A view from the front door

A real, live dream walked down Constitution Avenue yesterday. And today, a few of my friends can only talk about how our new President is inspiring them to be better, go harder in their own lives. Losing weight. Pledging greater civic and community action. Recycling. Turning the lights off. Building a marriage like the one we all imagine the Obamas share. Folks around me are fired up for change, and I have to admit it’s having an effect on me.

Today, I pledge to turn off the TV and open the front door. I pledge to change my mind. Make it sharper, more focused, more open. I’m on a hunt now for all the things I read about in books but never quite get around to experiencing for myself. We’re in a recession, so I doubt I’ll be heading off to Dubai or Bora Bora on a whim…but there must be some amazing vistas and funny stories and brand new memories just outside the door.

So, that’s it. I’m off. To find what's out there and “become the change I want to see.” I hope I’ll see you somewhere along the way.

There are no words...

Places to go...

Every now and again in this crazy city, I find some small thing to delight me. Recently, my friend D.G. invited me to a Wine Down Wednesday event at Urban Flats in Buckhead.

For 20 bucks and a bit of patience for refills, you can enjoy half glasses of select white and red wines, along with delicious flat bread pizzas and a chocolate fondue dessert from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. I’d done Urban Flats before, but somehow the energy was much nicer inside the city limits.

Fortunately, D.G. went early and secured us a bit of premium real estate on a cozy couch near the bar, providing us easy access to the sommelier for refills. I stuck with the sparkling Brut most of the night, holding on, I guess, to some last vestiges of New Year’s cheer. D’s fave was a mellow Chardonnay…and her friend J.E. was good with red. [I just realized how closely our wine choices matched our personalities…]

It’s a nice vibe. Just enough of a crowd to make things interesting. And, at 20 bucks, a real entertainment value. You can find me there on the cozy couch closest to the bar most Wednesdays from now on.