Feb. 20, 2003
I Like a Nice Baked Good
I have finally found the best way to make touring really, really fun. Ready? Take a cute boy along! That's what I did when I went to Saluda, Asheville, and Brevard a couple of weeks ago, and it really helped to liven up all that down time. It was clearly a good idea from the beginning, when we got caught in a blizzard on our way to The Purple Onion in Saluda. (The food at this establishment is highly recommended, by the way, if you're ever out that way.) I was glad to be in a trusty Jeep with 4-wheel drive because I feel pretty certain that my little Honda would not have made it. The snow was a bit of a hassle; my shows were fairly free of attendees (but THANKS to everyone who did come out in the snow!). On the other hand, what better way to spend a weekend than to drive to a place where the mountains are beautiful, the snow is white and plentiful, and you can stomp around and throw snowballs and pretend you're going to start building a snowman any minute before running back inside the warm house? When you live in Atlanta, snow is definitely a novelty.
If you live in Asheville, or anywhere near it, I recommend a field trip to downtown Weaverville to check out this amazing bakery they have there. Everything is fresh and delicious and awesome! We went on a recommendation from my Uncle Mark, and on our first visit, we decided to split a cheese biscuit (with scallions), an apricot jam jewel biscuit, and a chocolate orange cookie. Everything was so amazing that, immediately upon finishing everything, we went right back up to the counter and ordered it all again. Those cheese biscuits! That apricot jam biscuit! Mmmm.... I wonder if I could get them to FedEx some baked goods to me at work. As my friend Christopher Clark used to say, I like a nice baked good.
Speaking of work, the opera's coming up next week. The Magic Flute by Mozart, one of my favorites. Apparently, our production involves a giant snake, but I haven't seen any of the rehearsals, so I don't really know what that means. My mom's coming down for the opera, so that'll be really fun! Then we're driving up to Fredericksburg together so I can play at Mary Washington College for Women's History Month. (I'm trying to think of historical songs about woman power that I can play. I would hate to do a show for Women's History Month that only involved silly songs about boys.) Then I'm off to spend my birthday playing a show in Baltimore, then I drive back to Atlanta, spend a couple of days at work, and then head off to Macon and Tampa for the weekend. Crazy! Silly! I love it.
Those of you who've been pining for a copy of One Fish Two Fish will be thrilled to know that I've finally started recording my new album! Kenny came down last weekend, and we got a lot done. It's going to be really good, y'all! It's not going to sound anything like the first one, but it's totally going to rock!
My biggest triumph of February, though, was finally talking a boy into giving me a heart full of chocolate for Valentine's Day. Yes!!! Another childhood dream fulfilled at last. I also discovered that my roommate's cat, Lil' Bit, has a thing for roses. Like, a serious thing. I got some in a plastic box, and she has been determined to get into that box for a week now. I also got a single one in a paper sleeve (thanks, Adam!), and she got that one and dragged it into the living room the other night. My roommate and I were just sitting there talking, and all of a sudden we heard this weird, scraping sound. We both looked at each other, puzzled, and then there was Lil' Bit, dragging this rose behind her. As always with animals, I'm torn between the desire to have good, disciplined pets and the desire to just laugh and laugh at how bad they are! That rose is pretty much dead by now, and I'm tempted to just give it to her. I feel like I shouldn't encourage plant-eating behavior, though. It's my roommate's cat, so it's really her decision, anyway. I don't want to be a bad influence on her children.
What’s in my stereo at home:
What’s in my car:
What's in my CD player at work: