Thursday, September 8, 2011

Life. Love. & What I Ate.

"Edward, darling. That's a precious little story. Now be a dear, and fetch Grandmother a martini."

My grandmother, a lady considered to be the quintessential “Southern Hostess” always believed that at any given time, guests should be found with a drink in one hand, a plate in the other, and good company by their side. This is also a woman who wore a fur coat to the bank in June. Needless to say, southern hospitality (and eccentricity) have both been in my blood, like gravy, for years.

I struggled with a case of blogger’s block, wondering how I wanted to kick this puppy into gear. I tried to think of it like you’re picking up my blog in a bookstore, and are only going to read the title and the back cover before you decide whether it makes it into your Boat ‘n Tote for your next summer excursion, or if some Nicholas Sparks’ novel about teenage angst in the Outer Banks is going to beat me out again.

Nevertheless, here goes. My name’s Edward. I’m a twenty-something (nearing thirty-something) southern gentleman residing in Charlottesville, Virginia (if you haven’t visited, it’s a lovely, small city.) I work in higher education full-time, and freelance as a DIY columnist for a local leisure publication about home improvement and design. Some of you might remember me from a small blog entitled “Simply Cville,” the story of a bachelor and a bungalow. I loved that little blog, yet let it dry rot when life got too busy. I’m Sorry? I used to think you had to create a new project every day to keep one of these things updated and interesting. Needless to say, I reached the point of almost repainting my kitchen a third time, and knocking down a wall just for the sake of a blog post. Life’s too short to spend it blogging all the time. All things in moderation, right?

What should you know about me? I love to cook, bake, entertain, design, decorate, reuse, re-purpose, reupholster, reinvent, renovate, and apparently re-blog. I’m known for wearing loud and colorful pants whenever possible, earning me the nickname “Fancy Pants.” My “style” is a little something I call “Modical: Modern Nautical.” (Think urban beach cottage). Most notable, since my last journey into the blogosphere, I found true love. I met the love of my life, Gary doing a local production of the musical “The Drowsy Chaperone.” Try and picture it…2 gay men….musical theater….revolutionary stuff, here. In all seriousness, he’s beyond amazing. I didn’t know people like him even existed. He’s my best friend, my partner, my muse (not in that weird Olivia Newton John Xanadu sort of way) and the best part of me. I plan to seersucker him into marrying me one day, but for the time being, we’re extremely happy—almost to an annoying state. So, expect some frequent cameo appearances from the boy. You can also thank him for the title of this blog. Top Siders, Bourbon, whales, pianos, cheese grits, “Company” the musical, porches, beaches, cupcakes, bacon, hammocks, the Carolina Shag, family, friends, and a stationery fetish are all part of the very colorful picture. Imagine Martha Stewart and Stephen Sondheim had a baby and raised him in a Jonathan Adler showroom. That’s me.

I love to reinvent the classics. Whether it be a piece of furniture, a cocktail, or a Macaroni and Cheese recipe that will make you want to lower the blinds, put on some Al Green, and slip into something more comfortable, I like to find the beauty in the everyday simplicity. Life’s too short to worry about keeping up with the Joneses, because chances are, Mr. Jones is gay, Mrs. Jones is addicted to her son’s ADHD medication, and the grass is greener because it’s fake. It’s not life and death. It’s window treatments.

From entertaining and renovating, to living and loving, I hope to keep you all entertained along the way with a big helping of southern sarcasm. It’s my hope you’ll find my life as entertaining as I do.

And if you plan on going with the Nicholas Sparks book instead, let me save you the trouble. He dies in the end.

Thanks for reading, and until next time.

Cheers,
Edward

5 comments:

  1. Hi Edward! I'd follow you anywhere..I love a dose of southern sarcasm and a reinvent-er who loves bacon and Jonathan Adler. I'm also a friend of your love Gary who is a friend of my love Emma. This is gonna be fun!

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  2. I absolutely love it! And I love seeing the friends of mine blast from the past onto my computer so I can see just how wonderful they've turned out to be. I'm more than pleased about your happiness. You deserve it. :D

    P.S. Are you on Pinterest? If not, you are going to love it! It's def for all of us DIYers.

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  3. Hehe, love it! Looking forward to more. :)

    Also, your blog just made me think of this place: http://www.mothersbistro.com/. If you ever find yourself in Portland, OR (you know, like you do), you MUST go here. They do southern comfort food with flair — chandeliers, lots of pastel (a la the title of your blog), and excellent window treatments. It is soooo good and so fun. I made my boss take us there for my birthday because it was, um, a block from my office. Miss it so much. You would be so in love. (Well, I know you are already — awwww — but you know, it's food.)

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  4. Loved Simply Cville, dry-rotted or not. So glad to follow you to your new, cleverly-named blog home. And congrats on your new man. Looking forward to your humor, and your great ideas!

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