Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Green Bean Doings and Undoings

Does an evening of yapping at the Green Bean count as a cultural outing? After all... those present and alert did discuss... er... the subtext, exquisite imagery (blonde!), continuing motifs (shirts off! more 007 abs!), etc. contained within... double er... Casino Royale, the latest Bond offering. We analyzed the point of departure from previous Bond efforts, attached that to the larger context of... "do you take yours on the sweet side or the coffee side?" heh, yes, as you suspected, your bit of intellectual fluff was hi-jacked by a real moment down at the Coffeehouse. (Think of it as a second long reality series. A web cam without the technology. A bit of addled babbling due to a late night shot of expresso? Goodness gracious! Now that is slander!)

Question of the day: How many crunches did (insert actor's name here) 007 have to do... to create his magnifique physique? Not that anyone should ever try that at home.

Question Two: How does one manage to channel one's ancient French class after watching the Paris expisode of the HBO drama, "John Adams"? Will the flashbacks continue?

Back to reality. Back to the Bean means Friday night to see Adam Brown. Since I can't ever remember to get on their mailing list, I'm not sure of the time... but I'm guessing 8pm. Adam has a day job (dentist!) and plays by night... covers and original tunes. He has a lot of fans so get your buzz on early! After all, the world has a limited amount of chairs.

In an unrelated item, due to an ooh and an ah overheard at the Bean tonight, apparently there are new and exciting teas at the Bean! Line up early and get yours, hopefully in time to synchronize your sipping with the latest episode of John Adams, the new HBO drama. Twitch alongside (insert actor's name here) John Adams as he shakes his head in exasperation at Ben Franklin, wife Abagail and those frivolous Franks! Heh, it really is wonderful show. Oooh, oooh, cultural offering! I get points for my pretentiousness! And in a related note, how about that alliteration!

Okay, okay on the un-selfabsorbed side... UNCLE VANYA, by Anton Chekhov (a really good playwright) is playing this weekend in Athens. So stay in Hartwell on Friday, then go to Athens on Saturday. See? It works so well. It's playing Mar 26-30 @ 8:00 pm and Mar 30 @ 2:30 pm
at the Cellar Theatre, in the Fine Arts Bldg at the University of Ga. (Go down Lumpkin St and turn left at some point. Heh.)

From the website:Chekhov’s heart-rending tale of wasted lives and the comic moments that surround them is a masterpiece of modern drama. (Does that mean... that my wasted life and the comic moments that surrounds my wastedness... is a masterpiece of my modern drama queenedness????? Oh how easily my head swells! Which I hate actually because my crown never fits properly afterwards...)

The most important info: Admission: $7 for UGA students & seniors 60+ and $10 general admission.

And if thinking is just TOO hard.. especially about your wasted life... then go get wasted at The 27th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival of Conyers which takes place Saturday, Mar 29, 2008 10 AM - 5 PM at the Georgia International Horse Park - Conyers, GA , 1996 Centennial Olympic Parkway

From the website: The City of Conyers is proud to present the 27th annual Cherry Blossom Festival of Conyers. The Festival began as a way to encourage cultural understanding and friendship through international music, dance, games, food, and crafts. There are over 300 booths, continuous entertainment from two stages and children's activities. $0. Parking Fee: $5.00 770-602-2606.

And that's all I can do. Party's over! Good night!

Monday, March 24, 2008

Running and More Running

The Ives play was a bust. I didn't make it due to... either insanity or illness. It's so hard to know what is which sometimes. Oh well... nothing ventured... yeah that's right, nothing gained. heh.

But enough whining. On to the shapeless future.

For your mindless entertainment... I found this on a friend's site. Go calculate your worth:
http://www.oneplusyou.com/q/v/cannibal_lunch I'm not telling how many cannibals I can juggle!

And yes, it's time for another installment of the Attack/Ambush Bookclub! Click and discuss!

http://www.birdandmoon.com/55words/guest32.html

And what have I done lately? Thanks to the best movie reviewers/lenders around, I did get a chance to watch Casino Royale, the latest Bond movie. For a long while, I wasn't too sure of the movie... it seemed to be a pale imitation of a bad Tom Cruise movie. OO7 jumped, hopped, and skipped onto every exploding tanker in the Western Hemisphere with nary a scratch... thens snoozed through a curiously inactive poker game (was that intermission and I just wasn't in the know?)... and just when I picked up my laptop, the movie heated up, took off, spun around... Oh my! my palpitating heart! And curses, it was curfew time! I plan to watch it again, to make sure I didn't miss a crumb or two of intrigue. And oh the banter! I did enjoy that subtle, cutting English wit/sarcasm.

So what have I done lately? Ahem, I swear I've been out on a couple of good runs... and I actually signed up for an 8k in Laurens, SC this weekend. Here are the dirty details.... Yes it takes place on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 5:00 PM. The venue is Laurens Little River Trail, 345 East Main Street Laurens, SC 29360 . The race will attempt to answer many frivolous questions... will I be able to find the starting point? And what about a PR? Can it happen? Shall I make the extra mileage? Tune in on Sunday to... read about the senseless carnage! Unlike 007, there will be more than just a scratch. Unless I only scratch the surface... oh yeah, in that case, it will be my usual nonevent lol. But hey, LOL makes everything nice!

But back to reality: According to the brochure, the race starts on the picturesque Little River Bridge; the course is hilly and fast. The 8 kilometer course winds its way past downtown, historic residential neighborhoods, and finishes along the scenic river trail. I can't wait! Oh wait... hills... what was I thinking????? Oh dear, I've signed up for a 007 run! And I'm built like Ms. Moneypenny or whatever her poor, tired name was...

On the other hand, iff you're not psycho and are looking for a nice, relaxing Georgia race, you might try The INAUGURAL DAWG TROT 5K RUN/WALK in Athens,Georgia on Saturday, March 29th at UGA Stegman Coliseum 100 Smith Street

Come join the UGA Alumni Association for the Inaugural DAWG Trot 5K Run/Walk to be held on the campus of the University of Georgia. The race will wind through the campus, past Stanford Stadium, Stegman Coliseum, and Butts/Mehr Building.

Fees: $15.00 by 3/19/08, $20.00 afterwards to race day.
Online Reg. Closes: March 27, 2008 11:59 PM Pacific Time

The entire course is run on paved streets throughout the campus of the University of Georgia. Packet pickup and race day registration will be held at Stegman Coliseum beginning at 7:00AM. This event is part of the 2008 Run and See Georgia Grand Prix Series.

And we'll end out this pitiful blog effort with a bit on the theatre. Check out Clue: The Musical at The Schaeffer Center in Toccoa, GA on Friday and Saturday, March 28 and 29 at 8 PM. Ticket prices will be $15 for adults and $10 for students and may be ordered by calling HCT at 706-839-1315 or by ordering online.

Based on the popular board game, CLUE brings the world’s best-known murder suspects to life on the stage and invites the audience to play along to solve the mystery. The suspects sing, dance and joke their way into your heart... or into suspicion, as you guess which one of the 216 possible endings, different every performance, is the answer to: whodunit, in what room, with what weapon.

Hone your detective skills as you try to decide who killed Mr. Boddy, the musical's savvy host, who senses motive in the air. His guests won't rest easily until he rests permanently.

Was it Mrs. Peacock, well-traveled, well-known and well-preserved? Could the murderer have been Mr. Green - Sultan of the stock market, King of Commodities - an entrepreneur who owns the world’s most popular discount air carrier, Pennies in Heaven? Perhaps it was Colonel Mustard who stormed bunkers and triumphed in war... not with might, but imagination?

Would your choice be Miss Scarlet - an actress, well a singer - no, more like a performer. She does it all! That's what her men friends tell her. How about Professor Plum? He's an author by trade, intellect by birth, Southern by choice. Don’t overlook Mrs. White, the cook/housekeeper who works seven, long hard days a week with no rest for her weary bones, muscles, hands, feet, eyes, nose, hair...

That sounds like fun! Since I'll be in the opposite direction, I might be checking out The Anderson Celtic Street Fest at 7:30pm. For more info go to www.aifestival.com

And that's it for tonight. Good night!

Friday, March 21, 2008

Happily AWOL

OMG, I hardly blogged for the whole of March!!!! Now how did that happen? Ah yes, nailed to the wall by Daylight Savings Time! I was robbed of my month! Beaten, thrown to the gutter by Father Time! For forty days, forty nights, I wandered, stumbled through the fog, looking for a kindly barista with a 100 watt cup of coffee... something with the proper wattage, capable of alleviating my morning S.A.D. disorder... No wonder the month was so hard! There I was... trying to make do with the usual cup of 60 watt coffee... Arrgh! Hindsight should be so dimly lit... then that whole ignorance is bliss theory might actually work out.

But enough whining. Another reason why I haven't been writing is because the doing takes all of the ambition out of me. I actually got up and ran in Atlantic Station's Shamrock and Roll 5k on March 16th. I was DETERMINED to observe St Pat's Day. This required getting up in the middle of the night, feeling my way to the car... driving with no coffee in my system, no breakfast... oh never mind as this is causing the most inconveniently vivid flashbacks... So the end result was that my time was lousy, but I didn't care bee-cause I had a fine time! It was a fairly large race with 666 (what a number!) runners overall. There were 22 runners in my age group… most runners were in their thirties, according to the Junior League website (sponsors of the race.) I should have run the 10k, but chickened out... There were 789 runners in that race.

It was a lot of fun afterwards... some arts and crafts, Irish Step dancers, an Irish band.... runners with kilts, etc. And socks! I just asked for directions and somehow snagged a free pair of socks. You just cannot beat free socks.

But enough of useless stats and ancient personal history. On to the present!

Thanks to the looming pressure of this blog, I actually got with it and ordered tix for OnStage Atlanta's production of "All In The Timing" by David Ives. It is a series of one acts, a different combination of which will be performed nightly. The last performance is Saturday night, so if you're interested, get your google finger in the proper position. I ordered my tix online. I just love online convenience...

I LUV U, David Ives & I'm going to C U!!!!! Yay! I promise to report on the night... Ives is a comedienne who just happens to like the title playwright... So, I'm expecting great things from my evening of hilarity.

Also this same theatre is going to perform Urinetown later on in the summer, so that's something to put on my calendar. I've never seen the play, but I luv the music. And Onstage Atlanta is in Decatur, and I luv u, Decatur. So the night will be fun, fun, fun! A town with good coffee (Indie Coffee), good food (J. Christopher) and good theatre (the aforementioned... for goodness sakes, weren't you paying attention?????)

And last and surely least... another installment of the Ambush/Attack Book Club. Your link for the week is: http://www.elimae.com/fiction/Antosca/Birthday.html Your challenge is to figure out the relevance of the title to the story.... Er... the link escapes me...

and enough about enough. Good night!

Monday, March 10, 2008

The Diddly Squat Weekend

My weekend was so unimpressive, uninspiring, that I didn't even want to write down the details. The low point came when I was going through my email Sunday night... and boo hoo sob, noticed that Stateboro, Ga has a huge, relatively new bookstore... and boo hoo sob, I was there! I went! I looked around... and yet, I failed to conquer. And when will I venture back? Who knows? I only go a couple of times a year, so that was one wasted opportunity. Oh well... if I save the money I would have spent on books (er... maybe 46.89...) and put it into a CD... perhaps by the time I go back... I'll have 47.60. Woo hoo! Wachovia, here I come!

Oh well, as Scarlett always noted, "Tomorrow is another day." Hopefully I'll be able to get out this weekend. There are some worthy offerings if you're willing to travel. In the theatre world, you might head toward Clemson, SC to check out The Adventures of Robin Hood, written by Michele L. Vacca. The website is at: http://www.clemsonlittletheatre.com/news.htm
The performances are on March 7, 8, 9 & 14, 15, 16, 2008

From the website: Sherwood Forest comes to our stage, as this delightful, fast moving, and witty play brings Robin and his Merrie Band looking for an opportunity to perform daring, dashing deeds in their customary fun-loving fashion. Learning that the nasty and nefarious Sheriff of Nottingham is about to collect taxes (again!), they don disguises and dash into town, temporarily foiling the Sheriff in a series of clever ploys. Later, a disguised Robin and his friends mingle with the crowds at the fair in Nottingham, and engage in a number of bold, dramatic, and comic adventures, as each side attempts to outwit the other. The action fills the stage with archery and swordplay. Can triumph for our hero, Robin, be far behind? Join us in Sherwood for the excitement, the spectacle, and the fun!

I don't know if that's a show geared for children... or for the thumb sucking adult... who er... enjoys Those-Younger-Than-Young-Adult-Writers... heh, okay, before the hate mail starts, yes I'm kidding! Anyway, I should google that playwright, but er... I see I haven't, so er... maybe you should meet me halfway. Self serve and all of that. Does Google deliver? If so, I'll take extra cheese with my info. And a side of fries.

And to continue the theme of Arrested Juvenelia Developmentia, you could also head over to the Abbeville Opera house to go see The Wizard Of Oz! Check out the website at http://www.abbevillecitysc.com/history/schedule.aspx The performance dates are at 8:00 pm on Friday, March 7,Saturday, March 8, Friday, March 14, Saturday, March 15, and Afternoon Matinees (3:00 pm) on Saturday, March 8 and Saturday, March 15

And in Greenville, SC... check out: warehousetheatre.com
The play is Sight Unseen by Donald Margulies. The time is Mar. 14-16, 20-23, 27-29

From the website: Sight Unseen is the story of wildly successful painter Jonathan Waxman who is in search of the one thing that once made him truly great…Patricia. The only problem is Patricia has married Nick and won’t forgive Jonathan for what he did in the past. This production follows the events that lead up to this English country-side meeting where all three people search for answers and the nature of true art.

The playwright Donald Margulies was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1954. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and won a Pulitzer.

This would definitely be for the adult theatre-goer. Yup, one less thing to google. ah, certainty is a grand thing...

And oh! I DID do something today... I hosted the second installment of The Attack/Ambush Bookclub! It was a fascinating experiment. You go up to a person with their guard down... you throw your printout at them... And oh yeah, this week's offering is http://rumble.sy2.com/stories/55word.html... Meanwhile, your captive audience is reading their 55 words thinking it's a grocery list, a to do list, whatever... and then, in the space of 2 20 seconds or less, you have implanted a story virus into someone's brain. Today's ambush went rather well. They liked the story, but sadly had no time to get into imagery, metaphor, etc. After all, I had ordered my drink and was waiting for my check so my reader was busy lol. Hopefully as the week goes on, I'll have more ambushes to describe.

So... read, reflect and consider going on the attack! People say they have no time to read... but you can force the process! This is step One in taking our culture back.

On that note... Good night!

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Today's cultural report is meager, falling far short of the recommended daily allowance of distraction, delight and whimsy. Oh well... tomorrow is another day after all.

Today was all about driving... communing with squirrels in South Georgia. (Long boring story of duty, family obligations, etc.) My road map should have been dotted with excursions into coffeehouses along the way... especially since the March winds have been rattling around the house and keeping me up. (In downtown Hartwell today, I had to fight the urge to look for the whistling teakettle--the sound effects were really impressive!) I only made it into the Green Bean for a delicisio Java Chip blender... and later into The Daily Grind in Statesboro, Ga for a substandard chilled cappuccino. Grind, I love ya, but it's sad when the name of the drink is more interesting than the dreck. The moral of the story seemed to be too much chocolate syrup. Ick, gack, ick. It was like drinking maple syrup. I only wish I had choked on a hair ball. Oh well, the cake I bought was excellent, so no bad reviews there.

Next time I'll be checking out, The Coffeepot in Thomson, Ga (new!), The Good Day Cafe in Waynesboro, Ga (weird hours), Latte-Da and Statesboro Brews in Statesboro, Ga. I've tried Statesboro Brews before (luv it!) but not Latte-Da so my to drink list is still rather long...

I looked at a Kate Nash and Ingrid Michaelson video on Youtube... does that count as partaking in local culture? Well okay maybe not. But at least it shows I'm still have a few inquisitive brain cells.

Tomorrow I may partake of a 5k. I doubt it since I didn't feel like running Friday night and today has been so chillerly (sorry, I feel like making up bad words today. Bad as in unnecessary, unfunny, heh.) I'm not even going to name the 5k since I probably won't do it. Why force myself to cut and paste for no reason? Yes, I feel better already, having saved myself so much effort.

And movies are playing! I took a peek at everything playing in the Anderson/Athens area, and this is what sounded the best:

AmStar Stadium 14 - Anderson
193 Civic Center Boulevard, Anderson, SC, USA - (864) 225-7827

The Bank Job
1hr 50min - Rated R - Suspense/Thriller
1:55 4:25 7:00 9:30 12:05

It's an English movie. Cockney accents, so they say. Take your international hearing aid!


Penelope
1hr 29min - Rated PG - Comedy/Drama/SciFi/Fantasy
3:35pm 5:35 7:35 12:10am

The snout story. I was prepared to ignore the bad make up job on what's her name, but the reviews made me think otherwise.


Regal Starlight Stadium 14
141 Interstate Blvd, Anderson, SC, USA - (864) 222-3808

The Bank Job
1hr 50min - Rated R - Suspense/Thriller
1:25 4:50 7:45 10:20

Atonement
2hr 3min - Rated R - Drama
1:20 4:15 7:00 9:40

Still playing! I must see this oppressively gloomy Brit movie. Why didn't I go when it was raining? A double shot of gloom and doom... it would have been perfect!


Carmike 12 - Athens
1570 Lexington Road, Athens, GA, USA - (706) 354-0584 -

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
1hr 32min - Rated PG-13 - Comedy/Drama
1:00 3:15 5:30 7:45 10:00

Now this is supposed to be interesting... the book that this movie was made from is a forgotten classic, curtesy of Persephone books... or some website that has that same combo of letters. Anyway, I read about the company somewhere. They're collecting the books that never made it back in the day, that should have. Check it out sometime... if... er... I have the right name there... Otherwise get your Google finger ready.

Penelope
1hr 29min - Rated PG - Comedy/Drama/SciFi/Fantasy - IMDb
1:10 3:20 5:30 7:40 9:50

The Bank Job
1hr 50min - Rated R - Suspense/Thriller
1:30 4:10 7:10 9:50


GTC Beechwood 11 Cinemas
196 Alps Road, Athens, GA, USA - (706) 546-1011 -

Penelope
1hr 29min - Rated PG - Comedy/Drama/SciFi/Fantasy
1:10 3:20 5:30 7:40 9:50

The Bank Job
1hr 50min - Rated R - Suspense/Thriller
1:50 4:20 7:05 9:40

And I suppose you can still catch a matinee performance at the Historic Elbert Theatre! Call ahead though to make sure at 706-283-1049. The prices are 10/adv., $12/door. The time is Mar. 9, 2 p.m. The play is Twelve Angry Men presented by The Elberton Bar Association. The play is a legal drama in which a dozen men's prejudices and idiosyncrasies reveal themselves in a polyphonic blitzkrieg of integrity and wit.

Hmm... I wish I could see that... when I get mad, I just turn into a pig... into... Penelope! (I'm seeing a link here...) Sadly I never have any polyphonic blitzkriegs... Where art thou, on aisle 4? Seat D47? Tellest all thy secrets, Elberton Theatre! I must have the latest polyphonic blitzkriegs! Aargh!

So there's a few! Hit the trail and have something to talk about come Monday! Good night!

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Food and Drink Is Your Best Option...

Well I'm still going out of town... so since I'm not really interested in promoting anything locally... I just have fun dissing what's going on in our area... without ME... boo, hiss! What a terrible idea lol.

This bit of bad news came in my inbox...

THE CLASSIC CENTER THEATRE

Coming up on Saturday, March 8, is the Broadway musical, “Ring of Fire,” the final show in the 2007-08 season’s Country Series. This incredible production is based on the music of the legendary Johnny Cash and features 38 of his signature songs. Join us in honoring the life, the legend and the music of “The Man in Black.”

Tickets: $25-$59
Showtime: 8 p.m.

Ouch, I'd sooner see a splatter flick. I hear Johnny Cash on the radio and I start punching buttons. A whole two hours... only earplugs could save me. I'd sooner go see an Elvis impersonator. Even a bad one. Even one who lip synced. I think I heard "A Boy Named Sue" too one too many times in the seventies... it killed a lot of brain cells and I bitterly resent their removal. The last 30 years have been difficult... and yes, I think I'll blame Johnny Cash for every trial and tribulation. But hey, don't mind my ignorant self... enjoy the night if you're so inclined! Just don't share the details or let me listen via your Iphone during the concert. I'll be dragging my fingernails across a blackboard. Listening to cats fight in the alley. Anything!

On a more pleasant note, Autumn’s Tragedy is playing at the Green Bean Coffee CafĂ© on Friday night, March 7th at 8 pm. It's an acoustic show of Christian rock and admission is FREE... so... get a jump on Sunday and hey, no collection plate will be coming your way... so Go! How often does your wallet... get to rejoice? Who knows, it may get so excited that it converts to Euros right on the spot. Now that would be a genuine miracle and with the sorry state of the dollar, that just means that you can buy twice as many lattes. Several miracles later... well, you won't be sleeping, that's a given.

So... on day two of your weekend, you'll need to calm yourself, to purge yourself of the coffee jitters... so head across the street to Tastes Of Georgia. Their Thursday newsletter reports that they have "A FEW SLOTS LEFT for our INCREDIBLE SPRING HARVEST DINNER this Saturday night, March 8th! We are also rolling out a new lunch and dinner menu this week!"


Tastes of Georgia
Spring Harvest Dinner
March 8, 2008
Fixed Price Dinner $24 Wine Flight $11 for 4 paired wines
Seatings 5PM-8PM BY RESERVATION (706)376-0953

And the wines for the wine tastings come from Australia.


I wish I could see this! But I can't. Boo hoo.

"Our Town." 8 p.m. March 6-8. New look at Thornton Wilder's classic with Del Hamilton, artistic director of 7 Stages. Tickets $7; $5 senior citizens and students. Conant Performing Arts Center, 4484 Peachtree Road, Oglethorpe University, Atlanta. For more information, please call 404-504-1074 or visit www.oglethorpe.edu/arts .

Now don't you know that would be interesting? maybe if I went to see it... I'd finally figure out what it's all about. (I had to read that play a lot in school... traumatic flashbacks are forthcoming...)

And that's it for the weekend. So go do something! Make your weekend count! Good night!






Tuesday, March 4, 2008

It seems that I'm going to be out of town this weekend, so I won't be able to attend anything in the area... excuses, excuses! Yeah, yeah, yeah that's what I'm all about... It's a pity because there's a lot of interesting events going on in our area...

There's always a good run going on in Athens. They have more runs than any other town/city! (Not that I'm complaining...)

I thought about doing this race early on in the week, but I have a competing event... but if you're free in the middle of the day, you might check out The 3rd Annual South Jackson Jog 5K & 1 Mile Fun Run on Saturday,March 8, 2008 - in Athens, GA of course. The one miler is at 2:00 PM and the 5K is at 2:30PM

Come join us at South Jackson Elementary School for the 3rd Annual South Jackson Jog 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run. The start/finish is located at South Jackson Elementary School, which is located at 8144 Jefferson Hwy, Athens, GA 30601 (8 miles north of the Loop 10 bypass on US 129 - Jefferson Hwy). Proceeds from the race will benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

The course is run entirely on paved streets through the countryside around the school. This event is part of the 2008 Run and See Georgia Grand Prix Series.

Fees: $13.00 by 3/1/08, $16.00 afterwards. That's a cheap one! Most of them are more expensive... especially for those of us who like to pay at the last minute.

Online Registration at Active.com closes: 03/06/08 at 11:59 PM

Or if an afternoon race doesn’t suit…

Mar 8, 2008 Inaugural St. James UMC Missions Possible 5K Run/Walk - Watkinsville, GA 5K - 8:30AM Saturday, March 8, 2008 The 5K will begin at 8:30AM. Watkinsville First Baptist Church 1610 Simonton Bridge Road Watkinsville , GA 

Come join the Missions Possible Team for the Inaugural Missions Possible 5K Run/Walk to be held at the First Baptist Church in Watkinsville, GA. The church is located at 1610 Simonton Bridge Road, Watkinsville, GA 30677. The host sponsor for the race is St. James UMC.

Fees:
$15.00 by 3/3/08, $20.00 afterwards to race day.
Online Reg. Closes: March 6, 2008 11:59 PM Pacific Time

Event Description:
Pottery awards from Happy Valley Pottery (Oh, I'd love to win some pottery!) will be awarded to Overall Male/Female, Masters Male/Female, and top three Male/Female in age groups beginning 10 and under through 70 and over. Proceeds from the race will benefit the St. James UMC World Missions Outreach. The entire course will be run on paved streets through neighborhoods adjacent to the First Baptist Church. Packet pickup and race day registration will begin at 7:00AM at the Family Life Center of the Watkinsville First Baptist Church.

If only I was going in the right direction, I'd go check out "All in the Timing." Through March 22. 8 p.m. Fridays - Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays. A collection of one-acts, by David Ives. Directed by members of the New Artistic Company. Tickets 420; $17 senior citizens and students. OnStage Atlanta, 2597 N. Decatur Road, Decatur. For more information, please call 404-897-1802 or visit www.onstageatlanta.com

I LOVE, LUV, J'ADORE David Ives! So few playwrights are funny on the page. I would be that he's even funny in the phone book. I so need to check out these one acts. Where is my theatre group! It's time to come together Me, Myself, and I!!!!! Maybe next week. Hope springs eternal. People, get your datebooks ready!

I also have an item on the progressive/subversive agenda (my fave!)... The Green Bean Coffeehouse wish list includes a bookclub for impossibly busy people who would read if they felt like it, if the lighting was better, if the temp/barometric pressure... yes, you get the picture. So I've had to come up with my plan for world domination... which can be ignited with the perfect book/short story, whatever. If Hewlett, The Angry Packard cooperates, I'll be able to force the formula on the unwary at some point during this week. And if that mad power grab doesn't fullfull, I'm may start an online book club... torturing the locals probably won't be enough. It'll be necessary to take the pain worldwide! (Unplug your computers now!)

Why do I feel like a wrestler tonight? If you are reading this, I bet I have you in a headlock! Wham! I hope that wasn't me hitting the canvas.... Uh oh, I think the Packard is gaining on me... Good night before... I lose my edge!

Sunday, March 2, 2008

The Weekend Wind Up

And so this marks the official end of the weekend. I didn't get everything done that I wanted/needed to do, but there were a few surprises, so all in all it was a decent weekend.

I'm more than a little sad that I didn't make it to The Odd Couple. I heard it was hilarious. I wanted to go, but I had company and timewise, I couldn't make it work.

Oh well...

On the plus side, I'm a couple pounds heavier due to The Green Bean and Tastes of Georgia. My sister blew into town with her two unruly dogs, so we went for a walk at the dam... first stopping in for fuel at The Green Bean. I had a wonderful blender mocha (insert praiseworthy poem here. Don't people create sonnets, poems to honor... great mochas? The title to one such poem escapes me, but I'm sure thousands exist.... so feel free to insert said work of genius here.) ... and my sister had a regular coffee with three shots of expresso... Plain coffee????? That's just so black and white TV. (Insert static here. TV with no sound. A blank sheet of paper. Tasteless Tofu.... and on and on and on...) On the plus side, the Green Bean did get her overly caffeinated seal of intense approval so in the long run, it's all good.

It was beautiful day down at the Dam. The water was so blue and even the wretched shore line looked fab... It was a windy day, and some enterprising kids were making good use of the weather, flying their kites and they were staying up without much effort. Now that's a great idea... Seeing as March is just beginning, it might be a good time to make use of all of the March winds.

For us, the only sour note was a couple of loose dogs, but then my sister seems to bring them out. There were no dog fights though, so it was a peaceful experience.

Then we went for dinner at Tastes Of Georgia. It was wonderful. We started off with Sweet Grass Dairy Cheese Platter, comprised of three different cheeses. I forget all the varieties but I remember goat cheese was one of them. The bread was wonderful and oh, those toasted pecans! Everything was top notch, and after devouring the platter and downing a bowl of chicken/broccoli soup, we were almost too full for the entree, but hey, we managed to pack most of it in.

I went for Chicken Rollatini which was chicken breast stuffed with Proscuitto and Thomasville Tomme cheese paired with Red Mule Grits and the best steamed broccoli. How often do you get excited about steamed broccoli? Not often... apparently only when you go to Tastes Of Georgia. (At my house, it's all about static. Black and White TV, etc. Sometimes I just eat the pictures on the boxes and come out better.)

We finished off the night with three Harbor Sweets chocolates. A perfect way to cap off a sweet evening! And of course there was wine, followed by whine and more wine. I forget the varieties... something about Luna... Alexander... maybe... nah, I forget. It was an interesting evening because our host talked about his favorites, the new wines, what was popular, etc. I really enjoyed that.

For the curious, Tastes Of Georgia is located on the square at 350 East Howell St, Hartwell, GA 30643 and the phone number is 706-376-0953. Their website is www.tastesofgeorgia.com
Their weekly dinner service is on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 5pm-8pm.

Check out their upcoming Spring Harvest Dinner which takes place on March 8, 2008
The fixed price dinner is $24. The wine flight $11 for 4 paired wines. Seatings take place from 5PM-8PM and don't fail to make reservations at (706)376-0953

Also bear in mind that they have free wine tastings on Fridays and Saturdays from 4-6PM.

And on Sunday, I subbed a snarky little humor piece. Heh. Enough said. It doesn't pair well with memories of good food, nutritious vegetables.... so, Good night!