Georgia by bus!

So the halfway point from Austin, TX to Athens, GA is Jackson, MS. You know what's open at 9pm on a Sunday night in Jackson? Not much. Everything closes down around 6pm, just after church lets out and everyone has already eaten supper by 3pm. But the one thing that IS open on a Sunday night in Jackson, MS? The Outback Steakhouse. That's right. Meaty goodness. How bizarre is it for a tour bus to pull up in the parking lot and several musicians, crew personnel and one Sean Lennon enter the establishment? VERY bizarre. But the irony was Sean raving about how great his steak was. In fact if I may paraphrase, him saying, "this is one of the best steaks I've EVER had." He's all about the drama.

When we were ordering our drinks, our young, Christian server, Merry (yes, that's how it was spelled) was asked by Kamila how the Southern Pecan Ale was and dear Merry replies, "I don't know, I've never had it." Kamila responds, "Sure (wink wink) you've never tried the beer." Innocent Merry informs her, "No, I've never had beer, I'm only 19." Ok, no further questions about the beer.

So the Atlanta show was quite good, sold out crowd, crappy load in up one flight of stairs, but we had the great DeWitt Burton from REM's crew helping us out and I went to dinner with my old friend, the minotaur, the professor, Dr. Chris Goode and his lovely wife Donna. Some good sushi, a mid-evening iced coffee and show time. I don't remember much of the show, so it must have been a good one.

Athens, Ga. was quite nice but way too sterile. The Melting Point was the venue. The venue and hotel were in the same complex so for convenience sake it was marvelous. Athens is all of about 4 blocks by 4 blocks so easy to get around. Some of THE BEST coffee I've had in a long time, espresso royale. Order some today, you won't be disappointed, (I hear by endorse this coffee.) As well as the staple vegan restaurant of Athens, The Grit. Meat loves won't know the difference.

I sure do like visiting Athens but I wouldn't want to live there. Thanks for the good nights sleep and veggie burger, but heading north.