Sweet Baby Jebus and all things holy.
Saw this guy everywhere at Bear Week. He has such lovely fur, and a killer beard.
Dreamy.
Woof daddy!
Bulky.
Yum.
Love the view.
Grrrr.
Cutie.
Sigh.
Redneck hottie.
Haaay.
Damn.
Beautiful belly.
Gorgeous.
Wow.
So handsome.
Cutie bear.
Sexy scar.
Whatcha thinking about? Bear stuff?
Side view sexy.
Woof and Grrrr and stuff.
Another beautiful belly.
Damn. Damn. Damn.
Adorable.
Woof.
Nuzzle.
Love his intensity.
Let's get all that gear off you now.
Stretch.
Love his torso.
Mirror hottie.
Furry forearms.
Snuggle.
I want to climb those mountains.
UNF.
Sexy daddy!
Belly.
Drool.
Sexy man with cat.
Nothing wrong here.
Killing. Me.
Fuck yes.
With the move to San Francisco a little over a week away, I thought I would do a very Atlanta-centric post today. I have lived here 22 years and it really is a home. Lord knows she has plenty of problems, but her pleasures completely overshadow them. This will be the most random of posts, sometimes with just names of places or whatnot, and this is all off the cuff, so I am sure I am leaving a ton of things off. So, to my wonderful city of Atlanta, here we go:
Twenty-two years. Wow. Almost half of my life. I came to Atlanta at the age of 23 and began my career at CNN as a video editor, then somehow got it in my bright head that I wanted to be an attorney. And after stints as a litigator and trademark prosecutor, I leave Atlanta as an E-Discovery attorney.
All of my major relationships in my life have begun (and some ended) here. I don't regret any of them. As I look at it, had I not made those choices, I never would have ended up at that pool party where I met my husband Andrew.
Of course the main thing we will miss are all of our friends here. We have some really wonderful men and women we are proud to call our friends. We are moving because we want to try out a new adventure in a city we have both felt strong ties to, if anything, I am hoping this move makes our friendships stronger.
It's interesting that when I first moved here all of my friends were women. As I leave, almost all are men.
Atlanta is known for its steamy summers, and I have experienced my fair share of them. The hottest that I can recall was in 1996 during the Olympics. It was completely oppressive.
I will not miss Atlanta's horrible traffic and inefficient public transportation. I can only imagine how amazing this city could be with proper transportation. They are making baby steps in the right direction, however, they really need to step it up.
I am sure to miss good Southern cooking, and especially Duke's mayonnaise. Thank heaven you can order it online.
I moved here in 1993, and up until 2006, I never lived in the same place for more than 2 years. My last 9 years here, I lived in the same loft. I have grown very attached to it, and I know when I leave it, it will be extremely emotional.
When I first moved to Atlanta, I was a lonely VJ at CNN making a paltry $15,000 a year. Me and my cohorts barely had two nickels to rub together and we would all convene at Tortilla's on Ponce de Leon, where you could get a monster burrito the size of your head and a beer for under $5. It was a grubby place, but the food was excellent and the company even more so.
Thankfully, I was never one to take for granted the Atlanta airport. I will miss the ease and access to pretty much every major city in the world through a simple, direct flight.
I can remember when GA 400 was not even open.
I will not miss having to drive from Atlanta to Savannah, my hometown. I-16 is perhaps the most boring stretch of highway on the planet.
Oxford Books on Pharr Road.
Watching the implosions of the Omni arena and the downtown Rich's department store.
The Earl, 529, The Masquerade, Variety Playhouse, The Tabernacle, Terminal West, Buckhead Theater, The Drunken Unicorn, The Fox Theater, Center Stage, The Loft, and Vinyl.
Indigo and Partners.
The whole move does not seem real. Life is moving in simultaneous slow and fast motion.
Movies Worth Seeing.
There many times over my time here in Atlanta when I could have moved elsewhere, yet none of those chances ever came to fruition. I guess SF is meant to be.
In my 22 years here I never went to Stone Mountain.
Most people don't realize how lush and green Atlanta is. When you get in one of our tall office buildings you seen a beautiful canopy of trees across the whole landscape.
Also, people don't realize how hilly Atlanta is. Makes riding a bike anywhere difficult at times.
Plus, I wouldn't ride my bike as a mode of transportation here anyway. The drivers in this town are practically on a Death Race 2000 against bikers and pedestrians.
Is going to the Clairmont Lounge worth it? If you are straight, probably. If you are gay, it is worth about 20 minutes of your time, then leave, and know you can now say you went.
The Varsity is completely overrated. Unless you want endless hours of diarrhea, I would suggest eating somewhere else.
And yes, the traffic in Atlanta is as bad as you think it is, which is why I always lived inside the perimeter and in town, so I didn't have to mess with the highways.
Blakes, The Armory, The Cove, Backstreet. In that order.
It will also be strange not to be 3.5 hours away from my family.
Piedmont Park.
The Beltline.
Lullwater Park.
The Alliance Theater, Actor's Express, and Horizon Theater.
The lovely parks that snake back and forth across Ponce De Leon Avenue in the Druid Hills and Lake Claire neighborhoods.
Getting my first office with a window in downtown Atlanta in the 191 Peachtree Building. I loved watching the planes come in to Hartsfield.
I will not miss when it snows and/or ice storms here, as the city is ill equipped to handle it.
You will truly never know what Atlanta club culture was like if you never went to Backstreet. The famed, open 24 hours a day club was an amazing place that knew no limits or had any boundaries. It was place where gay/straight, men/women, and people of all races, creeds, and cultures could come and dance their cares away. There will never be anything like it again.
We will have to find a new tradition out in SF. Monday night wangz at Woofs was such an integral part of our routine and a fun meeting place for our close friends.
I will miss the following restaurants (in no particular order, and probably leaving out a hundred places): El Ponce, The Colonnade, Roxx, Bacchanalia, The Highland Tap, Nino's, Alfredo's, Restaurant Eugene, George's, Barcelona, Fritti, Sotto Sotto, 4th & Swift, Rathbun's, Rathbun's Steak, Agave, Fox Bros. BBQ, Cafe Alsace, Bones, Chops, TAP, Tamarind, Campagnolo, Houstons, South City Kitchen, Blue Ridge Grill, Eclipse de Luna, Babettes, Wisteria, Murphy's, Alon's Bakery, Fellini's Pizza, Johnny's Pizza, Ecco, Floataway Cafe, Hals, Holeman & Finch, Lure, Watershed, Carroll Street Cafe, and Blue Ribbon Grill.
I hate that my cat Missy won't make the trip to SF.
Nikkimoto's sushi.
I have seen umpteen bands and artists perform in Atlanta, so I could never come up with a definitive list. But here are some of favorite shows:
The xx at Club 529, with only about 60 people in attendance, just as they were getting huge.
Grizzly Bear and Beach House at the Variety Playhouse.
Damon Albarn at the Egyptian Ballroom at The Fox.
Bjork and Aphex Twin in Heaven at the Masquerade on her first tour.
Radiohead in Heaven at the Masquerade right after releasing OK Computer.
Wild Beasts at Variety Playhouse.
LCD Soundsystem and Sleigh Bells at the Tabernacle.
Phantogram in Hell at the Masquerade.
Pet Shop Boys at the Tabernacle.
Dead Can Dance at The Roxy (now the Buckhead Theater).
Nine Inch Nails at the Omni.
Nirvana, The Breeders, and Come at the Omni.
PJ Harvey and Tricky at Variety Playhouse.
Slowdive at Center Stage.
I remember attending the first Music Midtown, which was held on a patch of dirt between 10th and 11th streets where the Federal Reserve building now stands. The festival was only notable for me as the first and only time The Stone Roses played, who stormed off the stage after 3 songs because their monitors weren't working.
Spring in Atlanta is so lovely, especially in neighborhoods that have a lot of dogwood trees. Of course, with the beauty comes the horrible pollen.
I'm very thankful for the Ponce City Market development along with the Atlanta Beltline. Both were enough to send property values in my neighborhood soaring.
Transfer.
Outwrite Books.
Watching areas like West Midtown, downtown near CNN Center, Atlantic Station, and others be developed into better places.
I will miss my friend Joshua. Although we usually only saw each other a few times a year for drinks and in passing at events, I always valued our talks, which effortlessly went back and forth from low culture to high. His perspective on things was always novel and intriguing, and I will miss those evenings spent at the bar at 4th & Swift. We may have to have some FaceTime drinks one night.
Experiencing my first gay pride.
Rio Mall and Australian Body Works.
Streets I lived on in Atlanta: North Druid Hills Rd., Ponce de Leon Ave., Rupley Drive, Briarcliff Rd., Ponce de Leon Place, Vivian Circle, Piedmont Rd., Lenox Rd., and, lastly, Glen Iris Dr.
I will miss Chip's naked pool parties.
I can't remember the name of it, but it was a dessert place at the corner of Virgina Ave, and N. Highland, where Noche is now. They had the most amazing desserts, and on a Friday or Saturday night the line would snake down the sidewalk.
Camp Merton.
McClatchy Park in Ansley Park.
If money was no object, I would love to live in one of the gorgeous, big houses in either Ansley Park or in Druid Hills.
I hate that just as I am leaving I find the world's best barber. If you are looking for a great cut every time, go see Chapin at Atlas Barber Co. He's brilliant.
Late nights, or should I say early mornings at Xion. I miss the original location. Nothing like dancing in a straight, swingers club.
Pride in October. It used to be in June with most other major cities, however, due to some drought issues with Piedmont Park they moved it. The weather is usually perfect, and avoids the brutal heat and humidity, and the often occurring torrential downpours.
It goes without saying, I hope, that words can't express how much I will miss my best friend Kurt. The only person that knows me as well is Andrew. Kurt and I went from best friends to partners and back to best friends. He will always be in my life and will always be someone I vent to and share each others highs and lows. I just need to convince him and his boyfriend to move out to SF ;)
So, here I go, off for new adventures in probably the most beautiful city I have ever seen:
Lyrics Rattling Around My Brain
"Let the guns go off
Let the bombs explode
Let the lights go dark
Life is good
Life is good
Let the guns go off
Let the bombs explode
Oh just once
We'll be gone before we know
Question how will we go
Will we see the ones we've lost?
Oh, just once
You'll see the ones I've lost
But how would I know
To see the ones I've loved?"
HEALTH
"New Coke"
"I must be tough
I must behave, I must keep fighting
Don't give it up
I want to keep us compromising
Open your arms and pray
To the truth that you're denying
Give in to the game
To the sense that you've been hiding
Where are you taking me?
I can't be blamed
I want you to want me again
Is it desire
Or is it love that I'm feeling for you
I want desire
'Cause your love only gets me abused
Give me that rush
I want to show you what you've been missing
Am I enough
To keep your other lovers hidden
Where are you taking me?
I can't be blamed
I want you to want me again
Is it desire
Or is it love that I'm feeling for you
I want desire
'Cause your love only gets me abused
Is it desire (is it desire)
Or is it love that I'm feeling for you
I want desire
I wanna see what you're willing to lose
You know that you've got me
You've locked me down
You tell me you want me
You need it now
You know that you've got me
You've locked me down
You tell me you want me now
Is it desire? (Is it desire)
Or is it love that I'm feeling for you
I want desire (I want desire)
'Cause your love only gets me abused
Is it desire? (Is it desire)
Or is it love that I'm feeling for you? (That I'm feeling for you)
I want desire
I wanna see what you're willing to lose (ooh what you're willing to lose)."
Years & Years
"Desire"
Appealing Things
All our friends that have taken time to come see us before leaving
Steroids to get rid of this sinus crap
HEALTH's album DEATH MAGIC
Failure's new record The Heart Is a Monster
How quick PayPal transfers money and it clears my account.
Annoying Things
Having your cold turn into a massive, debilitating sinus infection the week before you move 2,200 miles cross country
People who shoot animals for sport
Packing
Not being with Andrew on his cross country trip
