Might We Suggest: Brunch at Beacon Bar & Grill

We found it by mistake. It was our first date, and we thought that the Mayfair had brunch, and after the car dropped us off there, and we walked around for a moment, we soon realized that I had been misinformed.

We walked up the street and fortunately, there we saw it, Beacon Bar and Grill. Much to our surprise, the brunch that beautifully sunny September day was more than adequate. So, we've been back a few times since, and though we've been to other spots in the city, for true quality and service, nothing tops Beacon Bar & Grill's Sunday Brunch.

Two weeks ago we went after a nice afternoon at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, and we had a wonderful time.

Our first round of action was full of leafy greens, salads, and generally good veggies. The next round of food was more brunch specific, with breakfast faves mixed in with good lunch time staples for good measure. And while dining on all of this while seated in a nice corner booth, despite the packed house, the restaurant wasn't loud like Georgia Brown's. It was a very sunny day, and the shades were drawn just so that the light helped create ambiance instead of overpowering it.

The staff there was excellent, and neither our water glasses nor our dry Mimosa glasses were ever empty.

The last course was the piece de resistance. We had cheesecake, apple pie and a layered chocolate cake. The cheesecake was so good that I had to go back and get another piece. It was a smart decision, because maybe it was the temperature in the room, the sunny day, the Mimosas and definitely my company, but that cheesecake was literally the best I'd ever tasted.

I'm sure there are better brunches in town by some measure, but the food offerings, the ambiance, the service, the feel of the restaurant, and the cool tvs in the bathroom vault Beacon to the top of my list. If you're in the DC area this weekend, and you're looking for a great brunch spot, try Beacon.

Eating to Live - Yesterday's Lunch

I went to Doc Chey's yesterday in Athens and had their excellent Thai Coconut Red Curry with steamed Tofu.

Not only was it delicious, but definitely nutritious...Thai Basil, red peppers, onions, bok choy, potatoes and eggplant in rich coconut curry. The steamed Tofu set it off as well.

The plate was as colorful as it was scrumptious. Eating to Live isn't as difficult as it sounds as long as there is a balance and a strict adherence to the rules as well as an understanding about all of the parameters of what can and cannot be consumed.

I can't wait for another Spinach Smoothie.

Writing...for Love...Loving...to write

When I was in eleventh grade at Lakehill Prepartory School, English class that year was taught by Lyda Slayton. The course was British Literature.

I never really liked British Lit outside of Shakespeare, but Slayton made it even worse. She was mean, like literally mean, and she was a bit sexist. There were only six males in my class; William, Hampton, Mitch, Timmy, John and me, and I don't remember any of us ever getting a break.

Throughout the course of the year, it only got worse as she chastised us for everything. At one point, she told me that I couldn't write. She told my parents the same thing. In a parent/teacher conference she disrespected my parents, and more importantly my father by saying that I was disruptive and a bad influence and then challenging my father when he defended me. I didn't disrupt class, and I always turned my assignments in on time. The lady just didn't like any of us, flat out.

Despite all of the public harassment in her class, she was a fair grader. Now, that always surprised me. If I couldn't write, then how did I receive such high marks? That's what was so crazy about the experience. I'll never forget how I sat there in that class, and my paper on Romeo and Juliet received a 100, the highest score, and yet the praise and adoration went to two female students in the class. But the thing was, I believed her, I believed I couldn't write because my teacher told me so.

Senior year, my teacher, Mrs. LeaAnn Mott was a proponent of my writing and she definitely encouraged me to continue. She taught Senior English. When it came time to possibly take A.P. English with Slayton, or Senior English with Mott, I jumped at the chance for the latter, not because of the supposed rigor of the course but because I didn't want to spend another year being put upon.

In college it only got a little better. I'll never forget working for the student newspaper, The Maroon Tiger in the fall of 1998. I had recently been hired as the Sports Editor, and after a power struggle over the Editor in Chief position, the departing EIC wrote in his notes that I was the 'worst writer he had ever read.' But, he went on to say that my writing 'showed promise, had humor and was hard to put down.' That was Saeed Ahmed who said that. I liked Saeed before that, and less after.

After he left the newspaper, I eventually became one of, if not the most read writer on the staff and the most recognizable name in the Atlanta University Center for my journalistic efforts.

I continue to write, because I love to. I write poems, short stories, scripts, blogs and now...papers. Either way, I love to write. Yesterday, I wrote two poems, a blog entry and then a paper about the preeminent book on the desegregation of the University of Georgia, 'We Shall Not Be Moved.'

When you find something that you love to do, I don't think you should ever stop. I love to write, so I do. I love taking pictures, so I do. I love art and music, so I go to museums, read books on art and listen to all types of music.

Also, I had to realize that I couldn't listen to what others were saying, and I had to do what I wanted to do, for myself. If we are beholden to the opinions of others, we can never find happiness because what we do will not be for us, but rather for them. Every day, I am working to make that the case in my life. Just do what you love, and happiness will come, it has no choice.

Writing...for Love...Loving...to write.

...right there with us all along.

I was downtown today at lunch and I saw a student and his grandparents. My grandmother Rebecca Newberry Carlos died in 1979 on New Year's Day. I was four. My grandfather Joseph Carlos, Sr. died May 16, 1986. I was eleven and nearing the end of 5th grade. My grandfather Edward William Nelson died in October 1991. I was seventeen and a junior in high school. My grandmother Eunice Stamps Lee Nelson, lost her battle with Alzheimer's Disease in August of 1999 on the first day of school.

I didn't really get to know any of them. I'm thirty five now, and I only have limited memories of them. I wish they were here, I truly do. I wish they had all seen some things that happened for my parents, and for my siblings and for me.

I wish they'd have seen me graduate from high school. I do. I wish they'd have seen my brother graduate from Greenhill. It was a glorious day, and the party...oh, man. Dad had a live band in the living room.

This isn't a blog to feel pity for myself, because death is a part of life. But, it would just be nice if they were all here. They could've seen Jordan get married, and Marjon graduate from Hockaday, Brown and Columbia. They could've known their children as they got older.

I think I get kind of jealous when my friends have relationships with their grandparents, because I don't know what that's like. For a brief period however, my maternal grandfather lived with us, before she eventually moved to a home in Dallas where she could receive better constant care for her condition.

I have to do better. I don't want that to be the case for my kids. I wish they were here though. I do.

I wish they could meet Lauren, and see her smile, it's truly unlike anything I've ever seen. I wish they could have seen me graduate from Morehouse and later graduate from graduate school for my next two degrees.

I'm tired of wishing though. I've wished all of my life. I've taken my eyelashes and blown them out of my palm after painfully plucking them from my eyelids while making wishes big and small. On the way to meet Lauren for the first time, I was walking down 22nd and I picked a dandelion up out of the green and blew it and made a wish. Wishes, wishes, wishes.

As I write this though, I realize that they are here after all. They're in every lesson I've learned, every story I've heard, they're in my laugh, my walk, my voice, my eyes, my brother's smile and my sister's style. They are a part of us even if we don't know it or even if we don't realize it. They're here. So, in that sense, they've seen it all, and they've been right there with us all along.

Eating to Live: Day 3 Afternoon Snack

Chilled Baby Carrots and Ice Water...

Eating to Live: Day 2 Lunch at Bolton Dining Commons

To test my new found resilience in terms of the Eat to Live diet, I figured I'd use a control, the Bolton Dining Commons at the University of Georgia.

Bolton has every food imaginable; hamburger grill, hot dog grill, all day breakfast grill, entree line, vegetarian line, extensive salad bar, dessert bar, etc.

Tuesday was bbq chicken sandwich day. So...you know that was tough. Now, usually when I go to Bolton, which looks like 'The Max' from 'Saved by the Bell', I usually start off with a bacon cheddar burger, some fries, and a grilled cheese sandwich. Eventually I get a nice salad with all the trimmings, and a plate of wings of varying flavors. I usually top it all off with some soft serve fat free vanilla yogurt and chocolate chips. Oh, and I usually have sweet tea and water to drink.

But now, I'm Eating to Live. So, I headed over to the area right next to my beloved grilled cheese sandwiches, was the brown rice and pinto beans. It had to be nothing other than fate, because I'd planned on having brown rice for dinner that night!

I got a fresh plate, filled it with rice on one half and pinto beans on the other. Then I walked to the salad line, and filled a fresh bowl with spinach and cucumbers. I went back to the place where I got my beans and rice, and garnished my salad with some cooked mushrooms and onions. I got two ice waters and met Jonathan at a table that we found.

Usually I douse my salads with extensive amounts of dressing, but not today. I simply used pepper. To be honest, the lunch was good, but I wasn't full yet. I went back, and got a second plate of brown rice and beans, some steamed broccoli, and later for dessert, I had some strawberries and bananas.

Was it different? Sure. Was I full? Yes. It worked, and I felt great after, not bloated or stuffed like when I normally eat there.

Why am I doing this? I'm doing it for me and my health, and I'm doing this because Lauren suggested this for us, and she only suggests things for us that are good.

Eating to Live: Day 1 of 6 Weeks

So, Monday was the first official day of my Six Week Plan on the Eat to Live diet. After giving it some practice, and some serious practice at that last week, I felt confident enough this week to start it off in earnest.

Breakfast was oatmeal and cinnamon made with Silk. I wonder how Lauren does hers. When I was with her last, we added Splenda. I'm getting used to the oatmeal, and I'm using less and less cinnamon, which is a good thing. Fortunately, it was piping hot, because Monday morning was pretty cold in Athens.

I brought some apples with me to work, and I left my new knives at home, seeing as how we have a working kitchen at the office.

For lunch I went to Saladworks with Jonathan, and while he had what looked like a very tasty wrap sandwich, I dined on a 'make your own' salad of spinach, zucchini, squash, carrots, mushrooms and mandarin oranges. I remember Lauren always stating that the more colorful her plate is, the more she knows that she's eating good food.

Throughout the day there were no less than 5 plates full of candy from Halloween spread all over the office, but I resisted and stuck to my apples and ice water. Well, I did have some apple juice at lunch.

After a trip to the law library to write, I headed to Kroger on Alps for some weekly groceries. I bought squash, cucumbers, raw carrots, baby carrots, grapes, tomatoes, unsalted peanuts and almonds (though normally I detest them), brown rice, more apples, oranges, pears, watermelon, bananas, spinach, a head of lettuce and more of my favorite seasoning, McCormick's Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning.

So, Monday night I had a nice dinner of sliced cucumbers, baby carrots and ice water. For dessert, I had some red seedless grapes that were divine.



All in all, I feel that it was a good Day 1 on my Six Week Plan. Today after work, I'm headed to GNC to purchase some flaxseed to add to my diet as well.

Why am I doing this? I'm doing it for me and my health, and I'm doing this because Lauren suggested this for us, and she only suggests things for us that are good. Besides, as I'm realizing it's more so about a change in lifestyle as it pertains to my approach to eating. I already have a great deal of energy, and to be honest despite everything going on in my head...I slept great last night and made it to work early today. I haven't done that in a while...I'll keep you posted.