NYC [Pandemic Edition]

3/16/20203/17/2020 Chas.Leave a comment

After a week and half of me stressing out totally over going to New York City in the current world situation … we went to New York. The idea of loosing the money on the theater tickets and hotel was just too much to bear. So we headed out last Thursday.

The nearly empty plane should have been a sign. Seriously. There were ten people on this 70 seat plane.

We arrived in New York City to the news that Broadway had closed down and we were not going to get to see any theater. Well, shit. We Uber-ed into the city, checked in the hotel and got settled.

You gotta love this beautiful view from our room. Ha, ha.

We decided to walk around some before dinner. The city seemed busy, but not overly so. Here are the ice skaters at Rockefeller Center. Not nearly as many as there usually are.

I love this They Live themed billboard at the corner of 7th and 48th in Times Square.

We had an incredible dinner a OBAO on 9th in Hell’s Kitchen. Yum.

After dinner we walked around the Theater District and I tortured myself by going by the now darkened theaters of the shows we were supposed to see. Seriously crushed to not be able to see Hangmen.

We went back to the hotel, but I was craving donuts. So, I went back out and got some at the Dunkin’ across 8th. Jelly Filled and Chocolate Covered with Sprinkles!

We also found out on Thursday that all the museums had shut down as well. There went our backup plan. Dammit. So, we Uber-ed into Brooklyn and had an early lunch at Junior’s. It’s my kind of place!

We caught a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse. I now know I would give my left nut to have an Alamo Drafthouse close by. Such a cool movie theater chain.

Since we were close to the Brooklyn Bridge, we decided to walk that way back into Manhattan. It was a really beautiful day to be out and about!

And then we just kept on walking. We navigated up into the West Village and had drinks at The Stonewall Inn. Then we went around the corner and found my old friend, Ian. I hadn’t seen him in years, so it was great to show up unannounced and surprise him. For the record, this picture is not a good example of social distancing.

Then we continued our walk up to 44th and had pizza at John’s Pizzaria. I guess that was the one good thing about Broadway being shut down. We were actually able to get a table there with no wait. Once back at the hotel, I decided to go out one last time to see Time Square. I might have stopped at the Junior’s Bakery on 45th and gotten a slice of Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake. Yum (again)!

We were supposed to be in the city until Sunday but had decided to change our flight to Saturday just to get out of the city early (and away from any carriers). Delta let us switch with no added fees and we were able to upgrade to first class for cheap. So fancy!

We did end up loosing to money on the hotel for Saturday night. Oh well. We made the best of it but the trip was a bit of a bust. Had we know one day earlier that Broadway was going to go dark, we would have cancelled the trip. Double oh well.

We were very proactive in regards to our safety with lots of hand washing and sanitizing and touching as little as possible … especially our faces. As a precaution, we are self-quarantining for the next 14 days since we were out and about in (what I suspect is) a fairly active contagion zone.

Hopefully, this mess will pass through quickly and with as little death and disruption as possible. Everyone stay safe (and stay socially distant)!

Human Again

2/24/20203/6/2020 Chas.Leave a comment

A couple of weeks ago, the boyfriend got diagnosed with Strep (and the Flu). Fun. I felt fatigued and not great all that week but managed not to get fully sick. Everyone was better for one day and then I came down with a cold. Ugh.

Thankfully, the one good day for me was the day we had long standing plans to go drink moonshine in Gatlinburg with A&A. We might have even thrown some cider from the Tennessee Cider Company in there.

Of course, we might have had to romp through the Mysterious Mansion. Spooky!

Michelle is unexpectedly back in town … now a refugee from China due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Even with me not at 100% (yay, cold), we went for burgers, beer, green bean fries and karaoke. Michelle seriously is the best.

And, on Saturday, we tripped down to Anderson, SC for a super tasty dinner at Reed’s. The Mac ‘N Cheese he made was off the chain!

The work week is now underway. Ugh. But, the big excitement for the week will be going to see The Lodge tomorrow night. Whoo!
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Updating Randomness

1/27/20201/27/2020 Chas.Leave a comment

Yeah. Things have been going. Last week was stressful as one one my bosses ended up in the hospital and I had to cover all her work (on top of mine) for three days. Ugh. Thankfully, things are looking up and she was back at work today.

Meanwhile …

I got started on and finished the Stranger Things: The Upside Down LEGO set that I got for our anniversary in December. It was fun to make … but, I really do hope Will Byers survives. Plus … how cute is that Demogorgon minifig? Very!

I took my sister to Biltmore. I love this picture I took (near the grand staircase) with lots of overlapping archways.

We went bowling with our friend, Chris, at Sky Lanes. My highest score was 86 which confirms that I suck as bowling. Here’s David getting ready to gutter-ball it. 😛

On the vinyl collecting front, I have FINALLY managed to acquire a first pressing of X‘s debut album, Los Angles. Score!

Meanwhile, meanwhile …

I watched two more of the Best Picture nominees.
– 1917 (Technically impressive but DOA as far as tension and emotional engagement.)
– Joker (It’s Taxi Driver-Lite. Just watch Taxi Driver. It’s sooooooooo much better!)

So, yeah. Totally bumfuzzled as to how Joker scored the most Oscar nominations this year. Parasite is still the movie to beat. Seriously. Go see Parasite!

Welcome to 2020

1/2/20201/2/2020 Chas.Leave a comment

So … a new year. Hopefully it will be better than 2019.

Yeah. I am really living for these horror-themed memes about what a shit year 2019 was.

Meanwhile … we might have been spotted out and about on New Year’s Eve.

Meanwhile, meanwhile … Pet Shop Boys have dropped a new single. Delicious!

Survivin’ It

12/30/201912/31/2019 Chas.2 Comments

So, yeah … the first Christmas after Dad died. Survived it. My step-mother decided to still have the annual Christmas Eve Breakfast for Dinner Gathering. The familiarity of it was nice but sad at the same time without Dad running around handing out presents to everyone. Nobody got weepy which was good. I saved that for a few of days later.

I was in Walmart on Friday evening and walked past a guy who was wearing a uniform from the place my dad managed right up until he got too sick to work. Dad generally wasn’t seen out of his work shirt the last few years. The loss and sadness really hit me. I managed to make it out of the store and back to the car before breaking down and creating a scene.

Saturday we tripped over the Gatlinburg with Graham and Kristen for moonshine and an escape room adventure. The usual places were visited … Ole Smoky, Sugarlands, and Doc Collier.

Graham and Kristen are big into escape rooms and wanted to check out MOONSHINE HILL HOOTENANNY at Gatlin’s Escape Games. The room was fun and way more high tech than I thought it would be. I felt like we overthought some of the puzzles and that got us behind time with only one hour to break into Maw’s shack, sabotage her moonshine recipe, and blow her ‘shine still to smithereens. SPOILERS: We failed (and found out that Kristen’s desire to win is both awesome and a little scary). But it was fun and I am looking forward to trying another escape room sometime soon.

And yesterday, I was bummed to read about the passing of Vaughan Oliver, mastermind designer of some the most iconic album sleeves of the 80’s and 90’s. He provided the visuals that went right along side of some of my favorite albums of the era (most notably for me are Cocteau Twins’ Treasure, The Pixies’ Surfer Rosa and Doolittle, and The Breeders’ Last Splash).

Pluggin’ Away At It

12/11/201912/11/2019 Chas.Leave a comment

Yeesh. December has been too busy. When did I become such a social butterfly?

Friday: Shortlegs and Tom came over with pizza and we watched Midsommar.
Saturday: We went to the annual G&S Christmas Party. I got very drunk.
Sunday: We went to a WNCAP fundraiser at a bar. I didn’t get very drunk.
Monday: Ev & Em came over for egg nog and we had pizza and watched The Long Kiss Goodnight.

Here’s my spectacular holiday attire for the Christmas party. Yay, selfies.

I might have also been photographed looking like a dough boy at the local rec center. Yeah. We are thinking about joining for fitness and stuff.

And, I couldn’t resist buying this shirt. In reality, I have lots of bothers to give.

Wrap Up [Thanksgiving ’19 Edition]

12/3/201912/5/2019 Chas.Leave a comment

What’s the best way to not overeat and get too drunk at Thanksgiving? Why, plan a hike for 8:00 am the next morning! Jack, Josh and I romped over Waterrrock Knob then over Browing Knob then over the summit of Mt Lyn Lowry and out to the memorial cross on the ridge.

The view of Yellow Face and Blackrock Mountain from Browning Knob.

Looking towards Maggie Valley from the cross. Plott Balsam is the peak on the right.

Looking down into Waynesville from the cross.

The cross on Mt. Lyn Lowry.

And here’s some other things that have recently happened …

I made this year’s batch of egg nog. It’s damn tasty, if I do say so myself.

We went to taste wine at Biltmore with Alvin. We also got to have a glass of wine in the special Wine Club members only area of the Winery. Talk about feeling classy.

We went and saw Knives Out. I really dug it. As a friend said … “Let’s see, murder mystery, twisted humor, Chris Evans… yep, that checks out as a Chuck flick.” Ha, ha.

And I might have (yet again) gone crazy buying movies in all the Black Friday insanity. There will be a photo posted once all the online orders arrive. Someone needs to take my bank account away!

That stupid cat meme that’s been going around totally applies …

Monday, Monday

11/18/201912/1/2019 Chas.Leave a comment

I have been in a pretty weird head space since last Wednesday. We went to see Doctor Sleep (which was really good) and a scene in it set me off. I have known that would happen after all that went on with Dad. So, It’s taken quiet a few days to maybe start feeling like myself again. I have hopefully hit that point today.

Over the weekend, we were back in Gatlinburg for moonshine on Saturday and ate a fancy brunch yesterday. Last night I was sitting on the sofa reflecting on the events of the weekend and they already felt distant … like I had been outside myself watching them happen but hadn’t actually been participating. It’s a weird sensation that I have never experienced before and it was a bit freaky.

Regardless, the view yesterday from a friend’s house was quite spectacular. The mountains here are majestic and awesome.

Random Shit [Photo Edition]

11/10/2019 Chas.Leave a comment

Cheese Sticks = Ultimate (Halloween) Party Food

Lazy Halloween Costume

Bold is best!

Dr. Phibes and Co. (at a $1,500,000 Rental House)

$1,500,000 Morning View

This was 50% Off … but still more money than brains.

Mountain Sunset

Cider Flights at Noble Cider

Great Dane!!!

Out and About

10/24/2019 Chas.Leave a comment

Spotted around town last Friday night was some disco dude (DISCO!) and a mad scientist. God, I love the Halloween season.

We Went to Michigan [U.P. Edition]

10/16/2019 Chas.Leave a comment

So, we went to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (Marquette, to be exact) for a wedding over the weekend. We flew up on Friday, had the wedding on Saturday afternoon/evening, and flew back on Sunday. The U.P. is quite pretty and I wish we had had more time to sight see and explore the area. One thing that still rings true is that I am a really terrible traveler. It really gets my nerves going, which I am sure makes me a lovely travel companion … right, David?

Here are some random photos I took.

Refueling in Traverse City for a THIRD Attempt at Marquette

David at the Lighthouse in Marquette's Harbor

Other Things

8/15/20198/18/2019 Chas.Leave a comment

It’s been a bit of a busy (and crap) week here. But some fun things did happen last week!

I got my new glasses. Fancy and Parisian (and Expensive)!

I got to see Michelle again before she went back to China. I love this human! We ate too much food (green bean fries!) and drank too much beer at our favorite watering hole.

I saw Godspeed You! Black Emperor at The Orange Peel, The opening band really sucked but GY!BE was AMAZING.

Meanwhile …

The sunrise was pretty nice this morning.

And, all that is left to say is … “C’MON, WEEKEND!!!”

Trippin’

8/5/20198/5/2019 Chas.Leave a comment

Hey yeah … I am alive. Just been super busy with work and two trips that I had to work extra to make happen.

JR and I went backpacking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park over the last weekend of July. We started out at Clingman’s Done and hiked to the end of the Road to Nowhere outside of Bryson City via Forney Creek on the following trails: Forney Ridge Trail, Forney Creek Trail, Whiteoak Branch Trail, and the Lakeshore Trail. We hiked three days and camped two nights (at #68B and #71). It’s been a while since I have been backpacking and I had to buy a bunch of new gear (backpack, tent, etc.). I also had forgotten how tiring it is evening though I day hike as much as I can. It can be a challenge carrying 30+ lbs. on your back. Day two of the trip we especially challenging at points because we did six non-bridged crossings of Forney Creek. We emerged on Sunday tired but happy for the experience.

The starting point at Clingman’s Dome.

The trailhead for the Forney Creek Trail is 1.1 miles from Clingman’s Dome. From here we hiked another 2.4 miles of rough, steep, rocky, wet, poison ivy covered trail to Campsite 68B.

Relaxing at Campsite 68B.

Our tent set-up for the first night. We kept the tents close together in case bears attacked in the middle of the night. 😛

Hiking down the trail on day two …

This is one of the six Forney Creek crossings. They ranged from ankle deep to crotch deep. Ice cold water is always refreshing when it hits your balls.

All smiles despite the heavy packs and tough terrain.

Our setup for night two at Campsite 71.

We had some company in the campsite …. but thankfully it was not the venomous kind of company.

Here’s JR starting up the camp fire.

Almost done! The trail ends on the other side of the tunnel at the end of the Road to Nowhere.

And, this past weekend, David and I went down to Florida to visit Dr. Phibes and Co. The dive down and back were not too much fun, but it’s always great to see such good friends. We walked on the beach at sunrise, went bowling, kicked around Centre Street, drank too much and (definitely) ate way too much. The Pimento Cheese at Gilbert’s Underground Kitchen is fucking amazing. Yum. One thing I realized after we got back is that I took practically no photos of the trip. Oh well …

Sunrise-ish on Fernandina Beach …

And BOWLING SHOES … because bowling shoes are awesome.

Now, it’s back to a busy work week (blech!) as well as several social commitments and Godspeed You! Black Emperor at The Orange Peel on Friday night (yay!). Plus, my new glasses should arrive either today or tomorrow. I am looking forward to being able to see clearly again.

The Boy Wonder

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