Day 4 - Cross-Country

Today was another tough road-day, but we made great progress. After a leisurely morning in Alexandria, lunch and a loot-filled visit to my favorite sculptress Lisa Schumaier at the Torpedo Factory, we hit the road back south. After hitting our first traffic jam of the entire trip, we eventually made our way to horse country in the quaint and charming town of Middleburg, VA. After a too-quick stop, we hit the road again - destination Nashville.

Along the way, we made a detour to see the Natural Bridge and the spectacular Foamhenge - a replica of Stonehenge made out of, you guessed it, foam. Clearly this year's trip is a big departure from our big trip last December, which took us to the real Stonehenge. Still, it is no less memorable.

Alas, after a full-day of driving, we didn't make it to Nashville...yet - we're camping out in a hotel in Kingsport, TN until the wee morning hours.

Day 3 - Feet on the Ground in DC

Day three brought us to one of my favorite cities, Washington DC. We started our morning in Alexandria and took the oh-so-convenient Metro into town (why can't Atlanta have decent mass transit?). We had a delicious brunch at Clyde's (touristy I know, but their food and atmosphere is great) and then headed over to the Mall where we partook in the Natural History Museum and American History Museum. Next, we hoofed it over to the White House and Corcoran, and then over to Arlington where we watched the touching ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and paid our respects to JFK and Jackie O. After a night-cap of Oyster's at Hanks in Alexandria and a few glasses of vino, we were off to bed and ready for our next adventure.

Day 2 - "Two" much driving

The second day of our journey started out nicely, with the sun shining and the birds chirping. Despite the sunny start, our departure from Asheville in the early morning was prelude to a full day in the car. Despite our coin toss dictating a detour to Orlando, we drove east towards Raleigh, where we stopped to have lunch with my dad, step-mom and bro, which was one of the highlights of our trip.

After lunch, we decided that rather than hit the rainy Outer Banks we'd head north to D.C. We arrived in Alexandria at around 8 p.m. and that was our day. Day 3 will be better!

Day One - Not So Epic

So, my blog this week is supposed to be about "Troy and Kim's Epic Eastern Adventure." Today marks Day 1, which I can confess was not so epic. Here's my highlights for today:

- 3 incredibly nasty public restrooms
- 1 mini container of Pringles
- 4 pieces of Grannie's fudge
- 1 incredibly disappointing trip to the Grove Park Inn, which resulted in a quick reservation cancellation (despite incredibly gracious service)
- 1 inland sushi dinner (which was pleasant, at least until tomorrow)

Day 1 took us from the ATL where Troy was nursing a cold or the flu; to Highlands, NC, which we drove through in a flash thanks to plenty of rain and fog; to Cashiers, NC (aka No-man's-land); to Asheville, where we've had one misadventure after another. I'm already longing for home - and it's been less than 9 hours.

Things are starting to look up though - there's a Lindy Hop convention at our hotel! :) Here's to a third glass of wine before we go watch 'em.

Santa's Minions

Each year, thousands of Santas descend upon NYC in their holiday finery for Santacon, which is reminiscent to me of Mardi Gras or Gasparilla Day. Fueled by alcohol and creativity, these Santas bring the holiday to life - at least in their own, wild and crazy drunken way. I was witness to Santacon in person one year, not knowing what I'd stumbled onto and it was pure bedlam. Apparently there are Santacons in cities spanning the country - I've never seen one in Atlanta, but maybe it's time to start spreading the word for 2009.

OCD

I spend a lot of time in traffic, and think about lots of things while I'm sitting...braking...waiting...

I think I can attribute my many obsessions to traffic-induced daydreaming. What do I daydream about - a twisted permutation of stuff which quickly become my obsessions du jour (or du month). Here's what I'm obsessing about now:

Spain
The Black Ghosts and Arcade Fire for my musical entertainment
TWILIGHT!!!!!!
Lipstick Jungle, Gossip Girl and Top Chef
The crazy Christmas minivan I saw the other day covered in lights and driving in my morning commute (I hope to see it again to snap a pic)
Puppies
Chicken Salad
Rob Pattinson (see obsession with everything Twilight above)
Brooke Shields (see Lipstick Jungle, and she looks better than ever!)

Zig Zag

I think we could all use some cheering up, so I'm suggesting you give yourself a little gift this holiday season -- and, it's free! If you love good food, print out your local Zagat Guide's "Top Rating" list for your area and eat local. Try a new restaurant every time you have occasion to go out to dinner and check them off. Don't worry, not everything on their list is a splurge. Not only will you find hidden gems you didn't know existed in your city, but you'll also frequently be supporting local businesses.

Riding High

Sometimes even I wonder when my trend predictions will come true. Today, vindication - my favorite NYT photographer of all things cutting-edge on their way to mainstream, Bill Cunningham, did a feature on boots with a major portion dedicated to...wait for it...fringe!

The People's Inauguration...Really

This is the most hopeful story I've read in a long time so I had to share. It's so nice in times like these to see the true heart of people - thank you Earl Stafford.

WOTM

I thought about doing a word of the day (WOTD), but I realized that would be really hard to keep up with. So, I'm doing word of the month (WOTM) instead. I always get stuck on a word that I think is particularly worthy of use over and over (and sometimes over) again.

Last month's word was "Terroir," which is worthy of a post in and of itself. I love the word because it is impossible to say. I was wracking my brain for weeks around how to say it properly - and then, voila, at the JS retreat our wine tasting guide (aka sommelier) said it! OK, pronunciation time - tear whar. Now I've seen it in an ad for Kendall Jackson. Who knows where it will pop up next. BTW, it loosely means "sense of place."

This month's word is "Trotting." A trot is a speeded-up walk, almost a run. My dog Collier is a great trotter. Horses all trot, so do pigs, cows, and people too. Just get a mental picture of it - "let's go trotting." Hilarious.

I can't wait to see what next month brings - I promise it won't be anything too cerebral.

Twilight Redux

So when I posted my first musings about Twilight a few weeks ago, I had no idea what sort of phenom I stumbled upon. I thought I just found a great song. Then a good movie. I saw the movie, and was interested in buying the book - which was pretty much sold out, BTW. Now, I'm gradually uncovering the world of Twilighters, some of whom are my friends that I had no idea had discovered the phenomenon before me. I am sinking my teeth into the first book now and can only hope to find the three sequels soon. Need a Christmas idea for one of your friends or loved ones? This may be the ticket - especially if she's a teen or middle-aged girl in need of a major distraction.