LUCY'S SUNDAY BLOGSTREAM ENQUIRER

issue # 4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Six: Hello everyone... Six of “Venus Vexed”
 http://6ftblonde.blogstream.com/ here, and I'm stepping out of my airport cab right now, about to chat with Blogstream's and Atlanta's very own "Muscadine wine makin', Backgammon playin', music downloadin', garden diggin', Febreeze junkie'".... THE ONE AND ONLY... Biggie T of "The Dog House"! [APPLAUSE! APPLAUSE!]   As I head up the walkway to the door of Biggie T’s charming home, I can't help but notice all the incredible shrubs and beautiful potted plants lining my way.  The sweet smell of gardenias is heavy in the air, just as I've read about, and I can detect a hint of lavender and rosemary as well!  I'll just come up on the porch and knock on T's door. 

 

[BTW, a special thank you to Ice for allowing me to use The New Residencia company jet for yet another excursion.  He's so generous that way!  You rock, Iceman!

http://sagacity.blogstream.com/]

*knock*knock*knock*  Oh!! I can hear barking inside now... Hey T! It's Six from Lucy's Sunday Blogger Enquirer!

 

BiggieT: Oh, hey Six! Thank you for coming by. 

 

Six:  Oh look!! This must be Miss Gracie Mae, and Mr. Rexall Tucker Johnston, too!

 

 

 

BiggieT:  Yup…those are the kids.  Down Gracie!  Stop it Rex!  I’m sorry they are jumping all over you.  I’m afraid Marc and I spoil them and they love it when company comes.  Gracie still thinks she is a lap dog.  She has no concept that she’s 55 lbs. 

 

 

Six:  I love dogs!  Awww… she is sooo cute!!  Come here, big guy! Lemme scratch your ears, too! The kids are great, and I thank you so much for agreeing to do this interview! You know, I'm dying for a tour of the fabulous landscaping and gardens you have here!  Can you show me around while we chat?

 

BiggieT: My pleasure, Six.  Sure…let’s start in the front yard, where I just set in some new plants in the perennial border. 

 

 

Six:  This is so beautiful, and everything is blooming like crazy!  Look, everyone!!  I’m quite impressed, T !

 

BiggieT:  We had let it go all to hell, and it looked like the Adam’s Family yard until we buckled down and weeded and planted last weekend.  I have to say it’s looking pretty good now.

 

Six: Absolutely!!  Where do you suppose your green thumb came from, and when did you first start doing serious "Better Homes & Gardens" style gardening like I see all around your place here?

 

BiggieT: My green thumb totally came from my Grandma Jessie.  She was always growing and nurturing plants.  She always took me out into the gardens at her place with a handful of tomato, morning glory, and moon flower seeds every spring.  She got me excited about nurturing plants and that satisfaction that you can get from seeing the rewards of caring for something.  I’m sure she knew she was teaching me a greater lesson than simply gardening, ya know?

 

 

 

Six:  No doubt about that!  Patience, creativity, and a whole lotta love sewn along the way.

 

 

BiggieT: I have always grown stuff.  OK OK…yes I did grow some sweet marijuana plants when I was a kid…but that was a VERY long time ago. 

 

 

Six:  Hehe!  We’ll discuss grow lights later, off the record. ;) Ya’ll talk amongst yourselves…

 

 

BiggieT: When we bought this 100 year old house 5 years ago, suddenly I had a great yard with plenty of sun and shade areas to plant. Once I got started planting perennials, I got hooked.  We started visiting some of the great old gardens in Atlanta, and I thought “Hey, I can do that!”  LOL  So I set out on a five year plan to make this yard a paradise for us and our friends and family when they come to visit.  It’s been a lot of hard work, but it’s paying off now.  We want to be on a garden tour next year.  Smell those gardenias?   

 

 

Six:  Mmmmm… lovely!  Gardenias are the “Scent of Heaven”, if you ask me.  It really is your own little paradise here, isn’t it.  And how cool would that be if you were on the garden tour!  All those people coming by to admire your labor of love.

 

 

BiggieT: Hopefully will have some help next year.  A friend of mine gets a lot of the gardens here in Atlanta ready for tours.  It’s a whole big production.  People get really serious about their gardens here. 

 

Six:  So…"Biggie Tea"... I liked your Wendy's explanation for your blog nickname, btw! Sweetened Tea is surely the "Housewine Of The South”!

 

 

BiggieT: LOL.  Well, I decided you have to have a respectable street name in the ATL.  I was in the drive through at Wendy’s one day and saw Biggie Tea on the menu and it sounded real “street cred” and funny at the same time.  Some people at work even call me that now…too funny.

 

 

Six:  Street Cred on your blog… that’s funny!  Are you a tough guy? I note that you do rock that cowboy hat of yours quite well, Mr. Marlborough Man!

 

 

BiggieT: Being tall and skinny as a rail, you gotta try really hard to look tough! LOL  I really dig that hat.  I got it in Utah when we took a road trip from Colorado to Vegas.  

 

 

Six:   Do tell me... what is a typical weekend like for you around The Dog House?

 

BiggieT: A typical weekend here?  Well…first I drag my butt out of bed Saturday and listen to the Walter Reeves gardening show on a local talk radio station.  He’s really entertaining and motivating.  He makes me want to get out and try new plants.  Then it’s a cycle of digging, jumping in the truck and haunting all my favorite nurseries, BEER , digging some  more, BEER , driving myself and Marc crazy trying to find just the right spot for all this stuff that I just hauled home, BEER , and more digging. Did I mention we enjoy an occasional beer? It’s hot thirsty work, this gardening stuff.

 

Six:  LOL!  Sounds like it’s always “Beer O’Clock” at the Doghouse! 

 

 

BiggieT: Anyway…we always try to catch a good band on Saturday night.  Our friends Rob and Chanda bought their house about the same time as we did, and we love to hang out with them.  Since we have known them, we have had some great adventures out on the town with those two.  Chanda has a blog called Edgewood Estates about our neighborhood.  She is the greatest and her blog about the “turning” neighborhood we live in is really funny.

 

 

 

Six:  Yeah, it seems like ya’ll have so much fun together! That is sooo cool!

 

 

BiggieT: We are pretty lucky here.  All the tours go through here, and there’s always some great small venue bands to see here.

 

 

BiggieT:  Sundays here is ALL about chilling and grilling and sitting on the porch with all the crazy neighbors and our friends.  I like my Sundays very low key.

 

 

 

 

Six:  Chilling and grilling… you must throw some sick parties around here, especially in the summertime!!  Oh, I feel a song coming on: ”Summertime…. and the living is easy…..”  Come on, T!  Sing it with me, now!  Woohoo… put your hands up in the air!!

 

 

BiggieT: Ohh yeah!  Ohh yeah! LOL.  Lookatcha shakin that junk, Six!  Go girl! 

 

 

Six: This “Old Girl” can still bring it, huh? LOL! Okay, back to the questions…  you've written about the ghost in your house, which mostly seems to dwell in your office I believe, but sometimes has fun in your kitchen.  Has it been active lately, and do you still find it's fairly benign, like maybe a little kid-ghost playing pranks? I think I'd find it to be a little spooky, but as long as it's not shouting "GET OUT!!!" in some freaky heavy metal Rob Zombie kinda voice, it might be okay...

 

BiggieT: LOL...yes there is a ghost on our office!  Some people think Marc and I are crazy as loons, but we know there is!  He/she loves to flick the amplifier and the lights on and off sometimes.

 

 

Six:  OMG!!!

 

 

BiggieT: But never at the same time…so we know it’s not a short in the circuits.  I know when they are in there with me, because they will flick the track lights on and off, kinda like they are winking at me, just to let me know they are there.  There have only been two times that they were really nasty.  One time, they cleared an entire CD rack and threw them on the floor. 

 

 

Six:  OMG “squared”!!

 

 

 

BiggieT:  Another time…and this was the weirdest…..They pulled two aluminum boxes off of the wall…at the same time.  I mean these boxes were secured by screws on two separate areas of the wall.  They both came crashing down one night.

 

 

 

Six:  OMG to the third power!!!

 

 

 

BiggieT:  Most of the time, though..they act very silly and benign.

 

Six:  Lawd have mercy!!

Six: You've shared a lot about the interesting people in your neighborhood, and some very colorful stories, too.  Since I've never seen Atlanta outside of an airport transfer, where would you take me, or any newbie to ATL, to get a feel for the REAL Atlanta experience?

 

 

BiggieT: Oh my.  Atlanta is so diverse, it’s almost hard to say.  BUT…when we want to initiate people who are newcomers to the ATL…we always take them to this little dive called The Clermont Lounge.

This crazy little place in Midtown has been around for decades.  You mention the Clermont Lounge to anybody cool that has spent time here and you will get a laugh. 

 

 

 

Six:  Yeah, you’ve written about the Clermont a time or two!

 

 

 

BiggieT: The Clermont is a dingy little strip club that has been in Midtown since the 50’s.  The crowd is a strange mix of yuppies, blue collar workers, professionals, college kids, crack-heads, and prostitutes.  A TOTAL cross section of society, all in one place…getting along and acting the fool.  It’s like a southern fried Fellini film.  Not for the faint of heart, but a blast and a big dose of culture shock for newcomers to the Atlanta night life scene.  The star attraction there is Blondie, this middle age African American stripper, whose specialty is “titty shots”.  Everybody…guys and girls…have to have a Blondie titty shot once in their lives for an initiation to the ATL!

 

 

 

Six:  A “Baptism By Boobie”, if you will!  There probably IS enough alcohol to get me to do that… all in the interest of journalism and reporting, of course.   ;) LOL

 

 

 

BiggieT: After that…there is just about anything you want in Atlanta. Culture, music, dancing, arts, and history.  But when you are hanging with us, the Clermont is the first stop.  You can handle anything after that! LOL

 

Six: To tell ya the truth, it sounds like so much FUN!!  So… changing gears a little bit here... T, what would you say was your best moment of 2006 so far?  Your worst moment?

 

 

BiggieT: Wow..that’s tough.  I have to say that my brother visiting from Florida was the best.  We don’t get to see each other that much anymore.

 

 

Six: Well that’s great that you got to spend some time with him, then!

 

 

 

BiggieT: The worst had to be seeing my nephew off to Iraq for a second time.  I worry about him everyday.

 

 

 

Six: Oh, I didn’t realize you had a nephew in the war zone…  I pray for their safety every day, and hopefully a return home soon.

 

 

 

BiggieT: Kevin tells us he’s on a pretty safe assignment this time, but you never know.  He’s not allowed to say to much about it.

 

Six:  Well, Kevin… if you’re listening… we’re all thinking about you!

 

Six:  If you could do anything you wanted--money being no object, and the education or talent a given--what career would you choose?

 

 

BiggieT: Well this will be no surprise I’m sure.  I would own a great plant nursery that specialized in native plants.  To be surrounded by awesome native southern plants and the people that appreciate them would be awesome.

 

Six:  Doing something you love wouldn’t even seem like work.  That’s a great choice.

 

 

BiggieT: Until I can get a job blogging, I guess that will have to do! LOl

 

 

Six:  You joined the "Insane Blog Posse" at Blogstream in January.  What has been your impression of it so far? Are we having fun yet? :)

 

 

BiggieT: It’s funny.  I started my blog on here after a search for “blogs” on Google.  I wound up here and emailed a few friends and told them I was gonna throw down and asked them to check it out.  I never dreamed it would be such a community of great people.  And yes…I’m having a blast getting to know so many creative, caring, thoughtful, and funny people.

 

 

Six: Never a dull moment around Blogstream, that’s for sure!  And the wonderful people are a huge plus, as well.

 

 

Six: Okay, when "Mr. Happy!" found out I was coming to ATL interview you, that made him "very very happy" and he requested that I ask you a couple of hard, but satisfying questions:  First, are you very very happy? And secondly, do you have a nick-name for your junk?

 

 

BiggieT: That darn Mr. Happy!  LOL  Well, first of all…yes I am very very very very Happy!  And second, the junk is named “Mr Haney”…can we change the subject!? LOL

 

 

Six:  Mr. Haney?  Yeah, okay… NEXT!!!

Six:   If you had the chance for a little get-together, who are the five members of Blogstream you would like to meet?

 

 

BiggieT: Awww..that’s a hard one.  I hate to leave anybody out, but the first five off the top of my head…

 

 

 

1)      Misty…one of my muses and someone that has always encouraged me.  She is so clever and twisted.  I love those qualities!

2)      Prank….one of the nicest guys on blogstream.  Always has something nice to say and has a great appreciation for good music.  I think we could sit and bullshit for hours about music.

3)      Kristin…pretty close to a female Biggie as you are gonna get.  Her random sense of humor and the way she looks at life always brings me a smile.

4)      Z Web (Jeff)…intelligent, sensitive, and brutally honest.  Never holds back.  Seems to be truly a good person as well.

5)      Belle…I make it obvious how I adore her.  Fellow southerner with a background that most mirrors mine.  We really understand each other and have made a real connection.

 

 

 

Six:  All excellent choices!! Sounds like the guest list for the next Sunday “chillin and grillin” to me!

 

 

 

BiggieT: Sounds like a great idea to me Six.  I’d get a kick out of having all my stream buddies for a big old party.

 

Six:  What do tunes do you have in the CD player at this very moment?

 

 

BiggieT: Lemme see…

 

Verve Remixed Vol 1…that’s always there

 

Bebel Gilberto “Tanto Tempo”…if there has ever been a sexier album recorded…I don’t know what it is

 

Thievery Corporation “Man From Babylon”…awesome chill

 

Def Leppard “Yeah”…great covers of some unordinary artists from the late 70’s/early 80’s

 

 

 

Six: Hmm…. I’m gonna hafta check out that “sexy album” !

 

Six:  Well thank you very much for your own special brand of Southern Hospitality, T!  I have enjoyed spending time at The Dog House with you this afternoon, and discovering for myself the Man Behind The Blog!  My best to Marc and the kids!!

 

So there ya have it, Mr. and Ms. Blogstream!  Our very own Biggie T… Up Close And Personal… and rockin Atlanta!