New Year’s dinner as prepared by my Ukrainian friends.
Hoping for a happy, healthy new year for y’all!
Lost in Atlanta
a yankee doodle's guide
Filed under life …
Merry Christmas Atlanta
My Charlie Brown Christmas tree! December has been a busy month as expected. As fun as all the company holiday parties and get-togethers can be, it has also been tiring. I haven’t had much time to blog, and I realize I’m not updating my social media and taking photos during festivities and outings as much as I used to; I guess I’m just enjoying the moment instead.
Will try to update the blog more often for the new year 
Happy holidays and happy 2012!
The Plaza
Went to the Plaza for the first time last night to see Urbanized. It was great since I scored a free ticket by being a volunteer. I got to talk to the director, Gary H, briefly who struck me as a very nice, down-to-earth guy.
If you haven’t heard of the documentary, it’s a look into urban design and making cities better in many respects with transportation, environment, security, and community. From the bus system in Bogota to New York City’s Highline, it’s an educational look into the small measures we can take to make cities livable and enjoyable.
I was hoping that there would be some magic solution to fix the traffic in Atlanta in the Q& A with Ellen Dunham-Jones (interviewed in the film) and Gary but there wasn’t. There are different solutions for different cities and what may work in Bogota or Copenhagen may not work in the ATL, but we have to do something more than Peach Pass, which seems to be a band-aid solution to the rush hour madness here. Urban sprawl, America’s dependence on cars, and the deterioration of our rail system has to be addressed; it’s not just ugly, it’s just not useful.
Halloween
I don’t have any children or pets of my own so I made them pose for a photo that I can contribute to the Internet for Halloween.
I went over my boyfriend’s friend’s house where I helped give out treats. We ate Costco lasagne which was pretty awesome and Publix wings which were equally awesome. I finally got to meet Spence or “Big Red” too. He’s a good-looking, smart, super tall, red head so if there are any single ladies out there let me know. My boyfriend actually has a handful of good guy friends who just haven’t met “the one” yet, so ladies, post a comment if you’re interested.
I’m glad I’m not dealing with the white Halloween in the Northeast, especially with the power outages. I hate the cold as it is so I’m going to try to enjoy the fall as much as I can o’er here in the South.
Unapologetically Southern
Not me, but this beer:
“Weep for your Northern brethren: Long winters, suspect college football, and perhaps worst of all no Red Brick Beer. Since 1993, we’ve been brewing fine craft beers for the South, and only the South. We’re proud to stand alongside grits, hound dogs, and mama as embodiments of the Southern lifestyle. We’re proud to be beer from around here.”
I guess that would describe the North and South. It’s aight, considering I’m more than a decade older than Red Brick.
Fall
Last week I learned that it does get cold in Atlanta. But Sunday was a gorgeous day to run, and run I did. I ran for 8.5 miles; it was the perfect condition for running on a sunny but cool autumn day.
I only stopped once to take this photo:
In hindsight I’m glad I ran instead of stuffing my face at Taste of Atlanta; the list of vendors didn’t impress me too much. Maybe next year.
Gwinnett Gladiators
Never imagined myself at a minor league hockey game but there I was Saturday night, watching Gwinnett Gladiators playing against some other team from South Carolina I believe. I guess that’s what Atlanta has left for ice hockey after the Thrashers left to Winnipeg.
We ended up leaving after the second period when the Gladiators tied up the score to 2-2. I found out the next day, they lost 4-2 so I’m glad we left when we did.
Interestingly enough we went to karaoke. I haven’t gone since 2007 when I was in Korea. It actually turned out to be a fun night; everyone seemed more awake than they were at the hockey game. It’s just amusing to me that I can hop between two different worlds that are in the same town.
Tailgating
I have probably done more college football-related activities in the last two months than the rest of my life. Football is so big here and I’m getting more interested in it for better or worse.
Never thought I’d be tailgating at Georgia Tech but since Maryland was playing, my friend from j-school invited me to join her and another Maryland alum to tailgate at 10:30 a.m.
It was fun just to talk and drink early in the morning but I don’t really foresee myself going to any more of these things.
I caught up with my boyfriend at Rocky Mountain Pizza afterward to actually watch the game. Such a dive bar but the Buffalo chicken pizza was good. As expected, GT won.
Rest of the weekend was low-key with church and working out. And um, I watched Thor.