and really nervous.
I have wanted to do this for years. Well this morning I said f*$K it, just start.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pbn8XkW68Y
http://www.aerialsilksatlanta.com/
I will probably fall on my a$$ several times and I am certain I don't have the upper body strength to do any of it but..................................ahhhhhhhhh, it's so pretty!
Monday, May 13, 2013
Saturday, May 11, 2013
First pirates now cowboys, I thought I lived in the city
It has been another stellar 24 hours...................had a great night and afternoon with "B" out in the burbs.
It's not so bad OTP (wait, did I just say that.................oh no)
After making my way back ITP I decided rambling around the house was no way to spend a Saturday so I headed over to my favorite neighborhood spot, the Wrecking Bar for an early nightcap.
http://www.wreckingbarbrewpub.com/
The food is great the drinks are wonderful and ladies; if you like the bearded men, its a plethora of delights.
Ask Ben or Brian to make you my drink, it's like an old fashion but with mezcal and tequila, it really hits the spot.
The only issue I have with Wrecking Bar is its location. In order to get there, I have to navigate the stretch of N Highland I lovingly refer to as fraternity row.
Don't get me wrong, there are some nice establishments along this stretch, Dark Horse, Blind Willy's and I've been hanging at Atkins since I was 14 so.............it holds a special place in my heart.
That being said, something happens to this area on Saturday night. It's just a little..............annoying.
So you can imagine my surprise and shock when instead of having to avoid killing a group of drunk 20 somethings stumbling along in 6 inch heels, I had to avoid three horses and two cowboys on my journey home! WHAT?!
I have no idea why they were there but I assume it is some sort of bizarre bar promotion. I may have to head back that way to do a little more investigation. If I can have a cocktail and then take a pony ride..................................I am all over that s#*t
It's not so bad OTP (wait, did I just say that.................oh no)
After making my way back ITP I decided rambling around the house was no way to spend a Saturday so I headed over to my favorite neighborhood spot, the Wrecking Bar for an early nightcap.
http://www.wreckingbarbrewpub.com/
The food is great the drinks are wonderful and ladies; if you like the bearded men, its a plethora of delights.
Ask Ben or Brian to make you my drink, it's like an old fashion but with mezcal and tequila, it really hits the spot.
The only issue I have with Wrecking Bar is its location. In order to get there, I have to navigate the stretch of N Highland I lovingly refer to as fraternity row.
Don't get me wrong, there are some nice establishments along this stretch, Dark Horse, Blind Willy's and I've been hanging at Atkins since I was 14 so.............it holds a special place in my heart.
That being said, something happens to this area on Saturday night. It's just a little..............annoying.
So you can imagine my surprise and shock when instead of having to avoid killing a group of drunk 20 somethings stumbling along in 6 inch heels, I had to avoid three horses and two cowboys on my journey home! WHAT?!
I have no idea why they were there but I assume it is some sort of bizarre bar promotion. I may have to head back that way to do a little more investigation. If I can have a cocktail and then take a pony ride..................................I am all over that s#*t
Friday, May 10, 2013
It's over......................
I know it's not really over, it will never be really over, but today.......today something amazing happened.
They finished One World Trade!
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/10/world-trade-center-spire/2149449/
................................
It was a beautiful morning, I, as usual overslept. When I finally made it out the door I rang the office.
"Good Morning Gene"
"Morning Tat"
"I'm running a little late"
"No worries (everyone wonders where I get that, its from him), take your time"
The weather was amazing. New York has these beautiful fall days. It's cold, but not freezing. The sky can be clear and bright and so blue. The sun beams and the clouds speed by. This was one of those mornings. As I hoofed along Astoria Blvd to the N train I turned up the radio. The headphones permanently attached to my ears hummed along. I liked to listen to morning radio, Elvis Duran to be exact (they just brought his morning show to Atlanta, its a really stupid morning show but I was only 31 so cut me some slack).
As I climbed the stairs to the elevated platform with some stupid bit blathering in my ears, something happened.
The DJ stopped talking and stated a plane has just hit the World Trade Center. I looked to my left, downtown Manhattan was just beyond my view but I could see smoke. I boarded the train and called Gene.
My office was on Park Ave South, it faced downtown, my window had a direct view of the towers.
"Gene!"
"Everything is ok, it's a horrible accident but everything is ok"
"Ok, have you called SCOR?" (our largest client on the 23rd floor of Two World Trade)
"Not yet"
"Ok, I'll call from the train"
"see you in a minute"
"see you"
And that's what it was, a horrible accident. Planes hit buildings in NY. They just do, it's horrible but it happens.
I continued on the train dialing the Scor offices with no success.
Good, they are probably evacuating, just as a precaution.
As the train turned into Queensboro I could finally see the towers. There was a gaping hole and smoke was pouring out, this was not a small plane, this was a really bad accident.
Then it happened......................
an explosion or something.............................
I didn't know, but fire shot out of the other tower.
I'm sure there was reaction of the people around me but I don't recall that. I just remember the words in my headphones. It was John Bell, he was a DJ, he said
"A second plane has just hit the World Trade Center............
this is no accident...............we are under attack"
The train was moving toward the tunnel, a sudden panic came over me as I realized what was happening but there was nothing I could do.
I sat there and breathed and looked out the window.
As we entered the tunnel to Manhattan the view outside went black and the voices on my headphones turned to static.
They finished One World Trade!
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/10/world-trade-center-spire/2149449/
................................
It was a beautiful morning, I, as usual overslept. When I finally made it out the door I rang the office.
"Good Morning Gene"
"Morning Tat"
"I'm running a little late"
"No worries (everyone wonders where I get that, its from him), take your time"
The weather was amazing. New York has these beautiful fall days. It's cold, but not freezing. The sky can be clear and bright and so blue. The sun beams and the clouds speed by. This was one of those mornings. As I hoofed along Astoria Blvd to the N train I turned up the radio. The headphones permanently attached to my ears hummed along. I liked to listen to morning radio, Elvis Duran to be exact (they just brought his morning show to Atlanta, its a really stupid morning show but I was only 31 so cut me some slack).
As I climbed the stairs to the elevated platform with some stupid bit blathering in my ears, something happened.
The DJ stopped talking and stated a plane has just hit the World Trade Center. I looked to my left, downtown Manhattan was just beyond my view but I could see smoke. I boarded the train and called Gene.
My office was on Park Ave South, it faced downtown, my window had a direct view of the towers.
"Gene!"
"Everything is ok, it's a horrible accident but everything is ok"
"Ok, have you called SCOR?" (our largest client on the 23rd floor of Two World Trade)
"Not yet"
"Ok, I'll call from the train"
"see you in a minute"
"see you"
And that's what it was, a horrible accident. Planes hit buildings in NY. They just do, it's horrible but it happens.
I continued on the train dialing the Scor offices with no success.
Good, they are probably evacuating, just as a precaution.
As the train turned into Queensboro I could finally see the towers. There was a gaping hole and smoke was pouring out, this was not a small plane, this was a really bad accident.
Then it happened......................
an explosion or something.............................
I didn't know, but fire shot out of the other tower.
I'm sure there was reaction of the people around me but I don't recall that. I just remember the words in my headphones. It was John Bell, he was a DJ, he said
"A second plane has just hit the World Trade Center............
this is no accident...............we are under attack"
The train was moving toward the tunnel, a sudden panic came over me as I realized what was happening but there was nothing I could do.
I sat there and breathed and looked out the window.
As we entered the tunnel to Manhattan the view outside went black and the voices on my headphones turned to static.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
A love letter for my sister
THIS WEEK HAS SUCKED!!!!!
Truly, truly sucked
However, the past 24 hours have been an incredible improvement, Moms better, the job...........well that still sucks.......................and.............I got to talk to my "sister"
I don't have a sister, at least not a biological sister, I have a sister that I picked and that picked me.
We met at Lenox Square she was 15? I was 17?........I can't remember, I'm old now :)
She was..............well partaking in something I recognized right away (YEEEEEEES) so, being big sisterly, I promptly took her to the best stores to continue her "journey" for the afternoon.
(whatever happened to smegma, we had him for years?)
We have been best friends ever since and I love her with every fiber of my being.
I have driven through the night to get her after that "bad time" at school. She has flown in to be by my side after "the accident", we have laughed and giggled while secretly smoking (we don't smoke shhhhhhh, its a secret). I have cried with joy as she told me about her babies and she has cried with pain as told her of my most recent heartbreak.
That being said, it is hard for us to find time to talk. We live thousands of miles apart, she has two beautiful baby girls, I have a nutty job that keeps me working at odd hours..........it's just hard.
This week required finding the time. The interesting thing is that she had a sucko week too, like WOW sucko and needed to talk me just as badly as I needed to talk to her. Its funny how that happens.
It's a wonderful thing to know someone and have them know you back. No one can calm me like she can, no one can make me see things as clearly, and I hope I do the same for her.
I hope and pray that everyone has someone like this in their life. Someone that truly knows them, knows the good, the bad, the ugly and the truly terrifying parts of them.......and stays anyway.
K, I am so sorry for the pain you have been experiencing. I hurt for you and your beautiful family but I know that this too shall pass. Know that I hold you, the "Great" husband and the beautiful babies in my heart and I will see you very soon.........I promise. MWAH!!!
Truly, truly sucked
However, the past 24 hours have been an incredible improvement, Moms better, the job...........well that still sucks.......................and.............I got to talk to my "sister"
I don't have a sister, at least not a biological sister, I have a sister that I picked and that picked me.
We met at Lenox Square she was 15? I was 17?........I can't remember, I'm old now :)
She was..............well partaking in something I recognized right away (YEEEEEEES) so, being big sisterly, I promptly took her to the best stores to continue her "journey" for the afternoon.
(whatever happened to smegma, we had him for years?)
We have been best friends ever since and I love her with every fiber of my being.
I have driven through the night to get her after that "bad time" at school. She has flown in to be by my side after "the accident", we have laughed and giggled while secretly smoking (we don't smoke shhhhhhh, its a secret). I have cried with joy as she told me about her babies and she has cried with pain as told her of my most recent heartbreak.
That being said, it is hard for us to find time to talk. We live thousands of miles apart, she has two beautiful baby girls, I have a nutty job that keeps me working at odd hours..........it's just hard.
This week required finding the time. The interesting thing is that she had a sucko week too, like WOW sucko and needed to talk me just as badly as I needed to talk to her. Its funny how that happens.
It's a wonderful thing to know someone and have them know you back. No one can calm me like she can, no one can make me see things as clearly, and I hope I do the same for her.
I hope and pray that everyone has someone like this in their life. Someone that truly knows them, knows the good, the bad, the ugly and the truly terrifying parts of them.......and stays anyway.
K, I am so sorry for the pain you have been experiencing. I hurt for you and your beautiful family but I know that this too shall pass. Know that I hold you, the "Great" husband and the beautiful babies in my heart and I will see you very soon.........I promise. MWAH!!!
Sunday, May 5, 2013
The Duomo
This commercial makes me sad, I never want to be so caught up in a text message or a facebook post or anything so trivial that I miss something truly beautiful. It reminds me of a very telling time in my past.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyLlD1-vKWA
I was in Florence Italy for the first time. Florence is beautiful. Everything about it is beautiful, the buildings, the people, the food....everything
This was the view from my tiny little hotel room (not a really beautiful place but the view........)
This was before digital photography but you get the idea........beautiful.
Anyway, I was on this trip with someone that I would normally never travel with. It was a business trip and those tend to make for bizarre traveling companions. She was a cute girl, very smart, from a rather wealthy family. This was not her first trip to Italy and she was not nearly as impressed as I was.
I've been lucky enough to go back to Italy since then and it still impresses me. I'm glad for that, I don't ever want to become as bored as this girl appeared to be at the ripe old age of 27.
We clashed a little, but it was minor..............................until The Duomo.
The word Duomo actually means cathedral but for most of us when someone says The Duomo they are referring to the Florence Cathedral. It is unbelievable. It is still the largest brick dome ever constructed, it was begun in 1296 and consecrated in 1436. The facade is various shades of green, pink and white marble
it is a truly magnificent work of art.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Cathedral
Well on the day that I went to view the Duomo, my traveling companion really wanted to go shopping. As I gazed at this amazing structure all I could hear was the chirp of "do you want to go to Fendi?" "Oh. look there's the Prada store. Don't you want to go to the Prada store?"
I advised her several times that she did not have to stay with me and could go shopping. She just pouted and said "no we can go look at the big church".
I have never understood the need some people have to be attached at the hip. Just last weekend a girlfriend asked if I had to go to the bathroom when she got up to pee. I said no, she gave me a look. Ok fine, I have to pee. I'm 42 years old, why am I still being asked to go to the bathroom with my girlfriends, shouldn't this have stopped after high school. My point is this. if she wants to go shopping, go shopping. I want to look at the Duomo and I do not need you here rolling your eyes about it.
But she stayed, and she continued to roll her eyes about it. When she made one last comment about yet another stupid store I lost it. 'Listen, just go to the blanking store, I don't care, I don't want to go shopping and I'm sick and tired of hearing you bitch about it!"
The look on her face still makes me smile. She just turned and marched off into Prada leaving me alone in the hustle of the Piazza del Duomo......which is what I wanted all along.
It was such a great day, I strolled through that beautiful city, drank too much espresso and ate little slices of zucchini pizza. I watched street performers and painters, walked along the Arno and yes, I did shop, along Ponte Vecchio. Ha ha!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyLlD1-vKWA
I was in Florence Italy for the first time. Florence is beautiful. Everything about it is beautiful, the buildings, the people, the food....everything
This was the view from my tiny little hotel room (not a really beautiful place but the view........)
Anyway, I was on this trip with someone that I would normally never travel with. It was a business trip and those tend to make for bizarre traveling companions. She was a cute girl, very smart, from a rather wealthy family. This was not her first trip to Italy and she was not nearly as impressed as I was.
I've been lucky enough to go back to Italy since then and it still impresses me. I'm glad for that, I don't ever want to become as bored as this girl appeared to be at the ripe old age of 27.
We clashed a little, but it was minor..............................until The Duomo.
The word Duomo actually means cathedral but for most of us when someone says The Duomo they are referring to the Florence Cathedral. It is unbelievable. It is still the largest brick dome ever constructed, it was begun in 1296 and consecrated in 1436. The facade is various shades of green, pink and white marble
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Cathedral
Well on the day that I went to view the Duomo, my traveling companion really wanted to go shopping. As I gazed at this amazing structure all I could hear was the chirp of "do you want to go to Fendi?" "Oh. look there's the Prada store. Don't you want to go to the Prada store?"
I advised her several times that she did not have to stay with me and could go shopping. She just pouted and said "no we can go look at the big church".
I have never understood the need some people have to be attached at the hip. Just last weekend a girlfriend asked if I had to go to the bathroom when she got up to pee. I said no, she gave me a look. Ok fine, I have to pee. I'm 42 years old, why am I still being asked to go to the bathroom with my girlfriends, shouldn't this have stopped after high school. My point is this. if she wants to go shopping, go shopping. I want to look at the Duomo and I do not need you here rolling your eyes about it.
But she stayed, and she continued to roll her eyes about it. When she made one last comment about yet another stupid store I lost it. 'Listen, just go to the blanking store, I don't care, I don't want to go shopping and I'm sick and tired of hearing you bitch about it!"
The look on her face still makes me smile. She just turned and marched off into Prada leaving me alone in the hustle of the Piazza del Duomo......which is what I wanted all along.
It was such a great day, I strolled through that beautiful city, drank too much espresso and ate little slices of zucchini pizza. I watched street performers and painters, walked along the Arno and yes, I did shop, along Ponte Vecchio. Ha ha!!
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Mmmmmmm..........
The weather sucks today!!!!!
It's cold and raining and no one wants to come out and play :(
So I have been cooking. Now I don't cook often, but when I do........it is damn good.
Today I thought I would bake some red velvet cupcakes but while at Publix I decided, no, I will make a savory cupcake.
Savory cupcakes are a little tricky. I have tried them with a biscuit batter but I think a pancake batter works better. I'm still tweaking it.
4 cups pancake batter
6 strips bacon
2 tablespoons maple syrup
fresh chive to taste
8 oz mascarpone (its the yummy sweet cheese in tiramisu)
cinnamon to taste
vanilla to taste
Cook the bacon and put it to the side. Do not blot the bacon or put it on a paper towel, you want the grease. Also keep the drippings, you use them later.
Pre-heat the oven to 450
spray your cupcake pan with canola oil, you can use cupcake foils but I don't
Mix the pancake batter, chives, cinnamon and vanilla. I say to taste because you might like more cinnamon than I do.
Add about two tablespoons of bacon grease to the mix (I know)
Then crumble three strips of bacon into the mix. (I KNOW!!!)
Reduce the oven to 350
Spoon the mix into the cupcake pan and bake approx 10-12min (until a toothpick comes out clean)
In a medium bowl mix the mascarpone, 2 tablespoons maple syrup and 1 tablespoon bacon grease. Crumble the remaining three strips of bacon and mix into the "icing"
Let the cupcakes cool for about 10 min and then add the "icing". Garnish with a little bacon and chive.
Yummy!!
It's cold and raining and no one wants to come out and play :(
So I have been cooking. Now I don't cook often, but when I do........it is damn good.
Today I thought I would bake some red velvet cupcakes but while at Publix I decided, no, I will make a savory cupcake.
Savory cupcakes are a little tricky. I have tried them with a biscuit batter but I think a pancake batter works better. I'm still tweaking it.
4 cups pancake batter
6 strips bacon
2 tablespoons maple syrup
fresh chive to taste
8 oz mascarpone (its the yummy sweet cheese in tiramisu)
cinnamon to taste
vanilla to taste
Cook the bacon and put it to the side. Do not blot the bacon or put it on a paper towel, you want the grease. Also keep the drippings, you use them later.
Pre-heat the oven to 450
spray your cupcake pan with canola oil, you can use cupcake foils but I don't
Mix the pancake batter, chives, cinnamon and vanilla. I say to taste because you might like more cinnamon than I do.
Add about two tablespoons of bacon grease to the mix (I know)
Then crumble three strips of bacon into the mix. (I KNOW!!!)
Reduce the oven to 350
Spoon the mix into the cupcake pan and bake approx 10-12min (until a toothpick comes out clean)
In a medium bowl mix the mascarpone, 2 tablespoons maple syrup and 1 tablespoon bacon grease. Crumble the remaining three strips of bacon and mix into the "icing"
Let the cupcakes cool for about 10 min and then add the "icing". Garnish with a little bacon and chive.
Yummy!!
Update: the neighbors loved the cupcakes and the maintenance staff at work ate the remaining batch in about 5 minutes this morning. I think next time I will add just the slightest hint of chili pepper. They needed a tiny little kick.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Had to bring out the big guns today and had to stay at work until 8pm. I do not like being on the property for 10 hours. It makes me a little crabby.
You see, tomorrow a lovely young lady is moving into her first apartment. I love these type of move-ins. She is so excited, her family is so excited.
The greatest thing about my job is being able to help people start something new or start over. I love that!
Unfortunately when she leased the apartment the only one I had to rent was a recent skip.
In property management skipping is bad. It basically means, the current resident left in the middle of the night without taking any of their crap. And it's usually exactly that....a lot of crap.
Skips are horrible! This one was no exception; Shit brown sofa with no legs, a couple of mattresses on the floor, clothing everywhere, holes in the walls, cigarette butts on every surface, several bongs, pipes and other paraphernalia that I would know nothing about (funny, after the maintenance crew did the initial walk-through all the bongs and pipes were gone........I wonder what happened to them, it's a mystery.............................).
They basically trashed the place, and the smell. I don't think these guys ever cracked a window, they just sat in there smoking all day.
Oh well, its all in a day's work, trash it out, repair the holes, paint it, clean it, change the carpet AND pad (cigarettes stink), repair the broken light fixtures...BOOM......beautiful apartment!
Oh if only it were that easy. You see folks, a building has a threshold for the amount of cigarette smoke it can handle and recover from. IT GETS IN THE SHEETROCK!!!
I however was certain that we had tackled the odor beast in this unit and it would be fresh as a spray painted daisy for Friday's move.
Well, my trusty punch tech came in late yesterday and says that unit ,blah,blah,blah, is not smelling so good. WHAT!?! What do you mean, it's basically a new apartment.
I hop on the cart and ride over with a can of Kronic Killer.
Sidebar; there is a product called Kronic Killer. Yes, it's used to douse the smell of weed, yes, the former residents were pot smokers but this smell is stale cigarette smoke, there is no mistaking it.
I douse the apartment in it. It smells like fake lemons and clorox, it's awful, but when it wears off, its great, no more smell.
You can imagine my unhappiness when I opened the door to the apartment this morning and was knocked over by stale cigarettes!! WHAT!?! HOW!?!
So now I have to order an ozone treatment. Ozone treatments are amazing, it basically gets into the nooks and cranies and discombulates the smelly molocules. It's very scientific and fancy and I have no idea how it actually works. What I do know is its expensive and it usually takes a few days. I don't have a few days, I have today.......only today.
Mr. Wonderful shows up lickety split, sets up his little magic machines (yes, we needed multiples) and promptly informs me the price for added said machines. Yeah, yeah just do it.
So tonight my fingers are crossed. If the smell is there in the morning, I am out of time and I have no where else to move this little girl.
Oh also, if you are a smoker..............crack a f%*king window.....jeesh.
You see, tomorrow a lovely young lady is moving into her first apartment. I love these type of move-ins. She is so excited, her family is so excited.
The greatest thing about my job is being able to help people start something new or start over. I love that!
Unfortunately when she leased the apartment the only one I had to rent was a recent skip.
In property management skipping is bad. It basically means, the current resident left in the middle of the night without taking any of their crap. And it's usually exactly that....a lot of crap.
Skips are horrible! This one was no exception; Shit brown sofa with no legs, a couple of mattresses on the floor, clothing everywhere, holes in the walls, cigarette butts on every surface, several bongs, pipes and other paraphernalia that I would know nothing about (funny, after the maintenance crew did the initial walk-through all the bongs and pipes were gone........I wonder what happened to them, it's a mystery.............................).
They basically trashed the place, and the smell. I don't think these guys ever cracked a window, they just sat in there smoking all day.
Oh well, its all in a day's work, trash it out, repair the holes, paint it, clean it, change the carpet AND pad (cigarettes stink), repair the broken light fixtures...BOOM......beautiful apartment!
Oh if only it were that easy. You see folks, a building has a threshold for the amount of cigarette smoke it can handle and recover from. IT GETS IN THE SHEETROCK!!!
I however was certain that we had tackled the odor beast in this unit and it would be fresh as a spray painted daisy for Friday's move.
Well, my trusty punch tech came in late yesterday and says that unit ,blah,blah,blah, is not smelling so good. WHAT!?! What do you mean, it's basically a new apartment.
I hop on the cart and ride over with a can of Kronic Killer.
Sidebar; there is a product called Kronic Killer. Yes, it's used to douse the smell of weed, yes, the former residents were pot smokers but this smell is stale cigarette smoke, there is no mistaking it.
I douse the apartment in it. It smells like fake lemons and clorox, it's awful, but when it wears off, its great, no more smell.
You can imagine my unhappiness when I opened the door to the apartment this morning and was knocked over by stale cigarettes!! WHAT!?! HOW!?!
So now I have to order an ozone treatment. Ozone treatments are amazing, it basically gets into the nooks and cranies and discombulates the smelly molocules. It's very scientific and fancy and I have no idea how it actually works. What I do know is its expensive and it usually takes a few days. I don't have a few days, I have today.......only today.
Mr. Wonderful shows up lickety split, sets up his little magic machines (yes, we needed multiples) and promptly informs me the price for added said machines. Yeah, yeah just do it.
So tonight my fingers are crossed. If the smell is there in the morning, I am out of time and I have no where else to move this little girl.
Oh also, if you are a smoker..............crack a f%*king window.....jeesh.
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