8,760 hours and counting...

I passed my one year residency landmark yesterday. I pulled into central Tennessee at 3:00am on December 19, 2010. I have a Tennessee drivers license and a Tennessee license plate on my car. I was in corporate housing for 2 months, an apartment for 7 months and a house for 3 months. I don't have much furniture but it's home. I got a little promotion at work and I'm enjoying life on the construction site. My car was new when I left Texas and it has 16,000 miles on it now. I'm learning my way around Nashville and I've managed to avoid the Parthenon. My running has gone from 200 miles a month to 100 miles a month. That will change back in 2012. I'll turn the double nickel in November. yikes.

My goals for 2012 include keeping my job, buying a lawnmower and dipping my own bottle of bourbon in the wax at the Maker's Mark distillery. It's good to have goals.

oh, nuts....

Since I don't have the gang at Green Mesquite to bake for any more, I've started baking batches of banana bread for the guys in my group at work. At first, I would sneak loaves in and place them by the coffee pot. Everyone thought the banana bread fairy had paid a visit. Finally the secret was out. One guy was so taken by the bread that he had his wife pick up a bag of nuts for the cause. His wife had picked up 2 types of nuts. He asked me if I had used walnuts or pecans. If I was the bread nazi, I would have said "No bread for you." He thought I may have used walnuts? yikes. I calmed down, accepted his gift of pecans and let him keep his walnuts. He will also receive his own mini loaf in the morning. yum

"why don't you make like a tree and scram..."

This post is a couple of weeks old but the trees are bare. It seemed to happen over night. One day everything was bright and colorful and then a wind comes along and blows all the leaves off. It was really evident when I drove toward Nashville this weekend. The interstates in this part of the country are really quite scenic. In between cities, the highways go through windy and hilly sections of the state with very little evidence of development. The woods come right up to the edge of the road. It's a drastic departure from central Texas where businesses and strip malls tend to migrate to the highway.

Anyway...the scenery was very different on the drive this weekend. I guess I have about 5 months until everything is green again.

something doesn't add up....

I returned to central Texas for the Thanksgiving holiday. I flew in on Saturday and my plan was to drive back the following Saturday. I rented a Penske "box" truck and transported back a bed, yard care equipment, kitchen stuff, books and house tools. Mapquest said that it would take 13 hours and 38 minutes to drive the 861 miles. I left at 1:15pm on Saturday and spent the night in Little Rock - arriving at 10:30pm. I was back on the road at 7:30am and rolled into my driveway at 2:00pm. That's 15 hours and 30 minutes. Hopefully I'll never make that drive again but if I do, I'm determined to figure out where I'm losing 2 hours. There was a traffic jam in Temple and Dallas but I don't think it added more than 30 minutes. It's a mystery...

fix your hat...

Mary made the trip to middle Tennessee this past weekend and she brought Caleb with her. It was his first time on a commercial airline so that was fun. I had wanted to see Puss in Boots and when I heard he was coming, I waited for his visit. He proclaimed it the best movie ever. I took advantage of having slave labor and he took the garbage out for me a few times. giggle. We visited a nearby park and it had this neat merry go round pedal thing. A video is attached. We also ate 2 huge pizzas and drank more Coke than we should have. burp. We bought him some new clothes and a Tony Hawk cap. I tried to make him wear the cap with the bill facing the front. I've never been a fan of the sideways or backwards look. It's a generational thing....

itchy and scratchy....

The nightmare is over. I have taken control of the sun room. The beast occupied the room long enough. A little helper came over with a saws-all and the hot tub is no more. I can't tell if I itch because of the fiberglass dust or the dry autumn air. My new obsession is the ugly carpet that's in the room. All I need now is a nice saltillo tile floor and some wicker furniture. There is probably a better use for landfill space but I'm glad to be rid of it.

froot loops....

Look Mommie - the trees have Froot Loops on them! I'm probably paraphrasing but Mary's sister told me that she used to say that when she was young. I love that visual so I'm going to stick with that quote. These trees are the ones along the back edge of my yard. I've been very pleased and surprised by the foliage in middle Tennessee. I need to figure out which trees produce what color. I've seen some really outrageous red, orange and yellow trees. Some of my neighbors have one tree in their front yard and in most cases each yard has a different color. I figure if I can plant a good mix in my backyard, I'll have a good sized bowl of Froot Loops every autumn.

you're the first, the last, my everything.....

My new house came with a very nice sun room. In this sun room is a hot tub that looks like it would seat 4 people. I'm not a hot tub kind of guy. I don't have enough Barry White albums, gold chains or candles to be a hot tub guy. When I made an offer on the house, I suggested that the owners sell the thing. They never responded so I thought that they would be taking it with them. No such luck - they left it. I advertised it and it sold in 2 days. Yahoo - I now had money to buy a lawn mower. The problem is, the previous owners had the hot tub delivered and they built the sun room around it. The only way to remove it would be to open up a big hole in the wall. So much for the sale. urgghhhh. I probably have more pressing house issues but I'm obsessed with getting it out. I'm going to take it apart as much as I can and then I'm going to cut it up. This picture shows a hot tub without any pumps and electrical controls. I hope I have 10 fingers when I'm done.

....to grandmother's house we go

I bit the bullet and bought a house. Apartment living wasn't so bad but it was so boring. There's something to be said for chores. The house I bought is a cape cod and it sits on a .75 acre lot. Grass grows like crazy in middle Tennessee. I see a John Deere in my future. The house is close to work which is nice. It is also near the edge of town which provides some nice running routes in the countryside on the weekends.

The drawbacks... The house was built in 1991 and the kitchen looks like an old lady's kitchen - my apologies to the old ladies out there. The interior of the house looks like a wallpaper store had a big sale on wallpaper that wasn't selling. There's also wallpaper border everywhere. I see a paper steamer in my future.

One fun aspect - there is a finished basement. I see a very large screen TV in my future. Maybe a small refrigerator, too. giggle.

brrrr....

It's September 5 and I'm declaring summer to be over. It may be wishful thinking but I'm ready for cooler weather. The temperature never got over 65 degrees so I've been lounging around with the windows open and a sweatshirt on. The AC hasn't come on all day. My room fans have been enjoying some idle time as well. For now I'm going to get in the mood for some high school football and Halloween decorations. I wonder how the middle Tennessee area is for apple cider? I may have to import some but it's a minor price to pay to celebrate the end of a hot, humid summer.

smoke em if you've got em....

A few years ago, I was an anti-smoking zealot. I couldn't stand the sight of it, the smell of it or the waste associated with it. It just seemed like such a destructive and nasty habit. My thoughts have changed radically and I'm not as righteous as I once was. I'll never take up smoking but I've taken a more "live and let live" attitude with a touch of curiosity. Maybe it was all of those episodes of Mad Men that made smoking look so dreamy.

It's tobacco harvest time in middle Tennessee. The plants are much bigger than i imagined. The plant is chopped off at its base which is a very heavy stem. The plants remain on the stem and are hung upside down in a long barn like the one shown. Then the fires are started and the doors shut. I'd love to know how they keep a low smolder going. This barn has been smoking for a week. It was the first thing that the natives told me when I arrived - come summer, don't call 911 when you see a smoking barn.

wreading, writing, writhmetic...

My apartment building is in a residential neighborhood. I moved in back in January so I became accustomed to seeing a couple of kids standing outside the neighboring house waiting for the bus. I leave for work at 6:30am and I was impressed to see them out there each morning, rain or shine.

Today is Friday, August 5th. I got in my car this morning, swung through the parking lot, stopped short of Greenwood Ave and looked to the right before pulling out. I couldn't believe it when I saw the same kids waiting outside. Were they starting a late session of summer school?

New York started the school year the day after Labor Day. Texas started around the 3rd week of August. I came home from work and did the googles. Sure enough - today was the first day of school. yikes

you scream, i scream....

Middle Tennessee is definitely in the dog days of summer. There are a couple of differences with a central Texas summer. The humidity seems higher in Tennessee and there is rarely any breeze. It is never over 100 degrees but it still feels mighty warm.

Maybe I'm not hanging out in the right places but there aren't many ice cream establishments here. I know of one frozen yogurt place. There are a few DQ's and McDonald's but there aren't any mom and pop soft serve places. Could this be a business opportunity? People may be too enamored with their 49 cent cones from McDonald's. Is that stuff even dairy or is it chemical? giggle

sweet thing....

After 30 years in Austin, I was an ice tea fiend. I truly missed it when I would take a vacation. I became accustomed to the huge glasses and the unlimited refills. There was nothing better on a hot day.

Tennessee ice tea drinking involves a choice. "I'll have an ice tea" is always followed with "sweet or unsweet?". The natives prefer the sweet version and restaurants pride themselves on the sweetness of their sweet tea. The unsweet tea is still my preferred choice since I'm a purist. giggle. The problem is that unsweet tea typically tastes old. Half the time, the waitress makes a mistake and delivers sweet tea to me. I think it's a conspiracy to convert me. I'm hanging strong - just like the tea that I prefer.

creatures of habit...

Small town running story....

I have to be at work at 7:00am. I roll out of bed at 4:30am. I eat a banana, 7 saltines and 12 ounces of water. I put on my running togs and walk out my door at 5:00am. I run the same route (boring) each morning. I wave to the breakfast crowd (person) at Frank's. I give a shout out to the Austin Peay campus police at the same place every day.

Somewhere near my apartment, there are 2 guys that are equally consistent in their routine. Around the mile 4 mark, they come driving toward me. They give me a little honk of the horn. They also lean toward the passenger window and give me a big thumbs up. It's kind of freaky how often this happens and at the same place. It throws off my rhythm for the day when I don't see them.

trash talk.....

In the spirit of government staying out of peoples business, there isn't any citywide garbage collection services in Clarksville. People can select a company to pick up their trash or if they are really industrious, they can make frequent runs to "collection centers". My apartment complex has a couple of dumpsters discreetly tucked away. There are benefits to apartment living.

There is also no citywide recycling effort. The collection centers have designated dumpsters for plastics, paper, glass and paper. I have a big shopping bag in my pantry that I throw recyclables in. Every two weeks, I make the trek to the collection center. My favorite experience while I was out recycling happened a month ago. A school bus pulled in and a bunch of armed guards got out. A stream of inmates made their way to the trash and recycling bins. It turns out that some folks in Montgomery County are doing their part for a healthier planet.

it doesn't feel like thanksgiving.....

In an attempt to meet people, I have started to run with the Clarksville Running Club. My first attempt was June 4. I discovered that there are 2 types of runners in the club - fast ones and me. giggle. I ran the majority of the route by myself but I was exposed to a new running route. That's a huge fringe benefit. My goal was to keep them in sight so as not to get lost. I was successful.

Not one to be easily discouraged, I showed up at the Clarksville Greenway for meeting #2. Once again, I was left alone with my thoughts but the Greenway is really nice and tranquil. I didn't mind. It's a paved path through pretty dense woods. The Greenway route is an out and back so my social interaction was waving to the club members as they ran back to the start.

During the run, a huge wild turkey flew across my path. They are noisy fliers. I was a little shocked - the last time that I had seen one was in a shot glass in college. yikes

ladies and gentlemen, youngsters and oldsters....

I passed the 5 month point in C'ville on May 20. Students at the local university arrived for the Spring semester shortly after I arrived and they left for summer break last week. My favorite burger place is right across the street from the campus. I went in there on commencement day and there were caps and gowns everywhere. It was kind of fun.

Big tents started to spring up around town on Wednesday. They are pretty substantial tents and I had no idea what they could be for. A friend of mine back in Austin guessed that they were to be used for selling local produce. I was hoping that the summer gospel tent revival season was about to get underway. I had just finished reading Go Tell it on the Mountain so I was a little curious about that whole experience. The tents are big enough for a small circus but I couldn't figure out why there were so many of them spread around town.

It turns out that they will be selling fireworks out of them. The natives tell me that among other things, you can buy a quarter stick of dynamite. It will apparently destroy a garbage can. This will be quite the circus. giggle

man liveth not by bread alone...

Yes - but a case could be made for strawberry bread. I think I could liveth on that.

I made a trip to the strawberry farm on Saturday morning. That's 3 weeks in a row. The season must be nearly over. I had to work to get my flat of berries. I had gotten weary of strawberries and whipped cream so I gave strawberry bread a shot. I made 3 mini loaves this afternoon. 2 are destined for the freezer but I don't think it will be long before loaf #2 is called upon to thaw out. They are mighty tasty. The good news is that I still have a ton of strawberries left. The loaves in the freezer may be getting some company tomorrow night. giggle

b side to penny lane...

OK... I realize that this post is a little redundant. I'm just really enjoying strawberry picking season. I was supposed to be off today. What started out as a plan for working a couple of hours ended up being nearly a whole day. I left at 3:00pm, went to my little barber by Fort Campbell and then drove south to the strawberry farm. The are still tons of berries and it didn't long to get my $9 worth. My plan was to make some strawberry tea bread and strawberry muffins. Picking is such a relaxing activity, I may try making strawberry preserves. I've never done that. I'll make any excuse to go back out there for some fun in the sun.

strawberry fields forever...

Mary came for a visit last weekend. My new project is to sample some of the local produce. I got the idea when I first moved here and was searching for a house. I was driving around in the country and I passed a strawberry farm that was closed for the season. The Nashville public radio station advertises "Pick Tennessee" with web sites of local pick your own farms. I'm going to explore this part of Tennessee during the summer and find some farms that sell their local produce. We started this weekend with strawberries. We went to a farm south of Clarksville that was different from the one that I saw in January. It was a huge field and as you can see, the berries were ripe for the picking (sorry). We got about 4 quarts of strawberries for $8. I haven't been too creative with them - just some fresh whipped cream topping. I'm going back in 2 weeks and I already have my sights on strawberry muffins.

rain day....

The banks of the Cumberland overflowed last May after days and days of very heavy rain. Since I moved to Clarksville, it has seemed like it has rained 2 or 3 days every week - sometimes more. According to the natives, this spring has been a little like last year. We were sent home on Tuesday afternoon and work was cancelled on Wednesday due to severe thunderstorms and the threat of tornadoes. The river is expected to flood but only the farmland along the western bank. The businesses along the eastern bank will be spared this year. Most of them have just recently recovered from last years flood. Wednesday will be a good day for reading and laundry.

murray, ky......

I drove to Murray, KY last weekend and ran in the inaugural Murray Half Marathon. Murray is about 90 minutes northwest from Clarksville. It was a pretty drive and the time flew by. It's a very nice town and it is the home of Murray State University. The half marathon was on Saturday morning and with the exception of the 25 mph wind, the weather was perfect. When I first moved to Clarksville, I was having a hard time getting up in the morning and doing solo runs in a strange area. I signed up and used this race as motivation to run regularly and to follow some sort of training schedule. They plan on having the race every April and I'm going to make the yearly trek. It was fun.

look what i found....

I joined the Clarksville Running Club a month ago but I haven't hooked up with them yet for a run. More on that in a later post. I do get the newsletter and there has been a mention of the Clarksville Greenway. No one at work had heard of it so I did the Googles and found it. It turns out that it is about 2 miles from my apartment so I drove out to see it. It is an old railroad track that they paved over and created this path. If you've never seen Clarksville, it's hard to understand how wonderful this greenway is. I walked a mile and back on it this afternoon and I'm thinking "holy cow - where am I?" It's about 4.5 miles from one end to the other. I already plan on coming out here early one weekend day and running on it.

what? no pottersville?.....

I haven't driven extensively around the area but I have done a fair bit of exploring. One thing that has struck me is the commonality in town names. For your enjoyment, I will list some nearby towns. See if you can see a common theme....Clarksville, Nashville, Millersville, Evansville, Centerville, Adairville, Hendersonville, Hopkinsville, Smithville, Gordonsville, Goodlettsville, Greenville, Nortonville, Huntsville, Madisonville, Hawasville, Allensville, New Johnsonville, Lobelville, Decaturville, Henryville, Campbellsville, Comersville, Shelbyville and McMinnville. I haven't run across Old Johnsonville yet but it's probably out there somewhere.

driving me crazy...

I have a couple of observations about Clarksville drivers. On the one hand, a yellow light means stop. In Austin, if you stopped for a yellow light, you would be rear ended. I think it was a function of the traffic. The frustration level really grows when the traffic is creeping and it seems you are just going from light to light. You get to the point that a yellow or red light wasn't going to get in the way of progress. You start to drive accordingly for defensive purposes. When I first arrived here, I would speed up when I saw a yellow. I would look in my rearview mirror and see everybody stopped - even the people in the neighboring lanes that were a little ahead of me. I have adapted. On the other hand, it seems like no one drives in this town without a phone in their ear. Hands free technology hasn't made it to this part of Tennessee. I will admit that I will chat now and then so I really don't know what my point is! I just thought it was an interesting item.

play ball....

Robins have been flying around Clarksville for a few weeks and the trees are finally starting to bud. The temperature is still in the lower 40's at night but Spring is definitely in the air. This weekend also marks the start of baseball season. In terms of baseball in the area, Austin Peay has a team. I checked out a game a couple of weeks ago and I'm sure I'll go again before the season is over. Nashville has a Triple-A team so that might be fun. For major league teams, this is National League country. Clarksville is equidistant between Cincy, Atlanta and St Louis. I think a road trip to see the Reds might be in my future.

the queen....

The Cumberland River flows through Clarksville. The river is about as wide as Town Lake in Austin but it is an actual river with barge traffic. There is a sidewalk and park along the edge of the river and I checked it out last weekend. The sidewalk is about a mile long. The Cumberland originates in western Kentucky at the Ohio River, dips down into northern Tennessee, down to Nashville and then makes a northeasterly trek back into Kentucky. This is the river that flooded Opryland in 2010. At one time, French traders called it Rivere des Chaouanons (River of the Shawnee). Even back in the 1740's, Americans were unilingual so the river was renamed the Cumberland after Prince William, Duke of Cumberland. I like Rivere des Chaouanons but what can you do.

At some point, Clarksville became known as The Queen of the Cumberland. There are several businesses in town named in this manner.... Queen City Muffler, Queen City Beauty School, etc. Long live the queen.

just a pinch...

While I was in Austin, I used Mapquest to come up with a running route that included a good portion of the east side of town. It was through a part of town that I rarely ran through and I was looking for a change. When I ran the route for the first time, I felt like I could smell breakfast tacos as I went onto each new street. I christened the route the "Taqueria Run".

I first discovered the smokeless tobacco processing plant in Clarksville when I moved into my apartment. I was getting into my car one morning and the smell was strong. It quickly reminded me of being a kid and smelling the pipe tobacco that my father and grandfather used. The plant is two blocks from my place and I run by it during my morning run through town. On calm, humid mornings, the smell can almost be oppressive around the plant. I've never been a smoker but for some reason I've always enjoyed the smell of tobacco. A bakery, taqueria or coffeehouse would also be nice but I don't mind my local flavor.

night running....

I've been a downtown resident for a month now. I have learned some running routes and they change from week to week. I add a block here and there as I become familiar with the hood. I have a 7:00am meeting every day so I roll out of bed at 4:30 and strap on the shoes for a 5:00am start. My latest route takes me on a loop of downtown, a loop on the Austin Peay campus and then a loop south of my apartment. It sounds like a lot but it's only 6 miles. I never see another runner out and about. I'm not sure if it's because Clarksville doesn't have much of a running scene or if it's too damn early. I am starting to recognize people out walking. Those that are out walking at 5:30am are pretty friendly. One guy shouted out "Hey - I saw you last week." Indeed, he did. I run by an all night diner downtown. The cook and the regulars watch me run by and I wave. It feels like the Forrest Gump movie when Forrest runs by the barber shop and everybody swivels to watch him go by. "Look at that fool...."

sherpa....

This is just an observation from someone that hasn't lived in an apartment since the Carter administration. When I would go to a grocery store in Austin, I would pull in the driveway, pop the truck, open the front door to the house and begin the multiple trips back and forth with bags of groceries. In my apartment, the parking lot is about 60 yards from the front door of the building - which requires a key. Then there is a flight stairs and a walk down a long hallway. Then I need to unlock the apartment door and stumble into the kitchen. I'm not about to leave my trunk or my apartment door unlocked so I prefer to only make one trip. I have become quite good at loading myself up and making my climb up Everest to my camp. giggle

drivers license....

Pardon me for being melancholy for a minute.

I've had a long "to do" list associated with the move. The list included find some restaurants, find a place to live, find a supermarket, get a library card, join a running group, get a Tennessee drivers license, find a barber, find a place that sells good chocolate, etc. I took a long lunch today and I got my Tennessee drivers license. I viewed it as another chore but when they handed me the license, it was like a big smack in the mouth. The picture is bad but I think there's more to it than that. Things are going well here but the license symbolized a move from a place that I had lived most of my life.

Here's a link to my favorite Tom Waits song - San Diego Serenade. It's a song about not noticing what you've been seeing until you see something else. At least that's what I get out of it.

I'll feel more chipper tomorrow. This bottle of wine is helping. giggle

slow going.....

When you live in a city for 30 years, you tend to amass certain things. You also tend to take them for granted. I used to fume because the cabinets were full of pots and pans that were rarely used as well as a number of shelves full of spices and cooking ingredients. I viewed it all as clutter but it sure came in handy when I got a whim to make something different - whether it be baking or cooking. Why did I complain when it would take forever to sift through all the stuff until I found that bottle of lemon extract? At least I had it.

I moved to Clarksville with just clothes and electronics. Every time I think about baking something, I run into a wall when I discover I don't have a certain ingredient. In Austin, baking powder and baking soda were on my shelves forever. There were pie tins a'plenty; all sorts of flour, dark chocolate, white chocolate, semisweet chocolate, sea salt, nutmeg, cloves, brown sugar, turbinado sugar, confectioners sugar, blah blah blah. I'm in month number 3 in C'ville and the pantry is still growing. Some day.....

auntie em. auntie em.....

Tornadoes seem to be a big part of Clarksville history. No one can talk about the courthouse without mentioning that the current one is brand new. The old one was leveled by a tornado. There was a forecast this past week for a warm day followed by a very strong cold front. The experts were predicting severe weather. The natives were predicting apocalyptic weather. People were buzzing for days in advance for the possibility of a tornado. One guy at work couldn't believe that I didn't have cable TV. "How will you know if there is a tornado coming?" I'm supposed to spend $100 a month for severe weather warnings? yikes

Wednesday afternoon came and people hightailed it for home. Around 10:00pm, it got super windy. I can't speak for the rest of the city, but there is a tornado siren in the downtown area. It was like what I imagine air raid sirens to sound like. I have more windows than walls in my apartment so I figured the living room was a bad place to be. I went and sat in the bathroom. The sirens stopped after 15 minutes and I went to bed.

People seemed disappointed on Thursday morning. Winds were reported at 75 mph but no tornadoes in the upper middle Tennessee region. Nuts. giggle

holy water....

In my new apartment building, there is a common area on each floor. It's basically a big lobby with some really nice couches and chairs as well as some bookshelves. Each area has a coffee table with a never ending supply of assorted candy in a bowl. I think the intent is to get people out of their apartments, possibly curl up on the couch and read and generally interact with people. I have yet to see anybody use these areas for their intended purpose and I don't think I'll be the first. giggle.

However.... scattered throughout these lobbies are old photos from Clarksville High School. One of my favorites is a picture on the first floor of the championship football team in the 1940's. The photo shown here is of the Class of '25. It is in the main lobby right at the base of the stairs that I use to get to my apartment. I pass by it every morning and night. Each time I pass by, I touch the photo and I ask the Class of '25 to watch over me. It's kind of like my daily sacrament. Amen

moving day....

I've been in Clarksville long enough to be moving into my second residence. yikes. The original plan of buying a house proved too ambitious, so I'm moving into another apartment. I've been in my original furnished apartment for about 2 months. It was convenient to work but it was in the outer edge of town among the chain restaurants and shopping malls. It was nice having a 5 minute drive to work but that was the only redeeming feature. The complex was brand new but all 16 buildings that made up the "apartment community" were identical. It was very blah.

The attached picture is the original Clarksville High School that was built in 1906. Like all other cities, the school district figured that newer was better and they moved out in the 80's. A developer bought the school and converted it into an apartment building. I move into the Greenwood Ave (the street the school is on) apartments tomorrow. It is a few blocks from the local university and a few blocks from the middle of downtown. My lease is for 6 months but maybe I'll stay longer. The drive to work will be about 20 minutes but I'm looking forward to the move.

make it stop....

I have always been something of a chocolate junkie. Since I have moved, the addiction has been out of control. The candy aisle in the Clarksville Kroger's is right in the middle of the store. Even though they aren't on my list, I can't resist grabbing a bag of M&M's as I pass by. I have found myself celebrating the holidays by getting the themed bags. I am currently plowing through the Valentine's holiday bag of dark chocolate M&M's. White, purple, red and pink little demons. For awhile, I was filling a glass tumbler and putting it on the counter. As I tried to slow down my consumption, I tried filling it half way and putting the remainder away but it didn't help. I am already counting the days until the Easter M&M's come out. uurrrgghhhh.

eating for one....

It's been just shy of 2 months since I moved to Clarksville. I moved here with what would fit inside a small Mazda. It meant that my kitchen is very modestly stocked. After 30 years of collecting stuff in Austin, I had every casserole dish and pan and bowl and pot that I could ever need. In Clarksville, I don't have any baking supplies and my cooking supplies only allow for single course meals. I made a vow when I moved here that I would only eat out one lunch and one dinner a week. So far, I've done a good job of sticking to that plan. The bad news is that I'm getting sick of steamed broccoli. giggle. I am also getting less fond of spaghetti and salad. I'm having some household goods shipped to me next week. I'm already planning my first meatloaf and chocolate chip cookies.

The happy thought is that I'm going to Nashville tomorrow. I am so looking forward to eating out. Wish me luck.

died and gone to heaven....

I spent last Saturday in Nashville. I arrived around 1:30 and had some brisket at Jack's BBQ on Broadway. It is right around the corner from the Ryman Auditorium. There weren't any shows happening at the time so I at least walked around the building. I saw the side alley and the famous bar Tootsie's where performers are known to visit between shows. There is a guy at work that goes to the Ryman every Tuesday night. Yikes

After the BBQ, I headed to the Vanderbilt University area. I found a bakery and had an outrageous slice of tiramisu and a cup of coffee. Around the corner from the bakery was the Belcourt Theater. It's a small theater that shows art house films. They also serve the local Yazoo beer which is an added benefit. I saw Nicole Kidman's newest film, Rabbit Hole. It was mighty fine.

I had so much fun, I'm going back this weekend

where am i?.......

I left central Michigan this morning from the MBS airport. MBS services the Midland, Bay City, Saginaw tri-city area. The route home goes from MBS to Detroit and then to Nashville. I was in Michigan for the past 10 days and I shivered for the first 3. No matter what I did or how I dressed, I couldn't warm up. The single digit temperatures during the day didn't help but I eventually got used to it.

As the plane popped out of the clouds over Nashville this morning, everything down below was white. It felt like I was back in Michigan. I got in around noon and headed for Clarksville. The happy news is that all of northwestern Tennessee had cancelled work and school so I had the roads to myself. The picture to the right was along Interstate 24 on the way to Clarksville. It was really pretty but it was disorienting to see so much snow.

Note - I admit that I took the picture while I was driving. At least I wasn't texting. Plus the roads were empty.

pack your mittens....

I'm leaving tomorrow for ten days in Michigan. The company that I work for has its headquarters located there and I'm going for some training. The state has two parts - the mainland and the upper peninsula. The main portion is shaped like a mitten. I'm sure the residents would prefer glove over mitten. I prefer mitten. Anyway, I'm flying to Saginaw which is right where the thumb connects to the rest of the mitten. That's a rough approximation but I think it's safe to say that it's going to be cold. Mercy

how do you get down from an elephant?.....

You don't. You get down from a goose. giggle

I went for a run yesterday morning and during the run, I heard all this honking. A flock of geese flew overhead in the classic "V" pattern and they were flying north. It seemed a little early in the year for them to be flying north but I guess they wanted to beat the traffic. I was out driving around later in the day and I saw another flock of geese on a pond. I don't know if it never registered with me but I really don't remember seeing geese while I lived in Austin. It felt like the first time I had seem them since I lived in central New York. While looking at houses last weekend, there was a little flock of robins in the backyard of a house we were inspecting. Once again, I don't remember seeing robins in Texas. Maybe it's the tight border control.

tread lightly, please....

My first digs in Clarksville has been an apartment. It has been about 30 years since I last lived in an apartment. I was kind of worried about it but it hasn't been too bad so far. I think that most of the residents were gone during the holidays but even recently, the complex has been quiet. It's so quiet, I don't even know if anyone lives next to me.

But then there is the guy upstairs from me. Just based on how fast he moves around, I can't imagine that he is super heavy. He is a very heavy walker. Two things are puzzling. How is it possible to clomp around so heavily? Is he wearing really heavy boots? It can't be good for the knees. The other question is why is he going from one side of the apartment to the other so much and in such a hurry? It baffles me. I refer to him as my elephant neighbor upstairs who is bored and paces in his cage.

meat and 3....

When I first arrived in Clarksville for my interview and subsequently to start working, I thought that chain restaurants were the only choices in town. I have made it a goal every day to ask people for their favorite restaurants in town. The good news is that my list of known homegrown restaurants is growing. The choices range from brew pubs to greek food to vegetarian. My favorite so far is what folks in Austin called homestyle or Southern style cooking. The locals here in Clarksville make it simple and call it a "meat and 3" restaurant. It simply means a meat and a choice of 3 sides. I guess the slice of pie for dessert is a given and doesn't need to be mentioned in the title. giggle

i'll drive whatever i want to drive...

One little fun fact about Tennessee is that you don't need to have your car inspected on a yearly basis. It's probably not that big of a safety concern but it is one less thing that I need to keep track of. That's a good thing. You do need insurance but I think that's a relatively new development. If you live in one of the counties surrounding Nashville, you must get your car emissions tested. From what I hear, the car needs to billowing big plumes of smoke to fail. Luckily, I live far enough away. I won't have my God given right to drive without turn signals trampled on. Live free or die. giggle

john boehner lives here?.....

I looked at houses all weekend. I looked in Springfield and Clarksville. Springfield was enticing because it's closer to Nashville. Clarksville was attractive because it's closer to where I work. I didn't look at a ton of houses but it was more than enough for them to start to blur together. One thing that was interesting was that I saw tanning beds in 2 different houses. I'm sure that some people would find my purchasing habits bizarre but I let out a bitch squeal when I opened the door and saw it. The owners didn't try to cover it or store it in a hidden closet. It was right there in a spare bedroom. It was like I saw a mouse. The realtor asked me if I was alright. I said I thought it was time to go to the next house.

merry new year....

I had an uneventful New Year's Eve. I was in bed by 10:00 and I managed to sleep through the firework barrage outside my window. It started to pour rain around 8:00pm but it stopped in time for the booming to start. In hindsight, I should have gone outside and watched the festivities. It sounded impressive. I woke up this morning and went for an 8 mile run. New Year's morning is great because the roads are deserted.

My favorite southern tradition is the New Year's day meal of black-eyed peas and stewed cabbage. Yum. Here's to a good 2011.