On my way into work today, I stopped by Starbucks for my usual Saturday treat. The Nippers Corner location features outdoor seating and just adjacent to the door was a woman that caught my eye as I stepped past her to the front door and into the coffee shop.

What drew my attention wasn’t her looks, or what she was wearing — I really can’t recall either with any clarity — what struck me she was doing. I walked past her in all of a second and a half, but thinking back on it now is like recalling a scene from the Matrix where everything slows down and you can focus on every little detail.

It was still early in the day, so the sun was low on the horizon and the air was light and crisp with a gentle breeze. She was in a world all her own. Her body lightly rocked forward and backward with the ease of a tapping finger, no doubt triggered from the personal soundtrack coming from her earbuds. Tracing the cord down the side of her arm, we see the headphones terminate into her Dell laptop. Her fingers slap at the keys fiercely as they attempt to keep up with her thoughts. It is clearly a losing battle because she leans in towards the screen, her mind attempting to force the words to appear faster before the thought is lost. Her mouth is parted slightly, almost a grimace as the rapid staccato “taptaptaptaptap” urges her on, encouraging her to go faster and faster and faster.

She was “in the groove” and passionately writing something, I don’t know what, but I drank it all in wishing I could be in her shoes right then. There is just something special about being in a public place and lost in your own world. That is what I saw on the woman’s face this morning and that’s what struck a chord and what’s been reverberating through me ever since.

Photo: “Catching up on e-mail…” courtesy of Ed Yourdon.

The images above are examples of the name tags that were used at the last Facebook Developer Conference. The design completely blows me away. All I can do is sit and drool looking at these incredible name tags.

If you want more, I suggest you check out the Fonts In Use article since they have better command of the English language than I do at the moment.

Source: Fonts In Use

I came across this image yesterday when I was exploring Ffffound! and would love to purchase this flag. Given that I run a media streaming business, I think some high-quality footage of this flag blowing in the wind would be great for demos and “technical difficulty” messaging.

If anyone has a suggestion of where I can find such a flag, please let me know.

• Perking Up: The Coffee Economy Awakes
• iPhone Web Development
• Honoring Apple from 1976 to the Italian introduction of the iPad
• StreetMuseum
• Tina Fey’s greatest comedy moments

I guess I could have called this entry, “Today’s Distractions”.

Three more if you’re so inclined:

• Deer Licking A Cat
• Dog Plays With Baby Deer
• Jazz Dog Malfunction

Source: Heather Powazek Champ

Hack The Debate
The next debate on October 15^th is going to feature a live Twitter stream. I have mixed feelings about this, but I’m curious to see what this will look like. On one hand I think it’ll devolve into fart jokes, but since it’s a managed event there’s the possibility of some actual interesting comments from the online peanut gallery.

Two Proposals to Make Elections Better
My buddy Craig had a post on his blog today about two options to change how we vote and how the town hall debates. Although I like the idea of knowledge based voting somewhat, it’s very elitist (which I am) and I think would scare away too many voters. “What! There’s a test?” I definitely like the idea of changing the debate structure so that the candidates could really drill down on the issues. Makes me think the “Hack the Debate” idea has more merit than I originally thought.

Obama ’08: The Official iPhone Application
I downloaded and installed this application over the air during breakfast this morning and I have to say that I’m VERY impressed. Regardless of which candidate you plan on voting for, this is a brilliant use of technology. The app is a concise distillation of Obama’s position on the issues and is very engaging to boot. I had to sit back and give my best Joey Lawrence “Woah” when reviewing the “Call Friends” feature

Call Friends: A great volunteering tool that lets you make a difference any time you want by talking to people you already know. Your contacts are prioritized by key battleground states, and you can make calls and organize results all in one place.

Suddenly I’m pulled from the sidelines and being asked to take action. I’m not going to lie, it scared the shit out of me. Absolutely brilliant.

John McCain: Economic Disaster
The Obama campaign released this on YouTube on Tuesday, but made no mention of it during the debate, which kinda pissed me off. If you’re going to lob a grenade like this, don’t ignore it. The video, although somewhat boring, does illustrate McCain’s involvement in the S&L scandal quite well, which many people were too young or simply don’t remember. Of course there’s a clear parallel drawn between today’s financial meltdown and the debacle of the past.

Of course take it with a grain of salt, because the video clearly has an agenda and this is not a pure documentary.

Make Believe Maverick
OK, I don’t get my news from Rolling Stone magazine and there’s no doubt that their perspective is pretty far to the left. That being said, there’s a great deal of detail and quotes from those that were there and it did make me rethink some of what I like about McCain. But again, take it with a grain, or two of salt.

CNN Fact Checker
This site is one of the best things to come out of the 2008 political pageant — and yes, don’t think for a minute that this isn’t a pageant. Anyway, both parties are slinging digs into each other as to why the other’s plan is crap and given how the debates are so structured and dare I say it, neutered, I like that there’s a news source that’s publishing their fact checking.

The only thing missing is a tally showing just how truthful each campaign is being. In my cursory review, I’m seeing a lot of “True” and “Partially True” on the Obama side and a lot of “False” and “Misleading” on the McCain side. Regardless of which side you’re rooting for, when you break down all the rhetoric and decisive personal belief issues, you have to focus on the facts.

FactCheck.org
Ok, just one more. In composing this article, I decided to see if I could find a “Truth Tally” to the CNN link above, I came across this site. I need to dig a little deeper because there is a TON of detail, but I love this site!

For example, take a look at The Second Debate and you’ll see what I mean. They go point-by-point checking each fact that was presented and then providing sources at the bottom of the page. Great stuff.

Well so much for a quick little article, but hopefully you’ll find some of these links interesting and feel free to comment about them!

To give you a glimpse of just how crazy it’s been, Jim Ridley of the Nashville Scene has uncovered a video of what it’s been like inside Metro Government.

In time I hope to fill in the blanks a bit and get some articles posted that I’ve been working on, but until then here’s just a quick update of what’s been going on:

• Day Two & Three of my San Diego photos have been posted. You can find them at this link.
• Holly won, for the second year in a row, the Halloween contest for her office building. I posted a clip of her performance on YouTube.
• StreamerNet.com redesign launched
• NPUG held a meeting on the topic “Walking Down The Upgrade Path“. (presentation posted)
• I found a new hair stylist that I really like.
• Vegona.com redesign launched
• Interviewed Voja Lalich, the CEO of Motion Apps for Computer Outlook Radio Talk Show (MP3 Download | Show Notes)
• Rewired the offices of Business Nashville Magazine.
• Drove to Baton Rouge for Thanksgiving, and as usual, didn’t have time to see everyone. Sorry.

It’s at times like this that I wish I had hair like George Clooney. His hair style is more conservative than mine and it looks as if a barber cut it, but Clooney’s hair always looks great. If I could get away with that look, I’d run to a barber in a New York second. Unfortunately my hair is a bit too fine in texture and Clooney’s look wouldn’t translate to my head. In fact, I haven’t been to a barber since I was a child. The moment that I wanted to have my hair “feathered” back in the late 70′s and early 80′s, it was off to a hair stylist and I’ve been with one ever since.

The first time I meet a new stylist, I talk about what I’d like to do with my hair, and all the caveats that go with cutting it. They listen attentively, make a few suggestion and explain what they would do and then give it a cut. Normally, I like what I see and over the next three or four months things are great. I get my hair cut about once a month and so by the fourth cut, I’m really happy and lauding their abilities to anyone who asks. Then around month 8 or so things start to go downhill. The cut isn’t as good as it was, the style is off, or not what I asked for. Eventually, usually by the 12th cut, I’m so discouraged by how my hair looks that I stop going and look for someone else.

That’s what happened with my last appointment. I hated my previous cut, but I figured it was because we were growing it out that I had so much trouble with it. I liked the length, but it was a bit heavy and hard to style. So I brought in photos of hair that I liked to try and illustrate my thoughts and ideas. All the photos I showed were of men with long hair. What I got was a short piecey cut that when styled looked like pixie meets frankenstein. So glad I spent two months growing it out only to have it lopped off.

I didn’t voice my disappointment in how my hair turned out, but I did mention how I didn’t like how one bang was styled, and he reached for the razor and cut it off. I guess I offended him, I don’t know. I tried to mask my disappointment and I probably overcompensated and gave the impression that I liked it. Fact is, I hate it. I had bangs that had grown past my nose and now they don’t even reach my eyebrows. Why did I walk around with a freakin’ mop on my head for the past month if all we were going to do is go back to a short cut? ARGH! I was so angry as I drove away from the salon.

As I made my way back to the house, I kept running through everything I said trying to figure out if I had ticked him off, or said something that offended him. Although I had said that I wasn’t wild about how heavy my hair was and how hard it had been to style after the last cut, I did so in a very nice way. In fact, I even said the words “It’s not your cut, it’s me”, so if I rubbed him the wrong way, I don’t see how. Yet, when I look in the mirror I have to ask, “Why would he do this to me?” Is he bored with my hair? Is he in a creative rut? Is he tired of my voice, because you know I talk a lot. Have I offended his artistic talent by not liking something he did? Or is he only good at a handful of hair styles? I don’t know, but I’m not spending another $40 to find out. He does a fantastic job on Holly’s hair, but I’m not blessed with the Cinderella hair that my wife has.

So the thrill is gone and I’m now on the hunt for a new stylist. As frustrated as I am right now, it’s lead me to think about what the “dream stylist” would be. The answer is easy, I want Alton Brown. That’s right, I want the “Alton Brown of hair” to be my stylist. Why? Because I want someone that can explain to me what it is I’m asking for and what it is we’re trying to do.

I come into the salon once a month with a bunch of ideas about what I want to do with my hair and I’m using all kinds of non-stylist language. What I’d love is for a stylist to explain to me what it is that I’m really asking for in stylist terms. Explain to me what it is he/she is going to do and then tell what it will take to style my hair like I want when I get home. If you think about it, what I’m really asking for is nothing other than for the stylist to manage my expectations.

When I work with a client on their web site, that’s exactly what I do. The client brings all sorts of ideas to the table and it’s my job to interpret those needs and goals and to turn them into a web site. One of the key aspects of my job is to explain to the client what we’re doing and why. Sometimes I can’t exactly meet a client’s vision, but at least they know why and we often find a middle ground that works just as well. Sometimes technology can’t do exactly what you want it to do, but if you understand why, then you can work around it.

The same thing applies to my hair. I know that due to my DNA, I’m not going to be able to pull off the same hair style that Brad Pitt can. OK, but tell me why something won’t work and then we can find a way to work around it. Don’t just go a different direction and give me something completely different from what I asked for. Before my last haircut, I pulled my stylist outside to a corner coffee shop to point someone out. My exact words were, “I like that guy’s hair”. Well, I didn’t get that guy’s hair, I got FrankenPixie.

The best thing a stylist ever did for me was to tell me “no”. It was around 1985 and I went to a stylist with a picture of Nick Rhodes in tow. When I showed her the photo and asked her if I could have his exact hairstyle, she simply told me “No.” When I asked why, she spelled out all the reasons that my hair would not look like that, including “you don’t have a full-time stylist that will keep it looking that way.” I was disappointed, sure, but was also glad to at least know why I would never achieve that look and happy to try something else.

So if anyone in the Greater Nashville area has any recommendations for stylists I’m all ears. If you know of an Alton Brownesque personality that is good with men’s hair and good with hair that is fine in texture, please contact me, or post a comment to this article.

All that being said, there’s a part of me that looks over this article and thinks, “What the hell? All this hub bub over hair?” Maybe I’ve been watching too much Project Runway and Design Star. Perhaps instead of going down the stylist road again, I should venture out and just try a barber. Maybe I could find a book of hairstyles and just ask for the “Number 12″ and be done with it.

I wish it were that easy.

At the last cigar tasting, Mike, the store manager, mentioned something about a radio show broadcasting from there live, but I thought it was just some kind of radio promotional thing. You know, a one shot deal. About a week later, Tobacco Road sent out an e-mail giving all the details.

The Bubba Miller Show Presented by CAO This fall Tobacco Road Smoke Shop and CAO will host a radio show live on Tuesday nights from 6pm to 7pm beginning September 5. The show will feature interactive football talk, with interviews from NFL coaches and stars. As well as college football talk. 560 WNSR will be the host station.

This wasn’t just some radio promo, but a full fledged talk radio show being broadcast directly from the store! Given the fact that I’m a co-host for the radio show Computer Outlook and also host my own podcast, Simply Digital, I was keenly interested in checking out the show.

I was unable to make the first two shows, but last Tuesday I made it a point to be there and what a treat it was. I was a little early, but that gave me time to visit with some of the regulars of the shop. The engineer for the show was already there and had everything set up and ready to go. Shortly before airtime, the CAO rep arrived and that’s when the deals started. I bought three Brazillia Churchills, which entitled me to a free Criollo, but the rep also gave me a free baseball cap and a free CAO cigar cutter, which was clear

As the show was about to start, I grabbed a seat on one of the plush leather couches, clipped one of the Brazilla Churchills and lit it up. Sitting back and enjoying my cigar, I had a ringside seat to the Bubba Miller Show.

The first thing I noticed when I saw Bubba, was how young he looked. I don’t know what I was expecting exactly, but he looked much younger than I thought he would be. The second thing I noticed was how relaxed he was. Here he was about to go live on the air and he looked like he was just kicking back with a few friends. Once on the air, that relaxed nature continued and Bubba did a bang up job hosting his own show. I’m certainly no football expert, but it was clear that Bubba knows his stuff. Everyone in the shop was nodding and seemed to be in agreement with what he was saying.

Speaking of what he was saying, Bubba doesn’t pull any punches. He came down hard on the Titan’s performance from the previous weekend and although everyone reacted like he’d thrown a punch at slam at Coach Fisher, no one was disagreeing with what he was saying. I think they were just surprised that he was saying it. That was really best part of being present for the live show. Being there to appluad and hoop it up was fun, but being part of the peanut gallery as Bubba laid down the hard truth was a hell of a lot of fun.

The banter between Bubba and June Bug, his co-host and stats expert, was smooth and easy. Bubba had one call-in guest and two live guests and those interviews went off without a hitch. I’m telling you, it looked like he’d been doing this show for years. Maybe he has and I just don’t have a clue, but for the 3rd episode of a live broadcast, I was impressed.

After the show was over, there was a lot of milling around and socializing. Everyone congratulated Bubba on a good show and the level of conversation rose quite a bit now that we didn’t have to be quiet any longer. Standing at the register talking to Mike, I noticed one of the audience members talking to June Bug and voicing a differing opinion. It made me laugh to see this man suggest that his intuition was better than June Bug’s fancy stats.

With everything winding down, the CAO rep held a raffle for a box of cigars. I didn’t win, but my name is still in the hat for the grand prize that will be drawn at the end of the 14 episode run. I guess the more shows I attend the better my chance at winning.

And the same holds true for you. If you live in the greater Nashville area, I highly recommend you stop by the Tobacco Road Smoke Shop on Tuesday evening. I’m not much of a football guy, but I had a blast and I think you would to. The show is only an hour long, so just about anyone can take a quick time out to watch the show and relax with some friends. Great deals on cigars, great cigars to enjoy and a a cool place to just hanging out. What more could you ask for?

She’s now on to bigger and better things and her current project is called Amanda Across America. She is traveling across the country from New York to L.A. and creating all sorts of new media along the way. From Flickr photos, to blogging, to video podcasts, she’s interviewing interesting people and appears to be having a lot of fun along the way.

I was all set to attend the Meetup at Mothership BBQ today, but last night I saw a note from Brittany that the lunch meetup is off. There is still a meetup at Wolfy’s this evening, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to make it. I’m recording a podcast for a new project that launches on Sunday, so I have a conflict.

I was really hoping to meet her. Amanda is quite funny and has real talent in front of the camera. In watching her questioned Jeff Jarvis, I was really impressed at how well she conducted the interview. I also reached out to her to see if I could interview her for Simply Digital, but I haven’t heard back, so it looks like I’m completely striking out. Crap!

Walking in, I waved hey to some of the guys and walked to the sample table. There was a small crowd gathering around and they were getting what sounded like the tail end of an explanation on the Ashton line. As I stood there, it dawned on me that one of the main reasons that I come back to Tobacco Road is the fact that I’m recognized by the staff and owner. I can’t say that everyone that works there knows me by name per se, but that doesn’t really matter. “Hey man.” is just as good as “Hey Mike. in my book. Cue theme song to “Cheers“, Where Everybody Knows Your Name.

With the small crowd in front of me fully informed and now off lighting up their sample cigar, I stepped up and introduced myself to the rep. He introduced himself as Gus and proceeded to walk me through the Ashton product line he had displayed.

• Ashton Classic — Dominican/Connecticut Shade
• Ashton Cabinet — Dominican/Connecticut Shade
• Ashton Heritage Puro Sol — Dominican/Cameroon
• Ashton Maduro — Dominican/Connecticut Broadleaf
• Ashton VSG — Dominican/Ecuador

After going into great detail on each style of cigar, Gus handed me an Ashton Cabinet Churchill and a small dixie cup of Belvedere vodka. Having alcohol at a Tobacco Road cigar tasting was a bit unique, so I asked him why he was offering vodka as well. He explained that one of the higher ups in the company is a bit of a connoisseur and that this person has paired most of their cigars with liquors. Intrigued, I cut the cigar, lit it and then sat down on one of the ultra-comfortable black leather couches to enjoy.

I knew that the cigar was going to be great before I even tasted it. Ashton is made by Fuente and their stuff is all top notch. As expected, the cigar was well balanced with an even draw. It was a little on the mild side, but still had plenty of flavor. What did surprise me though, was how well it paired with the Belvedere vodka. I’ll admit that I’m not a big vodka guy. I find vodka to be a bit bland and lacking in flavor, but the Belevedre was an exception to the rule, or my rule is wrong. Either way, I was very impressed with the vodka and what surprised me was how well it went with the cigar. It reminded me of how you pair a wine with food. If you get it right, it’s magic. If you get it wrong, it’s just OK. Well, the Ashton Cabinet and Belvedere vodka is magic.

Curious, I went back to the Gus’ table to inquire more about the pairing and if he had any other pairings he could share. He pulled out a list and gave me everything he had.

• Ashton Classic — Balvenie 12 Yr., Double Wood
• Ashton Cabinet — Belvedere vodka
• Ashton Heritage — Macallan 12 yr.
• L’ Aroma — Mount Gay Rum
• Ashton Maduro — No drink, just dark chocolate, although a port should work well
• Ashton VSG — No paring because they never have enough for a proper tasting.

This idea of paring cigars with liquor opens up a whole new realm in which to explore. I’ve always just gone with a scotch, or a cognac and left it at that. It’s good mind you, but not the magic that I experienced that night. I’m going to have to expand my cigar notes to find better pairings because it really made a difference.

Only being half way through my cigar, I mingled around joining a conversation here and there. Tobacco Road is just such a great place to hang out in if you’re a guy. Since the bulk of my time is spent in front of a computer, it’s nice to just hang back and gab about nothing. Weather, women, trucks, sports, that sort of thing. I don’t know how to quantify it, it’s just “guy talk” and I really enjoy it. Of course a good 50% of the time I don’t have anything to add to the conversation, but that’s not the point. I mean what the hell do I know about college football, car repair, or half a dozen other topics? I was raised by women! I just like the camaraderie and comfort of just being one of the guys.

Around 8pm, it was time for the raffle drawing. If you purchased any Ashton products, you had the opportunity to enter the raffle. I had purchased an Ashton 5 Cigar Assortment consisting of 5 different cigars and so I had a ticket in the bucket. Up for grabs were the following:

• An Ashton Ceramic Ashtrays
• A very nice leather covered cedar travel humidor
• A large blue humidor for the person who spent the most that evening

I knew that the last item wasn’t for me. Another customer had purchased two full boxes of cigars and it was clear that he was getting the large humidor. My purchase of the 5-pack was $44 after the 20% discount, so you can imagine what two 25-count boxes set him back.

The first pull went to the big spender. He had a LOT of tickets in the bucket, so that was no surprise. Mike, who works at Tobacco Road, then pulled all of his remaining tickets so that the rest of us would have a shot. That raised my hopes a bit, but the remaining item went to someone else. Crud.

Thinking that there was no opportunity for any swag, I was about to make my leave when Gus decided to pass out a few boxes of Senoritas that he had on hand as consolation prizes. Let me tell you, I was consoled! Senoritas are small, about the size of a cigarette and they’re dry cured, so you don’t have to keep them in a humidor. Perfect for a backpack, or briefcase for a small smoke. I actually enjoy them from time-to-time when I’m walking Gracie.

I was thrilled with my boobie prize, but Mike kicked things up a notch when he decided to raffle off the remaining 5-pack samplers. Since I rarely win anything at raffles and having that belief proven already that evening, I didn’t expect to win. You can imagine my surprise when my name was the next one called. Woo hoo! LOL I made out like a bandit. I may have spent $44 (after discount), but I walked away with over $70 of free cigars!

All-in-all it was a great evening, which is what keeps me coming back on a regular basis, as well as making a special point to attend the cigar tastings. Good times, good cigars, plenty of camaraderie and free stuff. What’s not to like?

Regardless at what level you enjoy a cigar — maybe you’ve never had one, or you have one every day — a tasting at Tobacco Road is a lot of fun. I would encourage you to attend one if you get to chance. If you’d like to know when their next one is, you can sign up for their mailing list at this link (bottom of page).

The best part is that the guys got full permission from the farmers before hand. Nice.

The hardest photo to post in the “Making The Switch” photo set had to be the one of my cluttered office. Kerry challenged me to take a photo and I’m never one to back down from a challenge. I hope to have a follow-up picture soon of my office nice and neat, but until then I’ll just have to live with the shame.

As I’m beginning to implement the various aspects of GTD, I’m noticing that since my brain has been set free of having to remember everything, I’m able to focus better. For example, when I’m working on a project, I’m able to stay on task… or when Holly comes home, I can really listen to what she has to say. In the past, my mind was running on all the other things I needed to be doing. So while Holly’s talking, I’m thinking about 100 other things left on my mental to-do list.

Of course now that I’ve emerged from this “fog”, I am more aware of how other people are distracted when I talk to them. Last night we had dinner with a friend and I couldn’t help but notice that she wasn’t really there. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not pointing fingers, I’ve not been there for a LOT of conversations in the past and I’m sure it’ll happen again. It was just a shame that my friend wasn’t really there, because Holly and I were. We were both living in the moment, but our friend was just somewhere else. I now see what that’s like being on the receiving end and it’s a shame that it happens, because when we are somewhere else, we miss out on what’s happening right now

This morning I read Mike Rohde’s article “Thoughts on Continuous Partial Attention” and I have to agree with his conclusion. I don’t see much value in the “always-on” lifestyle. If you’re always always on, but no one is home, what’s the point? Sure, I’m pretty well connected, but I still use tools that help me to pull my attention to the one thing that I need to be thinking/working on at that moment. At least I try to.

Speaking of tools that help you find focus, 43Folders had an article today on “WriteRoom: Free full-screen writing app for OS X” which is exactly the type of tool I’m talking about. For me it’s Edit+ or the AlphaSmart Dana Wireless for my writing, but it’s the same basic idea.

It’s been 7 days since the seminar and I’m still on track and seeing benefits to the small changes that I’ve made thus far. I just hope that I can keep this focus and not slide back into the fuzzy logic of past bad habits.

The campaign involves printing images of large cups of coffee onto vinyl and then applying them to steaming man hole covers in New York City. Holes in the vinyl allow the steam to flow through the image and the result is what appears to be a piping hot cup of coffee with steam flowing from it.

Very clever and very cool. Too bad that it’s for junk coffee like Folgers and not something more delicious like Peets. You can find all the details and images at this link.

I had my usual two bag system with me that day. I had my APC Rolling Laptop Bag and my “jump bag“, which is a freebie bag courtesy of Microsoft. My laptop, tools and what not go in the laptop bag and the “jump bag” has all my paper stuff (Moleskines, etc) and my AlphaSmart Dana Wireless. The two bags go well together, because the “jump bag” can hook on to the handle of the laptop bag and I can just roll both of them behind me.

I rolled up to the elevators and there was already a young gentleman standing there waiting. I would guess his age to be about 13 and in a few moments after my arrival, the elevator arrived and we both boarded the lift. After pressing the ground level button, the young man turned to me and asked me, “Do you live in a hotel?” The question confused me, so I asked him to repeat himself and he replied saying exactly what I thought he said, “Do you live in a hotel?” With a confused look on my face, I simply replied, “Umm, no. Why?” The young man then said, “With all that stuff, I just thought you were from out of town.” I smiled and nodded, then the elevator doors opened and we both went our separate ways.

Two things struck me as I left the library. The first was the young man’s choice of words. The way he asked if I lived in a hotel sounded as if that idea intrigued him. Either that hotel living must be really cool, or that he had never stayed in a hotel. It wasn’t “are you staying in a hotel”, it was “are you living” in a hotel and the tone of his voice suggested that those who choose that lifestyle are hoi poli or something. That idea made me chuckle. The second thing that stuck me was the fact that this young man thought that I had enough crap with me that I must be carrying luggage for an extended trip. That idea had me rolling with laughter.

As I laughed my way to the car and then continued giggling as I drove down the interstate one thing became clear – I think I need to downside my daily gear.

Later that afternoon, I was pouring myself a Diet Coke from a two liter bottle and since it was a fresh bottle, there was a lot of foam rising to the top. Suddenly remembering the trick mentioned in the podcast, I quickly stuck my finger in the glass and much to my surprise, it worked! :O Not only that, I could keep pouring the cola beverage and the fizz never crested the top of the glass. I’m sure there’s a reasonable and no doubt scientific reason for why this works, but given all my many years of pouring Coke into a glass, I’m here to tell you — it looked like magic.

Since then I’ve been sticking my finger in my carbonated beverages everytime I pour and I know it may look a bit bizarre to people who haven’t heard of this nifty little trick, but it works so splendidly. Yet that begs the question, was I the only one who never heard of this before? Please post a comment and let me know.

»Select this link to watch/listen to “Windows Noise”.

I’ve been a customer of the Greek Cafe since they opened several years ago. At the time of their Grand Opening, I was doing a lot of work in the area, so I’d stop in at least once or twice a week. I’m not in Cool Springs all that often for lunch anymore, so when I am, it’s a real treat. It was after the lunch crush when I arrived, so I had my choice of seat and leisurely placed my order. Their french fries are really good, but since it was slow, they didn’t have any ready, so they had to make a fresh batch. No complaint from me!

I took my gyro sandwich and Diet Coke and went and sat down in a booth. After taking my food off the tray, I began reading an article I had printed out earlier that morning just for such an occasion. There were a couple of other customers in the restaurant besides myself. There were two people in the far booth, one gentleman reading the paper at a table and there was one man standing near the register talking on his cell phone. The man on the cellphone hadn’t ordered yet, because his conversation must have been too important.

I went back to reading my article and a few minutes later my fries were ready, so I got up to pick them up. I didn’t have to, but with the man on the cellphone in a holding pattern to order and another customer walking in the door, I figured I’d help the person working behind the counter a little bit and save him a trip.. As I made my way back to my booth, the thought occurred to me that the guy on the cellphone sure had been talking for awhile. It wasn’t a big deal and I didn’t think he was being rude or anything, it was just the first time I really took notice of him. I had seen him earlier, but didn’t really take stock of him.

The guy on the phone was wearing a reddish baseball cap a nice shirt and jeans. Pretty non-descript overall. I didn’t recognize him and to be honest, he looked like any other working stiff. I figured he was a contractor, or some management type where their business was casual enough that he could wear a baseball cap to work, some sort of service industry, like my business. Other than that, there wasn’t anything that really stood out about him and I probably wouldn’t have remembered these details, if it weren’t for me recognizing him later.

Happy to have fresh, hot, french fries, I sat down in my booth and went back to reading my article. The food was great, as usual, and the article was very interesting, so I didn’t pay attention to anything else going on around me. I was just having a nice lunch. As I neared the end of the article, I got a call on my cellphone and I took the call. It was at that moment that I looked up and saw that the person on the cellphone was sitting facing me in the next booth. For all intents and purposes, we were sitting face-to-face and that’s when I recognized him. The though shouted in my head, “I know that guy! He’s famous!”

Unfortunately, I’m really bad at names sometimes and especially when it comes to Country Music Stars, which is who this gentleman was. I racked my brain to come up with his name, but it wasn’t even on the back of my tongue, much less the front of it. I finished up the call I was on pretty quickly and since I had finished my meal, I got up to get a refill on my drink before leaving. As I walked back to my booth to pick up the rest of my things, I did what any respectable geek would do – I checked out his cellphone. I could do this because he was still on the phone.

Leaving the Greek Cafe, I headed to the car and immediately called up my wife, Holly. She’s a very talented singer and trying to become more active in the scene here in Nashville, so she knows who’s who and all that. The only problem was, I didn’t have the best descriptions to go on.

Me: Holly, I just saw someone that you’d know. He’s a Country star and I can’t think of his name.
Holly: What’s he look like?
Me: Good looking, clean cut, but not prissy. Known for his guitar playing and he’s a solo artist. Oh and he has dark hair and probably wears a cowboy hat on stage.
Holly: Yeah, that’s not real helpful.
Me: Oh wait! Ummm. he does that song… oh, how’s it go? (thinking for a few seconds) Oh hell, it’s something like ‘Nevermind’, or ‘Forget about it.’ Argh! It’s in the chorus, how does it go?
Holly: I don’t know, but I need to get back to work.
Me: I got it! It’s “Me Neither!”
Holly: Oh, that’s Brad Paisley.
Me: Yeah, that’s him! I just had lunch with Brad Paisley.
Holly: You had lunch with him?
Me: Well, not exactly.

And you know the rest. So I can’t say that I actually had lunch with Brad Paisley per se, but I did eat in the same restaurant. He seemed like a really nice guy and, like I said earlier, if you didn’t know who he was, you’d think he was just some Average Joe, not the Academy of Country Music award winning singer/songwriter/performer/musician that he is. Oh and what cellphone does he use? He has the Nokia 6102 Series and is on Cingular.

Just a typical day in Nashville. Beautiful surroundings, good food, good times and rubbing elbows with celebrities. You know, now that I think about it, I need to get more clients in Green Hills. That way I might rub elbows with The Bachelor In Paris, Keith Urban, or Nicole Kidman.