sunshine on a rainy day

I ended this month with a visit to southern Georgia. I hadn't seen my cousin Lynn in ... well, quite a few years, it seems! She and I seemed to not be around Waycross at the same time. I had contacted her several times on my way back home from Florida, but she would be out of town.
Clearly, a better game plan was needed! So, I contacted her earlier this week: might she be available for lunch on Wednesday? Yes, she would, but she had a late shift on Tuesday, so could we make it later in the afternoon? Sure thing!
The time was set for 3 PM, or thereabouts. She would give me a call when she awakened. Yeah!
When she called, I was already on my way to Waycross, one-time home of my maternal grandparents and summertime destination for my family when we were kids. My cousin, now a grandmother herself, still lived there, though not where my mother's mom and dad once lived.
Okay, enough with the background info! Talk about y'all's lunch!
(smile)
She suggested Cavagnaros, an Italian place with lots of variety. Cool beans! A new place to add to my list of resolutions kept!
She arrived shortly after I did, with a bright smile to offset the gray skies and light drizzle. Yeah! I really think she smiled the entire time, and I did, too. Three hours we were there! The manager finally came over and asked if we would mind settling up, as our young waitress was due to leave and needed to close out our bill before she left. We did so, then probably still stayed another hour, with the manager as our tea-glass filler. Very nice!
I had the best steak tips with onions and peppers! Yum! And she had the steak salad, with the same tasty beef. We also had corn nuggets, meant as an appetizer, but there was a dinner plate full of them, served piping hot with a honey mustard sauce. I eventually took at least half that plateful home with me, as well as my untouched sweet potato (which was destined to become part of my breakfast the next day). I just finished off the corn nuggets as an accompaniment to ham and bean soup. Still tasty, still smiling!
Why? Well, lemme tell you this: wouldn't you still be smiling after a visit with someone who loves you so much? Of course you would!
It had nothing to do with our conversation. Well, no, let me amend that. Most of our conversation was catching up on the events relating to our siblings, some good, some not so good. Ah, well. You're going to have that, right? Bad choices lead to hard lives and drugs encourage bad choices.
But we also talked about her little granddaughter's first birthday and how wonderful it was to have her son and his lovely, loving wife living close to her again. And we talked about my first niece and her family and how wonderful it has been having them so close to me.
And we talked about men. We both need strong men who will love us as we are. Strong men looking for strong women. No, I'm not talking about physical strength, and neither is she. Strong in character, strong with passion, strong in acceptance and humor and love of this world. Strong like we strive to be.
Impossible things?
I hope not.
She also shared a story with me. She and another of my cousins (her little sister) had been reading one of my posts on the social media we all share. She said they were amazed by how involved i am with life in this city by the sea. So many films! Yet another new play! Dancing! Dining! Games nights with children!
Wow! I wasn't even aware they were following all of that. But it gladdened my heart to know they do. After all, that means I am loved!
That is always good to know.
I drove home with storm clouds chasing the sky alongside. Then, a break in the clouds, with sunbeams forcing their way forward! I thought I saw a smiling face and tried to capture it - drats! Missed!
Then, while watching the water paths meandering across my windshield (easily entertained am I), I took a picture of their wobbly paths.
It wasn't until I reached home that I saw it: the smiling face I had missed in the earlier shot. Woohoo!
i thank You, God! i thank the angel keeping me company as I ran back to Savannah! I would like to think my Uncle Jimmy was this funny, goofy, smiley face, thanking me for the visit to my Waycross cousin.
Then again, maybe it was Grandmama. She was always the one who traveled around from Tallahassee to Savannah and Augusta and Strong, Arkansas, keeping home fires burning.
Sometimes, she traveled with me.
Maybe this was one of those times.

cheers! (Anyone speak Belgian?)

Who would have expected a Belgian restaurant in a tiny town like Carlisle? Not I!
Yet, there it was, in the heart of downtown, down the street from the cannon-blasted columns of the courthouse. (But that is another story.)
Café Bruges is small, but not too small. We were part of an early group of diners, but we were spread out all over the restaurant to maximize privacy. Very nice! We had started with a flight of their summer beer selections and the tastes ranged from a a banana dessert-style beer, greatly enjoyed by the Melaness to a hoppy pale for her hubby, and a third pale which we all enjoyed. But my absolute favorite was the Bourgogne des Flandres.
Oh, my! So rich and plummy! So smooth and full-bodied! The Bourgogne was almost a wine, it seemed, due to its aging in oak barrels. Dreamy!!! Dark in color, delightful to the nose and tongue and head! I drank the glass of it in the flight, then ordered a bottle to accompany my dinner. To my surprise, it even had a special glass to enhance its bouquet and the drinking experience... wow!!!
My dinner was one of the specials that night. Delicately-grained meatloaf, topped with a light cherry sauce. Ah, melted in my mouth! The entree was accompanied by parsleyed new potatoes and perfectly prepared green beans. The rest of the group had the lamb burger (the driving motivator for our trip to this site) and mussels.
Such a good recommendation by my dear friends! I look forward to more encounters with Belgian cuisine - and dark Belgian brews!

i can't drive... 55!!!

Woohoo! Sammy Hagar can't drive me now!
hahaha!
Today has been a very nice start to my new year. The peace Guy accompanied me to the Jepson for a new art exhibit I had been waiting to see. I had attended the talk by the artist, Sarah Frost, on April 25, prior to going to the chemistry nerd trivia.
I had time to briefly explore her exhibit, "Arsenal", prior to her lecture on that Thursday a month earlier. I had read of it in the Winter issue of the quarterly magazine I receive as a member of the museum and had eagerly anticipated seeing what she would do with the space the Jepson had allotted for her work. My brief encounter with the white paper weaponry displayed in the small area had left me with one thought: I want to see this with the peace Guy.
So, when he had asked what I wanted to do on my birthday, I told him: see that particular exhibit with him and have lunch at RolyPoly. I also told him what I had done last year for my birthday; he had given me a look that I am still not sure I want to understand. (At least he understood not to say "poor dear" or such as that. It was my birthday and my choice of how to celebrate it. I wanted to do so alone and that is exactly what I did. Well, mostly. I had deliberately asked for one of my "trip to Italy" travelmates to be my waiter for dinner; he was marvelous, as I had known he would be, keeping an eye on me and making light, fun conversation along the way, leaving me feeling perfectly spoiled by the time my meal was done. Thanks, Nate!)
Being the loving person he is, the peace Guy agreed that we would do what I wanted to do, but he would buy my lunch. Good! Perfect! Fine with me!
(smile!)
And it was a very good day! We had gone to the Jepson and both slowly walked along both sides of the towering triangular display of starkly white weapons, hung at varying heights on nylon strings. Knowing the guns of all types were made of paper was not consoling, especially as I had told him these were working models, capable of firing paper munitions. Nor was the thought of these weapons having sprung from the minds of young boys of any consolation. Thank God the display was in a fairly small room or it would have been too overpowering.
Afterward, we went in search of shiny objects, as it were. Shiny objects with elaborate markings would be a good counterpoint to the the exhibit we had just left. "Silver from the Rizza Collection" was perfect! Old, solid, heavy - definitely what we needed! He told me stories about similar pieces in his family and we took our time admiring the many emobssed and engraved serving pieces and servingware.
By the time we were done, it was time to get some lunch! Off to the cool sandwich shop where I had dined last year on Thanksgiving Turkey! This time, I chose the Greek Turkey and he had the Thai Hot Tuna... but we ended up eating half of the other's wrap, so we had the best of both worlds. Yum!
Then I drove him to work, as his car was still in the shop. I returned home and thanked each of my fb birthday well-wishers. I know, I probably could have done a status update for a blanket "thank you" to all. But, that is not me. I wanted to make sure each of them received a personal thank you from me for taking the time to acknowledge my special day.
Then I headed downtown! I had been invited to trivia at a place I had not yet been for gaming. I had mistakenly thought the place served food; nope, they used to, but no one liked it. So, they had a policy that if you wanted to eat there, you were welcome to bring your own dinner. Not having any with me, I went in search of some.
I settled in at a Scottish restaurant just down the street from the trivia site. Nice! I wouldn't have far to backtrack after my meal! Even better: I had not yet dined at Molly MacPherson's, so this would be a new experience!
I had the special of the evening, a variation on fish and chips. The blackened tilapia was quite nicely grilled and quite attractive against the steamed green of the broccoli. New potatoes, boiled and parsleyed, and a doughy biscuit were fine staples to round out the meal. Very good! Truth to tell, though, the bagpipe music was getting to be grating by the time I finished my meal, so I probably won't return. Maybe I just needed some beer-muffs?
(smile!)
Then back to the Irish (foodless) pub for trivia with folks from Liquor Posse! This was a different game than I had played elsewhere with them, but I liked the variation. Rather than have each team present separate answer slips for each question, each team would submit a single answer sheet containing all of their responses to the queries. The TJ (trivia jock, a'ite?) would then grade the responses and then let each team know their standings. This game, too, had only three rounds, rather than four. But the thing I really liked was this: the last question of each round was a music question! He would play a song snippet, then you would have to tell him who sang it and what the title was. I had arrived about half-way through the second round; when he got to the last question and played his little piece of it, I knew immediately what it was! Def Leppard's "Too Late for Love"! Woohoo!
And the beauty was this: no one else in our group - which was about eight or nine people - even had a clue. They wrote it down because I was so convincing, even going so far as to sing some of the song for them.
And I was right! Woohoo!!!
Then, for the music question in the third round, I knew immediately that one, too! Diana Ross this time, singing about being "Upside Down"! I tell you, that was a big dance tune back in the day!
The group again took my word for it and submitted their playsheet. I had to leave to pick up the peach Guy from work, but I heard the next day that I "really know my music!" and they had won that round. Yeah!!!
Nice birthday!

family, friends, tequila!

What a blue sky day for an afternoon of baseball!
The weather was quite nice, too: low 80's, with a bit of cool breeze to keep you from feeling too hot. It was family day at the ballpark, so all kids received a ticket for a free slice of pizza and soda. Nice! Of course, there were plenty of other treats to tempt the kids, but at least part of the wallet could take a break!
I had invited my stepmom and her two grandsons (my helf-nephews, if you're keeping track of such things) to accompany me to the game and was really looking forward to seeing them. Life has been incredibly hard for them lately, but we won't talk about that here. Suffice it to say that life was improving, she had contacted me to suggest we get together some Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon and I had seized, with both hands, the opportunity afforded me. A chance to visit with her AND my low country nephews AND share a Gnats' game with them? You betcha! And what a wonderful surprise that my younger half-brother could join us, too! As my stepmom said, we had Daddy's first-born (me) and youngest (Mike the mechanic) sharing time together - rather rare, I tell ya.
I had then invited other family members to join us for the outing. My middle little brother I had thought for sure would be there, but was not. My eldest little brother and his wife weren't able to make it, either, which was understandable, given the short notice and the fact that they have a teenaged son on their hands. And my middle bother's son had a barbeque to attend with his girlfriend at her folks' house (so that relationship seems to be moving along nicely for him!), so I'll have to visit with him some other time.
But my first niece came! She and my stepmom got to share pictures of kids and get a little caught up. They even talked about the burger joint in Bluffton that we all have now been to and swap favorite toppings! A little while later, her two foster kids were able to join us, then we all had three innings of free baseball! When the game did come to an end, the four kids all ran the bases, a special treat offered by the ball club on these Sunday game days. Cool beans! The kids thought it was fabulous to get to play on the same field as the Gnats and we got a kick out of watching their smiling faces rounding the bases. SUCH a fun day for all of us!
Then we all said our goodbyes, but first made plans for the 15th, a Saturday game followed by fireworks. Woohoo!
I returned home and was joined shortly by the peace Guy and the librarian. She and I took off for dinner at a new place, Blowin' Smoke Southern Cantina, as neither of us wanted to cook or clean dishes. Yeah! It was even a new-to-me dining experience! We only had to wait a short while, then snagged a table inside. Actually, I say "inside", and technically it was, but that's just because the walls had been rolled up to enjoy the breeze. Nice, right?
She had driven, so I decided to have a cocktail: the Signature Honey Jalapeno margarita. I know - sounds just crazy enough to be good, right? It was, too! And if my phone had not died on me right after reaching the ballpark, I would have been able to take a photo of it for this space (as well as all the missed shots of family at the game). No worries, I'm sure I'll be returning here in the near future. (And I have an upcoming game in two weeks for new family pics, so all is right with the world!)
I dined on the Caribbean Stewed Chicken Plate - GOOD choice! The shredded meat was jerked and topped with pineapple salsa - so very moist and tasty! The Roasted Corn Salad was palate-cleansing and simple, being mostly fresh corn with finely diced fresh tomato. The Black Beans were a bit bland, but I used them in my self-made tacos with the chicken and they worked quite nicely there!
I had a nice visit with the librarian and we were able to chat about things in her life. She is the same age as my first niece, so I usually enjoy her company. She mostly needed someone to give her an ear and a reality check; the tequila and I obliged.
Overall, a very nice day of un-birthday or pre-birthday or whatever it is I finally decide to call all of this.
Yep, life is GOOD.

red chimney in the Garden

Today's birthday celebration was a luncheon in a new place. No, wait, that's not quite true. The building itself is not any different than it was the last time I dined there, but the name and ownership had changed. Once, it was Muther's Old Timey Bar-b-que; now it is called The Red Chimney and has gone by that name, and these owners, for five years. Hard to believe that much time has passed!
I had the pork rib sandwich special of the day. I found out the sandwich was full of the meat taken off the ribs - no bones! It came with a drink (I had unsweet tea mixed with lemonade) and one side. I chose the green beans and added some fries. Then, just as I was closing out my order, the cherry winked at me. I swear, it did! And that's when I SAW the pineapple upside-down cake slices, mixed in with the lemon pound cake and some chocolate thing. Pineapple upside-down cake. So, I would not be dining alone after all!
I took my time with the lunch, tasting the four house barbeque sauces, chewing each bite thoroughly and savoring the flavors. The folks who ran the place didn't try to rush me, allowing me to dine on my own time. I didn't realize until I was leaving that the place was supposed to have closed at 2 PM. When I finally was sated, even going so far as to get a "to go" box for my slice of cake, the time was about a quarter of three. Oops! But the man who was clearly the owner was quite pleased that I was so obviously enjoying the meal that he had settled in on the porch with some friends to just wait for me to finish. Very nice!
The meal had been too much to allow room for dessert, so I waited for a while to enjoy the cake. A good move on my part! Topped with carmelized, crushed pineapple, and that lone, winking, maraschino cherry, the cake was rich and very satisfying to both my palate and my soul.
Glad you could join me, Sam.

I finished up the evening with the Sand Gnats, on as pretty a night as one could hope for! I was joined by two of my favorite men, the inimitable Mr. Willie and my middle brother, on a warm summer's night with a light, cooling breeze and a clear sky. Ah, very nice, indeed! And my boys of summer won the game, too! Such joy!
Such a balm to my soul to watch as the sky darkened to a deep blue and met the dark green waves of the trees below. The beauty of that sight always reminds me to breathe again, to calm my outlook, and to remind me that life is about these small moments spent with those I love.

lunchtime adventures!

I decided to NOT have lunch at one of the fastfood joints near the exit, so I had wandered toward Kingsland's downtown in search of something different, something new to me.
Found it!
The Lunchbox is a brand-spankin'-new eatery! I think it had only been open for two weeks when I stumbled upon it. A small place, it serves Southern cuisine for breakfast and lunch. They hope to open for dinner, but hey, first some revenue needs to come in, a'ite?
I had tasty corn nuggets, sweet enough they could have doubled as dessert, easily. Pop a dollop of ice cream on them and that would be a scrumptious end of any meal!
The fried shrimp lunch special was my choice, with green beans and mac-n-cheese as my sides. Yeah, I know, but I had my lactase with me on this visit, so I was good. I'm very glad to have had that enzyme handy, too. It would have been a shame to miss out on that creamy, cheesy, pasta!
I had arrived at the tail end of their lunch period, but you would have never guessed it from the way they treated me. I was allowed to have a leisurely meal, chatting with the waitress about Virginia and Williamsburg and Yorktown, her one-time stomping grounds. We also chatted about Savannah and Saint Augustine, two of her favorite places to visit these days.
Closing time was listed as 2 PM. I left almost an hour after that and they had allowed other diners to come in while I was still eating. I guess that was just a "suggested" closing time.
I think I'll wander back in this direction again sometime. The laid-back, casual atmosphere is a welcome break from dusty, hot roads!

dinosaurs, dinosaurs, dinosaurs!

I had not consciously planned an afternoon with ancient creatures, but what a treat from my subconscious mind!
I had arrived at Downtown Disney in search of a cool place to pass some time during the humid afternoon. The cinema had a film starting at the right time, one I had not yet seen, so in I went. "The Croods" was such a fabulous story!!! I had not expected to be so touched, but I was, ending up sobbing in the darkness as the end credits rolled and all the families there made their way out. Fortunately, I was sitting off to the side and way down front, so no one really noticed me sobbing. I think.
Anyway, I had a chance to read the end credits and found out that John Cleese had helped write the story. Very nice! I do so love his sense of humor and several of the bits in the movie had struck me as rather British-veined. I guess that was because they were! I especially liked the Belt on the boy, the Belt that would, at key moments, dramatically say: "da da DAH!!!" Very funny!
But the part that got me choked up was near the end. The teenaged daughter had been at odds with her dad the whole time, fighting him about going outside the cave, fighting him about seeking new things, fighting him about ... well, the usual stuff that teens fight about with parents. Then, just when they seem to be working things out, he dies. And there she is, on the cliff, blowing into a conch shell in mourning, being joined by her family all doing the same death keen.
Very poignant scene. Really got to me.
So, like I said, I stayed in the cinema, reading most of the credits and watching the extra little animated bits and getting myself under control. It helped greatly that everyone else had left, so I didn't feel self-conscious about crying at an animated movie. It also helped that someone I really liked had a hand in writing the story.

So, afterward, I had hoped to ride the hot-air balloon. Be a Character in Flight with the lovely, talented Tinkerbell! Alas, 'twas not to be. Storm warnings had grounded the balloon for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
No floating amidst the clouds with my favorite fairy on this day.
I had a Wetzel dog while I wandered about, taking pictures of the tethered balloon. That was a VERY good hot dog! I highly recommend it! Juicy, flavorful, and wrapped in pretzel dough! I didn't even bother putting mustard on it and it was GOOD.
I then meandered about the area, taking in the sights, people watching. You know, the usual things one does when simply passing time. I bopped into the LEGO store, too, which is a definitely fun place. You can even play with some of the toys while you're there!

Eventually, though, I decided to have an early dinner at T-Rex. Beat the crowd, you know? Because this place isn't your ordinary eatery. Oh, no! It's practically a museum, filled with animatronic entertainment!

As I dined, I sat beside the beast at the top of this post, a beast which would graze and roar and sometimes look right at me! The ocean scene lay to my other side while dining. Isn't it so very lovely?

This was not my first time in this so-called Prehistoric Family Adventure, but it was my first time eating there. The bird and I had roamed among the beasts on our visit to Orlando two - or was it three? - years earlier. On that visit, suppertime was in full swing and the place had a VERY long line of waiting diners. No way we were going to add to that line! How lovely to have finally had the chance to sink my teeth into the Pangaea Pasta while sipping a Raptor Rita and being serenaded by a triceratops. Fabulous fun for kids of all ages - including 55!

moonfish

Yesterday I celebrated the nearing of completion of the 55th year of my life by selecting this new dining experience, making it also part of my new year's resolution. What better restaurant than one which specializes in seafood? And such a beautiful name, too!
Moonfish is located in the southwest portion of Orlando, the Buena Vista area, so it was quite near my vacation site. With my $50 gift card firmly in hand, I went in search of fabulous dining and FOUND IT! The dining room was already full, but there were several cozy tables in the lounge and I selected a two-seater near a window. Nice! It was also at the far wall of that area, allowing me to leisurely scan the walls and enjoy the artwork scattered there.
The waitress must have sensed that this was a special evening for me and she was spectacular! Attentive, but not smothering, generous and helpful without any smidgen of patronizing - she was perfect for my extended-birthday celebration! Oh, did I like the cheese-garlic butter bread? How about another loaf? Isn't that szechuan vinaigrette the best dressing? Spicy, but not overly so on that bed of beautiful greens with beets and meaty tomato. Yes, quite a good, unique dressing!
But what really seemed to get her attention was my order of the Chef's Mixed Grill. That marked me as a serious diner, unafraid of higher prices and willing to place my trust fully in the chef's hands. The dish was described as "Chef’s selection of two fish oak grilled and served with Thai Style Stuffed Shrimp & Scallops" and was priced in the mid thirties. I hoped one of the two fish choices would be the corvina listed on the night's menu, but I have a one-eyed chef friend who I trust with food choices and decided to extend that trust on this occasion.
Ah, well met, my dear, well met! Expectations boldly exceeded! Not only had the chef selected the corvina, without me even prompting the waitress for him to do so, but there was also an enticing bit of salmon gracing the plate! Such a lovely aroma, too!

The broiled shrimp and scallops were smothered with breadcrumbs and lump crab meat - ooooooohhhh! My, my, my! Chunky hunks of broiled zucchini, yellow squash, and carrot added a splash of muted color and sweet flavor to the far side of the plate. All in all, it was almost too pretty to eat! A bowl of steamed white rice was the final addition to the dish, a palate cleanser, so to speak. Divine food, fit for the angels!
I ended up making three meals of that night's repast. This morning, I dined on the rest of the bread and the filet of corvina for my breakfast, and lovely it was! Then, this evening, I finished off the rice, covered with the remaining scallops and crabmeat, and accompanied by the rest of the broiled vegetables. Now, I am sated once more and grateful for the chef's choices for me.
Thank you very much!

rollin' rollin' rollin' RAWHIDE!

Hoorah! Another supercool odometer reading!
I was returning from my bff's house, where I'd had the definite honor of watching her talented daughter dance SIX TIMES in Saturday's recital. Woohoo!!! I loved every minute of it!
I also was treated to an early birthday celebration (maybe more on that another time) and what was surely the best Mother's Day that I've had since 2000.
Seriously.
Back to the story at hand!
When I realized that my odometer was about to hit a triple repeat of today's date, I acted quickly to make it memorable! To be cruising down a major highway, or veer off onto a side road and follow where it led? Well, lemme tell ya, ol' Robert Frost would be quite proud of me for choosing the path less traveled. Sure he would have!

I even had lunch at a restaurant that was brand new to me, satisfying my 2013 Resolution yet again. Sah-weet! The little place was called Pepper Jack's Deli and Grill, a homey-looking place in Portal, and the chicken tenders were quite tasty and moist! The location was good, too - right across from the high school and even sporting the school's colors and mascot. Nice!
The only down side was the detour added about three hours to my trip. Yikes! How so? Well, at some point, I must have wandered to the north, because I ended up near Statesboro before I caught the error in my internal compass. Ah, well, the weather was great, I had no time table to keep, and the car still had plenty of gas. No worries!

you've got to wake up every morning, with a smile on your face

... and show the world/ all the love in your heart." - Carole King
That was one of the first songs I did in karaoke, but it's been in my life since I was a teen. Her album, "Tapestry," was one of the first six albums I owned, and it was played over and over on my little GE Wildcat Turntable. Picture that, if you would!
This weekend has been a most excellent beginning of my birthday celebration! I had thought I was going up to the northwestern corner of the state to finally, finally, get to see my preppy Goth girl dance, up front and personal instead of just on video. I did get to see her dance, but the weekend was SO much more than that. Thanks, BFF! <3 Let's start with Friday, shall we? We shall. After a rather uneventful drive up, I arrived to find that there was to be a rehearsal that evening. Off we went! The Goth girl danced a little bit, but mostly it was the little kids doing the practicing. After almost three hours of sittin' and watchin' other folks' kids, we were ready to go and hungry for dinner. Hey, it was already after 9 PM! China Panda to the rescue! I had the House Special Chow Mei Fun - yummy! One more restaurant to satisfy my 2013 resolution!
The next morning, we were up early - for me! - so we could arrive on time for the recital. This recital was in honor of the Tenth Anniversary of the dance school, so, rather than be held in its usual location, this site had been obtained to accomodate the extra folks expected for the nine-hour celebration. No, no, not nine straight hours of dance! My goodness, the kids would collapse, not to mention the parents! The recital was divided into three presentations, each about two hours long, with about 90 minutes between each.
Fortunately, the Goth girl's dances were all in the first presentation! She was in six dances, too! For five of them, she was part of a group, with that group swelling from just three others to containing all of the students of the dance school. My favorite, of course, was her solo dance to "Crystallize" - so graceful, so smooth, so very beautiful! Here's an example of two dancers for that lovely tune:


The rest of the day was spent noshing on Georgia caviar, watching "Oblivion" with my BFF and sharing tears during it, and then... BIRTHDAY SURPRISE!!! Woohoo! My BFF, the Goth girl, and the girl's boyfriend chimed in to sing me "Happy birthday!" as a huge beach bag of goodies came my way!!! Wow!!!

A bubble-wielding sword! A bottle of silver tequila, bedecked with ocean-hued glass beads! A beach towel dragon to stay close to my side and ward off undertoads! Witch's brew soap! And even suncreen!


The next day, I had the best Mother's Day that I've had in over a decade, as we rose early and went to the Georgia Renaissance Festival. Ah, such merriment we had! The Tortuga Twins! The Mud Show! Ded Bob! The porkchop on a stick! The steak on a stick! The corn on the cob on a stick! The fantabulous bread pudding made from glazed donuts! And, of course, the jousting and the knights and the horses!!! Oh, my, my, my!!!
Now, for some TIVO'ed episodes of "Big Bang Theory" with the Goth girl, then to bed.
(YAWN!)
What a glorious birthday weekend... two and a half weeks early!

noise, noise, NOISE!

Today, I gathered my moxie tightly about my shoulders and went in search of a solution to the constant assault on my ears and psyche by the monster in the hall.
The monster first appeared toward the end of last term. Thinking it a part of some marketing deal the university had made, I accepted that the new soda machine was now part of the permanent fixtures in the building. After all, if the presence of the music-making, talking beast meant some monetary gain to benefit all, then I would do my best to ignore its chirping.
Yesterday, the volume had at least tripled. The gentle murmurings emanating from its depths had been replaced with loud demands for attention. Watch this video! Play the game with me! Watch this other video! Listen to my little speech about college, to my little tune, to my constant, constant, CONSTANT barrage of sounds!!!
I had tried to ignore its chants and chatter, but I was failing.
Outside help was needed.

I asked the department secretary who I should contact. One of the long-time professors happened by and, hearing my tale, she told me a name.
Who?
"The Vice-President of Financial Affairs," she said. "You may as well start at the top and work your way down."

Well, okay then. That was not the way I was accustomed to handling matters, but I was willing to give it a shot.
I returned to my office and fired off an email.

"Mr. C,

I was referred to you concerning the noise level of one of the vending machines. My office is in the north wing of the Science Center (the smaller building); this building is also the location of a new Coca-Cola vending machine which was installed a few months ago. The machine has an interactive component which allows customers to play games, watch videos, etc.

Heretofore, the volume of the nonstop music or voice-overs from the machine has been low enough that I could ignore it.
No more.
The volume is so very loud now that it cannot be ignored. It is an aural distraction to both myself and my students when they come to my office.
That is not acceptable. When something physically interferes with student welfare, especially if that "something" is an inane singing soda machine, then that device needs to be removed or altered for the benefit of the student.

I would appreciate a decrease in ambient noise level, too.

If there is someone else I should contact concerning this, please do let me know."

*** *** ***
Guess what? Within an hour, I had a reply! Moreover, the person I had contacted had no idea such machines were even on campus and seemed to be a bit bothered that he did not know of their presence.
I expect the matter to be resolved soon.
I certainly hope so.
I can hardly hear my students when they come to ask me for help.

resolution

I do hereby resolve to try at least one new restaurant a month for this year.
Seriously.
No sense in statements which are against my nature.
From now on, each new calendar year will be greeted only with fun resolutions that I have every intention of keeping.
So far, I think I'm off to a great start! Two of my friends have offered to check out new places with me and a third has asked for reviews of those places where I choose to dine. Nice!
One note, to myself and others: "new" is here taken to mean "new to me". The restaurant itself may be one which has been open for years, but if I have not yet darkened its doorway, then it's eligible. This certainly broadens the range of eateries for my dining, as I don't know that I could rely on at least one new establishment opening to the public every month of 2013. But, I must say there are plenty of places I simply have not tried, either due to habit or expense or location.
That said, new franchises of old restaurants do not qualify as "new" for purposes of this resolution. As franchises are duty-bound to adhere to the recipes of the original, then it should be reasonable to expect the same menu, regardless of the location of the diner.
So, there you have it.
And I'll keep you posted...

well, hell

If there's one thing I've learned after all these years on this lovely orb, that one thing would be: Everything is subject to change.
Not even a week after my last trip to this oh-so-peaceful shore, I found myself on the road again. ON THE ROAD AGAIN. After pledging NOT to do so for a while.
Ya see, it's like this. I've been seeing my bird since early March of 2009 and I had not yet met ANY of his family. True, none of them live IN Charleston, but he does have a sister who lives just an hour away. I did get to talk to her on the phone once, but we have not yet met. Nor had I met anyone he's known for more than a few years. But he HAS met almost all of my people. So you see the disparity.
Well, when he phoned to "remind" me of the family reunion in Atlanta that was coming up on the 3rd of July, I told him that I would not be going. First, reference this. Secondly, it wasn't even HIS family reunion, it was that of his brother-in-law's family. Ergo, we would be reunion-crashers. AND I was dealing with surgery jitters and other medical maladies. (I had brought a brown recluse spider back from Tennessee, apparently, and it had bitten me near my navel. No, I had not yet seen my doctor about it, but I had an appointment with her on the 6th for a different matter and thought I would bring up the bite then. Meanwhile, I was taking very good care of it.) I also still felt like part of my getting lost in my travels was somehow my bird's fault, for not being with me, so I had some misplaced and undeserved - admittedly, but nonetheless - anger in his direction.
So, there I am, on the phone trying to nurse this grudge and he says: "it would really mean a lot to me for you to come with me. I really want you to meet my baby sister." I'm telling ya, if you had heard him, you would totally understand why I couldn't say no... and while I didn't say "yes", I did say MAYBE. He had to make sure it would be okay if his sister brought not one, but TWO reunion crashers, and make all the arrangements before I would say okay.
And he did. And we went. And I had a great time! I really enjoyed meeting his sister and her husband and their granddaughter. I really enjoyed meeting their cousin and his wife, also crashing the reunion. I really enjoyed time spent with various members of the brother-in-law's family, participating in the scavenger hunt (and helping the winner succeed!), eating some mighty tasty ribs, and... singing karaoke. That's right, I got behind that microphone and SANG and thoroughly enjoyed myself, beginning with "Rockin' Robin"! Once the Soul Man knew I would sing, he kept asking me to come on up, and you betcha I did. I remember doing "Stop, In The Name Of Love" and seems there was at least one other before my finale of "Lean On Me" just before we departed. Mind, these weren't songs I selected. Oh, no, these were chosen FOR me by the karaoke host. But of course I knew the songs - they were all classics I had grown up hearing, right here in this Southern city by the sea.
Yeah, it meant a lot to my bird to have me flying alongside... and it meant a lot to me to be there, too.

here I am!

I don't know why I haven't been here lately, but there ya go. I seem to be spending a lot of time on the computer, but it's all email and facebook and eBay amd craigslist - not my beach. I've gotten some more travel in, too - but not to my beach.
It isn't that my beach has been far from my thoughts. Never! I've just been too wrapped up with other agendas. I want to come to my beach, I'll even have topics to put forth in black and white, but something else always seems to beg my attention first. Well, I need to do better about that. I do, indeed. My beach is MY time and it belongs on my calendar at least as much - if not more! - as all the other things vying for my attention. As i do keep mentioning elsewhere, there are so many CHOICES of wonderful events to attend and people to see and places to be... but there is only ONE me.
These past two weeks, I have spent more time at home, after losing twenty hours of my life on the road between Pigeon Forge and home. True, the time spent in Tennessee was quite enjoyable and I spent that time with people I love who love me, so that part was all good. But the trip itself, trapped in a hot car, was the absolute pits. I drive a stick shift, so traveling mountain roads for three hours in the dark to get there, coupled with incredibly asinine road delays, was extremely tiring to my thighs and to my nerves. Thank God for my ex-sister-in-law's mom and sister and the jacuzzi or I might not have ever regained my sanity.
As bad as the trip up there was, the trip back was even worse. I again found myself cursing and driving and crying, this time in the heat of the day, all morning, all afternoon, and most of the evening. I, like most of the rest of the party, had decided to take a differnt way back home, to avoid the problems encountered on the drive up. Well, that sounds good in theory, but in practice, it really didn't alleviate the problem. Basically, I detest driving in mountains. Moreover, although I regard mountains as beautiful, I just don't find myself drawn to them like I am to beaches. This was my second trip to mountains in less than two months and I consider myself DONE with that for a while. (At least, I hope so, but I may have another trip soon enough to see an ailing friend.)
(Deep breath.) So, the one thing that helped me endure the ELEVEN hour trip back to home was this: I resolved to not travel ANYWHERE for at least three weeks. Not to Beaufort, not to Charleston, not anywhere out of Savannah. My bird laughed at the idea, but I've stuck to my guns on this one. Maybe it was the heat exhaustion, maybe it was the total lack of familiarity with my surroundings and no one to read the map for me... maybe it was jitters over some upcoming surgery. I think it was a combination of all those things and probably a few more that led to my resolution.
I sure miss Mama.

new paths, new ideas

There's a saying in support groups: If nothing changes, then nothing changes.
Lately, I find myself seeking change and that desire has been manifesting itself in my travels. Heretofore, my trips to Hiram have involved driving a stretch of road I have come to detest, to abhor, to loathe. This stretch of multi-lane highway between McDonough and Jonesboro, along I-75, begs for a catastrophic collision of automobiles. Every time I have driven this patch of madness, the traffic has gone from 80+ miles per hour to a screeching, all lanes, STOP. Every time. I have found it matters not whether I am traveling north or south, spring, summer, winter, or fall, good weather or sheeting rain. In addition, I have yet to find a time of day when the road is passable without this screeching, all lanes, STOP. Morning, midday, early afternoon, late afternoon, after nine in the evening. Absolutely insane.
The last time I went to Hiram, and drove through this patch of hell on earth, I resolved to find a new way. Accordingly, on my drive home, I continued on I-20 in an easterly direction rather than turning off onto I-285 South. What a nice surprise! Not only did I avoid the issue with McDonough and environs, I had a quite pleasant drive through Atlanta, with all lanes flowing smoothly. Yes, it was a Sunday afternoon, on a non-holiday weekend, so the scientist in me knew more experiments would need to be run, but this was a promising start.
I had looked at my Safe Driver Road Atlas prior to this quest, so I knew I wanted to exit at either GA-129 or GA-441 and I knew I wanted to stay on the roads marked "south" and "east." And so I did, having a nice little adventure, seeing bits of scenic Georgia I had never known. I chose exit 114, where both highways of interest were merged. I passed through Eatonton, with its Uncle Remus Museum, where I had to choose: 129 or 441? I knew naught of either, but didn't particularly want to drive to Milledgeville on this trip, so I selected GA-129. South, of course.
Good choice. The road bordered the Oconee National Forest, offering stunning views of valleys amid tree-draped, overlapping, hills. I should have pulled over to take a picture, but I have it firmly in the camera of my mind's eye. I have to wonder how much of these views will be blocked when the trees are fully clothed in their spring finery? No matter, I am sure the forest will still be beautiful and rich and calming.
I travel as far as Gray and find myself questioning the road signs. If GA-129 were still going south, then why was the road now facing the evening sun?? I surely did not want to travel back toward Atlanta! My trusty map being in the trunk - definite mistake - and me being unwilling to take a break from driving to fetch said map, I made a command decision to try a road less traveled. Off I turned onto County Road 18, proceeding easterly! And less traveled it certainly was. There were long stretches of up and down, sweetly curving, pavement on which I alone drove on that blue-sky afternoon, with my window open partway to catch the sweet breeze of my passage.
After a while, though, I began to question my impromptu decision to take this little road. Where were the signs for I-16? Just how far away WAS the interstate? After all, I did want to end up on I-16 again, as I had no quarrel with it. But where was it??? And about the time I was thinking I might want to stop and actually peruse my map, there it was: I-16 that-a-way, following County Road 96. Whew!
My relief turned to dismay once I actually regained the interstate. Mile marker 25?! Oh, no! I must have backtracked and lost time! I was apparently not very far outside Macon and had miles to go to reach Dublin. And yet, a calculation of the time remaining on my journey revealed that I had only added about 30 minutes to my trip. Success!!! I would study my atlas when I arrived home and would see just how well I had done, driving by the seat of my pants, so to speak.
And I found I had done pretty well, bolstering my confidence in myself as a navigator. I've mapped out some other routes to try for the next time I venture to Atlanta, or beyond, and look forward to testing those theories.
I also found that Macon is much further along on the path homeward than I had recalled. Sometimes, an idea gets set in one's mind, an idea with no truth to it, yet an idea which holds fast. My take on Macon is such an idea. In my mind, Macon is almost to Atlanta... when, in truth, the city is only about two-thirds of the distance there and lies some 70-odd miles to the southeast of the metropolis. I'm going to have to work on that mistaken belief which my mind holds so closely. Perhaps the best way to erase a lie is to keep the proof in front of one's eyes.

anticipation

Last Saturday, January 2nd, I did something I've been intending to do for some few years now. I always managed to find something else to occupy my time, but this year, well, this year I PROMISED myself I would attend. I am so glad I did!
The church I frequent has an annual Anticipation Celebration and Bowl Burning Ceremony. It's a very spiritual affair, meant to start oneself out on the right foot in the new year, by literally lighting a flame to habits and ideas one wishes to shed. Narrow strips of paper, a pen, a fire, and a safe repository for the ashes are all that one needs for the Bowl Burning - well, those are the only physical requirements. I was given one slip on which to write, one slip to be cast aside, one slip to contain those things from which I wished to be freed. Amazing how much that narrow slip could hold! And what a sense of satisfaction to watch as it burned, the flame devouring the inscriptions, melting them into thin air. Even more amazing was the feeling that a load had, indeed, been removed from my shoulders and my mind - a piece of baggage I no longer carried.
The second part of the ritual was much more involved. Again, the only physical items were paper, a pen, and ... a self-addressed, stamped envelope. For the Anticipation Ceremony, I was tasked with writing a letter to myself, a letter which would be put away safely until post-Thanksgiving when it would be arriving in my mailbox. In the letter, I was to congratulate myself for the changes I had made in my life in some respect. What? Sure, I write to/for myself all the time, but to do so as an "Atta Girl!" missive for things I had not yet, and might not ever, accomplish? How to even begin such a thing without being totally self-conscious? And why did I have so many sheets of paper before me?
The leader of this exercise, talking softly and almost in a hypnotic monotone, began giving us a list of ideas and suggestions on how we might flesh them out, what points to include... and a thought took hold and I began, not really listening anymore, much as I am when I am at my beach here, much as I am at this moment. Actually, the same phenomenon occurs when I read books or watch movies. I fall into the story, taking it in as quickly as it will allow. When I am writing, I fall into the words, my fingers scarce keeping pace with my thoughts, forcing me to slow down, to stay coherent. So it was as I wrote my anticipatory letter of congratulation. Before I knew it, I was well into the second page and the leader was saying we needed to wrap things up, bring our letters to a close... and I just happened to be at that very point. How did she know?? I closed, placed the script into the envelope and sealed it shut.
I wonder if the echoes of my words will ring in my ears as the year progresses or will those words fade? Will the new me remember what the old me wrote? Rest assuredly that the me which receives the letter will not quite be the me which wrote it, and cannot be. I have already planted the seeds of change in my life and now I will water them with time and nurture the growth of those new bits springing to life. A new habit takes thirty days to become fixed, just as an old habit takes thirty days to cease, regardless of whether the habit in question is life-affirming or life-destroying. Hopefully, I can stay with good habits for the needed passage of time... that fire in which I burn.

challenge!

Tomorrow is the first day of my New Year. My resolution is to accept more challenges, take more risks, step out of my comfort zone. No, I'm not planning to take up skydiving! After all, my mother taught me NOT to jump out of perfectly good airplanes.
I want to audition for a theatrical production. I had been invited to try out for "Psycho Beach Party," but I had too much else going on, I said. I was invited to bring some music and go for a role in "Urinetown" - but I went to the Sand Gnats' game instead. Well, the third time is the charm, as they say. I'll keep my eyes open for that next show, maybe even a musical. After all, I'm not putting in my karaoke time anymore and I miss singing in front of a crowd. (Knowing how shy I once was, and still can be, I can hardly believe I even said that!)
I'm entering a writing challenge sponsored by an Australian group, http://www.kiwiwriters.org/my/challenge/site/socnoc-2009.html . In fact, I just noticed: it's already tomorrow - 3:55pm, too - in that part of the world. Happy birthday to me! And soon enough it'll be my birthday here on my side of the world. The challenge is to write a 50, 000-word novel in thirty days, from June 1 to June 30. I've read plenty of novels over my lifetime, even occasionally fancying that I could write such a thing. Well, it's out of the daydream and into reality with YOU, my dearie! I have this weekend to try to come up with an idea and maybe some characters and already my head is churning. Hopefully, the writing will progress at a MUCH faster pace than my blog has! I'm excited!!!

new sky

Although the skies were grey and drear/ My Saturday was full of cheer!

Yes, indeed, yesterday was a beautiful day. Not according to the weatherman, not according to the thermometer, not even according to my five senses. But my heart, my soul, my spirit experienced nothing but sunlight and warmth!

I was able to spend almost five hours in Beaufort with Daddy and his family. I drove over after breakfast, not knowing what to expect when I arrived, hoping he would have a few coherent moments that we could share. It had been a rough week for him, his failing health taking a decided turn for the worst, with him not even able to sit up or hold a train of thought for two minutes on the phone. So, number one on my agenda for the day was time with him. Lo and behold, a minor miracle had occurred on Friday afternoon and he had started to rouse himself, even playing checkers with the hospice personnel. When I arrived on Saturday morning, he and Bonnie were out on their front porch! True, Daddy was in a wheelchair, but he was outside enjoying the day, gnats, grey chill, and all. I tell ya, it did my heart a world of good to see him like that! After all, I AM his one-and-only, ever-lovin' daughter, am I not?

And we had a very fine visit, with him trying hard to show me he was okay, even insisting on getting up and WALKING (though rather unsteadily) to the bathroom. Thank God Bonnie was still at home at that point, because I really don't think he nor I would have wanted me to follow him into there. At least we had moved from the porch back inside, away from the flying teeth, and were in the bedroom when he made his move, so he didn't have far to go. Bonnie helped him get settled afterward into his big chair in the bedroom, then she, Bobbie and the two grandsons left to take care of some errands.

Daddy & I then had the next hour together, watching a John Wayne movie ("North to Alaska"), talking and joking, and smelling the Shriners' boston butt warming in the oven. The Bobbie's dad came by and we three chatted and somehow the conversation turned to work experiences. Herschel talked of the mechanical processes to turn cane into sugar of various kinds, Daddy of those which turn trees into pressure-treated lumber and of the techniques for killing insects in the wood. I had no idea how any of it was done and just enjoyed being the audience.

more to come...

relax, dammit

This has been a hard week, though I have to admit I've been to blame for that. Dwelling on things I have NO CONTROL over: the past, my father's cancer, my mother's death. What the fresh hell? But I am a control freak, part of growing up in an alcoholic household, so they say. I say, take responsibility for your own self. If you're over the age of 18 and no longer living at home, then you are making your own future and shouldn't try to blame your parents for anything any more.

Hi, I'm Faustina, and I'm a control freak. I've worked to control (hah!) that tendency all of my life, generally to success. That is, as long as things are going well, I don't feel compelled to control every little thing around me. When times are easy, I can just go with the flow. La di dah!

But let things start building up, situations I don't get a say in, and when I realize that I don't have control, I nut up HARD. I try to overcompensate and micromanage every little thing. There's a difference now in how that manifests itself. I've noticed I've taken a turn for the worse: I let the dishes pile up for days, I don't do laundry for weeks, I'm almost late mailing out bills, I miss birthdays and anniversaries. This cannot go on. To paraphrase another Eliot, Faustina, this is stupid stuff (you eat your victuals fast enough). I need to have someone ride herd on me... and who better than a control freak like myself? I need to be like Glenda and use the power of control for GOOD. The only person I can truly control is ME and I haven't been doing that good a job of it lately. Definitely MY bad. So here's another resolution for this year: Accept that I only have control over myself.

Now, let's get this house in order, shall we? Yes, let's!