New year, hot dogs...

Some people kick off the new year with a detoxifying spa treatment or ambitious resolutions involving exercise.  Not me, buddy.  I went to the Varsity on New Year's Day and HD1 yesterday.

The Varsity is a broad-shouldered American stereotype:  enormous, shouty and full of fried goodies.  Stack 'em high and sell 'em cheap.  What'll ya have?  I still find it endearing, though.  People from all over the world eating the ultimate peasant food in a very friendly, communal setting. The Frosted Orange and onion rings are worth the trip.

This was my first visit to HD1, which is much closer to my house.  The menu was fantastic, varied and unusual.  My hot dog, shown below, was the 'classic'.  Outstanding.

December ephemera...

+  Atlanta is a set of contradictions this time of year:  You get the usual elements of Christmas in a big city such as crowded shops and people in a rush.  But the South is still a place apart.  We've enjoyed sumptuous brunches on Sundays in December.  A neighbor decorated our mailbox with swag.  The weather is cold in the mornings, but warm by mid-afternoon.  And there's always the unexpected:  the German Christmas market in Atlanta was massive and filled with scores, maybe hundreds, of Europeans.  I purchased some stollen to be enjoyed this weekend.

+  On Friday, eight of us will see A Christmas Carol.  We saw it last year and it was exceptional.  I suppose it's the counterpart to the English panto, something I enjoyed every year while living in Oxford.  The jokes at pantos are so well-worn, but always amusing, particularly if you are drunk.  The lead (always a cross-dressing, flamboyant actor) warms up the audience:

You sir, where are you from?

Abingdon.

Sorry?

Abingdon!

No, I'm saying I'm sorry for you...

+  We've recently purchased an extravagance:  a Mercedes SUV.  In just a few weeks we've cracked the windshield and dented the running board.  I suppose it's part of the family now.

+  I'm reading We by Yvegeny Zamyatin.  I just finished House of Silk by Horowitz.

+  I'm downloading this holiday gem right now:

Christmas in Dixie...

Call me Fezziwig:

-- The Fortnum and Mason order (see photo below) was delivered this morning

-- Purchased the Neiman Marcus annual Christmas ornament

-- Got tickets to: (i) the Nutcracker; (ii) Holiday Pops; and (iii) A Christmas Carol

-- Christmas cards are already on my dining room server, waiting to be addressed

-- Fruitcakes (2) and Christmas puddings (2) are in the pantry

-- Next week:  wine and cider purchases

Still, it hardly feels like Christmas here in Atlanta.  We've had what might be called light autumnal weather, but today it will be in the mid-70s.

The Ultimate Picture Palace

The Guardian profiles the Ultimate Picture Palace today.  It's under new ownership since April 2011.  I have three memories of this place from my time in Oxford:

-- It was definitely run-down and showed older movies.  It was the type of place you would go after dinner or a drink just to see a really fun movie, usually a wacky comedy.  Other places like the Phoenix showed the better films and had the better cinema experience.

-- The review says it can be chilly.  Ha!  I remember it being so cold in there in some nights that the operator would wheel in temporary space heaters.  It resembled a pub's patio.  People regularly chatted through movies.

-- One time my girlfriend (now wife) and I arrived a bit late.  She was finding a parking spot while I ran inside to get our tickets.  The projectionist said she would wait and start the film when my girlfriend arrived!

I really can't say I enjoyed the place, though.  I cannot imagine the UPP has any regular patrons.

Lake Oconee

(1 Nov 2011; Ritz Carlton Lodge)

Zakopane...

What you get when you ask for 'nibbles' at the Hotel Belvedere in Zakopane:

Tomato soup

The fresh tomatoes were courtesy of my neighbor, Susan, who brought them from her hideaway in the NC mountains.

Torun, Poland

The brick building pictured here is the city's post office.