Wayne Newton!!!!!

I met Wayne Newton in Arizona yesterday and he was nice enough to pose for a picture with me! More details on that meeting, and the rest of the trip, will be posted here soon.

Felicity Huffman Stars in the Classics

Check out www.dovenight.com to see Felicity Huffman starring in remade versions of "The Brady Bunch", "The Munsters" and "Leave it to Beaver". Any of us kids from the 70's remember these shows fondly- it's funny to see the classic scenes again, featuring a star from the present (Felicity plays Lynette on "Desperate Housewives", and recently won a Golden Globe for her starring role as a transgendered man in "Transamerica"). Enjoy!

In the Car.....

.... with King!!!!

Those Damn Jackhammers!

Happy Valentine's Day

The History of Valentine's Day

Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day -- and its patron saint -- is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.
According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl -- who may have been his jailor's daughter -- who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial -- which probably occurred around 270 A.D -- others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification.
The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goathide strips. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Roman 'lottery' system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February -- Valentine's Day -- should be a day for romance. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England. Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America.
According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.
Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages (written Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400), and the oldest known Valentine card is on display at the British Museum. The first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap".

Anniversary Celebration

I took this picture a year ago today-- it was taken in the morning before I went to work. When I got home, he was a different puppy-- no longer the biggest and strongest of the litter-- he was reduced to a barely functioning animal. He had suffered a stroke. The seizures went on for days and there wasn't much hope that he'd live til the end of the week. It was the hardest week of my life. I gave him lots of love and lots of medicine and it worked.

Here we are a year later, and he's grown up to be an exceptional pet. He still has a few side-effects from the stroke-- his head leans to the side at times, he walks and runs a little different than other dogs do. But he's the smartest, kindest and gentlest dog you'll ever meet. And most of all-- he loves me as much as I love him.

Happy Anniversary, King! I'm so glad to have you in my life!

Karaoke Madness!

A few of us go to Karaoke each week and always have a great time-- but this week was exceptionally good! The crowd is always different. One week it appears to be a black bar, the next week a gay bar, the next week a country/redneck bar. Because it's close to the airport, the clientle fluctuates. Well, last Friday night there must have been a full moon or something, because all of the freaks came out! It was a battle for the spotlight all night long- everyone wanted to be the center of attention, and it made for a fun night. Of course, we were also competing with the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, shown on a big screen just beside the Karaoke stage.

We'll start with the redneck couple-- Curtis & Susie. Curtis was a big pear shaped man, and Susie was your typical redneck wife. I'll begin by saying that they were very nice and I liked them both. But here was my first impression when they came in the door-- Curtis was wearing overhauls and a trucker cap; Susie was wearing one of those Walmart sweatshirts with a decal sewn on the front. She also had a dollar bill pinned to her sweatshirt-- I don't know why. Curtis thought it was a BYOB party-- he brought his own beer with him to the bar and was surprised when the server told him he couldn't drink it. Curtis turned out to be a great singer, though. He sang several Elton John songs and did an incredible job- he sounded just like Elton! Susie was obviously very proud of him, as she sat in her chair waving a white napkin and a cigarette lighter throughout each of his numbers. It's funny that he could sing so well, because when you talked to him one on one you couldn't understand a word he said, due to the number of missing teeth in his mouth.

Another star of the night was named Nine-- an Asian muscle guy. He wore a sleeveless muscle shirt, sweat pants and a fanny pack. His upper arms were the size of my thighs! He looked good and he knew it. He selected the following songs during the night-- all classics: "Just a Gigalo", Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" and "Strokin' ". He wasn't a great singer, but he was having such a good time that it made you smile.

Here's the perfect recipe for a good party: Susie & Curtis, Nine, a table full of airline mechanics, a couple of angry Playmate lesbians, a busload of businessmen, a couple of nelly black boys, and a kissing bandit perv in the men's room. Mix in a few pitchers & buckets of beer, and a few Jim Jones $2 shooters. Stir and add a huge TV screen showing fireworks. It got wild.

While one of the nelly boys was singing Debbie Boone's "You Light Up My Life", the Olympic torch was being lighted on the big screen. Nelly sang louder, and Susie was inspired to do a cartwheel on the dance floor for some reason. It wasn't a good cartwheel- she didn't make it all the way over. Not one to be upstaged, Nine also decided to do a cartwheel. When he fell, he made it look like it was on purpose by doing a little floor spinning like a break dancer. A few of the mechanics followed suit by doing a break dance on the floor next to our table.

Next on the stage was the unlikely trio of Nine, Nelly and Curtis. Out of a book full of 4000 songs, they selected "Love Will Keep Us Together" by the Captain & Tenille. Nelly decided to turn it into a striptease as he seductively took his shirt off during the song. The angry Playmate lesbians didn't like this at all and they walked up to the stage and started to throw stuff at the trio-- napkins, coasters, etc-- anything they could find.

During the melee, Curtis lost track of Susie so he came over to try to talk to us. He felt certain that he knew my friend Kitty from somewhere. As we tried to talk to him, he leaned over and stuck his tongue in Kitty's ear. Suddenly, Susie reappered (now with two dollar bills pinned to her shirt) and announced that they needed to leave.

While Kitty was busy drying her ear out, and Rob and I were busy drying our eyes from laughter, I went to the restroom. While there, a nice older guy came up to me as I was standing at the urinal and told me he found me attractive and hugged me. He kissed my cheek and thanked me for letting him hug me (as if I had a choice), then left.

I can hardly wait to go back next Friday-- who knows what kind of crowd there will be! I know for sure that I'm bringing a pad and pen to take notes! I don't think anything can ever top that night, but I guess it's possible!

Lesley Jordan Update

Great news...... Lesley is bringing his one-man-show "Like a Dog on Linoleum" back to Atlanta this Summer! He'll be re-appearring at the 14th Street Playhouse, downstairs again. "Menopause the Musical" is still playing upstairs on the main stage. Lesley recently purchased a home in Midtown and according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution he bought a home in that area because he wanted to be within walking distance of the Flying Biscuit! For some reason, he loves the Biscuit and promotes it every chance he gets. For that reason, we are returning the favor and we are co-sponsoring the show this year! Lesley will be back soon and once again I'm going to do my best to get him to come to East Point for a visit!

Blonde LOGIC

Two blondes living in Oklahoma were sitting on a bench talking...... and one blonde says to the other,

"Which do you think is farther away..........Florida or the moon?"

The other blonde turns and says "Helloooooooooo, can you see Florida...?????"

An Eventful Week, So Far....

The past 48 hours have been a whirlwind. Yesterday morning, Tommy Hilfiger came into the restaurant for breakfast on his way to Coretta King's funeral service~~~ and I got to meet him! He was sitting with another gentleman that I didn't recognize, while his car and driver waited outside. Mr. Hilfiger was a very nice man- he even took down the sizes and address of one of our waitresses and promised to send her some clothes from his new line! Cool, huh?

Last night I attended (ok, worked at) the Best of Atlanta party. The top 60 restaurants (including the Flying Biscuit!) were represented and together we fed 3500 people dinner. I'm sure there were lots of celebreties there, but not many that I recognized. I did get to meet Bert Weiss-- my favorite DJ from Q100. He's a short guy- about 5'2", but built like a brick house! I didn't get to meet his co-hosts, Jenn Hobby & Melissa Carter, but I did see them when they were onstage annoucning winners of the silent auction.

Today, Wendy Motta and Brad Tiexiera of Turnhere.com (a travel website) came in to film a story on Candler Park, highlighting the Flying Biscuit. They were so sweet that it didn't seem like work at all talking to them and helping them shoot a great video of my second home! I'm not sure when the story/video will be online, but I'll post it as soon as I hear something.

I also met with Tony Marks today. Not only is he a well-known photographer in Atlanta, but he's a really nice guy. Atlanta Magazine is doing a story on the Flying Biscuit and he was there to check us out. We had dinner together and had a great conversation. We talked about reality TV-- mostly Hell's Kitchen, Rockstar INXS and American Idol. He'll be back next Wednesday morning to take the pictures of our food. Of course I'll post those pics too when they are available.

Wedding Gifts

(If you haven't already read the wedding annoucement below, you might want to read that first)


Lo Lo and Travis finally finished opening their gifts today and they wanted me to pass on their sincere thanks. "I feel like a millionaire! I'm going to have to do a lot of rearranging in the trailer to make room for all of these fine gifts!!!!", said Lo Lo.

Among their favorite gifts are:

Beverly and Melisha Manchaser gave the happy couple a 12 pack of Miller Lite. Unfortunately, Lo Lo spotted it on the gift table prior to the wedding and she snuck it back into the dressing room. "I needed a little liquid courage before I go through with this wedding nonsense!", she said. She also asked that no one tell Travis that she and the bridesmaids finished off this gift-- he doesn't need to know about it.

Another favorite gift was this inspirational "Jesus Playing Football" ceramic figurine, given by Lo Lo's Aunt Ida. "That's something you don't see every day", said Travis, "some little kid trying to tackle our Lord and Savior. There's just something wrong about that, but Lo Lo seems to like it for some reason. Thanks, Aunt Ida".

They also received an anatomically correct ceramic lung ashtray from their neighbor in the trailer park, Francine Laudermilk. "Travis is going to have a hard time filling that sucker up with butts, but I'll help", commented Lo Lo.

Here's a picture of Aunt Louanne and Uncle Buford playing with the Bedpan Banjo they brought as their gift to the reception. "Not only is it pretty, but it's practical, too! Just think of all those times that you have a gig that's not anywheres near a port-a-potty. This think will come in handy! I gauran-damn-tee it", said Aunt Louanne.

Travis's favorite gift was the Tiki Tissue Dispenser, given to him by his bossman, Ernie Sykes. "It'll look great in our trailer-- I wonder if they sell yellow or green tissue paper? I'll have to get Lo Lo to pick some up-- that'd look a lot more lifelike than white."

Wedding Announcement!!!!

Lola Lorraine (aka "Lo Lo") and Travis Treadway finally tied the knot this weekend, following a 2 year engagement. The wedding was originally planned to occur on Valentine's Day, but the plans had to be altered due to the impending birth of her daughter. "Yeah, we was a hoping to get married on the 14th, but Peaches is due on the 14th, so we decided to move the wedding up a week to the 4th. I talked it over with Travis and he said it'd be okay, as long as it didn't interfere with the Super Bowl game on the 5th".

The wedding party included the Bride's sister Keisha Lorraine as the Maid of Honor, and Keisha's fiance Billy Bob Johnson was the Best Man. Lo Lo's daughters Faith, Hope and Charity (all from previous marriages) served as Flower Girls, and Travis's faithful Rotweiller, Cujo, was the ring bearer.

The Bride and Groom are registered at Grady Hospital, Yellow Cab, Petsmart, Home Depot and the East Point Package Store on Washington Road. Treadway also mentioned that they would be happy to accept cash as a wedding gift.

Man of the Day: Brad Pitt

Actor - Brad Pitt

Birthdate: December 18, 1963

Hometown: Shawnee, Oaklahoma

Real Full Name: William Bradley Pitt


Brad Pitt's Small Town Beginnings: Brad Pitt was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Pitt grew up in Missouri and, after graduating from Kickapoo High School, Brad enrolled at the University of Missouri. When Brad Pitt was two credits away from graduating, he packed up his car - a Datsun he called "Runaround Sue" - and headed to Hollywood. Brad decided to try and become an actor.


Brad Pitt Wears a Chicken Suit Before landing a steady role on the '80s primetime soap, "Dallas". Brad Pitt took various jobs to get by, including wearing a chicken costume for the El Pollo Loco restaurant chain. From there, Brad Pitt snagged a few more small roles and then got his big break as the sexy drifter Geena Davis falls for in "Thelma & Louise". After its release people couldn't stop talking about the "sexy hitchhiker."


Brad Pitt Becomes The Sexiest Man Alive In 1992.

Brad Pitt's career really began to take off. Pitt landed key roles in successful flicks like "A River Runs Through It", "Legends of the Fall" and "Interview with the Vampire". Brad Pitt's deep, dark movie roles didn't hurt his popularity with the female population. People magazine crowned Brad Pitt The Sexiest Man Alive.


Brad Pitt's Love LifeBrad Pitt dated and lived with actress Juliette Lewis who starred in the flick "Kalifornia" with him. Years later, while filming the thriller "Seven" Brad Pitt started dating costar Gwyneth Paltrow. Paltrow and Pitt even got engaged, but broke up before they could tie the knot. Then, Brad Pitt met "Friend's" star, Jennifer Anniston. Brad and Jen were married on July 29, 2000.

Brad Pitt Says..."Being married means I can break wind and eat ice cream in bed."

Brad and Jennifer filed for a divorce in 2005. Brad is currently engaged to Angelina Jolie and they are expected their first child this Spring.

Around the Globe!!!

I installed sitemeter on the Blog a while back and it's the coolest thing ever! It tracks how many visitors I get (scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the current #) and it tells me all kinds of info that otherwise I'd have no way of knowing. For instance, I've learned that I have fans in Malaysia and London that read this Blog daily (I don't know who you are, but I thank you for taking an interest in my life!). I also know that I currently get an average of 52 hits a day and that the average person reads my Blog for 4.77 minutes during each visit. I can even see the entry pages and the exit pages of each visitor, too.

If you're reading this and you have a Blog of your own, I'd suggest downloading site meter- it's really a cool tool. Go to http://www.sitemeter.com to download the program- it's free and easy to install. You'll thank me later!

Saturday Mornings

Last night, a friend of mine told me that he wasn't allowed to watch cartoons when he was a kid. Man, I can't imagine my life without cartoons! I got addicted to TV at an early age- and it all started with cartoons.

My favorite cartoon was "Scooby Doo". The premise of the show: four kids and dog traveling around the country, in a van named the "Mystery Machine", while solving mysteries and revealing scandals.

The cast:

Fred~~ the good-looking blonde stud, whose job it was to drive the Mystery Machine, wear an ascot and look for clues.

Daphne~~ the nemph in the short skirt. Her job was to seduce Fred while they both looked for clues.

Velma~~ the legally blind geek. Her job was also to look for clues, but she lost her glasses at least once in each episode and spent most of the time crawling on the ground, and occassionally shouting "Jinkies!".

Shaggy~~ the beatnik. He had a goatee and an untucked T-shirt. Rumor has it that he was a stoner and his real name was Norville. He was also supposed to look for clues, but spent most of the time in search of food-- bad case of the munchies, I guess.

Scooby Doo~~ the Great Dane and star of the show. Not only could he talk, but he walked on two legs, most of the time. His job was to look for clues, but he spent most of his time palling around with Shaggy and getting "Scooby Snacks" and then searching for food.

I don't know how these 5 ever got together in the first place, or how they could afford gas for the van. None of them had jobs, and they never got paid for solving mysteries. But they were diligent and put their lives on the line every week. Although they were confronted by werewolves, ghosts, witches, Bigfoots, phantoms and vampires daily, they were always able to prove that the "monster" was really some local guy that they had met earlier in the episode. The guy usually had an evil scheme that he thought would increase his business. Sometimes he just wanted privacy and thought that by creating the illusion of a monster, folks would stay away. Not these kids- their common goal in life was to shine the light on corruption and scandal-- like Ralph Nadar or the Smoking Gun!

I always loved the last line of each episode when the villian, after being revealed, would always say the same line: "I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those medelling kids!".