S T A C Y V E R B

Small business shout-out: Inlow's

While we were visiting my family in PA last week, my dad treated Adverb and me to breakfast at a local greasy spoon, Inlow's.  I have a great love for old diners, so I enjoy stopping there whenever we're in town.  The Inlow's experience:

Outside, we're greeted by this sign featuring a crazy hot dog man.



Inside view.  Oh, the chrome!  The red vinyl!  It makes me happy.  At the grill is Ron.  That guy can really work a spatula.


Five bucks will buy you a giant plate of food.  Shown here is Adverb's breakfast.  He has been known to wax poetic about the home fries, which he says are just like his grandma used to make.  From what I've heard about the rest of his grandma's cooking, I'm guessing there's a fair amount of lard involved.

Yes, your cholesterol level probably just shot up 50 by merely viewing this picture.  It's a good thing we only eat there once a year at the most.  But I'm just glad places like this are still around. 

Thanks for the breakfast, Dad!

And we're back

Hello!  Yes, we've returned safely from the icy north.  We really lucked out with our travel weather, barely seeing only a few sprinkles of freezing rain en route to PA.  The morning after we arrived, though, this was the scene at my parents' house.  Our poor little Georgia car probably wondered what he had gotten himself into.  ("Those icicles have been known to kill people!"  Ha!  Why yes, I have been watching A Christmas Story.)

While the weather outside was frightful, we didn't care  because we had reached our destination safely and were snug  inside.  Here are Adverb and my brother's dog, cuddling warmly indoors.  What a sweet doggie.  Look at that smile.  It says, "I love my Uncle Adverb!"

I hope all my readers have had an equally cozy holiday week!

Ho ho ho (ho)

I'm just about ready.  This is freaky.  We're leaving town in the morning, and with the exception of one little thing I have to take care of tonight, everything's wrapped or packed or whatever it's supposed to be.  I have no reason to believe I'll be up till the wee hours, still doing laundry or addressing cards.  That's all done.  I won't be up all night on Christmas Eve finishing some handmade gift that has ended up taking weeks longer than I thought it would.  Nope.  I think what I'm experiencing is called being "prepared"--a weird feeling for this elf.

If you're related to me by blood or law, chances are there's something for you in that pile up there.  No peeking.  I'll see you soon.

A day at the zoo

One of the highlights of Adverb's work Christmas party was when Adverb won a prize (the winning involved a top hat, zombies, and a dance we like to call "The Move" tm).  The prize was two free tickets to the zoo!  So today we took advantage of our mutual day off and had a little outing.  First, we had a nice big breakfast at J. Christopher's (which I have to pronounce "J. Christophuh," a la Adriana from The Sopranos), and then we were off to the zoo.  Here are the highlights.  (Click any beast to enlarge it.)

Flamingos aplenty!

 
Pensive primates

Check out the chompers on the female--eek.

Grey African elephant meets red Georgia clay.

   

      Meerkats: adorable...            ...hilarious...            ...and just plain weird!

We fell in love with these gorgeous birds, called the something-that-starts-with-a-V turaco.  When they fly, you can see that the underside of their wings is a brilliant red color.  It was like an unexpected lining inside a coat.

The supreme cuteness that is the otter.  Imagine how much cuter they'd be if they were in focus!

The new panda cub, Xi Lan, is still in seclusion with his mama, Lun Lun.  But here we see two-year-old Mei Lan (left) and her dad, Yang Yang.  Due to the glass, you also see me and a hardwood floor superimposed on Yang Yang.  He was tough to photograph through the window, which he was leaning his back against while munching his bamboo.

One of my favorite animals at the zoo, the red panda.  Just look at that face!  Awwww.



This very sweet goat tried to eat my bag in the petting zoo.


 

We concluded the day with dinner at another beloved Atlanta landmark--Manuel's Tavern.  After witnessing feeding time at the zoo, we were hungry! :)

Party hopping!

This time of year, there's no lack of fun events to attend.  More often than not, multiple things seem to be happening at the same time and we have to pick one event over another.  Last night we chose not to decide, but rather hit two parties in one evening.  First stop--a birthday party for a little friend of ours who was turning four.

The birthday girl in her festive finery, fending off the paparazzi.

After enjoying some birthday cake and getting a tour of all the new toys, we headed off to our next soiree, the holiday party at Adverb's work.  Now, usually an office party doesn't inspire a lot of excitement.  But this party is a major annual happening.  People get dressed up.  They bring tons of food and drinks.  There's a dance floor.  With a disco ball!  It's fabulous and fun.

Adverb, looking very Dickensian.



Party-goers of all ages rock it out on the dance floor.



Me and my sweetie...


...and Amy!


 
Our illustrious host, Bill, a.k.a. the King of Christmas.  I have to give him a shout-out for all of his hard work.  Why a viking helmet?  I think a better question would be, why not a viking helmet?! 



Happy holidays, everybody!

Trying to get into the holiday spirit

Just a quick note while grabbing lunch.  First, the good news: Adverb's mom's cancer has NOT spread to her lymph nodes.  The bad news: the pathology report revealed more cancer in the breast itself than had been found before, so she will have a mastectomy.  It hasn't been scheduled yet, so we're not sure if it will happen before or after Christmas.  Thanks again to all of you who have expressed your concern.

Meanwhile I'm trying to cram a lot of holiday preparations into today, taking advantage of a Saturday off.  Finishing up some Christmas presents, doing some housework, plotting a shopping trip for tomorrow, and getting ready for not one but two parties this evening.  A little booty-shaking will be a great way to relax tonight!

Sidelines Top--finished!

First, thank you for all the kind words and warm thoughts for Adverb's mom.  The surgery went well, she's home now, and we should know on Thursday if/where the cancer has spread.  Keep those good vibes a-coming!

Meanwhile, the rest of life marches on.  Notice that this sweater is no longer in pieces.  I love that sense of relief when a major project is finished successfully. 

This little number made its debut at work on Tuesday, to much acclaim.  I hope it will be a great promotional piece at the shop, motivating our students and customers to use their materials in creative ways and to produce stylish garments for themselves.  I love mine!

PROJECT DETAILS

Pattern: Sidelines Top by Lou Schiela, from Fall 2008 issue of Interweave Knits

Yarn: JaggerSpun Zephyr laceweight (50% silk, 50% wool), one strand of each of three colors (cinnabar, copper, and sable) held together (see close-up at right--click to enlarge)

Needles: Addi Natura size 5

When in doubt, nap

Yes, I took a week off from the blog.  It was nice to not worry about completing that daily assignment.  Real life gives me enough to worry about.

Adverb's mom is having surgery for breast cancer today.  We don't know what the outcome will be, so a lot of "normal" concerns--holiday plans, work schedule, life in general--are up in the air right now.  But at the same time, there also isn't anything we can do yet, so trying to carry on with ordinary life is somehow reassuring, even imperative.  Chores, projects, work, friends, pets--taking comfort in the normalcy of these things is helpful.  

Nacho and Little seem unconcerned.  They seem snug, comfy, and happy.  One petite, one chubby, both blissfully ignorant of anything more upsetting than a temporarily empty food bowl.  It looks like they're practicing for some kind of Olympic synchronized napping event.