adventures in lunchtime parking, parts one and two

This is a two-part story. The 1st part happened back at the beginning of the summer -it was funny, but not blog-worthy. Only when it happened again, at the same restaurant, did I deem it "Angie" enough to share.

One day in June, I had taken my little car to get new tires and had to borrow a friends car to run and pick up a salad for lunch. For those of you familiar with the Nashville area...I ran to the Calypso Cafe on Thompson Lane. I was in her Tahoe - which is relativity bigger than my Honda. I parked with someone to the left, right and in front of me - but when I went inside there was no car behind me. Backing up and exiting should not be a problem.

I get my salad and proceed back to the car, only to find some dip stick has parked his car directly behind me. And cars are still on every side of me. Leaving me with absolutely no way to pull forward or in reverse.

So I do what anyone in my situation would have done - I got out of the car, ate my salad from the to-go box it was in, told work I was running late and waited until someone moved their car. The person parked in front of me pulled out, and I immediately pulled through. See visual below.


Fast-forward to a beautiful fall Wednesday in September. I met a friend for lunch, and to no surprise there was very limited parking. I found a spot that might technically not have been a spot, but it had painted lines and so I gave it a go. This "spot" was situated to the side of the restaurant, in front of the dumpster.

Again, I come out of the restaurant only to find a large, black Suburban completely blocking my car, leaving me zero room to move. I laughed hysterically to myself for like 30 seconds before I realized there was no way I could call in to work for the second time and tell them I was once again going to be late for being stuck in a parking spot at the same restaurant.

So, what do I do? I hightail my car over a pretty large chunk of sidewalk and proceed on. I got out to survey any damage I could have done to my car, which was thankfully none. Again, we have visuals.


If I am not careful - one of these will wind up on my bumper one day.


Does Calypso deliver?

mmm pumpkin bread

About a month ago, I posted more or less about how on-edge I was for fall to get here and get here fast!

According to my planner, today is the first day of fall. And yet by the looks of any thermometer, today could easily fit a typical June, July or August day in Nashville.

I'm over it!

To hopefully push fall along, at least in the food category, I am sharing with you a recipe for the BEST pumpkin bread you'll ever eat.

Last year, I made this for the first time on one of the first cooler days of fall. I went after work to grab some of the ingredients I did not have on hand, which included canned pumpkin.

One hour and four (that is not a type-o) grocery stores later, I found canned pumpkin at Wal-Mart. So I bought every can they had left, which was only like 5.

Hopefully with it still being warmer out, canned pumpkin isn't as hard to find as it will be when it cools off in a few weeks.

If you do find it, this recipe is a must - it makes two loafs.

YUM.


Courtesys of the Mountain Brook Country Club Cookbook

1 1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 cups sifted flour
2 cups (or one can) of pumpkin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
2 (3 oz) boxes of cook and serve vanilla pudding (not instant!)

Beat together oil & sugars, adding eggs one at a time. Blend well. Add pumpkin. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Pour into two bread loaf pans that have been greased and floured. Bake at 350 for 45 to 50 minutes. Inhale the wonderful aroma! When it's done, sprinkle the top with cinnamon & sugar and slice.

Closet dork? or just particular?

I am particular about a few things.

O.k. well let's be honest...a lot of things.

One of them being pens.

For my fellow FRA alumni: remember the big Barney-purple bag I had full to the brim with every pen you could imagine? Black ink, blue ink, gel pens, clicky pens...? I don't quite know how I collected so many throughout the years, but I did.

At work, my silver pen can (from college) is so full of pens that you can hardly take one out.


I don't know what my obsession is. Clearly, I can only use one at a time (although it would be pretty funny if you walked in and saw me trying to write with 5 pens in my hand).

A while ago I went out to eat and upon signing my check, I held in my hand the most amazing pen ever. It was made by Bic, called the Atlantis. Sounds like a strip club to me.

But OMG was it ever amazing.


As much as I don't want to admit to it, and am ashamed and embarrassed to say...I took the pen. I strategically acted like I accidentally dropped it in my purse. And off I went.

Don't judge. She got a good tip.

Well said pen eventually ran out of ink, so I ordered some from our office supply distributor.

Again, the best pen ever.

I gave one of the pens to my friend Todd, who wrote the following for me to share.

When Awkward informed me of the most awesome pen ever I had to give it a shot. I'm not a total pen snob but I worked as a server and you become very protective of them. People steal them which sucks and they'll break the clips off which is annoying. Finding a good pen is always nice. Here we have the Bic Atlantis 1.2. I was gonna make a crack about how stupid having a version 1.2 was, but then I realized that it means a 1.2mm width. Well, what a wonderful width to write with. I don't know what other writing devices' widths are, but here...1.2 mm just feels right. Overall its a buy. It writes like a gel pen even though its a ball point and has a very comfortable grip. Gripes? Only downfall is its not a clicky pen. So for a pen at the desk go for it. Have a ball(point). But if your gonna carry it with you or have it in the car, its gotta be a clicky pen. Nobody wants to fiddle with a cap at the bank.

We may or may not have had an 8 minute conversation about the Bic Atlantis on G-Chat this morning. And I may or may not be a closet dork. Or am I just particular?

fancy was my name

Before there were honky tonk badonkadonks and hillbilly bones, there were these two:



The King and Queen of country.

I've listened to country music my whole life - I have memories of my grandmother's kitchen radio playing Dolly and Tammy on Saturday morning as she was making country ham and eggs. Everyday on the drive to school, Mom would have the radio on country. I remember being mezmorized by Reba's Fancy video. And, of course, I was born in the country music capital of the world. And while I could listen to Billy Joel on repeat 24/7, I've always been partial to country.

So when the opportunity came to go see George & Reba in concert this past Saturday...two country staples that I have never in concert before but have listened to longer than I can remember, I decided to go.

And boy was I glad that I did.

It was insanely good.

What's that you say? You thought my heart belonged to him?


Well DUH! It does.

But George Strait is a legend. He has more number one hits than any singer in any genre of music, ever. Reba is the 2nd highest female country singer of all time. They are the ones that everyone in country music today looks up to. So put the two together, playing songs you have been listening to for ages, and it is bound to be a good concert.

Their stage was set in the middle of the arena, and they literally played for almost four hours total - no frills, no animation. Just music. They never sang together, but they have enough number one songs (he has 57, she has 34) to hold their on. I think between the two of them, there was only one song I didn't know the words to.

I almost chose not to go, to watch my Vols play Oregon... but we all know how well that went.

I think I picked the better choice.

labor day weekend

So I've been pretty inefficient on the 'ole blog this month - well, last month technically. I think it's a combination of a schedule that barely gives me time to breathe, and nothing too "Angie" happening over the past few weeks. I hope I don't jinx myself.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to a few fun activities this weekend, but also finding some time to do nothing (my favorite past time).

...starting with seeing these guys put on their final concert tomorrow:


...Friday night I'm finally going to the Chihuly exhibit at Cheekwood:


...and hopefully taking in plenty of Vitamin D as those summer weekends are finally drawing to a close:



I hope everyone enjoys their long weekend, the start of college football, and whatever fun plans you have coming up in celebration of Labor Day!

And I promise, if anything random or bizarre happens to me anytime soon - you'll be the first to know.

just around the corner

I love the overall climate in Nashville because I like my seasons to change. Unlike some parts of the country, we get a healthy dose of spring, summer, winter and fall.

But by all accounts, this year has been a bit different...a winter with a bit more snow, a spring with a bit more rain, and a summer that has been miserably scorching.

I know it is still mid-August...but, I'm ready for a change.

I love everything about the fall.

The leaves.

Pumpkin-flavored anything.

Lack of humidity - so my hair no longer looks like this.

Fall clothes.


Another trip here.

And football. There is no such thing as too much Rocky Top.

Oh I just can not wait!

Saturday in the Park

...ironically enough, that song by Chicago was the 1st on my iPod shuffle as I set out on my Saturday morning adventure yesterday. How appropriate it would become.

I woke up relatively early and ran a few errands. I was to meet some church friends for lunch, followed by an afternoon and night of wedding festivities. It was going to be a good day.

There was some time to kill and I wanted to get some exercise in. I decided to take advantage of the somewhat overcast weather and head to the park to do some hiking/running/walking on the trails and paths at Percy Warner Park.


I started at the entrance that is at the beginning (or end, however you want to look at it) of Belle Meade Blvd. It is marked with stone stairs that lead up to a shaded area of trails and paths. I parked my car, left my cell phone, and began on the road path that was scattered with pedestrians, bikers and drivers.


I walked/ran the hilly road for a good two miles before I started thinking to myself, man this is a lot longer than I had thought. I envisioned two or three miles of pathways before I would be looping around and coming out at the other end of the entrance.

Wrong. Dead wrong.

I walk some more, and see the trees start to break. "I'm finally back!" I thought.

No dice.

My iPod died. I had no cell phone, and clearly no sense of direction. I thought about turning around, but I could have sworn on several occasion that I was "almost there."

Suddenly, I came upon a rest area that had a map, a port-a-potty and a water fountain. A lady with two large Boxer dogs looked like she is waiting on someone, so I stop to ask her how to get back to Belle Meade Blvd.

She isn't quite sure, but points on said map as to where I was.

I had literally walked almost 5 miles and had another 6 or so to go before being back at my car. If you are familar with Nashville, that is like walking from the Krystal in Belle Meade to where Old Hickory Blvd. meets Highway 100. In the heat. Mostly all up hill.

For someone that thought all I had ahead of me was a 2 mile jog, this was a lot to take in. I polietly asked the lady if she woudln't mind taking me back to my car. At this point, I was so hot, exhausted and semi-dehydrated that I didn't even care.

Her friend finally comes out of the port-a-potty and we all pile in her Nissan. I am shoved in the back with the two larger-than-life dogs totally panting in my face, desperatly trying to make convorsation.

They could not have been nicer.

Two and a half hours after I started on my "jog", I'm back at my car thanks to my new friends. I offered them what I had - money or some Altoids. They refused both, but rest assured that I probably said Thank You 248 times.

I got online and tried to look at the map. I literally have no idea how I got to where I was, and the scary part is, I had it not been for the good samartians, I don't know how I would have ever found my way out.