back seat without my knees even touching the back of the seat. The cargo area is decent, but both backseats fold down for more storage.
There’s also lots of little things that excite me. Stuff like the headlights knowing when to go on and off, the automatic daytime running lights, fog lights, the doors lock when you put it into gear, etc.
Oh, and the radio is pretty cool. Apparently, radio stations can broadcast artist and song data in their signal. I had no idea. This radio can pick that up, if it’s there. Obviously it’s unlikely the stations in the Mid-Ohio Valley have this, but the station we listen to down here, daveFM, does. Kinda sucks the stereo doesn’t have an auxiliary jack for my iPod like the van, but oh well.
Ah, the minivan. Boy, I’m going to miss that thing. Good times. Brenda always hated it, but it’s been a great car and served us well. Carmax is giving us $1,200 for it, which is great. I just can’t sell it to them until I get a new title to replace the one Murray took a bite out of (long story).
At any rate, we now both have reliable, safe vehicles. You all can sleep at night now 
Zoom, zoom.
Sunday, January 14th, 2007
With Brenda’s new job, we had to get another car quick. Really quick. So yesterday we went to a GIANT car lot called Carmax and got a 2005 Ford Focus. It’s a great little car for a pretty decent price. And just to be safe, we did buy the additional 3-year warranty which covers us for nearly anything.
We still can’t get over having such a new car. When I bought the minivan in 1999 it was already six years old!
Next step is to trade the van and get me something newer (and smaller). Fortunately, the van is still doing fine, so I can take my time finding what I want. I still really want a Toyota Matrix, but when Carmax gets them, they fly off the lot.
Working Girl
Monday, January 8th, 2007Good news! Brenda got a new job today! As I mentioned earlier, she had a callback from the treatment center here in Norcross. She basically just sat down and they offered her the job.
So to sum all this up, a year-and-a-half looking for a job in Marietta. Five weeks in Atlanta. What a shock.
So needless to say, with both of us having “real” jobs now, the car search just went into high gear. Hopefully by this weekend we can visit some dealers.
And by the way, my first day at Cool Blue went rather well. I even spent a few hours doing real work. Hopefully they’ll be okay with me posting some pics of the offices.
More Job Type News
Friday, January 5th, 2007Potentially good news, Brenda is going back for a second interview with the treatment center here in Norcross. They apparently already hired someone, but they’ve gotten permission to hire one more, and they wanted Brenda to come back. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed.
Oh, and by the way, I’m starting my new job on Monday! After a lot of gut-wrenching debate and weighing all the pros and cons, I decided to accept the job offer from Cool Blue Interactive. Many thanks to everyone that’s been supportive and given me much-needed advice in the last couple weeks. I really believe this is a great move for us and will really get me off to a good start in the Atlanta market.
As for FireBox Studios, it’s not going away. The main focus will be to finish all ongoing jobs as soon as possible. It’s going to be a lot of evening work, but it’s got to be done. And after that, I’ll still do some freelance work, but I’ll be able to pick and choose. Or not do any at all, who knows.
Now let’s see how well I adjust to getting up early every day
My New Favorite Restaurant
Friday, January 5th, 2007
Last night Brenda and I went out to return a pair of slippers to Kohls. That’s all. That one simple task turned into trips to Kohls, Petsmart and CompUSA. We both got new coats at Kohls, which pretty much wrapped up the last of our Christmas cash. I also finally found a decent wireless usb adapter at CompUSA for my powerbook.
So after all that, we figured we’d grab a bite, and there is a Dave & Busters right across from Kohls (where there is also a Hobby Lobby, Super Target, Circuit City, Costco and some other stuff). I knew nothing of Dave and Busters, other than it was a restaurant. That’s an understatement.
Remember the good ole days of Showbiz Pizza? Big animatronic singing gorillas, pizzas and video games? Well imagine that times ten…only with a bar.
First, the place is HUGE. And it’s divided into several distinct areas like a billiard room, bar, dining room, party room and a giant arcade “midway”. This is the coolest arcade I’ve been to in a long time. Maybe ever. Half of it is skill games like skeeball and basketball throws. The other half are regular video games. And not crappy ones, either. Some really cool stuff.
We both ordered meal combos that each came with a $10 game card. With it, you get the equivalent of 48 tokens. You just walk up to a game and swipe the card, and it will tell you your remaining balance. How cool is that? Brenda got in a lot of skeeball time, and I made the rounds on the video games. By the time we ran out of credit, we’d been there like two hours.
Oh, and the food was really good too. Definitely going back soon, and will gladly take anyone that wants to come down for a visit
Star Wars in the Rose Parade
Tuesday, January 2nd, 2007Star Wars floats in yesterday’s Rose Parade. I can’t believe Star Wars is having its 30th anniversary. I remember seeing it for the first time at a drive-in in 1977 in the pouring rain. Good times