Week 16

The week of Xmas, we went to a holiday party at Dan and Hope's house.  Hope had it decked out to the gills in decorations, and it is quite lovely.

You can kind of see Dan in the background talking to Jeff E.  Darrell is also there, behind Jeff E.

I couldn't get a good photo of their dirty Santa ornament.  It had Mrs. Claus humping Santa, and it was pretty awesome.  They said they got it at the Hustler store.  It wasn't on their website, though.  However, I did find "pecker party lights" on the online store.  Ha!

UPDATE: Darrell found the dirty Santa ornament online!

Week 15

I wanted to see some Xmas lights, so Darrell and I went to see George Jones' house.  I saw on The Tennessean that it is one of the most elaborately decorated private residences during the holidays, so I figured we should go see it.

We weren't the only ones.  There was a lot of traffic going in and out of the neighborhood.  There was also a giant rocking chair for the kiddos to sit on and get their picture taken.  It was quite elaborate.

Week 14

I've been to the counter at Hatch before, but that's as far as I got.  Aimee (my Fall 2009 intern) and I ventured down to Hatch Show Print, and this time, I spotted one of the kitties, Huey.  I got to pet Huey on the head, and he enjoyed it very much.  Or at least he tolerated my presence.  :^)

I didn't think to bring my camera to work that day, so the photos are from my phone. Another photo of Huey is here.

Week 13

I ventured out to the Vanderbilt campus again, and this time, I found the statues I'd set out for the first time.  :^)  Above is "Black Cat."  I also found "Owls Lookout."

Click here for a map of the Vanderbilt University campus sculptures.

Week 12

I decided to explore some of the sculptures on the Vanderbilt campus.  I'd set out to find the cat sculptures, but I couldn't remember where they were.  However, I found "Map Turtle: Graptemys Geographica" (pictured above) right away.  Then, I spotted "Shadow and Substance" and "Come Play." 

Hopefully, I will venture back out to see the cat ones soon...

Click here for a map of the Vanderbilt University campus sculptures.

Week 11

I am very excited to report that this week I got to finally meet my friend Jack Hooper's fiancé Linda!  They made us dinner, and we got to chat and what-not.  Heartfelt thanks to Jack and Linda for having us over and feeding us a delicious meal of hummus, salmon (Darrell had the salmon), eggs, broccoli, and beans + rice.  It was wonderful; I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Linda is quite a catch, Jack Hooper!  Congratulations to the happy couple.  :^)

I also got to meet Baxter, Linda's Shiba Inu.  I insisted he be in the picture above, because he's so darn cute, and he is Jack's furry little friend.

It's very cute.

In case you would like to see a Shiba Inu puppy's fuzzy little butt, click here.

Week 10

We tried out the new restaurant downtown, Taste of Italy.  It is an Italian bar.  I had salad and spaghetti, which were mostly unremarkable.  However, the breadsticks are something to write home about.



Afterward, we went to the bank, and I spotted a wall that beckoned me.  So, I climbed it.  I felt quite proud of myself.

The end.

Week 09

Feeling less than adventurous this week lead me to a nearby home store I've heard good things about, Southeastern Salvage.

We saw some "vanilla bean" hardwood that tickled our fancy, and I enjoyed the copper sinks.  It'll be a while before we can get that kind of stuff, though... still working on peeling the wallpaper.  Blegh.  But a girl can daydream, right?

I can't find a picture on the internet of vanilla bean hardwood flooring, but it looks a lot like tigerwood, only darker darks and blonder blondes.

More info on Southeastern Salvage here.

Week 08

This weekend was spent in Chattanooga.  First, we'd gone off in search of Stubbs Artificial Limbs.  However, Stubbs eluded us.  (We'll find it another time.)

So, I thought it over and realized that there is a monument right off the interstate entrance ramp in my hometown, Lookout Valley, that I've always wanted to explore.  We found it, and then discovered US Boundary NPS signs as well as an old, faded Cummings Bottom sign.  So, we explored on foot!



We walked a fair distance, and then headed back.  Later, we looked up more info, and there is an old cemetery further in, Fryar Cemetery.  Hopefully, we'll get to explore that on a day when the weather is more cooperative.

I couldn't find any links for more information about Cummings Bottom.  I found that it has Civil War historical relevance, but not much more than that.  If anyone has any more information about it, please send it my way. 

Week 07

Discussing new places to go with Jessica at work, she recommended a little joint called Hot Diggity Dogs off Ewing in Nashville.  It was a fun little place to eat.  I had two soy dogs with yellow mustard, and Darrell had two all-beef hot dogs with cheese.  We both had French fries, and they were mighty tasty as well.

My only qualm was the amount of waste our meal generated – 4 styrofoam hot dog containers and two styrofoam cups.  I'm thinking they should reevaulate their serving packaging there... it could save them some money and save a lot of waste.

However, it was still a very worthwhile venture.  My stomach was pleased!  Thanks, Jessica.  :^)

More info at www.hotdiggitydogstn.com.

Week 06

For this week, Darrell and I visited somewhere I've heard only good things about – Las Paletas.

I was a bad quasi-vegan, and I had a Mexican Caramel paleta.  Darrell had cantaloupe.

They were indeed mighty, mighty tasty.  What a treat!  More Las Paletas info here.

Week 05

This week brought me to Memphis to the Cook Convention Center for the AIGA Make|Think conference.  I was frightened to be alone in a "networking" atmosphere, but I found a good balance between some socialization, learning, and introspection.  Plus, I got to make a print with Jim Sherraden from Hatch Show Print and draw a monster with Stefan G. Bucher of 344 Design.

My feet hurt.  I have strange, asymmetrical cramps in my left foot, right shin, and left hip.  I'm tired.  But, I'm hopeful and re-energized about the work I do.

Click here for more pictures from the conference.

Week 04

 

After a long day of yard work at two houses, Darrell and I finally made the journey out to another new place.  I decided that since it was so pretty outside today, we should go to the Cumberland River Pedestrian Bridge.  We've been meaning to go to it since it opened in 2007/2008-ish, but we hadn't made the time.  I love bridges.

We couldn't've asked for a better day than today.  It was beautiful and quiet. 

I also took this picture, but it felt very wintery, so I decided the one above would be more representative of the day.

Week 03

Tonight was Melissa Brett's CD release party for The Butterfly Ball at The Listening Room in Nashville.  As always, Melissa was ravishing and put on a great show.  It was very exciting to see everyone ooh and aah over the CD, since I did the graphic design for it.  :^) 

I felt pretty awkward afterward, though, and ran away pretty soon after Melissa wrapped up on stage.  Social graces just don't come naturally for me.  *sigh*  I wish I could not be so anxious in situations that involve socializing.

I forgot the camera, so I took this photo with my cell phone.  However, I have no idea how to pull pictures from my cell phone onto the computer without bugging my hunka-hunka-I.T.-love, so I figured I'd take a picture with my butterfly shirt that everyone liked.  I made this shirt when I was but a wee lass.  I was rockin' the t-shirt paint.  Oh, yeah.

Week 02

For week #2, Darrell took me, Naomi, and Pratiksha to "Tokyo" at work in TPAC.  They call it Tokyo because it's so far away from everything, and it takes 131 stairs to get there from the stage level.  There's a long staircase, a catwalk over Jackson Hall, a large storage area (Tokyo), and the spot booths.  On the spot booth walls, there is artwork from all the different touring shows that have played Jackson Hall over the years.  I've always heard about it, but I'd never been up there.  So, what a great excuse to finally see it!

I hope I'm not violating some unwritten code of stagehands by posting a photo...

Week 01

 

On my birthday, Darrell, Father, Christopher, Christopher's friend Micah, Uncle Eddie, Aunt Wilma, Eddie's brother David, and some of David's friends and family rode motorcycles down to the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Leeds, Alabama (near Birmingham).  Micki and Caitlin followed us there in the truck, and I rode most of the way home in the truck, because my butt was sore.

The museum was gorgeous.  I loved soaking in all the pretty, shiny bikes and seeing the inventive displays.  Watching the guys get weak in the knees while watching the racetrack was also one of my favorite parts.

It was a lovely day for a road trip, and I enjoyed spending the time with friends and family.

I've decided that I need a Cushman.