Last Friday (the 12th), I got to go see the Black Eyed Peas in concert at the Sommet Center. Now, that was a freakin blast. My good friend Leslie arranged for a limo to take us (she and I, and a few girls from her office) downtown; it’s always fun to ride in style. Opening acts were LMFAO and Ludacris. That may sound like an odd combination, but it was a great way to kick off the night. I was surprised at how many songs I knew by both groups. Well, and then the BEPs came out and it was all over. Damn they know how to put on a good show. Fergie was amazing; I kept saying “Its really her, its really her”. Haha. will.i.am rocked it out and I heard he DJ’d later at one of the clubs downtown. We just limo-ed it to Whiskey Kitchen for a drink or two after the show. Overall, it was a spectacular night and a great extension of my birthday (as the ticket was a bday present from Leslie).

Speaking of my birthday, I have to say it has got to be one of my best birthdays ever (my Sweet 16 on a boat was pretty sweet). On my actual birthday, a small group of friends and I enjoyed a delicious, relaxing meal at Flyte and ended the night at Mafiaoza’s for an additional cocktail. I took it easy on Thursday in order to prepare for Friday, which was the main event! Another good friend, Kristin, used her inside connections to secure us two King Suites at the Hutton Hotel and arranged for 12 of my girlfriends to party on the town and then crash at the hotel. We started out with tipsy madlibs and then got all dolled up in the suite before calling up our favorite taxi driver, who just happened to be driving his limo that night (same one as above). So we all piled in to the limo to go three blocks to midtown where we partied it up at Broadway Brewhouse and Hollywood Disco. Afterwords, we headed to Broadway and danced our hearts out at Decades. Altogether I think we danced for about three hours.

And my feet were not happy with me the next day. The next week really. I guess wearing heels that are slightly too small and constrict your toes is not a great idea. From the ball of my foot to the tip of my toes, I had a tingling sensation, like when they get super cold, for 8 days. I had them checked out and found out it could last for weeks, but luckily I recovered quickly. I will, however, use that as a lesson and not subject my feet to such torture ever again. Here’s to good intentions.

This weekend I’m participating in a Habitat for Humanity home build with my co-workers. I’ve never done one before (and now realize how difficult it is to arrange/sponsor a build) so I’m pretty excited. I’m just hoping for somewhat nice weather, as the build will happen no matter what. I’ll try to get some pictures posted afterwords!

The first moments I can remember didn’t explain a whole lot but I knew I had just given birth to someone else’s baby. As in, I was a surrogate and had successfully delivered their baby. I don’t remember any particular emotions tied to that, except being relieved everything went okay. I really wasn’t even surprised at that part when I was recollecting the dream this morning. I have long felt it may be part of my life journey to someday somehow be a surrogate.

But that’s not the weird part at all. Immediately after that, it was discovered there was a second baby no one knew about. It just kind of fell out into my hands and was small and flimsy, but not frail or fragile. Obviously, there’s very little reality to this situation, but it felt very real and believable.

I brought the infant closer to me and saw it wasn’t breathing. Well you know how sometimes they have to get the gunk out of the nose? I can only guess that’s where this next part came from. The child wasn’t breathing because there was a clothespin-like contraption clamped on its nose. Oh, and it was at this point I also noticed it was a boy. The clothespin was really more like silver tweezers and when I went to remove it, it made a little scratch on the baby’s face. It didn’t cry and I didn’t freak out, I just remember thinking “Oh, I’ve already hurt him!”

But he was fine and I proceeded to start breastfeeding him, which is when my mom said “Good job, hunny”. The last thing I remember was switching sides for him to breastfeed with more congratulatory remarks from my mom.

Yeah.

I’m sure Freud would have plenty of things to say about this one. It was just so amazingly vivid and it left me with an overwhelming feeling of joy and peace. So, who knows what it means. I can’t help but think it is in some way related to the fact I turn 30 tomorrow….but it seems like a good omen, if any at all.

There was that trip to Alaska though, about which I don’t think I ever finished the draft I started. To summarize, my mom, brother and I went on an Alaskan cruise thanks to my mom and it was one of the most relaxing vacations I’ve ever had. Usually vacations leave me more tired than when I left for them, but I truly felt refreshed after a week at sea. I am very grateful to my friends with boats who conditioned my body to the motion of the ocean, seeing how other people had a visibly difficult time dealing with it. It really didn’t bother me one bit. Highlights of the trip include: watching a black bear fish for salmon less than 20 ft away, marveling at the salmon as they struggle to swim upstream, getting tipsy at a gourmet cooking class, and almost winning the karaoke contest. That last one is a funny story, but I’ve probably already told most of you. Anyway, the endless supply of food was the downturn in my summer fitness regimen, but the on-board gym at least made me feel better about it. I had a great time with my family and I’m so glad we got to do it together.

Before the trip, I was told I’d either love cruising or hate it. I have to say I really did enjoy it…definitely something I would do again. But maybe to a tropical location next time, so I can actually enjoy the outdoor pools.

The holidays are fast approaching and we are mixing it up this year. For Thanksgiving, I’m going to N. Carolina to celebrate with my brother and his girlfriend. Then for Christmas, everyone is coming to Nashville!! It will be the first year ever that we’ve not had Christmas at home in Cali, so I’m honored to be hosting it at my place! Should be a grand ole time.

Friday night I attended the “Taste of Nashville” with my friends Kristin and Emily, along with hundreds of other people. After a quick pre-party at Mafiaoza’s, we cabbed it down to the Cannery Ballroom, aka Mercy Lounge, to join the crowd. I managed to score a free ticket (thanks Kristin!), so I ate and drank to my heart’s content. We even got seats in the VIP section, which were large white fabric couches, not necessarily the smartest choice for a food/wine event. I did manage to snap a shot of the wine stain that appeared on the couch nearby.

Said eating and drinking made volunteering early Saturday morning quite a painful task at first. Kristin, Kerry, Terry and a few others teamed up with Hands on Nashville to paint the interior hallways of Thomas A Edison Elementary in Antioch. Terry’s son attends school there and she also works in the administration office, so it was very nice to be able to volunteer at a location where friends spend most of their waking hours! After a few hours of painting and cleaning (and we would’ve been mulching if it hadn’t poured down rain the whole time), we headed back to Limelight where HON hosted a buffet lunch from Whole Foods and live entertainment. I lasted about 30 minutes before begging to go home for a nap and Kerry graciously obliged.

After a quick snooze on the couch, I readied myself for (another) night of fun and festivities, this time at an 80’s Anniversary Party for my friends Stacey and Rickey. I met them about a year ago and have celebrated the 4th of July as well as other holidays with them and their kids. Their 18th wedding anniversary party was no disappointment either, blazing the 80’s rock, fun outfits and plenty of food. The after-party landed us at the USA Sports Grill for karaoke. I managed to stick it out long enough to sing my signature song and then headed home to crash.

Sunday morning marked the beginning of the fall soccer season and the AC Rhinos pulled off a win of 3-2 against the Flying Saucer team. I was surprised I remembered how to play after a season resting my knee, but I think I did alright. Immediately afterwords, I joined up with Emily and friends for a birthday brunch at Bosco’s where we thoroughly confused our waiter with some coupons, but still had a delightful lunch…which was simply a pre-cursor to the night’s festivities ahead. As it was Em’s birthday, we celebrated not just with a girl’s brunch, but also with pizza and drinks at her place, then more food and drink at Mafs. Good times were had by all.

So, see? I’m not that lazy.

Next door to the liquor store is a new arrival to not only Belle Meade, but Nashville as a whole. As far as I know it is the first of it’s kind. Sweet CeCe’s is a self-serve frozen yogurt buffet, if you will. Those of you who know me know that I have a huge weakness for frozen yogurt, and I’d kinda been putting it off visiting the store because I knew I’d be hooked. Well, yesterday I tried it and I know I’ll be back. All of the flavors are made there in the store and are fat-free…except for the peanut butter, of course. However, I have to say that the peanut butter yogurt is probably the best of it’s kind that I’ve ever tasted. Usually PB yogurt has a slight coffee taste, but this one was all PB. It is still low-fat, but just not fat-free. There are a plethora of toppings, including all the standards plus gummy worms, golden grahams, and sour ropes. I’m not exactly sure how one has a sour rope as a topping to eat with their dessert, but I may try it myself next time. I settled for the Country Vanilla and rainbow sprinkles and was very pleased. The vanilla was creamy, which is sometimes not the case with fat-free yogurts, and not bitter at all. The staff was very friendly and welcoming, meeting me as I walked in and offering up samples to help me decide. I will definitely be back!

The hair salon I mentioned last time is actually a barbershop, Uncle Classic Barbershop to be more specific. It is a small shop, but since their main focus is men’s hair cuts, shoe shines, and straight razor shaves, I suspect they don’t need as much room as a full-service salon.

Last in this edition is the scoop about the new Harris Teeter. They had their grand opening yesterday, and, being a frequent HT customer and just curious to find out, I went for a shopping trip (after getting my CeCe’s yogurt). The first impression as you drive in is not a great one. Everyone is directed to an underground parking lot on an immediate downward slope (can you say “runaway carts”???). It’s a spacious garage, but still a garage. I recommend making the first turn and then parking at the far end of the straight away. There are elevators that go back up to the street level just outside the store, but also an escalator that goes right into the store. The escalator makes a great impression and made me forget about the parking lot. The store is bi-level, as I suspected it might be, and I did not venture up to see what was on the 2nd floor. Although, it looks like there is some sort of cafe in addition to the beauty products, cards, and pharmacy. The store itself is quite impressive. The aisles are nice and wide, the produce department seemed to have every variety of pepper, and the number of organic/health food options was almost overwhelming. Every product had the organic version (if it exists) right along with the “regular” kind…which is great, and probably getting more common, but it was definitely noticeable. Because I’m a VIC card holder, I got a promotion in the mail for $20 off a $50 purchase and there’s one for each of the next four weeks. Um, yeah. Saving $20 on a $50 bill, which is easy for me to rack up, is a deal I will not pass up. If it means I’m stocking my shelves for winter, I’ll still use them.

Happy shopping, fellow Belle Meadeans!
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Edited 7/27/09 – I stand corrected. CeCe’s is not the first of its kind in Nashville. There has actually been another self-serve yogurt shop near Vanderbilt for quite some time called Yogurt Oasis. And they even have fat-free peanut butter yogurt…although it doesn’t really taste like peanut butter, which, I find, is pretty common about most peanut butter yogurts. Anyhoo…

I was telling a co-worker about some extra danishes that were left over from a morning meeting and he said “Oh, no, I’m watching my weight. I know you don’t have to worry about that, but I do”. *dramatic pause* Those of you who know my history know how ridiculous that statement is. I wanted to correct him, but he walked away too quickly, so you get to hear it.

Ohhh, mister, you better know that I DO have to worry about and I work hard to stay in shape. The only reason I look the way I do is because I don’t eat danishes, and the like, and I do some sort of workout almost every day. I even tried testing that theory this winter (read: “I stopped working out and ate pretty much what I wanted”) and I easily gained weight. I’ve had to reign it back in to shed those extra pounds and it is a constant battle for me.

So, the next time you get the urge to say something like that to a thin or fit girl, or you get that hateful jealousy that seems to come so naturally to many women, remember that she probably not only works hard for it, but, at the very least, there’s undoubtedly something she still wishes she could change. (The latter half of that may stem from societal pressure, but that’s a topic for another time.)

First is the new Publix in Hill Center. For some time, the closest Publix was way down in Bellevue (I don’t like to drive more than 5 minutes to get anywhere), and I’d only make that trek for special occasions to get some good deli meat or a fancy cake or something. But now I have one right around the corner! It’s a little smaller than the one in Bellevue, and the layout is a little confusing upon first visit, but eventually it starts to make sense. Of course, they have samples and demo stations, fresh sushi all day, a moderate seafood selection and a large deli and bakery section. The food does generally seem to be a little pricier for premium items, but they have a good line of value generic store brands that have matched the name brands in quality so far. Parking is pretty easy, although on a busy Saturday or Friday night, the smallish parking lot gets pretty full/congested. Plus, it is shared by the other businesses…which leads me to Moe’s.

Moe’s Southwestern Grill is a very welcomed addition to this area. Every other neighborhood seems to have their version of the build-your-own-burrito joint or, at the very minimum, a Baja Fresh. Yes, there’s one of those in Green Hills which is also very close, but still. Anyway. If you’ve ever been to Moe’s, you know that you’ll be welcomed by a cry of “Welcome to Moe’s!!!” when you walk in the door. It’s equally inviting and embarrassing at the same time, because if it’s been a bit since someone’s walked through the door, the welcome usually draws attention to your entrance. Which is why I dress up to go eat at Moe’s. Not really. Anyway. The menu items are creatively named like “Art Vandelay” (Seinfeld) and “The Homewrecker” and can be made with or without the meat of your choice. They also serve up some tasty frozen margaritas, which I guess kind of negates my less-than-enthusiastic opinion of The Local Taco’s service of margaritas. I guess because they are pre-made and just have to be poured makes the ones at Moe’s more enjoyable; you don’t have to stand and wait for yours to be ready. But yes, back to my point, Moe’s shares the parking lot with Publix and….

A new wine and spirits shop. According to my bank statement, it’s just called West Meade Liquors but I think they had a fancier name than that. They are two doors down from Publix and seem to have a very good selection of wine and a liquor selection that ranges from the standard to the little more unique or hard to find variety. I only stopped in for a moment, but I’m glad they’re there. If Tennessee is going to keep up this “can’t sell wine or liquor in the grocery store” thing, every grocery store should have a liquor store within walking distance. It just makes sense.

In between Publix and the liquor store is a frame shop, I believe. I might have to do a little more homework on that one to be more exact. Next to Moe’s, there appears to be a new hair salon in the works, but it is yet to be named. There are still some vacancies in Hill Center, but I think it’s a great use of that land.

The Picnic Cafe had to suffer through all the construction, but their new building is way cute (even though I’ve never been inside since they’re really only open for lunch or catering).

Across Harding is a new Great Clips, but the highlight on that side of the road is the new Harris Teeter that’s about to open! Yes, that’s right, West Meade is about to have a Kroger, Publix and Harris Teeter all within eye shot of the White Bridge/Harding intersection. It may seem a little excessive, but really its all about variety. HT generally seems to run midway between Kroger and Publix in price and variety. I just hope they aren’t planning on putting their personal items section on the second floor like they did on 21st Avenue. That’s majorly annoying.

There are a few new things on the other side of White Bridge, but I don’t know enough about them to even list them here, so this will have to do! I’m just glad my neighborhood continues to expand it’s options. Now to just replace that Taco Bell/Pizza Hut with something more appetizing….

On Saturday, we saw Angels & Demons, the new “Di Vinci Code” sequel starring Tom Hanks. If you liked the first movie, I think you’ll be sufficiently entertained by this one. Plenty of mystery, action, a bit of blood, and moderately respectable acting. Tom Hanks put forth a good performance and was looking far more in shape than the previous movie. It probably helps that I love Ewan McGregor, and that he got to express his bad-boy side with a twist at the ending. Liam Neesan is always a treat and, although he has had more ambitious roles, he still oops Stellan Skarsgård mastered his character in this movie. I was pleasantly surprised that there was no creepy “what if” romance between Tom Hanks and the lead female role. The pace of the movie was spot on; in fact, I was actually anxious for the “next move” on multiple occasions. For a piece of work I could really care less about, the movie was quite satisfying. But I’m glad my mom paid for it.

On Sunday night, my mom wanted to see “Ghost of Girlfriends Past”, a cute chick-flick with Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner. Identifying Matthew as a star from Day 1, I was open to this proposition. The movie was funny, heart warming, and ultimately redeeming; qualities all good chick-flicks must possess. Matt and Jenn are cute together and make a great sexually frustrated couple who eventually end up together (surprise!).

Parking is notoriously difficult, no matter which establishment you are visiting. Complimentary valet service is available for Local Taco, but there is also a lot behind it that connects via a little bridge walkway. I had no trouble finding a spot in that lot.

The line was out the door when I arrived, about 6 people deep, but the looping electronic display of the menu helped pass the time and prepare to place my order. Finally someone using technology to display their menu. I’ve been talking about doing that for years. I was a bit surprised at how limited the menu choices are, in the sense that there are basically only tacos, enchiladas, and salads. No burritos, nachos or quesadillas on the menu. I’m a burrito fan myself, so I was a little disappointed. I’m pretty sure they have more types of tequila than items on their menu.

The tacos, though, were varied, ranging from Korean BBQ to Spicy Shrimp to Vegetarian. The enchiladas were similar, and came with your choice of sauce topping (chili sauce, verde and 2 others). All of the items boasted the use of local ingredients, including the tortillas and salsa. I’m not sure how “local” they are, though. I didn’t see any description or explanation of where exactly they get the items. To me, it seemed more like a marketing tactic, but whatever.

Judging by the price of one taco (~$2.50) and one enchilada (~$3.50), I assumed that the portions were small and the girl at the register confirmed this by suggesting customers order more than one item. All items are served a la carte, except for the salads which are full meals on their own. I ended up ordering the chips and salsa starter (although I asked to substitute the chips for a few tortillas) and 2 vegetarian enchiladas without sour cream.

I needn’t forget to mention the margaritas. Their house margarita, made with Sauza tequila, is pretty cheap ($5.50) and then they go up from there and can be ordered by the glass or pitcher. There are a few specialty drinks and a slew of tequila options. I went with the house margarita on the rocks, with salt. My entire meal came out to about $15, which I thought was pretty reasonable for what I ordered.

After paying, I found a table while I waited for the bartender to make my drink. Customers basically just have to wait at the bar and recognize when the bartender fills their order. My drink sat there for a few minutes before I realized he wasn’t calling out ticket numbers and I was just supposed to check it myself. Soon after choosing a table, my salsas arrived, but with chips and no tortillas. I didn’t speak up and just resigned to eat a few chips with heaps of salsa, which was pretty tasty, I must say. The tamatillo one was probably the best I’ve had in Nashville.

A few minutes later, they brought my 2 enchiladas, each on its own plate, and the two tortillas I’d intended to eat with my salsa. Oh well. The portions were definitely a la carte size, which is just fine with me. Being a burrito fan, I was a little disappointed with how little filling the enchiladas had. It might’ve been because I got the vegetarian ones (which are just refried beans and black beans inside), but even then, I expected a little more than what was there. The heaviest ingredient was the melted cheese on top, which I mostly scooted to the side in efforts to compensate for the calories in the margarita. The menu said it also came with “tomatoes”, but if there was even one slice worth of chopped tomatoes, I’d be surprised. I ended up pouring the rest of my salsas on top of the enchiladas to add a little more flavor.

Overall, it was definitely enough food for me, but I wasn’t overly impressed. I do like that they have a bar (with a cute bartender) and margaritas, although it seemed like the turnover was pretty quick, which makes we question the “drink and drive” aspect of it all. However, I didn’t seem to catch a buzz from my one margarita, so….

In comparison to other places in town, I’d say it’s closest competitor is SATCO. The reason I say that is because of the menu options (no burritos, but even they have fajitas and chalupas), portions and availability of alcoholic beverages (although they don’t have margaritas). Local Taco’s offerings are a little more exotic (bbq, shrimp, etc), but its the same idea just fancied up a little bit. I don’t think the line issue will ever really go away, considering you can only fit about 4 people in line inside the doors before you have to go outside. Unless they come up with a quicker way to order, that will be a constant issue. The outdoor patio looked nice, with a high bar that watches the road, but I stayed inside this time.

I’d say I’ll probably go back again, just to try a few more things, but I don’t think it will be come a regular hot spot for me.