Bam! Jarred awake, Lucy turned to her sister; but Susan snored softly, undisturbed.
Bam! Lucy slid from the bed and scurried through the gloom.
Bam! Flinging wide the wardrobe door, she startled as the bold winds of another world caressed her face.
People are Strange (When You’re a Stranger)
It is important to note that people are also strange in convenience stores very late at night, on any type of mass transit, at Revival Services featuring live rattle snakes and frequently at Walker-Stalker Con.
Oh, and Hallowe’en.
Most definitely people are strange on Hallowe’en.
Mostly “good” strange, though.
People are strange when you’re a stranger…
Faces look ugly when you’re alone…
Women seem wicked when you’re unwanted…
Streets are uneven, when you’re down.
When you’re strange…
Faces come out of the rain…
When you’re strange…
No one remembers your name…
When you’re strange…
When you’re strange…
When you’re strange.
Thank you to the Doors and Jim Morrison for the Spooky-festive and appropriate lyrics, and massive thanks to my bestie, L.C., not only for being her amazing self, but for throwing her annual and wildly fantabulous Hallowe’en Extraganza, which is more fun than anything should be.
From ghoulies and ghosties
And long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us!
~Scottish Saying
Simply…intoxicating.
When I tell people that I have a blog, they always want to know what I write about.
“What’s your category,” they say. “Humor|entertainment| pets| parenting|relationships|food|health and wellness|travel?”
(Huh? Category? What?)
It’s hard enough posting something/anything with any kind of regularity.
Describing my blog is difficult, perhaps it’s because I’ve never really had a theme beyond its name, Drunk on Life.
In a silly, sappy way that’s totally normal to my nature, that’s how most of me feels – that life itself is intoxicating – a giant glass of champagne, filled with bubbles of happiness,to be tossed back, quaffed, slurped down and savored.
But of course, the reality is that life isn’t always a sparkling nectar.
I’m wildly fortunate in so many ways, and I am truly grateful for all of the blessings in my life. I have a job and my health; a husband, parents and friends who love me; a home, two amazing fur kids, a car that runs, money in the bank.
It doesn’t stop me from bad days and stressful realities the same as anyone: the loss of a friend, feeling exhausted and alone, moments at work when I want to put my hands over my ears and start screaming, painful times when I fight with my husband, my car breaking down in an intersection and thinking I’m going to die, hearing a colleague saying something petty and nasty and unwarranted about me. Maybe it’s as simple as realizing I forgot to pay a bill last month; or it’s just one of those days when I’m a hot, hormonal mess, my jeans won’t zip up, my face breaks out and then my freakin’ dishwasher overflows suds all over my hardwood floors..
or when I try to write something/anything…
and nothing comes out.
Those are the times when instead of crying, I look through the pictures in my phone gallery or Instagram, pull up an old blog post, or scroll through albums on Facebook or real albums on the coffee table and remember wonderful, precious moments with the people I love. Walks on the Beltline with Sue and Laura. Barbeques and Ninja Turtle Burgers. Sunsets on the beach in Rosemary. Thanksgiving and Christmas. St. Patrick’s Day Dinners and Burn’s Suppers and “Screen on the Garage Door” movie nights. Hanging out with our parents. Hanging out with our cousins. Kitty hijinks. Clowning around. Dancing with my husband. Hugs and hand-holdings, a sweet text from a friend, jokes retold a thousand times, grins, giggles, laughing so hard you’re crying. Love.
And knowing that this is what really matters, ultimately, I find myself once again buzzed, wasted, snockered, giddy, tipsy on the life I have and the people in it.
And that’s what I try to share here, with you, the funny, charming, magical and wonderful moments that make it all worthwhile to me.
Cheers, Salud and Slàinte Mhath. Here’s to life.
“Life is a crazy mixture of intoxicating cocktails.”
― Ken Poirot
Nanopoblano: A Month of Spicy Writing with some fabulous Tiny Peppers!
I’m a Pepper, he’s a Pepper,
She’s a Pepper, we’re a Pepper,
Wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper, too?
Yay! It’s November 1st and for me the start of the 30-Day Crazy that is NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) as part of the NanoPoblano (Team Tiny Pepper) bloggers’ group!
I’ve been MIA from writing for the past two months due to a soul-sucking work load that’s left me low on energy and short on words.
To be truthful, I am frightened of committing to NaBloPoMo and Team Pepper.
I’m scared I’ll never be able to write a post Every. Single. Day. for the 30 days of November.
I’m timorous of taking on too much work: I’m panicked that I’ll be too short on time to peruse other Pepper’s posts, I’m petrified I won’t write anything that anyone will find interesting. I’m even apprehensive of being a creative addition to the team.
However…
I’m even more heart-stoppingly terrified to miss out on so much fun!
Something’s Brewing
Last night, my dear friends Dana and Beth joined me for a special fundraising dinner, held at possibly one of the coolest-named places in the galaxy:
Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Party.
::sigh:: how awesome is that?
Dr. Bombay’s is a little “dive” tearoom way down McLendon on the backside of Little Five Points, on the Southeast side of Atlanta. It’s almost painfully charming, with book-lined walls, cozy nooks, mismatched furnishings and a ceiling hung with a wild assortment of lanterns and umbrellas of every size, shape and color imaginable. 
They serve high tea (if you pre-order), little sandwiches, scones, clotted cream, quiche and other delicacies.
Tonight they were hosting a dinner to raise funds for their non-profit, the Learning Tea, an organization whose mission is to provide scholarships to impoverished young women in India; furnishing tuition, living expenses and a safe and stable home so the girls can complete university studies, opening their futures to better opportunities through education.
We started the night with delicious samosas drizzled with a Tamarind Herb Sauce.
This was followed by our entree, served on cute little TV dinner-style trays. Jeera Aloo Bhaji (potatoes with cumin and spices), Vegetable Numaish (vegetables and baby corn) with rice and Naan. Dessert was a mango-studded sorbet with fresh whipped cream. 
The organizers ran a social media contest for the night’s best photo using their hashtag, #webrewscholars. Can I tell you how thrilled I was to have my annoying habit of photographing my food and everything around me not only sanctioned, but encouraged?
One of my photos took second place!
Since “man” (and his dinner dates) cannot live on tea alone, Dana had the forethought to run across the street to the neighborhood wine shop and grab a couple of bottles of bubbly to wash down our spicy repast.
Who’d a thunk, but introducing a little bubbly turned it all into a party! We invested in copious amounts of raffle tickets (winning nothing but our joy in giving), drank our champers, posted, giggled, gossiped and enjoyed a truly fabulous meal. Kuddos to our chefs and the tearoom staff.
So wonderful to see my good friends while helping the inspiring folks at at Dr. Bombay’s and the Learning Tea!
To learn more about the admirable work done by the volunteers at The Learning Tea, visit their site at www.thelearningtea.com
“The proper, wise balancing of one’s whole life may depend upon the feasibility of a cup of tea at an unusual hour.” – Arnold Bennett, How to Live on 24 Hours a Day
Cloud storming
I work 723 feet above the city. Sometimes the most amazing views have nothing to do with the ground below.
“Different cities visit us daily, they exist in the clouds.” -AntoniaPerdue
International Cat Day
This past Saturday was International Cat Day, a global celebration of our feline buddies.
While I was able to restrain myself from planning a parade or costumed ball, I thought I’d at least write a special post.
I currently don’t have much of a life outside of work, but I do have an overly-large collection of semi-“squee !!!” inducing photos of my hairy kids clogging the memory on my phone and some random thoughts on the cat psyche.
Voila. I’d rock out a tidy post and clear some photos from my phone cache at the same time.
(Do note that there’s a “Psych!” in the term “cat psyche” and it most likely won’t be coming from my mouth.)
::sigh::
Until I was forcefully reminded this evening by a 15-lb orange and white furby repeatedly head-butting his full body weight into my ankles…
::Ahem:: Pay attention to me. Now.
So in honor of the four-legged children of my heart, I would like to share some…hmmm…let’s call them “introspections,” that have recently come to me (with conveniently corroborating photos.)
This is the face of a cat. This is not the face of an innocent cat. There is no such thing.
Ditto
I have learned that the act of eating breakfast is so exhaustive, it throws one immediately into a twenty-hour slumber.
I own a 1300-square foot, two-story loft. I can’t move an inch without tripping over a cat.
However, when the vacuum cleaner makes an appearance, I couldn’t round up a cat with a hooker and a stack of hundred dollar bills.
I want to know: is it really necessary to run ahead of me to the bathroom, especially in the middle of the night, bellowing the kitty version of “All’s Clear!”?
Make way, make way!
Surfing, really?
I draw the line at buying him a surfboard. Or little surf shorts. Or flip flops.
You’ll put your eyes out.
There’s a cat to fill it.
But they are always the best present.
As I’m sitting here writing, I have two warm, snugly little sweethearts curled up against me, grumbling slightly when I inconvenience them by shifting under their persistent burrowing, but fairly intent on deafening me with purrs.
And love.
So here’s to International Cat Day. Today and every day.
And to Keegan and Brodie, furkids extraordinaire, for being made of awesome.
Step Kids
Nah, they’re not step kids really, they’re my very own kids, fur and all.
I just love the solemness of the little display here.
Yes, it’s morning.
Yes, Mom is up and moving around.
Breakfast, however, has not been made.
There’s a little bit of judgement going on here, certainly some alarm; definitely a great deal of consternation.
I’m rushing to clean the kitchen first, before I have to leave for class, but helpless under the weight of their regard, I fold.
The crisp crack of the Fancy Feast lid sears apart the air…
releasing suddenly manically eager kittens tumbling frantically down the stairs
to their dish.
::sigh::
Cat drama.
Three Things Thursday: July 23, 2015
“Picture perfect.”
One of my favorite weekly blog challenges is Nerd In the Brain’s Three Things Thursday, where she shares three things that made her smile: her “exercise in gratitude.”
She urges you to “steal this idea with wild abandon and fill your blog with the happy.”
Looking back through the photo gallery on my phone, I was most struck by the lovely skies I saw over the last few days, so I thought I’d share those with you this week. (added bonus that they were all attached to very happy moments!)
It’s a double rainbow all the way. Whoa. Enjoying nature’s “Art” outside of an Art Opening.
Walking home down the Beltline from a great barre class. O4W Skate Park.
Tonight’s Sunset porn from my front door. Had to stop, drop the groceries and take a picture!
Thank you, as always, Nerd in the Brain, for the inspiration and opportunity to share some happies!
Three Things Sunday: July 19, 2015
I’m sure by now, there is little surprise that I have once again missed the mark to contribute to this week’s “Three Things Thursday: An Exercise in Gratitude,” the lovely Nerd In The Brain’s weekly challenge.
At least, in a timely, Thursday-ish fashion.
However, one of the things I most happy about is:
I have been lost without lil’ MacCie.
I have my computer back! Yippee!!!
I was completely happy to let my husband use my laptop for an editing project the past three weeks (especially since it was a gift from him to begin with) but if you saw my few miserable attempts to blog via iphone, you will understand my overwhelming joy to get the little fella back.
Otherwise, it’s been a loooooonnnnggg week. I’m really missing my friend and colleague (who received a well-deserved transfer and promotion), all made tougher by the fact I’m alone in the office now, doing a job best meant for 3 people, so I’m stressy and scrambling most of the time.
I have to keep smackin’ myself upside the head to remember that my life overflows with good things and I should stop the kvetching and focus on all the incredible positives instead of the minute amount of negative.
For instance, here is a spectacular sunset, viewed from my terrace on Monday:
Who wouldn’t feel saturated with color and sky after seeing that? It leaves little room for the petty crap.
Tuesday, my dear friend Heidi strolled over on the Beltline and drug me out of my “poor little me” funk and down to my favorite bar, the Highlander, for dinner and some beverages. Saw some other friends, vented, listened, smiled, giggled, laughed out loud: got myself back.
The walk back, on such a sultry summer night, was filled with lovely twinkly lights from the city spread out before us.
Ponce de Leon Avenue – Bank of America Building in the background and Ponce City Market to the left.
Lights of North Avenue, looking towards Midtown.
The walk and talk did a lot to put me in a better frame of mind.
So, I would love to share another view from my terrace – looking down instead of out.
Gerbera Daisies
Petunias and Snaps!
Despite the recent oppressive heat, my flowers are exploding into gorgeousness, reminding me that there are things to be grateful for all around me.
I simply need to open my eyes to find some happy.
Thank you as always, Nerd in the Brain, for the weekly reminder!
Drunk on Life 