Weather is improving...

This is how different the South is to everything my life in Europe got me used to. Only a few months ago the phrase 'weather is improving' would mean one thing to me: it is getting warmer! In Atlanta, though, it is exactly the opposite. September here is nothing short of delightful. With the cooler air, still warm and even hot during the day, and the humidity which finally reached tolerable proportions, we can spend most of our days outside without fear of being boiled (or steamed...?) alive. Oh, how delightful the mornings are on our deck, with gentle breeze, chirping birds, the green wilderness behind our fence... And afternoons are also full of attractions: just watching the completely mad squirrels chasing one another up and down the tall pine and oak trees which surround our house could take one's attention for a while. Add a glass of wine (or water for those of us who do not do alcohol) and some jazz, and you are in Southern heaven my friend.
And did I mention Atlanta itself, and even our little Decatur? The place is coming to life. It is as if it suddenly became populated again. 'So there are people inside these buildings...', I think to myself when driving by the now colourful and lively streets of Decatur, Midtown, or Virginia Highlands. The cultural events are so plentiful that one would need a group of assistants to attend them all. Just a few examples of what the people of Atlanta have been up to:

• The Decatur Book Festival in early September, which is apparently the largest independent book festival in the country, with the opening speech by Jonathan Franzen - author of 'The Corrections' and now also 'Freedom', and plenty of events: book fairs and meetings. The organisers seem to have wanted to cover as many aspects of literary work as possible, even including the previously unexplored aspects of language and literature: the first Experimental Writers Asylum. Overall - impressive event.
• The Midtown Art Festival, with artist markets, art auctions, live concerts, and lots of beer and wine, and food of course.

Zombie walks, runs, culinary celebrations,... Exhausting, this Atlanta life.

Back from Texas

And so we are finally back from our Texas road trip. Did not go exactly how we planned it. We did plan: Hill Country, Dude Ranch and some 'cowboy' experience. We got: a severe tropical storm named, mystically, Hermione and so much rain you could swim in it. Records were broken, we were soaked. So instead of Hill Country we did San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and we ended the trip in New Orleans.

San Antonio: the River Walk is definitely overrated, though there are true architectual gems to be observed in some not-so-well-trodden places. Example - look left.

Austin is a fun city - a real working city as opposed to San Antonio which felt like an artificial tourist trap. We had a great dinner at Perry's Steakhouse, which is in an interesting historic Norwood Tower, right in the heart of Austin. They have an impressive wine cellar (which one can actually admire while eating - shelves upon shelves of red and white, some even pink or bubbly, goodness. Our favourite place in Austin, though, was the State Capitol - what an impressive building! The things which impressed me most:

• its Renaissance Revival style
• the Capitol Building (which hosts the State Legislature (House and Senate), the State Governor, as well as the Supreme Court) is centred around a rotunda. Not only is the rotunda gorgeous to look at and a pleasure to stroll up and down, it also has portraits of all the Governors (yes, including the certain Mr Bush) in chronological order: so if you want to see the first one you must climb all the way to the top. They move them all, one by one, one position higher, with each outgoing Governor. It seems that one day they will run out of space.    

This is me, very thoughtful in the Supreme Court room:

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  And yet another detail in the 'what impressed me most' series: the Capital Building is most increduously open and accessible to the public. I have visited a good few buildings of this type, including the European Commission and European Parliament, and some other European parliaments and courts, and have been screened and screened and screened... Plus, noone would even think of letting me in if I was not invited by 'someone on the inside'. Yes, official tours and such, but accessing the library, the Governor's official meeting room, even eating at the canteen with the members of State Senate? I like democracy Texas-style.

New Orleans and I probably did not get the best of introductions: it was college football night, and Bourbon Street swarmed with drunk football fans: strolling with drinks in hand, standing on balconies, screaming to people below, throwing things from balconies. Man, the place stunk! You think you understand? Let me illustrate. Imagine: you are in a crowded bus, next to a dude who's evidently had a few too many the night before and probably forgot to shower. When he yawns, you are on the receiving end of the sniff of last night's beer and cigarettes, perhaps even some remnants of kebab. Unforgettable experience. After a drink or two the smell somehow stops being a nuisance and starts 'setting the mojo, man'. But the rest of New Orleans, though hot and swampy, was interesting, charming, old, artsy, and green. Architecture lives up to the legends about it, the cemeteries are full of somber-looking, imposing tombs (no wonder the Interview with a Vampire was filmed there), and the voodoo, colourful, jazzy groove is scintillating.

The Garden District was my favourite part of New Orleans. We passed by the house of Anne Rice - the author of Interview with a Vampire, and so many gorgeous historic houses that I lost count. On our way back we returned to Bourbon Street - much quieter this time (Sunday morning), and had an oyster and beer tour - not sure how many oysters and beer we've had: my best guess is 48 and 4 respectively. I am glad to say that no serious stomach perturbations followed and we are now safely home.

On contributing to economy and rationalising the irrationalisable

I thought about this some more: buying the 'necessary' stuff when getting into new sports. Was I rationalising something which cannot be rationalised? Was it really necessary to obtain the complete attire in order to play? Or perhaps the two noble games do not require all these? Some clubs, and a tennis racket - that's all? Am I a sucker?

I hate to generalise (well, not really...), but it seems to me that: a. I am indeed a sucker, and b. I am not the only one. It is tempting to get into the 'need to get equipped' mood. I personally know quite a few gadget people. Stocking up on the gadgets makes getting into a new activity real, brings it home. We can look into the mirror and say: see how serious I am? We are seducing ourself thinking: even though my swing is wobbly, I might at least look good while I wobble. Just look at my curves accentuated by the cute skirt, and how elegant my hand looks in the leather glove, I am so glad I got the blue racket and not the yellow one - it reflects my eyes ... Been there, done that, and will continue.

On taking up new sports and contributing to economy

I have just taken up two new sports: tennis and golf. Love both, completely, for life, and with no reservations. I would like to say that where I came from they are only pursued by the wealthy, but I think the Poland I left during mid-90s is quite different to the Poland of today. To the point, however: I have some reflections concerning the taking up of new sports which do not quite have much to do with sports as health-inducing activities.

Having just spent, in order to obtain all the necessary pieces of equipment one cannot play golf without, an amount of money which would sustain an average middle class family for... well, a while, I am in two minds about the whole thing.

The shoes (oh, the shoes....), the socks, the sexy glove, the seven (for now!) clubs, the bag which holds them, the polo tee, the cute skirt, and I am now fully equipped. Hit my first few balls today. Very gracious, elegant way of twisting one's body and walking. Riding the golf carts is fun too, and do not let anyone tell you otherwise. But why oh why the fuss? I am no socialist - noone who grew up in Eastern Europe should be. But could we make do with three or four clubs and perhaps even (forgive me, o ye golfers) go glove-less? Could we be less 'elitist', for lack of a better word (perhaps pre-selective is a better one)? I say 'we', because for all my complaining I adore golf, and tennis which also costs an arm and a leg to get into, and have been completely sold (irony is not accidental here) on the idea of pursuing both.

One thing that makes me feel good is that I have contributed to the economy, which in today's times cannot be a bad thing.

Texan adventures

And so we got to Texas. The whole 13 hours of driving, through Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. A few things I did not know/realise about Texas:
1. It is industrial, built-up, commercialised, probably as much as it is green and scenic (I guess deep in my mind I imagined vast pastures, horses and other associated farm animals, very importantly - cowboys with the appropriate attire consisting of tight jeans and sleeveless t's, and the occasional oil well/factory of some type),
2. A more striking fact - it is huge! Once you enter, you have over 800 miles of driving to get you to the other side. The vastness of it is intimidating.

Adventures so far: we drove to the Sweetwater Country Club, I played golf for the first time, and I won my first set in tennis!

So no 'Texas-style' activities yet - horse riding and hanging out at a dude ranch will come later, when we get to San Antonio and the Hill Country - Monday.

By the way, Sweetwater Country Club is in a suburban town near Houston - Sugar Land. From what I saw, I think it should be called 'Milk and Honey Land': the mansion houses we saw on our way to the club were the size of a decent hotel: they had separate wings, cute verandas, swimming pools, gardens, etc etc, and were as opulent as mansions go.  Check out this example: