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Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Delta Must Love Tallahasse (But Doesn't Love Me)

I flew Delta twice this month, once for business and the other for pleasure. Flipping through the in flight magazine, Sky, Tallahassee has mentions not once but TWICE (good job Tallahassee CVB). The first snippet is about the semi-private SouthWood Golf Club, boasting about the rolling fairways and other important golf amenities (I'm not a golfer, if I'm on a golf course, I'm either on a cart or at the 19th hole).

The second Tallahassee mention is about Jack's BBQ (4176 Apalachee Parkway; 850-671-5300) and how it's the area's best kept secret. That little morsel was submitted to Sky by Tallahassee's Jon S. Baile. Since the new offices are out that way, perhaps I'll have to sample what Jack can do.

As for my relationship with Delta, I wanted to boast how the flight crew rocked on both legs from Buffalo to Tallahassee on Monday, but when I arrived at TLH, my luggage hadn't. And I'm a special person, granted not a Platinum member, but Silver. I almost burst into tears when the Delta lost luggage agent told me it was probably stolen. But, my luggage arrived the next day, all of it.

Now that I'm home for a while, I'll be getting caught up on my writing and blogging, I have the really cool story about my evening with the S.I.T.E. folks. Stay tuned, really!

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Chilling in Buffalo

Just thought I'd rub it in that I'm sitting in Buffalo in a non-air conditioned house with the windows wide open. A slight breeze wafts in, the outdoor temperature is about 80 degrees and I'm not sweating. Burrr, think I need a sweater. To my Tallahassee friends, don't melt this weekend!

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Bark & Wine Art for Animals: Celebrate Oktoberfest Puppy (and Kitty) Style!

In July, I attended the Bark & Wine event at the Animal Service Center. I sipped great wine by Killearn Liquors and noshed on excellent nibbles by the new, boutique catering company called Saucy.

Well animal and art lovers, save the date! The 2nd quarterly Bark & Wine - Art of the Animals is being celebrated Oktoberfest style on Friday, October 12, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at the Animal Service Center (1125 Easterwood Drive). Art admission is FREE (and FREE is a beautiful thing). Select pieces will be on display Oct. 12 through Jan. 7, 2008.

While the details are still being firmed up, Saucy will once again provide tasty bites, Bob Smith will be baking up Bavarian desserts (yum!) and Killearn Liquors will be providing wine and brew tastings Oktoberfest-style. Award-winning musician Tina Larkin will top off the evening with elegant tunes to sway by in the (hopefully) cool(er) autumn air. (Stay tuned for fees for the beverages, advanced tickets will be available for purchase).

Remember, this just isn't about meeting new friends and sipping fine brew, the event's about the animals. Thirty percent of the gallery's art sales benefit the Animal Shelter Foundation. If you're an artist, why not answer the call for artists and gain some additional exposure? Just follow the link for additional information. Applications must be postmarked by Sept. 12, 2007.

As for Saucy, they're catering intimate events right now. While they're working on their Web site, drop them an email at saucycatering@hotmail.com if you need your event catered.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Are the Cool Things Planned When I'm Outta Town?

Obama's coming back to town and I won't be here! The Presidential hopeful is the Leon County Democratic Club's keynote speaker this Friday (Aug. 24) at the second annual Collins-Steele Dinner at the University Center Club. It's not that I can afford to attend but thought maybe I could stalk him a bit and get a glimpse of the man. Visit the Leon County Democratic Party site for more info.

Yesterday at the gym (Women's World) I saw a sign for the Tallahassee Boomers and Seniors Expo featuring Suzanne Somers and Oprah's man Stedman Graham this Saturday (Aug. 25). Okay, maybe I'm showing my age (I'm by far a Boomer or Senior - not that there's anything wrong with that), but I remember Somers as the ditsy Chrissy on "Three's Company" and purchased a Thigh Master when it first came out (my sister is getting some good use out of it).

Anyway, the expo looks really cool and I'm outta town for a family affair. I checked the site out today and looks like it's been postponed - not because I won't be here - but due to "unforeseen circumstances." Hope I'll be in town for the rescheduled date.

Where can I get one of those "Keep it Sassy Tallahassee" t's? At Lake Ella or the Downtown Saturday Market? I saw a gal wearing one on a flight last week. I need to look into that. I have way too many t-shirts but always have room for a groovy one. "Keep it Sassy Tallahassee" is the initiative to encourage shopping locally and if you haven't noticed, there are great boutiques, markets and shops here in town.

And, I finally got my butt into the Tallahassee Area Visitor Information Center (located at 106 East Jefferson Street, Downtown) last week (be warned, parking in front of the center sucks and but if you're not lucky to grab one of the sweet spots, ample parking is nearby). Great resource if friends and family are coming to visit and need some ideas on what to do. They also have a nice selection of Tallahassee souvenirs, but no "Keep it Sassy Tallahassee" t's.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Been Traveling...

I hope to be back in the swing of posting Tally things in a couple of weeks. August just seems to be packed with "must do" things on the weekends and during the week. Feel free to stop by my main blog to see what I've been up to: www.QuirkyKitschGirl.com.

I will say, I'm ready for cooler temps!

Cheers!

Friday, August 10, 2007

Is Tallahassee an Expensive Place to Vacation?

This month, Frommers.com ran an article titled, "Where Does the Dollar Do Best? Frommer's Global Price Index for August" and guess what? Tallahassee's listed!

The article compares cities around the globe showing where the U.S. dollar has the most bang for the buck. The price of a Tallahassee cup of coffee (among other things) is compared against the price of coffee in other cities such as Split (Croatia), Pembrokeshire (Wales) and Pierre (South Dakota). While hotel rates may be cheaper in say Vientiane, Laos, remember to factor in the cost to travel there. Tallahassee is still a deal.

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Keeping Cool in Tallahassee

I'm over these outrageous heat indexes of 100 degrees and more. It's a workout going outside and cutting through the thick humidity. No need to visit the sauna at the gym, it already IS a sauna outside.

I wonder if anyone has tried to fry an egg on the Tallahassee asphalt? When living in Death Valley, we had the crew from Good Morning America come out and our chef (attempted to) fried an egg in the parking lot. Problem was it was 5:00 a.m. and although overnight temperatures were in the 110s, it hadn't reached peak heat, so the chef ended up scrambling the egg. I bet we can make some nice poached eggs this week in Tallahassee!

Other ways to keep cool? Some gal pals and I met at Los Compadres (
2690 N Monroe St) earlier this week to chill over $1.99 margaritas (they have free Wi-Fi, too!). Although they were a bright green color, they were mighty tasty. I was excited most of the staff speak Spanish, giving me time to practice my muddled Spanglish, and the cashier told me he'd give me private lessons twice a week *wink*wink.* It's been a long time since someone's flirted with me, or that I've recognized it...

...and other ways to keep cool? There's always the swimming pool and my apartment complex neighbors seem to find the need to cool off at 2:00 a.m. each night, along with scream, yell and have a jolly good time while the rest of us sleep. Now, the point of swimming is to cool off, right?

Check out these swimsuits from WholesomeWear.com. From the name you can guess what they sell. One of my African-American co-workers exclaimed how she wouldn't wear them (and neither would anyone who's white, black, yellow, purple, etc. in the office). Of course she wouldn't! I found another site with demographics, stating mostly youthful, Caucasian women visit the site. Would you wear one of these during the Tallahassee heat wave?

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Tomorrow Will Be...

...for catching up: emails, writing, etc. My offices are moving this week so we have the next couple of days off. Which means, sleeping in until 8 a.m. (YES!), morning workouts and writing, writing, writing. I then leave for Chicago Saturday for a conference.

Of course, with the Tallahassee heat index over a hundred (this is almost as bad as a Death Valley hot), I'll be finding a place to keep cool. Ciao for now!

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Touching the Paranormal with S.I.T.E.

Last Friday I did one of the coolest things I've ever done in Tallahassee, interacted with the paranormal with the folks of S.I.T.E. (Supernatural Investigations/Technical Evaluations). Anna and Mike, co-founders of the group, found me through this post, we communicated and met up so I could see what the group does. I brought along my friend Michele and you'll just have to wait for my "official" article to learn more about the experience.

All I can say is, if I hadn't had seen what I saw that night, I would be a non-believer in Earth-bound spirits. If you wonder about life in the after life, have an interest in the paranormal or maybe a skeptic and don't believe in ghosts, the S.I.T.E. group may be for you. This is their hobby and looking for at least a couple of people to join them on their investigations.

Or, if you suspect your house, office, shed, etc. is haunted, the S.I.T.E. folks will come out and asses the situation for you and how you can live in harmony with the paranormal, for free. They're not out to make money, they're out to helping people. They're about the science and craft, not the entertainment value. While they capture the visual, they specialize in the audio, called Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP). Yes, the spirits spoke to us that night and I heard some of the recordings this week, ran chills up my spine.

And if you do invite S.I.T.E. over, don't worry about your neighbors finding out and thinking you're crazy (you're probably not crazy), S.I.T.E. keeps their assessments confidential.

Stay tuned! The experience was amazing!

Don't Forget the Sales Tax Holiday!

I've been out of town for most of the week, up in the north Georgia mountains. Returning to Tallahassee, advertising reminded me about the sales tax holiday this week - yippee! If you're not sure of the dates, they're 12:01 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 4 through midnight, Monday, Aug. 13. Items eligible are:

  • Clothing and related items with a sales price of $50 or less
  • Books with a sales price of $50 or less
  • School supplies with a sales price of $10 or less
For more info, visit the Florida Department of Revenue's Web site here.

Since I'll be out of the state next weekend, I knew today was my day to find a dress for a wedding I'm attending in Buffalo later this month. First was a stop at the downtown market for fresh fruits and veggies then off to Macy's to use a $50 gift card. Wandering through the store I was reminded how much I loath shopping. Suppose my shopping hatred is because:
  • My youngest sister inherited the fashion gene, leaving me fashionably challenged.
  • I'm between sizes and things don't seem to fit quite right. I'm too small for "fluffy women" clothing and while I can fit into "regular" sizes, my body hasn't been losing inches proportionally so things don't fit right.
Because of those two factors, I have a limited box I shop in - I usually look for black, dark and practical. But I wanted to get outside the box today and shop for something with color.

I found a dress I LOVED and I felt like a super hero wearing it. It was a polyester, spandex blend and something Supergirl would wear out on the town. It fit me perfectly and was peacock blue with big black circles, hemline above the knee, skirt flared out and neck line tastefully showed off the girls. Unfortunately, the price was over $100 (of course). *sigh*

I found a comparable dress, not as eye-popping as the peacock-super hero dress, but it's nice a few steps outside my fashion box. Best of all, with the sale and no tax, I have a little bit left on my gift card. Happy shopping!