Day

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Day 13468, & it is coming...

So, eventually, I will get a new post written.

I am moving.  Well, not so much moving, as removing...

We are dropping our lease on office/storage space.

I have been packing, trashing, and cleaning for the last 6 days.

All for not, really, as I will have to find somewhere to put it all.

So, yeah, you can read a new post when I get to it.

Meanwhile, piss off!

XXXOOO,

Bitter

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Day 13452, & a recollection...

So, I have a few tears in my eyes.

I was completely caught off guard just now, as I watched the first few minutes of 102 Minutes that Changed the World on the History Channel.  I don't usually watch the 9/11 stuff.  Well, not in the last few years, anyway.

I warn you, this is the floodgate post.  I am letting out some of the overflow.  Beware!

Tonight, for whatever reason, I watched a 9/11 home video compilation.  BIG MISTAKE...

Today marks the 7 year anniversary of the attacks.  2557 days have passed.  The restaurant has been open for almost 5 years.  That seems like ages.  The 7 years since 9/11? A bit like yesterday.

I was the GM at Pleasant Peasant in Atlanta on 9/11/01.  Jay was the KM.  I was off that morning.  Jay, true to form, had gone to work in the pre-dawn hours.  When I woke up, I went through the usual motions.

I dragged myself out of bed (much easier to do back then; no running pains) and made my way by the TV, turned it on, and went to the coffee pot.  I saw the fire in the North Tower.  I thought nothing of it.  Well, nothing substantial.  Nothing compared to what would become.  I called Jay.  I told him a plane flew into a tower.  I thought "small plane."  An unfortunate accident.

And, what else was I doing?

I was thinking that Murphy needed a haircut.  Yeah, I was calling the pet groomers in Ansley Mall when the South Tower was struck by the 2nd plane.  I thought it was a replay.  I thought it was the one plane, new footage.  Still sad, but not the same.  Instead, I thought I would drive my dog to the groomer.

I got to hear the world fall apart on 99X, with Barnes, Leslie, and Jimmy on my way to Ansley Mall from East Atlanta.

So, is THIS suddenly the gayest post ever???

Nope.  Just that part of it...

I dropped off the dog.  By then, I already felt like a schmuck.  Now?  I knew what was happening.  Yet, still? I dropped off the dog.  Well?  They took him!  It wasn't just me with a whacked sense of priority...

The south tower collapsed while I was in my car on my way home.  I am glad I didn't see it right away.  I got an audio preview, a warning.  I got home and called Jay.  He was a block from the Bank of America tower in Atlanta.  They were evacuating (the tower, not the Pleasant Peasant.)  I wasn't really worried.  Downtown Atlanta?  Not quite the target...  But still?  Nobody was going out for lunch...

Around noon, I suddenly started thinking of my friends.  My best friend Lori and her husband.  My friend Catherine (not to be confused with my other friend, Catherine.)  Oh my!  What is going on?  Jamie, Lori's husband, was in finance.  Why wouldn't I assume the worst?  He worked for Lehman Brothers then, I think.  I called Lori's mom.  She was ok, so was Jamie.  I got an email from Catherine later that afternoon.  All good.

Have I ever mentioned that my dad was a pilot?  Yeah, he flew for Delta until 2004.  

Like a good son, I realized that I had no idea where he was.  I realized this at about 4 pm that day.  Oops!  As it turns out, at 4 pm, he was sitting in the captain's seat of a parked 767 on the side of a runway in Nova Scotia.  Funny how the mind works.  The things you forget.  The people... Your dad...

Inventory was done.  Everyone I knew was safe.  I felt better.  Still, there wasn't any sinking in.  I still didn't get it.  I still don't get it.  It is really hard to wrap my head around it.  I sat on the couch all day that day.  I stared at the TV, I knew there was a big change coming.

I had to go pick up the dog.  Jay went with me.  Again, in the event of a new-world-order-type event, do not take your dog to the groomer...

My friend Lori was a teacher.  Her school was the closest one to the WTC, if I remember correctly.  I saw the school on a later visit.  It was close.  Her story is fantastic.  Seven years later, I think she hates to tell it.  She is a New Yorker now.  It is more personal for her.  She isn't at all removed.  

She evacuated a school, and by happenstance, the financial district.  The kids ran fast to Battery Park.  The adults needed some guidance.  She guided...

My dad?  He was over the Atlantic, on his way home from Europe with 200 passengers.  They got diverted.  He heard all the other aircraft diversions on the radio.  Still no info, just worry.  Something is very wrong.  I will always say, though, that we owe a great deal to the northern neighbors.  They took great care of people like my dad for days.

So, today, I was caught off guard.  I cried about 9/11 for the first time in years.  Why?  New footage?  New perspectives?  Maybe.  I don't know why but I feel a bit more human for it.  And, I had a sudden thought.

7 years ago, my best friend was running down a dust filled street.  She spent the rest of the day trying to find her husband, her friends, her house...

And now, 7 years later, I will bet she has a whole new way of looking at 9/11...

I have to wonder how this will change her perspective.  I know that many of you already know the answer to this question.

I probably won't ever know this feeling.  This is a perspective that is not in the cards for me.

Am I jealous?  Am I grateful?  I dunno.

But, I do have to watch out for little Violet...

Vote right, people...

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Day 13451, & I have given up running...

So, that headline might be somewhat misleading.

I have given up running, on the treadmill, for now, anyway...

I have spent the last month trying to heal. I have also tried to figure out what caused this injury to begin with.

The usual suspects:
Pronating feet
Flat feet
Dehydration
Aggressive increase in mileage
Lack of rest/recovery time
Inadequate cross training

The new players:
Working on my feet in non-running, pronate like crazy, dress shoes
Treadmill

I have realized that my treadmill time had increased pre-injury. It was hot. I also found it much easier to do my tempo and interval training on the treadmill.

Now, as the discomfort comes and goes, I can tell that it is worse after the treadmill than after the road. Also, I can't seem to run comfortably after a long shift on the floor at work.

So, first, I have decided that I am a morning, street runner. This should help me rule out a few of the possibilities. And, quite honestly, I don't think that I will miss the treadmill at all. Well, maybe next July I will miss it a bit when I am forced up at 5 AM to beat the heat, but whatever...

I have managed two runs this week. Both on the Greenway. Both at a sub 9:45 pace. I ran 3.2 miles yesterday and 4.1 today. I wasn't going to run today, but I had gotten worked up this morning and needed to get out and clear my head.

I think the solitude of running is what I have missed the most.

I iced my legs down like crazy after each run. I also timed my stretching. No cheating, no rushing. So far, so good. A bit sore, but it feels like normal sore, not injury sore.

Can I say how excited I feel to have my old friends back in the morning? I will welcome back morning soreness and difficult stair navigation with open arms. It has seemed quite odd to be able to walk like a normal person before 8 AM. (I almost called it morning stiffness, heehee...)

Anyhoo, a boring post to read, I am quite sure. An exciting one to write, I assure you.

Tomorrow, the gym. Elliptical and weights. Boring, but necessary. I am also in dire need of more core work, as today's run seemed to take aim at my lower back (a new one.) Again, not injury, just more of a reminder of the great importance of core work.

Oh, and my heart rate? Crazy high. Oh, what a difference a month can make.

I hope it works the other way, too...

Friday, September 5, 2008

Day 13446, & the end of wonder week...

So, I am a bit lazy on the blog posts lately, I know.

I have been busy. That is not a good excuse though. I have also been frustrated with the new restaurant, the existing restaurant, the existing political climate, my injury, etc...

As my last post was just a long, drawn out whining rant, I thought it best to take a time out.

Anyway, I am here now, writing a post, so let us move on.

Over the last 5 years, many a famous person has graced the restaurant's door.


Alan Rickman came in one night for dinner with his wife. They were lovely. The staff enjoyed compiling a list of all of his work. There was a lot of it. They had a hell of a time getting a cab back to The Hermitage and Greg was going to drive them himself. Imagine his disappointment when the cab showed up...



And, Keith and Nicole have been in for a few brunches, but that really doesn't count. Country music folk are bound to pop up here. It is Music City, after all. Again, nice people.






Now, there have been a few very exciting celebs over the last five years, too.

The night that Lily Tomlin came in for dinner, I went up to the restaurant to see her. Who wouldn't? She was in one of the greatest movies of all time, you know.


I sent Lily a bottle of wine. Of course, she invited me over for a thank you. And, what a kind, gracious person she was....

And speaking of great movies...


I absolutely meant to ask Dolly Parton if she happened to know when Jane Fonda was going to come in for dinner. It would have been great to know that all three of them had eaten at my little restaurant. However, due to a glitch in my judgment, I was unable to ask said question, as somebody wandered up to Ms. Parton with a Sharpie and some CDs. That is a story for another time.

I had not ever given any thought to Lynda Carter being a guest. I was nothing but surprised when she was in last Sunday. Turns out, she was here to rehearse for her show in Atlantic City. As it also turns out, one of my 3 Crow Bar friends, Cowboy Keith, was doing the sound for her. Once again, a tiny world.

What I didn't know, however, was that she really liked the restaurant, and also liked me. I guess my you know, I have the pilot episode of Wonder Woman on my iPhone comment was fairly original/memorable.

So, when Lynda Carter suggested that they have dinner from the restaurant, Cowboy figured that I might like to deliver it personally, 2 nights in a row.

Yep, I got to hang out at the studio with Lynda Carter, and the band, for a couple of hours over the last 2 evenings. Sure, it was partly work, but only in that I drove the food over and collected money. The remaining time was spent just hanging out with my buddy, Wonder Woman.

And let me tell you, it was freaking amazing! It was like a childhood dream come true, except that apparently Lynda Carter is not really Wonder Woman and she also doesn't have an invisible jet. Beyond those little differences? She might as well be the same person I used to watch on TV.

I should also mention that there is a very fine line between being a devoted fan and being a crazy stalker. I have been walking that line all week. According to some, if you are able to describe, in detail, the differences in the Wonder Woman costume from season one (ABC) to season two (CBS), you might be obsessed. If you are able to discuss the fact that her belt was never taken away from her after season one, you might be crazy. If you know more about Wonder Woman than the woman who played Wonder Woman? You might be a stalker...

I did learn a few things though. Like the most dangerous stunt she ever performed for the show. Apparently, Lynda almost got fired once, for taking control of a shoot at the end of a day. When she described the shoot, I knew the episode (I know- Crazy)



Apparently, they were not able to get the camera angle right to film the stunt double. So, as daylight was fading, Lynda stepped up. And, as the stunt double had wandered off with the safety harness, Lynda did it free form. You can see the double running, but the rest is all Lynda. Crazy lady. I knew she was a bad ass!

Anyway, I really had a great time! She was very tolerant of my star struck behavior. She referred to me as cute, adorable, and sweet. She promised to come visit me again when she is in town next time. I hope that is true.

So, this is the end of my Wonder Week. Here is a little tribute, if you are not already about to vomit...