Well, happy ass new year! I spent New Years eve at a great bar in Charlotte with my ladybro Renee and some of her Charlotte pals. We did make a quick stop off first at a big, annual Charlotte theatre folks party where we ran into Cartee and I caught up with some old friends (and showed off my gorgeous girlfriend, natch). After, we headed to the Flying Saucer where we remained past midnight- loud though it may have been. We then went to a friends house for a long night of beer pong and assorted revelry- it’s not a real party unless some one’s bleeding and you’re never sure who’s passed out where. For me, the fruit roll ups were just an added bonus. Of course 2012 opened up with a reminder that one is never off duty as a Tortuga, as I woke to an email about a schedule change for the summer. A few days later I headed down to St. Pete to do tear down for Decorating Elves with Jef. I made it down there just in time to escape the cold that was descending on NC, and loved the weather down in Florida. The tear down went much more quickly than is usually expected, thanks to some Temp. workers we hired, but it was a good few days.
Also, just before Christmas, I added a new companion to my traveling ways, Ferris. Ferris is a Jack Russell/Italian Greyhound mix- he basically looks like Wishbone on stilts- and is a joy. He’s about 20 pounds and came to me via an ad I responded to on Craigslist. He was about six months old in December, so of course he’s still got lots and lots of puppy enthusiasm for….everything. But he is sweet as hell and I am super glad to have gotten him.
I spent the rest of the month making a few visits up to Asheville to see the lady, and enjoying the company of my family before Heading back in February for BARF. Mainly, Renee and I occupied our time with lots of baking and cooking. A real hit for my family were her White Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Icing. Scratch made, of course. Also, I think it’s worth mentioning I finally watched all of Arrested Development and LOVED it. If you’re not familiar with the series, check it out- it’s just about the most brilliant comedy to ever grace TV (While we’re on the subject, my other favorite series’ were ‘M*A*S*H*’, ‘The West Wing’, and ‘Lost’). I’m not sure what you’d call it, but another lovely dish is creamy rice with celery, carrots, mushrooms and onions in garlic and white wine. Simple, but delicious.
Among my Asheville trips were many a NERF gun fight and blanket fort, and of course, banana bread a-plenty. Also, there’s a great bar in Asheville called the Arcade. It’s a great bar with probably 50 vintage arcade consoles strewn about. There are few moments for me to be more proud of than having my hot blond girlfriend in my lap while she DOMINATES the Star Wars arcade game. That’s right, other dudes. Be jealous.
The boys and I rehearsed a few times in preparation for BARF, which of course opens February 18th. I was careful this month to save up money for the trip and try and prepare my dog for his newest adventure on the road.
#tortugatwins
