Hi there boys and girls!

I know, I know. It’s been a long time since I last posted and I’ve been feeling terrible about it. But hey, it’s a busy time for the empire so I hope you’ll forgive me for slacking. Anyway, I thought I’d make it up to you by catching you up on all the goings-on with me over the last couple of weeks. Ready? Here goes.

Stormy Weather
Don’t know if you heard, but on Mother’s Day weekend, my hometown (Macon, GA) was hit by a tornado. A tornado touching down in middle Georgia is an extremely rare occurrence – the last recorded twister was in 1954 – and when you consider that, a couple of months ago, Atlanta was also struck by a tornado, it’s damned near unbelievable. Fortunately, all of my family and friends there made it through ok. Unfortunately, due to damage and road hazards, my grandmother wasn’t able to come up and spend Mother’s Day with me and my Mom, who just happened to already be in Atlanta before the tornado hit. Though I was really looking forward to spending the day with both of my ‘mothers’, my Mom and I made the most of it. We had brunch at my house and spent the afternoon doing what we do best: drinking wine and out-talking each other.

In Memory Of
Earlier that week, I got some more shocking news…. My best friend’s father-in-law passed away. She and her husband are like extended family to me, so the news hit me pretty hard too. It also reminded me of how grown we’re getting. Due to my work schedule, I wasn’t going to be able to make it down for the funeral, and I didn’t want to just send some flowers or a fruit basket to the house. Fortunately, I found the a really nice memorial token at www.bereavementstore.com. I’d definitely recommend it if you need to send a gift to someone who’s experienced the loss of a friend or relative.

On the Road Again
In other, more uplifting news: I’ve just started a new project with my job that will be taking me to America’s biggest national park…Canada! It’s kind of ironic that I’m excited about getting on the road for work, since one of the main reasons I left consulting a few years back was the excessive travel. But I haven’t had the extra income to do any big personal trips lately, so I’m definitely glad for the opportunity to satisfy my wanderlust. Plus, the travel required for this gig will be limited to a couple of short trips to the Toronto area, and possibly Montreal (Pause for me to spit on the ground at the mention of Montreal). Let me explain….

My first and only trip to Montreal was for another work assignment a couple of years ago. I extended the work trip over the weekend to see the sights on my own. The city itself was beautiful - great weather, lovely architecture, but the people? I think they take that French thing too far. I’ve traveled to non-English speaking countries before, yet I’ve never encountered such snobbish citizens. I usually have no problem making single-serving friends, but the Montrealers were clearly impervious to my Southern charm. As far as I’m concerned, the saving grace of that city is poutine. The rest of Montreal can kiss my country ass.

Vinx and the Soul Kitchen
What else? Oh! Last week, I had the chance to catch Vinx performing at Smith’s Olde Bar. One of the best performances I’ve seen in a while. If you’ve not heard his music before, check him out. Very organic, soulful, funky sounds from a man who is obviously a master at his craft and has a sincere love for all things music. The first time I’d heard of Vinx was only a few months ago. I read an article about his Songwriter’s Soul Kitchen – a weekend retreat where musicians and writers get together at Vinx’s house in McRae, GA for some intense creative collaboration. The night of the performance, there was a drawing for an audience member to win a trip to the Soul Kitchen for Labor Day. Can you guess whose name they called? So, it looks like I’ll be headed to McRae for Labor Day weekend. Well, at least I hope I will. To be honest, the brother Vinx seemed the slightest bit concerned that I was neither a songwriter nor a musician, so I’m hoping that my lack of experience won’t get me ‘un-invited’. Nonetheless, it still felt good to win something. And if I do attend, I have no doubt that it will be a profoundly expansive and possibly life changing experience…one for the books to be sure!

Scenes and Scribbles
In my continuing quest to chronicle the city’s coolest hangouts, I discovered a couple of new nighttime spots. One I really like is a cute little jazz bar in Midtown called Kat’s Café. You can check out my blurb on it in this week’s Creative Loafing. The other, a Westside restaurant / lounge / club called Utopia, is a really nice place, though the Saturday night event I attended there wasn’t exactly my cuppa tea. It presented something of a challenge for me to write an objective review that wasn’t entirely dismissive…check it out and lemme know what you think. Oh, and keep an eye out for my smiling face in the June issue of Atlanta Intown paper.

My Favorite Holiday
And for the coup de gracey… Today is my 31st birthday!! The fun-filled festivities begin tonight with dinner / dancing at Loca Luna. Tomorrow, I’ll be catching the Roots and Erykah Badu at the Fox (be still my heart), and on Saturday I’m headed up to a small cabin in the Blue Ridge mountains for some fresh air and much needed relaxation. One of my friends was laughing at me the other day for how I always go all out for my birthdays. To which I replied, “If being alive for one more year ain’t enough reason to do it big, I really don’t know what is”.

This year I even went so far as to create a gift registry for myself. Seems like I’ve spent a small fortune lately for baby showers, engagement parties, kids’ birthdays and weddings, but as a single girl with no kids, I’m lucky if I even get a card. So I thought the registry would be a good way to subtly suggest that, ‘DAMMIT, I want some gifts, too!” I found this really cool site (http://www.myregistry.com) that allows you to add items to your registry from anywhere on the web. You can even install a button on your toolbar that allows you to quickly add something that catches your eye while you’re surfing. It’s basically a bookmarking app, and it’s useful not only for birthdays, but for showers, weddings, anniversaries, housewarmings, or just to stockpile things you run across that will make a good gift for yourself or someone else. You can take a peek at my registry here. And if you get the urge to buy something for me…just go with it.

cheers,

k