Author: Julie

informatics analyst • mobility nerd • lover of dogs cats music guitars books nature flowers needlework • coffee snob • georgia voter who's mad as hell • former windows phone MVP •

Biking in & around Douglas County, GA: The Silver Comet Trail

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Biking on the Silver Comet Trail is a wonderful way to spend the day with family or friends. 

Starting in Smyrna, GA, the Silver Comet Trail spans over 60 miles, running through Cobb, Paulding and Polk counties.  By the end of summer 2008, the Silver Comet Trail will connect to the Chief Ladiga Trail at the Georgia/Alabama state line, extending the trail another 100 miles and terminating in Anniston, Alabama. 

The Silver Comet Trail is a great place to ride, walk or jog.  The paved, mostly flat trail, spans some beautiful and scenic vistas and you can ride as far as you want without having to worry about cars.  (The picture above is looking West from the Hiram, GA trail head)

Continue reading Biking in & around Douglas County, GA: The Silver Comet Trail

Prayers for a NeedleNerd

Sandra E’s house burned to the ground yesterday morning. The fire occurred around 9:30 am and Sandra and her two sons were NOT home at the time. The family lost everything, including Sandra’s much loved cats (4) and dogs (2) which she had kept in the house yesterday due to the extremely cold temperatures. Fortunately, Sandra and her sons are fine and were not physically injured.

I spoke to Sandra this morning and she told me that they are staying at the Hampton Inn for the next couple of weeks. Sandra told me that the fire investigators were not sure about the cause of the fire and will conduct a more thorough investigation next week, but their initial findings indicate some kind of electrical fault that started the fire in the basement of the home. Yesterday’s freezing temperatures and windy conditions accelerated the fire and made it very challenging for the firemen who arrived en masse (5 fire trucks) to try to put it out. Unfortunately, all their efforts were thwarted and the home and all its contents were consumed. (One of her neighbors called her at work when the fire was first discovered and she went home immediately).

Sandra’s youngest son attends New Manchester High School, so Sandra is looking for a suitable rental property (apartment, duplex, house) that is within that school district where they can live while their home is being rebuilt (about 6 months). If you are aware of an available property in that school district, please let me know and I’ll pass the information along to her (she is not on Facebook).

Fortunately, they are well insured and the insurance company is being very responsive to their immediate needs. Sandra’s employer, her neighbors and church family have also been very caring and supportive.

I emailed Sandra’s contact information to the NeedleNerds email list, so check your email for that information. If you aren’t on my email list let me know and I’ll provide that information to you privately.

Breath, by Tim Winton

BreathHave you ever finished a book that was so beautifully written that all you could do afterwards is just sit and meditate for a while to let the story settle down into your soul?

That’s how I feel tonight after finishing “Breath” by Tim Winton. I didn’t actually read the book since I listened to the audio version of the book on my mp3 player, but, no matter, the story was profoundly shared, wonderfully told, beautifully written, and now I must sit and meditate on it.  I may have to go read the printed version of the book to get another layer of Mr. Winton’s glorious style of spinning a story.

Swamplandia! was a bust (for me, anyway)

SwamplandiaSometimes it just makes sense to cut bait and move on!

I read about 30% of the book before I was so bored with it I started skipping and skimming around, reading just enough to follow the storyline. Using that method I quickly scanned through to about the halfway point of the book and then decided I was done. I had read all I cared to read about the Bigtree family. Why waste any more time suffering through a book that I was not enjoying?  I didn’t care about the characters and, try as I might, I couldn’t identify with any aspect of the story.

This book may appeal to a different reader, but it holds no appeal for me. I was invested enough in the story that I searched around the internet enough to find out how the story turns out. What I learned finally happens with the characters in this story was not very believable or satisfying so I’m glad I didn’t suffer through to the end of the book. 

Now, on to the next book!

Reading on a Budget

Here’s some useful information about books that all the avid readers out there might appreciate:

Paperbooks

We’ve probably all bought books from Amazon.com, but there are lots of other places on the web where you can get cheap books*.

Don’t forget about our local used bookstore, Douglasville Books, located at 7191 Douglas Blvd, Douglasville, GA (770.949.4363).  If they’ve got the book, you probably won’t find it anywhere cheaper.‎

*Thanks to Sandra for providing links to these great online sources for new and used books. Continue reading Reading on a Budget