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Sunday Brunch

Gene and I are fanatical about eating at restaurants around Atlanta serving generous portions of tasty food for little money. Rachel Ray of $40 A Day has nothing on us. The Flying Biscuit Cafe in Candler Park is our favorite place for brunch, but late last Sunday morning we ate at West Egg Cafe on Howell Mill Road for the first time. Gene ordered migas con chorizo [scrambled eggs, turkey garlic sausage, queso fresco, tomatillo sauce and tortilla strips] with rosemary potatoes and I chose french toast with bananas and rum sauce. Many ingredients were barely present in the migas con chorizo and the rosemary potatoes were more boiled than oven roasted. While yummy the french toast could soak in the egg batter and stay on the stove a little longer before being topped with bananas and rum sauce. Despite subtle disappointment with our meals we decided against writing off West Egg Cafe entirely and to try it again in the future, maybe ordering from the breakfast line-up instead of the brunch menu.

Duncan Sheik Concert

Two weeks ago, Tuesday night August 30 Gene and I went to Smith's Olde Bar to see Duncan Sheik perform. He's released three CDs [two major label, one independent] since his 1996 self-titled debut, which contains his only Billboard charting single 'Barely Breathing.' The upstairs Music Room opened promptly at eight and about twenty minutes later a singer-songwriter not on the bill took the stage with her guitar. After her first number the singer joked she could play five songs in the time allotted if she didn’t talk between songs. Still she spoke enough that by the end of her set we learned this talented alternative country/ folk singer with well penned lyrics and a voice that recalls Jewel was Courtney Jaye. A half-hour passed before David Poe played a near sixty-minute solo set with a sound evoking Seventies-era Paul Simon. A now bearded Duncan *woof!* appeared on stage with band around ten-thirty and played through two hours including tracks from his previous CDs and his new indie EP. Duncan and David also performed three songs from their unnamed rock band project, two as a duo during David's set and 'White Limousine' [a rather rocking song] backed by the band during Duncan's set. Poe also snapped photos of the audience during and after his performance - that is to say during Duncan's performance.

Bear Trap Saloon

Late last Sunday morning Gene returned a pair of dress pants and shopped for a long-sleeve button-front shirt and a plain tee at Old Navy in Kennesaw. While he headed to the fitting rooms I browsed the shipping crates filled with graphic tees and spotted the Bear Trap Saloon shirt. The art depicts a bear with an arm around a man with a goatee, baseball cap and suspenders - each with a mug of beer in hand. After Gene left the fitting rooms I pointed out the shirt to him and he agreed it more than suggestively hinted at the gay male Bear subculture. Apparently we weren’t the only people to make this observation. Gene was able to find the shirt in an extra large no problem, but the only extra-extra large had holes in it from being pinned to a display board. After a drive twelve miles south on Interstate 75 to the Parkway Pointe, Atlanta location I found one last XXL and bought it. The difficulty locating a relatively recent graphic tee in my size leads me to believe a good number of self identified Bears spotted the shirt and had similar thoughts.

Post Surgery Complications 8.17.05

My mother [who resides in Port Richey, Florida] underwent scheduled bilateral knee replacement surgery Friday July 15. That weekend she suffered a release of muscle fiber into the circulatory system causing kidney failure, a heart attack, lack of blood pressure and liver damage. Within three days my mother endured additional surgeries to alleviate swelling in the legs - large incisions were cut knee to ankle on both sides of the left leg and only one side of the right leg. The wounds were left open, covered with dressings and tubes inserted providing drainage. During thirteen days in the Intensive Care Unit my mother recovered from the heart attack, lack of blood pressure and liver damage. However, regularly scheduled dialysis is required until the kidneys function again which may take weeks or months. After an additional nineteen days in the hospital my mother moved to a rehabilitation facility today for a potentially longer stay than originally planned. A cause for these traumatic post surgery complications remains unknown by the doctor and surgeon who deemed my fifty-three year-old mother an ideal candidate for the procedure.

Post Weekend Update 8.9.05

•Saturday evening the boyfriend and I ate dinner at Vatica with my former housemates and great friends Charlene, Margaret and Geraldine along with Geraldine’s girlfriend Elizabeth. Gene and I ate lunch at Vatica twice before and apart from costing two additional dollars there’s no discernable difference between dinner and lunch. The usual Indian vegetarian dishes [naan, poori, potato curry, rice, soup, spiced beans and yogurt] were served at the no menu all-you-can-eat restaurant followed by saffron flavored ice cream for dessert. Keeping up with conversations at the table I missed opportunities for second helpings of everything except rice. The food was delicious as always and I don’t think the ladies minded the restaurant owner’s kidding around.
•9:45 Sunday morning we arrived at Ikea for breakfast and shopping. Gene and I each had the ninety-nine cent scrambled eggs, bacon and seasoned potatoes plate and split a cinnamon roll and a plate of tasty crepe-like Swedish pancakes with lingonberry sauce. Including beverage my meal totaled four dollars-two cents. After breakfast I bought a Blund [a soft toy bear] that I boxed and mailed to my mother in the hospital in Florida.

Belated Birthday Update

Since my thirty-third birthday marked the start of Atlanta Pride weekend, we celebrated the prior Sunday, June 19 with brunch at the Flying Biscuit Cafe in Candler Park. I overindulged and ordered a half-order of Orange Scented French Toast in addition to my usual Omelette. And eating at the Flying Biscuit Cafe isn’t complete without a tasty biscuit topped with butter and cranberry apple butter. What made the meal memorable was spending the morning with Gene, who gave me Queer As Folk-Season Four DVD, and Charlene, Margaret and Geraldine, former housemates and great friends who gave me Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 and 'Ultimate Kylie'.

The Passion Of The Crawford

Last Thursday night the boyfriend and I carried our folding canvas chairs and a cooler - filled with a bottle of water, lavash sandwich wraps and several cans of Diet Coke - into Piedmont Park to see the Screen On The Green showing of 'Mommie Dearest.' My first experience at Turner Classic Movies' Film Festival In The Park was wildly entertaining. We arrived around six-thirty, staked out a piece of the meadow shaded from the scorching late afternoon sun, listened to the live mix from DJ Brett Long, ate our sandwiches and watched as people poured into the park until the movie started shortly after nine-fifteen. In the crowd a man wore a terrycloth robe, a turban and wax lips in homage to the moment when Joan thanks fans from her front door after hearing of her Academy Award win for 'Mildred Pierce' wearing a bathrobe. Also spotted were people with wire hangers wrapped around their heads and others carrying hangers shaped from glow sticks that they waved in the air as Crawford mercilessly beats Christina in the infamous 'No wire hangers!' rampage. Watching the biggest mother of them all on an outdoor screen with a huge crowd on a sultry southern night was an absolute blast and a fun unofficial kick-off of Atlanta Pride!

'Eating Out'

After missing it during Out On Film last November, saw the independent gay comedy 'Eating Out' at Midtown Art Cinema last Saturday afternoon. The plot about a straight college student posing as gay to gain the attention of a fag hag might have played tired and worn out but dialogue infused with witty gay and pop culture references and roles from out season one American Idol contestant Jim Verraros and Desperate Housewives' Ryan Carnes made it fun to watch. A riotous quote from the film that sticks with me is from Caleb’s sister Jamie-'You’re a reality show without a camera crew.'

Dinner And A Movie And Dining Out For Life

Last week’s Atlanta Movie Bears night at the AMC Buckhead Backlot 6 to see 'The Amityville Horror' was a good time. Despite a nail biting, tension building, well constructed opening sequence and Ryan Reynolds inability to find a shirt to wear in many scenes *woof !*, the retelling of the twenty-six year old horror classic lived up to its lackluster critical reviews. The boyfriend and I both ordered the chicken tenders basket and split a pitcher of Diet Coke at the theater, although some chicken strips were overcooked and not so tender the french fries were pretty tasty. After the movie we went to Woofs where I drank a couple of Sam Adams, Gene chatted briefly with a few fellow local Live Journal users and we talked with Atlanta Movie Bears creator John for a while before heading home. This week we plan to pass on the group movie night and take part in Dining Out For Life benefitting Project Open Hand with a yummy meal Thursday evening at Taqueria del Sol on Howell Mill Road.

The 'Horror'

The boyfriend and I plan to see 'The Amityville Horror' when the Atlanta Movie Bears get together at the AMC Buckhead Backlot 6 tomorrow night. Looking forward to giving my complete attention to Ryan Reynolds starring in the retelling of the twenty-six year old horror classic for an entire ninety minutes, despite expected less than favorable reviews from critics. Also anticipating the experience of combining dinner and a movie since this is my first time attending a combination cinema and café. Although Atlanta Movie Bears hasn’t led to socializing outside of the group, meeting new people for a midweek movie break is definitely fun.