...and Humid Too!

That's What I Get for Living Here

This week I was meeting someone at a coffeeshop and while waiting outside overheard this snippet of conversation:

Dude 1: Hey! Is that Garth?
Dude 2: I don't know.
Dude 1: I think it is!
Dude 2: Maaaaybe.
[Potential garth turns around]
Dude 2: Nope.
Dude 1: Shit!
Me: [rolls eyes]

I was later told the particular coffeeshop at hand is a popular celebrity-spotting zone. So now I'm torn because it is one of the few (the only?) coffeeshops open late in town. I can finally work late, but risk running into a gaggle of celebrity watchers or an actual celebrity. I don't know which would be worse, or if it's even worth it.

Yes! Top Ten! Suck on that, California!

Who's laughing now? [link via Flowing Data]

Yard Waste

Something I noticed immediately upon moving here is that garbage collection services are far less...extensive than in California, where we had weekly recycling, green waste and garbage pickup.

I was inexplicably surprised to find only trash and recycle bins, no green waste bin. But our current yard is large, so I neither expected nor encountered a problem finding a place to dump my grass clippings.

But at the same time I noticed people piling green waste along the street. When storms started knocking down trees, it wasn't uncommon to find an entire tree disassembled and rotting.

For months, this waste would pile up, wilt and turn brittle, sitting in large heaps all along my street. I had heard rumors from folks: "I think those yard places come get it..."

Well, this week I was surprised to see a large truck inching it's way up the street, a young boy sitting in the back operating a long hydraulic arm, stopping at each house and picking up the accumulated piles of brown yard waste. I guess this would be my tax dollars at work, but I think I prefer the Weekly Green Bin Pickup to the Sporadic Giant Crane Truck.

Today I Ate Lunch with 10 Strangers

Today I was taken to lunch at Monell's Dining in Nashville. I haven't processed the experience yet, so all I can do is describe it.

Monell's is in an old, large house in the Germantown neighborhood. I followed my host into the yard through an ivy-borne trellis and around the side of the house. The menu, which I see is based on the day of the week, is posted on the door to what was once a sunroom. And it's quite a long menu, but I don't have time to read it because as we enter are seated immediately.

Seated immediately at a large table. A very large table. With 8 people I don't know. Who are passing around bowls of food.

Cole Slaw, Macaroni Salad, Green Beans, Rolls and Corn Bread. I'm loading up some macaroni salad when a woman at the table tells us to pace ourselves, there is a lot of food. "Sure," I think, "there are three sides plus bread, and the main course to come." But before I've taken a bit of macaroni salad the staff seat 3 more people at our table and bring out mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, corn pudding, and okra for everyone to pass around.

Soon after I manage to get ahold of the sides I am interested in the staff seats two more people and brings out the main courses. Fried Chicken, Southern Barbeque Ribs, and Chicken Fried Steak.

And, of course, there was Banana Pudding for desert.

Lots of heavy, fried food. Around a table with 10 strangers. For $12. And the Weekend Brunch menu is a heart attack on a plate.

The 4th In Nashville

I don't recall sweating while watching fireworks on any previous 4th.

I did expect more general insanity from a Red State. My hometown of Cayucos (population "2500") was always crazier than anything I saw here.