“The least fundamentally sound team in the SEC.” Well, that pretty much sums it up.
A good read, fair and honest. And brutal. Thanks, Tony.
Well, that pretty much sums it up
October 4th, 2009Tiller’s First Braves Game
October 2nd, 2009
I am not sure how we waited this long to take her to a Braves game. Rollie had been to a few games by the time he was Tiller’s age. His first game was the in August 2005 when I was pregnant with Tiller. But it is harder to get four free tickets and life gets in the way, and she is the youngest and just sometimes gets screwed when it comes to “Firsts.” I just forget about them. I know I am not the only mother who does this, and I honestly try to keep up with them, but they are often forgotten in the rush of life. Some of the milestones just seem less exciting the second time around. I have to remind myself that they are just as special for her as they were for him. I have to remind myself that they are her milestones, not mine.
So, Uncle Ned gave us Turner vouchers and we traded them in for the good seats. Thanks, Uncle Ned! We love you!
Game started at 7 pm, against the Nationals. We picked the game because of the earlier start time; the earlier the better, because my kids are usually in bed by 7pm. This was a big night for them. Braves had lost their slim outside chance of a wild card spot earlier that day when the Rockies won, so it was a pretty laid-back game, with a decent crowd, but not too crowded. The weather was perfect: Warm as the sun went down, then changing over to cool, sweatshirt weather, but not so cold that we needed blankets or gloves. Not a cloud in the sky. Perfect.
As we walked up to the front of Turner Field, the first thing Tills said was “Look, Mama! A baseball!” She had seen the huge picture of Hank Aaron’s 715 ball that is blown up on the side of the stadium. We walked over to get tickets for our vouchers and as we walked by a statue, she said, “Look Mama! A big baseball guy!” I took her over to shower and I squatted down next to her and said, “That’s Hank Aaron baby. He held the home run record for a long time, and he was a Brave.” For some reason i felt a little choked up. She never took her eyes off the statue, and nodded her head like she knew who the hell Hank Aaron was.
We got inside and she freaked out on the big baseballs, like all the kids do. They started asking about food. Todd took the kids to the seats and i grabbed a couple of beers. We had GREAT seats. Some nice and very southern men behind us told Tiller that if they caught a foul ball, they’d give it to her. We had to have a talk about how if someone gives you a ball, you don’t throw it back in – That kid at the Phillies game (think it was the Phillies) really did some damage to kids’ ideas about what you do with a game ball! Not long after that, a foul ball went crazy in the stands near us. I moved Tiller to a seat on the other side of me from the batters. I thought about priorities: Son and Daughter; camera; beer; game ball. What would i do? I daydreamed that I stand up as the ball comes whizzing towards us, thereby blocking daughter, and with beer in my left hand, I snag the ball, bare-handed, with my right. Everyone cheers. Tiller and I make Sports center that night.
The kids did great. After eating whole slices of pizza (can’t believe my kids are old enough to eat a whole slice, much less carry them back to their seats, and not drop them), we promised them cotton candy in the 6th inning. They became more preoccupied with the cotton candy than the game, but i guess that’s normal. They loved the Coke bottle and Chick-fil-a cow, too. In the 6th, they finally got their cotton candy.
Afterwards, Rollie went with Todd to go to the bathroom. (The kids had split a Sprite, and they had sucked it down, as they normally do when they get contraband drink.) Tiller and I were sitting together as we went into the 7th inning stretch. When everyone stood up, she looked confused. “Why is everyone standing up, Mama?” You forget that kids have never experienced things before. You wonder at their little heads, which have so much GREAT stuff to experience, like their first 7th-inning stretch. I lifted her up, so she could see the big screen over the heads of the folks in front of us. I sang my guts out on “Take me out to the ballgame.” She got a big smile on her face and rocked back and forth in my arms to the song. I got a little choked up again. Then my weepiness turned to annoyance as they started that stupid, “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” song. Not that I mind that song, in fact, i loved it as a kid, but it just seems weird that they play it there. Tiller liked it.
The Braves were tied one-one, and then the Nationals went up to 2-1 around the 8th, i think. So, the bottom of the 9th was a pretty fun one, with the Braves trying to make something happen, and me and Todd debating whether we’d rather them win, or have to sit through extra innings with two zombie children, who were sitting on our laps by that point. Because we couldn’t just leave. No, long ago, Todd and I bonded over the fact that our dads both always made us leave FulCo during the ninth, to beat traffic. (You will see a theme here with Cecil, if I have ever mentioned his need to “Beat the Baptists” every Sunday after church.) We said we would never have to leave a game early again. So, were were there for the long haul. Luckily? Unluckily? The Braves didn’t push it to extra innings and we all headed back to the car.
Other milestones for Tiller last night:
Learning the claps when the Braves are coming up to bat! Looking at the fireworks on the gas sign when there’s a strikeout! CHARGE!!!!!! The Tomahawk chop!!!!!! What happens when there’s a home run! (The look on her face was priceless.)
Tiller Rides the Rock Wave
September 30th, 2009Tiller saw her first show today. She is three. Okay, not an actual concert, but she did check out of preschool early and go see Phoenix with me at Criminal Records. (Good mother? Bad mother?) It was pretty damn crowded and, evidently, hipsters don’t let kids go to the front so that they can see over all their cold weather hats, so I held her up in the back while they played. Note to self: Get there earlier to score room up front. She liked the songs she knew (Lisztomania and 1901) and kind of put her head on my shoulder and hummed and patted my back during the others. That was sweet. They sounded pretty good, especially his voice. I was proud of Tiller picking out the instrument when they played the keyboards. She said, “Piano!” which is close enough for me. She asked me while we were waiting “Why are there no other kids here?” Then later, we saw another one. She was being taken out of the store, so I guess she lost interest. She was about the same age, but damn, was that kid all decked out. She was wearing rainbow legwarmers for God’s sake. Whatever. . . Tiller totally outlasted her. In fact, tills made it through four songs, and only lost interest when they played Lizstomania for the second time. (Evidently, they had technical difficulties the first time, and they were recording it for radio.) I rewarded her with pizza at Savage. They had pizza at Criminal, but i know better than to mix Tiller, pizza, and comic books. All in all, a nice outing on a beautiful day.
Glad I went, too, as it continues the rock and roll wave I’ve been riding of late. I saw Yo La Tengo a couple weeks ago both at the instore at Criminal and their show at Variety. Sunday night, I saw Frightened Rabbit and We Were Promised Jetpacks at Masquerade. (Great show!) Then last night, Todd and I saw Dr. Dog at The Loft. That was the best of all the shows, in my opinion, and i really like Frightened Rabbit a lot, so that is a pretty bold statement. I still think the Frightened Rabbit album is my favorite so far this year (Thanks for the introduction, Spaceboy!), but Dr. Dog’s musicianship was amazing. They sounded great vocally and they were the tightest band I’ve seen in ages, especially in a venue of that size. Added plus: Got to hang out with Robin and Vanessa.
I haven’t seen this many shows in a one month period in ages. I cannot REMEMBER seeing more than three bands in a week in . . . probably since before I had Rollie. It has really reminded me of how much I love seeing live music and that I need to remember to stop saying, “I don’t have time for that” and start saying, “I need to do this for me.”
Video from Criminal today. Guess not too many folks are back to work and posting video yet, because this was the closest I could find. Sound is great, though. Kind of bummed that I couldn’t find any video of the Frightened Rabbit or Dr. Dog shows. Found We Were Promised Jetpacks, but the sound was kind of funky. Same with the Yo La Tengo. Oh, well.
To Write, or Not to Write
September 29th, 2009Much to say, and just not gutsy enough to say it, so i haven’t been posting. I have been writing, keeping it to myself. Not bottling it up, but not letting it see light, either. Part of me thinks I am a big pussy for not just writing things out in the name of honesty and forthrightness. The other part of me knows that it might cause irreparable damage.
Or maybe the damage is already done. Am I selfish for wanting to purge all of this heartache? Would it be healthy for me? Or would it just be me seeking vindication, revenge. Even if I was doing it for the right reasons, is it possible that those involved would see it that way? No. I don’t think it’s possible.
So, I guess I do have boundaries.
Huh. Didn’t see that coming. . . .
A Picture Says a Thousand Words
September 24th, 2009And this one pretty much sums up the kind of day I had. . . .
Family Trip to the Liquor Store
September 23rd, 2009My Mom came to my house yesterday and last night, she took us to dinner at S&S. If you don’t know what S&S is, it is just like Morrison’s, except they don’t have the same lemon pie that Morrison’s had every Sunday after church when I was growing up. I got the usual, a veggie plate. It is awesome, and when you go at 6 pm, it is you and all the blue hairs, which i love. Sure enough, I saw my neighbors there. It love that where i live, I often run into my neighbors – makes me feel like I live in a small town in the city.
Afterwards I drove over to the liquor store, because darn it, my basement flooded and Mama needed a beer. Since Mom was there, I was able to leave her and the kids in the car while I went in. This is good, because nothing says classy like dragging your three and six-year-old into the liquor store with you, except maybe doing so with a cigarette hanging out of the corner of your mouth.
When i got back to the car, my mom was cracking up. I asked her what she was laughing at, and she proceeded to tell me about the discussion she and the kids had while I was inside.
Tiller: “What is Mama getting?”
Rollie: “She’s buying beer. And Wine. And Spirits.”
Yes, Rollie can read now and had read the signs on the buildings. Luckily, I was at a nice liquor store, otherwise, it would have been, “Mama’s buying beer, wine, nails, pagers, wings, lottery tickets.”
Hmm. I say “Liquor Store.” What do you call it? “Package Store?”
Because If We Don’t Laugh, We’d Cry
September 21st, 2009We got a bit of rain today. This is what grandma and Mama might refer to as a Toad Strangler, with lots of God Bowling, although there was a moment in early afternoon of The Devil Beatin’ His Wife.
And this was all over Facebook today, but I am too tired from cleaning out my damn flooded basement to come up with anything original, so this pretty much sums it up. I love how a tragedy or huge event like this flood results in some really funny jokes. This is the best. Pokes at Sonny Perdue praying for rain also crack me up.
In all seriousness, there was some sad stuff in Atlanta today – Loss of life. And I am thankful all my peeps are alright. Tiller and Rollie are tucked in with no school to get up for tomorrow, mama made it to Atlanta and had to pitstop at Lisa’s due to the blocked roads, and Lisa had a tree fall on her house, but all my folks are safe. Even that piece of shit I married, sitting up at the W in NYC, drinking a beer in crisp white sheets. Just kidding T. Send me that check, baby.
I hope that wasn’t thunder I just heard.
Yo La Tengo, Beer, Me, Me, Me.
September 20th, 2009So, Todd is in NYC all week for work, and he gave me the afternoon off yesterday, so that I could have kid-free time before the week kicks into gear. I rode down to L5P with neighbor Scott and his friend Seth. Ah, the glamour of arriving anywhere in a minivan. Nothing like it.
We proceeded to Criminal Records for the 4 pm Yo La Tengo instore. Scott bought the new album and got it signed. He is a record nerd, which always cracks me up. He is v. knowledgeable about music and we like a lot of the same stuff, and I even like him despite the fact that he likes Phish. YLT played a short set (mostly new stuff, including the fun “Periodically Double or Triple,” and a Beatles cover – name? Cannot remember) bantered with the crowd in their usual witty and self-deprecating way, and sounded pretty good. A fun time, despite the fact that I am coming down with a cold, and it was hot as Hades in the damn place.
Speaking of, let’s take a moment to discuss my thoughts on dressing for Fall in the South, shall we? I automatically think that you are a complete idiot if the temperature is in the 70s and 80s and you wear any of the following:
- Long sleeve shirts*
- Wool caps or hats
- Cardigan wrap sweaters
- Wool plaid skirts
- FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD, knitted or wool scarves?
*These are merely questionable. Why not a short sleeve?
I then bought a couple of CDs (browsing without children! No hand-holding! Awesome!) and then went next door to The Porter. I had not been there before, and I LOVED it. Great beer list; knowledgeable, witty, friendly staff; comfortable bar stools; good pub food (at least what I had – the Porter Poppers – was excellent). I love the atmosphere and had a wonderful, three-beer afternoon to myself, sitting at the bar, reading for a couple hours, periodically looking up to watch the folks outside walking by in the rain.
I am my mother’s daughter, so I did chat up some fellow patrons and the bartender. Met a couple people who had driven all the way from Florida to see Yo La Tengo. I am always impressed by road-tripping music fans. (As long as they like good music, of course.) And then another guy sat down next to me. Turned out we had both grown up in Atlanta and knew some of the same people. Georgia and Ira from YLT came in, presumable for dinner, and walked to the back of the bar. Todd arrived, having pawned the kids off onto my dear sister. We had another beer and chatted with the Atlanta guy, nodding our heads as the conversation got weird, and involved his life and death experience, and how he saw levitating beers come up out of their glasses and float in the air. Nope, not kidding. He said all this with a straight face, and I love my husband, because we both just nodded like we were listening seriously to him, and never took our eyes off him. Nodding, nodding. But we know one another well enough that we were having an unspoken conversation that went something like this:
Todd: “Did he just say that he died and then came back to life?”
Me: “He just said that he and the chick from the band BabyShakes watched their beers leave the glasses and float up solid in the air and then splash back down on the bar. No one else there saw it.”
Todd: “Yep. Did he just say that she understood all this, and that he figured out the whole thing in numbers and did the math? Were there numbers after the decimal point?”
Me: “Yep. They had a connection. What the fuck is he talking about? Is there a mathematical formula for crazy?”
Todd: “Yes, evidently, there is, and he has solved it.”
Me: “I’m going to chug the last few sips of this beer, then excuse myself to go to the ladies’ room.”
Todd: “I’m gonna get the check and pay up.”
Me: “Tip the bartender well.”
Todd: “You know it.”
[Aloud] “It was so nice meeting you. You take care now, okay?”
After that, we paid up and met Scott and Seth at Vortex. Not my favorite place to eat, but Scott wanted it, because he can’t eat there with children. This is a common theme for parents. It is like when I don’t have kids with me, I choose where to sit based on it being where I wouldn’t usually sit with the kids. This is usually the bar.
The best part about this was that I got to see the first quarter of the Bulldogs playing Arkansas. The rest of the night, I received stellar and timely text updates from both Brett and Jason B. It was much appreciated, and Brett got extra points with Todd for his unsolicited Auburn updates, including the non-score-related “Auburn fans have a Brokeback Mountaineers sign.” Good job, boys. Will be watching the DVR-ed version this afternoon.
We headed over to the show. I ran into a guy i knew in Athens named Roger. We caught up for a while, and then I headed down to see the show up front. YLT were good, as always. Todd and I discussed the fact that Ira always seems to bring it full-tilt. I like the fact that he is aging, but still seems to rock out and have a blast just like a teenager. I have seen them quite a few times, and they always do a good show, but this was not one of their better ones, in my opinion. This probably owes more to the fact that they played mostly new stuff than to any deficiency on their parts. Highlights for me were still the more rockin’ older songs: Deeper into Movies, Autumn Sweater, etc. Autumn Sweater sounds different every time that I hear them play it and i loved this loungier version. Georgia did a few songs. I love her sweet voice, and that she is such an enduring rock chick. In the face of so many bombastic female voices in rock, her quiet modesty is refreshing.
Afterwards, we met friends Gretchen and Brownlee at The Porter for a last beer. (Feeling kinda ookie, I opted for a water.) And headed home! All in all, a great day despite the fact that I wasn’t feeling a hundred percent. Hopefully, the memory of my mostly kid-free day will get me through the week ahead.
A Comeuppance Story
September 18th, 2009This is the funniest thing I have seen in ages. . . .
I used to be a huge Dooce fan, and read every day, but i get busy with life and don’t read for awhile. But i have always liked her. Sure, she is self-centered – She has her own blog! Talk about vain. . .
Anyway, it cracks me up that she is so very hated by so many people. All of whom are obviously just jealous of someone who’s living the dream on her own terms. How dare her be successful!
And it cracks me up even more to imagine the look on people’s faces when they get a hold of her latest move, wherein she takes all of their hatred, bottles it up, and sells it for her own profit.
Dogwood Girl loves a good comeuppance story. And also? I just kind of like to use the word “comeuppance.”
I Think It Smells Like You
September 17th, 2009Tiller to me, just now, nose wrinkled:
“Mama, I smell something bad.”
“What is it baby?”
“I think it smells like you.”
Nobody’s getting a big head around this place. . . .