Look out, Martha!

We’ve got a fun night planned, starting with dinner and then heading over to the historic Martha’s Midway Tavern to hear the band my buddy Jim plays guitar in, Cornerstone Blues Band. We’ve got a good group of family and friends going, and I know it will be a good time!

These guys are really talented. Jim tells me that they’ve been working on lots of new songs and about half of their setlist is new stuff. Sweet! He also told me that they were working on a Stones song (after I berated and shamed him...haha), but it won’t be on tonight’s setlist. That’s okay...gives me a great excuse to go see them the next time they play, too!

I met Jim about...gee, I guess it was about 15 years ago! He started working in the lab maybe a year after I started, and I was training him on the molecular testing for Chlamydia and gonorrhea that we were doing at the time. LCR, Ligase Chain Reaction...what a clusterfuck THOSE instruments turned out to be. Thanks, Obama! Because of a mutual love of music and sports, we hit it off immediately, and we’ve been good friends ever since. We don’t see each other as often as when I was still working in the lab, but when we manage to get together, we always have a great time talking and we crack each other up. I’m looking forward to seeing him tonight, as well as hearing him and the rest of the guys play. They’re really talented, too...not just Jim!

Sounds like a few lab pals will be coming out to hear them, too, so it will be fun to see them. It’s been a while!

It’s going to be a rather cool evening, so my initial plan for a skirt and fishnets got the kibosh. Maybe in August for Dropkick Murphys...surely it will be more summery in late August! And don’t call me Shirley.

I hope to have some tales of debauchery for you tomorrow!

Rock on, Citizens!

Beth’s Books: World War Z

Yes, I’m late to the game on this one. Shame on me!

I was grabbed by this one immediately, and it is an instant personal favorite. I’ve always had a thing for zombies, whether it was the granddaddy of them all, “Night of the Living Dead,” the technicolor horror of “Dawn of the Dead,” or the laugh-out-loud camp of “Return of the Living Dead.” Now zombies have invaded our television broadcasts, and some of you may have heard that I kind of like that show “The Walking Dead.” (Just a little bit!)

One of the things I love about TWD is that it seriously considers what would happen to society and to human interaction in such an apocalyptic event. World War Z goes into depth on this aspect of it. If you take the time to think about it, it would be devastating to our society and to our social mores. This book addresses topics such as the breakdown of government, conditional ethics, mental health, and cannibalism.

It also addresses the logistics of killing zombies, the changing tactics of a military combating them, and one of the creepiest things for me, underwater zombies. Gahhh!

I loved the documentary style of the book, with the narrator interviewing people all over the world and getting their perspective on the plague and subsequent war. Soldiers, survivors, politicians, religious figures...all have their own experiences and thoughts.

I should probably point out here (although my fellow zombie aficionados already know this) that the zombie apocalypse is a metaphor for what might happen in some other sort of global apocalypse. Perhaps a nuclear war, or a lethal global pandemic. When it comes to apocalyptic events, a zombie infestation is pretty low on the probability scale.

Devastating climate change, a massive asteroid, a pandemic virus that kills lots of people without reanimating them...all more realistic than a zombie virus. But it serves to address our darkest fears of such an event. We are able to focus on fictitious threats easier than we are able to focus on realistic ones.

But deep-down, we know that we really are afraid of a devastating event. Our preoccupation with a zombie apocalypse is simply whistling past the graveyard as we make our way towards oblivion and maybe even obsolescence as a species.

On that uplifting note, here is an equally uplifting song from the Walking Dead soundtrack. This is a seriously cool and menacing song called “You Are The Wilderness” by Voxhaul Broadcast. There’s a wolf in my heart for you....

Barbie Beach, it's really neat!

As Ken and I were driving from Newnan to Senoia for our first Woodbury afternoon, we passed a strange display on Highway 16. I noticed it as we were coming up to it...it was obvious that there was some sort of display in someone’s yard, so I made sure to look to see if I could figure out what it was.

When we got close to it and I got a good look, I started laughing. “It says it’s Barbie Beach!” There seemed to be some sort of large diorama going on with a sandy patch and many Barbie dolls. We resolved to take a closer look on the way back, as well as get pictures.

As luck would have it, that was one of the roads we took on our Walking Dead locations tour, and our guide, Dan, mentioned it as we got close. He said that this woman has been doing Barbie Beach for about 15 years now, and she changes the theme every so often. When we were there, the theme was “Barbie Beach Airshow,” with Barbies and Kens sitting on bleachers watching toy planes strung on wires, and I think there might even have been a couple of Barbies in a hot air balloon basket.

There was also a section called Mort’s Bar, where it looked like all the Barbies and Kens were having a good time, some sort of lagoon with a mermaid Barbie, and I’m not sure what Ken and Ken are doing in the one picture, but they sure look happy! It looks like anything goes on Barbie Beach, because clothing seems to be optional.

I have no idea why this woman started doing this, but I thank her, and she is a woman after my own heart. (I also saw peace signs posted in the yard, so I’m guessing she’s sort of “Bohemian,” hanging out in the Georgia countryside. Believe it or not, there is a pretty vibrant art community in rural areas of Georgia!) It is this sort of random and bizarre thing that you find along the way that makes life more fun, in my book. And it’s another good reason to do road trips, because you never know what you are going to come across.

I’m a big fan of random, installation-type art, and this is how I view this. Yes, this is art to me. It is creative, and fun, and I’ve been grinning about it since we first saw it this past Sunday. Ms. Barbie Beach, whoever you are, thank you for bringing a smile to my face.

Of course, it made me think of this fun Go-Go’s song!

Home and wiped out

This won’t be a long entry, because I am rather mentally exhausted. It was a long day on the road, since we were leaving from south of Atlanta, and I’m that weird and annoying mixture of exhausted and wired. I wanted to write a bit, though, because I’ve missed a couple of days and I miss writing!

We made fairly good time today, with slowdowns in only a couple of places, and we got through those without too much frustration. I can’t say the same for the poor people heading southbound on I-75 south of Lexington. We saw police and emergency vehicles blocking all the lanes, and the line of cars backed up was a good couple of miles. You could tell they had been there for a while, because a lot of people were out of their vehicles and meandering around. (Naturally, it made me think of the Zombie Apocalypse! haha) We heard later on the Lexington NPR station that southbound I-75 was expected to be closed for most of the afternoon. How awful would that have been? I think I’d be breakin’ that bottle of vodka out of the trunk!

But we had better luck than those unfortunates going south. I hope they were able to clear it sooner than expected!

We didn’t have any major problems like that...it was just a long ways to travel in one day. We are both very happy to be home, and I can tell you that Sheeba is a very happy kitty! Uncle Shane and Uncle Matt took good care of their nephew, but he’s always happy when we get home and he follows us around for a while. It might even be cool enough that he decides to sleep with us tonight!

Speaking of cool, what a nice break to feel the cooler weather up here after the humidity of the south! I hear that wasn’t the case here last week, but the worst of it broke Friday. Sheeba survived it, and Shane wrote that he seemed fine when they were over, he was active, and he was drinking plenty of water. He knows to hang out in the basement when it gets that warm! He’s a good kitty!

I had to laugh when we walked in, because atop several packages on the table, Shane and Matt had left me a present: my very own Minion! It’s a bit of a joke between some of us, because someone has said that I have “minions” who follow me like I’m some kind of “guru.” I have my own word for them. Friends. But hey, tomato, tomahto, right? Anyway, it made me laugh and was a nice welcome home, along with a purring Sheeba. My nephew Rey informed me that his son, my great-nephew Liam, says this minion’s name is Phil. I like Phil the Minion!

Now I think it’s time for this alleged guru to haul her butt off to bed and read a little more in World War Z (which I am absolutely loving) before heading off to Snoozeville. I’m looking forward to our very own hard bed and my very own squishy feather pillow!

Welcome to Woodbury

I have a lot to write about this visit—and we’re going back tomorrow—but I wanted to get a short entry up tonight. Suffice it to say that Fangirl is tickled pink and still quite beside herself!

Above is the town of Senoia, Georgia, which was the fictional town of Woodbury in “The Walking Dead.” Any fan of the show will recognize the layout! (Click on pics to embiggenate.)


Me by one of the town signs.

 
The “zombie arena” in Woodbury, where Daryl and Merle were supposed to fight to the death.

 
The campsite at the end of Season 2, after they fled Hershel’s overrun farm.

Lots more to come, but I’m a little worn out and melty. I’d forgotten how brutal a Georgia town can be in mid-summer. I was a hot mess! But I got my Georgia zombie-hunting permit, and Ken found a SUPER COOL artifact that I’ll write about soon. (Our Facebook friends already know what it is!)

I was seriously thrilled with today, and I’m looking forward to a little more tomorrow—and a picture of Barbie Beach! Totally unrelated to “The Walking Dead,” but also totally cool!

More soon!

Last Dance

Not a bad way to end our time in Florida today. Not bad at all!

It was a little overcast this morning, so it was a decent time for Ken to get in a last round of golf. As the morning wore on, the sun started peeking out, and I put on my suit and sat outside to read and catch a few rays. I didn’t want to head to the beach or the pool, because we were planning on doing lunch at one of the nicer restaurants in New Smyrna Beach.

When Ken got back, we headed over to Norwood’s, a cool mid-century modern restaurant that has been around since the mid-1940’s. I love the rock columns, the high ceilings, the large windows, and the pendant lights. This is a real throwback, and a true beauty. Even better, it’s some of the best food we’ve had in New Smyrna Beach.

We started off with escargot for the two of us, and Ken had two appetizers for lunch—their She-Crab soup and bacon-wrapped scallops. I had tastes of both, and they were delicious! I had the mid-day special of Mediterranean Mahi Mahi, a filet topped with grilled vegetables and feta cheese. So good! I didn’t care that we were having mahi mahi tonight for dinner. It was a mahi mahi mahi mahi day!

I finished up with my annual piece of Key Lime pie, and Norwood’s does it up right. I have no need for meringue on my Key Lime pie, but it was easy to peel that off. The pie itself is dense and creamy, a pastel yellow rather than artificially green. True Key Lime pie isn’t green. Accept no substitutes! I considered getting it to go, but once I dug in, that piece o’ pie was history. I think my eyes rolled up in my head for a moment there...it was that good!

When we got back, it was a little overcast but still warm enough that we were able to spend some time on the beach and in the ocean. After frolicking in the waves, I conked out on the beach, and learned that falling asleep on your back when it’s windy on the beach results in sand in your teeth! The waves were apparently strong enough that I had sand pretty much everywhere, as I found out later when I showered!

We spent some time packing up what we could and getting ready to head out tomorrow morning. After twelve years here, we’ve got it down to a science, and we’ll be able to clear out easily.

We were happy we got some time on the beach and in the ocean on our last day this year. We were able to sit outside a while longer to dry off, but the clouds rolled in and we got a good rain in the evening. This was the first night that Ken wasn’t able to grill our fish, and had to cook it in a skillet inside. It still turned out great, and I’ve loved eating all this fresh seafood this week. I can also say honestly that I’m looking forward to a burger or a steak tomorrow!

Our next stop is Newnan, Georgia, just a few miles from Senoia. That is the town that doubled for Woodbury in “The Walking Dead,” and I’ll be gettin’ my Dead on for a couple of days before we head back home!

“It’s been a wonderful week,” she said, as she sipped the last of her margarita. “You’ve all been dears, and you are all lovely people. I look forward to seeing you next year! Cheers!”

The penultimate day

YES. I got to use the word ‘penultimate!’ Always a good day when that happens.

Our plan was to try a kayaking adventure on nearby Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon, but after a morning of sitting outside in the sun and reading, the clouds moved in around noon and we got some rain. It didn’t really clear fully until late afternoon, so we decided to do the kayaking next time.

We still made a trip down the island to visit our special manatee spot, at a small local park on a little inlet. You used to be able to get down closer to the water and get right near the manatees, but they have it all roped off now. That’s okay...you can still get close enough to get a good look at them, and we saw at least eight of them. We also got a bonus dolphin sighting! We didn’t get to see them leaping out of the water, but we could see that they were chasing something underwater, and we could see their fins bobbing up and down. It was neat!

Then it was over to J.B.’s Fish Camp, one of our annual stops. This is also where you can rent kayaks. Since we weren’t doing that, we had some appetizers and a pitcher. Raw oysters (I only had one...too rich for me anymore), shrimp cocktail, and a crab cake. Their crab cakes are to die for! We also encountered a trick we hadn’t seen before: float a cup of ice in the pitcher of beer to keep it chilled in this heat and humidity. How brilliant is that?!

Unfortunately, I felt really crummy after this appetizer meal. This is the second time this has happened to me after J.B.’s. It’s not food poisoning, because it hits me very quickly, and food poisoning takes a few hours at minimum. I think it’s a matter of the richness of some of the food...in this case, the oyster and the crab cake. The time before, it was because I had a deep fried platter, and ohhhh, I felt so awful. My tummy doesn’t do deep fried anymore! I was careful this time, but it was still a little too much for me. I took a nap after we got back, and it eventually eased up. I lived to fight another day!

I also lived to eat the swordfish that Ken grilled tonight. It was delicious! Old Bay seasoning is a good addition. We watched a couple of Soprano’s episodes, and had several laugh out loud moments. Tonight’s favorite was Carmela saying to A.J. “Be a good Catholic for 15 fucking minutes! Is that so much to ask?” Ha! One more night of grilling. I think we can both say that we’ve gotten our fill of fresh seafood this time around! Tomorrow, Ken will get in another round of golf in the morning (weather permitting), we will have lunch at Norwood’s, a great old school place that dates back to the ‘40s, and I will get my annual piece of Key Lime pie! Mmm...Key Lime pie....

Fingers crossed for decent weather tomorrow afternoon, so we can get a last dip in the ocean and a little more time on the beach!

I hope your day was as pleasant!