Day 303 - July 29
Listening to: What a Fool Believes
Thought for the day: men sweat and women glisten

Earlier today, I Tweeted the comment that men sweat and women glisten. That was before I walked UP this hill during my lunch break…………….in 100 degree heat. I had sweat coming out of places I didn’t know existed. I sweated like a man! Is “sweated” proper verb tense? I should know eh? You’d think it’d be “swat.” Later, when I cooled off in the Cubicle Caverns that I claim as office space, I realized I smelled like the dank hallway leading to an over-chlorinated pool. I know. Attractive………… but the point is I didn’t smell like a man.

One thing I did notice today was that every time I said, “God, I could use a little breeze right now,” a brief breeze would commence. It made me give thought to the idea of asking God and then expecting God. How many times have I asked God for help and then not expected God? It was a small lesson in faith……………….in a furnace suitable for hell.

Day 306 - July 26
Listening to: Mozart Piano Concerto #5
Thought for the day: Out of many, one.

HEY.........I didn't take this photo of Andrew. ;-) A group I'm a part of is working on a project to honor him as a veteran in Old Hickory Veterans Memorial Park. We want to use the presidential seal on the memorial. You can’t just go to Walmart and buy one of these things. In fact, you might wind up in jail if you use the seal inappropriately. You have to get permission…………..from the durn president……..well………from people working for him. So…… We’ve been in communication with one of the individuals assigned the title Deputy Associate Counsel to the President. Let me tell you, the DAC to the P has been a tremendous help and is making the process easier than I anticipated. We now have the permission we need, but I am still scratching my head as to how we will obtain the actual seal. I’m not sure why I thought the White House kept a supply of presidential seals in a back closet somewhere and doled them out like key chains……….but they don’t. I’m now saying, “What’s next?”

There is evidence that President Jackson himself used a presidential seal, but an official seal wasn’t used until 1877 under President Hayes’ term. I wonder what President J would think about the rules around the seal’s usage today? I’m sure he’d like that I can’t go to Walmart to buy the seal that will go on his memorial.

Day - July 25
Listening to: Paint it Black
Thought for the day: I’m not worthy O box of Fiber One cereal!

This week I intend to eat better. Not diet. Eat better. One week. That’s all. I eat like a 5-year-old given free reign in a fast food restaurant. I don’t have trouble with portion discipline or going overboard…………ummm………errrr……….well as long as there are no Tootsie Rolls, cookies, or kettle chips around. I just have trouble eating food that is good for me.

Why do our bodies have to be snobby and discriminate about what gets shoved into it? My brain, body, and heart are like the Republican, Democratic, and Tea Parties. They can’t get along. They’re constantly at war. I will spare you the agony of having to read about filibusters my body tries to pull. I figure people who eat healthy have a brain, heart, and body akin to those who have the power ignore the stupidity of politics. All I know is my brain gives the finger to my body when my body dishes out the threat, “don’t you eat those Tootsie Rolls, or else…….” My body doesn’t play either. I’m paying the price for eating that bag of Tootsie Rolls Friday. All hail the Fiber One!

One week. That’s all……. Here goes.

Day 308 - July 24
Listening to: She’s Got a Ticket to Ride
Thought for the day: Friends are kisses blown to us by angels.

Yesterday, a friend of mine, Scott Sawyer, posted a phenomenal photo of his daughter on his Facebook page (I hope he doesn’t mind that I’m sharing). I’m not sure if his privacy settings will allow you to see the photo, but here is the link

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/photo.php?pid=30973991&id=1181223453.

If you can’t see it, he was experimenting with light and darkness. His daughter is slinging her hair wildly and her face is angelically illuminated. The photo reminded me of a poem I wrote when I was a junior in high school, so I posted the poem in his photo comments.

This morning I decided I would try to take my own photo to match the poem. I made a feeble attempt and failed. Some day, I will get my photo right. For now, Scott and his daughter hold the trophy for capturing the perfect image to match the words of my soul.

Sometimes, the energy that encircles me so,
must, to God, be a very bright glow,
energy radiating from no earthly source,
heaven internalized within my life's course
realizations that each moment is given as a gift,
no breath forsaken whether relaxed or swift.

Day 309 - July 23
Listening to: cicadas
Thought for the day: In summer, the song sings itself. ~William Carlos Williams

I absolutely love summer. There are a bevy of summertastic things that define the season for me. Queen Anne’s lace is one of them. Some call it a weed..............weed shmeeeed. No weed is this pretty. It IS a flower. So in honor of these royally named whisps of white, I’m going to share some facts with you. Your life may be forever altered. Thank me later.

1. This flower is the forerunner of the modern-day carrot. It is also referred to as wild carrot. You can eat the root (preferably in early spring).

2. If a milk cow gets the munchies and plows into some Queen Anne’s lace, her milk will have a bitter carrot flavor. If you marketed this right, it might be a hit.

3. That little black dot in the middle? Folklore says it is the blood of Queen Anne who pricked her finger while making lace. I always thought it was a bug, but the blood schmack is more interesting. If it really was blood, all of those vampire shows could incorporate the flower into their storylines. I still don’t know what the little black spot is.

4. If you plant Queen Anne’s lace near tomatoes, you’ll increase your tomato crop. I wonder if your tomatoes would taste like carrots. Tomarrott might be a new veggie!

Ok, enough of that. This weekend………..for a second……….. forget that you feel like a turkey basting in an oven and breathe in what is beautiful. Don't just look at the flowers. Appreciate them.

Day 310 - July 22
Listening to: 2 Legit 2 Quit
Thought for the day: Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul ~ Douglas MacArthur

Go ahead and laugh at what I’m listening to. Running away was on my mind today. I regret falling asleep in the class “Running Away from Your Problems – AP.” So when M.C. Hammer started shouting at me today that I’m too legit to quit, it was akin to a soothing balm being slathered all over my angst. God works in mysterious ways. What a day. What a week. What a year.

I have no words for this photo, but SNAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKE. AUGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Check out this latest marching band accessory. Is there something in one’s DNA that predisposes them to snake heebie jeebies? If so, I have it in my DNA. Yuck. Chris, the owner and wearer of this snake was proud of his friend. He seems to feel about his snake like I do about my dog, so I have respect. I'm not going to pet the durn thing, however. AS IF.

TGTIF!!!

Day 312 - July 20
Listening to: Carlos Santana
Thought for the day: Breaker One, Breaker One, I might be crazy, but I ain't dumb! ~Cooter Davenport

I'm not sure this is a "we are Nashville" moment, but. ............Thank God Cooter’s wasn’t destroyed in the flood (it's across the street from Opryland Hotel)!

I can't decide if I'm embarrassed that a place like this exists in Nashville or not. Then again, I'm sure it rakes in the Benjamins for my fair city. I probably should embrace this outpost of redneckdom and say, “ya’ll come.” I'm just curious. What is a "Cooter" anyway? Why would someone WANT to be called Cooter?

If you REALLY want to soak up some sickening southern sap, check out Cooter's website. http://www.cootersplace.com/ OH THE AGONY.

Day 316 – July 14
Listening to: You Say You Want a Revolution
Thought for the day: I need a boat. Not want. Need. Really. Oh, wait, they require oil. Nevermind.

The Black Pearl at Black Jack Cove

Arrrr….Ahoy mateys. It’s my Wednesday night dinner review. Look, I found me a man. Wonder if he has a boat? He may look mean, but he has some booty………treasure booty …….not butt booty……wait……it looks like I'm touching it........ I SWEAR I didn’t check to see if he had a butt! Ahem….

Tonight my crew and I ate at the Black Pearl at Black Jack Cove. This restaurant is located in Old Hickory and floats on a quiet lake cove. The food is good, but I’m not gonna lie. The relaxed ambience is what’s up here. I always feel like I’m on vacation when I drop in for food and bevies.

The menu doesn't dish out anything bizarre or too foo-foo. It's standard American food.....a little fish, a little steak.......a few sandwiches. I didn’t order anything out of the ordinary. I had grilled chicken and salad (zzzzzzzz). My cohorts ordered blackened grouper and shrimp scampi. The most interesting food choices of the night belonged in the appetizer category. We ordered Cajun alligator bites and black-eye pea salsa/chips to kick off our weekly food fest. Très bien!!! Everyone gave the entire meal a giant Wednesday thumbs up.

P.S Thought about ya Joe!!!

http://www.blackjackcove.com/
Be patient with this website! I wish they would redo it!!!

Day 317 – July 13
Listening to: Make Someone Happy
Thought of the day: I am approaching the age where I can boast about roaming with dinosaurs. Why do I still burn my mouth on pizza?

QUICK! Answer the question on the sign in the photo. If you’re anything like me, your knee-jerk response will not be representative of what you really think and feel. When I first saw the sign, an answer erupted from me like Eyjafjallajökull ………you know that volcano that tied Europe air travel up tighter than a………than a……….ooooh can’t say what I want to say!

The answer that burst forth from my whimsical brain was, “God and pizza.” Hmmm…….pizza isn’t even my favorite food. It’s about 8th on my list. Where on Earth did this answer come from? For kicks, I Googled “God and pizza.” Google tossed two pages of websites back at me. Most sites advertised a pizza and church event. There was one site loaded with Bible verses reworded to included pizza. Anyway, I decided to give the question some real thought.

Is this a trick question? It appears on a church sign………..my denomination no less. Obviously they want you to answer God and Jesus. Right? I don’t know!!! What about the Holy Trinity? The HT is three things, or does it count as one? TOO MUCH THINKING! My final answer would be the HT and the people in my life. That’s my final answer Regis! Does that count as more than two loves?

You don’t have to have a belief system to answer this question! Hopefully, if you don’t believe in God, you at least love something.

Day 318 – July 12
Listening to: Through the Fire
Thought for the day: If only people came with pull down menus and online help.

Behold! Easter Island has come to Old Hickory. If you drive through Lakewood, you’ll see this yard. If you haven't noticed it, umm...... I'm not sure what to think! Originally, there was only one of these statues in the yard (it is still there). It is a larger statue. Somewhere, somehow, another large statue showed up and they procreated LIKE BUNNIES to have these baby statues. The parent statues (not pictured) stand guard nearby. I want so badly to knock on the owner's door and ask about their aberrant yard art. My fear of being sacrificed keeps me from doing so (joking). I was a little nervous about taking this photo. The things I do for the 365 journal!

I’m not so sure these particular statues are replicas of the Easter Isle statues. BUT IF THEY ARE………..here’s the 411……….. No one knows for sure what purpose the giant island heads served. Archaeologists suspect that they represented the spirits of ancestors, chiefs, or other high ranking males. Maybe the occupants of this house lost a loved one and are trying to channel an ancestral spirit. Hey…..if these heads bring them comfort, more power to them.

If you want to peep the Easter Island statues, visit http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/easter/civilization/giants.html. I love me some Nova!

Day 323 - July 7
Listening to: Franz Schubert
Thought for the day: I'm so gangster, I'm so thug........phhhhhhhhhffft.

Eastland Cafe'

This was the view from my seat tonight during dinner. Check out the book. Dessert Fourplay. Hmmm. Foreplay, fourplay, let’s call thing off and just have dessert. I’d love to know why this book intentionally misspelled foreplay in conjunction with dessert. Alas, it was not meant for me to find out as a chef’s plastic wall held me back. I do know I had a bite of a blueberry beignet tonight that had When Harry Met Sally – the diner scene potential. I’m sure my friends were glad I didn’t act on the urge. Fourplay, foreplay, the beignet was GOOD. I did see one of the sous chefs pick up the book and peruse it. I wonder if my photography moment prompted him to do so.

Anyhoo, I go to dinner with a group of wonderful peeps every Wednesday. Each week we choose a different restaurant. From this point forward, I will feature something about my Wednesday forays into the restaurant world in my 365 photo blog.

This week we went to the Eastland Café in East Nashville. HOLY COW!!! This was a good pick. Most memorable for me was the fried green tomatoes and the blueberry beignets. They did have this bizarre drink on the menu………..can’t remember what it was called……….but it consisted of Pabst Blue Ribbon, St. Germaine, and lemon juice. BLECH. A happy fellow sitting next to me at the bar ordered it. He said it was, “refreshing.” Yeah, whatever. My compadres had something called “chicken and waffles.” Three peeps out of the group had this dish and all three were smacking there lips by the end.

HIGHLY recommend this restaurant, and let me tell you East Nashville is no joke these days. I haven’t made a trek to this hood in probably 15 years. The place is right spiffy.

Day 328 - July 3
Listening to: Sweet Love Hangover
Thought for the day: Give me liberty or give me death!

BEHOLD! Ye old fireworks stand. This is one of five firework stands that lurk along the Davidson-Wilson County line. Fireworks are illegal in Davidson County which is absurd since most of us Davidson Countians makes the trek across the county line. This particular firework stand sits on top of a water main (see sign to left). If a firework stand is gonna blow, I wanna be at the one where the water is!

I am a Scrooge about all holidays except for Thanksgiving, duh there is food involved. I am slowly coming out of my Ebeneezerness concerning July 4th. I am working on being less bah humbug about the 4th and more woo hoo about it all. For the third year in a row, I will attend a party at a friend’s house. Tradition. I need them. Back in the day I use to spend every July 4th with my Granny Sally. Sometimes it was just the two of us. Sometimes family would make an appearance. Regardless, she always threw down the bills to make sure I had fireworks. When I married, I stopped going to her house. Thus, the ghost of “I hate July 4th” descended upon me.

Just like Christmas, we all need to stop and reflect on what July 4th means. If it weren’t for July 4th, we might not be able to celebrate December 25th……….. not that the British are anti-Christ……….but you know what I mean. Happy 234th Birthday America!!! God Bless us Everyone! Thank you to those who continue to preserve our freedoms…………..especially the freedom to write and say whatever we want without persecution!

Sidebar:
What good is a July 4th without a useless factoid.
Since 1916, Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City supposedly started as a way to settle a dispute among four immigrants as to who was the most patriotic.

Day 329 - July 1
Listening to: some top 40 schmack
Thought for the day:
CHRISTMAS IN JULY!!!! WHOOO HOOO……….
177 days 'til Christmas!

I always get depressed around the 4th of July……………..about Christmas. It is pretty much a guarantee that I’m going to be depressed on July 4 and December 25. These two holidays totally bite when it comes to being single. Granted, the reason for the season allows me to survive (with a smile) the perilous pity parties in December. Each July, however, I forget that I did okay the previous December.

Anyway, this is the infamous leg lamp. I won it in a vicious game of dirty Santa last Christmas (Thank you Jim Bryson). If you were friends with me back in December, you might recollect my musings about whether to make the lascivious lamp a year-round fixture or to make it a holiday thang. I asked Wes, that absentee son of mine, what I should do. He said it would be tacky to leave it out all year. Tacky I must be. It’s July 1 and this baby is still putting out the glow. The thing is the lamp gives great visceral warmth to my humble abode. I just couldn't extinguish the glow in the name of having some class (putting the lamp in storage for 11 months of the year).

Speaking of the movie, last year I excitedly called my best male pal (RAM) to share the news of my spoils of dirty Santa war. I was dejected to find out HE HAD NEVER SEEN THE MOVIE!!!!!!!!! COMMUNIST, I SAY!!!!! So, I’m curious. Who else out there has not seen the movie? Look, I haven’t even named the movie. If you know the leg lamp, you know the movie………..