Things I Hav Learned

*Never brag about your awesomeness when you are drunk. You may be called to set up a series of living reenactments for your city's Civil War historical events.

*When told each character requires 30 minutes, more than 1/2 a page would be helpful.

*Damon's mom rocks in saving the asses of people who had two weeks and 1/2 a page for a 30 min monolouge + all day in character.

*Despite all complaints, you will not only enjoy your day, but insist on doing it next year, insuring yourself to you usual OCD. This means binders upon binders of research, outlines, q&as, and lists of do's and don'ts. you won't complain, because honestly this is wayyyyy cheaper than grad school and you, as a big nerd, loves it.

*See pictures of yourself and vow to wear more period appropriate shoes, and also, to realize that just because MOST ladies of the Civil War did not wear makeup, does not meean you have to scare the world with your bare face.

*Finally, relax with a cold mojito, or, barring that, beer and a shot of Jameson.

I am a SLACKASS

Because I've done a LOT in Atlanta, like see Gone with the Wind at the Fox Theater, and join a softball team, and have I told any of the zero followers here? I have not! BUT--I AM doing the B*ATL of Atlanta's "Living History" segment! The B*ATL goes on the 18th and 19th of this month, and I promise I will post more news!

I am also following two awesome blogs (see to the right) and I hope you will check them out! More later...

xoxox

It's Spring!

And the smell of film reels float in the air!

Ooooooo I simply love spring and summer, not just for the beautiful, sunny weather, the time spent lolling in pools and beaches and the chance to break out my collection of tank tops (which still outnumbers my winter clothes, despite living here for 7 years). Spring and summer are also...FILM FESTIVAL TIME!

So on International Women's Day, Juliet and I went to the Midtown Landmark Cinema, home of the ATL Film Festival, for WIFTA, to catch a series of women's shorts. We got free swag, in which shampoo was included (woot!) and synopsis of various Black Women's Literature. The link with the full collection of films, with synopses, is found here.

My favorites were as follows: "3 Days," "Tonky," "Addicted," "Sucker Punch," and "Freedom to Live." Not that I didn't enjoy the other films; these just happen to be my top picks.

Keep an eye out for these, as I'm sure this will not be the only festival you'll see these films at.

Scooter Daze

The past week I was the stunned and (emotionally) touched recipient of a scooter! And not some slim, small, Vespa. No, yours truly received a giganticBaccio runner!

Pretty sweet, huh? Well, the first lesson was almost my last. I got so nervous before I even rode on it (I mean, there's no doors! And cars are everywhere! Waiting to run over me!!) that I almost threw up. In the almost-empty parking lot we were practicing on. Yeah. Luckily, Juliet was there to guide me through it, and understood my need to not jump on and start zooming around. Then, ABZ came and guided me through more. Then I just let him ride it.

The next lesson was a scant ten minutes before work; I just spun around our parking lot a few times.But now, I am proud to say I have ridden the scooter to work TWICE; and ridden it a whole THREE BLOCKS to and from Jules’ house. That’s right; yours truly can actually MAKE TURNS, go OVER ten miles an hour, and ride up hills without panicking, slowing down, and then riding comically backwards until crushed by a semi.

And Sunday, when ABZ got off of work, we took this great ride down to Oakhurst, only a few minutes from EAV, and had the BEST wings ever at Steinbeck’s; at least, the best in Atlanta. I highly recommend these.Smoked for three to four hours, then basted with some butter sauce thing, and served with sides of hot sauce and blue cheese, these were devoured within minutes and made us wish we had multiple stomachs-or the stomachs of marathon eaters-so we could have had more.

After a walk around the area, we went to the Universal Joint, just catty-cornered from Steinbeck’s, and treated ourselves to Guinness and Strongbow while eating hummus. Sure, they might sound like odd pairings, but like I say “Any time is a good time for Guinness.”I also took my first night ride on the scooter. No, I didn’t drive, but riding on the back was exhilarating. I love being able to look around at all the houses. Oakhurst is a beautiful neighborhood, like many Atlanta neighborhoods outside the downtown area, and the houses all have a distinct identity.

With the warm weather coming out, I am looking forward to many more rides. However, I may still make ABZ do all the grocery runs. Moreland is a very scary road, car, scooter, or bus, and I’m not quite ready to hit it without a full suit of armor.

The Strut!!

eastatlantastrut.com

I'm volunteering for the parade and then working at Midway!! Come see me!!

Only One Week...

Till the new Gossip Girl! I know everyone is on the edge of their seats as I am!!

CW shows aside, though, I hope everyone has been keeping up with the doings in Atlanta. The Icehouse has opened, and from what I've seen, has had a full house every night and bands almost every night. With an eclectic menu and entertainment lineups as I've seen, Murphy and crew should be in clover for quite a bit.

My workplace, The Midway Pub, has been having a lot of promotional fun lately. If you were wondering who I am there, the girl downing a Pacifico after eating half a jalepneo might be a clue; but keep in mind there were many girls eating many hot peppers and forced to down beers. Check out their Myspace for further promos. We do have a cornhole (beanbag for those not familiar with the vernacular) tournament this Thursday, so get your drink and tossing arm on then!

Two other of my favorite hangouts, The Glenwood (in EAV) and El Tesoro (in Decatur) got favorable reviews in Atlanta's Dining Out magazine. Tesoro has a great Spanish wine selection and a dessert that is touted as the Mexican version of creme brulee, and believe me it deserves all accolades.

The boys from Mastodon are off their tour, back in town and celebrating. However, I say, it's not a party unless you have a price to pay. Sometimes it's a bad hangover, and sometimes, it's taking one shot too many. We'll see what happens, but in the meantime Mastodon are welcome back home with muchas smooches and it's sad we only have one week before they go back out on the road.

Congrats to Jonathan from Midway on his nuptials. His fiance livesin Sardinia, and he and friends got to celebrate his wedding there! No hatred there, but maybe a slight touch of envy mixed in with the well-wishes.

Local filmmaker J is on her way back from Utah this week. J has finished the finishing touches on her documentary, Hoot in the Hole, which was shown in the raw about a year ago at the Earl. J will be working on another documentary as well as about a million other projects--you can't keep this girl still!

No links this week, as some can be found in the last post and, well, I'm feeling a bit lazy. This weekend was crazy and I have some more work to do in the am (not restaurant, but indie-which can be way harder), so you'll have to wait for my next post to get all the links and dirty details. And you will.

Till then, later days for you my friends. Be safe, always have a sober buddy, and never do anything I wouldn't do...unless it sounds really fun.

In the words of my beloved narrator,

"you know you love me,

xoxo"

Village Tuesday Affairs

Well, last night was a very busy one here in the EAV! Midway has started a Team Trivia night on Tuesdays starting at 8, and last night was my first time working this. Despite this only being about three weeks going, there are already regular teams! I joined in after work for some fun and even managed to get some right!

Next was the soft opening night for the East Atlanta Icehouse. Pretty decent set-up, with a small restaurant and then a separate entrance for the music venue. 3rd Alley was playing there, along with Josh Fischel. Excellent music, very reminiscent of the Long Beach Dub sounds of the 90s.
The place is still beer and wine for the moment, but it won't be too long before they have their full liquor license, and the current selection is pretty swell. Then again, as long as I can have Guiness I'm happy.

After hanging out for a few songs, it was time for me to head to another music spot, Cenci, to listen to the wonderful beats of Eric_ZBD, AlBeatz and Barry Bonds. This was a very packed spot but I did manage to get a seat in front of the excellent bartender Zach, who is always a joy to see. Alas, no Guinness, but I made do with some Red Stripe and Jager.

A very quick stop lastly to an after-party, but the night was catching up with me, so it was time to go.

As for tonight, I think I've done quite enough to last me a week; so the two of us cooked a nice meal of pasta and pesto chicken with smoked mozerella and sauteed garlic and scallions. Add a quick salad and it's absolutely divine. The rest of the night has been devoted to laundry and the Olympics, and now we're watching the Golden Compass to finish out the night.

Ain't no party like an Atlanta party...

Cause an Atlanta party don't stop!



Well, yours truly has been hard at work this month. Besides my usual ale-slinging job, I've been working with Metamorphose Films getting various internet-related things up. I am mostly doing Myspaces and working on bios, and will link when I actually get my job done.



This month wasn't all work, though. ABZ, Trig, The Gambler and I took a day trip to Stone Mountain for a hike, a picnic, some drinks and of course, the laser show. Video of the last part of the laser and photos of ABZ and my trip to the top are on my Myspace currently. This park went from a former granite mill to a state park, and boasts the biggest bas-relief in the country--consisting of Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Jefferson Davis.



Other fun events include a kick-ass show at The Masquerade this past Friday. Seeing DJs Rel1, Casper and the Autobots for FREE is awesome; most of the time you shell out some money for this kind of talent. Local also-amazing dj Eric ZBD was one of the sponsors, and he and the lovely Whitney were great hosts, having guests and performers over for an after-hours that ad the classic cocktail mixture of fun, talented and eclectic people to make a truly wonderful time. Eric plays Cenci Tuesdays; please be sure to check him out. In addition, this Friday's show at the Masquerade has him playing with Reid Speed--that show is sure to be packed, to get there early.

Also, my girl CK had her birthday party at her fabulous Grant Park house last night. Boasting one of the nicest wood porches I've ever seen, complete with mulit-lit jacuzzi, these women are wonderful hostesses, providing food, booze and an inflatable, dual slip and slide that was almost as tall as I am (which, while small, is still impressive, slip and slide wise). I did get bit by some evil ants, but all in all, a small price to pay.

Apologies to the hilarious and talented Casper: I could not readily locate your site online, but as soon as my tired brain takes some time to LOOK, I will totally do it.

Good wishes to my brother on his new home, and my sister for her new project. I will be an aunt this March; how Auntie Mame do you think I can get?

I work every day at the Midway this week; be sure to drop by and see me!