Posted by John Denson (06.29.07, 4:09 PM)
If we as a perceived healthy society really were, we would take a look at each step we take and not at others'.
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Sideways
Posted by John Denson (06.29.07, 4:09 PM) If we as a perceived healthy society really were, we would take a look at each step we take and not at others'.
Taking pictures
Posted by Beth Alexander (06.29.07, 10:57 AM) I’m sure my job looks like a piece of cake sometimes. Just put on a dress, grab a photographer and show up at a party. And it is fun—seeing people at their best, all smiles and often with good news to share. The hard part is when you get home—no, not writing it up, which is sort of like talking to a friend about the weekend on Monday morning, but poring over and selecting the pictures. We have remarkable photographers who capture not just your lovely smiles, but wonderful moments. I looked at several today that Eric England took at the Music Country Grand Prix that brought tears to my eyes. The rider was so poised, taking quiet pride in the jump about to happen, coiled in the horse below her about to spring. Eric somehow caught the potential in that moment—not only the immediate jump, but a lifetime of hurdles yet to come, the rider ready for them. Sometimes, he manages to capture a glimpse of a soul.
Wannabes behaving badly
Posted by Beth Alexander (06.26.07, 10:02 AM) It started with sex at the Hunt Ball. Any way you cut it, and we all know illicit stuff goes on, but that’s not Emily Post behavior. Get caught and you’re the subject of bad jokes and derision—not to mention, isn’t that embarrassing? Imagine being discovered in one of the Belle Meade Country Club dining rooms in flagrante by a past Steeplechase chairman. As they say on bad cop shows, get a room. Then it was pot brownies in the Paddock Club. Even though there was selective sharing—probably from silver trays—in the most gracious way, that ain’t cool. Have your brownies with mimosas at your pre-Steeplechase brunch or your post-Iroquois supper, but don’t offer pot brownies to my media people, no matter how cute and polite they are.
Authenticity Por Favor
Posted by Mandi Coleman (06.25.07, 1:56 PM) My Sunday afternoons are always spent out to eat somewhere. I love Mexican food, and am always sampling different places to see what the area has to offer. This poses a few obstacles, as I live further south than many of the "real" Mexican restaurants are located. I wandered into one I had never tried yesterday, and it will remain nameless for obvious reasons. It was by far the most greasy food I have ever sampled. I'm not talking about fried chicken greasy, or fabulously greasy french fries either. I cannot even attempt to let you realize the amount of pure grease that was in the bottom of my taco salad. Real grease...the kind my grandmother saves underneath her kitchen sink. Mmmmm I'm glad it's after lunch right now. I realize that this type of food isn't the healthiest I could opt for, but I've been to Mexico and know that authentic food found there doesn't begin to resemble what was laid in front of me. It really should have been put in a bowl.
New and improved
Posted by Mary Proctor (06.24.07, 11:49 AM) I always look forward to the Swan Ball issues of every Nashville publication. I especially like to see new faces...and I mean "nipped, tucked and pulled within an inch of reaching the eyebrows to the back of the neck" faces. So far, I have counted at least four new sets of boobs—and sometimes these were paired with boob escorts that I would have never enhanced myself for. I would, however, like a boob-uplifting undergarment after trying on blouses yesterday, and finding my midriff colliding with my chest for a very strange mismatch in the darts on the shirts. I am so glad not to be pictured in any publication myself recently. I will be happy to show my childhood photos—but even then, I looked cross-eyed and needed a chin lift.
On the Bandwagon
Posted by Mandi Coleman (06.22.07, 12:47 PM) Somehow I have failed to mention the plight that Paris Hilton has gotten herself into. How is this possible? Especially seeing that every other media contact in the modern world has discussed it in depth. I honestly didn't have too much of an opinion until today. While looking at my favorite gossip website, I saw a quote from her phone interview with Ryan Seacrest. I took pity on her. After all, I'm not as pampered as she is, and jail time for me would be unbearable to say the least. The heiress admits, "You know my gratitude has gone up so much and I just realize that the media used me to make fun of and be mean about it. Frankly [I’m] sick of it and I want to use my fame in a good way." Wonderful! She's finally seeing past those rose-tinted Chanel sunglasses.
Serendipity
Posted by Julie Schoerke (06.22.07, 11:51 AM) We went to New York for the week-end for a friend’s 50th birthday party. When my 11- and 14-year-old children learned we were going, the first thing they asked was, “Can we please go to Serendipity?” I got emails and calls from my Nashville friends, moms making sure we weren’t going to miss this landmark that has held its own since 1954 on 60th Street between 2nd & 3rd in Manhattan. Of course we went. I take the children every time we go. But, my husband had not accompanied us to the world-famous ice cream bistro before. He insisted that he order dinner before ordering dessert. We waited an hour for a table. They don’t take reservations at this bubble gum pink confection of a child’s wonderland of treats (even though the website says they do).
Flying is for the birds
Posted by Julie Schoerke (06.22.07, 11:47 AM) I couldn’t help it. Everyone around me was really quiet, trying to mind their own business in their 16 inch seats aboard a US Air flight from Charlotte to Nashville Monday morning. But I laughed out loud. I made a ruckus. I couldn’t help it. I was reading an article in USA Today about the miserable things that happen to people on United flights these days. Not one thing in the article was worse than what any of us on that flight had already been through.
Jay Leno was terrific
Posted by Beth Alexander (06.21.07, 09:58 AM) Maybe I'm late to the party, but what is up with the critical remarks about this very funny man, who gave a masterfully funny performance at the Swan Ball on June 9? He riffed on a range of topics for more than an hour. He promised 65 minutes, and by my calculation, it may well have been 75 minutes. I'm sure the Ball paid a goodly sum for his services, and he made sure everyone felt they got their money's worth. The commentary in Beverly Keel's column in The Tennessean made it sound as if the attendees were completely without a sense of humor. Or that Jay was insensitive to the audience.
Taking the plunge
Posted by Julie Eskind (06.20.07, 06:54 PM) This week, mayoral candidates Briley, Dean, Dozier, and Gentry will be emptying their wallets and trading in their blue suits for more street-ish schmattes to spend ten hours as homeless people out on the streets of Nashville. Though it may sound like an arbitrary test of dedication, the National Coalition for the Homeless actually has a manual outlining this semi-structured process where economically-privileged people experience life as inner-city paupers, which they call an “Urban Plunge.”
Finally a reason to go to Opryland
Posted by Anne Clayton (06.19.07, 7:09 AM) My new favorite day is Monday because Cheekwood is closed. My partners in crime there, Jennifer, Cathy and I, went to the Relache Spa at the hotel for a day of pampering that was truly divine. We each had a light lunch followed by a massage and then a facial, followed by a wine break as we waited out a thunderstorm...you can imagine how much I hated that! Anyway, it is worth the trip out there. They pay for your valet and you have the run of the spa all day for the price of a treatment. The spa has indoor and outdoor pools, saunas and steam rooms, luxurious showers and a wonderful ralaxation room. Relache also has a beauty salon and a make-up salon, as well as top-of-the-line beauty products. Best of all, there was none of the dreaded hard sell of face and body products after your apointment, which frankly, has ruined more than one spa day for me. All of the staffers were lovely and well trained. Treat yourself to a mini-vacation at Relache sometime soon. There is even a 20 percent discount for in-town clients, and the people-watching from a comfy chair at the revolving bar in the Cascades conservatory is even better than at the State Fair.
Tradition Found
Posted by Mandi Coleman (06.18.07, 1:29 PM) This weekend I had the chance to experience a local treat...Bobbie's Dairy Dip. Yes, this was my first encounter with the small, almost unnoticeable confectioner. After my first bite of homemade shortcake, I couldn't believe I had not ventured to that side of town for a treat before that day. The cake was absolute heaven, as was the fresh whipped cream they added to both desserts I sampled. Although I didn't have the luck to try anything but sugar, the Dairy Dip seemed to be hopping with customers in need of a hamburger fix, as well. From the look and smell of things, those consumers knew a good thing when they ate it. The menu was extensive for a small, local ice creamery, with too many toppings and add-ins to list. It made my weekend, and even got me through relative's bantering on Father's Day.
Miss you, Dad
Posted by Anne Clayton (06.18.07, 09:01 AM) I never thought it would come to this. He was always there...a veritable force of nature, my daddy, Allison Houston Thomas. He was, in no special order, the consummate jokester, a self-taught gourmet cook, banker, realtor, Army veteran, gardener, Anglophile, self-taught pianist, pyrotechnician, poet, biker, prankster, restaurateur, carpenter, plumber, electrician, mechanic, devoted husband for 50 years...and my best friend. He has been gone for five years now. Mom missed him every second of every day. She joined him a little over a year ago. I will be forever grateful that we never had to break our promise to never send them to a home other than the one they shared for so many years.
I miss Tony
Posted by Beth Alexander (06.17.07, 08:26 PM) John from Cincinnati cannot begin to replace Tony Soprano. First of all, that lame theme music. Is that supposed to appeal to baby boomers? It's just crappy, loud guitar music; you can hear a lot better on any street corner in Nashville on any random Friday night. Second, was the dialogue written by seventh-graders? HBO viewers don't need one-way phone conversations in which the questions of the unseen speaker are repeated by the speaker onscreen, then answered a la 1950s stage dialogue. I came online to vent just now when we were treated to a bare-assed bathroom scene of insulting content.
What a party!
Posted by Anne Clayton (06.13.07, 04:33 PM) Another Swan Ball has come and gone…over a year of hard work by many, many volunteers produced one of the loveliest parties ever. It was classy, light, modern, elegant, techno-savvy, funny, toe-tapping, hip-hopping, bubbly and oh so delicious! A couple of constructive comments: The guests from the “late”party that takes place down the hill in the Frist Learning Center were allowed to come up to the tent too early and made us all look rude as they got louder and louder at the end of Jay Leno`s wonderful act.
A Chance to Celebrate
Posted by Mandi Coleman (06.12.07, 1:11 PM) This Friday a group of friends and I would like get together and celebrate someone's new career. Generally, I prefer dressing up and going somewhere swank on a Saturday. I've had an entire day of rest and can spend some time prepping for the night. Fridays come at the end of a long day though; usually a long week, as well. We typically go out on a Friday to a locale with a nice atmosphere, that offers good food and drinks. The operative word in that last sentence is FOOD. When it comes to that, there are tons of great bars to go to around the area, but the menu is probably lacking. When you're hungry, where do you go besides Southstreet or Boundry? Somewhere laid back...where you can unwind, laugh, and dine.
Nothing sweet about these creatures
Posted by Anne Clayton (06.07.07, 08:58 AM) They are driving me mad! Ants...millions of tiny ants have invaded my kitchen. I have heard them called sugar ants but there is nothing sweet or cute about them. They march relentlessly up walls and across cabinets looking for an open box of just about anything edible. There is nothing that will wake you up like pouring a bowl of Cheerios, adding the milk and sugar, enjoying the first cold and crunchy spoonful before noticing hundreds of the little monsters swimming for their lives IN YOUR BREAKFAST! OK...now this is war!
Got a tip for ya
Posted by Julie Eskind (06.07.07, 08:49 AM) How much do you give the guy who pulls your car around from the makeshift lot? Three dollars? Five? What about the man who brings your luggage up to your new hotel room? Five bucks? More if you’ve brought extra baggage or if he provides friendly conversation in the elevator and an efficient tour of your suite? How about the waitress who serves you all your food on time, and with the dressing on the side, no croutons, just like you asked? 10… 15… 20% of the bill, pre-tax?
If you call me Kelly…
Posted by Sinclair Kelly (06.04.07, 7:27 PM) I’m not going to answer you. I’ve been dealing with this problem all my life and I’ve had it. My name is Sinclair Kelly, not Kelly Sinclair. I seem to have the same conversation almost on a daily basis, which generally results in “Your first name is Sinclair? Are you sure?” Am I sure?! Why on earth would I walk around saying my name backwards, and yes, I’m quite sure of my own name. I’ve tried now for a few years to just go by Sinclair, sort of the Madonna, Cher and Tish craze. Surely, if I didn’t offer another name, people couldn’t screw it up. But that didn’t last long. Each week, I receive press releases and invitations to Kelly Sinclair and Beth Alexander. I appreciate the poor soul that thought they were doing me a favor and assuming that my name had been misprinted on our website, the masthead, the photo credits, my bank statements, my credit cards, my driver's license and my birth certificate, but please from now on just trust me on this…call me Sinclair.
Sweet Nuptials
Posted by Mandi Coleman (06.04.07, 3:44 PM) This weekend marked the date of my friend's wedding in the deep south of Alabama. Everything went as planned, and the bride could not have been more radiant. I attended the rehearsal and dinner, of which the food was typical of the event: Shrimp cocktail for the appetizer, Creme Brulee for dessert. Of course the highlight of my gastronomic weekend was the grand finale. The wedding cake for me not only symbolizes a wedding, but it also marks the success of the affair. In the south the pressure is on even more so than usual, as there is also a Groom's cake thrown into the mix. This wedding took the cake, however. I could not have been happier with my glass of champagne and plate of moist, white confection. She picked a great baker, and I believe people will talk about that more than what color her flowers happened to be.
Which numeral is which?
Posted by Beth Alexander (06.03.07, 06:34 PM) Dr. Dave and I were trolling through the jillion channels of nothingness on TV recently, and came across what looked like the scene from the original Star Wars bar. He loves this scene—the strange characters, the different languages, the tubular-looking saxophone players. "It looks so fake," I said. "It couldn't be the original," he said. "Too plastic." Yet we continued to watch, fascinated, because it sure was similar. He pressed the remote button that revealed details about the program: Star Wars IV, New Hope, 1977.
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