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Where was I?

Lisa and I were in Portland for the Indie Wine Festival Thursday April 30th through Monday May 5th. Wineries, book store, lots of amazing restaurants and bars, and some great hiking. All documented in Twitter but not easily linkable. Photo entry and highlights to come.

[ updated 1 July 2008 ]

Photos posted here (somewhat slow) and a few random artifacts from the trip. The flight there:

And back:

The access card from the Hotel Deluxe (a classic movie themed hotel):

And the card from a small shop in Dundee called The Dapper Frog. We picked up a couple of wine toppers when we were there for the Willamette Valley wineries:

Went to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead at The Shakespeare Tavern last Thursday (runs through June 1st). One of my favorite movies and the play was outstanding. Much more bawdy than I remember from the movie, and I caught more of Stoppard's wordplay in this version, sometimes clever and sometimes vaudevillian.

Friday was Iron Man (3/5) at Atlantic Station. Without Downey and Paltrow, the movie would have only been a minor effects-vehicle. They were electric throughout (he getting most of the screentime, of course). I had difficulty getting past the silly science that seemed to stretch the bounds of even comic-book-science. Radical direction changes in a metal suit (whether in the air or hitting the ground) would be catastrophic to the body. And when Paltrow reached into the metal tube that went into his heart in order to pull out some faulty wire, well ... just silly. All-in-all a fun ride though.

Saturday was my niece Sarah's ballet recital. There were some very good dancers there and (at times overly) complex choreography. One senior was Absolutely Amazing showing off such grace and flow throughout her whole body that she can only be moving on to professional dance. I noticed the greatest sense of flow in how she used her hands and wrists in relation to the rest of her movements. Seeing such art helps you more clearly differentiate mere skill.

Where was I?

Last Friday: neighborhood Cinco de Mayo party OTP at Tedra and Bill's with some other ITP friends. Lisa came in second in the limbo contest (on Cinco de Mayo?!?) to the less top-heavy Shelby. I should have escaped with a giant, eight-foot-tall inflatable cactus sticking out my sun roof but can see now that it might have brought undo attention on the drive home from unwanted persons.

Saturday was the Kentucky Derby party at Mary and Andrew's. Last year, Scott took home the purse; this year, LC and I raked it in. I can't speak for her, but I spent my winnings on My Pretty Pony collectibles.

Tuesday, we went to see Sophie Scholl at Landmark. Simple and moving. I compare it in emotional impact to The Constant Gardener but less artfully filmed. Her arrest occurs relatively quickly, after a few scenes familiarizing us with the main characters and the society they live in, and is followed by a series of interrogations that make up the bulk of the film. The interrogations become a battle of philosophies between her and an investigator who is impassioned yet ultimately reluctant to sentence an intelligent and sincere young lady. Nazis are an easy target, but this film is more about an inspiring act of bravery. You'll be in tears for the last 30 minutes.

Thursday we had a new HVAC unit installed in our condo. Our old one, though only 9 years old, was installed poorly and died an untimely death. After an estimate of $4100 from CoolRay we got a second estimate of $6500, and the choice was simple. The installation took all day, but I got to go up on the roof for the first time. What a view! Although we pay approximately $1,000,000-a-month in association dues, they say it's too expensive to build a deck up there. Jackasses. Anyway, we now have a fancy new digital thermostat that keeps us below the 80-85 we've become accustomed to.

That night was The Fantasticks at Shakespeare Tavern for Alicia's b-day. I knew very little about the show except that the sheet music was ever present in the music room in high school. Because of that, I expected a silly little musical but was very very pleasantly corrected. The play is smart and the theater's directing keeps your attention. The female lead knocks everyone else off stage with her resonant coloratura flourishes--with such skill in a relatively small theater, one viewing will make you realize what jackasses those American Idol contestants are. Social criticism aside, this was such an enjoyable show I've been recommending it to anyone. It's playing through June 25th.

We got home that night--after seeing Alicia's playful new dog Jesco and having a few drinks at Milltown Arms--and drunkenly watched the season finale to The Office. We usually don't delete drunk viewings of shows, just-in-case, but that rule was forgotten and now we're downloading it for $1.99 from iTunes. Anyone know how to de-encrypt iTunes videos?

Friday was the ASO and a wonderful and varied program of Borodin (Overture to Prince Igor, clip), Berg (Violin Concerto, with Cecylia Arzewski, clip), Schubert (Symphony #8), and Liszt (Les Preludes, clip). We hadn't been in quite a while and this was a perfect evening to return. After that, we had a drink that the hip-yet-accessible Table 1280 right next door. Dinner reservations were at 11 at South City Kitchen down the street on Crescent. Too. Much. Food. So. Good.

Where was I?

Began the month with a purgation. Dan and Alicia's wedding was a culmination of over-indulgences including food, alcohol, and a long stretch without jogging. Years ago, I had gotten 20-25 pounds heavier than I am now and started the slow process of getting down to where I am now. Having acheived that, I became image-obsessive and weigh myself probably at least once a day. Obsessive. So, I'd just gained 5 pounds and decided somethingmustbedone: I've been jogging every day, only missing the evening I went out with my brother and two sick days earlier this week. It took three weeks, but I'm back in line.

Tuesday and Wednesday this week were spent with some sort of illness contracted from that dirty wife of mine. I did the excessive sleep thing and came through on Thursday almost completely cured. I am indestructable!! *cough*

Apparently, extra jogging infringes on my music schedule. At about the same time of my purgation, I decided to cautiously begin working on the first movement of Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 1 in B-flat minor. It's just beyond my abilities and will be a nice stretch. I hessitated starting because it's always very difficult to give the time required to such a piece. Updates later.

Last Friday, Lisa and I had dinner at Feast in Decatur where we radomly ran into Matt (it happens more often than either of us can explain). Feast was wow and you should go there immediately. Last Saturday, we went to a housewarming for a previous boss and friend and had a riotous feast of Indian food. Namaste.

I missed the blogger get together on Thursday just to play it cautious with my health and also to dive back into music--Lisa was at the Braves game with friends so the condo was all mine. Last night, with the mother-in-law in town, we met first at Vinocity for their 4:20 happy hour: Four $20 bottles of wine along with $2 bottles of Sweetwater 420. They have a great patio, shaded and breezy, and the weather was perfect, but the event was fatally flawed by including pleasant-enough live music that was I-kid-you-not turned up to 11. Four of us were sitting closely but still had considerable trouble having a basic conversation over the volume of the acoustic guitar and harmonica (I know) that was amplified to the point of distortion. Don't go until they fix that. My email:

Ouch. Everything was great except for the volume of the music. This should not have been treated as a Solo Rock Show. The guitarist was a good performer just too loud by far. He needed to turn the volume down so that people can relax, enjoy the music, *and* have a conversation.

The wines were good, the bartenders were nice, your patio is perfect and the weather made it more so, but don't let the music ruin an otherwise ideal locale.

Where was I?

The Wife out of town with friends for an LSU game in Baton Rouge, my bro' had an unexpected free night so he headed ITP and we got sloshed and had a great meal at Mitra. Many topics were argued, few were resolved. Or remembered. And our wine cellar at home (aka, our wine rack) was low before last night, now it's shamefully deficient and must be remedied.

Where was I?

Working, that's where.

Where was I?

Spent the weekend with Lisa & Mason & the Mother-in-law. Saturday wedding in Kingsport, TN with Lisa's b-day dinner the night before at Harmony Grocery in Jonesborough. Great Cajun food out in the wilderness of Tennessee. Recommended.

Back in Knoxville, we met friends of the Mother-in-law and ate at Sapphire--where the waitress got extra points for telling me that my favorite wine, La Crema Pinot Noir, was not listed but available. We passed on ordering the $350 Sapphire Martini with, you guessed it, a 2+ caret sapphire in it. Our waitress said that when she sold one the guy tipped her $100. Later in the evening, Lisa & I continued on to the Downtown Grill & Brewery for more drinks and jazz. The band opened with the Miles Davis standard "So What." When did Knoxville become so cool?

Just got home and am now ready to jog off the excesses of the weekend.

Last night

Dinner at Soho in Vinings. We hadn't been in a while and it always has a nice, simple atmosphere with good wines. I've been on Pinot Noirs for a while, but was a little unhappy with the Cloudline I started out with. For dinner, we had a very nice Barbera d'Asti (but unfortunately didn't write down the name). Dinner was good enough but we agreed that both of our dishes (her: seafood pasta, me: snapper & veggies) lacked a little in flavor. Still, recommended.

Afterwards we had a battle over either the Star Bar or The Earl. The Earl won out but had people lined up outside, so we ended up at the Flatiron down the street. We eventually got in a music discussion with someone named Bess and a guy I had thought she was with but ended up being just some random guy. He was quite the snob and scoffed at my general question of "what is the 'Stairway to Heaven' of our day?" No answer was ultimately found. Slightly weird: at one point Bess took our picture. I assume everything ends up on the Internets, so look for a picture of me looking ... sauced.

My jukebox plays: Sonic Youth's "Orange Rolls and Angel's Spit," Radiohead's "Myxomatosis" (currently working on a transcription), and a mysterious third choice that I'm sure was equally good (3/$1!). Nice jukebox, also recommended.

Last Sunday

Almost forgot: last Sunday our dining group (greatly reduced to only four) went to Daily's for dinner during Restaurant Week (now even restaurants have a week?). The deal was that you could get a 3-course meal for $20.05.

I'll echo Matt's review: it was a meal worth $20.05. Nothing special, but they also have a downstairs bar with live, jazz-type music. Daddy-o.

Hey, lover...

Get out of the house, you shut-in!

OK, so Lisa and I went to the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema (with Lady Crumpet, Scott, and Brian) to see Man with the Screaming Brain introduced by the man with the screaming brain, Bruce Campbell.

Dinner politics

Dinner with the bosses and the DoD reps at a restaurant called Tomas in Norcross. The head chef came from Buckhead Diner, and although the choices were outstanding the results were average. I don't not recommend it, but there were problems. My caprici salad had some slightly unripe tomatoes and the calimari, breaded, didn't have enough spice. Considering all that, the atmosphere and service was very nice and, again, the choices were outstanding.

It was fun hanging out with the crew. We eventually wound our way around to politics, and the resounding tone was one of a plea for everyone to be reasonable. And yet, being surrounded by conservatives, I noticed that they had the same issues as me: the desire to be reasonable is often overridden by the frustration of your political affiliation. In the same breath that you're denigrating the extremists on both sides, you have the urge to paint those on the other side as the more offensive of the two.

Where was I?

Hit my 40 hours early on Friday and struggled through traffic to get home. Jogged and then sweated my way up MARTA (it takes me, I swear, hours to cool down after a jog, especially when it's in the 90s) to meet everyone at Copeland's before going to see Land of the Dead at Buckhead Backlot. It was a fun, stupid movie in an appropriate venue: people were noisy and having a good time.

We continued the evening at The Bucket Shop for (more) drinks and (more) greasy food. Latelate night.

Hijinks on Saturday with more jogging and some piano time. Out for dinner at Wahoo in Decatur. Average food, nice atmosphere. We had a very nice chenin blanc though--can't remember the winery. Finished up at Thinking Man's Tavern just down the street (which we were originally introduced to by the Kirkwood Duo). Another late night.

Recovery Sunday consisted of cleaning: bathroom, floors, laundry, desk. Also celebrated our sixth year of not watching the gay pride parade that runs right outside our front door. Judging from the two hours of cheering and honking, I don't think that we were missed.

Busy week up ahead as a laundry list of new features has appeared that need to be coded and tested in the 11th hour. Naturally. End of the first week of my new messenger bag and I'm the Hero of the Playground! To top it off, my new laptop fits in it perfectly.

Last weekend

Went white-waterin' on Saturday in Nantahala with friends and, although I regretably did not purchase a photograph that would have been even better than the previous, we had a great time. Our guide, Dee Dee (who was baffled when I asked her about her mad scientist brother), was a young turk who caught endless grief from the more seasoned guides. At one point, another female guide jumped onto our raft and wrestled with Dee Dee, trying to knock her in the water. I know. It was hot.

Battling the rapids, I was the first to fall in, with Dan a close second--we were at the front of the raft. He did much better because he got caught in a whirlpool at the base of some rapids and couldn't swim out. Eventually, a raft filled with elderly ladies wearing those t-shirts that made them look like they were wearing bikinis came to his rescue. After they pulled him out of the water, another raft of their friends commented "oh, they'll do anything to get a man." I hope I'll be white water rafting when I'm 60.

The falls at the end of the trip was where we really shined (and where the abandoned photograph would have shown us as the Kings of the River that we were). We came in sideways to the right of the falls and could not paddle fast enough to miss the huge rock that made the falls, well, fall. Our raft was suspended on the rock, with a five foot drop to our left and the falls (that is: the correct route down) behind us. This was exactly how Dan and I took a dive earlier--Dee Dee took us too close to rocks. Anyway, she pulled some sort of river magic out of her ass and got us to paddle off the rock, down the falls, and into an amazed audience.

We gave the Rocky cheer with our paddles, but alas we were jackasses once we hit the shore and completely forgot to tip Dee Dee.

Sunday was all about recoverin'. After some major house-cleaning, I hit the piano and Lisa went to see Sith with Shelby & Robert. She got back late and we went to Vinocity on a whim to hang out at the bar. Several friends had had truly awful experiences there recently, yet I could not forget the great dinner we had the first time we were there. And getting wine at a wine bar seemed safe. I was rewarded for my loyalty with 1/2 price bottles on Sunday. Yay!

We spoke at length with a professional photographer (Michael?) at the bar who lives in LA and was in town for the weekend to photograph some actors' headshots. He hops between LA, Atlanta, and NYC taking photographs and (apparently) going to wine bars. We bonded on our mutual art upbringing and the will to "do what you love" (favorite saying of my painting teacher). Hopefully, his card is floating around Lisa's car somewhere. Not in my wallet. Not in her purse. And my desk is clean so I know it's not there.

NYC trip

A thrilling tale that includes grand coincidences, delicious meals, odd music with dancing that was abruptly cut short, and a great deal of luck which slipped away near the end but ultimately carried through to our return home.

Kabao show tomorrow nite

Gotta support the team.

- David Puddy

Many of us will be meeting up at Northside Tavern at 8 tomorrow before the Kabao show (Music at an art gallery? We must balance it with drinks at a hole-in-the-wall!). I just found out from Ms. Kabao that [i]n the Vibes section of Creative Loafing there is an article about the show tomorrow night. Everyone was metioned EXCEPT KABAO. Curse those free newspapers! Is there no quality control?!? I suspect that word-of-mouth will have more of an effect on attendance anyway.

And tonight we venture to Spice for their every-Thursday $10 bottomless glass of wine (!) and then to Einstein's. Am I the only one who hated the old Einstein's and loves the new Einstein's?

Busy weekend

Which began last Wednesday with The Interpreter [IMDB] at the Lefont Theatre on Ponce and dinner at Pura Vida. Thursday, we missed the bloggers at Manuel's Tavern and the subsequent Simpson's quotes, but made it to a 5 de Mayo party (which later moved to Manuel's, but alas the bloggers had already dissipated). By Friday, I was too wiped out to make it to Oglethorpe's Shake on the Lake performance of Macbeth at Piedmont Park. It was a beautiful night and a great performance from what I heard, but I needed rest and some piano-time. Ended up meeting up with the theater-goers et al. later at Hand in Hand. Saturday was packed with Weirdbabe's wonderful Kentucky Derby party with the wife, Lady Crumpet, and Mr. Arkadin (who won the pool, whereas my horse, Galloping Grocer, didn't even make the race), moved to the amazing movie Born Into Brothels [IMDB] at Woodruff Arts Center with friends, then to Fuego for tapas. Sunday was recycling day (yay!) which included boxes of bottles I snatched from the 5 de Mayo party that were steeping in my trunk (boo!). Dinner at Cafe Lily in Decatur. Drinks at Da Vinci's (which had become my newfavoritebar a while back), including a long discussion with some-guy-whose-name-I-now-forget about the history of ska, In the Realms of the Unreal, postmodernism, the pros and cons of cover songs, and more about pop music and cinema than I could possibly remember now.

I need a break.

Tapas and jazz

After a late Sunday afternoon jog to leech out the toxins from the previous three days (ouch), Lisa and I headed out for dinner and music in L5P. First off, some tapas at Miro's Garden. This is interesting: there were several problems during dinner and yet I'd still recommend this restaurant. It was nothing too big (dirty menus and only two bottles of white wine in stock), but our waitress--Cat--was quick to do what she could and friendly throughout. Good food and great atmosphere.

North! Atlanta!! Bathrooms!!!

Heading off to Knoxville to attend the grand reopening of an historic theater (oops, theatre) via a kind invite from the mother-in-law (the director of special events no less). I'll be softening the edge of having to don a tux by hanging around the open bar. I hopefully won't soften the edge so much that I embarrass myself in front of the mayor. See you there!

Last night a bunch of us geeks talked about being geeks at The Righteous Room. Good times. It was the first attempt at an Atlanta bloggers get-together and except for the cramped conditions was pretty cool. We're not so different, you and I. Come together, people. Big thanks to mingaling for suffering such a ridiculous moniker yet still coming up with such a fine, fine soire. Looking forward to more (monthly?) in the future.

Finally: I love bathroom graffiti. The Righteous Room has some classic bon mots, but I still think that The Earl has the best. The initial comments and limericks are always wacky enough, but then the additions and erasures add history and commentary. I need to start photographing these palimpsests if only to see if they're still interesting the next day.

Kabao show

Robert Bao of Kabao fame will be performing at Django on 19 November with DJ Chris Coleman. Here's some of Kabao's music to sample.

Django's a cool, shotgun bar in Midtown. We had gone there only once before to drink with Robert as he was scoping out the joint and to enjoy a 4-piece jazz ensemble (sax, keyboards, bass, and drums). Looks to be a good venue for both music and food--and they had a fortune teller out front!

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Review: Da Vinci's (restaurant) (3/5)

This is becoming my new favorite restaurant: it's open till 2:30 AM every night except Sunday, it's got a good selection of wines and inexpensive Italian food, and the bartender is hot--and she knows us by name already. Cool.