In-Fusion-ed

Thanks to the good advice and recommendation of my new friend Molly, when it came time to celebrate the completion [in loose terms] of my first ever novel [!!], I dragged my friend Cielo out to a fancy dinner at Bistro Aix [with our respective partners] and then for some fancy fusions at the new Champagne/Wine/Beer/Art/Jazz bar Fusion, located in the lovely neighborhood of Springfield.

The bar was relatively quiet when we arrived at 10pm for our first glass of bubbly. We made our way to the back bar and took a seat on their slick, simple, and kind of tiny stools. We slid around for a while, but after a few glasses of Champagne Fusions [their specialty], we had settled in quite comfortably.

 

 Preparing to be infused.

inFUSIONS

LA HORA CERO  Champagne/Espresso/Port wine [on the Left]

HAVANA  Champagne/Pineapple juice/S.Pellegrino [on the Right]

My delicious BLACK VELVET fusion - Champagne/Guiness 

The atmosphere was edgy, classy, hip, and sophisticated, with an eclectic mix of patrons, art, and music. The decor was a mix of rich leathers, shiny metals, concrete, stark walls, and bold, colorful accents [like the random red umbrella's hung from the ceiling]. I felt cooler just by walking through their door. Fusion's has a cultural awareness that is so effortless, one that most of Jacksonville hasn't tapped into yet.

 

Their approach to the crystal chandelier.

 

Umbrella ceiling.

 

Cielo with her HAVANA Fusion. 

Once again, I am somewhat shocked by the level of big-city-esque funky elegance that I keep finding these days, and it largely seems to be happening in Springfield. I have known this neighborhood was "up and coming" for years, but now i can finally feel the effects of all that movement. Springfield has found it's niche. And Fusion's is just another prime example of where you can find it, too.

Cat Fight.

My two wonderful creature kits, Marco and Bella, have been fantastically in love since the day we brought Marco's weird little kitten self into our home. Bella was about 6 months old and Marco was about 3 months old. Bella hadn't quite hit puberty yet, so when Marco tried to suckle her bosom like she was his mama, she would get this glazed look of serene understanding, coupled with some slight discomfort and confusion.

In Lurve.

We are glad those days are over, but their sweet little affair has been a real joyful addition to the household. They cuddle together constantly. They bat their toys to and fro. They chase each other like monsters across the wooden floors. They lick each others ears. They send out whimpering meows through the casa when they cannot locate the other's whereabouts.

And then they fight. They fight as hard as they love. And really, it is mostly Marco fighting with Bella. He gets angry with her for going outside.

We don't know why. We aren't sure if some tragic event occurred the last time she went outside, when he was out there too, but that is when it started. He came in first. About twenty minutes later she meandered through the front door and Marco lost his shiz. He puffed up. He howled. He growled. He hissed. And then he attacked. So ferociously that Bella peed her fur pants. It was so bad he could not even be near her for an entire week without hissing, causing Bella to run off and hide.

And now it has happened again. Bella snuck out yesterday for a quick little neighborhood romp and when she returned Marco once again lost his mind.

Marco giving Bella the evil eye glare.

Bella taking nervous refuge on the couch by Justin.

 

"I've got you now, Kit!" [Bella has squished herself under the cabinet.]

 

"What's your fluff, man?"

These fights can last for days. And we have no earthly idea why one kit would care so much that the other kit went for a little adventure. It has caused major raucous in our abode.

Scrabble Discovery: Frank Chimero

So, I am full on, unabashedly, helplessly, and hopelessly addicted to Scrabble. I play online with a few friends, pretty obsessively, on a daily basis. One of my favorite pastimes with Scrabble is trying to discover new crazy words... For example, "Vav" is a word I recently discovered through Scrabble that means:

A family of proteins involved in cell signalling. They act as guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) for small G proteins of the Rho family. GEF activity is mediated via module of tandem DH-PH domains. Vav proteins also appear to exhibit GEF-independent functions.

 Another recent awesome Scrabble discovery was the graphic Designer and Illustrator, Frank Chimero. [I was trying to find a new word and Chimero arranged itself on my tray, which I confused momentarily with Chimayo, a wonderful, tiny town in New Mexico where I had a spiritual awakening of sorts.]

"State/California"  by Frank Chimero

I love the simplistic, creative, and colorful approach of his designs. Especially this one about California, a state with which I have a real love/hate relationship. And a deep-rooted, possibly past-life longing for, but just can't go back to. Kind of like me and cigarettes. Delicious, but kind of evil.

He has some awesome band posters under his creative belt, as well. Check out his awesomeness!

67,288

This past Friday, as all of my family was away celebrating Thanksgiving, and my husband was killing it on Black Friday raking in the dough, I was burroughed on my sofa typing up the last few breaths of my first novel. 112 pages. 67,288 words. One very impressed girl. [I impressed myself. Not an easy task.]

[Congratulatory kiss.]

[Ginger celebrating on my belly with the computer and novel behind.]

[The spaced out look of accomplishment.]

I still have a long way to go with it. There is loads of editing to be done. And then the daunting and somewhat ridiculous task of trying to get published. But, honestly, it isn't even about getting published. The sensation of having written a book, be it published or not, but having accomplished the act of writing a novel, is like none I have ever experienced. As a person, I am feeling slightly realized. Like I have actually done something with my life. Something I always wanted to do. Something I never really was sure I would do. And something that I intend to keep on doing until I am old and gray, have lost my vision, ability to speak [I could tell my stories to a transcriber!], or have simply lost my mind. But even then the stories would at least probably be interesting, sans mind and all.

Deliciously Authentic Thanksgiving With The In-Laws

My first Thanksgiving as a married person consisted of:

a slightly hungover crawling out of bed earlier than I would get up for work,

 [evidence of the night before.]

crawling into the shower, then into the car,
driving two and a half hours [Egg McMuffin in hand] to Tallahassee,
eating a deliciously authentic southern Thanksgiving dinner [courtesy of the Mother-In-Law] with my newly acquired family,

[mom hug.]

watching the baby cousins roll around the yard, soccer balls and footballs carelessly careening dangerously close to noses,

[matt, justin, and jarrett]

 

[brothers.]

[husband, wife, and pop's camellia bushes.]

[kyle, kyson, and baron's blue van.]

 

[kyle & kyson, matt & zachary]

 

[jennifer, baron, darryl's hog, and the kindle.]

 

[kyson]

 

 [justin and zachary]

coming in from the cold to talk the intricacies of existence, the bravery of soldiers from WWII, the manufacturing of Twinkies, and the infallibility of the car repair industry,
hugs and kisses goodbye after a mere 6 hours of visitations,
two and half more hours on the now pitch black interstate, the consumption of two large NOS's [the bobo Red Bull], an ill-conceived dinner of Snyder's Hot Buffalo Wings Pretzel Pieces,

an emergency visit to Walmart for shoe inserts,
and cleaning up the upchucking of an overstuffed puppy [likely from eating the cat food all day while we were away].

All in all, a great success.

Lessons In How To Wear A Gigantic Bird Mask

Thanks to the amazing artistry of my friend Stephen Foster, some pointers and how-to's for a gigantic bird mask. It is clearly a multifaceted device.

Triple Layered Threat

Last weekend Justin and I met up with some friends at Three Layers A Coffeehouse, the new hotspot coffee shop/wine bar/delicious eatery in the heart of Springfield.

I was skeptical of the location after having looked it up on Google Maps. It was located on Walnut Street, east of Main St. and nestled back into the neighborhoods of former glory and current "renovation". But Springfield is an amazing neighborhood. I remember spending many days and nights there at the ripe age of 19 when my friend Rachel lived at the corner of 9th and Main. I frequented Henrietta's and TSI [now the Pearl]. And probably even ate some of the Kentucky Fried Chicken within walking distance of my friend's front door.

Three Layers seems straight out of San Francisco's Mission, or a bustling neighborhood of Brooklyn, or the culture of Seattle, as the coffeehouse proclaims. It's smart. It's unique. It's artistic. It's inviting. It's warm. It's eclectic. It's the kind of hip, authentic place, with real attitude and real wherewithal, that you expect to find in a city. And not that Jacksonville isn't a real city, but it's a little bit of a sleeper town. And it's places like Three Layers that are shaking it awake.

Zen Garden at Three Layers.

The wine selection was expansive and surprising. The beer selection was rustic and bold, and even had a number of our very own Bold City brews on tap. Justin and I sampled the hummus platter and the chicken salad platter. Both were delicious, yet delicate in their approach. And I hear they offer some delectable sweets.

All around, the entire experience was delicious, yet delicate. The decor was comfortable with an old world touch, but surrounded by contemporary modern art, many from Jacksonville's local artists [like Overstreet Ducasse, whose vibrant, urban, thought provoking pieces have been showcased all across the city and turning him into a local staple].  The music of Billy Buchanan and his guitar filled the main room with talented tunes [and many covers], but was not overpowering. He created a kind of elite background noise. Listen if you want [and you probably would want to], or don't. And the food and beverages, again, were great.

Billy Buchanan.

 

Three Layers is the kind of place where I would love to become a regular. Cozying into one of the overstuffed leather chairs with my book of the month, or enjoying dusk in the zen garden with a couple friends, or having an engaging conversation in the dimly lit bar.

Three times the reward for coming to Three Layers. You won't be disappointed.