I looked up two of our faves:

• Mr. P’s, in Bluff Park, got a 91 back in December
• The Boot, Hoover, got a 95 back in December as well

So we’re good to go! How handy is this!? If Jefferson County ever wants to do an app, I hope they start with this stuff. How did your favorite fare, fare?

In the spirit of true transparency, there are a few things you should know about this picture:
1.  It was taken over a year ago.
2.  I chose it because my arms look thin.
3.  We don’t typically coordinate our attire.
4.  We don’t typically wear pink. (Ok, the little one does.  Like, a lot.)
5.  We are suckers for a themed birthday party.

Now you’ve seen us.

Or you’ve seen us back in August of 2010.  Trust me, though, my arms really are still that thin, they’re just not very photogenic.

Ahem.

Now for a little bit about us, though I won’t name names in order to protect each member’s privacy/dignity:
1.  At least two of us prefer not to wear pants every chance he/she/we get.
2.  At least two of us, maybe three, are a little too preoccupied with superheroes.  And Legos.  And Lego superheroes.
3.  At least one of us stocks the pantry shelves with labels facing out.
4.  At least four of us like books.  Like, really really like.
5.  At least three of us never put a new roll of toilet paper on the holder when we’ve used up the previous roll.
6.  At least two of us have moves like Jagger.
7.  At least one of us currently has her socks on her hands and is performing some sort of burping puppet show from behind my laptop.

So, you’ve seen more of us.

Feel free to say “hi” in the comments.  And let us know what you’d like to see more of here at Bryants of Bham.

January 24, 2012 – at the Hoover Senior Centerat 11:00 a.m. This is a luncheon so you need to call ahead to snag a seat.

February 13, 2012 – at the Egg & I at 11:00 a.m. This is a “Friends of Hoover” meeting which is being held at the restaurant.

I personally believe that being healthy is 70% diet, 20% exercise and 10% genes. So since diet is number one, here’s how I am getting it back in control:

1. re-reading Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food. This is a must read for anyone trying to eat better. It ties in the right amount of sociology, biology and “how the man is trying to keep you down” through grocery store planning and business strategies. It’s a very easy and amazing read. I know our local libraries have many copies.

2. I am using the LoseIt! app (iTunes). I really like this one (it’s free). They have a great website too. It lets you enter what you eat and then spits back all of the numbers for you. They have a very impressive database of restaurant and grocery store foods. I use it to track calories, carbs and protein. No need to be more specific, at this point. You should also log your exercise in the app too so it can chart your input/output of calories. I mean our bodies are just machines anyway, right?

3. I am also using the RunKeeper app (iTunes) to track all of my exercise. They also have a website. I’ll input this data into the LoseIt! app to help stay organized.
That’s it. No New Year’s resolution. No deadlines. While I will track everything (mantra: what gets measured gets done) i don’t have any real goals to speak of. I’m just tired of being tired. Tired of my back hurting and so on…

so far I have consumed 450 calories today… let’s see where I end up.

One good thing about Bluff Park is that you hardly ever have to get on I-65. You can cut through and get to downtown or the Galleria and never have to deal with interstate traffic. But then that is also the downside. That means everyone who knows this will often see our neighborhood streets as nothing more than a cut-through on their commute, causing the speeding and stop-sign-running that is prevalent at certain intersections.

So maybe they key is get some road construction up here so the Hoover PD will be forced to patrol more? Not sure that’s a good idea either. I know there are parts of Hoover that require more police attention. I’m lucky to have my family up here on the Bluff where things aren’t so unsafe. There just has to be a way to get folks to slow down while passing through our neighborhoods. Speed bumps? Cameras? Crossing guards? Toll booths? I’m open to any idea these days. . . maybe I’m just getting to be an old curmudgeon.

They have a full bar with 3 or 4 bourbons, etc. Also, you walk in and order from a window. Then they bring the food out to you. They help always seemed very friendly to us as well. Even when we went with a large group.

During our last visit I hurriedly snapped the attached images of the menu. They are kind of fuzzy. Let me know if you want to see better versions and I’ll think of some way to get it to you. I do know their menu has changed and been tweaked a few times, so I can’t promise this menu will still be in effect, but it’s been the same every time we’ve been. They also have a Facebook page as well as post to Twitter. I signed up for their newsletter and so far it’s been a good one with menu specials and $10 coupon kind of things. Let us know what you think of The Boot!

I think their first album is due out sometime the first half of 2012. Until then, you can get their digital EP for $4 and YouTube is full of live performances as well to help with your Alabama Shakes fix.

Alabama Shakes “Going to the Party & Hold On” (YouTube)

Alabama Shakes “I Found You” (YouTube)

We’re on the lookout!

The Birmingham News and al.com have a piece on the struggles facing our neighborhood’s local music venue. Apparently, things are tough over at Moonlight on the Mountain with less than $100 in the bank, month-to-month. I admit that I have never checked it out, but hope to do so. It’s an interesting idea, giving unknown names a place to be discovered and play. Moonlight on the Mountain doesn’t sell food or drinks. So the only revenue seems to be ticket sales

Here is there calendar of scheduled performers. They even have open mic nights. Hopefully 2012 will be a good one for this unique venue up here on the Bluff.