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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Remember Him?


Meet Tod. You may remember him from a previous post when we rescued him from the mean streets of fresh abandonment where Mom found him wondering. She thought he was a puppy who would grow to be a big boy. Turns out, he has a serious case of perma-puppy. There is some short stock in him that makes him look like a mini-Pointer/Lab.

Tod, or Todderson McTater-Tot, as he is known in some circles, is now the cherished child of our friend Carly, who opened her door to the loving home he deserves. He recently had his male "brain surgery," a.k.a snip-snip. Hope he's feeling better soon and can come over for a play date!

How can you resist a face like this? Happy tails.

Best Friends Furever


This oh-so-cute (and kinda kinky) photo of me and my sister mutt Miss Kitty was taken in our living room. Yes, I need to close my legs. But Kitty doesn't seem to mind. Why shop when you can adopt this kind of cuteness? We're two former pound puppies in a pod.

Candy Lou loves you!

It's a Beautiful Day in Downtown Macon



Our arctic temps seem to be a thing of the past and you can practically smell spring just around the corner. Check out this super cool shot of downtown Macon's Poplar Avenue, taken just yesterday by photographer Ingrid Lyndon.

Come Down to the Crossroads


Crossroads seem to come and go. Freight trains may all look the same. But when you throw in an opportunity to sit at the feet of writers who are actually living a literary dream, well, you can bet there are folks out there who would make a deal with the Devil at Dockery Plantation to have this kind of opportunity in their backyards.

Thanks to a Knight Neighborhood Challenge grant, the Crossroads Writers Conference and Literary Festival will take over the Mercer University campus and College Hill community this weekend.

Visit Crossroad's fantastic website by clicking here for a run-down of writers and events. Mom is very much looking forward to seeing her own favorite writer, Lauretta Hannon, whose book unlocks the hell-raising beauty of being a Cracker Queen.

Mom will be moderating Lauretta's reading "The Cracker Queen in her Court" at 10:30 a.m. Mom [a.k.a. Jessica Walden] will also be featured in her own panel on "Selling Yourself with Renegade Marketing" at 2:30 p.m. and will participate on "Alternative Careers for Writers" panel at 4:30 p.m. No, I won't be in attendance . . . Grrr. Mom's just not famous enough yet to carry me around to all the public places (a la Illeana Douglas).

For the complete schedule of all of Crossroad's Activities, click here. Get our your pen, paper and running shoes.



Monday, February 22, 2010

Candy's Land Joins Meatless Mondays!


Although Mom spent nine months in the womb with no meat and three years as an herbivore here and there across the course of her life, she tends to fall off the veggie wagon and go on a red meat iron-inducing frenzy every now and again. Still, she's a grass-belly grazer at heart . . . and in her heart of hearts, she doesn't want to eat other animals. It's not just a love for all creatures great and small. She detests the cruelty of factory farming and the havoc it induces on our ecosystem. God may have created hunters when he kicked us out of Eden, but the industrial methods of slaughtering cows, pigs, turkeys, chicken, buffalo (yep) and gulp, horses, just isn't Kosher. No bones, thighs or filets about it.

So, Mom has signed us up on the movement of Meatless Mondays. It's simple. Cut out meat one day a week, traditionally Monday - just as they did during the days of conserving during World War II. The goal is to reduce meat consumption by 15 percent to improve the health and welfare of our greatest temples - our bodies and the earth in which they exist.

As members of the movement, expect to find a meatless recipe here in Candy's Land, every Monday. Tonight, it was stuffed bell peppers. Here you go:

2 large [organic] green bell peppers
tub of fresh salsa
rice
Veggie ground
salt / pepper
Coriander
Cumin
Pepper Jack Cheese

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Cook rice. Heat up the frozen veggie ground by mixing it in a saucepan or skillet with the tub (or jar) of salsa. Mix the rice in the veggie ground and salsa mixture. Quarter each pepper, leaving just the ribs, stem and seeds. Grease pan. Layer pepper slices. Fill with rice, veggie ground and salsa mixture. Season with spices. Layer with cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes for a healthy, cheapie and wise supper.

Happy Birthday Grant's Lounge!


A cherished Macon establishment turns another year older this week. Grant's Lounge is celebrating its 39th anniversary with a well-deserved "Happy Hippy Hour" to mark the milestone. To read more about the historical downtown Macon establishment, as well as the brother and sister team who continue to keep the spirit of Grant's alive and well, read an article Mom wrote a couple of years ago, found on the Grant's website by clicking here.

The party takes place on Wednesday, February 24, starting at 5 p.m. Big Mike and the Booty Papas are jamming. Special guests includes Chris Hicks, Paul Hornsby, Newt Collier, Robert Lee Coleman, Eddie Kirkland and our own Papa Alan Walden. Proceeds benefit the Big House Museum and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

See all you baby boomers and babes who came from them at Grant's Lounge, this Wednesday.

(photo by the incomparable Ken Krakow.)

Lights, Cameras and Plenty of Action


Mom is moping and Shuga D is dragging his tail. MaGa came. They saw. And now they are worn slap out, yet sad to see it go. This year's MaGa only proved that it keeps going up a notch. So, what were Mom's highlights?

Was it driving to the airport with Bright Blue and Texas T to pick up actor, special guest and downright swell Maconite Jack McBrayer? Was it the fact Shuga hauled their bikes downtown so they could pedal in between the Douglass and Cox Capitol Theatres? Was it the moment the lights went down and the audience cheered, clapped and whistled during the College Hill Corridor video trailer? Or was it the indie films, visiting filmmakers, friendly after-parties, bustling downtown restaurants and dedicated friends who work hard to make this festival possible? Or was it just our hometown of Macon, whose community now lays claim to an artistic, happening, international film festival?

Who knows . . . but if we learned one thing this weekend, unicorns do exist every now and then.


Wednesday, February 17, 2010

MaGa Makes You Happy (Ain't that Right, Shuga?)


It's the friendliest, funkiest little film festival that just keeps getting better and bigger every year. The Macon Film Festival (MaGa) is here and Mom can't wait to put a lanyard around her neck, turn her attention to the silver screen, down a Magatini and rub elbows with over 70 filmmakers taking over her dear downtown for four fabulous days, starting Thursday.

Visit the official website right here for the schedule of events. And I'll be here doing my best to keep you in the loop of Mom's MaGa picks and adventures over the course of the next four days . . . pending the Magatinis don't get in the way.


Have You Seen It?

Mom's 9 to 5, the College Hill Alliance, has been abuzz over their new promotional video that made its debut last week at Macon's Downtown Rotary Club. As director of communications, Mom put the video together with gal pals, partners in crime and motion picture extraordinaries Texas T (producer Tabitha Walker) and Bright Blue (editor Stephanie Shadden). The response their little creative crew has received since the video went live has been just what they all needed to re-charge their artistic, community-driven energy. Even the Macon Telegraph's Harold Goodridge gave it a shout-out in Saturday's Business section, saying, "They're doing it in the College Hill Corridor."

Here is the full video promo in all its eight-minute glory. Stick around to the last minute and 20 seconds when you recognize some of our favorite community faces, who are the true stars of the show:




Monday, February 8, 2010

Spend a Sunday with Your Sweetie . . .


Or just you and all your single ladies, friends with benefits and/or bro-hams. Mom and the College Hill crew are at it again. This time Second Sunday is going to have a Valentine's twist, considering it falls on cupid's (and Hallmark's) favorite calendar day.

Second Sunday Brunch starts at noon and will feature the reunion of Mark Brooker with the Soul Proprietors. Mark, one of Mom's favorite peeps, who she has mentioned here before, is coming back from Long Beach, California just for this Second Sunday performance. The event is free. Bring a picnic or buy one on site. The event will most likely be held in the Armory Ballroom, but in case of a warm snap, we'll be in Washington Park.

Then, that same day, when the sun starts to set, College Hill will host a free movie screening of "Dirty Dancing" at the Armory Ballroom, followed by an encore set from Mark before we ship the Crooner back to Cali. Same set up as Second Sunday - decorate your table and get there early because College Hill has a special, ultra-cute sippy gift for all of the early lovebirds.

Don't forget, both events are free. How's that for a cheap and easy date?

If you want to know more, shoot Mom an email at jessica@collegehillmacon.com. Tell her Candy sent you.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Cute Candy

Here's a little video . . . just because.

View from the Top






Mom was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the Medical Center of Central Georgia's new emergency helipad that will soon open at Central Georgia's only Level One Trauma Center. The height made her a little weak in the knees, but the spectacular view of our fair city of Macon was well worth it.

The Best Parting Gift


No need for a housewarming gifts when you're still trying to figure out what to do with the stuff you already own. But Mom did receive a thoughtful "parting" gift when she was packing up the last of the boxes last week. Lil' Miss Bibb dropped off a sack of Macon's finest with a bottle of the un-refinest -- Nu-Way wieners and a bottle of Andre in honor of the infamous Monthlies' Wiener Roast and Cheap Champagne Toast of 2009 that was held at our former home.

You know you're from Macon when you and Nu-way have gone a long way together. Thanks, Lil' Miss Bibb, for the cheap and greasy gift with a whole lot of sentimental value. Candy Lou loves you!


Friday, February 5, 2010

Happy Birthday to my Brother and Sister Mutt!





Here's the story of a dog-lovin' lady,
Who had two little cute pooches of her own.
There were the three of them, in it together,
re-building their lives in their new home.

Here's the story, of a man we call Shuga,
Who was a single dad to very two loving mutts,
They all had hearts of gold and a good life,
They just needed a lady's touch.

Finally, the lady agreed to go out with this fella
And they knew it was much more than a hunch,
That this group would somehow form a furry family.
That's the way we all became the Bow-Wow Bunch.

The Bow-Wow Bunch,
The Bow-Wow Bunch,
That's the way we all became the Bow-Wow Bunch!

Happy Birthday to Tybee and Bowen! Candy Lou (and Kitty too) LOVES You!


Thursday, February 4, 2010

How Lucky We Are

It's First Friday in downtown Macon, and we've got not just one but two acts taking the stage of downtown Macon that are guaranteed to make you shake your thang.

Blues extraordinaire Eddie Kirkland puts on an encore with the Mobile Slim Band. They'll get the show going at 8 p.m. at the historic Douglass Theatre.

After Eddie, Barry and the Slims make Macon music magic happen on the soulful stage (the same one that Otis Redding once shook), turn the corner, head to the Hummingbird and experience an act that the live music capital of the world has named one of their best bands.

T-Bird and the Breaks are back from Austin. And if you've haven't taken a ride in the "Two-Tone Cadillac," now is the time to buckle your seat belt.

How lucky we are to live in Macon, Georgia - where you can turn a corner and experience the best of two music worlds . . . on one happening Friday night.



T-Bird & the Breaks in Macon, GA! from Stephanie Shadden on Vimeo.



(Video by Candy's Land own Bright Blue!)

Did You Miss Us?


Candy's Land officially has a new place to rest our heads. After a never-ending move, two storage units and just enough enough of a freak-out that a mancation and a couple of cocktails could cure, Mom and Shuga D have a new address in the beautiful College Hill Corridor. And luckily for me and my brother and sister mutts, we're just a bone-throw away from the Macon Dog Park. Life is good again. And with that, Candy's Land is back on track.

We haven't been the only ones uprootin'. Honey Shot just got back from a month-long stay in cowboy country. Remember how she and Mom went on a Wyoming ranch adventure this summer? Well, while out west, Honey found her a honey. And she is not longer just taking pretty pictures, she's telling her story. Check out Leah Yetter's new blog by clicking here.

Pictured is the "Uprooted Magnolia" on the scene of what may soon be her future home on the range. The West is lucky to have won her heart. Photo credit, high-five and a belated birthday to Cowboy Patrick.