Weekend Wind-Down #148

(the colorful "INSPIRE EACH OTHER" MURAL we saw in Decatur, Georgia)

Yesterday, Missy and I headed out to Decatur, Georgia, to spend the afternoon with our friends Marla, Lance, and their daughter, Ruby. Missy first met Marla "back in the day" at the BEANTOWN ZINETOWN zine and small press convention in Boston...way back in 2000. They are both old school "yankee zinesters" who somehow found their way to the DIRTY SOUTH.

We never really explored Decatur that much, so we were looking forward to having Marla and Lance show us all the cool stuff there. They live just a short walk from the downtown area, so after taking a walking tour down some charming residential streets, we headed to RAGING BURRITO, a Decatur institution, for lunch...









Of course, no trip to the Atlanta area is complete without stopping at a KING OF POPS cart. Even though I was filled to the rim with mexican food goodness, the KEY LIME PIE popsicle was a nice antidote to the spiciness of my dinner:





Missy swimming around in LITTLE SHOP OF STORIES, a kid-friendly bookstore:



I was tempted to steal this poster for the ATLANTA ROLLERGIRLS. You know I'm a big fan of STAR WARS and I really liked the way the artist re-made BESPIN (a.k.a. CLOUD CITY), from The Empire Strikes Back, into the shape of a ROLLER SKATE:



We went to this cool little gift shop called HOMEGROWN, that carried a lot of handmade items from local artisans, artists, and crafters. In the back corner of the store, there is an ever-growing SHRINE devoted to the incomparable MR.T - I genuflected and then pitied the fool:















Not wanting to disappoint Mr.T, I ended up buying this POSTCARD featuring an illustration by local Atlanta artist, R.LAND:



"Welcome to Atlanta..."



These cute CAT LOAVES looked like TOFU BABY's cousins!



After touring the downtown area, we went back to Marla and Lance's place and hung out with their cat MIKKO (their other cat was too shy to hang out). He played some CAT GAMES on the iPad, and then let Missy groom him...lucky guy!









After we cooled off and rested, we all drove over to the nearby OAKHURST neighborhood, to try out a new bakery called SUGAR MOON. It was the perfect way to cap off a fun afternoon...











FAVORITE MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - I liked hanging out with Marla, Lance, and Ruby and checking out Decatur!
RAOUL - Yep. Hanging out in Decatur with Marla, Lance, and Roo.

WORST MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Oh, I didn't sleep good almost the whole week.
RAOUL - Finding ants in the garbage.

FUNNIEST MOMENT OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Dropping the medicine in the car.
RAOUL - I'm sure it was something I heard on the Professor Blastoff podcast.

WORD OR PHRASE OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - "Bunny Yummies"
RAOUL - "Moose Knuckles"

FAVORITE MEAL OF THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Dinner at Gymnopedie. Sooooo good.
RAOUL - It's a toss up between dinner at Gymnopedie and the spicy chimichanga from Raging Burrito. Two different ends of the spectrum.

FAVORITE THING ABOUT DECATUR?
MISSY - I liked how everything was close and walkable from Marla and Lance's place.
RAOUL - The "walkability" of Decatur, yes. But also, I got some pretty sweet deals while we were out shopping.

PERSONAL RESOLUTION FOR THIS WEEK?
MISSY - Ummmm...get up earlier?
RAOUL - Make a time budget and stick to it. Posting this Weekend Wind-Down on a Sunday night is a good start. It's been a while!

PERSONAL SOUNDTRACK FOR THE PAST WEEK?
MISSY - Leslie Gore, The Great Lakes, Rachael Dadd, Rose Melberg, Sleater-Kinney, Calvin Johnson, Ruby Fray, Tiger Trap, Professor Blastoff podcast.
RAOUL - Brown Recluse, The Hidden Cameras, LAKE, of Montreal, The Ladybug Transistor, Laura Veirs, Little Wings, Thao with The Get Down Stay Down, Gigi, Glo-Worm, Tiger Trap, Polvo, Marriage Records' "Is Orange Birds" compilation, Professor Blastoff podcast.