The Bridge From Atlanta to Rockville


Last week in Atlanta was fun, although I had hoped to see family a little more than I did. It was unfortunate that my flight came in kind of late on Tuesday and my aunt and uncle weren't free any other night that week. So I ate alone Tue and Wed nights (*sob!*) and after a healthy diet of feeling sorry for myself, my cousin Twinkie #2 and her boyfriend came over Thursday evening for a fun dinner out at this weird but cool jazz/fondue/pirate ship place in Buckhead called Dante's Down The Hatch. I'd been there once before about 4 years ago, and it promptly burned to the ground about a week later. (Aside: Really, I had nothing to do with it. Fire's not my bag, baby!) Now they've rebuilt, and it looks exactly the same. The food is still good, the music is still good. But I must say that I'm not crazy about their fondue- your only choice is oil (except the cheese appetizer) and to get chocolate fondue you have to give them 2 days' notice. 'The hell?? How hard would it be just to have a chocolate fondue dessert on the menu? For gosh sakes, you call yourself a jazz/fondue/pirate ship, you should have some broth options (meat cooked in oil? eew) and some chocolate fondue.


ANYWAY, it was a fun trip. Atlanta is one of the cities where I usually do a lot of shopping and the local office ends up having to mail several boxes of stuff home for me via interoffice mail. This time I tried, I really did, but I think it's a bad fashion year or something. Nothing looked appealing. It wasn't offensive, just kind of... bla. Maybe the preppy-comeback thing is just a bad idea, hmm?


I'm in town this week, which is nice, although it is SO DARN COLD that I wouldn't mind being in Florida/crazyland. Next week I'll be in Rockville/DC. I like going to DC. It's another good shopping city, and there are so many terrific restaurants. I don't think I'll have time to see any friends this time, though, because I was just nailed with *2*!! course development projects at once, while I'm also trying to learn another course to teach (that someone else wrote, which makes it kind of difficult).


And I can't believe my good fortune, my next trip after Rockville is the Platonic ideal of shopping cities, Manhattan (well, actually, that'd be Paris, but Manhattan is a close 2nd). Can't wait. I'll be traveling with a good friend from work, which is a rare, but welcome, change of pace for me. I'll have to call my cousin Cosmopolitan to see if she's free some evening. Last time I went to NYC, she was in Hattiesburgvillesland, PA or someplace awful like that. I was sad to miss seeing her. I bet she was even sadder...


Cosmo, if you're reading, keep one evening free the week of Feb 15.


After New York I'll be in Hattiesburgvillesland, PA.