Afghanistan Remembers Music

I listened to a piece from WNYC’s Radio Lab recently only to form a more concrete relationship with the loss that victims suffer under Taliban rule. From the outside, looking in, the culture seems muddied with the intermingling of past and present times.  Between incomplete reports from the news agencies, history, and modern documentaries, it… Continue reading Afghanistan Remembers Music

An International Soiree

We recently attended the Gypsy Mediterranean Arabic Balkan Dilos Musicians of Atlanta meetup.com event. It was a complete blast! I’ve not had the opportunity to play with such a diversity of talented musicians before. I wasn’t even sure what kind of music to expect given the group’s name, but I caught on quickly enough. For… Continue reading An International Soiree

Combining Cultures

This past week, Fiserv announced that it is acquiring CheckFree Corporation, the company I have worked for over the last few years. The news came as quite a shock to everyone I spoke to, though that doesn’t necessarily mean people fear the worst. It’s split pretty evenly between pessimists and optimists. I’m a pessimist, though… Continue reading Combining Cultures

Polar Cities

I must prefix this post with a bit of back story… A reader in Taiwan, Danny Bee, left a comment on an article I wrote (“Emily Yoffe Learns The Secret“). I had first assumed that the comment was spam, though the suspect spam did not follow my preconceived notions of spam. It had no sales… Continue reading Polar Cities

Charter Communications: “Value of Services”

“Effective with your March billing statement, price adjustments will be made to…reflect the overall value of our services” Part of the value of services they’re talking about is snowy reception on select digital channels (how is this even possible) and the very real possibility that the digital provisions offered like OnDemand and PPV will probably… Continue reading Charter Communications: “Value of Services”

Federal Bureau of Inefficiency

A romantic notion in the recesses of my mind really loves the F.B.I., C.I.A., and the like. I like spy novels. I like James Bond. I like super heroes fighting super villans. However, the real world of federal investigative services is far different than the portrayal delivered through metaphor and myth. I read today in… Continue reading Federal Bureau of Inefficiency

When is the Weekend only the Beginning?

Friday night I went out with family for Father’s Day – Amy’s sister was in town from Philly, so it was a special occasion. The two dad’s in the family were treated to dinner at Kiku’s, a fine Japanese hibachi place in Gainesville. I had been uncustomarily hungry throughout the week, so Friday night I… Continue reading When is the Weekend only the Beginning?

The Luck o the Irish

St. Patrick’s Day is the celebration of Saint Patrick, an English (or perhaps Scottish) immigrant who cleansed the land of pesky pagans. The story, as it goes these days, was that he used a clover as a symbol for the Trinity, which apparently did well to win people over. The shamrock was was always a… Continue reading The Luck o the Irish

99x Sinner’s Ball 2006 at The Compound

Atlanta’s biggest (and only?) Mardi Gras celebration is hosted by 99x at The Compound. I was hired to stilt-walk at the engagement and lived to tell the story. To appreciate my situation better, you have to know that the club scene isn’t exactly my cup of tea. In fact, I have no real experience with… Continue reading 99x Sinner’s Ball 2006 at The Compound

The North Georgia Celtic Festival

Today we ventured out to the North Georgia Celtic Festival to see the shows. Amy had some real work to do, photographing some of the performers, but Balthazar and I were there just to enjoy the day. This is the fourth annual celebration of Celtic arts, music, and culture hosted by Emerald Rose. We’re good… Continue reading The North Georgia Celtic Festival