Arizona observations

The first week in July, Scott and I spent some time in Tucson and Phoenix. Here are a few observations I/we made while we were out there.

1. Once you turn the cold water into hot water, you're not getting it cold again.

2. Hair dries really fast.

Do not touch

3. Entering Millie's Pancake Haus lowers the median age significantly.

Sedona at sunset

4. If you're waiting for a left turn arrow, it won't happen till after the people who are going straight.

In the foothills

5. Flash flooding is no joke.

6. Palm trees are not just for the beach.

7. Every time I see the word desert, I think dessert.

8. The Metro is something you ride, not something you publish.

It was storming on our way to Sedona, but never on us. If you click on this photo to enlarge, you can see the rain coming down.

9. Arizona is greener than you'd think.

10. Dust storms are no joke. Of course, we were in the middle of the biggest one Phoenix has seen in decades.

Truck in the parking lot after the storm

11. Sunscreen is a way of life.

12. A Camaro is the car to have, apparently.

Sunset in Sedona

13. You can walk down the sidewalk without bumping into people.

Sunset from the hotel

14. You can walk down the sidewalk without breathing in cigarette smoke.

15. There is a mountain view anywhere you turn.

16.  The food can, in fact, give New York a run for its money. (Seriously. So good. So cheap.)

Grilled ham and cheese covered in Gruyere

Sailing on the Hudson

Yesterday, we went sailing on the Hudson River. Like, on a little tiny boat. Okay, they do get smaller, but there were five of us and it was, uh, intimate.

Scott's been talking about wanting to learn to sail for as long as I can remember. And with the river just steps away from any part of NYC, this is a good place to get the opportunity. Thanks to Groupon (if you decide to join, please use that link, cause it tells them I referred you) we got a half-price "Taste of Sailing" outing from Hudson River Community Sailing, which they call a "two-hour recreational, hands-on sail."

And it was a blast! (Except for the whole getting smacked in the head by the sail part. But I survived.)

The weather was absolutely gorgeous. Warm but not hot, and fairly windy. The water was a little choppy because of the wind, but nobody got seasick and we didn't fall in.

Scott got to hoist the sail, and I actually steered the boat for a while. And I didn't even 1) run us into anything or 2) capsize us.

The life vest adds 10 pounds.

What goes up, must come down.

It was fun to actually be on one of the sailboats we so often watch from our window. Not sure if we'll do it again, but it's something I'm glad we did.

Judgment Day

I know I know, months without posting and now two in a row. And no, this is not an attempt to hide my sex post. You can still read it. I just have other stuff to say.

Surely you've heard — or seen — lately the people who are warning us about Judgment Day on May 21. People all over this city and many others have been handing out fliers and wearing signs on their backs that the Rapture is going to happen in two days. It's been big in the news, even people on the subway are chatting about it.

Working in a newsroom, this Judgment Day thing has come up a lot. Stories. Quotes. People are asking a lot of questions to the open air. "So good people disappear and sinners stay?" Not quite.

I've been thinking the last few days that all this talk about Judgment Day is such a huge opportunity to share Christ. To explain what the Rapture really is (not that I'm an expert). Because people are ASKING. I'm not someone who is just going to open up and start talking about God. But if you're asking a question, yes, I will answer.

Today I stepped into a conversation in the office involving about seven other people to explain that it's those who are saved who are taken. And how you can become one of those who gets taken. And how being a believer doesn't mean we're not sinners. And that it's heaven afterward and not some big dark void.

Yeah, I'll admit it. I'm proud of myself for saying something. I know I sound just about as crazy as those people saying it's all over in two days. (For the record, I don't believe they're right. "But about that day or hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." [Matthew 24:36])

But even though I think we'll all be here well past Saturday, I do know one thing:

If it happens, I'm ready. Bring it on. Take me.

Museum of Sex. Yep.

Me to Scott: "I want to blog about this but I'm not sure what to say except that we went."

There are a lot of museums in New York City. This past weekend we went to the Museum of Sex. And yes, it is exactly what it sounds like. And if that makes you want to giggle, go right ahead.

Like I said, I really don't know what to say about it except that we went. It was fun.

This is the only picture I took. It was the only thing I was comfortable posting here on the blog.

Please do not...

One thing I can say for sure, the Museum of Sex will change your perspective on things. (This was right after we left the museum.)

The famous Flatiron Building

Hipsters and a house show

Are you familiar with the term "hipster"?

"Hipsters are a subculture of men and women typically in their 20's and 30's that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter. The greatest concentrations of hipsters can be found living in the Williamsburg, Wicker Park, and Mission District neighborhoods of major cosmopolitan centers such as New York, Chicago, and San Francisco respectively. Although "hipsterism" is really a state of mind,it is also often intertwined with distinct fashion sensibilities. Hipsters reject the culturally-ignorant attitudes of mainstream consumers, and are often be seen wearing vintage and thrift store inspired fashions, tight-fitting jeans, old-school sneakers, and sometimes thick rimmed glasses." UrbanDictionary.com

Yes, well, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, (aka hipster haven) is where Scott and I spent some time this weekend. And I could not stop giggling. Because every. single. person. who walked past us was wearing a vintage-inspired look and thick-rimmed glasses.

We went to Williamsburg to see Dave Bazan play a house show. We've been to one of these before, and enjoyed it so much, we did it again.

You know that saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." Well, when in Williamsburg, you gotta pull out the Hipstamatic camera.

Dave Bazan's new mahogany Martin guitar

Wooden swing in the "living room" of this space

Bazan doing his thing

Holy page views, Batman

Blogger does this neat thing where you can see stats on your blog. How many page views you've gotten today, this week, all month, etc. Which links sent them here. What countries your readers are in. Pretty cool stuff.

So tonight I go check it out, and for whatever reason, March 18 was a good day. 147 page views, 91 hits on the Georgia Peach entry. Which was 17 days after I posted it. To put that in context, in the last 30 days, the next highest day was 31 page hits.

It is a bright spot in what admittedly has been a decline in the blog in the last six months. Most of my free time outside my day job is spent keeping up with RLPCo. I love it, but sometimes I miss the simple life of LPBA. I need to get back to writing more often.

Not so peachy

There was an article in the paper today (well, tomorrow's paper) about a writer from North Carolina who moved to New York and wrote a book. As I was scanning through the pages when I got in, the headline caught my eye: "A Southern peach in the Big Apple." Can't imagine why that would've piqued my interest.

But more importantly, can you be a peach if you're not from Georgia? I mulled it momentarily and ulitmately voted no. As the resident Southerner, I made them change the headline. (It wound up being, "A Southern girl in the Big Apple.")

But what do you think? Can you be a peach if you're not a Georgia peach?