ok... [it's been too long]

i love this season. autumn - thanksgiving - christmas. i've never been a big shopper for black friday, probably because i've never had a wallet full of extra cash with which to spend. also, i can sometimes get social anxiety in massive pushy crowds. cyber monday? let's play. meanwhile, i'm sitting at this dining room table, which belongs to my housemate and is really nice at first glance, but super awkward. why? only 2 of the four chairs in the circle push in all the way. along with writing this, i'm sipping... well ... was sipping yuengling out of a now empty bottle, and savouring every page turn of the december issue of british vogue. i look forward to this every month more than i can say. and thankfully, there is now a barnes & noble far closer than before which makes my heart very happy. simple things, like bookstores. call me crazy, but i'd much rather have a book or a magazine in my hands than a nook thing. tablets are neat. but for reading, not my style.

i.am.a.purist.

so i live just outside of nashville in a place called antioch. immediately, for most locals, this conjures up mental images of wannabe thugs and crime and drug dealers and a make believe mall where hardly anyone goes unless you want your car broken into and/or to be a candidate to be shot inside. it's kind of not that serious. but it kind of is.

however, i live in a lovely roomy 1300something square foot apartment with my dream garden soaker tub for half of what i paid for a decent condo closer to downtown. and right now? i'm trying to be a bit more practical. but i was thinking the other day how much potential antioch has. it has it's nice bits (like mine) and it's not so nice bits. i think it just needs a few things...

- since we're on the subject, let's begin with a barnes & noble

- a real shopping center with actual stores people like, as opposed to another nail shop, loan place and cricket phone or the like.

- a gym. a nice one. just. sayin.

- another publix and at least 1 whole foods and/or trader joes and one classy kroger.

- some kind of bongo java group coffee place.

- a real movie theatre.

- chik-fil-a

- more tasty cuisine options that are found only in nashville... or the south, even. i mean, how is it that smyrna has a better looking cluster of shopping options and food places than antioch?

- a j alexanders. just for good measure.

- annnnd a few more cashiers at wal-mart after 9pm.

- a few classy little boutiques.

- a victoria's secret.

- and last but not least, pie in the sky.

is that asking too much?

you can do it, antioch! not saying i wanna live here forever, but it would make things just a little sweeter in the meantime.