Tuesday, May 22, 2007

5 things I love (besides the obvious) - Updated


5. Lexington, Kentucky. On our way to work last week, Roy and I saw dozens of yellow bikes in little clumps along main street. More were lined up on Vine. They were cute, bright yellow with little baskets on the front. Our friendly newspaper told us that the city purchased them to encourage people who work downtown to not take their cars everywhere. For a fee of $10, you get a key to the locks and can borrow a bike. Lexington is, in no way, progressive. We have our opera house, our ballet company, our good universities and enough to keep us entertained, but we are in no way progressive... or bike friendly. But as someone who is regularly sent on little jaunts around town, this is awesome. While I was walking to Roy's office to get the car and pick up Sophie (I have not yet paid my $10), I saw about 6 bikes that were out of place. Someone had obviously been riding them. As someone who lives and works downtown, this made me very, very proud of my fellow Lexingtonians. Oh, and Lexington Kentucky is really fun to say. Say it.

4. My in-laws. This weekend, Roy's cousin, Josh, got married to the beautiful Cecily Roberts at the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort. There are lots of Cornett's, as anyone who has ever been to the Festival of the Bluegrass can attest. 3 great grandchildren have been born in the last year alone. Needless to say, family gatherings are rare, happening only once a year at the Festival. The wedding was a welcome treat to see Charles and Vicki, Maria and Brian, and our recent vagabond, Mallory, who is spending the summer in Virginia with her baby Aiden and her almost-hubby Doron. To have a family like this, who you can joke with, drink with, dance with, laugh with... for me to slip up and introduce people as my cousins instead of Roy's. Wow, I am one lucky girl. And I'll just say this. A Cornett wedding... at a Bourbon Distillery. WHY did no one think of this before?

3. Food. Ladies and Gentlemen, I love it all. Big, sloppy, juicy cheeseburgers with caramelized onions and bacon; a huge salad with good oil and vinegar dressing filled with radishes, tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, cucumbers, real lettuce - none of the iceburg crap - carrots, and oh I'm forgetting so many; mashed potatoes with lots of butter; my mother-in-law's fried corn; homemade pizza with an egg cracked in the center and cooked until just set; late night snacks of apples, cheese, and popcorn and a beer to wash it all down; Derby pie, warmed with vanilla ice cream and a cup of coffee; strawberries, blueberries, peaches in the middle of harvest time; pasta in sauce that has cooked for hours; chili that warms you to the core on a crisp fall day... food, glorious food.

2. When I first wrote this, my number 2 was patio's, but I have to change it. My real #2 is the Jiff plant. So they make Jiff Peanutbutter on Winchester Road, near downtown, and about 3 times a week, the entire city smells like roasted peanuts. It is heavenly.

1. gmail. Ok, so it seems really silly to talk about how much I love my email account, but I think all other gmail users out there are with me. Right? RIGHT? gchat? come ON! I've never used instant messenger and I really have no desire to. However, gchat rocks my world. Also, the amount of storage, the way it displays my attachments, how easy it is to find what I'm looking for, the grouping my conversation, oh my goodness I could go on and on and on about gmail. Really, this is google I'm talking about instead of gmail, but I love that from one page I can go to my blog, my groups, my calendar, my specified for content google page... it rocks.

So I was only going to list 5, but this just happened, so I guess it's:

0. Watching Sophie learn (and thoroughly enjoy) her Johnny Jump-up.

5 comments:

Melissa said...

Those bikes are way cool! I wish I lived close enough to sashay around Lexington on a bright yellow bike!

Strangeite said...

And ten bucks for life. What a deal.

AnnaMarie said...

Actually, I was wrong. It's $10 a year. Still, a good deal.

Jen said...

I really liked this post.....good to be grateful and apprecitive of these things....but I have to put in a plug for iceberg lettuce....especially good on a BLT or PB & J sandwich. The only way to go in the Chappell household!

Good to "keep up" via blogs!

Jen CD

AnnaMarie said...

You know, you're right. You're absolutely right. But lettuce on a PB&J? That's a new one. I'll have to give it a try!