Le Dimanche au Musée: Oreo Cameos

I'm a big fan of oreos and a big fan of cameos. Judith G. Klausner was brilliant enough to combine those two goodies together to create art. Here are her Oreo Cameo's:

Go to her website to view more of her work and to see her statement. As she puts it, "I revel in minutiae. I hope to share the joy this brings me." Not to worry, Judith. The joy has been shared, and it's as delicious as it is clever.

I ain't bashful, I'm from Nashville: Part I

 Born 'n raised in the Music City, I'm a Nashville gal by roots, but I've had very non-committal, summer romances with the city since 2006. I'm always coming and going when the sun is shining between school semesters and living abroad. Yet, each time I come back, I swear, Nashville gets hipper and hipper with new restaurants and fun places to go. Well, I'm about to continue my pattern of lovin' and leavin' Nashville again in a week....EEKK! I will be moving to Lexington, KY for grad school. So, before I go, I realized that I wanted to check out a few of those fun places that Nashville has to offer as well as some city staples that I never have been to. Therefore, I created an"I ain't Bashful, I'm from Nashville" Bucket List. [I got that phrase from a painting in Loveless Cafe, and decided to adopt it (despite the fact that I can be quite bashful--but we'll just overlook that aspect)]. So, I want to share a few of those experiences with you. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to cross off two of those lovely places on the list that happened to be right next to each other in East Nashville: 

 First we have The Silly Goose (1888 Eastland Ave):

Newly redone, Silly Goose's interior and atmosphere is creatively rustic and unique in an approachable way. The silverware is served in these bright red handkerchiefs and the delicious homemade teas are served in Mason Jars. We drank the Citrus, Mint & Ginger Green Tea. Very refreshing.

SO, meet my partner-in-crime Sarah Helen, one of my bff's who is much more of a Nashvillian than me, despite the fact she wasn't born here. Sarah Helen and I met almost 6 years ago making gelato together when she first moved from Mississippi.

For an appetizer, we shared the Mexico City Couscous: "Red chili couscous, grilled chicken, poblano peppers, cilantro, goat cheese, mango, and lime juice"

For the main dish, I chose The Sailor Sandwich: "Grilled eggplant, roasted red pepper, avocado, basil, arugula, lemon-kalamata olive aioli on grilled ciabatta." See more of their menu here.

So, this is me, awkwardly happy to eat this new sandwich:

 After lunch, we conveniently hopped on over next door to Jeni's (1892 Eastland Avenue). Jeni's just opened up about a month ago in Nashville. It's a chain, but damn, it's good! I had to include it on this post, despite it's non-locality.

Just look at all these inventive flavors:

"Hey, do you guys wanna go on a double date with us?"

I ate the Sweet Corn and Black Raspberries mixed with The Queen City Cayenne. Yum yum.

High school posed pic:

We Sarahs also admired the decorations and set up of the place: church pews; marble topped tables, faux milk-jug lights. We basically want to be Jeni. See more about the ice cream chain here.

So wohooo! I've already checked 2 off the bucket list. Not much time left, but I try my darndest to post more from  the "I ain't Bashful, I'm from Nashville" Bucket List.

Kodachrome Thursday: Travis Summer Deuel

Go to his website for more. Found via BOOOOOOOM!!

Louisville's 10th Annual Lebowski Fest

This summer, I was able to cross something off of my Bucket List: The Lebowski Fest in Louisville. My little sister and I drove up there from Nashville for 2 days of festivities. The whole thing took place either at the Executive Strike and Spare bowling alley or on the Executive Lawn.

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It all started Friday, July 15th @ the MOVIE PARTY with music by J Roddy Walston &amp The Business and The Broken Spurs. Followed by a screening of The Big Lebowski.

Here's moi with my little sister on the right:

That night, we also met up with my dear friend Laurie, a Louisvillian and fellow MSU alumni: 

J Roddy Walston &amp The Business on stage with the Bowling Alley in the background:

...and the movie screening:

Then on Saturday, July 16th we had the Garden Party w/ music by Those Darlins, The Seedy Seeds, How I Became The Bomb & Junk Yard Dogs. There were also some Lebowski themed games (Ringet Toss, Marmot Fling). Here's Will Russell a co-founder of the fest for a drawing to give away the dude car which no one really wanted:

...And here are Those Darlins, the stars of the show:

...and us all sweaty after the show:

 And that day there was a photo booth by Magnolia Photo Booth Co.

And here's Those Darlins with Will: 

Then that night @ 8pm was THE BOWLING PARTY: - Bowling, costume contest, trivia and white russians

Liz and I both participated in Martin Randah's auditions, but we were quite lousy.

 Lego Walter with Walter:

Costume Contest:

Then, around midnight, we decided we needed some grub and went outside for the After Party Food trucks. Yummy Grilled Cheeses were sold here:

 ....And for a souvenir, Liz and I got this Tshirt :

Conclusion: Calmer than you are dude: 

My little sis and I were surprised time and time again how lax this festival was and how lax Louisville is in general. This fest could never have taken place in Nashville, we decided. We also expected that in it's 10th year the fest would've been taken over by the hipster youth culture at least a little bit. We were wrong. The fest was still quite small and reserved for those pretty obsessed with Lebowski.

 

So, here's our advice for the Fest in Louisville:

1) Don't worry about buying tickets in advance and loosing money on service charges. It ain't needed.
2) Bring lawn chairs, blankets and bug spray. This is for the festivities on the lawn.
3) Bring a group and a group that's at least a little into Lebowski. Be prepared to act ridiculous.

4) Dress down for Friday festivities. My 5 inch wedges weren't serving me very while dodging the little dips on the Executive lawn.

5) Dress up for Saturday night bowling party. It's too fun too pass that up. 

 
So...maybe see you at the fest next year?