Take That, Presidential Fitness Test!

Yes, I am totally wearing makeup.
I knew I would want my picture at the finish line!

Two years ago, I spent the day of the Tomato Art Fest at the hospital, embarking on a five-month sentence of bed rest.

This year, I ran my first 5k!

Yep, the girl who insisted on walking through the Presidential Physical Fitness Test in grade school is finally a runner. For about 5 years now I've thought about trying to run or walk a 5k, but I never got around to training or trying. This summer some of my MOMS Club friends decided to sign up for the Tomato 5k together, and I realized I finally had the motivation I needed!

When everyone started breezing past me at the beginning of the race, I felt discouraged and had to remind myself that my central goal was to finish; if I finished last, I would still accomplish my goal. I was really excited to find that I ran the race in about 36 minutes, which was faster that I had hoped!

I didn't quite make my stretch goal of jogging the entire race. I took five or six much needed walk breaks, and I'm glad I did. I think that contributed to making the race a pleasant experience for me. Plus, jogging the entire race can be my goal for the NEXT race I enter!

TSD

A funny noise
A funny smell
Is it here?
No, we are safe
High on our hill

Go to bed
Must sleep
Must sleep
Can't sleep

All those houses
All those people
So close
So near

A car door
Fire Department
Time to go
No, a neighbor
Hauling his dumpster to the street
(It's midnight, man - are you crazy?)
(Maybe just back from sandbags. Good man, good man.)

Okay.
Go to sleep.
Go to sleep.
Not working.

So quiet.
Strain my ears - can I hear the raging, the overtaking?
Lapping my street?
Lapping my thoughts?
Lapping.......
Lapping...
Time to let go.

Not a Drop

I don't even know what to say any more. Just blogging to get some feelings out. What a crazy few days.

Tonight the evacuations came closer to us....just a mile or so away. We are at a much higher elevation, and a mile makes a big difference, but it is a little scary.

I'm hoping to drop off cleaning supplies and/or cookies or something to the relief volunteers tomorrow. It's a small part I can play.

I can't imagine the effect this will have on Nashville in the years to come. Schermerhorn Symphony Center, Bridgestone Arena, Opryland Hotel, Grand Ole Opry -- all flooded.

Not to mention our suffering water treatment plants. Ugh. I don't even want to think about that.

At times this doesn't even feel real. We can't see any of the devastation from our house (not that I'm complaining). I haven't shed any tears, instead choosing to channel my grief into non-stop news absorption.

I'm so thankful that my friends and family are safe. I'm thankful for a lot of things this evening.

The Great Flood

Beautiful Nashville is underwater.

Our house is safely perched on a hill, so we are staying dry. However, many homes and business in the city are experiencing catastrophic flooding.

Paul and I were driving home from visiting my grandmother in Kentucky yesterday when we first started hearing about the flooding. As we drove down I-65, we started reading tweets about cars submerged in water on Interstate 24. We made it home without incident after a quick stop at the store. I kept my eyes on Twitter and the news, but I wasn't prepared for what was to come today.

Franklin and Bellevue are flooded. Hundreds of people are being rescued by boat. The Cumberland River is about to overflow into downtown Nashville.

What on earth? This is Nashville, not New Orleans or New Braunfels. We don't flood like this.

We are doing this with our own Nashville flavor, however. Wynonna Judd's buffalo have escaped their fence and are wandering around Lieper's Fork. Scores of songs are being written and re-written about the event.

Most of my family and friends are safe, with a few experiencing (relatively) minor basement flooding and power outages. I think the pervasive feeling among those who are safe is a mix of gratitude and helplessness. I know that's my current state of mind. I so want to help, but I imagine the best thing for me to do is stay off the streets and pray. There are trained first responders out there right now helping those in need -- the rest of us will be essential in days and weeks to come, providing support to those who have lost everything.


An event like this is so humbling, especially for a control freak like me. Before and during our trip to Europe I constantly worried about the air travel, wondering if we would be safe. Looks like I was safer in the air than I would be in several parts of Nashville tonight.

If you are in the Middle Tennessee area, remember to stay in touch with friends and keep up-to-date with the news. Just tonight a water conservation warning has been issued; Metro had to shut down one of their water treatment plants.

If you are eager to help, you can volunteer with Hands On Nashville or donate via The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. If it is safe for you to walk around your neighborhood in the morning, consider checking on neighbors (especially the elderly and disabled) to see if anyone has lost power or needs help.

I hope you all stay safe tonight, wherever you are!

Sharing the Road

On a recent sunny day I was out running errands. I watched people walking their dogs and whizzing about on their scooters, and I had a moment of gratitude for my awesome neighborhood. Suddenly, I saw a cyclist whip his bike around the left side of a car at a stop sign, determined to dash ahead of the car in traffic.

I love living in an area where people ride bikes. Here in East Nashville bicycles are more than a weekend activity; residents commute on their bikes and take them on errands.

What I don't love, however, is bike riders who don't respect traffic laws.

Drivers are often chided to "share the road" with their biking counterparts, and of course we do need to be aware of people on bikes and take precautions to keep the road safe for everyone.

However, I ask the bikers out there to "share the road" with drivers as well, and help us keep YOU safe.

I've always been taught that bicycles count as vehicles, and thus are subject to most traffic laws. Personally, I have no problem with amateur bikers being on sidewalks as long as they yield to pedestrians -- probably because I am one of those wobbly beginner cyclists myself, and I'm terrified of wobbling into traffic. But my general understanding is that bikes belong on the right side of the road along with cars.

Countless times I have been driving down the road with cyclists next to me in the bike lane or ahead of me in the regular lane, only to observe the them breeze through a stop sign or traffic light. I think my favorite phenomenon is when cyclists stay in regular traffic until they hit a stoplight, at which point they race onto the sidewalk to take advantage of the crosswalk. It's like some sort of "cyclist uncertainty principle"-- I never know if someone on a bike is going to remain in traffic, dart through a light, move to the sidewalk, or join up with their three other buddies bicycles and block two lanes of traffic (saw that one a few weeks ago).

Anyway, all that to say, I LOVE that people ride bikes. People who commute by bike are even cooler than vegetarians or people who wear Tom's Shoes. But please, when you are riding your bike, obey traffic laws, and help me not kill you. Thanks.

Farewell to the East Nashville Listserv

Google deleted the 3000 member East Nashville listserv this morning.

Several years of banter, service references, acts of kindness, and community announcements are gone.

Laura Creekmore, the listserv founder and moderator, is working to she if she can restore the list or at least create a new one. More info is available at her blog: http://www.urlzen.com/kw0

Buy stuff!

Hey, readers, time for a little self-promotion.

This Saturday, June 28, I'll be at CRAFT's Summer Extravaganza with ghia. You should check it out. There will be dozens of local artists peddling their fabulous work, plus a cookout to benefit East Nashville Cooperative Ministry.

I'm supposed to receive a new shipment of fair trade jewelry and accessories tomorrow, so anyone who comes to the event will probably get to see new products even before they are on the website. Hope to see you there!

Let's Be Neighborly

When I worked downtown, I used to wish I had a card with a list of resources for people down on their luck. I didn't want to give money to panhandlers, but I did wish for ideas to help people who needed a way out of their situation.

Two years later, I found out that such a resource does exist.

It's called Where to Find Help in Nashville, and it's a pamphlet compiled by the Metropolitan Homeless Commission and the MDHA. The pamphlet lists organizations that can help people with shelter, food, medical care, clothing, and many other services. It's a great resource for churches and non-profits to have on hand, but I also recommend it for individuals.

If you frequently find yourself wishing you could help someone who clearly needs a place to stay or a way to eat, print out a few of these pamphlets and keep them with you as you go about your day.

WHERE TO FIND HELP IN NASHVILLE [PDF]

I also did some work with East Nashville Cooperative Ministry to help them compile an East Nashville and downtown-specific pamphlet. Several churches on the Eastside asked for a list of helpful organizations within walking distance of the Main Street/Woodland Street area, so we obliged. The pamphlet does contain a few places that aren't in walking distance, since there are some organizations that don't have an equivalent on this side of the river.

WHERE TO FIND HELP IN EAST NASHVILLE [PDF]

P.S. -- Yeah, I think I'll ask for your money again today. If you have some extra cash and you're wondering what to do with it, consider giving to ENCM. They do awesome work in the East Nashville community, including a food box program, thrift store, and lunches for the homeless. You can donate through GivingMatters.com.

Life Update

My blogging seems to come in bursts. In fact, I'm writing several blog posts today (June 19) and then scheduling them to post once a day so I don't clog anybody's feed reader. But that's okay. As long as I keep the crowd happy. Or indifferent.

Last weekend was my sixth wedding anniversary. My handsome husband took me out for dinner and dancing, which was lots of fun. I definitely picked a good guy. :-) He also sent me these fantastically beautiful flowers.

I posted the picture from ProFlowers.com, because I neglected to get a good picture before they started to fade. Oh, and not only did hubby choose and order beautiful flowers, he did his research to make sure the flowers were not poisonous to cats. Now that's true love, folks. (And despite the fact that I am keeping the flowers in my bedroom, Loa keeps sneaking in and stealing the buds that have fallen on the floor.)

In other news.....well.....does anybody remember that cartoon Belle and Sebastien? Not the band, the weird anime cartoon?

Well, I always wanted a big white dog like Belle so I could ride around the mountains with her, stopping in little cottages where friendly people would let me eat bread and cheese.

Now I have a Belle.

Actually, his name is Khan, and he's a foster dog with Freedom Farm. We're letting him stay with us until he finds a forever home. He's a wonderful dog, very calm and gentle. However, I'm still adjusting to the wrestling matches he and Cameron have every 15 minutes. (No, we did not name him Khan. He already had a fantastically geeky name when we met him.)

Anyway, if you need a big, fluffy goofball who can also watch your sheep (he's a Great Pyrenees mix), this might be the dog for you.

One more thing: I'd like to invite all you Nashvillians out there to donate to this year's Tomato Art Fest. The festival needs donations for security, street closings, etc., and any amount helps. To donate, click on the Tomato Donato meter! Thanks!

That WordPress site....

Thanks to everyone who advised me concerning WordPress as an engine for a non-profit site. I created the site, and it fits the non-profit's needs. The staff is learning how to add content, and it looks much better than the HTML site I originally created.

I added as RSS feed of the non-profit's Google Calendar to the sidebar. That seems to be the best way to feature a dynamic list of upcoming events.

So, if you're curious, check it out:

East Nashville Cooperative Ministry: www.encm.net

Thanks for your help!

East Nashville Eats

There have been some tasty developments in East Nashville as of late:

Calypso Cafe -- Yes, the awesome Calypso finally has crossed the border, er, river. I'm excited about their new location attracting downtown business folk to the Eastside for lunch.

MadDonna's -- After months of preparation, MadDonna's opened last week. Paul and I visited last night. I thought it was on the good side of average. My hamburger was pretty good, but both it and the calamari appetizer were bland for my tastes. Paul liked the calamari and really enjoyed his entree, the Coconut Thai Salmon. We ate in the main dining room, although we took a peek at the outside dining area and the upstairs bar (very chic). This is a great addition to the 'hood. The grand opening will be April 28th.

Coming Soon:
The Veggie Cafe -- The long-awaited Veggie Cafe opens tomorrow! I am so excited that this place is about to open, especially since it's within walking distance of my house. I tried a smoothie and veggie wrap from these ladies at the Tomato Art Fest, and it was a delicious meal. Plus, they gave ice to my dog, so they've earned a place in my heart forever. I look forward to trying some of their vegetarian soul food; I've heard the meatless meatloaf is great.
UPDATE 3/14/07: Just stopped by Veggie Cafe, and they are still undergoing health inspections. They hope to be open by tonight, or perhaps tomorrow.

Mitchell's Delicatessen -- This place opens March 22nd in Riverside Village. The deli will offer a variety of sandwiches, meats, cheeses, a salad bar, and prepared food (the latter from Chef Julia of Family Wash fame). It will be open for breakfast, lunch, and early dinner.

Mike's Ice Cream/Sip -- Mike Duguay of Mike's Ice Cream Fountain is taking over Sip this month and adding his ice cream to the shop's offerings. But don't worry, Sip fans -- reportedly there are few changes planned other than the addition of ice cream. Duguay also plans to move the manufacturing aspect of his business to Riverside Village later this year.

Pied Piper Creamery EXPANDED -- And speaking of ice cream, Pied Piper is expanding to take over the space recently vacated by V Floral & Gift. Owner Jenny Piper tells me her shop will soon be offering sandwiches and perhaps a hot food item each day.


One thing we won't be seeing soon is an Asian fusion restaurant. Riverside Village developer Dan Heller reports that plans for the new restaurant are on hold after Metro Water demanded a $42,000 connection fee from the prospective restaurant owner.

I have to admit, when I first heard this story I wondered if it was referring to an inexperienced business owner who had found himself in over his head (I know something about that!). Turns out, the man behind the plan for the new restaurant is Matt Charette, owner of Beyond the Edge and Batter'd & Fried. Yeah, he knows a little something about running restaurants, and I'm sad that the exorbitant water fees are prohibiting him from investing further in the community. I really, really hope this restaurant happens.

For more info about the crazy water connection fees, check out this recent article from the Tennessean.

One last note -- Castrillo's has been sold. The recipes will stay the same, but the new owner decided to scale back operations a bit. The pizza place will revert to delivery and carry-out only, although pizza lovers will be welcome to dine in the courtyard of Riverside Village.

Blind Puppy Needs Your Help!

Now that I have your attention . . .



We had quite the crisis on the East Nashville list-serve last week. Someone posted that A BLIND PUPPY HAD BEEN REPORTED MISSING!!! OMG PONIES!!!1!!!11!

There were offers of help pouring in from all quarters. At least once person offered to take time off work to find the blind puppy.

Lest you think I am mocking these kind hearts, let me assure you that the puppy's plight would have reduced me to tears had I not already seen the e-mail heralding the puppy's rescue.

Yes, someone saw the puppy wandering in the middle of Shelby Street and took him to safety.

Fast forward a few days...

My friend Ariana met the puppy rescuer at the dog park. She found out that the rescuer contacted the puppy's owners, but the owners decided they could no longer take care of a special needs dog.

Thus...

THE BLIND PUPPY NEEDS A HOME!

Do you have room in your heart and home for him?

Details at Ariana's blog.

Halloween Update

So far on my Halloween poll, the winning option is me giving out bouncy balls or some other non-food items to trick or treaters. That's good, because that's what I decided to do anyway. :-) Mel had some mini-tubs of Play-Doh that she wasn't going to use, so I bought those off of her. Being awesome, she also threw in some bubble gum, spider rings, and twisty bracelets, so the 10 or 12 trick-or-treaters who actually come by my house will find lots of fun options. If they come before I leave for community group.

Last night I stopped by the Guilty Pleasures show at the Frist Center, and I was delighted to see one of the singers in a She-Ra costume. That's amazing dedication to the 80s, folks. Also appearing: The Energizer Bunny, Rambo, Willie Nelson, and Chrissy from Three's Company.

I dragged my very patient husband to a costume party in East Nashville tonight. Dan Beck threw a party, so we stopped by to stay hi. I fashioned a cat costume out of my critter hat, a fuzzy scarf, and black clothing, and Paul donned his fedora and camera to become a photographer. Highlights of the party: The band in the living room playing (mostly) blues, and the dogs in costume.

Several people on my neighborhood list-servs have been asking when trick or treating will be this year. Like, will it be tonight (Saturday) or on Halloween (Wednesday). One person said they couldn't find anything about it on the internet. Ummmm....... as one neighbor replied, "I've held trick or treat on Halloween for the past 53 years...when do other people do it?"

To be fair, I'm sure there are neighborhood organizations that decide to have trick-or-treating on a weekend instead of a weeknight. Just struck me as a funny question.

By the way, did you hear that Kat Coble is giving out Bibles for Halloween? Or maybe not...interesting discussion in the comments over at her place.

To Treat or Not to Treat

All Hallows' Eve approaches. Neighbors are hanging plastic skeletons on their doors, and I took my dog to a Halloween party at Red Rover tonight (gotta love East Nashville).

I'm trying to decide what to do for Halloween this year. I loved Halloween as a little kid. Being a chocoholic, it was totally my kind of holiday. I loved to dress up, too. For me, Halloween was like a mini-Hollywood, my chance to be an actress, to play at being a different person for one day. The makeup, the costumes -- even today I wish I had more reasons to go around wearing silly outfits.

This year I don't have any costumes or events planned, but one never knows.....Paul and I threw a last minute movie party last year, and I pieced together a Bollywood outfit in a few hours.

My current debate centers around the candy issue. I loooooooove sugar, but I've also had some blood sugar problems in the past, so I question the responsibility of giving out a bunch of candy to kids (writer's note: that's totally my issue and not a judgment on what anyone else decides to do. so chill.). But I don't want to be the lame "raisin house" either. I always hated getting raisins in my trick-or-treat bag.

I've thought about trying to go the arcade prize route and giving out bouncy balls or stickers or something. Of course, if I do stick with candy, I could always spring for fair trade chocolate.

Knowing me, I'll probably end up with whatever I find at Kroger right before the trick-or-treaters start knocking on my door. But just out of curiosity, what's your vote?

What should Christy give to trick-or-treaters this Halloween?

• 
  
  Candy


• 
  
  Lame raisins or peanuts


• 
  
  Raisins or peanuts, but covered in chocolate


• 
  
  Bouncy balls or stickers or some weird non-food item


• 
  
  Fair trade chocolate


• 
  
  Nothing, hide in the basement

view results
Free vote poll

Yep, I need this at my next birthday party

Inflatable Titanic Slide

Yes, now you can rent an inflatable depiction of the sinking Titanic. Great for starting discussions with kids at parties, bringing up fun party questions like,"What was the Titanic?" "Why did it sink?" "What happened to all the people on board?" "Did any children die?" and many, many more!

I saw this in East Park a few months ago. No kidding.

Strange Treasures of the Impulse Aisle

So I was at the Inglewood Kroger today, waiting to check out with my groceries, when I noticed some interesting items positioned for the perusal of us poor souls waiting in line. These walls of product directly preceding a cash register often are termed the "Impulse Aisle," as the purpose is to convince the conveniently captive audience that they need yet another item before they end the day's shopping.

So here are my wondrous finds:











Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans

Yes, now you can taste jelly beans in the exciting flavors of worms, soap, and more! This Harry Potter-inspired candy is made by Jelly Belly, which seems appropriate to me because I think some of their existing flavors taste like worms and soap. Personally, this is not the Harry Potter candy I would pick for an impulse aisle. Chocolate Frogs, complete with collectible wizard cards, are totally the way to go.













Elvis Pez

Not only do you need an Elvis Pez dispenser, you need THREE Elvis Pez dispensers: Fat Elvis, Young Elvis, and Military Elvis. I suppose these were ordered for "Elvis Week" last month, but I didn't notice them until this week. I could be wrong, but I'm guessing this would have impulse appeal to a very limited segment of the population.

Tomato Recap

The Tomato Art Fest was AWESOME! I had so much fun. I actually got teary during the parade -- there was something so wonderful about seeing all of my neighbors (and their children and dogs) dressed in tomato-y goodness.

Paul took tons of pictures. You can check them out here.

The first page of pictures are from the East Nashville fashion show that took place at the fest.

One of the highlights of the festival for me was the fact that my booth was next to The Veggie Cafe booth. I got to sample a vegetarian wrap and non-dairy smoothie for lunch, and that was the perfect meal for such a sweltering day. Plus, when Paul brought Cameron the dog for a visit, the veggie ladies brought over some ice to keep Cameron cool.

Tomato Time!

This Saturday is East Nashville's annual Tomato Art Fest. I'm going to be there, and you should go, too. :-)

Actually, I'll have a booth there for ghia. Come see our new fair trade purses and accessories, plus fun tomato hats and buttons. My friend Ariana will be there, too, selling her awesome hand-crafted earrings.

I'll be in the lot next to Art & Invention on Woodland Street, from 10am to 6pm. While you're there, check out the rest of the festival, including a parade, a fashion show, lots of music, and salsa dancing lessons. Oh, and the tomato art! You can see a complete schedule at www.tomatoartfest.com.


On Sunday, I'll be taking part in CRAFT -- A Creative Community. It's a terrific event with Nashville artists and artisans selling their wares. Visit us behind the Lipstick Lounge (Woodland and 14th) from 11am to 5pm.

Upcoming Events, Random Thoughts, Linky-Dinks, etc.

Upcoming Events
BarCamp Nashville: Just registered today. Hoping to do a lot of networking and learning for ghia.

Tomato Art Fest: East Nashville's annual festival. You must go. We shall eat. We shall throw tomatoes. We shall dress in silly costumes. Much fun will be had. (And there will be a ghia booth, where you can buy stuff!)

Random Thoughts
Hurray! The Predators will (probably-almost-for-sure) be bought by the local group!

Why is my face breaking out right now? Gr.

Our SG-1 Season 10 boxed set arrived today. The behind-the-scenes feature on the 200th episode is awesome.

I just ordered more apparel for ghia, and I need models. Are any of you bloggers out there exceptionally photogenic? Other than my husband, whom I already drafted?

I can't decide which is weirder -- Prisoners doing the Thriller dance, or video game characters doing the Thriller dance.

Linky-Dinks
(not to be confused with Shrinky-Dinks)

Home-Ec 101: Natural, happy ways to clean the shower (must try this -- my current shower cleaner stuff practically burns my face off).

Harry Potter Obituaries (Thanks to MusicCityBloggers.com)
SPOILERS! Don't read if you haven't finished Deathly Hallows.

NASCAR Coach Reveals Secrets of Racing (Thanks to Josh Tinley)

Eastside Saturday

Since all of you already will be in East Nashville on Saturday morning to buy purses, I thought I would let you know some other Eastside happenings for this Saturday. The Inglewood area will be hopping with the mile-long garage sale and the opening of Riverside Village at McGavock Pike and Riverside Drive. Check it out:

The East Nashville School of Music is having a grand opening from 9am to 5pm. They are going to have live music, food, giveaways, discounts, etc.

Castrillo's Pizza -- my pizza of choice -- is having "Sing for a Slice" from 12pm to 3pm. Sing your best karaoke and earn a free slice of pizza!

Inglewood Backs & Tracks, a used book/CD/LP store will offer a preview of their wares before their official grand opening later this month.

New coffee shop Sip will offer drinks and pastries (I'm guessing the morning will be your best bet there).

The garage sale, featuring TONS of folks along Riverside and McGavock, will start around 6am or so.