Lilburn, GA

Have you heard about Fusion 41? Ford is grabbing a handful of social media and leveraging it to promote the 2010 Ford Fusion.

I'll give you the link to check out the contest. It is pretty cool. Go buy a 2010 Fusion, grab a few friends and have some fun. BTW, I'll be happy to be on a team if you have the car...

;^ )

The Fusion 41

from LaneBailey.com

My son's Kindergarten teacher and some of his classmates families gathers this morning at the Movie Tavern at Northlake Festival in Tucker. It is right by Northlake Mall... look for the giant tower in the parking lot.

The reason for the gathering was Flapjacks and Flicks (pdf) and Where the Wild Things Are...

On the menu is a drink and unlimited pancakes... The price is reasonable... considering the breakfast involved. We each had a couple of plates of pancakes (3 pancakes a plate), and a fairly big soft drink. The pancakes were pretty good.

Now, I am a "popcorn and barrel of Coke" kind of guy when it comes to a movie... but I also haven't been doing a lot of 9:00am movies. It was a great experience... and the 5 year old was pretty calm... I'll take that as a testament to his full belly.

My suggestions, get there a little early. This will allow you to get an extra serving or two of pancakes, if so desired. We ordered just before the movie started and got our flapjacks about 20 minutes into the flick.

Check the movie schedule... grab some breakfast during a movie.

Image by stevehdc via Flickr

Each year, during the third weekend in October, Scots gather in the meadow at Stone Mountain Park. For 37 years the Stone Mountain Highland Games have not only provided cool athletic competition, but also a great musical performances and social interactions.

I have been to a few of the events over the years and enjoyed watching athletic events like the Caber Toss (this is throwing a telephone pole, kids…), the Hammer Throw and the Sheaf Toss.

I’m also a sucker for bagpipe music.

Hit up the Stone Mountain Highland Games website for more info. Events start Friday evening and continue through Sunday. There IS an additional charge to get into the meadow, aside from the park’s entry fee.

from LilburnDwellings.com

The Gwinnett County Library System is reviewing the plan it had for several of its library branches; Lilburn, Snellville and Dacula.

According to the News article on the Library’s website, they are moving to a Regional Service Model. Under that model, the three mentioned libraries would become “Computer Libraries” and would have “Customers will be able to use computers for longer periods of time, return books, pick up holds, get library cards and use a photocopier at the computer access Library locations. These library centers will continue to be staffed by librarians and other staff qualified to address information and reference questions. You will still be able to browse the entire collection online and request delivery of materials to the pick up location of your choice.”

The way I read that is that the affected branches wouldn’t have many books… but rather would be places to pick up ordered books instead of roaming the stacks.

The Gwinnett Daily Post recently had a story about the outcry from some business and civic leaders regarding the changes. While I understand the desire to cut budgets… This doesn’t really seem to be that much of a game changer to me…

We've all been there... Travelling across country or even out of the country... We have to eat.

There are two basic choices. Do we experiment and try something local? Maybe hit up a "Mom & Pop" place with purely local fare... Or there is the chain... We know what they serve, we have their menus memorized.

No matter where you go, the #2 at McDonald's is a Double Cheeseburger. If it isn't #2, it is still nearby. And no matter where you go, NO food critic is going to drop out of the sky and think that his #2 is the most exceptional thing EVER. If it is perfect, it is ok... Just ok. And I like a Double Cheeseburger with a few McDonalad's fries...

But what about the Court of Two Sisters in NOLA? Or the Country Pump somewhere in rural MN? Moab Brewery in Moab, UT? Fat Matt's Rib Shack in Atlanta, GA? Cioffi's in Lilburn, GA? Chances are that you don't know their menu. Chances are that you don't know what to expect when you walk in the door the first time. Chances are that you haven't been to all of these places... unless you are stalking me.

Four of them have incredible food. The other isn't much different that microwaving something storebrand... and they even serve you Coke in the can... They DO pop the top, though.

Not just food...

We do it with many things... We opt for the tried and true. It might not be that great, but it is a known commodity. It takes guts to step out of the "known" and try new things and new places. It can also take research... Whether that means asking friends or surfing the net...

But it is worth the effort. Every once in a while there is a "FAIL"... but there are rewards, too. Chances are that the manager at Burger King isn't going to know your name and what you like to eat... but the ladies at Cossetta's Italian Market might...

And sometimes even real estate agents that don't have red, white and blue balloons or gold jackets have pretty good ideas... ;^ )