Goth makeup, bar hopping, and fishnets with boots

Charlotte vs. Athens

As you may or may not know, I spend a lot of my free time visiting Athens, Ga. And who wouldn’t? It’s such an awesome place to be. Last night I was chatting with a guy at a bar in Athens and he was telling me about his favorite Charlotte places. He mentioned some gems (The Penguin, Evening Muse, Snug Harbor) and some places I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t been to even though I know I should have (Dish, NoFo on Liz). And his biggest complaint about Charlotte was that you can’t really go from one place to another without getting in the car.

Which is basically true. And odd that he said it at that moment, because on the walk to the bar, I was talking to Chris about how bar hopping is an actuality in Athens, because a) they’re all walkable, and b) there’s no cover. In Charlotte, many places have up to a $10 cover. So you pretty much choose wisely where you’ll spend your evening, and then you plant it. If your friends want to go someplace different than you do, too bad. You basically suck it up. In Athens, you stop by for a drink or 3 and then you can go wherever you want.

Last night we stopped by a new bar Chris had been wanting to try (The Mad Hatter) and he was critiquing it (good atmosphere, bad beer selection). I looked around and realized that if this bar was in Charlotte, it would be one of the best spots in Charlotte. And it’s just one of many in Athens.

Of course, a college town does have its drawbacks. Chris is addicted to cheeseburgers, and the best cheeseburgers I’ve had in Athens are just okay compared to the ones in Charlotte. His mind was blown when we took him to Zink after the marathon in December – “This is the best cheeseburger I’ve ever had in Charlotte!” he said. He agreed that it beat Harpers, and he agreed that Harpers beats anything in Athens. I can’t wait to take him to Roosters the next time he’s in town.

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A head injury and a beer

However, Athens does have its hazards, apparently. Last night I was almost ready to go out, just needed to decide what to wear. Was standing in Chris’ closet looking at the clothes I brought, about to make a selection, when all of a sudden something came crashing down on my head. I started screaming and crying – it hurt really, really bad. Apparently a large tupperware container full of sheets and blankets had decided to come crashing down at the moment that my head was in the way. The corner of the container slammed right on the front of my head, hidden under my hair.

Hurt doesn’t even describe it. I initially thought it was his gigantic heavy safe that fell on me, that’s how bad it hurt. Thoughts of concussion and death popped in my head. Chris said not to worry, stuff falls on his head all the time (which explains a lot), and he offered a bag of frozen lima beans to take the pain away. He then proceeded to put the tupperware container back where it was originally, and it was then I realized he has it sitting on its side. Vertically. Just waiting to fall again. And he admitted it’s fallen down on top of him before. Needless to say, I will not be going in his closet again until that thing is on a floor level or something.

A huge welt appeared almost immediately, and we laughed at how it seemed like a cartoon where the character gets hurt and it swells up instantly. I sat in pain and wondered if it would ruin my night but eventually sucked it up, put on my fishnet leggings, redid my makeup (mascara streaming down my face; Chris said I looked goth), popped some Advil and decided beer would fix everything.

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Speaking of fishnets

For anyone curious about how I wore the leggings, I chose this look, thanks to your advice:

The only drawback: The boots have a buckle on them, and I realized the hard way I cannot cross my legs – the fishnets get stuck on the boot! Other than that, I love it!

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Make new friends

I’m getting ready to go for a 3-mile run with Beth, who I have not yet met in person but whose blogs really inspire me! She’s getting ready for the ING Georgia Marathon in March and she’s used to running on these Athens hills, so I fully expect her to leave me in the dust. Looking forward to it, though!