An Athens Hit And Run

Nothing extraordinary about my 24 hours in Athens. Certainly not Georgia hoops. They lost at home to Mississippi State in the battle of the Bulldogs.

While UGA gets all the pub, Bully's just as cute. In fact Bully guards my back door at night.

Even though it was the quickest of Athens trips, I managed to hit an outstanding dinner at The Last Resort, and breakfast at Five Star.

For the Xth time in a row I avoided a speeding ticket on the backroads around Athens, but that didn't mean the trip was without adventure.

My engine was running on the echo of gasoline. I'm pretty sure the Murano has an 18 gallon tank, yet I put 19 gallons of fuel in it. There were some shaky moments on the lonely highway between Dublin and Milledgeville. But I sputtered into Friendly Gus. Now I'm only out of gas when I get home.

Off The Clock?

While criss-crossing the country for almost non-stop for a month is good for the kids' college fund, it's a guaranteed plant killer.

I promised myself I'd blog every day my plants were alive (this is 144 consecutive days), though I'm not really sure when they died since I've only been home 6 days in the last 4 weeks.

Here was the November itinerary, with brief highlights:

Athens OH - Election night in a pivotal state
Stillwater OK - Cheap 4-hour dry cleaning
Athens GA - 3 great meals (Hoyt House, Utage, 5-Star)

Home (18 hours)

Gainesville FL - Boring as usual. Reminders of Tim Tebow everywhere

Home (32 hours)

Orlando FL - Big suite at The Grand Bohemian
Kansas City MO - Warmer weather than Orlando

Home (24 hours)

College Station TX - Midnight Yell & Johnny Football's Home Finale'

Home (24 hours)

Tallahassee FL - Great crew, excellent broadcast

Home (2 days!)

Providence RI - Snow!
Louisville KY - Best college town/downtown combo (alright Austin, you win)

Now I'm home for a few - I get to reacquaint myself with my family and take care of more mundane things like getting the house in order, paying bills, and planning my daughter's birthday party.

This week there's no plane to catch or calltime to make, or countdown to air. So what's that ticking sound?

 

Athens To Athens

"They got a message from the action man: I'm happy, hope you're happy too..."

I know it  sounds like a David Bowie song, but it describes my recent itinerary. The action man's been on the road for 8 days now, trying to keep things straight.

Last Monday, Athens OH; This Monday Athens GA. It's a little anticlimactic to be here at the University of Georgia without covering a football team that is now, actively, involved in a for real national championship chase. So even though the Georgia bandwagon is full I saw the actual empty vehicle in my hotel parking lot.

It doesn't mean there isn't some drama. The first basketball broadcast of the season almost always comes with unknowns, headaches, and stress. You just have to do what's in front of you. November is the craziest month of the year with football and basketball crossover.

The first order of business: Have a good breakfast.

The Five Star Day Cafe is one of the best in the country. Backtime recommends the Veggie Benedict, a twist on the traditional breakfast dish, subbing out the Canadian bacon and Hollandaise for fried green tomatoes and country gravy. Only in Athens...Georgia.