THINKLIA

bballentine: A short video of Lia and our pilot landing us...

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:04:00 -0500

A short video of Lia and our pilot landing us safely in some windy weather.

Landing a tiny Cessna Skyhawk in 13 knot crosswinds can be tricky, but my super young instructor is also super skilled, and we were able to land safely, gently, and smoothly. (At the end of the video you can hear me clap and cheer in celebration of us NOT crashing.)

It was probably too windy to have flown that day — after all, I’m only a beginner — but now I know what it feels like to get rocked by crazy wind gusts. So the next time I have a flight scheduled on a windy day, I think I’ll just reschedule and wait until there’s calmer weather in the forecast.

I was craving cupcakes. Good thing there’s a great cupcake...

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:32:00 -0500

I was craving cupcakes. Good thing there’s a great cupcake shop nearby.

Oh, and yes, that IS bacon you see on the first cupcake in the second row of photos. It’s a limited edition Maple Bacon cupcake from The Cup. Yum.

Here’s the full list of cupcakes I bought (with descriptions to make your mouth water):

Maple Bacon — maple brown sugar frosting + bacon-topped maple pecan cake + toasted pecans and candied bacon
Gold Rush — chocolate buttercream + golden yellow cake + chocolate disc
Raspberry Beret — raspberry buttercream + french vanilla cake + raspberry filling
Red Velvet — cream cheese frosting + red velvet cake + red velvet crumbles
Grasshopper — vanilla mint buttercream + dark chocolate cake + Ande’s® Mint

bballentine: Last weekend, I was luckily enough to get to go on...

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:51:49 -0500

Lia getting ready for her flight

The Tennessee River

Buffalo Mountain

Gay Street Bridge

Island home airport

bballentine:

Last weekend, I was luckily enough to get to go on a discovery flight with Lia (she’s working towards her pilot’s license) to Buffalo Mountain and all over Knoxville, Tennessee. We had a fantastic time even though high winds made for a bumpy ride. Hats off to the pilot for landing us safely despite the crosswinds.

Miu-Mius decided to spend the afternoon napping under a...

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:22:06 -0500

Miu-Mius decided to spend the afternoon napping under a comforter. I don’t think she appreciated it when I woke her up to take a couple of pictures. But she was looking so cute, I couldn’t resist.

Crispy, Spicy Thai Lunch Had lunch at Taste of Thai today, and...

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:32:06 -0500

Crispy, Spicy Thai Lunch

Had lunch at Taste of Thai today, and my wish came true. I was hoping that the crispy basil chicken dish (which isn’t on the menu) would be a lunch special. And it was!

Dinner at Harry’s I woke up this morning with a craving...

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:18:19 -0500

Dinner at Harry’s

I woke up this morning with a craving for Harry’s Delicatessen — a great Jewish/Italian deli in downtown Knoxville that serves amazing dishes made of mostly fresh, local foods. Thankfully it doesn’t take much to convince Brandon to eat at Harry’s with me (because he loves it as much as I do), so that’s where we headed for dinner.

Tonight I had the cider braised pork with roasted Brussels sprouts and polenta. Delicious! Last week (yup, I went to Harry’s then, too) I had the sweet potato gnocchi with chicken confit and braised kale. I could eat at Harry’s every day. Local and yummy — can’t be beat.

Vinyl Kino Here’s my second cinemagraph using the...

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:00:06 -0500

Vinyl Kino

Here’s my second cinemagraph using the Kinotopic iPhone app. Thought I’d play around with the Roxy Music album on my turntable some more.

Found out about Kinotopic from Brandon, and downloaded the...

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:00:05 -0500

Found out about Kinotopic from Brandon, and downloaded the iPhone app so I could try my hand at making cinemagraphs (like photographer Jamie Beck of “From Me To You”).

This is my first Kino, and I’m still trying to get the hang of it. Hopefully I can create a real cinemagraph one day. Maybe this weekend?

I am in love with everything that Madeline did. Now I’m...

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:17:23 -0500

I am in love with everything that Madeline did. Now I’m inspired to do the same. Hope I can have a year that’s half as interesting as Madeline’s 2011.

Roxy Music Dance Party I put “Siren” on the record player...

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:55:00 -0500

[Flash 10 is required to watch video.]

Roxy Music Dance Party

I put “Siren” on the record player tonight and had a little dance party with my cat. We lumbered up and limbo’d down. Meow.

The shrimp tempura roll was a lunch special today. So I ate it....

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:53:45 -0500

The shrimp tempura roll was a lunch special today. So I ate it. Mmm…

A very sleepy Mia — worn out after a weekend of long...

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:09:30 -0500

A very sleepy Mia — worn out after a weekend of long walks.

A walk through William Hastie Natural Area with Brandon and Mia.

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:35:31 -0500

A walk through William Hastie Natural Area with Brandon and Mia.

godsmokesparliaments: misslampface: There’s the English word...

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:02:33 -0500

godsmokesparliaments:

misslampface:

There’s the English word wanderlust, but fernweh is more than “a strong impulse to wander”. It’s that, and being homesick for places you have never been; needing to go to new places, to travel.

Fernweh. I has it.

I has it, too.

Mary Johnson Rockers One of the highlights of my holiday was...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:00:00 -0500

Mary Johnson Rockers

One of the highlights of my holiday was getting to see my old friend, Mary Johnson Rockers, who was back in town and performing live on WDVX Blue Plate Special the day after Christmas. Mary is an amazing singer and songwriter, and she is one of the kindest people I’ve ever known. We traveled through Peru together in 2001, and I’m lucky to have shared that experience with someone as remarkable and inspiring as her.

Missing Apple Looks like some funny business happening in my...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:42:06 -0500

Missing Apple

Looks like some funny business happening in my neighborhood.

Bling! Bling! Did I mention I have the greatest husband in the...

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 10:55:06 -0500

Bling! Bling!

Did I mention I have the greatest husband in the universe? He got me this beautiful Tiffany necklace for our anniversary, which we recently celebrated. I love Brandon!

Happy New Year from me and Brandon! We’re looking forward...

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 22:37:45 -0500

Happy New Year from me and Brandon!

We’re looking forward to an awesome 2012! :)

Loving this holiday season and thankful for the time I’m...

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:37:31 -0500

Loving this holiday season and thankful for the time I’m spending with Brandon, Mia, Miu-Mius, and friends.

My Snow Person Painting Went to Painting with a Twist tonight,...

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 21:55:55 -0500

My Snow Person Painting

Went to Painting with a Twist tonight, followed by ceviche, calamari and drinks at Cru. Had some Food Network entwine wine and tried Marble City Brewing Company’s Dad’s Dime Amber Ale. Pretty good stuff.

Now I’m worn out and ready to relax with Brandon, Miu-Mius, and Mia. G’night!