This past weekend, the Hunt clan came up from Florida and we hit up Baconfest over in Asheville at Highland Brewing. We had not been to this event since 2015. There was lots of good bacon and pork inspired treats and, of course, tasty Highland brews. I *might* have had a little too much to drink. A & I loved the camo Huddle House koozies that came in our swag bags. We also snagged Krispy Creme hats at the dessert area. Who doesn’t want to be stylin’ with Krispy Kreme (and bacon and beer)? Such a fun day with awesome people!!!
Truth [Fanboy Edition]
Update [One Week Later Edition]
Uninspired. That would be the best word to describe how things are going right now. I feel very uninspired in just about every aspect of my life.
Uninspired in my job.
Uninspired creatively (as I currently have no creative outlet right now).
Uninspired in my personal life.
I even feel uninspired to do anything about being uninspired.
Is this what middle age is like? Is it a long stretch of tediousness until death? If I were wealthy, I suppose I could buy myself out of this current state of ennui.
Meanwhile …
I bought a new toy from Fort Troff. I love it when “toys” are on sale.

“How are they?” … you might ask? Painful. But pleasantly so.
Friday, I went over the Asheville and grabbed the new Siouxsie and the Banshees vinyl re-issues. They sound pretty good and mostly reproduce the art and labels from the original Polydor releases.

Saturday, A&A and the boyfriend and I went over to Franklin to kick around. We had a nice lunch and strolled Main Street. Sadly, we were a bit rushed as one of the A’s had to be back for a retirement party.
Sunday, the boyfriend and I made an impromptu trip to Gatlinburg wherein lots of moonshine was drunk and purchased. Those tastings will get you every time.

We still like Doc Collier the best (that’s all the tall bottles in the back)!

Maybe that is the answer to ennui? Become an alcoholic and lay drunk all the time.
Anyhoo … the work week is underway. Such excitement.
Listen Now
Love is Magic, the new album from John Grant, will be released one day before my birthday. Yay! Get thee to pre-ordering. Deluxe 2XLP for me, please!
And … John Grant is another artist like that will be touring nowhere near me. Oh well.
The Wrap-Up
So … I might have gone a little nuts at this summer’s B&N/Criterion 50% Off Sale. These are some damn fine movies though.
Observation
People can be so incredibly disappointing. It especially sucks when it’s a friend that proves this statement to be true.
Back at It [Post-Florida Edition]
As you might have gathered from the previous post … I was at the beach this past weekend.
The Boyfriend and I made a fairly impromptu trip down to Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island to see Dr. Phibes and Co. It was a pretty awesome weekend.
Something I Learned on the Drive:
– Follow your instinct and don’t get out of the car to beat up the old man with his grandson because he’s a thoughtless asshole and left his car at the pump when he went inside even though he was well aware that you were waiting behind him to get gas at that pump and that the gas station was super busy.
Some Things That We Did:
– I went to the beach Friday morning and watched the sunrise.
– We all went to an after hours event at the Jacksonville Zoo. It eventually rained us out.
– Saturday we kicked around Centre Street for lunch and shopping.
– We went walking on the beach and then had a fancy steak dinner.
– Sunday included wings for lunch and Mission Impossible: Fallout (which is most excellent).
– We drank way too many Gin & Tonics.
There is an Irish store on the island called Celtic Charm and I like to go in there every time I am down that way. I was looking for a new Guinness hat this year, but ended up with a Ireland/Harp Rugby Jersey. Not really sure why I bought it considering I am not a huge sports fan and don’t know a lot about rugby. I think it’s cool though, and hopefully I won’t look too dumb in it if I wear it out and about.

Currently …
Road Trip? [Theater Edition]
Good Lordy … I really want to see this production of the musical Titanic by the Serenbe Playhouse. It’s being done outdoors on a lake and looks super cool. I might have to scheme a trip to Atlanta before it closes.
So, This Happened … [Redux]

So, this beauty arrived earlier this week … a new 15.4″ Macbook Pro (Mid 2015)! I had been thinking about getting a new laptop at some point this year. But, with Apple’s announcement last week that they were discontinuing this model, I decided to go ahead and bite the bullet.
The 2015 model is the last Macbook Pro that comes with old USB ports. The 2016/2017 models come with Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports. That’s not great considering all my stuff works with old USB connectors. I just couldn’t stomach the idea of having to buy a bunch of extra docks and dongles just to use my thumb drives and printer (as shown below).
I will say some dumbassery on my part has made the migration process pretty stressful. Hopefully, in a few days when things are settled, I will be super pleased with my new machine.
Listen Now [Too Busy Edition]
Things have been a bit busy this week and I am way too easily distracted.
In the meantime, listen to this excellent new track from Róisín Murphy!
Four Photo Update
Seen out and about-ish in recent weeks …

Seen here at a Saturday Night Gathering at Kat’s a few weeks back. It was a fun evening until well meaning people brought up things (in an attempt to fix them) that I am still pretty hurt about. It all ended with me being depressed for the last 1/4 of the evening and crying myself to sleep when we got home. Such fun.

Seen here getting ready to grill at the Annual 4th of July Cookout. Mom’s grill crapped out as only one side would stay lit. It took a while to get the burgers/dogs cooked, but everyone was cool about it. Maybe they were just drunk enough not to care.

Seen here this past weekend at Dom and Clara’s wedding. I bought a new shirt and tie for the occasion. I really need to get some “slimmer” looking dress pants though. My pleated suit pants tend to look “big” on me. Anyhoo … this is a super cool group of people.

Seen here in my Serial Killer Passport Photo because of … no glasses and no smiling. This will be my first passport! The boyfriend has been bugging me to get one so we can take trips abroad. I have never been out of the country and the idea makes me a little nervous. An appointment to turn in my application is set up for tomorrow morning. Hopefully they won’t reject me as a security risk.
Listen Now
The new single from The Twilight Sad has dropped … and I am really digging it. Though I am totally bummed they are not touring anywhere close to me. Oh well …




