Curry? Present.

Last weekend, we enjoyed our first camping trip of the season. It was ace, a perfect 11. We were the only ones there, I'm supposin', because it was Easter weekend. All that quiet & privacy was the sweetest thing ever. We set up a shooting gallery, which, according to ATM is the farthest we've shot. While I'm not the best shot, I can honestly say that I'm not half bad & I get better every time I pick up that Red Ryder. ATM & Zach, however, are ridiculously good. They were hitting targets in the dark! They need to take that show on the road. Anyway, we've already got the next trip planned.







Zach & I stumbled across a small crystal vein, braugh:


On our way home from camping, we stopped by my favorite green thumb's nursery to pick up some goodies. I've said it before, but it bears repeating -- Haruyo is the nicest lady in Caddo Valley. Every time we go see her, she sends us home with a gift, be it a free plant or some surprise bulbs. Too, she has the best flowers, plants, produce & pumpkins to offer. It's actually very difficult to leave there without spending too much, which we never do because it's cheap. It's a very cute place.

The flowers on the right: Cuphea Llavea "Bat Face" Cool name, rad bloom!


Here's the herb box that ATM built and assembled for me this past Monday. Rosemary, basil, sage, cilantro & dill:


We decided to keep gardening simple this year because we have to remove a lot of unattended wild growth in our front and back yards. Those camellias? Kiss them good-bye. Previous owners planted them and let them flourish right up against the house, foundations & power lines. They did that with a lot of trees, plant & bushes. It's a mess. Dreadful. The next projects that we will be dealing with? Basically, defoliating. Oh, and working on the shed. We need to get ATM a studio space!

Speaking of ATM, there will be a listening party for his recently released record next weekend @ the Victory St. space. KMHD & I will literally be spicing things up and setting up a curry stand to sell cheap, but delicious curry and Vietnamese coffees. The stand's name will be Curry? Present. That alone should make you want a bowl. Come see us and hear him.

The laptop that I use @ home is on the fritz, so I ordered myself an iPad. Have you heard about it? Just kidding, I know you have. Whether you love it or hate it, what it comes down to is this: it's cheap. And I never use any computer to it's capacity, so it will probably do what I need it to do, even if I have to order an extra part to upload photos. Currently, it's en route. It started in China, has made a stop in Hong Kong, Japan, Alaska and is currently in California. I'm expected to get it next Mon-Wed. There's something "je ne sai quoi" about ordering, nay, PRE-ordering one of the most polarizing App13 products out there. People who have never laid eyes on one in person have a lot to say to me about it, it's quite bizarre. Anyway, I don't know if it'll improve my blogging capabilities, but I'm very excited to play with new technology.

Gonna try to get back on the self-improvement plan & that's all I'm gonna say about that. For now.

Easter bunny:

152 count

Saturday, there was a cook-out/birthday party for Kyle @ the Victory St. space. We grilled, enjoyed two cakes (tres leches AND key lime), sipped tequila & shot the bb gun. FOR HOURS. It was fun. I don't know if you call it progress or devolution, but it went from this:

To this:

To this:


CHA CHA CHA!

We didn't spend the entire weekend being rednecks, no. We did manage to get a little house work in including painting the trim in the mud room and a little bit of gardening.








But, we did keep some targets at the ready in the backyard in case we needed to blow off steam:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our weekend plans fell through (Boo, Alannah. Boo!), so we are entertaining the idea of going camping. First trip of the season! Even though I would've loved to hang out with Alannah & her s.o., I suppose this will do. I SUPPOSE. Sigh.

Good news, everybody!

HERE

Weekending Properly

The plan was to make no plans in advance so that we could do whatever, whenever. Brilliant. It was the best weekend we've had in a long time.

On Saturday, we went to the Wye Mountain Daffodil Festival with Leigh & Robert. As soon as we stepped out of the car, we could smell the flower-perfumed air, which, according to Collin, smells like old ladies. For me, daffodils have the distinct smell of early spring in Arkansas. Now, I don't want to say it was a girl thing, but it really was as far as Leigh & I were concerned. Our s.o.'s lumbered along behind us as we ooh'ed and ahh'ed over the many varieties of daffodils and their cuteness while we picked our own bouquet to take home. We accurately predicted that the novelty of a field of flowers would wear off quickly. There were a lot of folks. And they all looked like zombies from a distance. Really.


Hand model, Leigh:


Yellow is a very welcome color:




En route to Wye Mt., we decided that we might as well go to the Heifer Ranch while we were in the area. Perfect timing as Leigh & Robert have never been and my friend Binyon, who is a full-time, live-in volunteer, was available to give us the super duper private tour. (We didn't have to watch the video!) Simply, it was great. I felt a happiness wash over me because it's so lovely out there on the farm.

Binyon informed us that it can get very R3al World in the volunteer's quarters. I believe it. Here's a peek into one bedroom. This is the president of Yemen, hung as tapestry. Someone needs to make their bed!:


Binyon's seedlings, in his room.:


This nanny just had a kid:


These poor male kids got castrated that very day, so some volunteers hung out in the pen to comfort them. Awww, little fellers:


The Ranch has a replica of a Mississippi Delta abode, which is essentially a shack (with no insulation) and an old school bus converted into a living space:












I think we could've stayed on the ranch for the rest of the day, but after a lovely cup of coffee, we headed back into the city to have supper @ Mt. Fuji.



I love it when you spend all day with someone and they ask, "So, what are we going to do next?" The fun continues! Yeah! We went to Leigh & Robert's place to round out the evening with some tequila and kitty time.

Collin popped in briefly. I ended up going home tired & completely content. ATM & I talked about a daytrip to Memphis the next day for fried chicken & to pay respects to Jay.


We did exactly that. We drove to Memphis & went directly to Gus's Fried Chicken. No words, just photos:








I enjoyed what I thought was the best friend chicken & fried green tomatoes that I've ever had. (And in the same day!) Strong iced tea, perfect sides & whole pickled jalapenos. Uhn! I wanted to carve my name on the table & "skate" around on the greasy floor while hootin' and hollerin'. But, since the wait for a table is long & there were folks staring longingly at our table, I settled for a moment of silence, amen. If you find yourself in Memphis and you've got a time (and only if), Gus's is recommended, bygawd!

After lunch, we went to Memorial Park Cemetary to visit the gravesite of Jay Reatard. Even though I couldn't find his site location online, I had read that it was "close to Isaac Hayes's", so I figured if we could find his, we could find Jay's. When we got to the office of the cemetary, we inquired about Jimmy Lindsey's grave location and instead of giving us directions, they just drove us right to it.

Unbelievably, and it made me so sad, Jay Reatard's grave is unmarked. AND, remarkably, it's directly left of Black Moses's grave.





RIP, fellas. I love you, I love Memphis.

A quick visit to Goner Records & Otherlands Coffee & we hightailed it back to Little Rock, so I could nerd out (and nearly OD) on CSPAN. I wanted to witness Congress "working" and voting on healthcare reform. All I can say is HOT DAMN!

This weekend? A perfect 11.



So, what's the best kind of Monday? The kind where you spend the morning with Rachel Maddow, lunch with Gov. Mike Beebe, shooting off the bb gun in the back yard with ATM after work, dinner with KMHD & quality couch time with the cats. I have THE best life.

This morning, I had the honor of seeing Rachel Maddow speak at the Statehouse Convention Center. The event, sponsored by the Clinton School, was one (of two) of the most invigorating & inspiring "conversations" I have ever attended. The only other person that excited me so was then-Senator Barack Obama. I laughed, I choked up & I felt a great civic pride. The entire audience was completely charmed by Ms. Maddow. She is fiercely intelligent and respectful and, well, right. She's right, ya'll. She is one of those people that you want to be friends with, because with Rachel on your side, you can change the world for the better. Her presence actually makes you feel that.

She reminded us all that 45 years ago today, MLK, Jr. gave his "How long? Not long" speech which inspires us to remember why we do what we do and to keep that in focus:

(I'd like to point out that Pres. Obama has used the same speech for inspiration. Great minds.)

KMHD's work hosted Gov. Beebe for a lunch & we (Anne & I) got to go. I didn't realize that the group would be so small, so it was intimate and I think anyone who wanted to got some decent one-on-one time with the Guv'nah. I've seen Gov. Beebe so many times that I'm familiar with his tune, but he's still a really nice good ol' boy and he really does have Arkansas's interests at heart. I'm certain he's secured re-election.

After work, ATM lined up some aluminum cans in the backyard so we could put them out of their misery with the bb gun. After that, KMHD & I went out to dinner and had our first "business meeting". (Ya'll do know that we're opening a boutique hotel in Hot Springs in a few years, right?) It's been a really long good day; it was like a one-day extension to the weekend.

Spent.

This American life.

Gripey Fitzgriperson

I try not to be so outward with my annoyance with Saint Patrick's day, but I still haven't gotten over that one year in grade school where I forgot to wear green, or worse, that one year where I wore the "wrong shade" of green and got pinched beyond recognition. These days, I wear gross amounts of green every March 17, under complete duress, to keep pinchers and creeps (At my work, it's attorneys and the building maintenance crew) at bay. I think the throngs of green beer-drinking hooligans who deck themselves out in Leprechaun hats and "Kiss Me" gear have ruined a perfectly good holiday, too. Nothing turns me off more than someone shouting "Woooooo!" in my face with a tongue that's a sickly green hue.

I prefer my celebrations low-key and with food & friends (shocker!): Irish breakfast (hold the puddings), Irish stew, soda bread & Guinness. Maybe I can put something together for next year. That said, "May the road rise to meet you & the wind be always at your back!"

Masala Grill + Tea House was such a disappointment. It makes me sad & angry when a restaurant serves frozen goods and passes it off as their own. Collin, KMHD & I are certain that they went to the Asian Market, which is in the same shopping center, to get their samosas, naan, and possibly their pakora. We'd know because we've bought these things from the same market! Collin was so close to taking them aside in private and confronting them about it. The entrees left much to be desired and I'm not too happy that we had to purchase rice on the side instead of it coming with the meal. As much as I'd like to give them a second chance to let them get their bearings, I just don't know if it was just a simple bad night. They did have a fantastic mango lassi. I didn't try any teas; while the decor is nice, simple & neat, it really didn't give off a tea house feel and everything was so sub par that I just decided against getting a pot. PASS. There's always Layla's, which, granted, is a different ethnicity, but it's similarities will give you what you need/want.

So, even though it is my aim to "keep it simple", there are so many decisions involved with planning a wedding celebration party. I don't feel overwhelmed & I have the benefit of time, but dang ya'll! How did anyone ever do this? It's so silly with all of the things that companies and St. Martha try to convince you need and then try to sell it to you. Maybe I should just write a list of 'wants' and 'don't wants' and just go from there. And hopefully, because you can't choose your family and we've got a multi-cultural/religious situation on our hands, I hope everyone (including co-workers and friends) will just let ATM & I be ourselves & be totally stoked about our beginning our forever. There's no other way. A-men.

I am so glad the weekend is here. Are you ready to watch UAPB slaughter Duke and ruin most all of the March Madness brackets? Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Working Backward

Happy Birthday, Heather!

This evening, some of us are going to Masala Grill + Tea House to ring in Ms. Salley's special day. It's been a minute since I've tried a new restaurant, so it'll be a tiny adventure. Commemorative cupcakes:

ATM is in Washington, D.C. for work, so how do I spend my precious time alone? Baking, making homemade pizza, listening to all of my guilty pleasures, facial mud mask & walks around the neighborhood. I really wanted to do something "wild & crazy" like go to Memphis for a day trip, but since he didn't end up leaving until early yesterday, I didn't think I could pull it off. Just call me Mild Thing.

Our official grilling season began this past Friday evening; Audrey came over for steaks. Saturday, we went to Hot Springs for massages & a late lunch for Andrew's birthday. I didn't get into anything that evening because I had to take ATM to the airport early the next morning. For reasons unknown, his flight was cancelled, so I had to scoop him back up. Even though I was glad to have him back for a little longer, it was a total bummer to learn that I'd have to wake up at 4:45 a.m. on Monday to do it all over again. Mix in a little DST & you've got a cranky, tired whiner. Since I didn't get to go to Memphis, I didn't have too much on the agenda for Sunday: breakfast with KMHD, a couple of easy chores, watch KMHD's kickball game in the evening, make mushroom soup for supper.

Hot Springs:

KMHD on third. She's got her eyes on the prize there:

Weekend before last was hella!!! We had company all weekend long, which is a gas, but it doesn't make it less exhausting. Admittedly, I can be a freak hostess who tries to be "ON" & accomodating the whole time. Friday, Kat & Renee came over so we could attend the Habitat show opening. It is a little weird to be a part of an exhibition, but I had a lot of fun talking to random people & answering their questions. Too, my co-worker Anne showed with her husband & friends in tow. And LP got to go to her very first art opening. How precious. No, really.

(Photo by Renee)

Aaaaaand finally, here is our portrait! It goes without saying, but it is much better in person. Other than the fact that SOLO didn't make the cut, our new light fixture did. Heh. I love it. Kat is really talented. There's no computer trickery, it's all about the lighting. The empty bowl in the foreground? Yeah, that was filled with cat food. We kinda bribed SOLO to be in the photo, but she ate it all and then bolted.

(Photo by Renee. Because guess who forgot their damn camera? Pish. Ridiculous.)

On Saturday, shortly after Kat & Renee took off, we welcomed Mayumi, who was in town to participate in the LR Marathon on Sunday. She did really well! She did the 1/2 last year. I guess that just didn't kill off her body because she did the full this time. Not only did she finish well, she did better than her projected goal time. Even though I am super proud, I'm a smidge envious because I can't run. No, really. Anyway, I think that LR Marathon's medals are so T-A-C-K-Y. You can use that thing as a serving tray.

Sunday was also ATM's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY! Of course, we were so busy that we couldn't properly celebrate, but I think we made up for it in Hot Springs. I'm going to take this opportunity to pat myself on the back & brag, which, I am aware is not polite, but hey, I done did good on the prezzies I got him. A 1-year subscription to Wax Poetics, a personalized & autographed book by John Sinclair, a toolbox, homemade Guinness cupcakes, AND a 50 min. massage.

So, the busyness is slowing down, but our to-do list is mounting. Spring is just a few days away, but that isn't slowing down all of the blooming & sprouting going on in these parts. My seeds are ahead of schedule & I haven't even built our herb boxes yet. We plan to not have plans this weekend, so we can have the freedom to take care of things at the house and the liberty to do as we please. I would like to go to the Wye Mountain Daffodil Festival because I can't imagine being surrounded by so many yellow flowers, but I think I would like that very much. What else is going on this weekend?

Park Hill. So quaint. OR IS IT?