i let evan start her day at six a.m. while i rolled over and grabbed a couple more hours of sleep. ah, to sleep in on a weekday! i did eventually peel myself out of bed, freshen up, and set out to find trouble. here i come!
dc – night 1
last thursday i began a long weekend visit to see my friend evan up in washington, d.c. as you know, i have been to this city several times, but i just cannot seem to get enough of it!
there are many ways to start a vacation, and one of those is with a beer at the local airport establishment. after that, there are many other ways to continue your trek to d.c.: a delayed flight. blergh. apparently there’s a malfunctioning part on the cockpit door and they need it to work…i’m no airplane expert, but alright. so, i find myself here on the incredibly uncomfortable concrete floor of gate t8 with limited forms of entertainment. my nook has died (that’s what i get for buying an ereader…), and my blue moon buzz is slowly wearing off. i’m about five minutes from slumping down on the carpet and taking a catnap. and by catnap i mean a deep slumber from which i can only be awakened with rude shouting and pushing. maybe i’ll try and wait until i’m on the plane before i shut my eyes…
there’s another young atlanta socialite with whom i’ve been making pleasant small talk, but my low energy level just cannot keep it up right now. there is, though, a sweet family of four on their way to disneyworld that is keeping her entertained. i’ll let them do all the talking.
ah! finally, good news from the cockpit! the part has been replaced, the flight attendants are itching to go, and we’re off. catch you guys in the morning!
forever young
“do not let anyone treat you as if you are unimportant because you are young. instead, be an example to the believers with your words, your actions, your love, your faith, and your pure life.“
chocolate and more chocolate
i was so kindly reminded recently that it had been a while since i had brought a homemade treat into the office for everyone. well, way to be subtle…ha. anyway, i did admit i hadn’t baked in a while, so i made these simple treats for this ravenous crowd: life by chocolate cupcakes. they’re so tasty and easy that you need to give them a try yourself! click on for the recipe.
panahar – atlanta, ga
ah, buford highway. or as we so affectionately call it, la buford. miles of the finest citizens, dining, and shopping in all of metro atlanta. okay, i’m leading you on. those statements aren’t entirely true. but! la buford is a magical, yellow brick road of hidden gems like panahar, a restaurant that’s been serving bangladeshian cuisine since, well, i don’t know since when. regardless, we went a little out of the ordinary this week with the largest turnout yet, 15 of us! and i’m telling you, we filled nearly the entire restaurant and, without doubt, our stomachs.
panahar had been recommended by several of our regular attendees as the best, not just one of, indian restaurants in town. many folks were quite excited when they heard this is where our next spot would be. for me, though, the few times i have had indian-type cuisine in the past, i haven’t loved it. i don’t much care for curry or very spicy creations, so many of your standard indian dishes are probably out of the running for me. i was a bit hesitant to declare it the latest spot for nrw, but i said to myself, “hey, you’re older now. perhaps your tastes have changed!” was i right? was i wrong? well, it certainly was no applebee’s, if that’s what you’re asking yourself.
so, i went on this thing called grouper…
i gave in, thanks to the convincing of my co-workers and friends, to embark upon the latest social dating scene: grouper. an event where i get two of my girlfriends to go with me and meet up with three fellas. a three-on-three date! a three-on-three, blind date! a three-on-three, blind, mega date! let the stories begin.
no limits just epiphanies
today we all met up for brunch in the kirkwood neighborhood at a lovely little place called sun in my belly. the food is filling and decadent, just ask any one of us if you like. on the ride home, i rolled the window down and found myself in grand awe of how beautiful the day was. the sun was out, the clouds were away, a slight breeze refreshed the air. a picture perfect weekend afternoon in late march.
as kari wove us through the local backstreets on the way home, i felt a bang in my gut, something that traveled and tingled through my whole body. how can it be that we are so lucky to be alive at a time such as this? at a place in our lives when the bright blue sky is the only limit? at a time where nearly anything is possible and it is all ours for the taking? how lucky, i say! my heart nearly leapt out that open window. it wants adventures and experiences and stories to tell! it wants more than a nine-to-five work week that holds me captive inside a six-by-six cube.
i sit here now, in the grass with an apple and water and notebook, wondering where these winds have been before they swept and swirled around me. how far did they travel to arrive in this moment? what places have they been? who else in the world has had these same suspicions that there’s more to us, that we are capable of quite a lot? who do we give permission to say what we can and cannot be, what we will and will not see? i suspect it is our own self; we are the ones who put stoppers and starters around the lives we will live and the people we will become.
i will explore this world one day. i’ll pack up with my one-way ticket to the unknown and discover myself. until then, my days will be spent looking for new things, asking “why not?” rather than creating flimsy reasons in place of it all. i can be whoever i want, create and uncover parts of myself i never knew were there. i hope to never stop growing and learning and reaching for more. everything i don’t do or see is mine to lose, and with so much out there, it’d be quite a shame to miss out.
the real chow baby – atlanta, ga
this week we took things west and then east by visiting the real chow baby off howell mill road. all-you-can-eat, make-your-own stir fry? why, that sounds “fun and unique” and perfect for a hungry group of twentysomethings! read on to see if it satisfied our appetite or left us wanting for something more.
1kept – atlanta, ga
alison’s brother jay suggested a while back that we try out a place called 1kept because he knows the chef there. after a few weeks of snowstorms, we finally were able to make it to south buckhead to give this place a try. before we get to the real reviews, let me tell you, this place might be number one on my list so far. the food was fantastic, the atmosphere was thoughtful, and the service was great. read on to find out all the deets!
my name is kelsey, and i love coffee
in high school and college, i had the fortunate experience of working in a coffee shop. during high school it was at cambridge coffee in the lee branch shopping center of birmingham. through my junior and senior years of college it was in the student learning center’s jittery joe’s. i wouldn’t trade those shifts for the world, they were such a blast. some of my best memories are when i played barista. there’s a special camaraderie forged among you and your coworkers and the customers, and whenever i find myself at a coffee shop, i often reminisce about those days that seem so long ago and so far away.
at a coffee shop, you have several kinds of customers. the people who like the smell of coffee but not the taste, so they order hot chocolates or mochas without espresso (hint hint, they’re the same thing); the people who only drink black coffee because they are “coffee purists;” the people who order fat-free, sugar-free lattes but absolutely want the whipped cream on top (they might be my favorite); the people who pronounce it “expresso” (there is no ‘x’ in the word!); the people who think a starbucks macchiato is a real macchiato (i promise you that it is not); the people who order large coffees five times throughout the same day (what do you DO?); the people who have been waiting in line for ten minutes but still do not know what to order when they arrive at the counter; the people who, after you announce a drink, repeat it right back as a question, as if you might be wrong; the people who order soy cappuccinos (i just, i can’t).
yes! it’s true! these people actually exist. and in all honesty, the only reason i get a kick out of some folks is because i have the knowledge and expertise of what it is like to work behind that machine and counter, cranking out lattes and frozen, blended drinks for hours on end. i hold nothing against coffee drinkers who don’t know what i know; i just like to smile to myself when they come by the counter.
regardless of what customers are ordering or who they might be, working in a coffee shop is an absolute pleasure, and if i could make a decent five-figure salary as a full-time barista, i’d be signing up tomorrow. there is something special about seeing your regulars and calling them by name, catching up on their whereabouts and recent life events. you have this strange, exclusive connection with the customers that they might not even share with the people closest to them. believe me, if you will listen, people will talk. but, considering that i am quite the people person, i have no qualms about it whatsoever.
someday i hope to start my own coffee shop or bakery or combination of the two. i love coffee but would not call myself an expert; i’ll let someone else in the business handle that. i want to be head baker at this establishment, deciding that morning just exactly what we are in the mood to make that day. i want to be up in front with the patrons, sharing a friendly smile as they start their day or wind down their evening. it’ll be an eclectic place, local art on the walls, a community bookshelf for the readers, funky tables and chairs that, although they do not sit quite level, are incredibly comfortable.
the staff will be warm and friendly, happy to have you in our shop and not irritated that you just had to stop by before that 10:00 a.m. meeting. you’ll be able to bring your friends for a catch-up date but also spend alone time here as you read or write or people-watch.
is this a place you would come? does it sound nice and inviting? i hope so, because i keep my fingers crossed each time i stop for a cup that i’ll get to create that kind of space for my family and friends.
kelsey v 