Statues at the Rathaus in Hamburg, Germany

Nice Jazz Jam at the Podium in Bayreuth, Germany

As Robin Williams once put it: 'Penang me, Penang me, get a rope and hang me,'

Penang, Pulau Pinang is where I have had many visitors stop in the last couple of days. They are looking at the post about the world's largest cross.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you enjoy the blog. Come visit Nashville and I will give you a tour of the city and show you our local foods.

~~I know this is not exactly what Robin Williams said in the movie "Good Morning Vietnam" but it sounds just like it and I found it to be funny~~
C.S. Webbspun

7th Annual Nashville Full Moon Tattoo and Horror Festival

Ellendales Lunch Buffet Week of January 14 - 18

Entrees
Crispy Fried Almond Dusted Chicken with Spicy Honey Drizzle
Classic Beef Stroganoff
Pulled Pork with a Tamarind BBQ

Vegetables
Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage
Fresh Veggie Medley
Braised Brussel Sprouts with Bacon & Asiago

Pastas
Buttery Egg Noodles
Wild Mushroom & Spinach
Rice & Potatoes
Artichoke & Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Sundried Tomato & Basil Rice

Salads, etc.
Potato & Broccoli Salad
Garbanzo Couscous
Marinated Vegetable & Pasta Salad
Egg Salad
Garlic Hummus
Caesar Salad
Fresh Fruit

Soup du Jour

Bonus dish:

Bleu Cheese Fondue

Visit Threadventures for Custom Embroidery this Christmas

Do you want a unique gift to get someone for christmas or you have something but you want a name or design added to make it that one-of-a-kind gift? Here is your source for quality work that is made in America.

Check out the Threadventures Embroidery website and contact them for more information tell them you heard about them from Webbspun Ideas.

Stained Apron

This is a website that is about waiters/servers and discusses tips, customers and more. Enjoy!

The Stained Apron

Marriott eBreaks®! this weekend; January 17-20

Save at least 20% this weekend.

Thursday, January 17 through Sunday, January 20

Alabama - Multiple Cities
$71-$103
Nebraska - Multiple Cities
$71-$103
Arkansas - Multiple Cities
$55-$111
New Jersey - Newark
$55-$96
California - Oakland
$67-$119
New Jersey - Trenton-Princeton
$71-$87
California - Sacramento
$67-$112
North Carolina - Charlotte
$63-$95
California - San Francisco
$71-$183
North Carolina - Greensboro
$71-$87
Colorado - Denver
$55-$119
Ohio - Columbus
$59-$127
Connecticut - Hartford
$67-$151
South Carolina - Florence
$51
Georgia - Multiple Cities
$71-$103
South Carolina - Greenville-Spartanburg
$59-$119
Idaho - Multiple Cities
$63-$119
South Carolina - Myrtle Beach
$63-$71
Indiana - Multiple Cities
$60-$95
Tennessee - Knoxville
$59-$107
Kentucky - Louisville
$59-$127
Tennessee - Memphis
$55-$80
Maryland - Salisbury
$67-$71
Texas - Houston
$71-$103
Massachusetts - Boston
$59-$143
Washington - Multiple Cities
$71-$87
Michigan - Detroit
$55-$96
Michigan - Multiple Cities
$63-$95
Missouri - St Louis
$55-$123
Mississippi - Multiple Cities
$63-$79

Outside the U.S.

Canada - Montreal
$71-$111 CAD
Canada - Ottawa
$95 CAD

Rates are per night. Thursday requires a Friday night stay. Sunday requires a Saturday night stay.

Please note that some hotels only offer eBreaks rates Friday - Sunday. View Terms & Conditions >>

Each week Marriott eBreaks® offers exclusive last-minute weekend rates for Marriott® hotels in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America. You'll find rates at least 20% off for this weekend (Thursday-Sunday). See more eBreaks worldwide >>

When booking online, be sure to include MEB in the corporate/promotional box. To reserve by phone, call 1-800-752-7571 and ask for Marriott eBreaks. Or, call one of our worldwide reservation centers >>

Marriott eBreaks rates are exclusive to members of the eBreaks program. Therefore, they do not qualify for Marriott's Look No Further® Best Rate Guarantee.

Got this email from a friend? Sign up to get Marriott's best weekend rates delivered to your inbox >>

Krista Detor at the Hillbilly Haiku House Concert this Saturday

Krista Detor is a talented singer/songwriter and will be at the Hillbilly Haiku House Concerts this Saturday night. Visit the website for more information and I hope ya'll enjoy.



Thanks to Willa for the information.

This Week at the Bluebird Cafe; January 13-19

Sunday Night
Sunday Spotlight with Amanda Hunt-Taylor
no cover
6:30 PM

Writers Night with special guest Nicole Witt
no cover
8:00 PM

Monday Night
Mike Henderson Band with Willie Domann, Kevin McKendree and Pat O?Connor
$7.00
9:30 PM

Tuesday Night
An Evening with Scott Sean White, Dave Robbins, Kelly Archer and Terri Jo Box
no cover
6:00 PM

God and Country Music with the New Agrarians, Kate Campbell, Tom Kimmel and Pierce Pettis: Julie Lee opens
$30.00
9:00 PM

Wednesday Night
An Evening with Dawna Bradford, Christine Aspen, V. Lasher and Krista DeTor
no cover
6:00 PM

God and Country Music with the New Agrarians, Kate Campbell, Tom Kimmel and Pierce Pettis: Julie Lee Opens
$30.00
9:00 PM

Thursday Night
In The Round with Nicole Witt, Lisa Carver, Walt Aldridge and Mark Narmore
no cover
6:00 PM

In The Round with Jim Photoglo, Hugh Prestwood, Victoria Shaw and Gary Burr, A Benefit for Alive Hospice
$12.00
9:00 PM

Friday Night
In The Round with Billy Crain, Kerry Kurt Phillips, Jaida Dreyer and Charlie Worsham
no cover
6:30 PM

In The Round with Dennis Matkosky, Greg Barnhill & friends
A Benefit for Alive Hospice
$12.00
9:30 PM

Saturday Night
In The Round with Ken Harrell, Erin Ashleigh, Rick Garoutte and Ben Daniel
no cover
6:30 PM

In The Round with Steve Seskin, Jason Matthews, Chris Wallin and Chuck Jones
A Benefit for Alive Hospice
$12.00
9:30 PM

Wooten Brothers at 3rd & Lindsley

Wednesday

January 16
The Wooten Brothers

9:30 pm

Co-branded Captain D's, Del Taco Restaurant Opens in Nashville

Sagittarius Brands today announced the opening of its second co-branded, combination Captain D's Seafood Kitchen and Del Taco restaurant located at 400 Charlotte Pike in Nashville, TN. The company's first co-brand restaurant opened in Mt. Juliet last year, bringing Del Taco to the Nashville area for the first time.
~~~
Last year, Captain D's unveiled a new logo, restaurant design and an expanded, contemporary menu ranging from grilled seafood to pasta. This co-branded restaurant features the new Captain D's menu items including grilled Alaskan Salmon, Tilapia, farm raised Catfish or Shrimp Skewers.

Founded in 1964, Del Taco, the Lake Forest, California-based company operates or franchisees more than 490 restaurants in 14 states. Del Taco offers a full range of made-to-order Mexican items such as tacos, burritos, quesadillas and American favorites including cooked-to-order burgers, fries and shakes.



Read more in Reuters.

For hotels, pampering is a fine art

No time for the local museum on an overnight trip? Try lingering at your hotel.

A new breed of hotels is dressing up walls, lobbies and guest rooms with original artworks from a mix of famous, midcareer and promising artists. Instead of hanging bland or factory-produced art that blends in with the background, they're choosing memorable — and in many cases, very expensive — works. A growing number of hoteliers think that art can help them create an experience that will draw more travelers.

Louisville, for instance, has the 91-room 21c Museum Hotel, opened two years ago by developer Steve Wilson and his wife, Laura Lee Brown,to showcase some of their $10 million contemporary art collection. It includes Text Rain, an interactive video installation by conceptual artists Camille Utterback, an American, and Romy Achituv, an Israeli.
~~~~~~~
Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson says the 21c is sparking interest around the world, and it is boosting Louisville's profile as its downtown area undergoes a massive makeover with lofts, condominiums and new towers.

"It creates a buzz," Abramson says. Visitors "walk away with a feeling that Louisville's becoming much more of an edgy community than what they'd originally perceived."

At 21c, Wilson says, he has sought to balance serious, provocative works with whimsical works. The Wilsons don't want theirs to become one of those boutique hotels that "can get so cool, they're almost inhospitable," he says.



Sondland, the Seattle hotel developer, tends to feature works of local artists in his Provenance chain, which includes Hotel Preston in Nashville and Hotel Max in Seattle. He's building the Murano, home of the glass ships, in a converted Sheraton built in the 1980s.

"We're trying to give travelers the ability to roam the building and nurture their souls," says Sondland, who's been investing in hotels for more than two decades —and collecting art longer. But good art also is good business.

Read the entire story in the USA Today.

A Bank That Pays it Forward in Fargo, North Dakota

You think everyone would have something they dislike about their job - with the notable exception of the people at State Bank and Trust in Fargo, N.D., CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman reports.

State Bank chief operating officer Michael Solberg said, "That's our mission statement: happy employees, happy customer."

To accomplish the company's mission, Solberg says the bank gives a year-end bonus of about 5 percent of salary. They contribute 15 percent of salary to the 401-K, and do a full 20 pounds on the holiday turkey. But the best perk by far is the company Christmas party.

In '06 they staged a game show with COO Solberg as the bald host of Deal or No Deal.

The $500,000 prize was split equally among the bank's 500 employees. That meant everyone got $1,000.

Again this Christmas, the bank gave everyone another $1,000.

But this time the money came with a clever little catch. No, the didn't have to pay it back. But they did have to pay it forward.

"There were three rules. You can't give it to your family. You can't give it to a co-worker. And you have to document your good deed. Other than that, the sky's the limit," Solberg said.

The tapes are just now starting to roll in, and they run the gamut: from the woman who paid for an abandoned kitten to get a life-saving surgery to the guy who gave the money to a friend whose car got stolen.

Read the entire story and watch video at CBS News.

2008 Stellar Awards

They call it the "Grammy's of Gospel." This is only Nashville's third time to host the Stellar Awards, a 23-year tradition. Atlanta and Houston are the show's original homes.

Country and Christian are co-existing in Music City. The "Stellar Awards" show, now 23 years running, feels right at home in Nashville.



Twenty-eight trophies were handed out Saturday night to some of gospel music's heaviest hitters.

Read more at News Channel 5.