Busy.

For one of the few times in my life, I actually had to say, "let me check my calendar and get back to you" and meant it.

My name is Shelby, and I'm an addict.

And how could I not be?  I discovered "Sweet Pockets" in Vinings, Georgia a few weeks ago.  Because my sister-in-law's birthday was coming up, I decided to pick up a dozen.  As you can see from the above photo, a dozen did not make it to her house.  Six became MIA before leaving my place of work. The survivors above also had to journey home in Atlanta rush-hour so let's take a moment of silence for the Mint Chocolate Chip cupcake who lost part of its frosting..............



It tasted good anyways.

Far be it from me not to introduce a co-worker to Sweet Pockets (today) so I brought back two Red Velvets and two Almond cupcakes.

Who doesn't love a cupcake (especially ones as tasty as these?!)

How NOT to chase away a dog...

We were enjoying a nice afternoon out on the back deck yesterday with our two dogs when I heard the Beagle down the street go into berserk-barking mode.  I should point out, however, this poor little Beagle resides on his owner's back deck with a Dogloo and NO human interaction except to feed him.  Needless to say, this Beagle barks almost constantly starting at 4am and stopping around 1am every day.

We look over and see a wandering overweight senior-citizen dog below the Beagle's deck walking around, urinating on the grass, sniffing, etc.  It didn't have tags nor a collar.

All of a sudden, the Beagle's neighbor comes outside from the garage area, and attempts to "chase off" the dog.  How? He doesn't shout, doesn't clap his hands, doesn't make shooing motions.....

He fires a .22 pistol at the dog IN our neighborhood! Not in the air...but at the dog.  WTF?! The dog, terrified, comes running up our driveway (it probably hears our dogs barking at it.)  Andrew and I were pissed.  We ran around to the front of the house to try to catch the old dog to check and see if it was okay, but it was running full speed, tail tucked up the road.  It glanced at Andrew and kept going.  The thing was probably scared it was going to be shot at again.

Was this dog harassing his dog? No.
Was this dog destroying some property owned by the guy? No.
Was this dog attacking an animal in his yard? No.
Does this guy have a fenced yard? No.
Did this guy even try to shoo the dog away? (Based on the dog's initial temperament, it looked like you could raise a hand, and it would run away - if you didn't want to try to catch it and find its owner.) No.

You don't discharge a firearm in a neighborhood, douchebag.

In light of the recent Toomer's Corner incident....

Please check this group out.  They are the definition of "class:"

http://www.facebook.com/TideforToomers?sk=wall#!/TideforToomers?sk=info

An Open Letter to the Auburn Family from the Alabama Faithful

 

As former students of the University of Alabama, we understand the importance of tradition; it is what binds past generations with those yet to come. The rolling of the trees at Toomer’s Corner is a unique and long-held tradition at Auburn University, one which we grudgingly respect. We may not understand your strange rituals, but we too have our own cherished traditions. We appreciate the culture of college football and, as such, have decided to take a stand. The Alabama-Auburn rivalry is the best in all of sports. It makes the fall more interesting and enjoyable. We like taunting you, you enjoy poking fun at us, and even when it gets heated, we wouldn’t have it any other way. What we don’t like is when good-natured rivalry is taken too far. That is exactly what happened when “Al from Dadeville” maliciously vandalised the 135-year-old oaks at Toomer’s Corner. Those oak trees have withstood hundreds of storms, numerous droughts, and more than a few rolls of Charmin. You could say that they have been through and seen it all, and they are landmarks of our state. The trees were there long before “Al” was born, and presumably would have been there long after he is gone. We want you to know, in no uncertain terms, that we do not accept what “Al” has done--there is simply no excuse for this type of abhorrent behavior. We condemn his actions in the strongest possible manner. While he may claim the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, he does not represent us in any capacity. As a token of good faith, we have established "Tide for Toomer’s," a small fund through which fans of the Crimson Tide can contribute money to Auburn University’s efforts to rehabilitate or replace the poisoned trees. None of these funds may be used for any other purpose, and especially not, of course, for your beloved Auburn Tigers football team (let’s not get crazy here). On behalf of Tide for Toomer’s and the Alabama Nation, we pledge to uphold and safeguard the traditions in this state by showing reverence for the greatest rivalry in sports. We ask that supporters of the University of Alabama join with us in contributing to Tide for Toomer’s. With this, we hope to prove that though our rivalry is strong, our mutual respect is stronger. Roll Tide! Jennifer Hanson, Birmingham; Clay Loftin, Prattville; Taylor Nichols, Tuscaloosa; Camaran Williams, Pell City

Trash. Pure Trash.

By now some of you have learned of the poisoning of the iconic Toomer's Corner Oak tree.  If you haven't, allow me to describe it a bit (and my AU folks, chime in!)  Toomer's Corner is a street corner in downtown Auburn marked by a large 130+ year old Oak tree.  After a game win, the tree is often donned with toilet paper and a large crowd of Auburn University fans.  The tree has survived quite a bit including a FIRE that still couldn't destroy it.


That was until this guy came along: Almorn Updyke Jr, a 62 year old man who lives about 30 miles away from Auburn, AL.

From CBSNEWS.COM dated 17 February 2011:


(CBS/AP/WRBL) Police have released the mug shot of Harvey Almorn Updyke Jr, a 62-year-old unemployed man who is accused of the poisoning of the 130-year-old Toomer's Oaks, the landmark gathering place of Auburn University victory celebrations.

Updyke has been charged with one count of first-degree criminal mischief.

Bond was set at $50,000. If convicted, Updyke could face one to 10 years in prison.

University officials reported on Wednesday that the trees had been given "lethal amounts" of herbicide.
CBS affiliate WRBL reports that the story started with a phone call. On Jan. 27, a caller to "The Paul Finebaum Show," a sports talk radio show out of Birmingham, claimed he poisoned the live oaks shortly after the Iron Bowl with an herbicide known as Spike 80DF.

"The weekend after the Iron Bowl, I went to Auburn, Ala. - I live 30 miles away - and I poisoned the two Toomer's trees," the caller said on the show. "I put Spike 80DF in them." Show host Finebaum then asked the caller if the trees had died, to which "Al in Dadeville" responded, "They have not died yet, but they will die."

Updyke is from Dadeville, say police.

---------------

That's right.  Mr. Asshat here spiked the grand ole tree with Spike 80DF.  What is Spike 80DF? It is an herbicide that is mixed with water and enters a plant (tree) through its roots.  The chemicals interferes with photosynthesis until it dies.  The plant (tree) may grow its leaves, loose them, and grow them back, but it will eventually die.

As far as I know, there haven't been any releases as to WHY this moron did this.  All I know is there are plenty of pissed off Tigers and other non-AU fans that would love to get some time alone with him.

.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

(That is all.)

Weekend Day Trip: Six Feet Under Pub and Fish House and Oakland Cemetery

Yes, you read that title correctly. 

On Saturday, my parents came up to visit, and myself, my mom, my SIL, and her mother had a mini-day trip planned.  When my mom told me what she wanted to do for my SIL, I said, "leave it to me."  Within a matter of minutes, I had the perfect trip planned. 

We loaded into my car, and my SIL had no idea where we were going.  I only had her read me the directions, and that was that.  When we pulled up to Six Feet Under, she said, "oh my gosh! I wanted to try this place!" (I didn't know that.) 

What a great ambience.  It looked like a fish house.  Now, if you don't know..."Six Feet Under" (the original location) overlooks Oakland Cemetery.  Oakland Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia.  Famous names include Bobby Jones, Margaret Mitchell, and quite a few others.  Although my favorite "burial" wasn't human at all.  I digress.

We had a great lunch of various baskets: fish n' chips, shrimp, and scallops, and we headed across the street to Oakland Cemetery.

We couldn't have asked for a clearer day: bright blue skies and not a single cloud.  We made our way into the cemetery and through the rows to the Visitor's Center.  We picked up a map of the cemetery, and we began our walk. 

There are intricately carved headstones, mausoleums that would make the architects cry, and witty little sayings as well.  My favorite burial site? "Tweet."

That's right: "Tweet."  Tweet was a family's beloved pet mockingbird, and when Tweet died, they hired a carver to carve a headstone for Tweet in the family plot.  Unfortunately, the carver couldn't quite grasp a mockingbird in his work, and they changed it to a little lamb.  Tweet is buried with his family in the family plot. 

We had a great walk, but my SIL's mom was recovering from surgery, and it was a little nippy with the breeze so we decided to head home, but you can be sure I will return!