So, I guess I'm back...kinda?

A long rambly multi-topic catchup post wherein I pretend all 3 of my remaining readers still care...

Last night I scrolled through my first two pages of posts and realized that was all I had so far for 2010, and it's nearly freakin August. This made me feel terrible about my chronic blog neglect. Luckily several massive projects completed either last week or Monday of this week, and so while I am certainly still swamped I no longer feel like I am swimming for the surface but just don't know if I will make it before I drown. Living in that feeling for the last 3 months, and in other spurts for most of the last 10 months, has really sucked. And I'm sure it will suck again soon.
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So, like I said in the infusions post, I had 2 parties in June and July. It wasn't really the greatest idea I've ever had, but it's done now and it was for the most part fun. Also, crazy expensive. Also, this post from my dear friend Susan is like the greatest thing ever. Read it, learn it, live it.

I made so many different dishes it is hard to pick just one or two to share recipes for, but one is something I sort of invented based upon a suggestion from a friend, and it was delicious, and easy:

Feta-Stuffed Mini Peppers

2 packages of miniature red, yellow and orange peppers, tops removed, cleaned, split down one side
1 package of good feta cheese
olive oil, ideally infused with some herbs, garlic or red pepper for extra flavor
balsamic vinegar
8 leaves fresh basil (if oil is not infused)
salt and pepper

If using basil, cut into a chiffonade and place a pinch of the basil into each pepper. Stuff each pepper with feta, packing tightly. Drizzle liberally with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and any remaining basil. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld. Skewer each pepper and either place on top rack of a grill away from direct flame, with uncut sides of peppers down, or place on a rimmed baking sheet and broil in a hot oven until the cheese browns and the peppers have just started to soften. Be careful when removing the peppers from the grill or oven, as the filling will want to fall out. (If it does, just discreetly stuff it back in. Nobody will notice.) Serve warm.

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I've decided that when I get my bonus in December, I need to do something big with it. Option #1 is a major trip somewhere outside the U.S. where I can get away from it all for awhile. Suggestions on locale are welcome...right now, I am considering exotic places like Italy, France, New Zealand, Tahiti, Barbados, etc. Ideally it should be somewhere that the weather will be lovely in January or February when I can afford to go. Honestly, my biggest concern is that none of my friends will be willing to go with me because of either financial restraints, lack of interest in traveling to where I want to go, or fear of flying. I've been trying to explain to people recently that traveling alone as a single girl is just way dicier than as a guy. My friend who went to France last year by herself and got mugged 3 times in the span of a two week trip, including having her wallet stolen on the very first day she arrived in Paris, is a classic example. She hung in there, got money wired by her parents, and made the best of it, but I would probably be so dejected at that point that I'd just want to turn around and come home. I travel alone all the time for work, but that's different--I never GO anywhere or see anything, I just go from airport to hotel to deposition back to airport. But if I'm traveling abroad, I really don't want to be alone. There should be a place where you can find travel partners for things like this who aren't shady or annoying. (Feel free to also volunteer to be my travel partner in the comments, although I won't be fronting your costs if you do...)

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On the mini-vacation front, I need to go visit a friend in New Orleans for some weekend in August, and I am also probably going back to Biloxi for the poker tournament around Labor Day. This was a total bust last year, but a friend is also going that same week for other reasons and asked me to join her, plus they have lowered the buy-ins considerably from last year. I wonder if that's the effect of the economy? At any rate, I never have the time or desire to play poker in my Thursday night game anymore, so in order to get some practice with live play I am probably going to have to start playing bar tourneys a few times a week. Suggestions for good places in Atlanta with bar tourneys that start at 9pm (not 8, which I can never make it to) are welcome. I used to play at the Brewhouse but apparently new folks are running it so it may suck now.

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Local politics is depressing the hell out of me. I seriously don't like any of the candidates on either side of the aisle who ran for Governor of Georgia, and I will probably write in my friend Page in November. (It's a thing, we write in Page when we don't know who to vote for.) I waver between resolving not to give a shit because it's too upsetting to pay attention to, and resolving to make my own change by working to revamp the Democratic party in this state into something effective and inspiring again. Y'know, with all that free time I have.

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So it's late July, and I resolved in March to maybe run a half marathon this year, and yet I haven't even been able to string together 13 miles on the treadmill across one whole week since that promise, let alone actually starting to train for it. I keep waiting for things at work to get less hectic so I can get home at a normal hour and have the energy and time to recommit, but it just hasn't happened. I wish I didn't have to choose between getting in shape physically and getting my career in order. But doing both at the same time has proven nearly impossible.

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I'm getting ridiculously excited about FSU football this year, even though Vegas has apparently only pegged us to win 8 games. Still, this is one of those years that has the potential to be really special--not national championship special (despite what Tim Brando apparently predicted), but a better year than we have seen in recent memory. I think we could conceivably run the table in the ACC, which would be great if we didn't also have the incredibly difficult non-conference schedule of Oklahoma, BYU and Florida to deal with. Still, the most frustrating thing about FSU's decline this decade has been our tendency to let mediocre ACC teams beat us, and the first step to returning to former glory is to stop letting that happen and start kicking conference asses again.

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I think that's all I got for now. Whew, I was storing up a lot of random junk!

Jukebox Wars

For the last month or so, ATL Malcontent has been counting down the 10 most annoying songs ever. So far, his list includes:

#10: Bush--Glycerine

#9: John Denver--Thank God I'm a Country Boy

#8: Darryl Worley--Have You Forgotten?

#7: Genesis--Tonight, Tonight, Tonight

#6: The Rembrandts--I'll Be There For You (aka the theme from "Friends")

#5: Soundgarden--Black Hole Sun

#4: Five for Fighting--100 Years

#3: Hootie and the Blowfish--Only Wanna Be With You

#2: Kenny Loggins--(Highway to the) Danger Zone

#1: R. Kelly--I Believe I Can Fly

I can't really disagree with any of the choices on the list, though I do generally like Soundgarden and also find Danger Zone to be hilarious in its awfulness. But then, I tend to find really awful music pretty funny overall.

Reading this list reminded me of an old bar trick some friends and I used to engage in about a year ago (maybe longer...the days in bars all blend together.) We never gave it a name, but I hereby christen it Jukebox Wars. I was talking about this just this past Friday night, after some friends were deliberately playing awful music in a nearly-empty Diesel, which was led off with the hilariously bad "Into the Night" by Benny Mardones. (Any song that begins with "She's just 16 years old / leave her alone they say" is gonna be uncomfortably awful by definition!)

Jukebox Wars started when the bartenders at Moe's and Joe's were bored and annoyed one Saturday night and started deliberately playing bad music in the hope of annoying patrons. They took turns seeing how bad they could make the songs, which as I drunkenly recall included the Spice Girls, New Kids on the Block, Chumbawumba, and that "Who Let the Dogs Out" song. Undaunted, my friends and I began doing battle to top their selections. For whatever $5 will buy in terms of download credits on the jukebox, we would pick our slate of the worst songs in the world. We quickly discovered that our lists were largely generational--the bartenders' songs were heavily from the 90's, mine were largely from the late 70's or 80's, and others' were from the 60's or 70's. Many of those in that last category I had never heard before, so I didn't have the same negative visceral reaction that others in the bar often did (such as when I was beaten with the selection "Season in the Sun." Dammit.)

I can't remember all 10 of the terrible songs I played, but I can remember most. They included Dan Hill's "Sometimes When We Touch," Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby," Taylor Dayne's "Love Will Lead You Back," Starship's "Sara" (a personal most-hated song for reasons I have described elsewhere...if you play it for me I will punch you in the throat), Alabama's "When We Make Love," and that goddamned "Breakfast at Tiffany's" song that makes me want to gouge out eyeballs. Just pulling together those links has made me think I should have won this damn battle...that's how bad those songs are! But alas, based upon the votes of others in the bar, I was defeated by even worse songs.

I also can't remember all the terrible songs that the person who beat me played, but I do remember some of the submissions of others included Muskrat Love, We Built This City, the Pina Colada song (which I unabashedly love), and Baby I'm a Want You.

The one song that both I and my competitor wanted to include, but couldn't because it was not available for download on that jukebox, was Convoy. This is quite simply the worst song of all time--listen and see for yourself! If ATL Malcontent doesn't make this #1 on his list I will be so disappointed.

So, this makes me wonder...what are your all-time top 10 worst songs ever? Feel free to leave a list in the comments. (Nothing that I have listed here is off-limits simply because I included it.)

Are you a clueless voter?

Don't be ashamed...I am too. When I voted in the February 2008 primary, I was shocked at how many positions I had to vote for where I knew completely zilch about any of the candidates. In those races, I decided my votes based on such superficial and ineffective factors as:

Who is the incumbent, and do I think it's likely that a change at that position is warranted? (For example, I always think the Fulton County Clerk of Courts could use a shakeup because that place is a total mess!)
Whose yard signs have I seen on my street at neighbors' houses?
Whose name interests me the most?
Which candidate is female?
Who have I *not* read a negative news story about in the last year?

I walked away from that experience determined to know more the next time I had to vote in a local election. Thankfully by the time the general election rolled around my choices had narrowed (or been decided in the primary since few Republicans are on the ballot in my district), so my choices were easier.

However, in 3 weeks we will have an election here in Atlanta that will be important, and if you're as wilfully clueless about local politics as I am, then you might be wondering if it's worth the time it would take to educate you about the issues. Well, what better way to make the decision about who should get your vote than to meet them up close and in person? You can do that tomorrow night, October 15th, at Manuel's Tavern. The Mid-Fulton Democrats have invited the mayoral candidates and all of the city council candidates to participate.

Now, rather than that pathetic list I gave you, you can at least decide your votes on things like their fashion sense, what beers they drink, and who has the hottest campaign staff. Knowledge is power, people!

Mood Music

Tuesday night I went to see U2 at the Georgia Dome. The show was fantastic. Though I was not surprised by it, they did not play my favorite song of theirs:



The doors you open
I just can't close...

Obsessive Hostess strikes again

I'm having a Fourth of July cookout, and the amount of work and cooking to be done is starting to bear down hard upon me. I have decided on the following menu:

Appetizers:
Vegetable tray with dill dip
mini lobster rolls
bacon wrapped dates stuffed with bleu cheese
chips with salsa, guacamole and queso

Mains:
Burgers (of many varieties)
Hot Dogs
Grilled Chicken Breasts

Sides:
My should-be-famous potato salad
Pasta Salad with zucchini, tomato and feta
Grilled vegetables and corn
fresh cut fruit

Desserts:
Lemon cupcakes
Strawberry shortcakes

Drinks:
Sangria
Beer
Water and sodas

So, um, yeah. It's a lot of food. I still need to shop, and then tomorrow I will spend the whole day cooking. The beauty of this menu is that it can ALL be prepared in advance, except for the things that need to be grilled the day of the cookout.

The far bigger issue is that hosting parties makes me suddenly hyper-aware of all the things I meant to fix up in my house but never got around to. I meant to finish paining the living room, and to paint my bedroom, and to paint over that water damage spot on the cieling, but I never did. Now I am trying to calculate...can I get all those done tomorrow? (No, and I shouldn't even try. But I still might.)

I also have let my deck languish this year, and haven't bothered to clean it or set it up properly at all. I have a basement full of cutesy things to decorate the deck with for a party, but the thought of actually putting all of that together and making it look nice is so exhausting. So, I cajoled my parents into coming and helping me with that part. Nothing like free labor!

Once the actual cookout comes, I will feel the wash of a sense of accomplishment, but until then it is nothing but worry. I worry that 36 people still have not RSVPed and so I have no idea how much to cook. I worry that my house is small and if somehow 40 people show up, where will I put them all? I worry it will be insanely hot and my air conditioner will crap out again. All of these things are, sadly, eminently possible.

I also am trying to figure out where would be the best spot to go to watch fireworks near my house. I am surrounded by several massive multi-story trees, so I doubt we could see much from my deck. However, I am less than a mile from Piedmont Park, which should have a good view of several fireworks shows. Anyone know any other good spots relatively close to Virginia-Highland where I can take my merry band of friends for a good ooh ahhh view of fireworks? Let me know in the comments.

Many wonder why I take on this sort of thing when it carries this much stress, and it's hard to explain but the truth is that I do love it. I love having an excuse to cook for other people, and to see them enjoy a great meal that I prepared. I love bringing friends from a variety of circles together and watching them have a good time. I love playing hostess, even though I try too hard to make everything perfect. It may not appear like it as I worry and work, but I live for this sort of thing. I promise.

Restaurant review: Varasano's

If you have never heard of Jeff Varasano, congratulate yourself for successfully avoiding one of the most bizarre and annoying internet phenomena here in Atlanta. Years ago, Varasano moved to Atlanta from New York and lamented our lack of authentic New York style pizza. He then set out to re-create his favorite slice from NYC institution Patsy's, and documented every painstaking step on his website. Varasano had to rig up his electric home oven to run the clean cycle in order to reach the desired 900 degrees for perfect crust "char," and he also had to agonize for what seems like years over proper fermentation of the sourdough crust and the right variety of tomatoes for the sauce. If you think I'm obsessive about my cupcakes, you ain't seen nothing yet.

After a few years, he thought he had the perfect recipe and began hosting pizza parties in his home to show it off. Varasano built a following, trashing a few local and national pizza restaurant stars in the process, and it seemed inevitable that he would eventually open a restaurant. In March, he finally did in a shiny new space in a condo building on Peachtree. I'd heard both good and bad things about the pizza available at Varasano's restaurant, but the really interesting thing was how strong the opinions were on both sides. A discussion of a preliminary review at Creative Loafing's Omnivore blog became known as the Pizza Wars, it was so contentious. (A later review after the usual new restaurant kinks had started to work out was more favorable.) Varasano had both many fans of his pizza and many detractors hoping he would fail. I found myself pulled in the latter direction.

And so, last night I walked into the restaurant both hoping for a great meal, and yet eager for a delicious taste of schadenfreude. I wanted Varasano's to not live up to the insane hype. We went with a group of eleven, and decided to each order our own pie so that we could share different varieties amongst the table. It sounds insane to have each person get an entire pizza for themselves, and yet I think out of 11 pizzas only four slices left in to-go boxes. It just so happens that Varasano's pizza is so delicious that you feel compelled to keep eating.

I had a simple salad first, romaine lettuce with roasted peppers, a few sparse croutons, and a lemon and olive oil dressing. The dressing was delicious, but the salad was nothing special. Two other friends tried the Caprese salad and seemed moderately disappointed. Perhaps that was our mistake for not focusing solely on the restaurant's raison d'etre, the pizza.

For my pizza I ordered the margherita, the archetypal pizza that started it all for Varasano. I paid the extra $5 for bufala mozzarella, though I'm not sure it was necessary. The pizza had just the right texture, with obviously very high quality and delicious ingredients. My only complaint was that I would have liked more basil on the pizza, but that was my mistake for not requesting it in advance. It certainly did not stop me from eating all but one slice, which I gave to a friend. I savored every bite.

I also had a small sampling of a caramelized onion and emmenthaler cheese pizza, which was also very tasty but a big departure from what I had already been eating. I would order it again, but you have to be a lover of onions and a strong cheese flavor in order to appreciate a pizza like that. Others had pizzas topped with arugula and lemon, salami and spiced olives, and a dessert pizza with medjool dates, honey and walnuts. I did not sample those, but heard no complaints and many rave reviews.

The space is nice and modern, and feels more like any other trendy restaurant than a pizza place. Waitstaff was mostly attentive and helpful. The bar does not serve beer on draft, which many found odd, but the beer and wine list contained many interesting oddities. The desserts that others sampled, an espresso panna cotta and the famous Italian donuts, seemed to be good though I did not try either one.

All in all, as much as I hate to admit it, I would recommend the pizza at Varasano's to anyone. I intend to go back very soon.

Coca-cola cupcakes

For a housewarming party on Saturday I was inspired to create a recipe for Coca-cola cupcakes. The "Co-cola cake" tradition is one of my favorite discoveries upon moving down south, but the cake is such a strange concoction that I wasn't really sure how well it would translate into cupcake form. For starters, co-cola cake is traditionally glazed or iced rather than frosted, but that makes for not so pretty cupcakes. However, I didn't find any great cola frosting recipes on my many Googles, so I became concerned that the presence of cola in a buttercream based frosting might destabilize it, much like real lime juice did when I made lemon lime cupcakes a few months ago. I also was worried the cupcakes would be lacking if they didn't have that traditional glaze element, because the icing is the best part of a co-cola cake.

I decided to give it a shot and wing it with an amalgamation of a few recipes, and thankfully things turned out right on the first try and it was simply divine. My worries about unstable frosting did hold, however: these were starting to get a little drippy after 2 hours on the cupcake stand at the party. However, if you keep them refrigerated and serve them pretty quickly, then you won't even notice the frosting issues.

For Cupcakes:

2 2/3 c. cups plain flour (I used Swan cake flour)

1 ½ c. sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 c buttermilk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter

8 Tbsp cocoa powder

1 ½ c. Coca-Cola

1 c. small marshmallows

For Coca-Cola icing:

½ c. unsalted butter

3 T unsweetened cocoa

6 T Coke

16 oz. powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla

For Coca-cola frosting:

1 c. unsalted butter

5 to 6 cups powdered sugar

¼ c. milk

2 t. vanilla

1 to 3 T Coke

1 to 2 T cocoa

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In a separate jug, mix together the egg, buttermilk and vanilla.Gently heat the butter, cocoa and Coca-Cola in a heavy saucepan until melted, then add marshmallows, turn off heat, and stir until melted. Add mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon. Add the buttermilk mixture to the batter and stir well until everything is incorporated.

Portion out the batter into paper-lined muffin tins. Fill to about two-thirds to three-quarters full. The recipe should make about 24-30 standard sized cupcakes. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Let cool completely (or overnight) before icing or frosting.

To make icing, melt 1 stick unsalted butter in saucepan with 3 tablespoons cocoa and 6 tablespoons Coke, stirring until all butter has melted. In bowl, add butter mixture to 16 oz. powdered sugar and whisk until lumps disappear. Stir in vanilla. Poke holes in cupcakes with fork and spread icing on each cupcake just to glaze the top. Chill remaining icing for at least 1 hour.

To make frosting, combine 2 sticks unsalted butter and 4 c. powdered sugar in mixer at high speed. Add vanilla and milk and mix until smooth. Add 1 c. sugar and cooled remainder of coca-cola icing and mix on high until well-blended. Add 1 c. sugar, 1 T coke, and 1 T cocoa, and mix until well-blended. (You will have to play with the amounts of coke, cocoa and sugar to make sure frosting reaches desired consistency.) Chill in refrigerator at least one hour, then pipe or spread onto cupcakes over coca-cola glaze. Decorate as desired. Cupcakes will retain their frosted shape best if refrigerated for at least an hour after frosting.

Makes 24-30 iced and frosted cupcakes.

The butterfly decorations in the photo were purchased online from Baker's Nook, and are fully edible (made of sugar). The daisies are from Wilton, and were purchased at Michael's.

Like a Kid Again

Yesterday was my 34th birthday, and to celebrate I am going with a group of friends to Six Flags today. I haven't been to the park since I was 13, so I remember almost nothing about it. But something about acting like a kid again appealed to me as I got another year older. Hopefully I won't be as terrified on the rides as this girl:



Update: We got rained out. Suck.

500 Songs for Kids returns

For each of the last two years, the Songs for Kids Foundation has put on an amazing charity concert series at Smith's Olde Bar called "500 Songs for Kids." In 2007, they used the Rolling Stone list of the 500 best songs of all time, and in 2008 they assembled their own list of the 500 best sing-a-long songs. This year, 500 Songs for Kids is back with the 500 most passionate songs of all time, and it starts tonight and runs through May 9th.

If you go, you will see 50 artists or bands a night perform well-known songs in their unique way. Sometimes it will be awful, sometimes it will be hilarious, and sometimes it will be extraordinary. Well known acts such as Cracker, Cee-Lo, Drivin' and Cryin' and Shawn Mullins have performed in years past. This year the celebrity participants will include members of the Drive By Truckers, Angie Aparo, Arrested Development, Francine Reed, Shawn Mullins, Gavin DeGraw, and more still to be announced.

In each of the last 2 years I have discovered numerous bands that blew me away, and made the whole experience worth it. Shows start at 6:45 pm and go to the wee hours (it takes a long time to play 50 songs while changing setups between each one.) I urge you to stop by Smith's any night in the next 10 days and give it a listen, for a good cause.

Previous coverage here and elsewhere from 2007 and 2008:
Unexpected Finds
Tendaberry
500 Songs for Kids List Revealed
Songs for Kids at Smith's
Last Weekend of Freedom
Cool Music for a Cause

Oscar catchup time

Feeling guilty that you still haven't made it to a theater to see any of the movies nominated for Best Picture in this year's Oscars? Worried you will not know who to root for on Sunday night?(Yes, the Oscars are Sunday...I know, that totally snuck up on me too.) Well, if you can dedicate this Saturday to the cause, you can see all 5 best picture nominees in one sitting for $30 at either Buckhead Fork & Screen (formerly Backlot) or Phipps, among other places. AMC is running a promotion called the Best Picture Showcase that starts at 10:30am and finishes at midnight, showing Milk, The Reader, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire, and Frost/Nixon. If you go to Fork & Screen, you can even be served food and adult beverages in your seats throughout the day...but be careful because something tells me Frost/Nixon should not be seen while heavily inebriated.

I would totally go do this on Saturday if I hadn't already seen Benjamin Button which falls smack in the middle (and is really long), which kind of fouls up the plan for me. But if you need to get your Oscar fix, give it a shot.

Zucca pizza now open in Decatur

For years, my friends who live in Smyrna have all been going to Zucca and its next door neighbor Vintage Tavern. I have spent many a night there with them drinking and noshing on the unexpectedly fantastic pizza. I've shared it with friends who have remarked on how delicious it is, and wondered where they could get some. But sadly, until now the answer was only in Cobb county, a long drive for ITP Atlantans who like a little beer with their pizza and don't need to be risking DUIs.

I'm very excited to learn that Zucca has now opened a location in Decatur on the Square. Gonna have to try this out soon. If you like thin crust NY style pizza, you should too. I'm not shilling for the place, I'm telling you that I know somewhere new where you can get delicious pizza. Check it out.

Dine Out Wednesday to help catch John Henderson's killers

Local restaurants are donating 20% of their profits Wednesday, January 28th to the Crime Stoppers reward fund for information about the murderers of Standard bartender John Henderson. A lot of great local restaurants and bars are participating, so come have a meal and some brews and do your part! Here's the restaurants participating:

* 97 Estoria
* Agave
* The Albert
* Atkins Park
* Blind Willie’s
* Brake Pad
* The Cavern
* The Corner Tavern (all locations)
* Dakota Blue
* The Glenwood
* El Myr
* Flatiron
* Food 101
* Fontaine’s Oyster House
* Front Page News (Moreland Ave. location)
* Genki Noodles & Sushi
* Grant Central Pizza
* Highland Tap
* Holy Taco
* JavaVino
* JCT Kitchen
* Limerick Junction
* Little Azios- East Atlanta
* Mehan’s Public House
* Midway Pub
* Milltown Arms Tavern
* Moe’s & Joe’s*
* No Mas Cantina
* Octane Coffee
* The Pool Hall (Buckhead)
* Radial
* Ria’s Bluebird
* San Francisco Coffee
* Six Feet Under (both locations)
* Steamhouse Lounge
* Steinbeck’s
* The Standard
* U Joint
* Vickery’s Bar and Grill (Glenwood Park & Midtown)
* Vortex, Little Five Points
* West Egg
* Zaya Restaurant

Fifth Group Restaurants

* El Taco
* La Tavola

HomeGrown Restaurants

* Doc Chey’s Noodle House
* Osteria 832 Pasta & Pizza
* Stella Trattoria

U Restaurant Group

* Beleza
* Cuerno
* Fritti
* Sotto Sotto

Other participating businesses

* Jac (boutique)

*Where I'll be. If you come to Moe's & Joe's on Wednesday, you can even heckle Griftdrift running trivia AND help contribute to the fund!

Randomness

I have a lot of stuff going on in my life and in my friends' lives right now, but none of it is really safe to publicly blog about. Hence the virtual silence around here of late. So, in no particular order, here's some random stuff bouncing around in my empty head:

* I have to decide whether to go to the trouble and expense of getting a Christmas tree this year. I had one in 2006, but did not buy one last year and didn't really miss it all that much. I still have a million ornaments that match perfectly and look beautiful, but do I really want to take the hours upon hours it will require to decorate the tree, only to worry about the cat knocking it over? (Yes, that has happened before. Many times.) I've been in kind of a bad mood lately because of the aforementioned unbloggable stuff, so maybe a forced infusion of Christmas spirit would help. Or maybe it would just make me homicidal and poorer. You tell me.

* Speaking of my lack of Christmas spirit, which I struggle with every year, I tried to make a Christmas list the other day and just failed miserably. There are so many things I'd like for Christmas (a new job!...oops, did I say that out loud?) but precious few that I can actually provide to friends and family trying to decide what to get me as a gift. What I really want from my friends is their companionship, support, and happiness in the coming year. That goes a lot longer than any gift. And for my family, I want prosperity and health. It feels really lame saying "oh yeah, and a Kitchenaid Artisan mixer and cashmere gloves" at the end of a list of such far more important concerns.

* Sometimes, I can be a real pain in the ass. Even when I might be right. I need to remember that.

* I can't decide whether to have a holiday party, a Super Bowl party, both, or neither. I haven't had a party at my house in almost 2 years, since a falling out between some close friends that has made me wary of holding any event to which I would want to invite both. But the hostess bug is hitting me hard, and making me want to bring new people together from the many friends I have made in the last 2 years, and the holidays seem like a natural time to do that. I also always love an excuse to craft a menu and cook far too much food for people.

However, I also worry that everyone is booked up with other holiday parties already and wouldn't be able to come anyway. Decisions, decisions. So, readers...tell me. Are you already booked for every weekend day between now and Dec 25th? If so, the Super Bowl is a really easy, natural time to have a party and my last one was a success. I will almost certainly try that again this year, especially since my Pats won't even be sniffing the playoffs this year from the looks of things.

* Speaking of football, I am so impressed with the way the Falcons are beating expectations that I am thinking I need to start going to more professional sporting events here in town. The Falcons are pretty good, the Hawks are pretty good, hockey is fun even when your team sucks, and the Braves at least have the chance of being decent. Yet, our sports teams are among the lowest attended in the professional leagues. It's time for those of us who enjoy watching and rooting for these teams to start showing our appreciation by putting butts in seats. Who's with me?

* But my college team, that's one that is not getting my butt in a seat for at least another 9 months, if ever. I haven't blogged about the woeful experience that was the Florida-Florida State game because I don't know if I can ever put into words just how much it sucked. We got our asses kicked by our arch rivals, it poured rain on us for much of the game (and for virtually our entire drive to Tallahassee & back), and my phone got wet and shorted out even though it was in my purse the whole time. SUCKED. My seething anger at Bobby & Co. might be blogged someday, but not today.

* Saturday night, after I was in a mood and needed something cathartic, I went to see the incomparable Francine Reed at Blind Willie's blues club. Oh Lord, was it what I needed. If you have never seen Ms. Reed live and in person, you owe it to yourself to check her out. Here's a video of her doing my favorite song she performs, Ida Cox's "Wild Women Don't Get the Blues."



And with that, I guess I better just get wild and crazy, because I really can't stand to have the blues anymore.

Scenes from the revolution

Last night, I started my evening at Manuel's Tavern, the preferred watering hole of Democrats in this town. I was amazed by the traffic just to get down N. Highland Ave., only to find that it was caused by people waiting to pull into the parking lot just so they could confirm that there were, in fact, no parking spaces left. I parked a few blocks away and walked into an absolutely jampacked bar. Strangely, as the night wore on it seemed to waver between insanely crowded and just ridiculously crowded.

Every time they showed Obama ahead in any state on the TV screens showing CNN everywhere, people would start to clap. They did this even when only 3,000 votes were in from states like South Carolina that were guaranteed to go Republican. I also heard more stupid things in line for the bathroom at Manuel's last night than I've heard in weeks. The caliber of Democratic thinkers there last night was not high, let's just put it that way. Still, it was nice to be among likeminded folks as we all worried about the results.

Once things looked pretty safely in hand thanks to the calls of Ohio and Pennsylvania for Obama, we headed to the Hyatt where the Democratic Party of Georgia was having its big throwdown bash. Though we spent most of the night in the suites, we did make a brief trip down to the ballroom just after the networks called the election for Obama. To call it a madhouse would be a gross understatement. I have never, in my life, seen such expressions of pure joy over a political result as I saw in that ballroom last night. People were crying, screaming, dancing, singing, and just generally turning all the love and relief and pride in their hearts out to the world. It was so spectacular.

The mood in the suites was just as exuberant, and probably a little more alcohol-fueled. We cracked jokes about Sarah Palin, I witnessed a bearhug of epic proportions between two men, and I met some folks who'd actually heard of this here blog. (That always surprises me when it happens.) The predominant emotion on the faces of these diehard political operatives was simply relief. Our days of wandering through the wilderness of complete political heartbreak were finally over. While the results of the Senate race were initially discouraging, once we realized that the early vote had not yet been counted we resolved not to give up hope.

And so, after many hours and way too much alcohol, after having a strange woman tell me that she thought I made a lovely couple...with a married friend of mine, after having someone who shall go unnamed repeatedly tell Griftdrift and I to "go blog or something," after seeing the Young Democrats' suite strewn with bottles of every possible stripe and a hilarious smattering of food from the vending machines, after witnessing more bad bar behavior at Manuel's than I ever thought I'd see, after realizing the strange similarities between election night and Dragon*Con at the Hyatt (complete with someone wondering about where the orgies were), after seeing a woman in a dress made entirely out of American flags trying to get a ride home, after watching McCain and Obama give perhaps the best speeches of the entire election, after crying and shaking my head in disbelief that it finally happened...

I made it home. And hell yes, my head hurts today. But it was so worth it.

I'll give some more meaningful attempt at thought of what it all means a little later on, but for now this is my report from the field. It was a crazy awesome night.

Snippets of a most excellent Halloween

I probably should've written this post over the weekend, but FSU's crushing senseless last second defeat at Georgia Tech left me too exhausted and damaged to even think about blogging. But with time comes distance and perspective, and now I can give you some random, vague idea of how my Halloween went.

I dressed as Strawberry Shortcake. The doll, not the dessert. I was a little concerned that I looked like a ridiculous fool in the outfit, so I made someone promise to come to my house before I left, view the costume, and tell me if I looked like a fool no matter how worried he was that I might be upset. The verdict? I did not look like a fool...but I could not bend over for the rest of the night in a skirt that short.

The costume was actually a pretty big hit, but it annoyed the shit out of me. The over-the-knee stockings wanted to fall down all night, and the pink bonnet was incredibly uncomfortable. Not one I am going to be looking to wear again anytime soon, that's for sure. And no, I don't have any pictures that I'm itching to share with you.

Best costume I saw at the Halloween party I went to: the Shocker. Yes, as in "two in the pink..." I couldn't stop laughing.

What happens when you go to a costume party with a bunch of politicos in an election year? You get a Todd Palin, a Bristol Palin, and a Levi Johnson all at the same party. Sadly, no Sarah Palin to round it all off.

After the party came the bars, and while it's a pretty tough contest for best bar costume between a Texas Mormon compound wife and Mario & Luigi, those had to have been topped by a friend who dressed as a girl...despite having a full and very dark moustache and beard. He was hilarious.

At Noche, it seemed like a good idea to switch to tequila, so I had a margarita. Maybe not such a hot idea, as soon the bartender was telling me that I was dangerously close to a wardrobe malfunction...right as a female partner from my firm walked in, also in costume. She's only a year or two older than me, and we reached an unspoken "nobody needs to know about this" detente pretty quickly, but it was still uncomfortable for awhile.

The next day, I found a can of Cheerwine in my purse. I had zero recollection of how it got there, but I have since heard they were giving it out at Noche. It was my first Cheerwine experience, and it was pretty tasty.

All in all, a very fun Halloween. Of which I remember only parts...thankfully, the good parts!

Random

I don't have the mental clarity or time for mutiple blog posts, so some tidbits bouncing around my brain to tide folks over:

* Troy Davis dies in a week. I really want to go to protest outside the execution, but I don't know if I will be able to get out of town in time. If not, I will sit on my front step that night and light a candle, and pray. I encourage all who find the decision to execute this man without full consideration of the grounds for his appeal to do the same.

* Tonight I am going with a group of folks to try Taverna Plaka. I haven't had greek food in ages, so I'm very excited! Review forthcoming as soon as I find the time.

* This weekend, I'm going to the FSU-Virginia Tech game. Considering that we lost the Miami game I went to last year, and the 3 home games I went to the year before that, I am a little apprehensive about whether I might be jinxing the team. However, I bought new gear to wear in the hope of exorcising the old demons.

* My darling Red Sox are out of the playoffs, but they really overachieved in making it to game 7 of the ALCS given the injuries they were struggling with. Now I have to root for the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays, since I grew up in central FL. However, I suspect most Braves fans would be rooting against them because if the Rays win they will have eclipsed the Braves' "worst to first" record in 1991...when the Braves lost in the World Series.

* Pretty much everything I watch on TV these days is disappointing and doesn't seem worth the time. Grey's Anatomy sucks, True Blood is cheesy and porny (and badly written), Project Runway was a mere shell of its former self in this last season on Bravo, I lost interest in Fringe after 2 episodes, I couldn't get back into watching the Sarah Connor Chronicles or Pushing Daisies, and Heroes is clearly in the category of one-season wonders previously occupied by Friday Night Lights. Even Gossip Girl isn't as good this time around. Are there any shows that are lighting up your TV screens that I should be watching? (Excepting those on Showtime, which I don't have.)

* This weekend, I attempted Operation Convince the Family to Vote for Obama. It didn't go so well. My grandparents aren't going to vote at all (which is better than a vote for McCain, I guess), and my parents are both so afraid of Democrats having unfettered control of government that they won't be swayed. At least that is their reasoning, rather than fear of a secret Muslim or focus on his alleged relationship with William Ayers. But still, Habersham county is apparently McCain country.

* I bought Mario Kart last weekend for my Wii, and I can't stop playing it. The race that takes place in a shopping mall is so incredibly hard, I want to kill myself every time I try it. But I keep trying it anyway.

* Work is busy, but busy is good. Even though the tension in these parts is pretty thick right about now. Everyone's waiting for the other shoe of the financial crisis to drop, and wondering if it will fall on them. Not the greatest of environments in which to spend my days.

* The election cannot get here fast enough. I am officially sick of it, and ready for Obama to just WIN ALREADY.

Economic downturn = restaurant promotions

In a sure sign of the rocky economic times, more and more restaurants are putting on promotions to get people in their doors. Upscale restaurants take the hardest hit of a bad economy, since eating in restaurants is a luxury many people quickly cut when they tighten their belts.

But this week, Buckhead Life restaurant group (responsible for places like Chops, Nava, Kyma, Atlanta Fish Market and Pano's and Paul's) is having another one of those "restaurant week" prix fixe promotions. $29 plus tax & tip gets you an appetizer, an entree, and a dessert from their preset menus at any of their restaurants. If you have a little disposable income, now is a great time to try some of their offerings. Check out all the menus here. I'm swamped this week, or I'd be trying to organize a dinner myself!

I'm back!

Sorry for the disappearance without explanation, but on Tuesday my home computer died plus I left Wednesday night for a conference and have been far too busy pretending to enjoy myself to blog. While this conference was billed as an educational retreat, and one with a lot of our clients in attendance, in reality what it meant was that I was in seminars all morning, working in my too-dim hotel room all afternoon, and then expected to stay out schmoozing clients until the wee hours...only to have to be back up at the ass crack of dawn each day for yet more seminars. It ain't a retreat if you come back exhausted, that's what I say.

Anyhow, I figured I should explain the sudden lack of blogging around here. So, there it is.

Restaurant Review: Canton House

Awhile back you may recall I was interested in getting a group together to go try one new and interesting restaurant a month. The response was fantastic, and despite my delays in actually organizing anything, last night we finally had our first dinner. Since I was picking the first restaurant on my own, I wanted something that would be accessible but still a little risky and I decided that we should try one of the many dim sum restaurants on Buford Hwy. While I originally tried to schedule it for a Sunday, we quickly discovered that day was no good for practically anyone. Once we moved the dinner to a weeknight we settled on Canton House almost by default as it was the only local restaurant that I found offered dim sum on weeknights.

Do not be fooled, for Canton House does not REALLY offer dim sum on weeknights. Oh, sure, they have one steam cart and one fried cart. But as we discovered when attempting to order a few dim sum dishes and a few entrees, the selection is drastically limited. (If I recall correctly, there were 4 or 5 options in the steam cart, and 3 in the fried cart.) We had some shrimp dumplings, siu mai, taro cakes, and sesame balls...and then we moved on to ordering entrees off the main menu. The dim sum portion of the evening was tasty but disappointingly limited.

Thankfully, the entrees at Canton House are very tasty. I ordered comibination pan fried noodles, which had a ton of fresh seafood and vegetables on cantonese noodles topped with a garlic sauce. It was very good and exactly what I was expecting. I also sampled other peoples' dishes, including spicy garlic pork (good), salt and pepper squid (very good), mongolian beef (excellent) and pan fried green beans (something I had wanted to order, but was disappointed by when it arrived. The sauce was a little too glutinous.) After eating more than I should have, I went home thinking I certainly would be happy to eat there again, despite the lack of real dim sum options on a weeknight.

The ambience and service were a little lacking, mainly because the back of the restaurant suddenly filled with several large tables with screaming children. The wait staff seemed geared towards these tables primarily and it sometimes felt like we had to wave our waitress over to our table. If I were using a star system of rating, I'd deduct half a star for the service and ambience issues.

Overall, I liked Canton House and greatly enjoyed the company. I can't wait until next month's dinner. Now if only we could figure out where to try next...

Hey Foodies

Next week is Atlanta Restaurant Week! Here's the list of places where you can get a fabulous meal for only $25...anyone want to go? If so, post in the comments or shoot me an email and we can try to pick a night and restaurant and make a reservation. I could do Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.