Not Ready for Peachtree Road Race

I have dropped the ball in training for the Peachtree Road Race this year. I was walk/running and doing the elliptical machine at the gym regularly until mid April. My Dad died. That’ll do it. All the anguish, and plans/arrangements, family needs. So the training virtually stopped for about 3 weeks. But I’ve managed to kinda sorta find ways to exercise regularly by walking/jogging the dog, cycling, and getting back into some 2-3 mile jog/walks.

How about you? Are you running the Peachtree Road Race and not really ready? PLEASE share your lamentations so I know I’m not alone! What are you doing to get ready in record time?

Who is Carrie Fisher?

Figuring out Carrie Fisher is no small task. She's a many-layered, complicated soul.

 

From real-life Hollywood princess to Princess Leia, Carrie Fisher has lived a life beyond colorful. Daughter of a tabloid-rocked show business marriage, co-star of one of the world’s most beloved blockbuster films at age 19, married and divorced from a pop music icon, and in and out of rehab numerous times; Fisher has survived with odds-defying resilience and no small measure of sharp wit. — from CarrieFisher.com

• daughter of singer Eddie Fisher and actress Debbie Reynolds
• When Carrie Fisher was two, her parents divorced. Her father married his ex-wife’s friend, actress Elizabeth Taylor.
•  She attended Beverly Hills High School.
• The huge success of Star Wars (1977) made her internationally famous.
• Fisher dated musician Paul Simon from 1977 until 1983, then was married to him from August 1983 to July 1984, and they dated again for a time after their divorce.
• Fisher was briefly engaged to the actor and comedian Dan Aykroyd, who proposed on the set of their film The Blues Brothers in 1980. She has stated: “We had rings, we got blood tests, the whole shot. But then I got back together with Paul Simon.”^[19]
• Subsequently, she had a relationship with Creative Artists Agency principal and casting agent Bryan Lourd. They had one child together.
• In 1987, Fisher published her first (semi-autobiographical) novel, Postcards from the Edge.
• Fisher had a close relationship with James Blunt.
• Fisher has publicly discussed her problems with drugs, her struggle with bipolar disorder, and her overcoming an addiction to prescription medication.
• Now she’s a Jenny Craig spokesperson, having lost 30+ pounds! http://jennycraig.com/carrie

I’ll add that Carrie Fisher has a WONDERFUL sense of humor! She can make you laugh out loud at her wit and insights.

Carrie Fisher is going to be at Dragon Con in Atlanta September 2-5!

Fun Heats Up in Atlanta for Cinco de Mayo!

Fun Heats up in Atlanta on Cinco de Mayo!

If you’re boring or have a long, sad face or want to be by yourself wallowing in your lameness, then stay at home. Because to get with Cinco de Mayo in Atlanta, my amigos, means fun, laughs, friends, music, and lots and lots of crazy loaded nachos with all the good stuff just piled up on top.

We’re ALL Mexican-Americans on Cinco de Mayo–celebrating the unlikely victory of the Mexican army over the French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862! Don’t worry. You won’t be quizzed. You don’t have to know a single slapping thing about that battle—or even likehistory (after all, it was just a bunch of stuff that people did)—to enjoy ice cold Margaritas with friends on this festive holiday coming up on Thursday!

Here’s a very cool Cinco de Mayo party spot with all the chips, salsa, guac and queso that you can devour! (Have some Tums on hand for later.)

From Twitter: AtlanticStation
Spend Cinco de Mayo @RosaMexicano in @AtlanticStation! Giveaways, food/drink specials, entertainment & more! Menu additions avail. all day!

Rosa Mexicano in Atlantic Station is located at 245 18th Street, right here close to home.

On Sunday, May 8 Rosa Mexicano is serving up a Mexican Brunch Buffet for Mother’s Day, so bring mom if she’s nearby and show her she is loved! If she’s not here, eat a big heaping plate in her honor and then call her up and tell her about it. 🙂

So call up some amigos to meet up at the local cantina for the fiesta at Rosa Mexicano (say this sentence with a Spanish accent–it’s fun). After all, there’s only one Cinco in each Mayo per year, so don’t let Cinco de Mayo pass you up this year without a fun-loving, friend-sharing, food-devouring party!

photo: laughparty

Get Ready for Atlanta Jazz Festival

The sounds of sweet jazz will fill the air at Piedmont Park all weekend coming May 28-29. Plan to bring a blanket, a cooler full of drinks and snacks, and a big umbrella, unless you want to work on your tan. The 2011 Atlanta Jazz Festival offers some amazing artists–from the youngest student musicians to accomplished veterans of the artform.

Take a listen to the acts before the festival by clicking on the links below for a little taste of their sweet goodness.

Saturday, May 28

JC Young Youth Jazz Ensemble on 5/28 @ 1pm
The Jean ChildsYoung Jazz Ensemble–an exciting, talented group of sixth, seventh and eighth grade students.

MAYWE Jazz Ensemble on 5/28 @ 3pm
Swingin’, full big band sounds

Audry Shakir on 5/28 @ 5pm
(Audry’s voice comes in about the 2:54 mark)
powerful, classy jazz/blues vocalist

Warren Wolf playing his marimba.

Warren Wolf Quintet on 5/28 @ 7pm
Old school, improvisational & you’ll LOVE his marimba magic

Regina Carter on 5/28 @ 9pm
Crazy good jazz violin–yes, violin.

Sunday, May 29

Rialto Jazz For Kids on 5/29 @ 1pm
Rialto Jazz for Kids is an ongoing series of comprehensive jazz education programs for elementary and middle-school aged students throughout metro Atlanta.

North Atlanta HS Jazz Band on 5/29 @ 3pm

Sean Jones Quintet on 5/29 @ 5pm
Jones with his quick fingers and artful phrasing makes the trumpet do sexy, amazing things.

Gerald Clayton Trio on 5/29 @ 7pm
Smooth, sultry jazz piano

Ninety Miles on 5/29 @ 9pm
The percussion of the Cuban-American, latin jazz flavor transports you to another place.

There’s something for every taste in the variety of jazz acts performing at this year’sAtlanta Jazz Festival. Get ready to kick back and absorb the notes.

Various performances are going on all month long in May. The Atlanta Jazz Festivalpage has all the details.

photo: atlantajazzfest

Meg Cabot Book Signing TONIGHT 4-28

Meg Cabot will sign your copy of Abandon tonight, April 28, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 7660 Northpoint Parkway Ste 200, Alpharetta, GA 30022. Call 770-993-8340.

“Meg Cabot’s many series and books for both adults and tweens/teens have included multiple #1 New York Times bestsellers and have sold over fifteen million copies worldwide. Her Princess Diaries series has been published in more than 38 countries and was made into two hit films by Disney. Meg also wrote the NY Times bestselling Mediator, Airhead, and Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls, as well as Insatiable (look for the sequel in summer of 2011), and the award-winning novels All-American Girl and Avalon High. Her new series for teens, Abandon, debuts in April of 2011. Ms. Cabot (her last name rhymes with habit — as in, “her books have been known to be habit–forming”) lives in Key West with her husband and two cats.” (from her website)

Free Comic Book Day is Coming!

Cool, fun weekend coming up May 6 with the release of the Thor movie. And the next day is Free Comic Book Day on May 7!

Free Comic Book Day is a single day–the first Saturday in May each year–when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutelyFREE to anyone who comes into their stores!

Thor hits Theaters May 6....can't wait for the Avengers NEXT May!

Comic book fans and collectors come in all sizes and ages. And with so much variety, there’s something for everyone in one of the several comic book genres:

Super Heroes: Superman was the star of the very first comic book when he appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938. Since then, Stan Lee and many others have contributed to our “modern mythology” with a plethora of heroes and villains.

Manga: Asian style graphic novels hugely popular today. Within manga, there are many varieties like romance, action, etc.

Slice-of-Life: These portray real life in autobiographical form and appeal to older teens and adults.

Humor: These give “comics” their name by their silly and ridiculous nature. (Think “Mad” magazine”)

Non-fiction: These explore topics like history, science, and politics.

Science-Fiction/Fantasy: Where the imagination runs wild with stories of other worlds.

Horror: Scary, creepy, spine-tingling stories with grotesque and alarming illustrations.

Visit a comic book store to browse the vast and diverse comics and graphic novels available. And stop in at one of these local comic book stores to pick up your FREE comic on Saturday, May 7.

Here’s the comic book stores participating in North Atlanta Metro (copied and pasted from Free Comic Book Website)

GREAT ESCAPE COMICS & GAMES MEGA-STORE 1050 E PIEDMONT RD STE D (IN THE PUBLIX CENTER AT E. PIEDMONT AND 120) MARIETTA, GA (770) 973-2253
TITAN GAMES & COMICS 2131 PLEASANT HILL ROAD DULUTH, GA (770) 497-0202
DR. NO’S COMICS & GAMES SUPERSTORE 3428 CANTON ROAD BLACKWELL SQUARE SHOPPING CENTER MARIETTA, GA (770) 422-4642
SWAYZE’S COMICS 2543 BELLS FERRY ROAD SUITE 650 MARIETTA, GA (770) 590-0111
TEA HOUSE COMICS 5920 ROSWELL RD. SUITE # B-107 SANDY SPRINGS, GA (404) 252-3994
GALACTIC QUEST 4264 SUDDERTH ROAD SUITE D BUFORD, GA (770) 614-4804
TITAN GAMES & COMICS WOODSTOCK 1105 PARKSIDE LANE SUITE #1212 WOODSTOCK, GA (770) 592-4747

Atlanta’s ‘Funnest’ Painting Class

Make a cool, funky pic and take it home!

Looking for something a little different to do with friends or on a date? Girls, you’ll LOVE doing this with your girlfriends. Guys, the best unique date in town—one that will earn you many points for thinking outside the box—is Sips N Strokes! Before you let your imagination run wild, they teach you how to paint a particular painting step-by-step (“strokes”) and all the while you can enjoy your favorite beverage (“sips”). So you’re painting a picture in a casual, low intimidation-factor environment. And you can take your finished piece home at the end of the evening. You’ll have something you created to hang on your wall or give as a hand-created gift. A session at Sips N Strokes may be just the nudge you need to unleash your sleeping creative energy!

The classes/paintings from which to select change daily, so you’re sure to find something on the online calendar that you’ll dig and enjoy painting–from florals to landscapes to whimsical animals and more.

“I have never considered myself artistic in the least bit, but Sips-n-Strokes made it so simple for me to create my own beautiful work of art and bring it home when finished. I had a wonderful time letting my creative juices flow!…I brought home a beautiful picture that my husband even loves!” –Erin W. from Lawrenceville

There are two locations in Atlanta:

Sandy Springs at 230 Hammond Drive, Building #400

Toco Hills at 3019 N. Druid Hills Rd NE, Atlanta

The classes are affordable, ranging from $25 – $50 depending on complexity & materials requirements. Visit the calendars for prices and details on classes. To view class prices, click on the image you want to paint and the class details will appear.

Everyone goes home with a good-looking painting, regardless of skill-level! For a couple of hours of creative fun with a friend or date (where you bring home your finished product), sign up for a Sips N Strokes class!

photo: sips n strokes

Must “See” Dialog In the Dark

Can you imagine being blind and living in a world of darkness? Could I navigate my way around and use my other senses to compensate? Could I figure out how to navigate and survive? These are questions sighted people, like myself, ponder from time to time. Frankly, it’s really scary to consider.

Get some friends and experience “Dialogue in the Dark” while it’s here.

For a unique outing that is sure to change the way you see—er, perceive—the world and the way you think about the challenges of people living with disabilities, check out the show Dialogue in the Dark at Atlantic Station. There are 5 dates remaining.

Monday April 25 / All Day (12:00pm – 5:00pm)

Tuesday April 26 / All Day (12:00pm – 5:00pm)

Wednesday April 27 / All Day (12:00pm – 5:00pm)

Thursday April 28 / All Day (12:00pm – 5:00pm)

Friday April 29 / All Day (12:00pm – 8:00pm)

“Visitors are led through a pathway by blind or visually impaired guides. Within the pathway it is totally dark and the only way to experience the everyday environments simulated within the pathway is through senses other than sight. Totally dependent on their guides, the exhibit encourages visitors to reflect on the lack of sight and the social barriers it can create.” (from goldstar.com website)

Goldstar offers discounted tickets to the event. Simply sign up at Goldstar.com and purchase tickets for $12.96 instead of the full price of $25.92.

Dialogue in the Dark is located at the Premier Exhibition Center at Atlantic Station(265 18th Street Atlanta, GA 30363)

Experience the intense sensation of moving about in the world without sight. And gain new empathy for those for whom this is life.

photo: dialogue in the dark