Rainy Day in Nashville Ends in Song

When fairly heavy rains put the brakes on plans to visit Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art, we decided to catch an uber ride to The Nashville Farmer's Market instead, which is mostly covered or enclosed. 

The majority of fresh produce vendors are not at the farmer's market on weekdays it seemed, but the Market House Restaurants and Shops building was packed with lunch crowds. After perusing all of the many and varied food court vendors, we chose Village Bakery & Provisions for a shared grilled brie and peach sandwich on freshly baked bread with a lemon eclair. Yum! There was a bit of confusion when we were waiting for our sandwich. The baker walked up to the front counter and mumbled something and handed me a hot from the oven, large loaf of bread. I smiled brightly, said something like, "Thanks. Wow, still so warm." I had no idea why the baker handed me the bread or what he said. Then he came back a moment later and told me it was pugliese bread. I repeated, "pugliese? Thanks." Then I tried to pay the cashier for the bread, still confused, but trying to act like I knew what was happening. The cashier smiled and said, "He GAVE that to you." I replied, "Oh! So sweet! Thank you!" I have no idea what the baker initially said or why he gifted me bread, but it was delicious! Also I am awkward sometimes.

Too often Chad and I do more during a vacation week than other people do during a work week. We're not people who relax easily, both fueled by varying combinations of anxiety, caffeine, ambition, fear or missing out and wanderlust. It is actually odd for either of us to spend multiple hours unstructured or unplanned on vacation, but that's what we did before heading back out to meet our dinner date for the evening. There was a good bit of staring at our respective phones, reading fiction and general laziness. Someday I will have a vacation where I spend the majority of time relaxing and being lazy. Dare to dream!

Our dinner date and local host for the evening was Ed, another of Chad's high school friends. We met up with Ed in the long line outside of Hattie B's Hot Chicken. As a buzzkill vegetarian who tries really hard not to judge while other people eat meat, I did not partake in the hot chicken. Apparently the chicken is fried and spicy. I did enjoy some macaroni and pimento cheese, people watching and eavesdropping. 

After dinner, we crossed the street to the Broadway Brewhouse for a very adult milkshake called a bushwacker which featured approximately eight different liquors. Delicious and dangerous! Perhaps the drink also served as liquid courage for our next stop: The Big Bang Dueling Pianos Bar in the heart of Broadway's Music Row. I've often been accused of seeming aloof or too cool for school, but this was not the case in the middle of a silly-fun sing-along at the dueling pianos show. The musicians totally engaged with the audience and seemed like they were having a great time, which made the audience have a great time. They performed modern songs such as "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon and "Shake it Off" by Taylor Swift. One of the musicians started a funny game where he pointed out that a $2 tip prompted a Taylor Swift song, but that for $3 he would play a different song without missing a beat, which he did while the other musician suggested that a $4 tip would start the Taylor Swift song back up where they left off, which we also got to witness. This was likely a bit they had done before, but it seemed impromptu and super-fun. They also performed an awesome medley of Beatles songs courtesy of a $100 tip/request from an audience member. We stayed for about two hours, and I sported a huge grin the entire time. Let it be noted that I also joined hands and swayed to the chorus when instructed to do so during the Neil Diamond song "Sweet Caroline". In summary, I was neither aloof nor cool. 

Ed had to be at work in the morning, so we didn't stay out late. Chad and I had to check out of our loft and be at the rental car pickup for our drive to Louisville the next morning too. We loved seeing friends in Nashville, having locals show us around and make suggestions. Nashville is truly charming, but we wouldn't have felt so welcome without our friends there.

Check back soon for harrowing tales of driving I65 to lovely Louisville.

Pretty History & Good Eats in Nashville

Since 1875 Hatch Show Print presses have produced posters advertising entertainment such as country music shows, jazz shows and even wrestling matches. Several years ago, Chad and I went to an Austin exhibit of Hatch Show Print posters. We were excited to see the actual Hatch Show Print studio, gallery and class space during our trip to Nashville. Though Hatch Show Print has moved locations several times during its rich history, the old print blocks and presses made the move to the current location. The walls are new, but everything else has a respectable patina. On the tour, we learned more about the history of the shop, the contemporary workings of the shop and got to pull our own print through the press in the classroom. We exited through the gift shop naturally, picking out lots of letterpress cards.

On the way back to the loft we walked past the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, stopping to admire some fountains and sculptures outside the impressive venue.

After a lunch of Puckett's leftovers at the loft, we walked to The Frist Center for Visual Arts. The building itself is a sight to behold. What once housed the central Post Office for Nashville is a marvel of art deco finishes and details of marble and forged metal. The exhibits were also worth seeing: Italian Style: Fashion since 1945; Postcards of the Wiener Werkstatte; and my favorite, Jaume Plensa: Human Landscape installations and sculptures.

We stopped at an empty table in the children's activity area at the Frist to design our own Italian-inspired fashions. Mine is the orange and pink. Chad's is the brown and turquoise. Really? Brown? No.

Walking to and from The Frist Center, we saw many lovely historic buildings. I totally get why Nashville is called the "Athens of the South" with all of the classical style architecture. My top three favorite buildings were:

Hume-Fogg High School

U.S. Customs House Nashville

Union Station Hotel

One of our main reasons for going to Nashville was to catch up with friends who live there. Our scheduled date for the evening with one of Chad's best friends from high school, Hunter, was sadly, but understandably, canceled. Hunter and his lovely wife are first time parents to a very new baby, and consequently in desperate need of sleep. Our dashed date with Hunter yielded some great dinner recommendations in the form of a very helpful and apologetic email with a list of places he would have liked to take us. From the list, we chose Five Points Pizza in East Nashville. The vibe was fun: the right balance of laidback and lively. The salads and New York style pizza slices were awesome. If you've been to Home Slice Pizza in Austin, you might rightly draw comparisons to Five Points Pizza in Nashville.

We walked around East Nashville a bit after dinner to see what there was to see, and stumbled upon Pied Piper Creamery in a cute old Victorian house. The place was empty except for the nice lady working there. We shared a small scoop of trailer trash (vanilla ice cream with Oreo, Twix, Butterfinger, Nestle Crunch, Snickers, M&Ms, and Reese’s Pieces). The trailer trash ice cream was sublime and worth every calorie. We sat on the front porch of Pied Piper Creamery looking down the hill to the sidewalk for some light people-watching. Maybe it was the light rain falling, maybe typical Wednesday night doldrums or maybe good stuff just isn't as mobbed in Nashville as it is in Austin, but there weren't many people to watch. If Pied Piper Creamery existed in Austin, there would be a constant line out the door and down the sidewalk like there is at lick ice cream in Austin. The only place I experienced crazy crowds of people in Nashville was at Puckett's Grocery & Restaurant. These days in Austin it seems as if anything worth doing, or going to, has a forty minute wait or a line forty people deep.

It was a welcome change of pace to get out of Austin for a bit to cooler temperatures and lesser crowds of people. Come back soon for more travelogue tales of cooler weather and much more manageable "crowds".

Much Nashville Sightseeing

Our first full day in Nashville was full of sightseeing and visiting thanks to my good friend & awesome former boss-lady, Kat, and her knowledgeable Nashville-native husband, Brian. They were the hosts with the most!

I'm an admitted over-planner when it comes to travel. I sent Kat a lengthy list of places in Nashville I hoped to visit, and asked her to pick one or more that we could do together. Kat picked two places from my list, and we ended up hitting four places by the end of the day.

Kat & Brian picked up Chad and I in their super-comfy, king-cab truck. Our first stop was Bongo Java near Vanderbilt and Belmont Universities. Bongo Java serves breakfast all day -- yes, please! Our brunch was hearty and cheap. The order at the counter service was perfect for chatting without interruptions from a server. It was so nice to catch up a bit with Kat, and find out more about Kat's and Brian's adventures since moving to Tennessee.

After brunch Brian acted as tour-guide showing us beautiful, stately buildings around Vanderbilt and Belmont on the way to one of the best tourist traps I've ever seen, the Parthenon. In Nashville. It was pretty cool to see a full scale replica of Greece's famed Parthenon. I was floored by the giant Athena statue inside with its sheer size, gold leaf detailing and iconography on her headdress and shield. Look in the bottom left corner of the photo below. That's a full-size adult you see by the column, to give you a sense of scale. Giant. Athena.

After the Parthenon, Brian drove along Music Row pointing out famous clubs, record companies and music venues. We also checked out the waterfront terraces and pedestrian bridge. Brian gave us good insight into how Nashville changed over the past twenty years, including the population growth.

While downtown, we cruised through the historic and impressive Hermitage Hotel Lobby ever so briefly. No less than three uniformed hotel employees said "welcome" to us during our two minutes of looking at the lobby and its ornate, restored/maintained grandeur. While the employees smiled and said the word welcome, we understood that we needed to move along and not stop for any photo opps. The hotel lobby was full of men dressed in full suits on a hot day, discussing very important things, I'm just sure. *Click here for images from the Hermitage Hotel lobby.* *Click here for some history of Hermitage Hotel.*

Next up we went to Marathon Village, formerly the Marathon automobile factory, now home to many shops, a soda fountain, a coffee shop, a fancy artisan distillery and offices. It's cool to see old buildings repurposed with a nod to their historic pasts. There is a display in one of the lobbies of Marathon Village with photos and details about the old car factory.

After so much sweaty sight-seeing, we stopped at The Slider House for liquid refreshment. We tried to chat more, but the (over-caffeinated? anxious? well-meaning but clueless?) waiter checked on us every two minutes, making it difficult to finish a thought.

After Kat and Brian dropped us back at Printer's Alley, Chad and I rested a bit from our very full day before walking to Puckett's Grocery & Restaurant for dinner. This place is all about barbecue. We both left smelling of barbecue. Chad got a plate with three different kinds of meat on it. "Good for you, not for me", says the vegetarian. Our sweet server, Valerie, kindly helped me navigate the menu to find vegetarian options: a few of the side dishes could be assembled as a veggie plate or a veggie burger with fries. I got the veggie burger and added a fried green tomato to it. Yum! Also huge! Chad and I both took half of our meals back to the loft in to-go boxes. I'm thankful that our loft had a full-size refrigerator. I do not enjoy trying to cram leftovers into a mini-fridge amongst mini-bar items when traveling.

We slowed our roll a bit for the rest of our Nashville trip. Check back for more travelogue soon.

Nashville Charms

At the risk of angering legions of country music fans, I must confess that neither Chad nor I are country music fans. Sure, Chad dabbles in some mopey alt-country bands such as Dawes, Wilco and The Jayhawks, but overall, not so much with the country music. We went to Nashville... and did not go to Opryland, did not seek out live country music and did not tour Ryman Auditorium. Also, I'm a vegetarian, and did not partake in the fine food offerings of barbecue or hot chicken for which Nashville is famous. We did lots of other fun stuff instead!

We arrived in Nashville on a Monday in the late afternoon, and cabbed it straight to our accommodations in the Printer's Alley Lofts from the airport. Our cab driver told us how much Nashville is growing and how fast it is changing. We saw construction cranes on the horizon, road improvement projects happening and deep pits dug out for the foundations of huge new buildings. We also saw many historic buildings in Nashville with beautifully maintained and/or restored facades all over the greater downtown area. Comparatively, Austin has Congress Avenue, Judges' Hill and parts of Sixth Street with a smattering of historic buildings. I quipped that Austin is the kind of city that would be born if Nashville and Los Angeles had a baby: some live music, a few historic buildings, too much traffic, some famous people and lots of shiny, new stuff.

Our destination, Printer's Alley, is likened to a miniature version of Bourbon Street, in the middle of the downtown Nashville hustle. It was named for the printing industry that once occupied the land. Printer's Alley was also part of the "men's quarter" where a few generations of men went to behave in most ungentlemanly ways. Liquor during prohibition? Sure. Burlesque shows? Plenty. No-tell motels? Yep. Yay for history! Currently Printer's Alley features karaoke bars, blues bars and restaurants with controversial plans for a new hotel.

The charming entrance to Printer's Alley Lofts 

Our studio rental in the Printer's Alley Lofts had historic touches like hardwood floors and exposed brick walls with modern conveniences such as great air-conditioning, a heavenly spa jet bathtub, and double-paned windows that kept out the street noise. Since we had a kitchen in our loft, bigger than our kitchen at home I might add, we walked to HG Hill Urban Market for provisions such as peanut butter, dark chocolate, milk, coffee, frozen waffles and crinkle-cut carrots. This mini-market has a great selection of deli foods, dry goods, dairy and produce for such a compact space!

One does not typically think, "I'm in Nashville. I think I'll go to an English-style pub," but I was getting hangry after a traveling most of the day and missing lunch. (Hunger-induced anger/crankiness = hangry). Fleet Street Pub was just downstairs from our loft, and serves veggie burgers with British-style chips (thick wedge-cut french fries). Chad had fish and chips, but was dainty and picked the breading off of the fish, and did not eat most of his chips. (I know! I don't get it either.) On a hot, sunny day in Nashville, the subterranean cool & dark of the pub was most welcome. My only complaint: it was surprising to see/smell people smoking in a restaurant or bar. (Austin is a clean-air city with no smoking allowed in restaurants and in most bars. We're spoiled that way.) Chalk it up to being in tobacco country, I guess. 

We were in the heart of downtown Nashville, just steps from Broadway: the street in Nashville synonymous with nightlife and live music venues. After dinner we went for a looky-loo walk to gawp at all the neon signs along Broadway. Just wow. *Click here for images.* With all the great live country music happening around us, we committed country music sacrilege by stopping only for Savannah's Candy Kitchen. Mmmm... candy.

But wait, there's more. Check back for more Nashville travelogue soon. 

Sit. Stay. Good.

In April Chad and I went to Key West, Florida. Hope you read those posts on this blog, because there will be a quiz later.

In July I went to North Carolina to visit seven of my ten nieces & nephews, my sister, her husband and my mom. I loved hanging out with them. I get to see them only once a year or so, because they live quite far away. There's no direct flight from Austin to Raleigh-Durham on commercial airlines. The drive would clock in around twenty hours, so that's just like impossible. Also, you try traveling with seven kids. Also, my sister may be a bit afraid of flying. I go to them. It's nice to get out of my usual grind. Chad stayed home to take care of the pets/pests and some important business junk.

In early August, Chad and I spent a week between Nashville, TN and Louisville, KY. (Don't worry, travelogue on the way.)

We were home for about thirty-four hours, before Chad drove me to San Antonio to perform in a dinner mystery show. I should call this particular show a lunch mystery show, because it was at lunchtime, not dinnertime. I played the detective, per usual. The audience and venue couldn't have been lovelier. (More on that later.) It was exhausting.

Now we're home. It's hot as Hades here. Seriously the high temperature the other day was one-hundred-six degrees Fahrenheit. I continue to be struck by how crowded Austin is recently, and by how much traffic, congestion and construction there is. Our neighborhood is up in arms over property development happening across the busy street. Yet, it is so good to be home with my pets, my stuff and my familiar routines.

I'm ready to stay put for a long while. I don't want to see the inside of an airplane or the aggressive speeding of motorists on an interstate for many months.

It Hurts My Feelings

In April I bought some size medium cropped stretchy athletic pants online from Nordstrom. I have actually worn these pants to yoga classes and to the gym. I like them. Subsequent to this purchase, whenever I go to the Nordstrom website, I get plus-size athletic clothes popping up in the "you might also like" suggestions on the website.

There is nothing wrong with wearing plus-size clothing. Bodies come in all shapes, sizes and states of greatness. However, as a five-foot-three-inch, vertically-challenged lady who struggles with mysterious* weight gains and mysterious* weight losses at times, I'm sensitive to labels like plus-size. It hurts my feelings when the Nordstrom website suggests plus-size clothing to me based on my size medium purchase history.

Dear Nordstrom,

Heads-up! Your stupid algorithm for "you might also like" items is broken. Get your best coders to fix that mess now. If you're going to imply that size medium is plus-size, you might want to create a section of tiny sizes called "find a support group for your eating disorder that we at Nordstrom, and other retailers, fuel daily."

Thanks!

Your former customer, Jenn

* It's no mystery. My weight gains and losses are often linked to job stress and/or job absence. When I'm busy I forget to eat. That behavior is as unhealthy as eating junk food. Bodies need healthy fuel.

Humpday Pick-Me-Up

Press play & enjoy.

Tempted to Go Home Again

I made cupcakes this past rainy Sunday: vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream frosting and strawberry jelly filling topped with sparkle sugar. Feeling fairly proud of my effort, I posted a couple of photos to Instagram. A former coworker commented that she missed me & my delicious treats. Not wanting to keep ALL the cupcakes for myself and my expanding waistline, I decided to drop off extra cupcakes for some of my favorite former coworkers.

When I went back to visit my former employer, west elm, yesterday it felt like going home in a good, familiar, welcoming way. I won't lie. I miss it. I miss the physical space that is west elm Austin. I miss the energy and familiarity of my former coworkers and of the store in general. After working for eight months at a different retailer (hereafter known as Employer B) that was an awful fit for my personality and personal style, in a drab poorly-lit space with ugly fixtures, inconveniently located at the corner of Urinestink Avenue and Noparking Street; going back to visit west elm provided a stark and refreshing contrast. From pulling into the designated, clean, security-patrolled, free parking garage adjacent to west elm, to basking in the abundant natural light in the store with modern fixtures and wish-list-worthy merchandise, the store greeter had me at "hello".

When I worked at west elm, I was infamous for bringing baked treats to share with happy, hungry and appreciative coworkers. When I worked at Employer B, I brought homemade treats only once. One coworker said she was mad at me for trying to make her fat. I'm afraid she was less then half-joking and more than half-mad. (Also, she was not fat at all.) Another coworker pointed out one cookie (out of thirty-six cookies) that looked slightly burnt on one bottom edge, then after the cookies sat for two days, the majority uneaten, he said that the cookies were stale from the moment I brought them to share. (The cookies were freshly baked the evening before I brought them and not stale upon arrival.) Another coworker said I must have hosted a party where I originally served the cookies and not invited him. He started demanding to know if anyone else went to this imaginary party. (When I hosted a real party at a later date, he was not invited.) 

I relay these contrasts not to say that west elm is, or was, a perfect or even near-perfect employer. A friend who has worked there for over three years still cannot get the full-time hours with benefits she desperately wants. Another friend gave me the I-can't-say-what-I'm-really-thinking eyes when she mentioned recent staff turnover. I remember the crazy 3:00 AM to 8:00 AM shifts that led me to seriously seek employment elsewhere. I remember the on-call employment situation that made budgeting my time and my expected income difficult. I remember that one work-bully at west elm whose controlling actions now seem so mild in comparison to the work-bully I encountered at Employer B. (I called it quits at Employer B for a number of reasons: one being the presence of a work-bully on the tiny staff. This work-bully waged psychological battles bent on mutually assured destruction. The second I figured out that seemingly innocent conversations with work-bully would end in hurtful gossip, mean-spirited innuendo and outright lies, I disengaged as much as possible.)

When a west elm manager brightly enquired yesterday if I wanted to work there again, I suppressed the impulse to look deep into her eyes and exclaim too loudly, "Yes, please!" Instead, I took a breath and told her I might want to come back part-time in the fall when I go back to school. And in that moment, I sincerely meant it. When mid-August rolls around and my travel calendar calms, I may still mean it. Also, my poor feet may be healed enough to withstand working retail again at that point.

The End of My Blonde Ambition

This past week, Janie Lulabelle Mae, the resident 1952 House sweet mutt, needed a diversion from vigilantly alerting us to the AC-repair-superhero each and every time he entered or exited the 1952 House or the back yard where the outdoor AC unit sits. (Sorry about all the barking, Aubrie. Thanks for fixing the AC!) It was too hot for a walk, so I coaxed Janie into my car for a field trip. (She does not love riding in cars. No, not even with the windows down.) We stopped at Bark n Purr first, where Janie selected a chewy stick thing. She charmed the employees and traded a trick for a treat. High-five! Then we took the long way to Sonic for some ginormous diet limeades. Janie got treats from not one, but two carhops! She's just that awesome with the begging eyes.

While Janie basked in her treats and attention, I looked around at the other vehicles parked at Sonic. Every one of them had a blonde lady within 10 years of my age behind the wheel. All the blonde ladies had shoulder-length or longer hair. Some vehicles had children on board, some didn't. Most vehicles were SUVs (a.k.a. less convenient, less comfortable mini-vans) with a couple of Subaru station wagons thrown in for variety. My MINI Cooper with its racing stripes and contrast roof was a bright, shiny, different thing amongst the vehicles. My big mutt dog sitting in the front seat next to me was different, and totally endearing apparently. I like being different in a sea of sameness. So why have I spent so much time and money to get the same hair as all the other ladies parked at Sonic? This blonde hair stops soon.

Vacation Destination Grab Bag

Chad and I make it a priority to have at least one date night each week. I made a grab bag of possible dates for when we're feeling less than inspired with ideas. These 20 or so, possible dates are each written on folded slips of paper that live in a bag near my desk. I'm high-tech that way. The date options range from walkable neighborhood restaurants, to new-hotness restaurants not in our neighborhood, to "pick a movie and go see it". (In the age of Netflix and On Demand it's a pretty hard sell to make us leave the house for screen time.)

I applied this same technique to vacations recently. I'm a notorious over-planner and over-researcher, and often tire of the notion of chosen vacation destinations before we ever make them a reality. Instead of planning out our next few big/nice annual vacation options, I've thrown them in a bag, each written on folded slips of paper.

1. Seattle, Washington (again) & the San Juan Islands (first time)

2. Hawaiian Islands (Maui probably)

3. Belgium (likely a Rick Steves guided tour)

4. Scotland (maybe a Rick Steves guided tour, maybe a DIY itinerary)

5. Niagara Falls (both the U.S.A. and Canada sides)

I'm done with weighing pros and cons, and trying to perfectly plan. We're going to leave it up to the grab bag next time.

We're Fine, Just Muddy

Chad, the pests/pets and I remained safe during the weekend floods in Central Texas. The 1952 House saw the worst of it yesterday in the form of a rushing creek through the carport.

Here is the raw footage featuring a handsome, leggy, spokesmodel/weather-observer:

If you want to help those in Central Texas who didn't weather these storms so well, please consider donations to:

Central Texas Red Cross

The Hays County Food Bank

Austin Pets Alive

WEST Austin Studio Tour

If you are in Austin, you should go this weekend! *Click here* for the official website.

Chad and I went last weekend. Among our favorite stops were:

#31 Morgan Bogart at 6910 Shirley Avenue as part of three artists presenting glass artworks and vessels. I bought a bright orange votive holder that perfectly matches the orange glass motif on our bedroom dresser.

#37 John Cruz at 1900 A Brentwood Street: Pay attention to the titles of each piece. They are pretty witty. Mr. Cruz has a variety of prints for sale at accessible price points.

#48 The Arc of the Arts Studio at 4902 Grover Ave: There are a variety of mediums on display by many different artists. I especially like the work of Emily D. for her brilliant use of color and joyful geometric shapes.

#172 Virginia Fleck at 1900 Larchmont Drive: I've admired and marveled at the shopping bag collage displays on West 5th Street outside of the flagship Whole Foods for many years. Virginia Fleck made those! It was cool to meet her and see more of her work. I might have to return this weekend and make a purchase or three. (She has lovely print reproductions of her mandala collages, as well as bright acrylic cutout reproductions of her works, at a variety of price points.)

#250 Austin Art Garage Group Show at 2200 South Lamar Boulevard: Lots of artists here! I especially loved Lauren Briere's "bot" paintings and prints featuring wistful interactions of a charming robot. I also liked Lucas Aoki's whimsical art.

Of course, we didn't make it to all 260+ studios/exhibitions last weekend. I still want to see:

#9 Marilyn Rae Nasky at 7739 Northcross Drive: I love the perspective in her paintings and the clean craftsmanship.

#54 Freams Collective at 4709 Harmon Avenue: I like locations with multiple artists, and these guys look intriguing.

#190 Rick & Lisa Loudermilk at 2014 Jones Road: These works look beautiful.

#262 Art On 5th at 3005 South Lamar Boulevard: Wow. There is so much happening here. I haven't been since this gallery moved from 5th Street to its new location on South Lamar.

If you went/go on the WEST Austin Studio Tour, let me know what your favorite stops were/are.

Water Adventure Wednesday & That's All, Folks! Thursday

Wednesday noontime found Chad and I at Lazy Dog Kayaking for a two-hour kayak tour among the mangroves with our brainy guide, Brian. Our guide stopped at least eight times to show us many cool things and explain each thing's role in the ecosystem. We saw a sea cucumber, a seahare (like a huge inside out snail - eww, but cool), queen conch (I swear I heard it say "don't eat conch fritters" in a tiny voice.), jellyfish, a nurse shark (!!!), mangrove trees, tree crabs (yes, little grey crabs that live in trees), anemone, a sea star (a.k.a. starfish), sponges and a few other things I can't recall. I also didn't recall to reapply sunscreen during our two-hour outing. Chad and I both got weird sunburn lines on the fronts of our bodies. Despite the sunburn, our kayaking eco-tour was a close second place to snorkeling for my favorite activity in Key West.

Back at the Almond Tree Inn, after much-needed showers, we sat on the lovely covered porch that had ceiling fans (almost like air-conditioning) for a lunch of leftovers from Blue Heaven and Blackfin Bistro. I love it when hotel rooms have mini fridges, especially when they aren't stocked with expensive mini-bar items. I need somewhere to keep leftovers.

We were pretty tired (and sunburned) from kayaking. We rested and read books until dinner time. Back to Blue Heaven for dinner! Why mess with a good thing when you find it? I had a salad with a side of that amazing cornbread and an Arnold Palmer. Chad had some fish dish that he really liked and a Bloody Goose drink. (He eats and drinks weird things. Gross. But he seems to like them.) We watched the resident chickens of Blue Heaven ascend to the treetops for their nighttime roosting. It was a slow trip that involved a lot of walking and hopping. Chickens are not graceful fliers. After the chicken show, we had the key lime pie with crazy high meringue top for dessert. So good!

We retired early to our hotel room on our last night in Key West. Party, party, party - that's us.

Thursday morning we took our time packing, left our suitcases at the hotel front desk and walked to Blackfin Bistro again for awesome brunch and good people-watching out the big front window. I had the BEST french toast I've ever had in the form of their Overnight Caramel French Toast. The toast had a caramelized crunch to it almost like the top of a creme brulee. Chad had Eggs Benedict Florentine. And some of my french toast. How does he keep that tiny waist? (Lots of time at the gym.) We skipped the mimosas this time, because no one wants a hangover on an airplane. 

Back to the tiny Key West airport, which for outbound travelers offers one more chance to get sand in your shoes at the Last Call Beach Bar. It's a small tiki hut looking bar with some sand and a palm tree in an outdoor courtyard right by the departure gates. No thanks. Our flight home (via Atlanta) departed Key West midday Thursday. We made it home safely, and only an hour late. 

Travel tip: bring your empty reusable water bottles in your carry-on bag. Empty reusable plastic bottles are fine to get through airport security. Austin and Atlanta airports have bottle filling stations near the regular water fountains.

Our trip to Key West was the right balance of fun, relaxing and interesting. I really enjoyed it. It's not a place that I'll lobby to go to again and again (That honor goes to Hood River, Oregon.), but I'm so glad we went. My sunburn is still peeling, but the laundry is all done!

Summary:
Hotel was awesome: Almond Tree Inn
Favorite restaurants: Blackfin Bistro & Blue Heaven
Favorite activities: Fury Water Adventures Snorkeling & Lazy Dog Kayaking
Favorite lookie places: Hemingway House & Key West Eco Discovery Center
Pub crawl was a little sad
Favorite street walk: Whitehead Street for beautiful houses & banyan trees
Silliest photo-opp: the 0 mile marker

How do you like your eggs cooked?

Have you seen the movie The Runaway Bride about a lovely lady who continuously bolts the wrong way down the aisle at her numerous weddings? In the movie, a reporter asks the runaway bride's many ex-fiancees how she liked her eggs cooked. Each ex-fiancee describes a different method of egg preparation, that also happens to be exactly how each ex-fiancee liked their own eggs cooked. The point being that the each ex-fiancee was mistaken about the preferences (and the true nature of) their runaway bride. The runaway bride herself wasn't sure how she liked her eggs cooked, because she let each ex-fiancee decide for her. 

I use this as a playful parable to describe my job situations. I'm not sure what I really like or want in a job. I have a long list of things I don't want or like in a job. I am smart, hard-working and conscientious. I do just about any job well for a limited amount of time. The time limit arises when I burn out from working too many hours, without days off and in a job for which I was never a good fit. I also burn out, because I hit a point where I see gaping difference in my own values and the values of my employing entity. When other employees and supervisors realize that I am conscientious, they tend to start leaning on me too hard from too many directions. I try to set some boundaries or take some time off, and someone's feelings get hurt, or someone's superhuman expectations of me are temporarily unmet. 

I liked school and excelled there, due to the well-defined expectations, mostly constructive feedback and built-in holidays to rest, relax and rev up for the next semester. I also excelled in academics, because I was hardly ever graded by my peers. I didn't have to learn the politicking required for many job situations. I also liked homework. I could have the radio or television on for background noise while I worked. I could sit alone at home or at a table in the library to complete assignments. I liked that part of of my work was self-directed at my own pace under conditions of my choosing.

How do I like my eggs? The truth is that I don't really like eggs. Baked into yummy bread or sweet things, sure, eggs are fine, but as the featured flavor? Pass the salsa or ketchup, please. I need to drown out the egg flavor and texture. Also, I like to have humane-certified eggs, because I worry about the welfare of the chickens. I feel bad for taking their eggs.

I don't know what my next job will be, and I really hesitate to use the word "career". I know that when people ask me what I want to do next or what I am pursuing for my next job, they are expressing interest and/or benevolent concern. It grates on me, because I don't know. I've got some work to do deciding. 

Tourist Tuesday In Key West

As we walked to the Key West Eco Discovery Center Tuesday morning, we passed by a lush shaded courtyard that looked very inviting with a menu posted by the gate. We made note to return to the restaurant for lunch. 

Key West Eco Discovery Center is free, interesting and air-conditioned! Among the many cool things to see are a 2500 gallon reef tank with tropical fish and coral, life-size wetland ecology exhibit and an an interesting short movie about the flora & fauna of Key West on land and underwater. The center also exhibited beautifully strange photo art prints depicting an underwater world that looked like a high concept fashion advertising campaign by artist, Andreas Frank, as part of his The Sinking World series.

Chad and I walked through the Truman Annex and by the Little White House after we left the Eco Discovery Center. It's interesting that the Little White House was the winter White House for President Truman, and that important federal business happened there. These days the Truman Annex is mostly prime real estate garden homes and rental homes in a gated community with the Little White House as the anchor property.

We didn't forget about going to lunch at Blue Heaven! We sat in chairs on a covered porch for only about five minutes to wait for a table. A few resident cats sauntered past us to get to their food bowls. We watched roosters, hens and chicks scratching in the giant planted areas. There was an outdoor shower stall with a funny sign that said, "$1 to shower. $2 to watch." Despite the super-casual, relaxed ambiance, the food was great. I had the loaded black bean bowl served with amazing cornbread - so good, hearty and vegetarian! Chad had one of the Blue Heaven Benedicts, and loved it. (Breakfast is served until 2:00 PM daily.) On our way out we spied a game yard with a ping-pong table. I  dragged Chad into the cute gift shop so I could buy a t-shirt and a Key Lime Pie scented candle. I love Blue Heaven! 

Once again, we returned to the hotel for reading, rest and relaxing in the air-conditioning. Chad took a dip in the pool, but I didn't want to redo hair and makeup. It's a whole thing.

We looked at online reviews for vegetarian-friendly restaurants when deciding where to go later in the evening for dinner. The Cafe billed itself as a mostly vegetarian place with seafood. I had an unimaginative veggie sandwich served with a side of bean salad swimming in too much vinegar. Chad's crab cakes looked really dense sitting atop a bed of soggy lettuce. The ambiance of The Cafe felt weighted a little more towards cruddy than towards charming. (Regular readers know that I'm a fan of charmingly cruddy places and design schemes.) In my non-foodie, very humble opinion, it was our only bad meal in Key West. Maybe the chef was having a bad night? The Cafe is enclosed with good air-conditioning. It had good reviews on tripadvisor.

We made the mistake of stepping into a fancy looking art gallery on Duval Street after dinner. We were just lookie loos wanting to catch a few minutes of air-conditioning. A gallery representative greeted us at the front door, followed us all over the place and explained each piece to us. We tried to smile and nod politely. I think after we made a complete lap of the gallery, and we weren't asking for art to be shipped to our home while handing over the Amex Black credit card, the gallery representative was exasperated with us. He spat out the words, "that piece is worth half a million dollars", when we didn't look dually impressed with a messy painting by the exit door. That's great, dude. Thanks. Bye.

As the sun started to set, we started a mini Duval Street pub crawl. When in Rome, right?  The general vibe of the Duval Street bars felt far from celebratory, fun or indulgent. Instead, the vibe felt sad, defeated and unhealthy. I won't name bar names. We chatted with two of the bartenders from our three pub crawl. The first bartender, a young lady, is a very recent transplant from Michigan who drove down with a friend to move to Key West on a whim. She arrived in Key West only ten days before, but already had three jobs to be able to make ends meet. She told us that she hears good things about Austin, and wants to go to a music festival in Austin. The second bartender we talked with is a man close to our age from the Martha's Vineyard area. He is an eight year veteran of Key West, and explained that we were there for the tail end of the high season in Key West. He said that most restaurant and bar employees work 80 hours a week during high season, then spend a lot more time at the beach during the low tourist season. He half-joked that he probably has carpal tunnel syndrome from chopping limes and muddling mint for all the mojitos he prepares.

Living and working in a tourist town seems difficult. Most jobs tend to be service sector, and most rents/real estate prices seem to be sky-high. We met a few cab drivers and hotel employees who were retired from their longtime careers in other places. Two of the people told us they live on houseboats. They think of Key West as paradise. I wish them all the best. 

Tune in tomorrow for a final account of the Key West travelogue featuring kayaking among the mangrove trees.

Museum Monday with Sunset Snorkel

Monday morning I was awakened at 4:45 by a rooster crowing. As I fumbled in the dark to find the earplugs I packed, I offered a telepathic message to the noise-maker. "Rooster, dear, I need you to get it together. It is still dark. Calm down. Shut your yap." After a few more hours of fitful dozing, I got up and made myself somewhat presentable for breakfast. Post-breakfast, I scolded the rooster aloud when we met up in the parking lot, suggesting he might want to visit a therapist about his anxiety-fueled vocalizations. 

Chad and I walked down Simonton Street toward the Key West Art & History Museum. We passed the usual T-shirt shops, cafes, day spas and bars along the way. One establishment that caught my attention in particular was the shopfront for Pirate Costumes of Key West & Key West Weddings. If you have your wedding on Key West it should be pirate themed? Clearly.

The Key West Art & History Museum is air-conditioned, not crowded and hosts interesting stuff to look at and read. We lingered and looked at EVERYTHING in that lovely air-conditioning. The exhibit on Hemingway's time in Key West mostly revolved around his fishing adventures. The exhibit on Key West's role in the Civil War was pretty interesting. Key West was actually a Union stronghold! As we walked up the grand stairway, we looked at illustrated excerpts from The Old Man and the Sea. The second floor housed an exhibit and information about Henry Flagler & his role in bringing the Overseas Railroad to Key West, along with the unfortunate destruction of the railroad line during the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane. We also viewed works by folk artist, Mario Sanchez, many of which were wood carved in relief painted in bright colors with scenes of everyday life. 

After the museum, we walked back down Duval Street: the more raucous end of which should not be viewed, or smelled, in the good light of daytime. We bought a coconut from a stand to drink. The proprietor of the stand drilled a small hole in the top for a straw. The coconut juice was yummy, but warm. File my suggestion to refrigerate the coconuts under "first world problems".

After a brief stop at our hotel room to cool off, we walked farther down the quiet end of Duval Street to the Banana Cafe for lunch. The Banana Cafe has a French theme to the menu. I had a veggie baguette. Chad had a crepe with a green salad on top. The food was simple with fresh ingredients.

Walking back to the hotel after lunch, I heard a noise coming from the bushes as I walked by them. I said to Chad, "There is something angry in those bushes." Upon closer inspection, I realized that the angry cluck came from a mama hen with her brood of ten baby chicks! They were so stinking cute! 

Later in the afternoon, we set out for a sunset snorkeling cruise with Fury Water Adventures. The crew members of the boat presented a perfect balance of fun and safety mindedness. Before setting out, the captain told us we would not be going to the barrier reef as planned due to three foot waves and low visibility. Instead we went to a shallow water shipwreck that only had six inch waves and much better visibility. The water was crystal clear, and the sunken ship served as a sort of reef. We saw clownfish, angelfish, grouper, a pufferfish and several kinds of coral. Chad spotted a big crab scuttling across the gulf floor. As we cruised back toward the dock after snorkeling, the boat captain turned the motor off for a few moments so we could watch the sunset. It was lovely, and our view was not blocked by a giant germ boat, I mean cruise ship. Snorkeling was my favorite activity during our trip to Key West. 

Tune in tomorrow (or maybe the next day, I get distracted) for more Key West travelogue featuring the Eco Discovery Center and Blue Heaven.

Sunday Funday in Key West: Sweets & Sweat

After breakfast at the hotel, we headed a few blocks south to Southernmost House for the 13th Annual Michelle's Willie Wonka Chocolate Festival to benefit the Cancer Foundation of the Florida Keys. For me, this was not about contributing to a noble cause, the festival flyer had me at "chocolate". A teenage guy wearing a polyester (that mess does not breathe, bless his heart) Willie Wonka costume greeted each guest, bravely smiling and directing guests to the chocolate fountains tent and baked goods as he handed out Golden Ticket stickers to wear for event entry. The chocolate festival boasted mostly baked goods and two different triple-tiered chocolate fountains. I sent a pretzel rod through the fountain. Chad opted for a banana. We shared. All was yum. From the crazy buffet of baked goods, we shared a slice of chocolate layer cake and an oreo-flecked brownie. The treats were rich for such a hot day. Chad and I quipped that we would pay "tourist money" for pints of milk to wash down the sweets. We had to settle for bottled water at $1.00 each. Note to planners of future Wonka festivals, charge $5 for a pint of milk to raise even more money for your cause. Southernmost House is a beautiful old Victorian-style mansion complete with Candyland color scheme and a fairytale turret, which provided a nice backdrop for the Willie Wonka theme.

After so much sweet stuff, we decided to move along. We rounded the street corner to an old sewer junction painted to look like a buoy that is known as Southernmost Point, meaning the southernmost point in the continental United States of America with only 90 miles over the Gulf of Mexico to Cuba. Chad and I did not stand in the long line stretching down the sidewalk to take a photo there. We're not big on selfies or on repeating postcard shots that everyone and their grandma take. It's enough that we were there and saw it.

On our walk to the next stop for the day, Hemingway House, we saw a family of chickens scratching the ground for foodstuffs. The mama hen had three, gawky teenage chicks with her.  They were a cute little family. This scene of free-roaming chicken families was to be repeated many times during our trip. *Click here* to read more about the chickens of Key West.

Hemingway is not my favorite author by a long shot. I enjoyed The Old Man and the Sea reasonably well when I had to read it for school, but didn't like For Whom the Bell Tolls. I mostly just wanted to see the polydactyl descendants of Hemingway's cats. On the information-packed tour of the Hemingway House, we were regaled with the history of the house itself, some history of Key West, juicy scandals surrounding Hemingway and his many wives, and yes, lots of extra-toed cats. Ship's crew liked to have cats with big paws aboard to combat the rodent situation. Cats with extra toes were prized, and thought to be better mousers. A boat captain gifted a polydactyl cat to Hemingway, and he loved it. Approximately forty cats live at the Hemingway House today. The tour guides know each cat's name. They are well fed and have free reign of the place. A veterinarian visits twice a week to check on the cats. Most of the cats are spayed/neutered, but a few of the polydactyl ones are allowed to keep the bloodline going. One feline fellow even allowed me to pet him. This napping cat was perfectly posed with his extra toes on display.

After our tour of the Hemingway House, we returned to the hotel to rest and try to stop sweating for a bit in the air conditioned room.

Chad and I wandered over to Blackfin Bistro just around the corner from our hotel for a late lunch. Blackfin Bistro was pleasantly dark and cool, a respite from the scorching afternoon sun. The decor drew me inside with seed glass pendant lighting, weathered-looking shiplap boards on the bar front and clean lines. Blackfin Bistro was crowded when we passed by it earlier in the day, but we were the only customers there at 3:00. I love having a place to ourselves. I had a brie, apple, avocado sandwich. Chad had a fish sandwich. We both had mimosas with fresh squeezed orange juice. (Seriously saw the bartender squeezing oranges.) So good!

After lunch, we again returned to the hotel to rest and try to stop sweating for a bit in the air conditioned room. (Along with spotting free-roaming chickens, returning to the room to cool down from the heat and humidity was another recurring motif during our trip to Key West.)

Later in the evening Chad and I walked down to Mallory Square to watch the sunset. Chad and I share an uncomfortable avoidance of street performers, so we didn't stop to watch anyone juggle flaming things, breakdance or swallow swords. I know, we're both total buzzkills. Unfortunately, there was a huge cruise ship blocking the view of the sunset from Mallory Square. We got out of the ship's shadow by walking down the boardwalk to the Westin Resort Pier, where we stood on a low retaining wall to watch the sunset. It was pretty over the water, and seemed to sink quickly into the gulf. There was no fanfare, clapping or even "ooh"s or "ahh"s from the audience. I mention this to serve as a contrast to the sunset show at The Oasis restaurant in Austin. As the sun starts to set, a bell is rung, the sunset is announced, after a moment of watching the sun sink to Lake Travis on the horizon, clapping and hooting erupt seemingly spontaneously. Toasts are made. That's how you gratefully and festively observe a sunset, people! A sunset is not properly celebrated from behind a huge cruise ship that blocks the view of the horizon.

Walking back towards our hotel from Mallory Square, we stopped for dinner at Mangoes on Duval Street, yet another outdoor seating establishment. I sometimes tire of being a vegetarian, and struggling to find meatless dishes at restaurants. It's like I'm stuck in a revolving door of: salad, veggie burger, bruschetta, caprese sandwich, when perusing menus. I had bruschetta and a salad for dinner. It was fine. Chad, however, was spoiled for choice as an omnivore who loves seafood. He had ceviche and liked it. Dessert was key lime pie (naturally) topped with a tiny shot of whipped cream to cut the tartness. This key lime pie was not too sweet and not too tart -- just right.

Gentle Readers, I am a jaded old soul. Very little is ever quiet as great as I think it will be despite constant attempts to manage my artfully high, crazy-creative expectations. I am an ambitious aesthete, always wanting more beauty, delight and surprise. It's my bedazzled albatross to bear. If sometimes my take on places and events seems overly critical and underwhelmed, I own it. This serves as my disclaimer that while not every aspect of our Key West vacation was dazzling, I really liked it overall.

Tune in tomorrow for more Key West travelogue and tales of sunset snorkeling.

Travelogue: Key West, Florida (a.k.a. The Conch Republic)

To plan our spring vacation I searched the interwebs for "best North American vacation for couples" and came up with Key West, because it offers great snorkeling, a relaxed atmosphere and might stay within budget. Chad loved the idea so much, that we booked flight and hotel within a few days of me suggesting Key West.

I did a bit of research before our trip, and learned that in 1982 U.S. border patrol roadblocks along the only road into Key West put a damper on the island's tourism. This prompted the mayor of Key West to announce secession from the United States of America to become The Conch Republic. The secession was short-lived, but successfully ended the border patrol roadblocks. Watch a video about it *here on travelchannel.com*. Happy Conch Republic Day on April 23! (Timely!)

Luckily, these days flights to Key West are abundant. The Key West airport is small compared to most tourist town airports, and the runway is short. The pilot warned us that we would feel a rapid deceleration upon landing with the implication being "don't be scared/no screaming or crying back there". Disembarking from the airplane down wobbly stairs to the tarmac, we were greeted by a retro-looking sculpture of a buoy and some families pointing at the buoy, or maybe reaching for each other's hands. Um... does anyone else find this sculpture a little creepy?

As we left the airport in a taxi bound for the hotel, I saw a big rooster sporting impressively colored plumage walking around near some picnic tables. When we arrived at our hotel another (or was it the same?!) big rooster sporting impressively colored plumage greeted us in the parking lot. There are many free roaming hens and roosters on Key West. More on that later.

Chad and I often turn to tripadvisor for help deciding where to stay, dine and play, which is how we found the Almond Tree Inn for our stay in Key West. Located near the quiet end of Duval Street on Truman Avenue, we easily walked to all the things we wanted to see on Key West. (The island is only 1.8 miles by 4 miles in area, so most things are walkable.) The rooms are thoughtfully appointed with Jonathan Adler-esque style. (Our room had cute cat ceramics on a feature shelf. It's like they knew me!) The hotel courtyard features a pool, a hot tub (no thanks, germs) and a man made waterfall with koi pond. An impressive continental style breakfast is served each morning on the lovely covered porch area. Happy Hour nibbles and drinks are served each evening.

Our first evening in Key West we walked around Duval Street a bit to get acclimated, stopping for dinner at the downtown location of Cuban Coffee Queen. I liked my black bean veggie burger from Cuban Coffee Queen served with plantain chips and a blue dumdum lollipop for dessert. Chad loves all things breakfast/egg and had Havana rice and beans with eggs. He liked it, but did not get a lollipop. I tried to convince Chad that the staff wasn't playing favorites with the unequal lollipop distribution, but I was clearly their favorite. Or possibly the lollipops only come with sandwiches.

Many of the restaurants in Key West, including the downtown location of Cuban Coffee Queen, have shaded or covered open air dining. It's hot and humid in Key West. If one holds still and there is a breeze, outdoor dining is semi-pleasant/semi-sweaty-making.

After dinner, Chad and I had a lazy swim in the hotel pool to cool ourselves before bedtime.

One of Austin's mottoes to promote local businesses "Keep Austin Weird", seems a little vanilla in comparison to bumper stickers/unofficial city mottoes I saw in Key West which read "Key West: a work free drug place" and "Key West: We do more in a week than most people do all day". Chillaxin' seems to be the name of the game down there. (Don't worry, law abiding citizens. We did not partake of any illegal drugs in Key West. We didn't even have to "just say no", because no one offered any.)

Tune in tomorrow for more Key West travel adventure tales.

Loving

Last year whilst visiting family in NC, I was my usual delightfully snarky, eye-rolling self, making fun of a "night-owl" event that lasted until *wait for it* 9:00 PM. My sister, probably tiring of my snark, asked "what do you like to do?" The truth is, I am a happy homebody and calculating observer. When I do leave the house, I like to be somewhere dark & quiet where I can fade into the lovely background. Conversely, I also like to be somewhere dark & cavy with a thumping bass where I can lose myself in trance-inducing dance music. I think I love acting, because I lose myself in portraying a character. I don't love much sun, wide open spaces or putting my true self on public display. I also don't like perusing rickety antique stores, surveying suburban shopping malls or feeling the hopeful eyes of an artist on me as I view their art: no matter if the art is good or bad. I'm far too empathetic for that kind of emotional pressure. 

People love a positive spin and easily viewed lists, so here is my love list for spring 2015.

• The Woman Who Stole My Life book • 

• LG top load washing machine • Battle Creek TV show • bee better tee •

I Quit... Again

I gave notice at that "bad decision" job. I feel a great weight lifted from my soul. I'm trying to keep my departure amicable and professional, so no thinly-veiled details. Yet.

It doesn't help that "bad decision" employer doesn't provide parking, and that my parking contract goes from $160 a month up to $263 a month effective April 1. No foolin'. I canceled that expensive mess. My commute typically takes only ten minutes to get from my centrally located, charmingly cruddy neighborhood to downtown, then twenty minutes of navigating ever-changing lane closures downtown to enter the nine story parking structure to try and find a parking spot into which my MINI can squeeze.

Also, working retail and climbing ladders aggravates my bunionette. Also, working retail and climbing ladders does not jive with my upcoming surgery to correct said foot affliction. *shudder*

Rolling up to work last Friday morning to see the sidewalk on the opposing corner covered in blood, police and police-tape hindered my overall sense of well-being. An attempted robbery of Starbucks with two marines playing superhero left a trail of mayhem. Click here for the factual-ish story.

My last day at my current job lines up with the last day of my parking contract.

I won't miss the scent of meth-tainted urine or alcohol-fueled bad decisions of downtown Austin.

I am quitting another job.

Next!