Pottermainia

He Was Such a Good Date-He Even
 Bought Our Tickets, Rachel
Sure Is a Lucky Girl

Last night I went on an awesome date...with my baby brother.  For those of you who've read my blog postings before, you may have come to realize I'm creepily obsessed with all things related to Harry Potter.  With the first showing of the final movie scheduled for 11:59 last night, Joseph and I made sure we had tickets.  We left the house at about 10:30, and already the line completely wrapped around Amstar.

Longest Line Ever

At the biggest midnight premiere the theatre's ever seen, over 2000 people participated in the Pottermania.  Many fans dressed up like the famous trio, rocking plaid skirts and black cloaks despite the Georgia heat.  My little brother even made the comment:  "Who knew wearing glasses could be so cool."  Unfortunately, staff workers weren't quite prepared for the enormous crowd, so the show's start time was pushed back to 12:41.  Despite the late start, I must say staying out until 3am was well worth it.  EPIC is the only word that even comes close enough to describing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two.

Since being first introduced to Harry in 3rd grade, I've been absolutely mesmerized with the wizarding world.  So when the final credits rolled, it really seemed like the end of an era.  I know this sounds silly, but I kind of feel like I lost one of my really good friends.  At least the epilogue revealed a happy ending for Hogwarts:  Harry and Jenny were married with 3 children (including one little boy named Albus Severus who's worried about where the Sorting Hat will place him), Ron and Hermione also tied the knot and had a few red headed babies of their own, and Neville Longbottom's the new herbology teacher at our hero's alma mater.  I just wish J. K. Rowling would start a new magical series.  I'm sure it couldn't trump Harry Potter, but at least we'd have a new villain to hate along with Lord Voldemort.

What does the Civil War and Food Trucks Have in Common?

For an upcoming story, I spent yesterday in Atlanta, touring the Cyclorama and sampling a few food trucks.  Adjacent to Zoo Atlanta, the main attraction in the Historic Grant Park is the breathtaking four-story oil panting and 30 foot diorama.  After a 14 minute video, narrated by James Earl Jones, guests are ushered into a sweeping panorama of the Battle of Atlanta, fought on July 22, 1864, during Sherman's March to the Sea.  When we asked one student group why they were touring the museum, they said "Gone With the Wind is our summer project, and the Cyclorama really brings her words to life."  Complete with one image looking strikingly familiar to Captain Rhett Butler, the panoramic painting shows fierce fighting and certainly puts Margaret Mitchell's descriptions to fruition.  We also got footage of artifacts displayed in the building's Civil War Museum and shot stand-ups in front of the Texas, a veteran of the Great Locomotive Chase of 1862.  

After visiting the Cyclorama, Clark Gable said the only thing needed to
make it better was a representation of him.
However, I'm not so sure  this is what he had in mind. 

Then, we made our way to Inman Park at Stove Works for a tasty tale about street food on wheels.  Yumbii is Atlanta's first and finest food truck, offering an authentic, gourmet fusion of world flavors with a street food twist.  Dubbed "Far Out Food" for its scrumptious blend of Korean, Mexican, and Southern flavors, the hospitable food truck manager gave us awesome soundbites and delicious, free samples of their top dishes.  I had a generous helping of sesame fries with salad, and I must say the would-have-been $3 price tag is well worth it.  Paired with a freezing bottled water and salad, it was the tastiest grub off a food truck I've ever had.  

Our next vendor was The King of Pops.  


Move over ice-cream truck, there's a new sweet treat in town.  And with its handmade popsicles, unconventional flavors, and cute cart guys, all I'm saying is that if I lived in ATL, I'd certainly be stopping by their stand quite often.  

Lastly, we interviewed the WOW! Food Truck owner and sampled her famous arepas and tomato pie.  I especially enjoyed her truck, for she had the most vegetarian-friendly meals around.  

We came hungry, and certainly left happy.   If you find yourself in Atlanta for lunch or dinner and happen to be pinching the pennies, check out the Atlanta Street Food Coalition's website to find out where my favorite trucks will be making a pit stop.  And who knows, as food truck popularity increases in Atlanta, perhaps they'll soon be rolling into Macon.

My Mom's In a Magazine

One of the many benefits of working for Good Housekeeping last semester was I gave my family the opportunity to answer surveys with the possibility of having their answers printed in the magazine.  I'd almost forgotten that my mom's clutter-clearing advice was due to appear in the August edition, but lo and behold, Christi Schien's mentioned on page 96 of the feature piece, You've Got (Too Much) Mail.

Under the Move Household Business Online heading, it reads:  Christi Schien, 49, a mom of three in Macon, GA, pays all her bills online.  "We no longer receive monthly bank statements or bills for insurance, utilities, and credit cards," Schien says.  "All the account information we need is stored electronically, which always makes it easier to find."

And following Chuck Junk With Confidence, GH points out: One New York teacher sorts her mail standing up, right next to the recycling can, but Schien does her one better by not letting junk get past the front door.  "I stop by the outside trash can on the way back from getting the mail.  Any obvious junk is never brought into the house," Schien said.

I'm quite proud of my magazine momma.  She's always labeled me as the writer, but her words are what's printed in our favorite monthly while I was just the intern who sat behind the desk.  At least she knows that if accounting gets a little too boring, she can always move to NYC and write for GH.

For more decluttering tips, be sure to check out the latest Good Housekeeping, on stands now.  And remember, the number one mail tip is empty that box!

Book Review: The Little Women Letters

Book Review:  The Little Women Letters
 by Gabrielle Donnelly

With a new generation of sisters, it explores the imagined lives of Jo March's descendants-three sisters who are thoroughly modern and thoroughly March.  With her older sister planning a wedding and her younger sister launching a career on the London stage, Lulu can't help but feel like the failure of the family.  She wants nothing but the best for her sisters, but finds herself in a rut, wandering from one dead-end job to another, with no romantic prospects in sight. However, when her mother sends her on an errand to the attic, Lulu stumbles upon a collection of letters written by her great-great grandmother, Josephine March.  Jo's letters revisit the Louisa May Alcott's classic, telling of Meg's marriage, Amy's many boyfriends, and  Beth's illness.  Lulu finds guidance by reading the words written so long ago, despite her world being so different from the one that Jo knew.

I absolutely loved this new take on an old classic.  The dialogue really makes the book fantastic-it's sparkling, funny, sweet, and honest.  And like Little Women, the enormous cast of characters are relatable to every reader.  I'd especially suggest it to anyone with a sister; I'm sure the squabbles you'll read will resemble some you've had yourself.  Now that I've finished reading it, I think I'll hand over my worn copy to Becky.  

Unfortunately, I've never finished reading Little Women, so I found myself "forced" to watch the 1949 movie to understand exactly what was going on with the letter flashbacks.  Of course, it really wasn't much of a struggle; with the 1860s period clothing and Elizabeth Taylor as its star it was definitely one I'd wanted to check off my list anyway.  It's Louisa May Alcott's autobiographical account of her life, growing up with her three sisters in Concord, Mass. With their father fighting in the Civil War, Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth are at home with their mother.  The story is of how the sisters grow up, find love and find their place in the world.  Regardless of whether you read the book, if you have a Sunday afternoon to spare, I'd suggest you spend it watching this heartfelt film.

My Rating:  ****

Saturday at Stone Mountain

I'm sure my super-liberal, ultra-northern professors would cringe if they knew were I spent my Saturday...Stone Mountain, only the most pro-Confederate, Southern celebratory, Robert E. Lee loving location there is.

After a two hour car ride in the pouring rain (complete with my mom's embarrassing car dancing), our

The Family at our "Campsite"

family of five, plus Dalton, paid our entrance into the park and drove down Robert E. Lee Boulevard.  We set up "camp" and spent about an hour roaming the tiny town, Crossroads.  After looking at mountain memorabilia and watching a glass blowing demonstration, Joseph and I decided the funnel cake stand was a must-see and sample attraction.  Then, we walked back to our picnicing place to eat our dinner of cracked pepper turkey sandwiches (or cheese and tomato for me), popcorn, salad, and brownies.  Not too shabby of a meal for coming out of two coolers and a basket.

With a few hours left until the main attraction, Becky and Dalton walked the grounds, while the rest of us cards until the wind blew a few away.  The children "camped" beside us danced to the music blaring over the load speaker and threw a few frisbees.

When 9:30 hit, it was finally dark enough for the Stone Mountain Lasershow Spectacular to begin.  In a matter of moments, thousands of people lounging on the lawn were silenced.  Complete with fireworks and mountainvision images , from start to finish the 45 minute show honored the Georgia way of life.  While music swelled with  "Sweet Southern Comfort," brightly colored images showed good ol' country boys in pickup trucks and belles bellow the Mason-Dixon line drinking Coca-Cola.  Although the show was updated this year for the first time since its opening in 1983, fan favorites like "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," and "Georgia on my Mind" are still included.  I'd say the only downfall to the day was the long line of cars after the show ended (we were stuck in traffic for quite some time) and not getting home until well after midnight.

Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, andJefferson Davis in Laser Form

As I sat beside my mom during the show, she said, "If this doesn't make you proud to be Southern, I don't know what is."  Since I've been back in Middle-Georgia, I've noticed a few more aspects of my mom's life that just exude Southern charm:
1) She never leaves the house unless her clothes are freshly ironed, including when we were going to Stone Mountain to sit outside for seven hours
2) Every room in our house is covered with floral wallpaper (minus Joseph's room)
3) She's forced to abide by the rule "you can put on as much jewelry as you want, but you must take off two pieces before going to work"
4) She uses fancy, decorative napkins every morning for her cup of coffee
5) Her new favorite hobby is making homemade ice-cream every Sunday afternoon, using Paula Deen's recipe of course

Happy Fourth of July!

As I'm sure many people realize, July 4th isn't just a day for hot dog eating contests and fireworks.  It's a celebration of freedom; it reminds us of our independence from Great Britain and commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

And, for me, it also brings about family festivities.  This past weekend, my dad and I made the five-hour drive to St. Augustine for my cousin's graduation cookout.  After a spectacular fireworks show on Friday night, my cousins and I spent Saturday grilling chicken, sitting poolside, and listening to stories from our parents' glory days.  I got back to Macon late last night, and my mom and I spent today in the kitchen.

 With our 3 containers of Strawberries, 8 Tomatoes, 2 bags
of grapes,Blackberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, and
Watermelon,  there's no doubting our love
for Fruits and Vegetables.

Since my return to the South, each time I ask my mom for some fruits or veggies from our grocery store, she reluctantly purchases them.  She says July 4th marks the point of perfection on the ripeness scale, so I've been counting down the days until I could have a decent tomato.  So, our first stop on our shopping trip today was to a roadside stand.  For only $8 we bought peaches, blackberry jam and my favorite summer vegetable.  They were the starting ingredient in our dinner dish.  Paired with heavy whipping cream, eggs, swiss cheese, and pie crust, they made the most delicious tomato quiche.  Our Independence Day Dinner also consisted of fruit salad, fried chicken, corn and muffins.  For dessert, I helped Momma make delicious homemade strawberry ice cream, served in red bowls to increase our festivities factor.

Delicious Dinner 

Notice our Patriotic Muffins

I'm a little sad that my long weekend's up, and I'm forced to begrudgingly return to work tomorrow.  I just hope there's something newsworthy to report.  But, for now I think I'll go fix myself another helping of dessert, snuggle with my puppies and finish reading my new book, The Little Women Letters.

Georgia's Gone With the Wind Museum

In preparation for next week's sweeps and in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Gone With the Wind, I spent yesterday in Atlanta touring all things Tara related.  Our first stop was the Holliday-Dorsey-Fife Museum in Fayatteville, GA.  Margaret Mitchell’s grandmother attended the Fayetteville Academy and stayed in the Holliday-Dorsey Fife House when it was used as a dormitory for the students.  In the 1936 book, it alludes to Scarlett attending the school for a year, but quickly returned to Tara because of her flirtatious ways. 

One room was completely related to Scarlett's fashion-Truly Spectacular!  Of course, I've seen the Hollywood classic more times than I can count, and I've repeatedly noticed Vivien Leigh's miniscule waist, but seeing her dress' waistband was crazy.  The true treat was the green curtain dress.  Even though the sign said "Do Not Touch," I couldn't resist running my hand over the velvety sleeves. 

Other memorabilia included an exact replica of the first flag made in Fayette County for the War Between the States as well as movie posters, a Tara model, a beautiful Scarlett O'Hara Madame Alexander doll, and behind the scenes footage from the film-just to name a few.  With admission just costing $5, I'd definitely suggest it to any GWTW fan.   

Newscentral also made the 30 minute car ride to the Margaret Mitchell house.  We shot a standup in front of the gates, but unfortunately the guards wouldn't let us film inside.