Novemberville

During the month of November, time was of the essence —  FaceTime, gym time, 59-hour work-week time. (“I thought you had that job so you didn’t have to work 60 hours.”)  After all that time spent, I decided it was time for me to take a day (okay, I took a week) off; I planned the PERFECT Tuesday.

Snow day? More like snow yay. 

Photo credit: Andrew Travis

My perfect Tuesday included therapy, Christmas shopping for my favorite Catholic, spending less money than I’d brought with me, texting with Helen, and eating the only thing I bought from the store (whipped cream) straight from the can.

Scrappy gets a snow day!

On my perfect Tuesday, it was freezing cold outside, and there were hardly any people on the roads. It was truly blissful, and I wanted more… so I took the next few days off, too, mixing business with pleasure.

Business: Getting my car fixed!
Pleasure: Getting my car fixed ❤ , being grateful for my car (which, at the moment, no longer sounds like a race car), heated seats, and the check engine light switching OFF.

Business: Getting my preventative Hep A and B shots.
Pleasure: Getting my preventative Hep A and B shots, which last FOR A LIFETIME.

Business: Getting food from a restaurant.
Pleasure: Being reminded not to dim my sparkle if I’m unhappy with food at a restaurant.

Business: New shoes.
Pleasure:  Getting new (matching) shoes from mom!

Business: Scheduling
Pleasure: The countdown officially begins! 287 days until “Move in Bae”.

Business: House hunting.
Pleasure: The best day with my mom.

Business: Appointments in general
Pleasure: An appointment to have my nails repainted gold 💁

On Friday, I got to hang out with Emily at the Colombian spot where we (yet again) forgot to take a picture.  We also went to The Vault.  Laura was there for that hang too 🙂  I got to hear about their trip to Boston…and reap some of the benefits.  We scurried back to Emily’s because her heater was to get fixed and I finally got to meet Brian and I didn’t smile once.  “No we were… yeah, you know what.  We were at a party.”

I also got to have a generous, hilarious dinner with Nina!

My favorite Niña

AND I got to hang out with Brian and Andrew (not pictured, per usual, but their dog is).

Our pick for Best in Show.

At the end of November, I saw the talented Collin Chamberlin perform his SOLD OUT show at the Arcade Comedy Headliner series.  But before that…my first time to Nashville! During the day I got to hangout with my funny boyfriend, eat, explore, and relax.  Then, at night, watch hilarious comedy.  The work I had been putting in at the club for weeks before this made Nashville really feel like a vacation.

It was a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.

I arrived at 7am and took a 6-hour nap. When I awoke I showered and learned to use 2 towels — thanks Baymont Hotel!

That evening, Col and I ate BBQ at Martin’s. I got a half rack of ribs, which, for the record, was way too many.  At Martin’s, 3 would have been just right.  And it was only because of Griffen (door) that I didn’t order 12. Thank goodness for him.

Sure, we were completely full of BBQ, but I’d already ordered pecan pie for dessert.  We sat, chilled, and chatted for 2 hours — Martin’s one of my favorite things we did all weekend.

It’s showtime!

‘

After dinner on Friday night, Col had two shows (stupendous), and it was on our night-time stroll that we discovered Cafe Intermezzo, an old European-style joint with an amazing menu (we ordered a liquid dessert).  The resturant was an oasis of quiet.  They had a menu that was incredibly enjoyable to read, the funnest drinks, a helpful staff made up of people (like Mike) who liked their job, great lighting, home-made schlag (whipped cream), and Vivaldi Symphony no. 7 playing in the background. 

A nightly ritual.

‘Tinis for two

The next day, we had cold ramen, which was upsetting.  “What’s the point of having a menu?”  And even though our 3rd Avenue lunch wasn’t good, we were accidentally / always trying to stay a block away from our favorite spot (“Was that Bakersfield again?”).

We met some nice people, including an Ethiopian Uber driver who brought back my lost hat. We also went for a long walk – through a tailgate – and discovered a crystal shop before stopping for a glass of wine at a cool bar (per Rachel’s recommendation) followed by the Tom Hanks / Mr. Rogers smash hit.

Life is always rocky when you’re a gem.

At our (by the end of the weekend, I felt like it was ours) last show, we got to see Connor, Diego, and almost Chance, one last time before heading to the airport deceivingly early. You (yes, you, whoever is reading this very sentence) should have seen the glee on Collin’s face when they announced, at Laguardia, they were departing 10minutes early. 

Personally prefering to cut it close,
‘mi