chicken, waffles, ipods, and my sister

   Today has been going on for a very long time. 

   Travel days tend to be that way.

   With a wake-up call at 6:15--after having gone to bed at 3:15--I was tired, true, but ready to go to Atlanta. And see my sister, Jenna, who is visiting for the week!

   We got to the airport and made our usual rounds of jokes and ambling conversations as we wore our oversized sunglasses indoors like rock stars and waited to check our over-the-alloted-weight-limit luggage.  

   And although the Delta terminal did not have a delicious breakfast sandwich to be found (they did have a sub-parr one which, unfortunately, I settled for), they did have this: 

  An ipod vending machine. Seriously. I mean, sure, I figured that Steve Jobs probably had a couple of these in his house, fishing them out with a few quarters for friends when they visit, but really? A vending machine full of ipods for us normal folk?

  How does that work? Do you say, Honey, I know you asked me to get you some cheez-its from the vending machine on my way back from the bathroom, but then I saw this new ipod nano and figured it would be just as good...?

  I thought it was pretty funny and I know a few people who would be really excited to say that they bought their particular ipod from a vending machine--my own dear Drew being one of them.

  Other than making a seemingly already grumpy couple even grumpier by asking them if I could um, have the window seat to which I was actually assigned, the flight was nice and smooth. 

  Nothing like my flight from Detroit, thank God.

   Actually, it was so smooth that I slept right through the whole thing. Even, horror of horrors, through the snack! It is so rare these days to actually fly something that serves you a snack that, upon finding out later that I slept right through it, I was quite irritated with myself.

  I am not the kind to turn down a complimentary snack, you know.

  Ahem.

  Oh, and when in the South be like the Southerners, right? 

  

  So in Atlanta's grand tradition me and Jenna accompanied some friends to Gladys Knights and Ron Winan's Chicken and Waffles.

  We ate what might even define comfort food and listened to some sweet soul music hanging in the air. We talked and laughed. Except of course for the part when our food first arrived and then just a nice, contented silence ensued as we happily dug in; this silence spoke volumes as to just how good the crispy fried chicken, the golden fluffy waffles, the sweet corn muffins all really were. 

  And here's a close up, in case you wondered. 
     How in the world did such a meal as chicken and waffles eaten simultaneously ever come about? Well, what I have heard is that it came about first with the jazz musicians who would gig late into the night or early into the morning, however you want to look at it.  

   When they finished, like most people after a shift of hard, honest work, they were hungry. And because of the time, they didn't know which was more appropriate--breakfast or dinner. So they simply settled on both.

  Chicken and waffles.

  

  And if you ever find yourself in Atlanta, you owe it to yourself to find out just how good a choice it really is.