Stunned Silence

I have had laryngitis for the last three weeks, and finally went to the ear/nose/throat specialist, who looked down my throat with a scope (can you say "eeeeehhh, aaaaaahh, oooooo?"). Nothin' but inflamed and swollen vocal cords, most likely caused by acid reflux and poor dietary/drinking habits. (?) It just sucks getting old. Now I have to avoid all my favorites, and how easy is it to do that with a superautomaticespressomaker staring you in the face every morning and a nice collection of flavorful Italian whites around happy hour? (well, at least it's not the other way around!) And don't get me started on the chocolate ban. The rest I can handle. Oops, forgot about that spicy Thai food I had on Tuesday.

In the meantime, I have been prescribed at least three days of total silence. It is not going well. I started by carrying with me a notecard that said "I can't speak for three days, dr.'s orders." That of course invited a stream of follow-on questions, with me trying to rapidly write responses. It probably would be faster to just text. I occasionally will whisper to my spouse or children and it totally cracks me up because they start whispering back. Then I whisper, you don't have to whisper, there is nothing wrong with your vocal cords, is there????? Or I make dramatic facial expressions, feigning disgust, mirth, wonderment, and apathy. As you can see, I haven't come even remotely close to five minutes of silence.

Here is my other favorite written line, which I carry around daily: "Get in the car NOW or you are taking the bus!" It even worked on Steve! In fact, I don't see why I shouldn't carry on in mode indefinitely. Why waste thy precious life force . . .

Tomorrow is the Super Bowl party at r o a m . . . don't know how to get through that without talking. I will probably want to get a good supply of paper or maybe just carry around a laptop. Or I could pre-record a number of responses in that Stephen Hawking voice. I still have a sneaking suspicion that all this started as a result of singing Rock Band xbox360 . . . another hidden danger of video games.

Enter roam

Do you have a spouse that works from home, taking over the guest bedroom, or perhaps lucky enough to have a designated office/corner? Or maybe you are SOHO (that's not an insult or part of NYC - it's small office home office). Tired of shouting: "I'm on a CONFERENCE CALL!!!" and smacking a broom into the ceiling/floor/wall? When was the last time cable/DSL went down? The last time you had to (get dressed) and go into the office anyway because you didn't have access to support that you needed. Perhaps you are a corporate employee whose workforce has gone 'mobile' - when you do go in to use the 'corporate facilities' - are they set up the way you want and do you have access to any support? (Who are these people, anyway . . . .)

Enter r o a m Atlanta. No, seriously, you can enter r o a m, well, in about a coupla months. R o a m is a new 'third place,' designed to perfectly meet the needs of you SOHO's, teleworkers, entrepreneurs, and yes, rock stars. The first location (hint) conveniently located in Alpharetta/north Atlanta off GA 400 on Windward Parkway, r o a m features:

* eight conference rooms, reserved by the hour or day
* large capacity theatre room/training center, with superb sound/video system
* library with share table and seating
*club area with comfortable chairs
*cafe with wireless internet, delectable drinks, treats, and meals; plus beer and wine for evening hours (does Starbucks have that????ha!)

Services include:
*business support, such as technical, printing, copying, etc.
*catering
*meeting planning/support

r o am's public areas (cafe, lounge, library and restrooms) will be initially (hint #2) open to the public, but members get benefits, such as discounts on room rentals, and access to networking, training, and special events, all at an affordable price.

We can't say enough about managing partner Jason Dauble - a major player in the Atlanta restaurant scene, he has a background in the culinary arts as well as design and you will see his impact on the menu as well as the walls at r o a m. Just google him if you want to know more! He has worked at top notch places like Canoe, Georgia Grill, South City Kitchen, Van Goghs, and most recently eleven50.

Have we discussed the coffee? R o a m will feature Lavazza coffee, touted as the best java in the world, as well as Italy's favorite coffee. http://www.lavazza.com/corporate/ So you can't make it to Rome, Italy. You can certainly make it to r o a m Atlanta.

http://www.roamatlanta.com/ under construction . . . keep checking . . . come up for a sneak peek . . .

Motorcycle Mama

I know what boys like . . . I know what guys want . . . they want to go to the bike show!

We went to the motorcycle show yesterday at the Georgia World Congress Center . . . they had a little section called the Women's Studio and I had a nice long chat with a pierced gal who gave me some great info, including recommendations on bikes (not what Steve would have me on), training, and how to pick a bike up off the ground (Steve learned something here!). Everything was going great until John decided to take off on his own when we were getting ready to leave - we eventually found him back at the Army tent (they had some awesome video games in there and no blood or gore!) and we had to fan out to find him. Unfortunately, they did not have a sign up for military school. Between that and the "Wheel of Toyota Tundra," we had a great time!

Vintage style vespa - 250cc










James, Gavin, and Cameron on a big hog w/sidecare










Steve & John, same










BMW K 1200 GT

How to Build a Georgia Snowman

#1. Rush outside in early snowfall

2. The one that got away!

3. A two-footer!

4. Two days later

roam - under construction

watch the transformation . . .a place for teleworkers, small office/home office (SOHO), entrepreneurs, and rock stars! Free wireless internet, delectable dishes, Italian coffee, work space, conference space, meeting space, high tech training space, tech and business support. Meet me in roam!

http://roamatlanta.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

B-52's Roam Lyrics

I hear a windWhistling airWhispering in my earBoy mercury shooting through every degreeOh girl dancing down those dirty and dusty trailsTake it hip to hip rocking through the wildernessAround the world the trip begins with a kissRoam if you want to roam around the worldRoam if you want to without wings without wheelsRoam if you want to roam around the world Roam if you want to without anything but the love we feelSkip the air-strip to the sunset Yeah ride the arrow to the targetTake it hip to hip rock it through the wildernessAround the world the trip begins with a kissRoam if you want to roam around the worldRoam if you want to without wings without wheelsRoam if you want to roam around the world Roam if you want to without anything but the love we feelFly the great big sky see the great big seaKick through continents bustin bountariesTake it hip to hip rock it through the wildernessAround the world the trip begins with a kissRoam if you want to roam around the worldRoam if you want to without wings without wheelsRoam if you want to roam around the world Roam if you want to without anything but the love we feelTake it hip to hip rock it through the wildernessTake it hip to hip rock it through the wildernessTake it hip to hip rock it through the wildernessTake it hip to hip rock it through the wildernessTake it hip to hip rock it through the wildernessTake it hip to hip rock it through the wildernessTake it hip to hip rock it through the wildernessTake it hip to hip rock it through the wilderness

I stole it

From my "Zen Daily Inspiration" calendar (from Kel): for January 2nd (yesterday - ha!):

"The best preparation for a better life next year is a full complete, harmonious, joyous life this year" - Thomas Dreier.

So, I'm done!!!!! (kidding). In reality, I am embarking on a new journey and not worried about getting in shape, finding my dream career, drinking less, etc. I didn't say I'm not trying, I just said I'm not worrying . . . big difference.

From Daily Candy, even easier:
KEEP: One Resolution
What: Make it one of the easy ones.
Why: You’ll feel better.
When: It’s never too late.
Where: Here

Here is a new tradition, well, kinda an old one. I always keep holiday cards, and I especially like the photos. I have been tucking them away in drawers and boxes and will occasionally stumble across them. I never have the heart to discard (except for those ridiculous, verbose newsletters. If it isn't a total spoof, I don't really want to read it!) So from now on, I am keeping them all in a box that says "grace", from friend Hilda. I just love to see you all. It brings me total joy.