Atlanta, Part 3: The Showdown and The Aftermath

So I took the 10 bus from the Arts Center into Cobb County. From the bus stop, I walked about ten minutes to the apartment where I was renting a room for the night. I quickly changed clothes and began my thirty minute walk to Lot 29. Of course along the way, I stopped to pick up a couple of large Budweiser cans.

I got to the lot after passing a couple of auto repair shops and apartments, and seeing that beautiful sea of orange t shirts, just gave a warm fuzzy feeling in my stomach. I met up with a few friends and we drank and drank and drank. I think I drank a full six pack actually. I didn't even have dinner, I think that was two chicken wings and three pieces of raw broccoli from a veggie tray. Nutritious huh?!

We began our march into enemy territory screaming "Let's go Mets!" Our seats were in left field, the Coca Cola corner. Every time the home team stayed with that disrespectful disgusting chop, I would do the Broken Matt Hardy "Delete!" I would scream that word at the top of my lungs. And a few other people behind me joined in. 24 hours later, I still barely have a voice.

The game was shit. No score forever. Mets grab a 3-0 lead in the eight inning and then choke it away. 3-2 in the top of eighth and I knew it. Knowing what I know, I walked out in the eighth inning.

I had to hurry as I had essentially  drained both my phone batteries and was down to 3% power. Thankfully I found my way back without an Uber. I got back and met my host, Shiam. Not to mention Chess, her two year old Pomeranian. That dog loved belly rubs. Couldn't get enough attention, but then again, what dog can?

I remember drinking a bottle of water in the kitchen and petting Chess. I remember Shiam and I talking about our life basics. But I have no memory of getting into the lightless bedroom or even falling asleep.

Then next thing I knew, I woke up at nine, I was pretty certain to miss church. Shiam didn't get out of her room until around 10:20. It was a rainy day so I knew there wouldn't be a game and even if it was, it would be delayed. So I asked her to drive me downtown and she did so.

I had lunch at Max's coal fired pizza. That might seem a strange marriage, pizza in Georgia, but I can't get coal pizza anywhere in Virginia and after plenty of  meat and potatoes the prior day, I thought I would go in a little different direction. Not a good idea. Google said this place opened at noon, by 1145, there was already a 15 minute wait. I got a seat at the bar once I convinced the guy to move his damn backpack off the otherwise empty seat. The lemon pepper chicken wings were a fine appetizer. I could really taste the fresh lemon juice and there was plenty of parmesan cheese as well. A little Italian parsley would have added a little extra freshness and made the dish look a little prettier. As for the pizza, I got the fresca, basically a non meat Greek. The pizza really disappointed me. It in no way reminded me of a coal cooked product and here's why I say that. The bottom of each slice was soggy. I would pick it up and feta cheese, red onion, and mushroom would fall off the side. The crust was very thin, but there were so many toppings that keeping the slice together was just not going to happen. It was basically impossible to fold the slice. And it should've been cooked a little longer. One of the trademarks of coal pizza is a little bit of blistering on the crust and another one is a distinctive smoky flavor. This pizza had neither.

I planned to go to the Georgia Aquarium, but with my patience short, I didn't feel like waiting. After twenty minutes in line, I joined a completely disorganized mess of people trying to get in. There were lines for will call, security, and people who needed to buy tickets. But there was no clear marking, no organization. It was raining hard by this point and I'd just had enough. I knew I was feeling irritable and I was not even close to being over the disaster of Saturday night.

So I took off for the airport. It took about ten minutes of trudging through the rain to find a subway. As I stepped onto the downward escalator beginning my descent to the Marta Gold line, I was so thankful to inside. I sat in the Admirals Club for about three hours, drinking red wine and munching on snacks like cheese, pita chips, and roasted red pepper hummus. I did make a stop at the Varsity for a frosted orange, even though part of me wishes I also got the onion rings. And I made sure to stop by the Atlanta Braves restaurant and flip it off.

Atlanta has a few good features, but outside of Sweetwater and maybe visiting the DDP Yoga performance center, I really have no desire to go back.

Atlanta, Part 2: The Good Part

I wound up sleeping on the floor of the Atlanta airport, although I'm not sure I was ever really out of it. I went into a state of semi-sleep from midnight to about 3:45 in the morning, and I probably woke up three times in that span. I knew the Admirals Club opened at 4:30, so I was just waiting my time, and anticipating the doors unlocking. Right at 4:30, I went inside. I was able to to get a toasted bagel and some fruit as well as a much more comfortable chair to sit in. I only wish they had a shower so I could have gotten myself a little cleaner. But nonetheless I finally changed my clothes and cleaned up the best I could before getting on the Marta train to head downtown. The thing with these trains, it's just like being in a homeless shelter. They only left the station every 20 minutes, the outside of the cars look like they were designed in the 1950s, and I will just say the characters on board are not exactly reminding me of upstanding citizens.

I took the train to Five Points, which is the only place that four rail lines converge. Yep, there's only one place you can get a transfer. This is not the most thorough subway in America. So I decided rather than wait for a different train and take it one stop east, I just walked over to the Georgia State Capitol building. Unfortunately I could not take a tour, as they are not available on the weekends, which is just absurd. They had a statue of Jimmy Carter outside and a replica of the Statue of Freedom on top of the Capitol dome.

Around the corner, they also have a replica of the Liberty Bell with flags from the 13 original colonies arranged in a circle, a nice touch of American history. I then took the train to the Midtown station. I had seen enough of downtown, I didn't want to spend any more time there. This was a much more modern area, I found a Caribou Coffee, which I have not seen in maybe 10 years, and got a chai tea. I really thought they were out of business.

My next stop was Piedmont Park which is known as the Central Park in the south. Actually it reminds me a lot of Prospect Park and Brooklyn with different fields, different events, and so on. The truth is there is only one Central Park. I walked through a fantastic farmers market, where I sampled everything from green juice to potato soup to strawberries to scones to Neapolitan pizza to peach tea to green salsa. The were maybe two dozen vendors, and pretty much all of them or fantastic. I had to get a container of strawberries, I cannot remember the last time I had strawberries that had this much flavor to them.

Back downtown, and over to the Canteen food vendors shop, in the shadow of Georgia Tech university. Actually I should take a second and mention the area. I'd never seen an Amazon store. But they have a store composed of three kiosks and two guys on staff. I guess people place their Amazon orders and go pick them up at the store. Funny, I thought the idea of shopping at Amazon was so I didn't have to leave the house to complete a purchase.

Anyway, Fred's Meat and Bread has a stall inside of the Canteen. They also have a bar, a bagel shop, and a Mediterranean stand. The girl who took my order was getting her first day on the job, so I told her it was cool, we were both first timers. I ordered a mushroom cheesesteak and it was one of the gooiest, cheesiest sandwiches I've ever had. There was a good ratio of meat to bread, and plenty of provolone and aioli. The old Bay fries were delicious, but man, I could only get through half an order. They were spicy, they were thick cut, and there were just so many of them. About halfway through, I gave the rest of the fries to a couple of college guys.

From there, I grabbed an Uber to Sweetwater brewing, on the North side of Atlanta. Now because there was the Sweetwater 420 festival going on all weekend downtown, I thought maybe the brewery might be a little bit slower. Not exactly the case. There was a small outdoor festival with a band and sponsors. I pushed my way to the bar. I noticed they had mostly pale ales and a few wheat beers. I tried about six or seven beers and there wasn't one beer that didn't taste really good. Obviously, the 420 extra pale ale is iconic, and one of the best beers I've ever had. The Goin' Coastal is an IPA with pineapple flavor. So darn good. The tropical lover has flavors of mango, papaya, and passion fruit. This wasn't my favorite, a little too fruity for me. The wheat beer with the lemongrass would be ideal on a hot day, especially a lazy hot day. But one of their specials was the New England hazy IPA. This was a juicy flavorful IPA that I got to sample on my tour, and when the tour ended, I immediately ordered a draft of it. Basically I ordered three beers, and was charged $15. I had a fantastic experience. I'm really starting to think between Coca-Cola and Sweetwater, beverages are the only good things to ever come out of the city of Atlanta.

Atlanta, Part 1: The Preview

Well, it's going to be near a 48 hour trip to the F town. Maybe Atlanta's nickname is the A town, but I find that one a little more fitting. Three primary reasons: the traffic, the baseball, and CNN.

My initial plan had been to fly through Charlotte to Atlanta first thing Saturday morning and land around 9 in the morning. The fight to Atlanta was wide open, but the problem was getting to Charlotte. The flights from Richmond and Norfolk weren't completely booked, but with several standby passengers lasted, the odds would not be in my favor. Locally though, the Newport News flight was booked even, 50 seats, 50 passengers. And I was the only standby passengers listed. So if just one person didn't show up, I was in. But if I got bumped, getting out of Virginia would have been incredibly difficult.

It was quite the decision, each having pros and cons. In the end, I decided to be a little more uncomfortable, but take the safe bet, and leave Friday night. The result is twofold. I will have to sleep overnight in the airport, as I don't want to spend the extra hundred dollars for a hotel room. But I will also be able to get an early start on my day. And there's a lot to do. It starts with my first trip to the Admirals Club at 4:30 am.

Restless Heart setlist

Let the Heartache Ride
Fast Moving Train
That Rock Won't Roll
Why Does It Have To Be
A Tender Lie
Mending Fences
Tell Me What You Dream
Why Not Me/Liza Jane/Family Tradition/Mercury Blues/Mountain Music
Wichita Lineman
When She Cries
Eldorado
Hummingbird
I'll Still Be Loving You
The Bluest Eyes in Texas
Sharp Dressed Man
Big Dreams In a Small Town

Feels Like Spring

1)      I signed up for Hello Fresh. I never planned to do a home delivery meal service before. But when I found out I could get 4 meals and it would essentially cost $15, I thought I’d give it a try. But before I made the purchase, I decided to take it to social media to ask if anyone else had experiences using those services. One of my friends said she could get me 3 free meals since she was already using, Now how was I going to pass that opportunity up? So I’ve placed the order for 3 meals and I expect them to arrive next Wednesday. I will post how it turns out and I look forward to giving the service a try.

2)      This past weekend only verified what I already know I have to do. I used to criticize women who just couldn’t get out of a relationship that was going nowhere. Well, now I know exactly how it feels.

3)      Restless Heart concert tomorrow night! I have been a fan of theirs for 30 years, but this will be my first time seeing them live. Now granted, their peak was probably between when I was 5 and 11 years old. But they had so many great songs including six straight #1’s. The songs I’m most excited to hear are “A Tender Lie,” “Fast Moving Train”, and “The Bluest Eyes In Texas.”

4)      I have the opportunity to help lead a football seminar for the Virginia Jets Fans group on Saturday. My responsibilities include presenting the information about rule changes, challenges, and penalties as well as compiling and playing the videos.

5)      Chris Stapleton is about the only redeeming thing left in country music. It’s pretty much him, Zac Brown Band, and maybe Midland.

6)      Someone cursed me out on Twitter for having a narrow mind. I told them in response to have a wonderful day and God bless. But I take having a narrow mind as a compliment. I do have a narrow mind. Straight is the path to heaven and narrow is the way.

7)      Despite his talent when he performs, I have no more respect for Finn Balor as person. I watch wresting as an escape from the issues of the day. And for him to throw sexuality and that perverted rainbow so blatantly out there, it is offensive to my sensibilities and has no place in pro wrestling. I will not watch another Finn Balor match until his gear no longer has the perverted rainbow.

8)      I am amazed by my lunch on Tuesday. Particularly, the ability that one has to screw up a cheeseburger. If you can’t make a cheeseburger correctly, you probably should not be working in a kitchen. But to make matters worse, this was a burger made by senior student in my school’s culinary department. The $4.00 Stratford burger. It had minced onions in it, some kind of red spice, maybe it was Hungarian paprika. But then it was cooked to death. It was like I said, “Cook it to well done, and then cook it another 20 minutes.” It tasted like overdone meatloaf. And we’re graduating students who are making this kind of crap? That doesn’t exactly say a lot about the caliber of cooks that we’re sending out into the world.

9)       My indoor garden is coming along with mixed results. The Thai basil and dill are sprouting beautifully. The thyme is coming along ok. But the Genovese basil, curly parsley, and mint have about as much life in them as Steve Wonder’s hopes of winning a NASCAR race. Thankfully, the Miracle Gro company is sending me free replacements. I just wonder what I can with all this Thai basil.

10)  This Honest Amish beard oil really is making my beard feel softer and smell better.

To you

I have been trying to find the right words to say for weeks to you now. I realize that there are no perfect words. Almost nothing I can say will cushion this. I just have to say it. I am not interested in pursuing this further.

We had about six or eight weeks that were really good. New Year's Eve was very memorable and it as fun. That cold we went through in Manhattan and Queens was insane. We have quite a few things in common and bonding over those have provided me with a lot of laughter and fun.

But you knew how I felt. I hesitated to get back into a long distance situation. It has failed for me before and I see no reason that it won't fail again. When you visited in February, and the time came to say goodbye, I knew for sure that it was not what I wanted.

You have pushed me really hard. In many ways. But the most disturbing was asking to move in with me after three months of knowing each other. I wouldn't move in with a girl if I knew her for less than a year, and even then, I would not be sure I would want to do that, certainly not before getting engaged. You wanted me to rescue you from a crappy living situation in Queens where you have two lousy jobs and had a flooded bathtub. You want me to reach down and pull you up. But then what do I get back from you? This is the same situation I was in five years ago and I do not desire go back into it again.

And then there's the sexual aspect. You've pushed me harder and harder to a level that I am not comfortable with. And I'm still not. There is so much more to making a relationship last than hobbies and a physical connection. I've given in and given in just to make you happy. I am no longer willing to do that.

Most of all, our values. You clearly believe in things that I do not and I believe in certain things that while you say you would make an effort to understand where I'm coming from and who I am, I don't believe that you are sincere. It's just what you think I want to hear. And through a lot of heartbreak and rejection, I have a pretty good radar for when someone is being real and when they're full of it.

I give you a lot of credit for this though. You have been very affirming, very considerate, and very giving. About as much as anyone I've ever known. But I know inside of me that I do not have that same spirit in me towards you. If I was that giving, it would be out of obligation, not out of desire. We both deserve better than that.

This wasn't supposed to get to this point. You're really not supposed to be here. Not now, not anymore. It's over.

Conflicted

I twist around and turn around and then I give in.
You end up in control of me, it's really a sin. Don't know what you're doing to me, but I know it's a crime.
Why must you make me cross that line?