Category — Consumption - The New American Value

[The paternalism continues.]

1. Urban Gardeners new location in East Atlanta Village is having its grand opening this weekend.  It is located at 491-B Flat Shoals behind Sugar Britches.  While the store is pretty pricey the staff are excellent and the selection is varied.
2. The UGA baseball team pounded Clempson last night.  Official UGA has the dirty details.
3. Dennis Dodd has a great article on new Tech coach Paul Johnson.  It seems to us that the chip on Johnson’s shoulder will be uber popular with the angst-ridden male attendants and alumni of the Institute.
4. Cynthia Tucker takes it easy on Mayor Franklin.  In our opinion she is a mayor without a legacy running a government only slightly more efficient than what we got under Bill Campbell.
5. Sunday Sales = Dead.
6. Drive a Faster Car has the 2008 Chastain schedule.  Embarrassing fact - we have never been to Chastain.  Stepford North Atlanta is scary.
7. A few days back PWD did some interesting analysis of the future of Georgia men’s basketball.  Okay, you can go back to obsessing about football now.
8. Potentially free New Pornographers tickets at Cable & Tweed.  Need we say more?
9. Metroblogging with a nice find regarding MARTA’s new operating chief.
10. New bowl game to be played in DC.  It has an ACC tie-in.  Despite the potential for chilly weather it has great travel possibilities.  GT Sports Blog.

[Spring Training Phenom]

1. The AJC with a great article on Terrapin’s new digs. Looks like they have jumped on the brewery tour bandwagon. Wethinks they will be able to find an audience in the Classic City.
2. Stuff White People Like has made its way around the internet faster than the pictures of “Kristen.” Now comes Stuff Educated Black People Like. On their list - Moving to Atlanta. (h/t Metroblogging)
3. A reader noticed that the Metro Brokers sign on I-85 South has ceased listing the number of homes for sale in Atlanta. Guess it was getting a little depressing.
4. Georgia Sports Blog summarizes all the media entities and personalities rallying to give Coach Felton another year.
5. Braves cuts. Definitely guys you haven’t heard of.

[An artist’s rendering of the new GSU dorms.]

1. Good to know that pointless transportation projects are still set to all systems go.  The Mag Lev train between Atlanta and Chattanooga is still on according to one Chattavegas paper.  Sorry Gwinnettians, nothing but traffic and teeth grinding for you.
2. According to the AJC, Billy Knight thrice attempted to fire Mike Woodson.  Way to keep family matters out of the street.
3. Rich Midtown denizens may want to turn away at this point.  AroundMidtown has some pictures of the Piedmont Park parking deck.
4. We have some sad restaurant closing news.  Snellville favorite Little Gardens is closing this Sunday.  For a long time it seemed as though this was the only restaurant in Gwinnett not called Chili’s.
5. Decatur Metro reports that a new bookstore called Blue Elephant is opening in the Decatur area.  But will they treat me as snarkily as the folks at A Capella do?
6. Georgia Sports Blog has the full Knowshon 2007 highlights.  Any guess as to the soundtrack?
7. While H&M struggles to get its first store launched in Atlanta, it announces plans for two more.  The Swedish retail chain plans on adding stores at Mall of Georgia and Town Center. (-7 Hip Points)
8. CL has info on the 2008 Atlanta Film Festival.
9. GSU is adding more student housing.  Atlanta Business Chronicle with the straight dope.  This round includes fraternity houses.  They will regret this decision in 5, 4……

[Mmmmmm Nitrates, or is Nitrites?]

1. Wonkette talks about Georgia’s pending water war with Tennessee. Once get past the Northern elitism it is an interesting read. (h/t AM)
2. Goodbye workforce housing, hello high falutin’ living. The word is that some high end condos going replacing their low end brethren across the street from Cross Keys High School.
3. Attractive Eighties Women are playing a free show at Criminal Records tomorrow night. FREE BEER AND HOT DOGS. I repeat, FREE BEER AND HOT DOGS. CL con le scoop.
4. A bill is up to restrict development on Jekyll Island. We are all for keeping developers from turning the island into a holiday version of Atlantic Station, but this bill proposes to revitalized the existing hotels From personal experience we can feel confident in judging numerous Jekyll hotels to be beyond repair. AJC with details
5. Interested in inexpensive furniture?
6. Bro, the Bonnaroo line up is up. The shift away from Jam Bands continues. Who do we like in the line up - Kanye, M.I.A., Pearl Jam, Willie Nelson, Robert Randolph, Lupe Fiasco, Rilo Kiley, Drive By Truckers, Aimee Mann, Black Kids. Cable & Tweed with the full dealio.
7. H&M is adding a second store in Atlanta before the first store even opens. It will be at North Point Mall. I wish the word “metrosexual” wasn’t so passe, because we totally could have used it. Atlanta Business Chronicle with more.
8. Reknowned Atlanta hater and hip hop heavyweight Pimp C’s death has been attributed to sippin’ on the syzzurp.
9. Here is an interesting column from the AJC about how the mortgage [insert any term but crisis] has affected homeowner’s association dues collection. What will suburban parents do without lifeguards to babysit their kids this summer?
10. The dates for Corndogorama have been set. That sentence sounds funny enough on its own.

[Our Current Conception of Where Forsyth County is Located]

1. Panderfest 2008, also known as the Georgia Legislature, is going to be sure that you can water your lawn. Good to know our commitment to water conservation isn’t meaningful. Next on the agenda, making sure Whitewater stays open. Our favorite part of this legislation is the online tutorial. The AJC details this waste of your tax dollars and more.
2. PeachPundit has dubbed Glenn Richardson Tax Jesus. More coverage here.
3. Atlantan Cee-Lo and former Athenian Danger Mouse are getting ready to release Gnarls Barkley’s second album. I guess Q-100 may finally have to stop playing Crazy. SOHH with the details.
4. The AJC lets a GSU professor roll out some serious anecdotal evidence about when science was wrong. He lists, like, three whole times. This of course leads to the logical conclusion that “we know almost nothing” about global warming. This editorial would fit nicely in a high school newspaper, so long as that paper was published at a below average public school.
5. Katt Williams is coming out with a rap album. I wish he would come out with a comedy CD. For those who haven’t seem The Pimp Chronicles, I express my deepest sympathies.  The special was filmed at the Atlanta Civic Center.
6. Braves and Birds talks about the Falcons new head coach, Mike Smith.  I am on the Falcons season ticket wait-list.  Think I will get my tickets?
7. One of our favorite state legislators has a competitor in his next Republican primary.  Tondee’s Tavern with some sparse details.
8. Atlanta retail robbing crews should start making plans now.  Oscar de la Renta is opening a store at Ben Carter’s Streets of Buckhead development.
9. SunTrust profits are down 99 percent, but at least they are making a profit.  With last year’s rumored buyout partners suffering worse fates, it seems that SunTrust may not be on its way out of Atlanta.  AJC with coverage.
10. Y’all seem to love lists (lawyaz especially).  Forsyth County is 13th on the Forbes list of richest counties in the US.  Don’t get all cocky Forsyth, you’re still, like, a 2 hour and 45 minute drive from Atlanta.
11. Manchester Orchestra is playing at the Loft tonight.  Chances of awesomenes, 100%.
    

[Those people across the street are set up with camping chairs. Cameraphone quality photo, gotta love it.]

People are lined up outside classic Atlanta sports apparel store Walter’s for the new Jordan 23’s. The shoe doesn’t drop, I hope I used that right, until tomorrow. Walter’s is one of only 23 stores around the country to get the shoe. Each store will only receive 23 pairs. The shoe retails for $230, but prices on eBay are already in excess of $1000.

[Noticably absent from the list: Jon Tenuta. Where is this man geauxing??]

1. Georgia Tech Sports Blog has the full listing of Tech’s new assistant coaches and some thoughts on what they represent. In regards to the hiring of a new coach at Tech a friend told me, “it will be better because it will be different.”
2. Be careful out there even in the swankest of hoods. There was a robbery at the Ansley Mall Bank of America Drive Up ATM on New Year’s Day at around 7 p.m. (not all that late). The victim was robbed at gunpoint. Is this the part where I am supposed to qualify whatever I write with “while I support the Second Amendment.”
3. Attention GSU students and other downtown denizens! Your favorite Athens coffee house slash cycling team is coming to the downtown area. Jittery Joe’s has a new location at 141 Piedmont Avenue. That is the University Commons area, also known as that monstrous GSU dorm you can see from the connector aimed at helping to revitalize the downtown area. Looks like they are hiring too!