Archive for June, 2008

The Europe Plans as of Now

June 17, 2008 at 6:26 pm · Filed under travel

The countdown continues and some more plans have been established:

This time in 3 weeks while you’re snoozing in your comfy beds and air-conditioned houses and offices, I will be camping (probably in nightly 40-degree weather) in the Caucasus Mountains in southwest Russia!

This time in 4 weeks I plan to be exploring the beautiful city of Prague! I’ve heard nothing but stellar comments about Prague, so I am hoping that my limited time there will not disappoint.

This past weekend, I met with a couple of friends I will be joining after my time in Prague to formalize some plans and book hostels. The original plan was just to go with the flow while over there, but per trusted advice, we thought it out a little more to make sure we have beds and flights while in “the land of hidden charges” (as I found out 4 years ago on my last European adventure).

We will be spending at least one night in Ljubljana, Slovenia and then heading to the small costal town of Triste, Italy. Why Triste? Well, we were going to go to Venice, but 2 of us have already been there and we wanted something a little less touristy. Though I totally LOVE Venice, I am uber excited about venturing slightly off the tourist beaten path.

From Triste, we will fly to Stansted, England via a discount airline and make our way to our hostel in London for a couple of nights. I’m aware that everything in London will be expensive, so I’m preparing myself now for ridiculous sticker shock but still totally enjoying the sites and cuisine!

I am already praying that our travel arrangements don’t get messed up and that all the logistics pan out smoothly. However, I have a feeling they won’t all be perfect, but I guess that’s a part of traveling, right?

If you’ve been to any of these places, let me know your suggestions of sites to see and places to eat that you consider a “secret gem.”

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Songwriters in the Round

June 16, 2008 at 1:25 pm · Filed under music ·Tagged

This past Friday night I made some last-minute plans to attend a free television special taping of a “songwriters in the round” concert. It was part of a songwriters’ series that will be featured on PBS probably in December. The particular concert my friend Megan invited me to featured Patty Griffin, Kris Kristofferson, and Randy Owen (the lead singer from the group Alabama).

The venue was the Grand Lodge in downtown Nashville … not your typical Nashville music venue. We were in this large but intimate theatre with stadium seating. It was neat to experience some behind-the-scenes activity that takes place before you see the finalized production of a show on TV 5 months later. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures, so you’ll just have to trust me on how cool – but fairly unglamourous – it was. Prior to the musicians taking the stage, the audience got a few lessons on clapping and laughing. If I do say so myself, we were VERY talented at these two things. It takes a lot of practice to get up to our level of clapping and laughing. Just thinking about the whole audience laughing on command made me laugh for real. :)

I enjoy some Patty Griffin tunes, but not as much as some of my friends. So for those of you who would have paid to have been in my place, she just sang a few songs – “Pies,” “Top of the World,” “Mary,” and “No Bad News.” She is so chill, beautiful, and talented. While she was performing and telling some of the stories behind the song, she captured every person’s undivided attention; it was so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop.

Kudos to Patty and the gang for a great Friday night concert!

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Some days just call for a hammock.

June 11, 2008 at 5:47 pm · Filed under life

hammock and cedars
(image courtesy of Out of the Garden)

My friend Renee recently began renting a room from an elderly lady in Green Hills. Doris, the sweet and spunky homeowner, eagerly welcomes any of her renters’ friends over for homemade fruit tea, dinner, creek stomping, or just relaxation. Of course I couldn’t pass up the invitation, so I headed over to the house with Renee late Sunday afternoon following some time at the pool.

Though Doris’s house is in a nice neighborhood just down the street from one of the city’s many universities, you totally wouldn’t guess it by the surroundings. In her massive backyard, you’re all of a sudden transported to the country, surrounded by a babbling brook, age-old trees, rope swings, comfortable hammocks, swarms of mosquitoes, and friendly lightning bugs.

Drenched in bug spray, I laid in a hammock by the creek listening to the steady flow of the water and jets coming and going from the nearby airport. There’s just something about getting away – if even for a couple of hours – from your normal routine and familiar surroundings that is so peaceful.

Over an hour later, I made myself crawl out of the hammock and enter real life once again. Before leaving, I told Doris I’d be back soon … because some days just call for a hammock.

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This & That for Today

June 6, 2008 at 7:43 am · Filed under life, random

I know, I’ve been a blog slacker. I am fully aware that if I don’t pick it up a little bit, the Blog Reaper might come creeping my way. Quite scary.

Well, today I just have some random stuff to write about…

Last weekend my cousin Jessica got married at the Carnton Plantation in Franklin. It was very simple, as the beautiful surrounding nature was really all the decoration needed. I am sure the main pictures – taken by my favorite Aunt Betty – will turn out amazing, and I can’t wait to see them! Thankfully the thunderstorms held off but the humidity sure didn’t. It wouldn’t be an Tennessee outdoor summer wedding without that though, would it?

Speaking of humidity, his dude I know said today that it’s his goal to not turn the A/C on at his place for the whole month of June. What baffles me is that he is a native Tennessean and has experienced sweltering hot and humid summer months for years. I think he has officially lost his mind.

For the past month, I have cut down to basic cable at my home. You know, I really haven’t missed it too much. And I have just a little more money in my pocket. Now that Lost is over for a few months (which will seem like eternity), I have started watching Last Comic Standing. So far I think it’s quite entertaining. Are you a fan? I also think online TV is a great invention (thank you, Al Gore).

Sometime between now and July 5, the Russian friends whom I have yet to meet will be working on (hopefully) a very important project prior to my team’s arrival – building us toilets. Yeah. We’re going to be camping the mountains outside of the small town and totally roughin’ it … because we’ll have no showers. Just the good, clean, pure (hopefully), probably cold mountain streams. Notice I’ve already said “hopefully” twice. Nothing is set in stone. It’s going to be interesting.

And last but certainly not least, I have started a new Quote of the Day page. Maybe one day you will be so lucky to be added to the list.

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