Back at home today, and back to the grind. One bit of news is that I believe we're doing the series "Under the Sea" next for KidPak, following our "Wildfire" series that it is currently ongoing. We had a few online discussions today, but that's about it, considering that our offices are once again closed. Basically, we have a few people on staff with the virus, and that's all it takes to shut things down.
We went to taekwondo today, and I believe there were about five students total for the afternoon meeting. Bart and Chris, the instructors, weren't there as they were in Utah doing a bit of exploring. It was a remarkably strange coincidence, but they actually ran into another family we know while out in Utah, both of them there at the same place and the same time to do some rock climbing.
Madison's big achievement today was another version of The People's Elbow, one where she faces away from the breaking board, and throws her elbow backwards with enough power to break the board held just behind her. None of the students today were really able to do this, as it requires the right balance of accuracy, force, and positioning as well. It also requires movement of the entire body, rather than relying on the strength of arms alone. The end result for Madison was a sore elbow afterwards, but I had did a video call with Mommy while Madison was getting the hang of it, and after a certain amount of attempts, there was a moment of triumph! She busted that board in two with her elbow, successfully completing the task. Mommy was happy to see that, as was I, and we both made the joke that tonight would be a Tylenol night for that elbow.
We watched some more episodes of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." tonight, moving through the Ghost Rider arc and into the Aida arc of season four, including the foreshadowing of a robot apocalypse and an obscure 80's horror movie. Madison would sit and watch all twenty-two episodes of this season back-to-back if she could. But it was late, and that was not to be.
I've been doing some writing for an "Oz" themed devotional, and Mommy found the original book again, the actual story the movie was based on. I'll probably sit and read that once more, along with the other stories in the series. But it is different, and if it were actually shown as a movie without cutting things out, it'd be a bit on the violent side!
Getting back, we heard that a guy named Dante passed away this week. That of course is not enough information, and even if I shared the last name, it probably wouldn't mean much. But to people in Atlanta a few decades ago, the restaurant "Dante's Down the Hatch" was a big deal.
The place had a large wooden ship inside, a little town there along the wharf, and even a live crocodile in the water around the boat. The restaurant served fondue, and had some of the best atmosphere of any restaurant in Atlanta. I went there several times - Mommy was there once.
Of course, with the virus around, most restaurants are shut down for inside visits. But even so, they just don't have the originality and atmosphere of this legendary location. It's gone now, and all that's left are the memories. I'm surprised that I didn't take Mommy here to begin with. We opted for the 57th Fighter Group for our first date, another restaurant that had incredible atmosphere. A few days later, we went to Pappadeux's. Those were the big two restaurant visits we went to our first week together. Right in the midst of that first week was a trip to the movies to see "Godzilla" as well.
I remember the Old Spaghetti Factory down there as well, which was another great visit. It was a restaurant chain, so we were able to visit it again later in Nashville. I think the Nashville location is still open. Another fabulous place we'd drive all the way down to was a pizzeria called "The Upper Crust." I'll always remember hanging out with college friends down there, enjoying this huge, thick pizza that looked so small compared to others, but it was so full and thick that you nearly couldn't finish it. But the one pizza place Mommy and I used to go to all the time was Capozzi's. It wasn't too far from the place she worked as a nanny when we first met, and so we'd shoot over to Capozzi's to grab a New York style pizza, and although many other locations will call their pizza a "New York Style Pizza," we both know from experience that Capozzi's had the best "New York Style Pizza" you could get. We both lived up north, and we both know a New York Style Pizza when we taste one. And that was the best. The atmosphere was perfect too, just like a pizzeria from up north, again something that we both know very well. The people in the kitchen were shouting at each other in a friendly way, greeting customers loudly, and as you walked in that front door, you just had the feeling you were walking into some big family party. The pepper and cheese jars were on the tables, as were the little stands to hold up your pizza when it arrived. And when it arrived, oh, what a magical moment. Real pizza. Not this stuff you get from a delivery service. No, this was real pizza. Makes me hungry even now.
Eventually we'll get back to these restaurants, and I hope the entire country swarms in to save them. This terrible plague has caused many of them already to shut down their doors forever.
This is a strange turnaround from reminiscing about restaurants, but then again, perhaps it's not. We're about to enter a church fast, something we're hoping will grown into a larger movement, a time for all of us to do exactly as the Bible tells us, to draw closer to Him in a unified time of prayer and fasting. 2 Chronicles 7:14 is always quoted, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. "
But that's where we're at, a place of desperation. Our fast begins later, and hopefully with the same unifying enthusiasm we have as a church at the beginning of each year.
We went to taekwondo today, and I believe there were about five students total for the afternoon meeting. Bart and Chris, the instructors, weren't there as they were in Utah doing a bit of exploring. It was a remarkably strange coincidence, but they actually ran into another family we know while out in Utah, both of them there at the same place and the same time to do some rock climbing.
Madison's big achievement today was another version of The People's Elbow, one where she faces away from the breaking board, and throws her elbow backwards with enough power to break the board held just behind her. None of the students today were really able to do this, as it requires the right balance of accuracy, force, and positioning as well. It also requires movement of the entire body, rather than relying on the strength of arms alone. The end result for Madison was a sore elbow afterwards, but I had did a video call with Mommy while Madison was getting the hang of it, and after a certain amount of attempts, there was a moment of triumph! She busted that board in two with her elbow, successfully completing the task. Mommy was happy to see that, as was I, and we both made the joke that tonight would be a Tylenol night for that elbow.
We watched some more episodes of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." tonight, moving through the Ghost Rider arc and into the Aida arc of season four, including the foreshadowing of a robot apocalypse and an obscure 80's horror movie. Madison would sit and watch all twenty-two episodes of this season back-to-back if she could. But it was late, and that was not to be.
I've been doing some writing for an "Oz" themed devotional, and Mommy found the original book again, the actual story the movie was based on. I'll probably sit and read that once more, along with the other stories in the series. But it is different, and if it were actually shown as a movie without cutting things out, it'd be a bit on the violent side!
Getting back, we heard that a guy named Dante passed away this week. That of course is not enough information, and even if I shared the last name, it probably wouldn't mean much. But to people in Atlanta a few decades ago, the restaurant "Dante's Down the Hatch" was a big deal.
The place had a large wooden ship inside, a little town there along the wharf, and even a live crocodile in the water around the boat. The restaurant served fondue, and had some of the best atmosphere of any restaurant in Atlanta. I went there several times - Mommy was there once.
Of course, with the virus around, most restaurants are shut down for inside visits. But even so, they just don't have the originality and atmosphere of this legendary location. It's gone now, and all that's left are the memories. I'm surprised that I didn't take Mommy here to begin with. We opted for the 57th Fighter Group for our first date, another restaurant that had incredible atmosphere. A few days later, we went to Pappadeux's. Those were the big two restaurant visits we went to our first week together. Right in the midst of that first week was a trip to the movies to see "Godzilla" as well.
I remember the Old Spaghetti Factory down there as well, which was another great visit. It was a restaurant chain, so we were able to visit it again later in Nashville. I think the Nashville location is still open. Another fabulous place we'd drive all the way down to was a pizzeria called "The Upper Crust." I'll always remember hanging out with college friends down there, enjoying this huge, thick pizza that looked so small compared to others, but it was so full and thick that you nearly couldn't finish it. But the one pizza place Mommy and I used to go to all the time was Capozzi's. It wasn't too far from the place she worked as a nanny when we first met, and so we'd shoot over to Capozzi's to grab a New York style pizza, and although many other locations will call their pizza a "New York Style Pizza," we both know from experience that Capozzi's had the best "New York Style Pizza" you could get. We both lived up north, and we both know a New York Style Pizza when we taste one. And that was the best. The atmosphere was perfect too, just like a pizzeria from up north, again something that we both know very well. The people in the kitchen were shouting at each other in a friendly way, greeting customers loudly, and as you walked in that front door, you just had the feeling you were walking into some big family party. The pepper and cheese jars were on the tables, as were the little stands to hold up your pizza when it arrived. And when it arrived, oh, what a magical moment. Real pizza. Not this stuff you get from a delivery service. No, this was real pizza. Makes me hungry even now.
Eventually we'll get back to these restaurants, and I hope the entire country swarms in to save them. This terrible plague has caused many of them already to shut down their doors forever.
This is a strange turnaround from reminiscing about restaurants, but then again, perhaps it's not. We're about to enter a church fast, something we're hoping will grown into a larger movement, a time for all of us to do exactly as the Bible tells us, to draw closer to Him in a unified time of prayer and fasting. 2 Chronicles 7:14 is always quoted, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. "
But that's where we're at, a place of desperation. Our fast begins later, and hopefully with the same unifying enthusiasm we have as a church at the beginning of each year.
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