I promised many people I would provide some tour guide like details describing my wonderful trip to Savannah, G.A. I want to start off by saying that this city has a beautiful southern charm to it. From the buildings and history to the southern hospitality, restaurants, shops, bars and pubs. All the places that we visited had a certain charming appeal that can only be found here in the south. I’m Thankful that I had the opportunity to spend a lovely time in such a welcoming city!

Ok, so here it goes….How To Do Savannah!!!!

1. Bring your pallet, you’ll be needing it!…a lot!

2. Bring some optimism and adventurous spirit mixed with a bit of curiosity.

3. Bring lots of cash….most places don’t accept your plastic money or checkbooks….CASH people!

4. Love wine and beer….this city certainly does…and will expect that you do too!

5. Take time to enjoy the open container law…it’s f*%&ing righteous!!

6. Bring your walking shoes….your not going to get anywhere fantastic in a car…all the good places are in alleyways, lanes and street corners where parking is not available.

7. Take a tour, whether it’s a food tour, martini tour, or trolley tour! The maps may tell you where things are, but the people living there are much more informative…and the trolley takes you to all the good spots!

8. Bring a love for music, as you’ll find blues/jazz almost everywhere you go!

Ah, The Glorious Days…..

Day One:

We arrive in the city, only to be dazzled by period buildings, sidewalk shops, the smell of pizza, french fries, beer, ketchup, chocolate, ice cream and freshly lit cigarettes. We park the car in a garage about 5 minutes walking distance from the hotel (the parking at the hotel was ridiculously priced to avoid!). I had other reasons for picking this hotel; not only because it’s a Hilton, but due to it’s location. It’s located perfectly left of center to all the shops, pubs, wine bars, pizza parlors and foodie lovers restaurants. We walk to the hotel and check in, dropping our bags inside and scurrying for the streets.. The smells had to be coming from the City Market!

Vinnie Van Go Go’s

As soon as we breeze in to the city market, the perfume of food is making the decision quite clear for us, it’s time for pizza, and so we wait. During the afternoons here, it’s quite busy. The wait for 2 people was about 20 minutes, and well worth the wait in the end. I would have waited an hour if need be for the flavors my taste buds were graciously gifted! While waiting in line, the sounds from the hostess bellowing out the names of those also waiting were an interesting addition to the already chatter ridden streets. It makes for desirable ambiance, I think. Once finally seated after our name was chimed across the way, we sat at a small table outside and were immediately greeted by a nice young lady in khaki shorts, tennis shoes and a green t-shirt, there is no uniform here, only great food and, from what I read on the menu, some cheap beer. We ordered tea and water to compliment our left over fourth of july hangover, and waited patiently for our large cheese pie. As we sipped our drinks, waiting for the pizza we are now drooling for, we watch through the window to the prep table as a talented young man flips around pizza dough, creating each table’s individual and perfect selection of cheesy, saucy, doughy goodness. The pizza was perfect, exactly what our hungry stomachs needed. I think I will dare to say it is the second best pizza I have ever had, my first being from a small shop in New York City. New York pizza is hard to beat, but Vinnie Van Go Go’s comes as a very fine second!

Where’s The RiverFront, And A Little Frozen Yogurt

So, It’s hot, not sticky hot like Florida, but very hot, none the less. We finished our pizza and headed again for the streets. Looking for the Riverside that everyone so ardently tells me I must find and frolic in. Still feeling the heat and some of the hangover as well, we walk down one of the steepest, pebble and cobblestone street inclines I’ve seen thus far in my life. Need I mention, for those of you who have not yet done so, hangovers and steep inclines mixed with slippery shoes equals DANGER! We walked down carefully, hand in hand, and arrived smiling at a beautiful sight: 2 touring riverboats, a water taxi, and lots of riverfront! The water glistened as the sun slipped under the horizon, leaving the city post lights to lead the way through a riverfront wonderland of more shops, eateries, sit down restaurants, pubs and bars. The smells that we experienced in the City Market were back again, this time teaming with seafood and beer as the dominant scents. As we walked the stretch of it, which seemed to go on endlessly, we were surrounded by smiling, wide eyed adventurers such as ourselves. All the people were stopping every 15 seconds or so, to read a sign or look inside a glass pane ensuring that nothing is missed at all.  At the end of one of the long stretches of sidewalk is a creamery, or frozen yogurt shop if you will. I inhaled the cool creamy air within and unconsciously followed the scent. Staring beyond the glass covers into the heavenly frozen dreams that summoned me here in the first place. As I read all the flavors, I realize I cannot have them all, even though orange creamsicle dream, strawberry cheesecake, lemon meringue pie, chocolate fudge brownie, and many other flavors were calling to me. I made my selection; birthday cake is a favorite of mine anywhere I go. Creamy sweet goodness of cake batter mixed with blue sprinkles and pink sugary icing! It was better than expected with all the heat lingering around outside. Thanks to Olympia Frozen Yogurt my palette was satisfied! We walked over to the benches right in front of the river and ate our creamy frozen treat and enjoyed the sounds of a local man singing his blues, while in the distance a saxophone played as riverfront walkers stumbled out of bars and crossed the streets talking. I was at peace with my ice cream, the riverfront, savannah, and the world.

Day Two:

We woke up early on the second day. Falling out of our high-top matressed king size boat bed and jetting into and out of the shower in rapid fashion. Once ready for the day, and myself decked out with makeup and comfortable attire, we scrambled to the car. We made it right on time for the bus to arrive.

The Tour of A Lifetime

We were off on our tour, the best kind of tour one can take; a foody tour. This tour was fantastic. Our tour guide was slightly eccentric, which made it all the more enjoyable if it weren’t for some of the snooty people who can’t find eccentrics entertaining like I do. For those of you who don’t know, I’ve worked most of my life in the Food business. And if nothing else about the food business, you must know this; Food & Beverage people are all a little if not entirely crazy, you have to be to work in this business. If your not, you will never make it!

Our first stop was to the Distillery. And with a slogan like “No Crap, Just Craft” how can you go wrong, right?! And you can’t go wrong with this place. You won’t find beers like bud light, corona, amstel and other such rubbish. You will find however, McSorely’s, Dogfish, Sam Adams, Bells, and other local beers that are sure to please your beer tongue. I had the Ace Pear Cider and it was scrumpscious!  We also had a sampling of some of the food, which is all infused with beer, every last morsel! I had a beer hamburger slider, with a beer infused remoulade, beer fries (which I graciously dipped into the remoulade) and a garlic pickle. This dish, although visually simple, was orally complex. The flavors in the remoulade went good with everything on the plate, even the pickle!

http://www.distillerysavannah.com/

The second stop we made was to a local pastry shop and bakery. It was very French, very calming, and very yummy! Harris Baking Company is a delicate blend of puff pastry, friendly and knowledgeable staff, freshly baked smells, glistening and sensual lemonade and coffee mixed in with a hearty yet inexpensive lunch spot. Everything is priced to sell and sell it does! During our 7 minute visit, there were dozens of people coming in. Some for the lunch menu, others for a loaf of freshly baked olive bread or perhaps a pecan chocolate chewie, almond macaroon, or a fresh mixed berry cheesecake. All equally delicate, decadent and well worth the money spent. If you find yourself in savannah and you’re craving a fluffy baked treat, COME HERE, you won’t regret it! As Sam, the owner says himself, “The art is in the quality.”

http://www.harrisbakingco.com/

Third on the agenda, we visited a local produce market. Polk’s has been in the business of selling produce and georgia’s goodies for over 15 years. Not only can you find fresh blueberries, peaches, strawberries, okra, tomatoes and other locally grown farm fancies here, you can also chow down on local grub made from the fresh fruits and veggies that you see when you first walk in! While I was there I bought two juicy, drip down your chin peaches for the price of a dollar. Yet again, well worth the price. It seems to be a commonality as I explore Savannah’s charm, it’s all good for your pocket too! If your lucky enough to be here on a Saturday, Polk’s Fresh Market holds a Bazaar where you can find specialty foods, local arts and crafts, as well as handmade and vintage jewelry. When I re-visit Savannah, I will be back……on a Saturday!

http://polksfreshmarket.com/

The next stop made Sonny’s and Bono’s bbq look like a laugh in a school hallway. Both are way too common and busy for my liking. This BBQ was phenomenal! Angels’ BBQ, or a “little taste of heaven that’s been through hell” is my kind of BBQ joint! Let me give you the pre-text before I tell you more about this quaint “heavenly hell.”  Savannah, being one of the last of the 15 states to join up, still holds onto the idea of alleyways, which are referred to as “lanes.”  Located on Oglethorpe Lane ( a tiny alleyway really), is a small shack of a place, with a bottom story, where the bbq is cooked and served, and a top story, where the owners and there cute and cuddly cats live. As you enter the bottom floor through the tiny front door, don’t be alarmed, just make yourself cozy in this 2 table joint. Don’t be fooled by the small size of the Trice’s eatery, the tastes that follow are HUGE! Don’t be a wussy when you order your BBQ either, try all the sauces…some of them will burn your brain right out of your head, if your into that sort of thing. There pulled pork BBQ sandwich is the best damn BBQ pork I’ve EVER HAD! If you leave without trying the greens with peanuts, you’re going to regret missing the interesting concoction of juicy green flavor!

http://www.angels-bbq.com/

For our next local visit, we discovered the delicate chocolate wonders present at the Wright Square Café and Chocolatier. I have to say, firstly, that the smell of chocolate wafting in the air vacuumed me inside of this sweet little shop and café. When you walk inside, you are welcomed by a staff that treats you as old friends. Moving towards the center, we got eye glued to the glass display case full of high end chocolates made by the young man who attended the CIA to learn how to create these elegant and tasty confections. Try the bacon ganache or the chocolate covered pretzels, they are to die for. As for the café side, it’s elegantly eclectic decorations, cool copper and light brown hues, wooden tables mixed with the smell of freshly brewed coffee and daily made pasta salad or a generous piece of red velvet cake is comforting enough to have you sitting here happily for hours.

“Bee Well” is the pitch for the next stop on the list. We were in for a real treat, which also aided in the digestion of our previous flavorful eats. Welcome to Savannah Bee Company, where inside you will find a delicious variety of honey’s including Tupleo, Sourwood, Acacia, Orange Blossom and Raw Honey. As we all stood in line, one after another, tasting the honey’s in this order, we went on a flavored rollercoaster ride of Sweet, Sour, Tangy, Fruity, and Delicate. At the end of the tasting, you were given a bit of sweet honeycomb, on a sliver of juicy granny smith apple topped with a glob of salty manchego cheese. It was a perfectly blended snack after such a sweet variety of honey. The staff was not only charming, but very knowledgeable as well. Guiding us through the shop informing us on the many benefits of honey in it’s natural and refined states. Some of the neat ways to enjoy this honey are natural skin care, bbq sauce enhancement, lip gloss and chapstick, tea sweetener and flavorful afternoon snacks. This place gives you the ability to Bee Natural and Bee Sweet at the same time!!

http://www.savannahbee.com/

Our final stop on the guided tour was to the Lady and Sons. I will say this about Paula Deen, she is a great cook. The food here was very tasty, and the staff was southern style friendly, however, in conjunction with the many reviews I’ve read from previous patrons of this place; it’s jam packed with people at all times, it’s best to make reservations, and be ok with a buffet style restaurant like that of the golden corral or sizzlers. I will confess that I have a bit of hostility when it comes to buffets, mainly because I dislike intensely being crowded next to people who are shoving me forward while I attempt to make well thought out decisions as to what my plate will entail, due to the obvious personal notion that I will not return to the line again. I have two issues with buffets: Closter phobia and the inability to fit more than about 2 cups of food in my gut at one time. I’M SORRY….deal with it! Therefore, due to my own personal issues, I will not return to the Lady and Sons. Seriously though, if you like collared greens, fried okra, baked spaghetti, country style baked macaroni and cheese, green beans, red beans and rice, fried and grilled chicken and other tasty morsels from a southern woman’s kitchen, I urge you to go, the food is lovely!

http://www.ladyandsons.com/

At the end of the tour, we were fat, full and fascinated by all the amazing places that we managed to visit, all in the course of 2 and a half hours,  and while in the presence of a cheery tour guide who really cared about her job in an honest to god way. I’m very thankful that we had the opportunity, while in Savannah, and the money, to go on this awesome adventure. I urge you to use this service, if you are in the area, you won’t regret it!

http://www.savannahmovietours.net/

!!!!! AMAZING !!!!!

We returned to the hotel, in need of a revitalizing nap. Once we woke up, we changed into some more presentable clothing and decided to do it up, jazz infused style. I dressed up sexy in my “hey there girl” outfit and he put on his “helloo there” clothes and we hit the streets, hard! We headed to the only place you should go if you want great music, local and tasty food (well presented I might add) with a bottle of the best wine served with a twist of Great service. Jazzed is “The Ultimate Night Out”. Located under the streets, this beautiful and sexy/sheik decorated restaurant/bar is the place to be, no matter what night it is. It’s dimly lit atmosphere is the perfect place to have a romantic date or if your single, to be on the prowl for your next victim. The sultry blues/jazz music is the way to go while you’re immersing yourself into the paintings on the wall with subtle music notes, yellow and orange hues, or two bodies dancing cheek to cheek inside a slick black frame. We ordered the “Tapas for Two.” He picked the Five Onion Soup, flavorful and robust, served with a cheese crusted top and a freshly baked sliver of juicy dunked in soup bread, while I enjoyed the fresh and flavorful balsamic and pesto glazed Caprese Salad with juicy tomatoes and fresh water mozzarella for starters. For the main tapas we enjoyed the Baked Cheese Terra Cotta Plate with three creamy delicious chesses, succulent grapes, roasted garlic, and rosemary baked flatbread, the Coconut battered fried shrimp with a tangy mango-citrus marmalade, the Calamari flash fried and served over butter sautéed julienne jalapeños and sweet banana peppers, served with a spicy marinara, and the baked Lasagna made with spinach, mozzarella, mushrooms, goat cheese topped with beef and provolone cheese all while sipping glasses from our selected bottle of pinot noir. To finish it off on a sweet note, I had the Grand Marnier Crème Brule and he enjoyed the flourless chocolate cake with a swirl of freshly made whipped cream.

http://www.jazzdsavannah.com/

All I have to say is, we came, we saw, we ate, we fell in love, we went to the hotel and fell asleep!

Day 3:

The next day we slept in, enjoying the comfort of our oversized bed, designed for much more than a king, you could fit four fat ass kings on this bed and still have room for two of his wives, or one fat mistress!!!

After we woke up, we again got dressed, upscale casual I suppose, and went out in search of flavor and fun. We had lunch at the most wonderful Parisian café. It was quaint and quiet, and everything a café should be. All the food was available to eat “here” or also easily made to go. Papillote (meaning served in a wrapped piece of paper to whisk away, very fitting) is a great way to get lost in the delicate and divine aspects of French food. I had the potato leek soup, which although green, was very creamy, flavorful and pleasant to the palette. For a sandwich, I chose the open faced and beautifully designed Le Parisien with Ham, Swiss cheese, brie and paper-thin slices of apple with a touch of honey-mustard on a slice of crunchy ciabatta bread. It was a sweet, spicy, chewy bit of heaven and I loved every moment of it. The macaroons, priced at a steep 1.85 a piece were creamy and crunchy (3 different flavors available), are a much better deal when you buy 5, they cost less a piece. I LOVE this place!!

http://www.papillote-savannah.com/

*~Let’s Get Lost~*

Immediately after our Parisian experience, we goofed around, looking through shop windows, passing street corners with acoustic guitar players, blues singers, saxophone-ists and local residents out on the town. As it continued to get darker and darker, the sun hiding and the moon coming out to play, we decided to head down a small street, where we got lost in the sounds of drunken joy, coming from a small wine bar, tucked in between quiet, closed painting shops and health/beauty stores. Bacchus One was romantically lit, wood grain decorated and just the kind of place we had hoped to find. If only there was a wine bar like this in Jacksonville. There were beautiful couples dressed nicely sitting at high top tables and casually chatting friends up at the bar socializing while enjoying the grand selection of wines, smoking cigarettes, and watching others pass, some sneaking in to this lavish and lime-lit joint. We spent a few dreamy hours, sipping wine, smoking stogies and talking about everything and nothing at the same time, Enjoying the occasional people watching, mingled with the smell of sulfur as we light another match, for another smoke, for another sip of delicious wine. After being fantastically buzzed beyond return, we decided to find somewhere to grab a bite to eat, filling our stomach with greasy and tasty pizza from Allyannas Pizzeria before we went for a 5 minute walk, leading us back to the riverfront.

A Room With A Vu

Vu Lounge was easy to find, located at the top of the Hyatt hotel, a great view of the River and all the passersby on the cobblestone laden paths to get to it. The Guinness was cold, on tap and moderately priced at 5.50 a glass. I had 2, snapping buzzy pictures of this city river front that I knew I was going to miss come tomorrow. We watched on the television as some child star got sentenced to jail time, while listening to the up beat tunes from the All American Rejects, Good Charlotte, and Imogen Heap playing softly on the speakers above us. The night was beautiful; the smell of salt water and fried food filled the air as we both sat in the iron lounge chairs enjoying it all for the last night. Both of us dreading the 2am last call that came too soon, and the return to the hotel that seemed to brisk despite our best efforts to walk so ghostly slow.

Day 4

We woke up early although already pre-packed from the night before. We showered and then took advantage of our included breakfast buffet just as we had the past 2 mornings. Trust me when I say the breakfast at the doubletree buffet is NOTHING to write home about, therefore I won’t. What I will tell you is, the staff at the hotel was very friendly, informative, and I love their cookies. If you do decide to stay in Savannah, I will not say it’s the best hotel there, but it’s a great location, and don’t valet park because there are parking garages and lots right behind the hotel that will charge you as low as $15.00 less than you would pay there….it’s worth the walk people, you need the exercise anyway to warm you up for all the walking you should be doing during your stay in the historic district and burning off the oodles of calories you’ll be dreading to count afterwards!.

In closing, I love Savannah, I will be back, it’s charming, full of eclectic variety and flavor, cool music and jazzy street life. The trip moved me, in a way I’m usually not moved. I’m calm, relaxed and happy. The sights, sounds, smell and soul will stay with me forever or at least until I return for another dose. I hope you can use my story as a guide, a tried and true description of some AMAZING places to visit while you’re in this joyous city. I’m not saying you have to go everywhere I did; however, I think if you don’t, you’re a fool. Dear Savannah, I love you, miss you, and will return to you as soon as I can. Until then, Stay Perfect, Stay Charming, Stay You!

What is an a b s o l u t i o n ?

This blog is merely my confessions, taken into form through words by letters of the English language.

It is not merely restricted or limited to the wrong doings for which I have done to myself, God, and others, but the doings that I have witnessed and can recall in my lifetime.

For those of you who are Catholic (I am) or those of you who understand Latin:

CONFITEOR Deo omnipotenti, beatae Mariae semper Virgini, beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Ioanni Baptistae, sanctis Apostolis Petro et Paulo, et omnibus Sanctis, quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo et opere: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Virginem, beatum Michaelem Archangelum, beatum Ioannem Baptistam, sanctos Apostolos Petrum et Paulum, et omnes Sanctos, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum. Amen.

or if you would like it translated into English:

I CONFESS to almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and to all the saints that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore, I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, to pray for me to the Lord our God. Amen.

This is what I shall confess in mild humor to you today because I am in a funny mood, despite my body feeling ill (I ate meat, which I have not done in quite some time. This has caused my stomach to rebel.)

I confess to thinking of the Boondock Saints everytime I cross myself.

I confess to missing mass on several occasions since moving back to Maryland.

(I got lost on the road due to construction, couldn’t find the church and wound up in Virginia….)

I confess to liking Flogging Molly, Dropkick Murpheys, The Logues and even the Blaggards….

I confess that every time I hear “Shipping up to Boston” by Dropkick Murphey memories of my many trips to Boston along with the fabulously enthralling Boston-Irish movie “The Departed” come flooding through my brain. I confess that the song also makes me want to beat the hell out of someone while I’m walking down the street or drive insanely fast on a jammed highway.

I confess to attending Latin Mass (in the beginning) so that I could enjoy a wonderful choir accompanied by people speaking in a foreign tongue in between songs.

I confess that I did (and will continue to) visit all kinds of churches; Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian, Jewish, Islamic, Protestant, Latter Day Saints, Orthodox, and many others because I want to be aware of what everyone else views as correct, not just myself, cause I could be wrong.

I confess to licking the flag pole on a cold winters day (due to the movie “A Christmas Story”) just to see if my tongue would stick…by the way….DON’T DO IT!!!

I confess to failing miserably at being able to draw anything more than a stick figure when it comes to “art”. I also confess to wanting to kill my sister on many occasions due to jealousy for her “artistic personality.”

I confess to not finishing this blog……………………………………

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus
Sancti. Amen.

This little baby girl grew quickly into a young girl.  Outgoing, bright, happy and extremely narcissistic in her young age. She desired always to be the center of attention, trying anything to catch the eye of the wandering adult or the stumbling child.  She was equally loved by her entire family which consisted of her father, her mother, her half sister, and on January 16th, 1990, a new baby sister which she in turn loved very much.    The family was decent, despite the invisible line which separated the family almost equally in half.  The mother who was very fond of her first born daughter kept to her half of the family. The father, with his two blood born daughters, stayed very much to each other during the majority of the middle child’s early years. With the sea of the family already split, the middle child was lost on many accounts as to where she really belonged, mainly where her heart was to reside.

As the middle daughter went through life, she felt very alone. She was quite different from her two sisters in attitude and desires and found no solace in any place in the family save her grandmother.  She spent many a day of her childhood in the company of her grandmother. Singing songs, dancing on hardwood floors with socks, eating home made carrot cake and drinking A&W root beer, playing in the garden and swinging in the garden swing over long conversations that lasted till dark.  These were the days when this little girl felt alive and at home in her heart.  She longed, everyday, for the bell to ring at school so that she could go to her favorite hide-away at her grandmothers house.

This happy childhood was painfully shattered at the delicate age of 8, when her grandmother was diagnosed with Melanoma (Asbestos Cancer).  Her grandmother suffered a slow and painful death caused by the combination of the cancer and the chemo-therapy that she was subjected to.  For the 6 months before her tragic death, the little girl was not even allowed to see her grandmother, due to the fact that her appearance was frail and fragile.  Not something that her mother thought appropriate for an 8 year old girl to bear witness to.  At the funeral, the 8 year old girl felt a pain and feeling of loss come over her so strongly, that it left a void she would spend many years trying to fill.

Through her teen years, much of it for the young lady was trying.  She spent the majority of it dodging interaction between her peers due to constant teasing over her appearance.  She had terrible vision and was not permitted the use of contacts for most of her middle school years.  Her attire consisted of everything black, loose and un-restrictive, nothing showing any details of her figure which was slowly developing under the pipe pants and baggy shirts.  Behind the coke-bottle glasses that everyone teased her for, were the eyes of a lost and lonely teenager, waiting for someone to care. Despite her evasive maneuvers, she could not avoid the sexual assault that she was subjected to at the age of 12.  Ashamed, confused and petrified by the actions of a close friend, she became more and more closed off to the world outside of her skin.  She began to bottle up emotions and pain birthed from her younger days, harboring it deep inside of herself.  She was not aware of the damage this entrapment of her feelings would later cause.

Soon after the assault, her parents were shocked to discover a drop in the grades of this once straight “A” student.  This 12 year old was also displaying a lack of desire to attend school and constant emotional tantrums displaying her disgust for the public school at which she was enrolled. After much deliberation, the parents of this troubled teenage girl decided to enroll her in Catholic private school, where they hoped she would feel more at home and have a better opportunity to excel in things which she used to cherish, like English class and free-writing.

Immediately following her enrollment into this Catholic school, the young ladies’ talents and now stunning appearance were put to good use.  She excelled in her classes and made many friends.  She found peace in knowing that there would be justice in the after-life of the young man who had caused her so much pain in the past. She felt assured that her grandmother, who she missed ever so much, was in a better place. Finally, there was a place where she felt she belonged and people to whom she felt connected to.  She even acquired the attention of the polite young men in school who would take her to dances and out for ice cream. She had made peace with the world through God and the church.

At the age of 14, this young woman graduated from the private Catholic school which she had attended for a few years. She was ready for high school. Her requested transfer to the high school associated with her private school was accepted. The young lady would again be with many of the same peers she found comfort in during her earlier years in private school.  She spent most of her time in high school again being the center of attention.  Everyone enjoyed her company; teachers, young men and women, parents, and children alike.  She was top of her class, straight “A” student, attended many after school activities and even went steady with some of the boys that had mutual interests with her.   However, all of this was soon to come to an end.

After leaving high school and beginning college early,  at the turning age of 16, the beautiful young woman met a man who had caught more than just her eye.  She had fallen in love with a young man who had no current hopes for the future.  He filled her life with love, crude tricks, sex, drugs, alcohol and violence.  This young lady, once on the perfect track to success, was now buried in emotions she couldn’t understand, substances she would abuse and classes she wasn’t even attending.  She meddled around with ecstasy, cocaine, marijuana, alcohol and the feeling she thought was “love”.  Much to her parents dismay, this behavior continued for almost an entire year.  The dreamless young man, drugged, beat, copulated with, and drained this young woman until she had nothing left to live for but him.  Until one night, the young woman got off of work, came to the place where the two of them would stay overnight, and caught him sleeping with her best friend.

Suddenly, all the emotions that were once bottled inside of her at that funeral when she was 8 exploded into anger and rage.  She became violent, breaking everything around the two bodies lying in bed with each other. Still enraged and destroyed by her pain and anger, she drove home.  Several weeks later she received a phone call from the police concerning a beer bottle thrown through the window of her ex-boyfriends car.  Out of all of the suspects, including her best friends enraged and medicated old boyfriend, they pegged this 16 year old girl for the incident.  After being sentenced at court to a restraining order and leave from work, her parents did something unwanted but necessary for the girl.  The innocent young lady was sent to live with her Aunt and cousins in another state for 6 months, and while she was there, acquire her GED and save money for re-attending college.

While in another state, the young woman did exactly what was expected of her.  She made a few friends, got a job at a local restaurant, got back into her normal passion for writing and acquired her GED.  When her parents arrived 6 months later to bring her back to her home, they were pleased to see the changes that had occurred in the young woman that now stood before them. Proud and poised, she returned to her home state, only to be moved along with her family all the way down the coast to another state.

To be continued…………

It is incredible that one man can tell such a beautiful story about so many tragic occurrences.

If you are someone who has missed out on seeing this movie thus far, you cannot go another day without seeing it. This story, based on a compelling novel written by Khaled Hosseini, tells the tale of two boys growing up in troubled times. As trying as the times may be, they still seem to find the time to make beautifully tragic memories of a whimsical childhood which is cut short due to politics.

The story is centralized in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan around the mid 1970′s before the soviet invasion.

Once you enter Kabul, you are introduced to our two main characters; Amir and Hassan, two young boys.

Amir is a well-off young man, living with his father. He attends school, enjoys reading and writing and watching anything Steve McQueen. Amir’s father, Baba, is disenchanted by Amir’s desire to write tales and stories. Amir’s greatest fan, who enjoys reading all of his stories, is Rahim Khan, a business partner and friend of Baba’s.

Hassan is an un-educated, brave young man also living with his father.  He enjoys slingshot’s, standing up for himself, and listening to wonderful stories in the company of his best friend Amir, who will not admit to the friendship. Hassan and his father Ali, are servants in the house of Amir and his father Baba.

These two young boys spend most of their time in Kabul playing, enjoying stories, using Amir’s allowance to go see movies at the local theater, and RUNNING KITES.

You will learn, through the many minutes of watching the boys together, that Amir is ashamed of his friend Hassan, because Hassan is a Hazara, and according to the local antagonists, not worthy of living in Kabul. One young man in particular, Assef, disgusts Hassan’s presence in Kabul and terrorizes both Amir and Hassan for this consistantly.

The many splendid moments between Amir and Hassan are abruptly put to an end when the details of a painful encounter are wedged like a rock between the two boys. Amir and Hassan stop speaking, and eventually Hassan and his father leave the familiar landscape of Baba’s mansion and disappear into the city of Kabul.

Immediately following the leave of Hassan and Ali, Amir and his father are forced to leave the mansion which they have so long called home. After a long journey, they arrive in the United States. Safe from the constant changes occurring in Afghanistan, Amir is able to pursue his education, meet friends and begin redirecting his passion to writing again.

After many trials for Amir and his father Baba in the United States, Amir receives a phone call from an old friend in Afghanistan. It is Rahim Khan, his father’s old friend, and he begins to tell Amir of a true story, one that Amir must finish. “There is a way to be good again” says Rahim, and Amir accepts this blessed opportunity and begins his mission back to Kabul, which is an unfamiliar place to Amir.  There have been many changes in Kabul since Amir’s departure as a boy.  Returning as a man, there are countless times when Amir nearly loses his life because of his ignorance to the “New Ways” that dominate Afghanistan.  Travel to a foreign land with Amir, feel the intense plethora of emotions as he takes on this mission of atonement.  Find the “way to be good again.”

I can’t begin to describe my mood today. I’ve gone from feeling extremely sick, to moderately happy, to exuberantly joyous in the course of an 8 hour work day!

I wonder how many people have had the same kind of day as me, this very day.

This very day, in history, in the year 1976 “My Fair Lady” opens at St James Theater NYC for 384 performances.