Archive - July, 2010

Team Building Ideas

July 13, 2010 in Cubicle Life with 0 Comments

So here’s the scenario… You’re a middle manager in cubicle land. The economy sucks. You’ve laid off or outsourced half your work force and morale is low. The “team members” you have left are working extra to cover for the folks you’ve moved to the unemployment line. You fear that once the job market turns around, people are going to flee your company in droves. What’s a pointy haired boss to do?

Team building! Get these folks our of their cubicles and into something fun and kind of competitive. Give them a challenge, a goal they can hit in the hopes of capturing a laser printed certificate of achievement. And maybe, just maybe, your employees might get to interact with others from your organization, a hodge podge of unrelated departments.

In all seriousness, my company seems to be doing this kind of thing much more often now. And as much as I used to make fun of it, I’m starting to enjoy the stuff we do. So check out my suggestions for places to take your office group. I’ve tried most of these. Still hoping for my first certificate of achievement.

Andretti Karting – Roswell

By far my favorite place for something like this. The karts here are surprisingly fast and the racing is close. It was an intense experience. If you’re group is young and competitive, this is the place to go! They also have some rather large meeting rooms if you need to conduct some business. For those not interesting in racing, they have a ton of video games and pool tables. Also food and booze onsite.

Bowling

An old standby for team building events. Nevertheless it still works. Most bowling alleys have the gutter bumpers available. The game gets significantly more enjoyable when every other ball isn’t a gutter ball.

Try Brunswick Zone in Roswell or Stars and Strikes in Cumming.

WhirlyBall – Roswell

The karts here are several orders of magnitude slower than Andretti. But going fast is not really the objective. Whirleyball is like combining bumper cars, Jai-Alai and hockey into one crazy sport. And considering that you’re just sitting on your ass most of the time, I found that my heart was pumping pretty quick at the end of the game. It is a fun thing to do once and doesn’t require a lot of athleticism.

Corn Maze

Get lost. Literally. Here’s the idea… Group up teams of people who don’t work with one another. Make them work together to quickly get through a maze carved into a corn field. At the end, if they aren’t killing each other, maybe they will be more cohesive or something. If they can navigate a corn field together, then maybe they can solve your unpaid collections problems at work? Probably not. But then again, being outside in the early fall sure beats florescent lights and cubicles.

My suggestions for nearby corn mazes are Cagle’s Dairy in Cherokee County and Uncle Shucks in Dawsonville.

New/Closed Restaurants – July 2010

July 9, 2010 in Foodie Friday with 0 Comments

Every Friday, Roots in Alpharetta features an article on food and dining in a series I like to call Foodie Friday.

Thankfully I don’t have any closed restaurants to report.

Mambo Jambo – Windward

Ask and you shall receive. Months ago I wrote about our lack of good Cuban food. That’s all changing. This will be the second Latin/Cuban restaurant to open since then. Mambo Jambo is building out in the space formally occupied by Mad Italian behind Sushi Nami. I haven’t been able to learn much about these guys. They have a restaurant in south Florida that seems to be a higher end joint. Perhaps they are going for the expense account patrons from the Windward office parks. I’m also confused with the name, considering that “Mambo’s Cafe” is not far away and would be a direct competitor. Nevertheless, I’m looking forward to these guys.

Scoops – Crabapple

When I was a kid we had this stuff called “ice cream”. It was kinda like the frozen yogurt you kids get to eat today. Ok, everyone knows ice cream. I’m just a little bummed that quality ice cream parlors are closing in favor of the frozen yogurt franchise concept de jour. So I’m excited to see this joint open in Crabapple. I haven’t been yet, but it seems to be a classic parlor with the addition of chocolate truffles and cupcakes and such. The reviews I’ve read thus far have been mixed.

Yate’s Sports Pub – Johns Creek

They are opening in the space formally occupied by American Ale House on Jones Bridge and Old Alabama. I don’t know much about them otherwise.

Tilted Kilt – Perimeter

It’s like an Irish Hooters. Girls with big, um, personalities… serving Guinness and shepard’s pie. I’ve never been to their original Johns Creek location. But our fellow cubicle dwellers to the south will enjoy their new location at the perimeter.

Suggested Itineraries in Alpharetta

July 7, 2010 in Affluence, Suburban Life with 0 Comments

Not long ago I wrote about the Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau. Go back and read that article if you haven’t already. I made the observation that these guys have the hardest job in town. They have to convince people to actually want to come to Alpharetta (other than to sit in a fabric covered box for eight hours).

The CVB offers some suggested itineraries on their website. Some of their ideas are not half bad. There are itineraries for men, women, kids, art, history, etc. There are a few problems though. First, nearly all the activities are within the city limits of Alpharetta (except the history activities, half of which are in Roswell or Atlanta). Second, do people actually follow this advice? I found most itineraries to be unrealistic. But rather than criticize, I’ve decided to offer up my own suggested Alpharetta itineraries. Let me know what you think or suggest your own itinerary in the comments.

Alpharetta Tennis Mom

Begin your day at your six bedroom McMansion in a gated subdivision. Hop into your Escalade and meet your girlfriends for breakfast at the Red Hen on Windward. This small little breakfast joint offers an eclectic decor along with a creative menu.

After breakfast you’ll hit the courts! Tennis is uber competitive in the affluent burbs. It’s just what we do. Play a few matches before the day gets too hot.

Before long you’ll be ready to refuel. No need to take off the tennis outfit, just wear it to lunch. Head on over to Never Enough Thyme, a silly little lunch spot crawling with uppity women like yourself. Oh my God, does Jill have the same tennis outfit on today? We can’t have that! So after lunch head on over to Your Serve Tennis where you can get a color coordinated tennis skirt.

Next it’s time to unwind at one of Alpharetta’s numerous spas. While waiting on your masseuse in the lobby, check out the latest issue of Points North Magazine. You’ve been considering some cosmetic surgery for a long time, so browse through dozens of ads for botox.

Finally, with hubby out of town, why not check out the night life at Sage Woodfire Tavern on Haynes Bridge? It’s where every cougar goes during the week!

Cubicle Life

You wake in Gwinnett County and realize you’re running late for your technology job in Alpharetta. You jump into your Accord and take one of Alpharetta’s congested roadways. Check out Abbott’s Bridge or State Bridge road and wait in traffic to get across the river.

Cubicle life is hard, so take your lunch break and hit a terrific chain or franchise restaurant. Sure, Alpharetta has plenty of locally owned restaurants but who has time for that? You’ll choke down a pre-made and overpriced sandwich at Panera Bread or Which Wich, bypassing truly outstanding choices like Wildflour.

You’ll continue to work like a dog in your cubicle until well past sunset, missing your kids’ summer time activities. Around 9:00 you’ll roll back into your Gwinnett driveway.

Diabetes and Coronary Heart Disease

Obama-care is coming. Are you ready? We can help. Enjoy these gluttonous eateries everyday and you’ll need a lot of socialized medicine.

Start your day off right at Dutch Monkey Doughnuts. Deep fried dough covered with sugar. Ah yes. Or better yet, try your hand at their yearly July 4th competitive eating competition and try to swallow a baker’s dozen in 15 minutes.

You might be tempted to hike the Big Creek Greenway on a nice morning. Forget it! A sedentary lifestyle is key to developing serious heart problems. Instead, why not consider parking your ass in a comfy chair in the library or maybe Barnes and Noble?

For lunch try the best burger joint in North Fulton, Flippin Out in Johns Creek. Try “The Socialite” burger with smoked bacon mixed into ground beef. It’s just what the doctor ordered. Don’t like fancy burgers? The Varisty on Haynes Bridge might be greasy enough for ya. What’ll ya have? A prescription for Lipitor, please.

During the afternoon, sample some fine chocolate truffles at Schakolad on Windward or The Chocolaterie at the Avenue Forsyth.

For dinner try a full rack of ribs at ‘Cue in Milton and a cold beer. Add some sides of french fries and potato salad for extra carbs.

Finish up your day of fat and sugar gluttony with a late night dessert. Hit the Melting Pot on Mansell for chocolate fondue or maybe a custom cake from Alpine Bakery.

Dickey’s Barbeque Pit – Milton

July 2, 2010 in Foodie Friday, Reviews with 1 Comment

Every Friday, Roots in Alpharetta features an article on food and dining in a series I like to call Foodie Friday. This week I continue a summer series reviewing barbecue restaurants in Alpharetta.

I took some grief in my review of Cheeky Taqueria when I called their restaurant “contrived”. I still stand by that claim. However, Dickey’s in Milton is a textbook example of contrived franchised barbecue. Every bit of the decor is there to trick you into believing you’re eating at a generations-old barbecue restaurant. It is embarrassing really.

Dickey’s is a franchise concept out of Texas. Their menu consists of pulled pork, brisket (sliced and chopped), baby back ribs, sausage, turkey and chicken plus the usual suspects of sides. Today I picked a two meat plate of pulled pork and ribs.

The pork was a tremendous disappointment. There was no outside meat whatsoever and no smokey flavor. It was a tad on the chewy side. I thought Slope’s pork was bland, but these guys might have them in this department. I didn’t even finish the stuff.

The ribs were tender enough but also lacked flavor. No smoke was evident, nor was there any rub or caramelized sauce. Again, they were bland and boring.

They offer three sauces served warm in pump vats (like the way Wendy’s does ketchup). Their regular sauce tastes like KC Masterpiece, just a little more thin. The sweet and hot sauces are not much better.

With my general dislike of the proteins, I devoured the side items. The Brunswick stew was was hearty and flavorful. I also liked the fried okra and yeast roll.

One gimmick I kinda enjoy at Dickey’s is the free soft serve ice cream. They have a self-serve machine with cups and cones. Since I was still hungry after leaving half my meat uneaten, I wasn’t shy and ate two cones.

There are a lot of barbecue restaurants along Highway 9 in Alpharetta and Milton. Dickey’s is not one I suggest. Maybe they are catching the overflow from ‘Cue down the street.
Dickey's Barbecue Pit on Urbanspoon

Tweeting From GA-400 and the No Texting Law

July 1, 2010 in Traffic with 0 Comments

You should follow me on Twitter. My profile can be found at http://twitter.com/rootsalpharetta . If you like my random and incoherent five hundred word blog posts, then imagine what I can do with one hundred and forty bytes!

Yesterday afternoon I tweeted the following:

I’m tweeting from GA400. My last chance to do so legally.

Yes indeed I was on Ga-400. If I pull such a stunt today I would subject myself to a $150 fine and a point on my license. Was I being reckless by using my smart phone on an eight lane divided highway? Hardly. My minivan was completely motionless and my foot was firmly on the brake. In other words, I was stuck in traffic. I know a lot of people use their phones in traffic because I see Foursquare users checking into “Traffic on GA400“. I’m not exactly sure why.

Today the new No Texting Law goes into effect. I’m not sure what to think of this. Texting while driving your car at speed is indeed very dangerous. And I do see it happen quite often. My wife will lean on the horn when she sees people do it.

But at the same time, there are so many other things in my car that may distract me from driving. Singing, talking, nose picking, yelling at the radio during liberal-slanted NPR reports… the list goes on and on. Just today, after my GA-400 tweet, my daughter threw a shoe at her brother. That distracted me much more than my tweet. There is still no law regarding yelling at a five year old while driving, much to the chagrin of my little Elizabeth.

So I practiced my little act of civil disobedience yesterday while it was still legal. The libertarian in me thinks responsible individuals should make their own decisions regarding being distracted in the car. Be a safe driver, whatever that means for you. On the other hand, anything that keeps more eyes on the road is probably the safe way to go.

Page 2 of 2«12

Switch to our mobile site