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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Ooh-la-L.A.



Once again, family knows just what a girl likes. Today, Mom received a special Fed-Ex by way of L.A. from her sister Georgie Girl that put a big smile on her face.

A vintage Vox vinyl of "New Songs of Mademoiselle de Paris" Jacqueline Francois (circa 1952) will soon be spinning on her record player. And the contents of the brown paper bag from L.A.'s famed Trashy Lingerie . . . well, Shuga D sends his thanks.

There are moments when Mom misses Georgie dearly but receiving such sweet discoveries from her Hollywood stomping grounds continues to make Mom proud that her little sis is working hard on her fairytale. Tonight, Mom is searching for a star in the sky and hopes it's the same one her Los Angeles' angel is wishing upon from the West Coast.

Candy Lou loves you (Auntie)!


Sunday, January 17, 2010

Knowhutimean?

The Candy's Land crew is in the midst of a move. Our life is being sorted in its proper boxes, and so far, we've already filled one storage unit. It's a big step for Mom and Shuga D as they officially begin their hunt for our family's dream house in the College Hill Corridor.

So, in the meantime, take a joy break with us for this classic clip, starring Mom's actual Godfather, the late Jim Varney. When Mom would visit Jim and Janie, she often asked, "How did you do that?" as they talked about his latest movie projects. For this scene of "Ernest Goes to Jail," Mom was fascinated with the fact that an "ink pen" of chocolate syrup could be so funny.


Friday, January 15, 2010

Funny Stuff My Dad Says


We've all seen the Twitter page for "Sh*t My Dad Says" and love it. Mom has decided that she is going to follow suit, and recap some of her own dad-inducing moments that bring a smile to her face.

It begins with an email this morning, challenging her and Shuga D to another badminton re-match. Just to recap, Mom and Shuga suffered a devastating loss to her father and nine-year-old brother on Christmas day, when they not only kicked their booties in the Walden tradition of badminton, but Shuga may have actually cracked a rib or two in the effort. He is still hurting!

Here was the email this morning:

Subject: Are you two ready for another whippin in Badminton'?

J & J,

I will tell Christian to take it easy on you guys and I will play left handed to give YALL a chance!! He he he........as the arubs say......

Love,

Dad a/k/a Alan


Alan Walden

2003 Inductee, Georgia Music Hall Of Fame


By the way, check out this shirt that Pop Walden should surely get for Father's Day!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Rest in Peace, Scout


We're a little sad in Candy's Land this week. After a courageous fight with cancer, our friend Scout was ready to go home to heaven. Scout was very much part of our Candy's Land crew -- often at Second Sunday Brunch panting on the picnic blankets alongside us, or coming over to the house with her dad, Mom and Shuga's friend David (or Uncle Higgy as he's been known here), whenever an evening of fun was to be had.

We're going to miss having Scout in our lives. But Mom says she knows her Guapo just got another friend to wait for all of us on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge.

Here's what Scout's dad had to say about her:

She was a total all around badass who bridged the animal kingdon and our human world with poise and no regrets. Scout could say as much to you with one look from her waterfall blue eyes as she could when she'd sing along to match your pitch or throw her howl out to the wolves circling in the distance out in the Gros Ventre Range; it was all communication that made sense. She was a punk rocker with a heart that knew no bounds. The type of girl who would wear combat boots with a short sundress to the highest society function of the year and win the affection of every guy and friendship (albeit with a tinge of jealous envy) of every woman there. Scout could enjoy the bouquet of a fine pinot noir, discuss the vintage, and then excuse herself to have a nip from her boot flask with the band and fit in perfectly with either camp. She brought together elegance and courage; as if Grace Kelly and Chrissy Hynde ever hung out. While some dogs would run head first into the Charleston surf and get knocked back before stubbornly trying again, Scout would find herself a place along the tide and let the surf make its way to her. She scaled 14,000 ft peaks in Jackson, surveyed the view, and then chose her route down the side sending powder up around her muzzle and over her head; always with the purpose to have fun. Whether she was accidently scaring little kids who thought she was a wolf, or purposely scaring the conservative red state extremists who view dogs as simple creatures with her free spirit, Scout was noticed any and everywhere she went. She was without a doubt my right hand girl.

To Scout and Uncle Higgy, Candy Lou will always love you.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Above and Beyond Bar Food


Where else in downtown Macon can you celebrate Hump Day with a mean game of trivia, have a burger with a fried egg on top or spend a lazy Sunday sucking pretty oysters on the half shell with a killer bloody mary . . . and leave with a container of Georgia-grown goat cheese?

We've written about their infamous "Jessica" hotdog before. This time it was the Dr. John Burger, cooked medium with a medium egg mixing juices underneath the buns, that stuffed Mom's face. Served with a side of their new smashed potatoes, this is a dish with some serious boogie woogie. In fact, Mom still hasn't shut up about how good it was.

Then there was this recent Sunday when Shuga caught wind they were serving oysters on the half-shell as a special. As soon as he and Mom were done cleaning up after the amazing Second Sunday Brunch concert, they cozied up in a booth and made room for the cocktails and cocktail sauce. One bloody mary and a dozen fresh oysters later, Mom declared it one fine afternoon.

Welcome to the new Rookery. Owners Chad Evans and Wes Griffith are finding their stride as this downtown institution continues to rock and roll.

On top of their new menu offerings, the Rookery is now selling Sweet Grass Dairy Products. That means fine handcrafted goat and cow cheeses (to-go!) made from a family farm just south of Macon in Thomasville, Georgia. In fact, Mom came home carrying a container of Sweet Grass goat cheese that cheese heads like her could practically eat with a spoon.

Mom is already looking forward to the next round of trivia, every Wednesday at 8 p.m. Prizes include Rookery and Vineville Salon gift certificates, and teams are entered to win an ultimate $5000 grand prize. Watch out for her team, the Monthlies. And for all of the cheaters who think they can cheat with the PDA, you've been warned. Real brain power is required.



Thursday, January 7, 2010

Baby, It's BEEN Cold Outside



It's late and the evening, and Mom and I have our cold noses pressed up against the even colder window pane, hoping for some specks of sleet, a few flurries, or heck, just a snowflake. It's as still as a silent night out there, despite the hysteria at the grocery store today where Mom witnessed a raid on milk, bread, ground beef and bottled water. Gotta love the South. We ride out hurricanes and heat waves and tease tornadoes, but an inch of frozen participation puts us in "buy out the batteries and button down the hatch" panic mode.

Mom was just there for soup stuff, and judging by the looks of the top pic, you're probably wondering what kind of ingredients was she smoking. But that boiling pot of kinda
gross-looking green stuff is hands-down, one of Mom's favorite comfort soup recipes. After one hearty bowl tonight, Shuga D whole heartily agrees. It's so cheap, easy, flavorful and slightly healthy, that you would think Kroger would have had a run on beans and cilantro today instead. Here we go:

It's Easy Being Green Chili (Vegetarian)

2 cans or Northern Beans (three-cheers for organic!)
2 small cans of diced green chilies

1 small can of salsa verde
Cilantro - about 3/4 of a bunch, finely chopped
1/2 white onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
salt and pepper
sour cream (garnish)
chives or green onions (garnish)

Saute the onions in extra virgin olive oil (or butter) u
ntil slightly brown in a deep skillet or stock pot. Add garlic and saute for a minute. Add two cans of beans, with liquid, and one can of water. Then the chilies and salsa. Bring to a boil. Add cilantro. Liberally salt and pepper. And let simmer for about seven minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream and garnish with green onions or chives. Yep, that's it.

See, it's not so bad looking steaming from the bowl . . . especially with a side of grilled cheese cooked up by Shuga D tonight that included cheddar AND Gorgonzola. Mom is also a fan of making spinach tortilla cheese ques
adillas with this to keep the green theme.

We may not see snow, but serve it hot and melt away the fear.


Sunday, January 3, 2010

From the East to the West

Although Georgie Girl's NYE clock was three hours behind her Macon home, she received a real time "Happy New Year" just after the pink ball dropped at the intersection of Cherry and Third in downtown Macon.

G.G. may have already met Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and Cameron Diaz in her new L.A. home, but she wasn't as struck until she heard the familiar voice of her favorite southern star, the creative force known as "The Artist" Mark Ballard, giving her a shout-out from her Macon home.

Watch the videos and listen closely to the second clip to hear G.G's reaction when we phone her from home, and she realizes it's Mark on the other line.

Time is Free


Downtown Macon, Georgia was alive and well for New Year's Eve, and Mom and Shuga D were grateful they swooshed in from Atlanta and nested at the Hummingbird Stage and Taproom. For Mom, it was like a rewind and fast forward in time.

First the flashbacks. Col. Bruce Hampton and the Quark Alliance were center stage. Colonel classics like "Time is Free" and "Basically Frightened," and the man himself looked like he was at least a decade-and-a-half younger . . . Which made Mom rewind to being 16 at Elizabeth Reed's Music Hall (with her dad, of course), and helping Col. Bruce apply duct tape to his shoes and jeans "because it was going to get them on MTV." Good thing the duct tape took him even further.

Then the fast forward. The 'Bird was slammed packed. Bottles of champagne were graciously given out before the clock struck 12, and the music-loving-super-sect of folks were sharing, toasting and having just an overall mighty fine time. Mom couldn't help but fast forward into the new decade and just imagined the day when Macon didn't need a New Year's or free bottles of champagne to pack the house at key live music venues, like the Hummingbird, all of the time. Maybe, just maybe, we will get to the day - to quote the Rabbi - "when you haven't made it until you played Macon" . . . or at least been a part of the crowd singing along.

Thanks to the Hummingbird team for making it a memorable (and hopeful) night. Here's to a new decade of bringing us live music in Macon.