Food

83,000 Chlorophyll Deficient Leaves

Saturday was the MMC Leaf Peeping Run of which I was the leader. We met at the Cracker Barrel over in Augusta. The restaurant was packed with people eating breakfast, but only two other couples were members of the Miata Club, seems the rest of them were just there coincidentally. After eating we headed west and north to the upstate of Georgia (with a brief foray into South Carolina) to see the colorful trees. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of us driving the windy back roads enjoying nature’s beauty, but there was just our one car from the Club, seems the rest of them were just there coincidentally.

The weather was absolutely perfect for leaf peeping and the roads were mostly uncrowded. We ended up at Black Rock Mountain State Park near Clayton, GA where the club has visited several times before on these excursions. Instead of opting for the mega-meal at the Dillard House just up the street we drove the 35 miles to Clarkesville (where the rock group the Monkees are from) to eat at Zanzo Italian Cafe where we you get the best Italian food this side of, well, Italy. Two words: Baked Ziti.

Somewhere in northern Georgia, the Emperor zoomed past the eighty-three thousand mile mark.

We got home a touch more than 12 hours after we left it, tired, wind burned and completely satisfied. We would have gone right to bed, but seeing as we were going to get an extra hour of sleep, we opted to watch episodes 8, 9 & 10 of Season 2 of Mad Men.

Started up, went down, back up, back down, still down.
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Everybody Hates Hugo

(28/82) In the flashbacks we see how Hurley’s life changed when he won the lottery and on the island we see how it changes when he is put in charge of the food stash found in the hatch.

Dude Where’s Your Car?

That’s right, we rode the tandem to work today. Even though Tropical Storm Hannah has weakened and there was only a 30% chance of rain we still got slightly damp on the ride home.

Hannah also played havoc with the MMC’s scheduled trip to the Food Lion Auto Fair in Charlotte, NC. The Club (and I use that term loosely) had planned on going to the Spring version earlier this year, but it was going to be a rainy day, so we canceled and rescheduled to go to the fall version. Well, somebody is trying to tell us something, like don’t go, because there is a 60% chance of rain there tomorrow too.

If it was only, say an hour away, we might have taken a chance, but to get there it is at least 2-1/2 hours which is just too long a trip to end up in the rain.

Started down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/08: 340

Sweet, But Late, Lou

The MMC’s August monthly breakfast gathering was at Sweet Lou’s on Broad St. in downtown Augusta. The coffee shop normally opens around 9 AM, but our Rally Masters had convinced Lou to open up at 7 just for us. He arrived at quarter after to find a dozen or so Miata types jonesin’ for some coffee. After he opened the shop and starting making coffee, we made ourselves at home and dragged his four “outside tables” onto the sidewalk.

Pictures, with more words are in this Flickr Set.

The food was good, but on the way home Donna asked if we would ever eat there again, to which I replied, “Nope.” But I qualified my answer by saying that it was only because it would be a long drive to Augusta just for breakfast, if it was in Aiken we probably would add Sweet Lou’s to our rotation.

Started down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/08: 296

I Can’t Watch

After the the last two games, I just can’t watch tonight’s game on ESPN. That it is raining in Boston and the game is going to start an hour later at 9:00 PM (so they claim), so that I won’t be able to see but a couple of innings before having to retire for the evening, makes it easier.

We watched the final stage of the Tour de France today and I will be glad not having to the see that block of commercials anymore.

So now the cable box and it’s myriad of channels with nothing interesting to watch goes back tomorrow. This year was a big disappointment as there wasn’t one movie worth watching on Starz or Encore during the whole month.

My wife has the remote and she is watching The Next Food Network Star and during commercials she hops over to E! to see Denise Richards: It’s Complicated. I think I would be happier watching the FRS getting the crapola beat out of them by the MFY. At least she has stopped checking in on Richard Gene Simmons Family Jewels…

Started up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/08: 266

Cannonball

Today was the MMC’s annual Pool Party and as always at these Miata Club functions I consumed a lot of food. And even though I participated in (and won) the Biggest Splash Competition, heavyweight division, Cannonball style, I didn’t expend as many calories diving as I took in eating.

I didn’t even break out my camera, but someone else took a bunch and promised to email them around. If any of them captured me making big splashes in full glory, I’ll post them here for your enjoyment, until then, please enjoy this little animated gif file from the turn of the century.

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/08: 265

Wall-E

Donna and I risked life and limb by walking to the Concord Mills Mall this morning. It really wasn’t that dangerous as it was 8:30 and not many people were up yet. None of the stores were open in the mall yet, but the doors were open for walkers and such. When we got to the other end of the mall the box office for the movies weren’t even open. We bought tickets to the 9:25am showing from a kiosk that was out front and killed the next 45 minutes until the gates opened window shopping.

Go see this movie. If it weren’t for (what I thought) was kind of a heavy handed comment on humans being fat, lazy and ruining the planet we live on, this would have been a perfect movie. Its a love story. Its an adventure flick. The animation is pitch perfect. When you are on the dusty, deserted earth the colors are muted you can feel the grit and when the action is set on the cruising space ship it is bright and joyous.

After the movie we made another circuit of the mall and did a little shopping. I went into FYE to look over the bargain DVDs, hoping to find another bargain gem like Test Tube Babies. I ended up buying the first (and only) season of Firefly. After lunch in the food court (big mistake), with the temperatures now in the 90s and the traffic exponentially heavier than this morning, we called the hotel up and took advantage of their free shuttle back.

To overcome today’s bad lunch experience, we did the same thing we did yesterday, dinner at Razzoo’s!

Started up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 01/01/08: 225