Thank you and goodbye to Red Bull Racing

I know, it's odd. I'm a NASCAR fan. I'm a well educated, hip hop loving, NYC living, book reading, 31 year old woman....who loves NASCAR.

Growing up on the weekends I did my fair share of playing outside, riding bikes, going to the community pool (in the non-peak sun damage times of the day...thanks crazy mom), going to Opryland, and playing sports. However, every weekend in our house there was always sports of some sort on the TV. Depending on the time of year it was NFL football, college football, college basketball, MLB, Golf, NBA, and also on Sunday's my dad (who controlled the remote on Sunday) would often times put on the NASCAR race. My father (VERY well educated, cinematographer, music lover, garden grower, etc) liked to watch NASCAR. I don't think he had a driver that he particularly pulled for or if he did I never knew.

I, on the other hand, loved Bill Elliot. I liked his nickname (AwesomeBill for Dawsonville) but mostly I liked him as a child because I was pretty sure he looked like a real life version of Ronald McDonald. As Bill got older and stopped winning and when I started college I stopped watching NASCAR. I can't tell you if my dad did as well as his home life changed too.

Not until 2009 had I thought about NASCAR since I moved out in 1998 but that was the year I started working for Red Bull. The next thing I know I had the opportunity to go to the 2010 spring race in Bristol, TN -- a track known for it running the fastest mile on earth. I was new the company but I knew this could be my only chance-- I asked if I could have 2 tickets and if I could bring my dad.

My relationship with my father has been pretty shaky since 1999-ish and I wasn't sure if he would even want to go-- a 5 hour drive, hotel night stay, the race and then driving back...it would be the most time we had spent together since before my parents divorced. To my surprise-- he wanted to go...and go we did.

We drove to Knoxville the night before the race, had dinner at some crappy chain restaurant and woke up bright and early to get to Bristol on Sunday. We had Hot Passes which allowed us access to the pits, the drivers, the haulers-- everything-- it was pretty cool, and I couldn't imagine spending it with anyone else. And since AwesomeBill wasn't racing any longer I had to find a new driver/team to pull for...insert Red Bull Racing. At the time it was manned by drivers Brian Vickers and Scott Speed and later Vickers and Kasey Kahne. We got to see both Speed and Vickers close up, interact with their crew and my dad, the constant photographer, was able to take pictures all day long. In fact, he became the official Red Bull photographer for the day as there were important guests that had forgotten their camera.

The race started and the sound was just unbelievable-- we were unprepared-- no headphones with scanners, no earplugs...no problem. We soaked it up. The sounds, the smells-- cars headed to the pits, watching a pit stop from 5 feet away, trying to stay out of the way of rolling tires-- the intensity of being in the pits was quite an adrenaline rush.

And from that day until right now, I've either watched or followed along via Twitter with every NASCAR race- cheering for Red Bull Racing. And so has my dad. I can't imagine he's been quite as involved as I have but I know he's been watching. He called to congratulate us on last weeks big win in Phoenix.

I don't know if I'll watch next year without Red Bull in the hunt. I'm sure I'll always cheer for Kasey and Brian in their future endeavors but mostly I have NASCAR to thank for one of the best weekends in some time with my dad.

Below are some pictures-- Mark Martin (my dad tried to act cool but he was totally enamored), my dad playing with his camera, and the pit crew helmets.

Cheers to Red Bull Racing. Cheers to NASCAR. Cheers all around.

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Upstate New York...my new favorite place

Just finished my first ever collegiate trek through UNY and it was some sort of epic. Mostly I had amazing tour guides Andrei and Tim and the landscape was just gorgeous. It reminded me quite a bit of Alabama which made me yearn for more of the open land and sky that isn't blocked by uber tall buildings. I digress...let's talk food.

Like the complete idiot that I am I had never put Buffalo Wings and Buffalo, NY together...the genius of my brain never ceases to amaze me. So, I flew into Buffalo on Thursday morning and by the time lunch rolled around we were ready to check out Duff's. http://www.duffsfamouswings.ca/content/home/home.html

There are 2 famous Wing establishments in Buffalo-- Anchor Bar apparently invented the "Wing" and Duff's claims to have perfected it. Duff's claims that Medium= Hot, Medium Hot=Very Hot, and Hot= Very Very Hot. Not sure of what "hot" means in Buffalo we decided to go with Medium and you know what? They were ehhh...Medium Hot. But...they were tasty. Good flavor, crispy, and BIG!

I also was able to try some of Tim's "Beef on Weck" sandwich-- apparently another Buffalo traditional fare option. Tender roast beef served on a Kummelweck roll (a roll topped with copious amounts of Kosher salt and caraway seeds). The salt, caraway and beef really do mix well together but just too much salt for my taste.

Our next foodrageous stop was for dinner at Dinosaur BBQ in Rochester. http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/ When Andrei said we were going to a BBQ place for dinner my response was : "You know I'm from the south, right?". He was pretty positive that Dinosaur could stand up to my high BBQ standards...and I have to admit, he was right.

First I had to try their Fried Green Tomatoes....the tomatoes themselves were super great with a really nice breading but they served it with a ranch dressing that was very overpowering and a little runny in consistency. I prefer a thicker remoulade.

Next I ordered the "Big Ass Pork Plate" with a side of mashed potatoes and a side salad. As most of my frequent readers know (all 2 of you), mashed potatoes are one of my favorite foods-- right up there with eggs. First- the pork-- it was damn good. Really nicely smoked, tender but yet not mushy as it can sometime be-- defined meat but not stringy. They top it with a homemade bbq sauce that was somewhat typical but flavorful. I was glad they didn't put too much sauce because I'm of the belief that too much sauce RUINS good BBQ.

The mashed potatoes were good- definitely homemade. Could have used a bit more black pepper but that's just my preference. I was able to try some of Tim's Mac & Cheese and it definitely didn't live up to expectations but Mac & Cheese is hard to do in mass and keep the quality.

While the food in UNY was great...the sky, scenery and company really made the trip. I tried to get a good picture of the sunset Friday night but it doesn't do it justice.

New things I love about New York

1. Blowouts. Did you know that women pay for other women (or gay men) to wash and blow dry their hair on day's like, oh I don't know, Tuesday? Turns out they are called "dry bars" and they specialize in blowouts. Sounds completely ridiculous right? WRONG. WRONG. WRONG. If I was rich I would get 2 blow outs a week and never wash my own hair. Since I'm not rich I'm going to settle for 2 a month. It's amazing how much better I feel after I just left the salon. My favorite (because it's close to work and cute) is http://hauteairsoho.com/. Check them out.

2. The High Line. I'm so pissed I found the High Line now that it's cold and not when I first got here in June. I foresee myself spending many an hour when spring comes with a book, a nice big water bottle full of water-grigio and people watching until the cows come home. http://www.thehighline.org/

3. Eataly. The first time I walked into Eataly I turned around and walked right back out; It was too much to take in. But now I've been a few times and feel like I own that place. It's my go-to for when I have guests in town--love the wine & cheese area and I also love the quick panini station. http://eatalyny.com/

4. Dance Class. Oh yes...I dance. Sometimes I even dance well. Back in Nashville my dance routine consisted of every Tuesday night from 6:15-7:15 but in NYC there's a dance class available pretty much any time of day at a couple different studios. Mostly the teachers are amazing but sometimes a little bitchy. Apparently my hip hop style isn't "tired and hungry" enough according to the instructor I take from the most...Bev Brown

(http://www.broadwaydancecenter.com/faculty/bios/brown_bev.shtml). Little does she know that pretty much 24/7 I'm both tired and hungry.

So these are 4 great things I'm digging about NYC right now. I could make a list double that of things I would trade in a heartbeat but I'm on this whole positivity kick so I'll spare you the whining.

Hoodies On, Hats Low

Check out my boys Freesol new video featuring Mr. Timberlake (if you're nasty). The best part...the Memphis scenery and some real jookin that can only be found in Mtown. Big shout out to my buddy Gavin (Total Savage) who is part of the alley crew and of course DJ Charlie White who has rocked many a Red Bull event!

http://youtu.be/HLgX7f-eFAo

Brucie...review.

Why would I leave the most amazing city in the world (Nashville) to come to NYC? Drumroll.......FOOD!

I've had some pretty amazing meals since I've been here but tonight I'm going to write about Brucie...a great little Italian inspired local haunt in Cobble Hill. http://www.brucienyc.com/

I wandered into Brucie one weekday evening after a long drive back into the city from some random work trip. I bellied up to the wooden, dimly lit bar and was greeted immediately by a warm smile of the bartender. I perused the menu and decided on an appetizer of marinated olives (duh) and a glass of Falanghina (yummy). The olives are part of their deli selection so they were brought right out from the display case. I rarely meet an olive I don't like and this was no different although I will say the marinade is quite strong so I can see someone with a more gentle pallet not enjoying the super strong taste.

For my entree I decided on the Tagliatelle pasta with a tomato butter sauce, brussels sprouts and homemade burrata. One word: Amazing. Three words: FRIED BRUSSELS SPROUTS. The dish came together so well with the crunch on the sprouts adding the perfect texture to the dish.

For dessert (did I mention one of the main reasons I took this job was to eat?)...I gave a try to the coffee ice cream with dark chocolate pieces. From my perch at the bar I was able to see the kitchen quite well and I saw what I thought was them prepping my ice cream, however, when I saw them dash it with olive oil I knew I was mistaken. WRONG. My ice cream arrives topped with not only chocolate but also olive oil & salt. OK...foodies....let's have a serious discussion here. I'm all for a little salty and sweet and the salt topping was a perfect addition but the olive oil...I'm not sold yet. I truly felt like the olive oil's strong (but delicious) flavor completely overshadowed the coffee flavor in the ice cream so all I ended up tasting was chocolate, salt, olive oil and a sweet cold cream of some sort. If the fine folks at Brucie happen to be 1 of the 6 people reading my blog perhaps they can take note of this....

My experience was pretty nice-- everyone there had a smile and didn't look at me weird for dining at the bar by myself. I give it 3 out of 4 stars.

Making my way....

I last wrote in January....so much for updating the blog on a regular basis. Just a few things have changed since I last wrote..you know, small stuff, like...I have a new job, moved to NYC, and left all of my friends, family and familiarity behind.

Today I write from my pretty bad ass apartment in Brooklyn-- I must give it up to the best broker in the world for finding it! Carroll Gardens is the neighborhood I call home and although the area is great it sure would be better with my buds.

I've had a visit from Lacey and some family friends and look forward to Wells and Carla's visit in September.

Mostly since I've moved I've been traveling...Boston, Italy, Philly, Boston (again), Jersey, Nashville (twice), Delaware (twice)...you get the point. I'll head back to Nashville in a few weeks for Labor day & Bryn's wedding!!

Here are some pictures from my first going away campout...a little grainy. After all was said & done I had about 5 going away parties...none better than the amazing going away brunch/ birthday party hosted by Bryn, Lacey and Cara. A day to remember indeed.

2010. Still not quite sure about you.

2010 has been an interesting year. In 2009 I lost three very special people. My godmother Martha, my aunt Dorna, and a very special co-worker from Athlon Sports, Bill Settle. So in that respect 2010 was much, much better.

2010 brought new additions for Lauren & Kyle with little Jane Ellen Mayhew and for Weg & Jon-- baby Aiden. It saw little miss Madden Thie turn 1 and Heather and Andrew are expecting for the first time-- and Michelle again!

But also in 2010 Nashville suffered a flood that left a good high school friend's home destroyed and our city underwater.

It brought engagements for my best friend in the whole world, Bryn and two of my very best's Susan and Christina. (all within 2 weeks) Big congrats to Daryl, Jarod, and John respectively for pinning down such amazing ladies! And a marriage for Mr. John Malvern Wells to a quite lovely lass Carla. And Lauren Simmons became Lauren Beem when she married Brian in a spectacle of a nigh

t in October.

I made a big change and said farewell to Nissan and hello to Red Bull which has been quite a ride/learning experience and a whole lot of fun. I moved into a new house and resumed

the joy of living alone. January hosted a voyage to NYC to celebrate Heather & Michelle's 30th birthday's. May saw a trip to Carrabelle with cousin's and aunt's. August brought Annual Holiday V6 -- a trip to Portland, OR. In October we voyaged to DC to get our sanity back and party with Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert. And now I sit writing from St. George, watching the angry ocean prepare for a storm.

The best part of 2010? Every morning I woke up the Earth greeted me with a

new day.

In 2011 I plan to do a few things differently.

1. Get healthier-- no seriously. 2010 would have been an amazing year if I had spent more time and energy caring about my health and fitness level. I purchased a bike that I'm so excited to ride all over the place and I have some weddings to fit into some lovely dresses for.

2. Keep listening to good music and seeking out local art.

3. Cook with local and organic foods.

If I can do those 3 things all else will fall into place, I'm sure of it.