I posted a very long post last week, and it was lost on the interwebs. I don’t know where it went! But it detailed the fabulous weekend I had before I went to Hotlanta, so I’ll recreate parts of it. Not all of it, but parts.

I saw Drag Me To Hell, partially due to my boss’ recommendation, and partially due to a blogger I read, CarolineOnCrack, having seen it and enjoying it. So, I chose to see it at the ArcLight in Hollywood, mostly because I feel that the quality of viewers is better than at some other theatres. This time, though, it was not the case. A woman who sat on the other side of me and my friend was walking through the people and didn’t care. And when she sat down she was talking, so my friend and I looked at her. Her response was “REALLY? Really? Really?!?” Oh, people, c’mon! Get a clue and don’t be RUDE! But, the move was quality horror – and I can’t completely even call it horror, I don’t think! The music buildup to each jumpy moment was great. And made it a little less of a horror movie. But, apparently, if you’ve seen Evil Dead, you’re all set for this new Sam Raimi. Now I have to see it! I thoroughly the movie, and have recommended it to a few people – most of whom say that there is no way in hell they’re going to see it. But, I tried!

The following Saturday I had to drop my car off at the mechanic, where he let me pay 1/3 of the ultimate cost and now I’ll have to pay the rest tomorrow. Boo. But, it’s better than on that day! So, if you have a Honda or an Acura, please go see Stacey at Affordable Care of Hollywood. Good stuff. My friend Jessica walked to Intelligentsia from Los Feliz (even though no one walks in LA), which is apparently close to 3 miles RT. But, it was a great morning walk to take, and I even ran into an old friend from high school. I do wish there were an Intelligentsia closer to me in the South Bay. Oh well. Venice will have to do for now. The South Bay isn’t hipster-enough!

I had dinner at a friend’s house, where she set a pig to cookin’ at 6am – yay BBQ!!! And then two friends and I went over for dinner. Good times – apparently it was dry rub BBQ. It’s all good to me! On Sunday it was a typical church day, but it ended with gardening (pictures coming soon, promise!) and an amazing sustainable supper club dinner hosted by ChicksWithKnives. It was absolutely amazing, and I highly recommend you find a dinner and attend one. They’re all over SoCal, and soon will have one in San Diego. GO! They even had a vegan one recently. Just do it, and go!

I had to go to Hotlanta for church, the national craziness, and I started that trip after my first harvesting of Swiss Chard. It was great, with pasta and sausage and mucho garlic! It’s strange to me that now I can sleep very easily on planes. I was asleep within 10 minutes, maybe even 5, of pushback from the gate at LAX. And I woke up when we were taxiing to the gate at ATL. Good skill to have. I got to see my friends in the Presbyterian Health, Education & Wellness Association, along with my step-mom, and it was great. Doing the work of justice is always a balm to anything I’ve got going on!

But, as with any conference, there had to be SOME time to getting away from the convention – there were 1500 Presbyterians doing stuff at this one hotel! So, I called an old friend of mine who now lives in Atlanta and he and his girlfriend came to get me and whisk me away. I had asked several beverage mavens and the twitterverse about fun drink places in Hotlanta, and one of them, Natalie (aka the Liquid Muse) has a friend who saw my plea for beverage houses in ATL and took pity on me. He asked some friends and came up with the following list: (BTW, how flippin’ COOL IS THAT?!?!?)
Drinkshop (W Downtown)
Room at 12 (Centennial Park) or Lobby at 12
Beleza
Trois (on Peachtree)
AJA (inside the Alliance Ctr)
Market (inside the W Buckhead)
Craft
Whiskey Blue (on top of the W)
Nicolai’s Roof (on top of the Hilton)
Leon’s Full Service (Decatur)
BLT Steak
Ritz Carlton bar – Buckhead
Leopard Lounge
Mood Lounge
Serpas

Some of these will depend on the bartender working that night (like mine), but all are top of the top.
There is one “dive/neighborhood bar I wanted to add as well that is a staple of Atlanta, which is Manuel’s Tavern. Nothing spectacular other thatn it is a great old long standing neighborhood hangout. The atmosphere is grand. Tell her to have a great trip.

I tried out Trois, and wow, YUMMY drinks! The bar is downstairs, and we got drenched on the way into the restaurant (one of those apparently typical Southern downpours, that happen briefly with thunder and awesome lightning, and then they go away – and leave the mugginess there). Now I have a list of places to visit when I go back.

I convinced my friend Richard to get a gin drink, after he protested thusly: “I hate G&T’s.” I apparently was able to sway him with the fact that all the awesome drinks that are out there now, with gin, are pretty well just awesome. If you mix gin with fresh fruit (mostly citrus), how can you go wrong? So, that was a coup. It was great to get away from the conference and to just kick back. On Saturday night my friend Leah and I both went out with Richard, as there is only so much of a conference, perhaps, that one can take. We went to a really cool part of Atlanta, called the Highlands, and had tapas and mojitos. Oh yes, good times. And Saturday I was elected to the Board of Directors for PHEWA – so now I am apparently important. To someone. Is it important to you?

When I came home, my friend who was going to water my plants FORGOT. So, my tomato plant looked so, so, so, so very sad. After drenching the pot with water on Sunday and Monday, I am happy to report that she looks beautiful again. So, HAPPY DAY! I think my friend might have been taken out back and hung out to dry if they’d died after all the work I’ve put in. I have had to prop up one of the branches of the tomato plant, due to the fact that it has 6, I think, rather large green tomatoes on it. So, it’s not standing up very well. I tied it, but it needed a prop. My beans have turned out not to need the trellis my dad and I built, so I took some of the bamboo from that, and propped up the end of the tomato branch. Here’s to hopin’ it works! I will post pictures, PROMISE!
Everything that’s coming up and either bearing fruit, or flowers is:
Peas, beans, cosmos, four o’clocks, marigolds, bachelor buttons and morning glories.
The ones that have been flowering since the beginning are flourishing, as they came out of ponies, but they are pansies, petunias (they’re LOVING the sun!!), alyssum. It’s great. I love my garden!!

I went to Beacon in Culver City for their 5th anniversary menu – a bunch of things for 5 bucks – with some friends on Tuesday and it was well worth the $40! Two glasses of wine and 4 small plates – oh yes. Good times. I may just have to go back there for “real” plates sometime. It made me hungry for a Father’s Office burger, though, due to the fact that Beacon is across the street from the Culver City Father’s Office location. Dang. I’ll have to go back there and get a cider and a burger soon! After I go to the gym every day for a week!

I have cheered a friend on, with her workout / get healthy regimen, and now I need to stay on it! Anyone interested in working out “with” me? Even if you’re far away, we can keep in sync with one another. Let me know if you’re interested!

This weekend is shaping up to be more inexpensive – except for a bridal shower on Saturday and the Hungry Cat‘s Crabfest on Sunday. I am very much excited for crab fest!!!

Just because I can, I give a shout-out to my friend Becci’s daughter, and my fake niece, Molly. She graduates today! Congrats, lil one!