Welcome to another Weekly Wrap Up! This week warmed up a bit in the Natural State. Here’s a look at the temperature highs and lows from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs over the past week.
Here’s a look at the current temperatures across the state this afternoon from both NWS and Earth Networks weather stations (maps courtesy of GRLevelX/AllisonHouse and Earth Networks Sferic Maps).
Here’s a look at the current conditions and HD Cam from my Earth Networks weather station in Hot Springs, plus a look at the current air quality from my Davis AirLink.
Here’s a look at the seven-day extended forecast from my Tempest weather station.
For this week’s Fraggle video, Red tries to start a club, and Wembley needs help getting a cup unstuck from his nose!
Here’s this week’s Scripture passage!
Be sure to read the blog post Thankful Even in This from Ashlyn Ohm!
Finally, here’s an old archive from my trip to Buford for your enjoyment!
A Day in Buford
This past Wednesday I spent a day in Buford, GA, which is about 45 minutes from where I live in Demorest. Traveling to Buford reminds me somewhat when I used to travel to Little Rock when I lived back in Arkansas, only a much more pleasant drive (Little Rock Highway is a mess!).
My first stop was the Golden Corral restaurant since by the time I got to Buford, I was hungry and ready to eat before I did some shopping. This is not just any ordinary Golden Corral. It’s one of their finest franchises since this is where they train most of the chefs and have the experts preparing the meals. The Golden Corral is also a HUGE buffet overwhelming with food! I always get their fried chicken. It’s really as delicious as it looks! It’s so fresh, juicy, tender, and crispy! It just makes my mouth watering just thinking about it! I usually also get mashed potatoes and fried okra if they have it. It complements that portion of the meal nicely.
After I’ve had my fill of chicken, I take a trip up to the salad bar to whip myself up a nice fresh salad! I always start with the romaine lettuce mixture, toss in some fresh spinach if they have it, add some cucumbers and tomatoes, sprinkle on some fresh grated cheese, then top it off with some grilled chicken strips and fresh Casear dressing. YUM YUM! It’s SO delicious and finishes off the next portion of my meal.
Lastly I head to the dessert bar to dine one some sweets. I usually get a few sweets and split them between my family members so I get a sampling of a little bit of everything. I love their chocolate pies and cakes, and they always have something new to try.
After I had my fill of food at the Golden Corral, my next stop was the AT&T Store where I needed to pickup a new case for my iPhone. My black leather case was getting a little old and difficult to manage, so I decided while I was in Buford, I’d stop by the AT&T Store and pickup a new one. The rep recommended to me the iFrogz case since it was a little sleeker than the black leather case I had and made it easier for me to manage my iPhone, plus it’d still offer enough protection and give me a good grip. After deciding that would make a great case for me, I looked through the colors and almost opted in for a blue one when, WOW! is that a teal case in the display case! It sure was! I asked them if they had any of the teal cases. They didn’t, but the outcome was actually better. They told me it was an example of how I could make my own custom color case and choose exactly what colors I wanted. I purchased the custom case service (called MyFrogz) which has given me a temporary clear case I can use until my other case arrives, then all I had to do was download a free app that let me design my own custom case (I picked teal and gold, my corp colors), and they’re shipping it to my door. Not bad!
Right when I was just about to leave the AT&T Store, my eye caught something that truly amazed me. It was one of those new AT&T MicroCells that give users their own personal cell tower in their own home. Since I live in the mountains and have spotty coverage sometimes and am on the EDGE network, I quickly took and interest. I didn’t know GA had them yet! I asked them if it’d work in my area, and after a quick check, they confirmed it did. I decided to grab one and take it home. Later on, I got it activated online after only one small glitch (my street name was too new, so I had to use the street leading to my subdivision to activate it, which is no problem since I live on the corner). After plugging it into my DSL modem and waiting a few minutes, my MicroCell signed on and now I have full coverage in my house, full 3G at speeds faster than the 3G they implemented back home in Hot Springs, and it eliminated some network congestion I had when my iPhone was signed onto Wi-Fi. I even picked up a Buford phone book before I left so I’d be set if I need to call Gwinnett county.
Next stop was Best Buy, and unlike my last trip to Best Buy where I took home a new LED TV, FAX machine, and UPS surge, I didn’t make a purchase this time (I didn’t even spend my reward certificates yet). However, I did get some advice on purchasing a new digital camera and some advice on video cameras, so when it’s time to upgrade my equipment to a higher quality camera and an HD cam, I’ll be all set.
Last stop was the Mall of Georgia, Georgia’s LARGEST mall! It’s quite the shopping experience of a lifetime! We really didn’t do much shopping (I visited the Apple Store and got advice on photo and video editors so when I get a new camera, I’ll have the right editors to go with it), we simply walked around the mall, went in stores, and looked at the Christmas decorations. Disappointingly, there wasn’t a whole lot of decorations in the mall itself, but some of the stores were decorated nicely. It was quite packed with people wrapping up their Christmas shopping (literally). And yes, I had to grab that pic of the iPod Vending machine inside Macy’s (although with an Apple Store down the hall, what’s the use)? After we had our fill of enjoying the mall, we headed back home to Habersham.
Our day in Buford was fun filled and an enjoyment, and I’m looking forward to the next time we travel down there whenever I need to do some shopping at the mall and dining at the Golden Corral.
See my Buford pics in the Photo Gallery!
That wraps it up here! Nathan Parker signing off.
