Exhausted
This morning, as soon as I got to work, I sent an e-mail to my manager, requesting Monday off. He granted it immediately. So I have a 4-day weekend. I also e-mailed the Commercial Appeal and told them I'm taking a week off from Deal of the Week on Sunday.
I need the time off. I want 4 days without any obligations or responsibilities. I am exhausted.
I think I began to realize how worn out I am when I came home from the Mpact event Wednesday night, and wrote about it in my personal journal: "I went in there with an agenda. I approached key people and talked to them about Residents for a Safer Downtown Memphis and handed them cards. In that respect I was successful. But I didn't have fun. I used to go to After Hours and look forward to meeting new people and talking and laughing. I didn't do that tonight."
I realized that most of this month has been like that. And I don't regret any of it. We've made incredible progress with RSDM - getting a website up, meeting with the police, doing TV interviews, receiving invitations to speak at meetings. But now I'm worn out and need a break.
It's not just RSDM. It's all the other little things I need to get done. As of yesterday I still hadn't renewed my car tags. So I drove out to the CarreFour center at Poplar and Kirby, in the center with Borders bookstore, where I've always had good luck renewing my tags in the past. What I found was an empty office, with a note on the door that it had moved 2 miles further to the east.
I realized there was no way I could drive even farther out, get the renewal done, and still make it back to Midtown in my lunch hour. So I said to myself, screw it, I'll do it tomorrow, still one day left in the month. I took my laptop and headed into Borders. I fired it up, ordered a drink, and sat down.
Then I discovered that Borders no longer offers free Wi-Fi. They now charge for it, using the same system that Starbucks does. So I had just wasted four bucks on a drink and couldn't connect. My lunch hour was a complete waste.
Later in the afternoon, the guy who cuts my hair called. He had his floors waxed recently and they had taken apart his computer system. He asked if I could come out after work and put everything back together. He and I trade out - he cuts my hair for free and I provide computer consulting for free. Over the past year, I have come out way ahead on the deal - I've needed haircuts far more often than he has needed computer work. So when he said he really needed his computer to be set up in time for Trolley Tour, how could I say no? I owe him. Besides, I thought, hooking up a computer system isn't hard.
Not long after that, a reporter from ABC 24 contacted me about doing an interview about RSDM, to be run on the air that night. They literally wanted me to drop what I was doing and meet for an interview. Fortunately Mike was less busy and was able to take that one.
After work, I went out to set up the computer system. What I found was a box of assorted equipment and wires lying on the floor. Some of it was part of the computer system, some of it was not. It took 10 minutes just to untangle all the wires. Now, the basics - keyboard, monitor, printer - were no trouble to get set up once I found the cables. But the DSL was a problem. I don't have DSL at home - I have cable - so I'm not familiar with setting it up. A new installation, with the equipment right out of the box, and an instruction manual, I'm sure I could do that. But a box full of random equipment - including several extra phone jacks thrown in the box that may or may not be part of the DSL setup - that's more of a challenge.
So I finally took a guess at which parts were involved in the DSL system and pulled them from the box. Right about then this woman who was the hair stylist's next customer plopped down in the computer chair. "Mind if I sit here to make a phone call?" Geez. It was obvious I was putting the computer system together, and you'd think I just might need access to the front of the computer! So I stood there for about 5 minutes waiting for her to finish her call. Finally she looked up and asked, "Oh, am I in your way?" Hey, ya THINK?
So I attempted a couple of DSL configurations, neither of which worked. Then I tried to plug the phone back in so the salon wouldn't miss any appointment calls. That didn't work either. I tried to get someone to help me - but the hair stylist had a customer, his assistant was busy sweeping up, an artist was sitting in a corner working on a painting, a woman was getting her nails done in a different part of the shop, and back in the back a couple of people were looking at some women's clothing items being sold there. It was chaos.
Finally I got the hair stylist's attention and he asked how I was doing. "I gotta be honest with you, I can't figure out what any of this stuff is," pointing to the box of tangled wires and equipment.
"Typical computer guy!" said the woman with the cell phone. I wanted to strangle her.
Finally I got the basics hooked up - no DSL though - and he thanked me and I left. I drove home. All right, I thought, I've got an hour to relax and get in a better state of mind, then I'll hit the Peabody rooftop.
Then the fire alarm in my building went off. So I got to walk down 13 flights of stairs and wait 25 minutes for the fire department to determine it was a false alarm. A friend of mine who is an accountant, who had an appointment with someone in the building, walked up. He's a great guy and usually I'm happy to see him. But I was so worn out, my mindset was, "Great, one more person I have to talk to." My voice was cracking as I talked. I sounded like a 14-year-old boy.
Finally they let us back up. I got on the computer, answered a few e-mails, drank some water.
Then the fire alarm went off again. This time I didn't even bother going down. If I die, I die, I thought. So I sat there and listened to that damn siren for 20 minutes.
By then it was 8:00. My nerves were fried. I didn't even attempt the Peabody rooftop. I just wanted to go sit in the Tap Room and drink a beer. Some girls in tube tops walked by. I thought, those are the girls I would've talked to if I hadn't had such a crappy day.
My mood actually improved once I was at the Tap Room. It's one of those places I can always depend on. The bartender welcomed me back (it's been a while since I've been there), and some friends came in and I talked with them. I snapped the pic of myself at the bar. Mike called and said the interview came off really well on TV.
So now it's lunchtime today. I decided that I just don't have it in me to go to the vehicle renewal place and stand in that long line. Screw it. I'll renew the tags on Wednesday and just not drive the car between this afternoon and then. If I get pulled over by a cop Wednesday morning on the way to work for expired tags, so be it. Surely they're lenient the first few days of the month on that kind of thing. Not sure if I'll have to pay some kind of penalty for renewing late. If that's the case, again, so be it. But it's not happening today.
So, here's the plan for this weekend. I'll be at Trolley Tour tonight. I'm going by myself. If I find a group of people I feel like hanging out with, great. If I end up hanging out by myself all night, that's fine too. Maybe I'll jump from group to group. But I'm going to do what I want, all weekend, without obligations or responsibilities. I've got to have this weekend to be me.
I'll probably be at Sleep Out's for Sunday brunch. There will also be a point where I'll probably break off from the group and do my own thing. I'm not doing Sunday poker night. I may go to Blues City and see FreeWorld Sunday night, but I'm leaving it open until I get there. Not sure from where I'll be viewing Monday's fireworks, but I have 3 days to figure that out. Not sure whether I'll do trivia Tuesday or something else, but I have 4 days to figure that out.
One thing's for sure: I'm going to do exactly what I want for the next 4 days, not anything else, and I'm going to have a great time doing it. By Wednesday I will be recharged, energized, ready to go.
I'll still be making blog posts throughout the weekend as the mood strikes me. The major announcement I promised will be posted sometime this afternoon.
11:38 AM
Friday, June 30, 2006
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
From: jen-sized
Don't call me a harlot ever again.
First I would like to impart the wisdom I obtained last night: Don't go to Beale Street on a Monday night. Particularly to Coyote Ugly. Although during our brief jaunt downtown I got some free crap. Nothing too glorious, just some Mardi Gras beads from Pat O's as consolation that they, like all the half-decent bars on Beale, were closing; and some guy gave me a Red Stripe bottle opener keychain that I'll probably never use.
I think I've also figured out why I keep getting violent hangovers every time I drink beer and shots. Last night I had a car bomb, two shots of whiskey, and two Jager shots, which usually comes back to haunt me the next day. However, last night I only drank a total of 1.25 beers, and though I was a little groggy this morning, I feel great.
When we were driving out of Seattle to head eastbound to the Gorge, we got a chance to check out their listener-supported radio station, KEXP. They played the Decemberists and some Sufjan (maybe? it was something I like, I remember that much) and a mashup, and I decided that KEXP is pretty much the best radio station I've ever heard. I have a KEXP button on my bag that I got at the festival, in fact.
The stuff I'm doing at work this week and next is a little repetitive -- mundane, even, so yesterday I sought out a radio station I could listen to on iTunes. Lo and behold, KEXP webcasts, and they have a real-time playlist on their site. Today I've heard Tapes n' Tapes, The Arcade Fire, Doves, Radiohead, Lily Allen, Matthew Sweet, Beirut, Hot Chip, Atmosphere... just to name a few. So if you're at work and need something to keep you awake, I highly recommend tuning in to KEXP. The link to the 128 Kbps stream is here and you can keep up with the playlist here.
-jen 06.27.06
First I would like to impart the wisdom I obtained last night: Don't go to Beale Street on a Monday night. Particularly to Coyote Ugly. Although during our brief jaunt downtown I got some free crap. Nothing too glorious, just some Mardi Gras beads from Pat O's as consolation that they, like all the half-decent bars on Beale, were closing; and some guy gave me a Red Stripe bottle opener keychain that I'll probably never use.
I think I've also figured out why I keep getting violent hangovers every time I drink beer and shots. Last night I had a car bomb, two shots of whiskey, and two Jager shots, which usually comes back to haunt me the next day. However, last night I only drank a total of 1.25 beers, and though I was a little groggy this morning, I feel great.
When we were driving out of Seattle to head eastbound to the Gorge, we got a chance to check out their listener-supported radio station, KEXP. They played the Decemberists and some Sufjan (maybe? it was something I like, I remember that much) and a mashup, and I decided that KEXP is pretty much the best radio station I've ever heard. I have a KEXP button on my bag that I got at the festival, in fact.
The stuff I'm doing at work this week and next is a little repetitive -- mundane, even, so yesterday I sought out a radio station I could listen to on iTunes. Lo and behold, KEXP webcasts, and they have a real-time playlist on their site. Today I've heard Tapes n' Tapes, The Arcade Fire, Doves, Radiohead, Lily Allen, Matthew Sweet, Beirut, Hot Chip, Atmosphere... just to name a few. So if you're at work and need something to keep you awake, I highly recommend tuning in to KEXP. The link to the 128 Kbps stream is here and you can keep up with the playlist here.
-jen 06.27.06
Monday, June 26, 2006
From: Letters to Larry
Pickles
Larry,
I know that it's been awhile. What can I say in my defense. Not jack. I'm just lazy, plain and simple. I did just find something that might amuse you. Over at Boing Boing, they pointed me over to You Tube to watch a clip from the Maury Povich show. Pretty funny but it's got to be fake. How can anyone be afraid of pickles? Clowns, I get. Heck, I'm afraid of bugs, snakes, heights, public speaking, balloons popping, anything with the capacity to fly-the list goes on. Pickles? Outrageous!
I feel better about myself after having seen that.
I hope that you are well. Much more about my weekend is forthcoming.
Paul
[Find link at original post]
Larry,
I know that it's been awhile. What can I say in my defense. Not jack. I'm just lazy, plain and simple. I did just find something that might amuse you. Over at Boing Boing, they pointed me over to You Tube to watch a clip from the Maury Povich show. Pretty funny but it's got to be fake. How can anyone be afraid of pickles? Clowns, I get. Heck, I'm afraid of bugs, snakes, heights, public speaking, balloons popping, anything with the capacity to fly-the list goes on. Pickles? Outrageous!
I feel better about myself after having seen that.
I hope that you are well. Much more about my weekend is forthcoming.
Paul
[Find link at original post]
Saturday, June 24, 2006
From: Blake's Blog
Cancel the posse, Mayo's been bagged
If you worry about crime in this community, start worrying a little harder.
It seems the cops are even having trouble catching 69-year-old grandmothers. I am referring, of course, to the harder-than-it-should-have-been police pursuit this week of Verline Mayo, a former poll worker indicted on charges of conspiring to help Ophelia Ford win last fall's District 29 state Senate race.
The Shelby County Sheriff's Office got a warrant to arrest Mayo about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, but the deputies' quarry proved as elusive as Osama bin Laden juiced up on Geritol.
Deputies first tried to apprehend Mayo at the hospital, where she was being treated in the emergency room for a minor injury. Alas, she checked out just moments before they arrived.
Next, a deputy tried to call Mayo and inform her about the warrant by telephone, but she apparently hung up. Go figure.
Then deputies entered her daughter's home through a window (a "Gestapo" tactic, as Mayo later described it) and conducted a fruitless search for the wily suspect.
Finally, a few minutes after a Wednesday morning press conference in which Dist. Atty. Gen. Bill Gibbons announced that Mayo was on the run, she turned herself in and was bonded out of jail.
Mayo stands accused of voting on behalf of dead people, but she seems pretty lively herself. Had she stayed on the lam a little longer, I wouldn't have been surprised to see her face popping up on one of those "Wanted" posters at the post office.
Now, I realize these indictments are part of a serious criminal investigation, but it's hard not to laugh. The alternative is to cry.
If you worry about crime in this community, start worrying a little harder.
It seems the cops are even having trouble catching 69-year-old grandmothers. I am referring, of course, to the harder-than-it-should-have-been police pursuit this week of Verline Mayo, a former poll worker indicted on charges of conspiring to help Ophelia Ford win last fall's District 29 state Senate race.
The Shelby County Sheriff's Office got a warrant to arrest Mayo about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, but the deputies' quarry proved as elusive as Osama bin Laden juiced up on Geritol.
Deputies first tried to apprehend Mayo at the hospital, where she was being treated in the emergency room for a minor injury. Alas, she checked out just moments before they arrived.
Next, a deputy tried to call Mayo and inform her about the warrant by telephone, but she apparently hung up. Go figure.
Then deputies entered her daughter's home through a window (a "Gestapo" tactic, as Mayo later described it) and conducted a fruitless search for the wily suspect.
Finally, a few minutes after a Wednesday morning press conference in which Dist. Atty. Gen. Bill Gibbons announced that Mayo was on the run, she turned herself in and was bonded out of jail.
Mayo stands accused of voting on behalf of dead people, but she seems pretty lively herself. Had she stayed on the lam a little longer, I wouldn't have been surprised to see her face popping up on one of those "Wanted" posters at the post office.
Now, I realize these indictments are part of a serious criminal investigation, but it's hard not to laugh. The alternative is to cry.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
From: The Daily Helmsman
What could be better than beer and pizza on Friday night after a long week of classes?
Try an iPod.
According to the recent Student Monitor LLC's Lifestyle & Media survey, iPods dethroned beer for the first time since 1997, as the thing that college students want most. The survey polled 600 college students from around the country.
Freshman criminal justice major Ashley Parker agreed with the result of iPods over beer.
"Instead of carrying around a big old CD player or radio, you can just carry an iPod," she said. "And you can have lots of songs depending on the iPod."
While the survey results showed iPods over beer as number one, it also listed the other top "in" things on college campuses across the country.
The other top "in" things include Facebook.com, which tied for second place with beer, then drinking other alcohol and text messaging came in fourth and fifth.
Some people are glad that beer has been knocked from its throne.
"I think college students focus on beer too much because of peer pressure," said Michael Wright, a sophomore architecture major. "And they are trying to fit in when they don't have to. They are trying to be someone they aren't."
Yet, it seems that text messaging is the big hit around campus.
"To me, you can say a lot through a text message," Parker said. "It's an easier way to communicate with my friends."
While it may be easier, text messaging can also fill in during the times that a person couldn't talk.
"I think that text messaging is the thing that I would want most," said Nicole Jiles, freshman criminal justice major. "Sometimes you are not able to talk to someone, so you can tell them through a text message."
Having a quick and easy way to communicate is a good thing. However sometimes it is not always the best thing.
"I think that there is too much text messaging going on," Wright said. "I've seen students stop taking notes in class to check and see if they have text messages and if they do, they will then text the person back. It's distracting to students' education and to what else is going on."
Even though text messaging is included in the list of top "in" things, cell phones themselves are not.
And some feel that they should be.
"I think cell phones need to be in the list," said Brionne Schmidt, freshman nursing major. "You can't go without communicating with people. And sometimes you can even e-mail people from your phone."
Yet, Schmidt did agree with one of the things on the list.
She agreed with wanting coffee, which ranked 10th.
"It keeps me up at night to study," she said.
Rounding out the list of the 10 "in" things was downloading music which was sixth, followed by going to clubs, instant messaging, working out and coffee.
"I probably couldn't live without working out," Wright said. "Keeping my workout schedule is one thing that I want."
Try an iPod.
According to the recent Student Monitor LLC's Lifestyle & Media survey, iPods dethroned beer for the first time since 1997, as the thing that college students want most. The survey polled 600 college students from around the country.
Freshman criminal justice major Ashley Parker agreed with the result of iPods over beer.
"Instead of carrying around a big old CD player or radio, you can just carry an iPod," she said. "And you can have lots of songs depending on the iPod."
While the survey results showed iPods over beer as number one, it also listed the other top "in" things on college campuses across the country.
The other top "in" things include Facebook.com, which tied for second place with beer, then drinking other alcohol and text messaging came in fourth and fifth.
Some people are glad that beer has been knocked from its throne.
"I think college students focus on beer too much because of peer pressure," said Michael Wright, a sophomore architecture major. "And they are trying to fit in when they don't have to. They are trying to be someone they aren't."
Yet, it seems that text messaging is the big hit around campus.
"To me, you can say a lot through a text message," Parker said. "It's an easier way to communicate with my friends."
While it may be easier, text messaging can also fill in during the times that a person couldn't talk.
"I think that text messaging is the thing that I would want most," said Nicole Jiles, freshman criminal justice major. "Sometimes you are not able to talk to someone, so you can tell them through a text message."
Having a quick and easy way to communicate is a good thing. However sometimes it is not always the best thing.
"I think that there is too much text messaging going on," Wright said. "I've seen students stop taking notes in class to check and see if they have text messages and if they do, they will then text the person back. It's distracting to students' education and to what else is going on."
Even though text messaging is included in the list of top "in" things, cell phones themselves are not.
And some feel that they should be.
"I think cell phones need to be in the list," said Brionne Schmidt, freshman nursing major. "You can't go without communicating with people. And sometimes you can even e-mail people from your phone."
Yet, Schmidt did agree with one of the things on the list.
She agreed with wanting coffee, which ranked 10th.
"It keeps me up at night to study," she said.
Rounding out the list of the 10 "in" things was downloading music which was sixth, followed by going to clubs, instant messaging, working out and coffee.
"I probably couldn't live without working out," Wright said. "Keeping my workout schedule is one thing that I want."
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
From: artbutcher
Fat Lazy Americans Looking for a Job
well
well
well
it seems
that many of you
did not like
the post before
the post before
it seems
that you think
it was too long
and
you
no attention span having people
do not like shit stories
oh well
there is always forever
and
sometime within that forever
you may be able
to learn to read something
longer than 20 lines
speaking of no attention span
and shit stories
i just figured out why
i have not been able
to find a "real" job
i was watching bob schieffer
it is a evening news program
you know
the one katie couric
is fixing to host
anyways
there was this story
of potential employers
googling potential employees
and finding that potential empoyees
myspace or facebook profile
which describes in perfect drunken prose
how they like doing beer bongs
during their lunch break
or has pictures
of the lacrosse teams birthday party
well
i can see how that
would keep you from a job
so i googled myself
something i do
about once a week
and this blog does come up
so after they get my resume
and those potential employers google me
they will read
i yell
at my fellow employees
for getting blamed
for using the bathroom
those employers
also find out
i have a foot fetish
love circus freaks
suicide girls
has a certification to steal cars
and has an affinity for midgets
now
why would that keep me
from getting a "real" job
i will never know
i guess i have to refine
my "real" job search
and lay it all out on the table
and send you my resume
or go back to repoing
or go deliver pizzas
oh how terrible
speaking of tables
i can not wait until
you get to see
my table top
for the p and h cafe
note to fellow bloggers
see
there is always something about art
speaking of art
be sure to catch the new number inc
an independent journal for the arts
where you can see
the world traveling tads
duel at dawn
with joel hilgenberg
you will also read in the editorial
who am i kidding
no one reads editorials anymore
but if you do
or if you will now
you will see the great write-up
leslie lubbers did for artmemphis.net
oh
by the way
you will also read
my interview with will o'loughlin
i am a published by someone else writer now
its like christmas in june
speaking of christmas
the georgias birthday is sunday
posted by dwayne @ 10:21 PM
well
well
well
it seems
that many of you
did not like
the post before
the post before
it seems
that you think
it was too long
and
you
no attention span having people
do not like shit stories
oh well
there is always forever
and
sometime within that forever
you may be able
to learn to read something
longer than 20 lines
speaking of no attention span
and shit stories
i just figured out why
i have not been able
to find a "real" job
i was watching bob schieffer
it is a evening news program
you know
the one katie couric
is fixing to host
anyways
there was this story
of potential employers
googling potential employees
and finding that potential empoyees
myspace or facebook profile
which describes in perfect drunken prose
how they like doing beer bongs
during their lunch break
or has pictures
of the lacrosse teams birthday party
well
i can see how that
would keep you from a job
so i googled myself
something i do
about once a week
and this blog does come up
so after they get my resume
and those potential employers google me
they will read
i yell
at my fellow employees
for getting blamed
for using the bathroom
those employers
also find out
i have a foot fetish
love circus freaks
suicide girls
has a certification to steal cars
and has an affinity for midgets
now
why would that keep me
from getting a "real" job
i will never know
i guess i have to refine
my "real" job search
and lay it all out on the table
and send you my resume
or go back to repoing
or go deliver pizzas
oh how terrible
speaking of tables
i can not wait until
you get to see
my table top
for the p and h cafe
note to fellow bloggers
see
there is always something about art
speaking of art
be sure to catch the new number inc
an independent journal for the arts
where you can see
the world traveling tads
duel at dawn
with joel hilgenberg
you will also read in the editorial
who am i kidding
no one reads editorials anymore
but if you do
or if you will now
you will see the great write-up
leslie lubbers did for artmemphis.net
oh
by the way
you will also read
my interview with will o'loughlin
i am a published by someone else writer now
its like christmas in june
speaking of christmas
the georgias birthday is sunday
posted by dwayne @ 10:21 PM
Monday, June 19, 2006
From: Life In & Around Memphis
[Photos included at original blog post]
Weekend Recap
Yeah yeah yeah. You're tired of waiting on my weekend recap to get here. Well here it is.
Friday I got off work and was driving home. I decided to be good and stopped by the gym first. I had a nice workout and went home. On the way home I was making the "what the hell are we doing tonight" calls. I called the former Shady Duchess. She was on the other line so I left her a voicemail:
"Hey. How are you? I'm well. I really hope you're doing OK now that you can't wear your crown anymore when you go out in public. Are you going to be OK with being a normal person again or do we need to schedule counseling or something for post-Carnival depression?"
Ok, I didn't really say that verbatim, but that's basically what I said. I got the call 3 minutes later:
"That was so horrible. How could you say that? You don't know how much I miss it. I was just talking to (another duchess) saying how I couldn't believe that I actually had a weekend without a party scheduled."
She told me that she was going out with two friends from college who are newlyweds, V (wife) & K (husband). I told her I'd meet her at her place around 8. I showed up around 8:45. I walked in and she offered me a beer. I got a nice, cold Michelob Ultra. Halfway through I felt like a woman after 28 days. I felt bloated. I really felt like someone had taken an air hose and filled up my torso with about 25 lbs of air. I did appreciate the beer, of course, but damn if I forgot how much Ultra sucks. Of course it is a "weight loss" beer. You drink one and you feel full.
So we duck out of the apartment and head out to Newby's first. Someone suggests that we all ride in one car. They said "Hey, Philip do you mind driving? We've all been drinking for over an hour." I tell them if two of them want to crawl in the backseat of a truck, we can take my car. Otherwise, I'm driving someone else's ride. We take the former Shady Duchess's Nissan Riceburner. I don't know what kind it specifically was, but she had the seat up close to the steering wheel and the top leaned back. I was flexing, yall. After I adjusted everything to make it drivable (sp?), she put in some crappy rap mix. We roll to Newby's at 9:30. It was dead. We stayed there about 2 hours. We got there and saw our buddy Little L.
After a beer, I order a jagerbomb for myself and K. I heard them talking earlier about how much he likes jager. Then the ladies decided to start taking buttery-nipples. Ever had one? It's totally a chick shot. (By the time I left the group that night they had done about 12 between the two of them). We hung out and shot the proverbial shiznit for a while.
Funny story! While we were there, there was some dude sitting on my right. Apparently he was on a strict budget, because he was keeping track everytime he ordered a beer. How do I know this? Because he had only 30-something in cash and was trying to drink as much as possible in beer and be able to leave a tip. I think at his last beer he had his $28 on his tab. I don't remember exactly how much Bud Light was, but he was nice and shithoused. How do we know he was f'ed up? Well the best clue was when he kept shouting to another couple down the bar and they wouldn't pay him any attention. He asked me to get their attention. I said "excuse me, but this guy would like to tell you something apparently." He then said the following words (I shite you not):
"Yall are a great couple. I mean you've got it going on. Good for you."
Some of you (read: my women readers) may say "Aww, that was so sweet of him." Well read it now as he said it:
"Listenyallareagreat couple! I mean you've got...it...going...on. Goodforyou."
Sound a little creepy? It kinda was. Somehow I got associated with him in the dude's mind. By the way, dude of the couple was NOT happy. He just stared and looked at us both. The drunk to my right was trying to give them a compliment, but it came off all creepy. It turns out that they have been married for 7 years and yada yada yada. But apparently drunk dude was in love with some girl (hmm...I wonder where she was on a Friday night) and felt this cosmic bond with the rest of the lovers in our world. Everytime he sees a sunset, his heart fills with love and hope for the rest of us. Or as he tried to explain it to them:
"You'rereallylucky. I just found a great girl. And yall are really lucky. We've been together about month. And yall areagreatcouple. She is really special to me so I feel it. You've got...it...going...on."
This of course segue wayed into a conversation between that married couple and the married couple in our group. You know the conversations married couples who don't know each other have:
So how long have you been married?
Oh that's a pretty ring?
Do you have any kids yet?
When are you going to have kids?
blah blah blah
The former Shady Duchess and I both rolled our eyes. Oh yeah, she is no longer called the Shady Duchess. She renamed herself by accident. We were talking about God knows what when she said "Yeah, I can't be called a duchess anymore (or even a Shady Duchess). Now I'm just a Hasbeen." So she is now our official 'Hasbeen of the Month'. What's her prize? She can by me a drink.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the only quote of the night. V apparently has a tendency to say funny things without meaning to. The girls were using the women's facilities when V pronounced to the Hasbeen the following statement:
"It's hot and I'm stuck in the bathroom!"
Yeah, I know it's not the funniest thing I've ever heard either, but they were laughing and made me promise to post it if I actually wrote anything about that night.
After a while I decided that it was in my best interest to clog my arteries. So I ordered Newby's smothered tots. Let me explain how great these are: tater tots with ketchup & sour cream on the side. The tots are covered in melted cheese and bacon bits. Sounds great right? It is. Well apparently V is a big fan of eating while drinking. Here are three pics of her eating and trying to hide it. Think I made her a little self conscious?
Yeah I do too. FYI, the brunette is the Hasbeen. The blonde is V. K is in the green shirt. They are really cool folks and I hope we can hang out again.
So after a while, we left and went to Brookhaven. I stayed out until about 12:45. I caught a cab home because I had to the family thing Saturday. I'm glad I did because they stayed out drinking till 3. Little L met us out there and drove them home after his shift.
Saturday I drove to Batesville for an early Father's Day with my grandfather. When I got there I found that my 7 year old cousin was there too. Guess what that means? A slightly hungover 26 year old in loafers gets to play baseball with a 7 year old. Yeah! It actually was a lot of fun. I got home around probably 5 or 6PM. I was going to go out with the Hasbeen again, but she didn't call me back until 8:45 to make plans. By that point I had my weekend's moment of clarity and decided to stay in. So yeah, I didn't do anything Saturday night. And you know what? I had a blast.
Sunday I spent most of my time doing laundry and watching World Cup. I don't even remember who we watched, but it was all good. I picked up my grandmother and drove to the 'rent's house in G'town. We had steaks and lots of food. Dad got a new DVD player because he'd had the same one since the mid-90s. No, I don't think you understand how old this is. When you put in a DVD, you have a menu on the player itself pop up on screen that asks what you want to do. How 'tarded is that? It simply blows my mind. There were no subtitle capabilities with it (at least none that were worth anything). On top of the DVD player, I got him Band of Brothers. If you've never seen that and you like war movies, I highly recommend it. I love it. It is a 10 episode mini-series from HBO that tells the story of the 101st Airborne from training through the end of WWII. Amazing.
I raced home after dropping my grandmother off and caught Entourage. I missed Deadwood but I'll catch it today after I get home.
Alright, I'm outta here. I hope you had a good weekend.
Songs on the Playlist:Widespread Panic - Heroes
Widespread Panic - Wondering
The Black Crowes - Soul Singing
George Clinton & Parliament - Flashlight
The Black Crowes - Jealous Again
David Gray - This Year's Love
The Beatles - I Am The Walrus
Garth Brooks - Two Pina Coladas
Weezer - Say It Ain't So
Dave Matthews Band - So Much To Say
Green Day - American Idiot
Van Halen - Can't Stop Loving You
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Fishin In The Dark
posted by Philip
Weekend Recap
Yeah yeah yeah. You're tired of waiting on my weekend recap to get here. Well here it is.
Friday I got off work and was driving home. I decided to be good and stopped by the gym first. I had a nice workout and went home. On the way home I was making the "what the hell are we doing tonight" calls. I called the former Shady Duchess. She was on the other line so I left her a voicemail:
"Hey. How are you? I'm well. I really hope you're doing OK now that you can't wear your crown anymore when you go out in public. Are you going to be OK with being a normal person again or do we need to schedule counseling or something for post-Carnival depression?"
Ok, I didn't really say that verbatim, but that's basically what I said. I got the call 3 minutes later:
"That was so horrible. How could you say that? You don't know how much I miss it. I was just talking to (another duchess) saying how I couldn't believe that I actually had a weekend without a party scheduled."
She told me that she was going out with two friends from college who are newlyweds, V (wife) & K (husband). I told her I'd meet her at her place around 8. I showed up around 8:45. I walked in and she offered me a beer. I got a nice, cold Michelob Ultra. Halfway through I felt like a woman after 28 days. I felt bloated. I really felt like someone had taken an air hose and filled up my torso with about 25 lbs of air. I did appreciate the beer, of course, but damn if I forgot how much Ultra sucks. Of course it is a "weight loss" beer. You drink one and you feel full.
So we duck out of the apartment and head out to Newby's first. Someone suggests that we all ride in one car. They said "Hey, Philip do you mind driving? We've all been drinking for over an hour." I tell them if two of them want to crawl in the backseat of a truck, we can take my car. Otherwise, I'm driving someone else's ride. We take the former Shady Duchess's Nissan Riceburner. I don't know what kind it specifically was, but she had the seat up close to the steering wheel and the top leaned back. I was flexing, yall. After I adjusted everything to make it drivable (sp?), she put in some crappy rap mix. We roll to Newby's at 9:30. It was dead. We stayed there about 2 hours. We got there and saw our buddy Little L.
After a beer, I order a jagerbomb for myself and K. I heard them talking earlier about how much he likes jager. Then the ladies decided to start taking buttery-nipples. Ever had one? It's totally a chick shot. (By the time I left the group that night they had done about 12 between the two of them). We hung out and shot the proverbial shiznit for a while.
Funny story! While we were there, there was some dude sitting on my right. Apparently he was on a strict budget, because he was keeping track everytime he ordered a beer. How do I know this? Because he had only 30-something in cash and was trying to drink as much as possible in beer and be able to leave a tip. I think at his last beer he had his $28 on his tab. I don't remember exactly how much Bud Light was, but he was nice and shithoused. How do we know he was f'ed up? Well the best clue was when he kept shouting to another couple down the bar and they wouldn't pay him any attention. He asked me to get their attention. I said "excuse me, but this guy would like to tell you something apparently." He then said the following words (I shite you not):
"Yall are a great couple. I mean you've got it going on. Good for you."
Some of you (read: my women readers) may say "Aww, that was so sweet of him." Well read it now as he said it:
"Listenyallareagreat couple! I mean you've got...it...going...on. Goodforyou."
Sound a little creepy? It kinda was. Somehow I got associated with him in the dude's mind. By the way, dude of the couple was NOT happy. He just stared and looked at us both. The drunk to my right was trying to give them a compliment, but it came off all creepy. It turns out that they have been married for 7 years and yada yada yada. But apparently drunk dude was in love with some girl (hmm...I wonder where she was on a Friday night) and felt this cosmic bond with the rest of the lovers in our world. Everytime he sees a sunset, his heart fills with love and hope for the rest of us. Or as he tried to explain it to them:
"You'rereallylucky. I just found a great girl. And yall are really lucky. We've been together about month. And yall areagreatcouple. She is really special to me so I feel it. You've got...it...going...on."
This of course segue wayed into a conversation between that married couple and the married couple in our group. You know the conversations married couples who don't know each other have:
So how long have you been married?
Oh that's a pretty ring?
Do you have any kids yet?
When are you going to have kids?
blah blah blah
The former Shady Duchess and I both rolled our eyes. Oh yeah, she is no longer called the Shady Duchess. She renamed herself by accident. We were talking about God knows what when she said "Yeah, I can't be called a duchess anymore (or even a Shady Duchess). Now I'm just a Hasbeen." So she is now our official 'Hasbeen of the Month'. What's her prize? She can by me a drink.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the only quote of the night. V apparently has a tendency to say funny things without meaning to. The girls were using the women's facilities when V pronounced to the Hasbeen the following statement:
"It's hot and I'm stuck in the bathroom!"
Yeah, I know it's not the funniest thing I've ever heard either, but they were laughing and made me promise to post it if I actually wrote anything about that night.
After a while I decided that it was in my best interest to clog my arteries. So I ordered Newby's smothered tots. Let me explain how great these are: tater tots with ketchup & sour cream on the side. The tots are covered in melted cheese and bacon bits. Sounds great right? It is. Well apparently V is a big fan of eating while drinking. Here are three pics of her eating and trying to hide it. Think I made her a little self conscious?
Yeah I do too. FYI, the brunette is the Hasbeen. The blonde is V. K is in the green shirt. They are really cool folks and I hope we can hang out again.
So after a while, we left and went to Brookhaven. I stayed out until about 12:45. I caught a cab home because I had to the family thing Saturday. I'm glad I did because they stayed out drinking till 3. Little L met us out there and drove them home after his shift.
Saturday I drove to Batesville for an early Father's Day with my grandfather. When I got there I found that my 7 year old cousin was there too. Guess what that means? A slightly hungover 26 year old in loafers gets to play baseball with a 7 year old. Yeah! It actually was a lot of fun. I got home around probably 5 or 6PM. I was going to go out with the Hasbeen again, but she didn't call me back until 8:45 to make plans. By that point I had my weekend's moment of clarity and decided to stay in. So yeah, I didn't do anything Saturday night. And you know what? I had a blast.
Sunday I spent most of my time doing laundry and watching World Cup. I don't even remember who we watched, but it was all good. I picked up my grandmother and drove to the 'rent's house in G'town. We had steaks and lots of food. Dad got a new DVD player because he'd had the same one since the mid-90s. No, I don't think you understand how old this is. When you put in a DVD, you have a menu on the player itself pop up on screen that asks what you want to do. How 'tarded is that? It simply blows my mind. There were no subtitle capabilities with it (at least none that were worth anything). On top of the DVD player, I got him Band of Brothers. If you've never seen that and you like war movies, I highly recommend it. I love it. It is a 10 episode mini-series from HBO that tells the story of the 101st Airborne from training through the end of WWII. Amazing.
I raced home after dropping my grandmother off and caught Entourage. I missed Deadwood but I'll catch it today after I get home.
Alright, I'm outta here. I hope you had a good weekend.
Songs on the Playlist:Widespread Panic - Heroes
Widespread Panic - Wondering
The Black Crowes - Soul Singing
George Clinton & Parliament - Flashlight
The Black Crowes - Jealous Again
David Gray - This Year's Love
The Beatles - I Am The Walrus
Garth Brooks - Two Pina Coladas
Weezer - Say It Ain't So
Dave Matthews Band - So Much To Say
Green Day - American Idiot
Van Halen - Can't Stop Loving You
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Fishin In The Dark
posted by Philip
Saturday, June 17, 2006
From: Battlepanda
Um...
Dick Cheney believes that the War in Iraq is partially responsible for the fact that we haven't been hit in five years by Al Qaida. Based on what? The fact that the Al Qaida in Iraq organization has grown from a non-entity to a menace responsible, directly or indirectly, for 90% of the suicide attacks in Iraq?
"Iraq was a safe haven for terrorists, it had a guy running it who had started
two wars, who had produced and used weapons of mass destruction. Taking down
Saddam Hussein was exactly the right thing to do," he said.
"It's also, I
think, in part responsible for the fact that we haven't been hit again in nearly
five years. That's no accident," Cheney said.
"The fact is, we've taken the
battle to the enemy. That's been the key to the safety and security of the
American people these last few years, and we need to continue to do it," he
said.
"There have been attacks all over the world, in London and Madrid and
Bali and Istanbul, as well as New York and Washington; that the key to our
success to date has been to actively and aggressively go on offense," he said.
What train of though is he trying to follow here? There's so many non-sequitors I feel like I'm getting whiplash just by reading it. Cheney establish that Saddam Hussein is A Bad Guy. Then jumped to 9/11 and how we have not gotten hit in 5 years without bothering to acknowledge that the enemy we took the battle to wasn't the enemy that hit us on 9/11. Furthermore, there's some consensus that the London and Madrid attacks were in part precipitated by England and Spain's involvement in the Iraq War. In fact, there was much nasty "surrender-monkey" talk over the fact that Spain elected an anti-war candidate (who probably would have won anyway) in the wake of the attack. Now somehow that attack is being used as evidence of the success of our "active and aggressive" policy? Was there anything the real world could have thrown at Cheney that would have caused him to reconsider his reasoning? I'm sure if there had been no terrorist attacks after 9/11, he would have crowed that the invasion was a smashing success. But then again, if there had been many attacks, he would have similarly considered himself vindicated for correctly assessing the threat. It is often said that the definition of insanity is to repeat the same course of action over and over and expecting a different outcome. Perhaps there should be a corollary that it is equally insane to attempt to explain away any number of outcomes with the same reasoning.
Posted by Angelica
Dick Cheney believes that the War in Iraq is partially responsible for the fact that we haven't been hit in five years by Al Qaida. Based on what? The fact that the Al Qaida in Iraq organization has grown from a non-entity to a menace responsible, directly or indirectly, for 90% of the suicide attacks in Iraq?
"Iraq was a safe haven for terrorists, it had a guy running it who had started
two wars, who had produced and used weapons of mass destruction. Taking down
Saddam Hussein was exactly the right thing to do," he said.
"It's also, I
think, in part responsible for the fact that we haven't been hit again in nearly
five years. That's no accident," Cheney said.
"The fact is, we've taken the
battle to the enemy. That's been the key to the safety and security of the
American people these last few years, and we need to continue to do it," he
said.
"There have been attacks all over the world, in London and Madrid and
Bali and Istanbul, as well as New York and Washington; that the key to our
success to date has been to actively and aggressively go on offense," he said.
What train of though is he trying to follow here? There's so many non-sequitors I feel like I'm getting whiplash just by reading it. Cheney establish that Saddam Hussein is A Bad Guy. Then jumped to 9/11 and how we have not gotten hit in 5 years without bothering to acknowledge that the enemy we took the battle to wasn't the enemy that hit us on 9/11. Furthermore, there's some consensus that the London and Madrid attacks were in part precipitated by England and Spain's involvement in the Iraq War. In fact, there was much nasty "surrender-monkey" talk over the fact that Spain elected an anti-war candidate (who probably would have won anyway) in the wake of the attack. Now somehow that attack is being used as evidence of the success of our "active and aggressive" policy? Was there anything the real world could have thrown at Cheney that would have caused him to reconsider his reasoning? I'm sure if there had been no terrorist attacks after 9/11, he would have crowed that the invasion was a smashing success. But then again, if there had been many attacks, he would have similarly considered himself vindicated for correctly assessing the threat. It is often said that the definition of insanity is to repeat the same course of action over and over and expecting a different outcome. Perhaps there should be a corollary that it is equally insane to attempt to explain away any number of outcomes with the same reasoning.
Posted by Angelica
Friday, June 16, 2006
Thursday, June 15, 2006
From: Downtown Books
My Bookish Blog Roll
I mentioned to someone the other day thay I read about 20 websites - forums, blogs, and online news - daily. Then they said "I wish I could see your blog roll". (Not being a techno-type, but being too cool to admit I had not a clue as to what they were talking about, I said maybe we could work something out, and smiled knowingly.)
After looking the term up, I decided to show some of the blogs I read often. This being a book oriented site, I have restricted myself to the book related (for the most part) blogs.
In no particular order, here goes.
http://bibliophile.blogs.com/whitlock_bookstore/
http://sarahsbooksusedrare.blogspot.com/
http://www.bigbadbookblog.com/
http://www.themillionsblog.com/
http://jdszazdibooks.blogspot.com/
http://biblioarchy.blogspot.com/
http://foggygates.blogspot.com/
http://www.tjbible.blogspot.com/
http://www.writtenroad.com/
http://www.bibliophilebullpen.com/
Enjoy!
posted by Hugh Hollowell
I mentioned to someone the other day thay I read about 20 websites - forums, blogs, and online news - daily. Then they said "I wish I could see your blog roll". (Not being a techno-type, but being too cool to admit I had not a clue as to what they were talking about, I said maybe we could work something out, and smiled knowingly.)
After looking the term up, I decided to show some of the blogs I read often. This being a book oriented site, I have restricted myself to the book related (for the most part) blogs.
In no particular order, here goes.
http://bibliophile.blogs.com/whitlock_bookstore/
http://sarahsbooksusedrare.blogspot.com/
http://www.bigbadbookblog.com/
http://www.themillionsblog.com/
http://jdszazdibooks.blogspot.com/
http://biblioarchy.blogspot.com/
http://foggygates.blogspot.com/
http://www.tjbible.blogspot.com/
http://www.writtenroad.com/
http://www.bibliophilebullpen.com/
Enjoy!
posted by Hugh Hollowell
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
From: Paul Ryburn's Journal
South Main Association meeting - once again, incredible progress made
Last night Mike King and I attended the South Main Neighborhood Association as representatives of our brand-new organization, Residents for a Safer Downtown Memphis. For the second day in a row we found ourselves getting positive results beyond our wildest expectations. Here are some of the notes I took on the meeting:
- Fresh Air Flicks will be back at the South Main Trolley Tour in June. For those of you not familiar with this, they set up a screen in the empty lot next door to Gestures and show movies outdoors, with popcorn and refreshments available. This month's movie will be American Graffiti. Afterward, the Minivan Blues Band will be playing at The Warehouse, which is the building behind Earnestine & Hazel's and across GE Patterson from the Power House.
- This Saturday at the Memphis Farmers' Market (7 am to 1 pm, corner of Front and GE Patterson) there will be red tomatoes, sweet corn and Japanese eggplant in addition to lots of other produce. The South Main Association will be there selling cookbooks and T-shirts at their booth.
- Soul Knows No Color, a group of Memphis City Schools kids who attend classes at Overton during the summer, will put on a performance at the Orpheum Thursday, June 29. There will be an art auction before the show. I was in the back of the room and couldn't hear very well, so if anyone has more details on this please let me know. I did hear that there are 165 kids on the waiting list to get into this arts program. When you have kids who WANT to go to school in the summer, that's a good sign. Kudos to MCS.
- There's concern that a new development group may be planning to demolish the historic Chisca Hotel at Main and Linden. The Chisca is famous as the location where a DJ first played Elvis' 1954 hit "That's All Right Mama" on the radio. A new development group out of Chicago has drawn up a site plan for a Hilton Garden Inn that didn't have half the Chisca in it. They do have the capability of building their hotel without demolishing the Chisca (they're being allowed to close off Mulberry to create a continuous piece of land from Main to Second), but we don't know that they've given up on demolition. They'd have to go to the Landmarks Commission to get permission to demolish, but even if they do the City Council could reverse the decision.
- Shelton Clothiers, on the Main Street Mall just north of Peabody Place, will have its first anniversary party from 5-9 pm Friday, June 23. There will be live music, and food from the Majestic. You can sign up at sheltonclothiers.com and get an invitation to attend. I'd like to personally ask you all to come out and support Shelton - we talked to the owner for a while last night after the meeting, and he gave Residents for a Safer Downtown Memphis his complete support, even offering to set up a meeting for us with Peabody Place security.
- Then my neighbor Paul Morris got up to speak about panhandling. Paul leads the Center City Commission's Just Say No to Panhandling effort. Below are some notes from his talk.
- The Just Say No effort is divided into three prongs: education, social services, and enforcement. $7000 was raised and half went to education (e.g. the Just Say No signs that are all over downtown), and the other half went to social services.
- The panhandlers and the homeless are two different groups. The true homeless rarely bother anyone and find social services and use them. The people we see panhandling usually have places to live (I heard a great story related to this point that I'll turn into a separate blog post) and see their panhandling revenue as extra income to spend on drugs and alcohol.
- It takes two to panhandle. If we all say no to panhandlers, they'll have no reason to be on the streets. You're saying no to the behavior, not the person. Instead you can redirect your generosity to social services. Social services provide a legitimate reason for us to say no.
- For the third leg, enforcement, Paul's group has met with Inspector Mhoon of the South Main Substation several times, and has also talked with District Attorney Bill Gibbons about creative ways to enforce laws panhandlers violate (both the panhandling ordinance and other laws).
- One roadblock is that panhandling is a city ordinance. By state law, violations of city ordinances can carry a maximum of a $50 fine and no jail time. Now, there are ways around that. If a panhandler is cited for a $50 violation, he has to show up in court. If he doesn't, then he can be charged with contempt of court which IS a state charge, and one that can land him in jail. Cops can also look for other state laws to charge panhandlers with - for example, if they touch you, that's battery, which can send them to jail.
- Paul said that studies in other cities indicate that the #1 solution to the panhandling problem is not arresting people, but a walking police presence. That's why we MUST push MPD to follow through on their promise from Monday's meeting to have walking patrols on the streets of downtown.
- Then Paul did something absolutely incredible and fantastic and wonderful. He said, "One thing I'm really excited about is a new organization that just got started to do something positive about crime down here - Paul Ryburn and Mike King are starting a new group called Residents for a Safer Downtown Memphis." And Mike got to come up and give a 30-second plug for our new organization. THANK YOU PAUL M.! We had no idea he was going to do that.
- Immediately afterward, I saw a woman get Mike's attention and they went to a back corner of the room to talk. What's that about, I wondered. Before the end of the meeting, I'd find out.
- Officer James Boyland then took the floor to continue the panhandling discussion. He said that a lot of panhandling violations get dismissed in court - the assistant DA will tell them that those are minor violations that aren't worth the trouble to prosecute (i.e. they'll cost more to prosecute than the $50 revenue the fine will bring in). Recently MPD picked up a bum who was cursing at people, disturbing the peace, and generally disturbing the quality of life for residents and tourists downtown - and the DA dropped the charges and he was back on the street. Does anyone know who we should talk to in the DA's office to complain about the dropping of these charges?
- Someone asked about scalping. Scalping is considered vending inside the downtown historic district, and therefore the scalpers must have a permit if they do business within 300 feet of an area bordered by the river on the west, Third on the east, Mill on the north, and GE Patterson on the south (he wasn't positive about the south boundary, may be Carolina).
- My good friend Monte Hawes was introduced as the coordinator of South Main's Neighborhood Watch program. I tracked him down after the meeting and made plans for him to meet with us sometime in the next week.
- Then they announced that next month's South Main Association meeting will be on July 11, at the Happy Mexican. Margaritas... yum! Then she announced the featured speakers... Kevin Kane of the Convention & Visitors Bureau will be speaking on tourism... and MIKE KING OF RESIDENTS FOR A SAFER DOWNTOWN MEMPHIS will be speaking about community involvement to fight crime! That's why Mike got pulled aside earlier in the meeting... to get put on next month's agenda. I was stunned when I heard the news. This organization has been around for less than a week and we already have a speaking engagement in front of one of downtown's most important groups.
- After the meeting, it took us an hour to get out of there. People kept coming up to us, wanting to talk. Everyone was offering their support. Real estate agents and developers were asking what they could do to help - just having them on board is quite a bit of help, and I'm thrilled that they see that this is to their long-term benefit. Business owners were offering meeting space, contacts - even money. Which brings me to a question... right now, I'm guessing we can't accept their money, as the IRS would look upon it as personal income. What do we need to do to file for nonprofit status? When I was on Mpact's board I remember seeing their 501(c)(3) paperwork, but I never actually had to deal with any of it. If you've been through this and know what we should do, e-mail us at saferdowntownmemphis@gmail.com.
- I'm working furiously to pull a website together for the organization, since Mike told everyone it would be up in 48 hours. I have the site's front page done and at this point am just waiting for the server settings to take effect so I can transfer the files up. As soon as all that's done, all official communication will go through that site, and this will go back to being my personal blog.
That's all for now. Look for an official announcement of the new site in the next day or two.
-12:08 PM
Last night Mike King and I attended the South Main Neighborhood Association as representatives of our brand-new organization, Residents for a Safer Downtown Memphis. For the second day in a row we found ourselves getting positive results beyond our wildest expectations. Here are some of the notes I took on the meeting:
- Fresh Air Flicks will be back at the South Main Trolley Tour in June. For those of you not familiar with this, they set up a screen in the empty lot next door to Gestures and show movies outdoors, with popcorn and refreshments available. This month's movie will be American Graffiti. Afterward, the Minivan Blues Band will be playing at The Warehouse, which is the building behind Earnestine & Hazel's and across GE Patterson from the Power House.
- This Saturday at the Memphis Farmers' Market (7 am to 1 pm, corner of Front and GE Patterson) there will be red tomatoes, sweet corn and Japanese eggplant in addition to lots of other produce. The South Main Association will be there selling cookbooks and T-shirts at their booth.
- Soul Knows No Color, a group of Memphis City Schools kids who attend classes at Overton during the summer, will put on a performance at the Orpheum Thursday, June 29. There will be an art auction before the show. I was in the back of the room and couldn't hear very well, so if anyone has more details on this please let me know. I did hear that there are 165 kids on the waiting list to get into this arts program. When you have kids who WANT to go to school in the summer, that's a good sign. Kudos to MCS.
- There's concern that a new development group may be planning to demolish the historic Chisca Hotel at Main and Linden. The Chisca is famous as the location where a DJ first played Elvis' 1954 hit "That's All Right Mama" on the radio. A new development group out of Chicago has drawn up a site plan for a Hilton Garden Inn that didn't have half the Chisca in it. They do have the capability of building their hotel without demolishing the Chisca (they're being allowed to close off Mulberry to create a continuous piece of land from Main to Second), but we don't know that they've given up on demolition. They'd have to go to the Landmarks Commission to get permission to demolish, but even if they do the City Council could reverse the decision.
- Shelton Clothiers, on the Main Street Mall just north of Peabody Place, will have its first anniversary party from 5-9 pm Friday, June 23. There will be live music, and food from the Majestic. You can sign up at sheltonclothiers.com and get an invitation to attend. I'd like to personally ask you all to come out and support Shelton - we talked to the owner for a while last night after the meeting, and he gave Residents for a Safer Downtown Memphis his complete support, even offering to set up a meeting for us with Peabody Place security.
- Then my neighbor Paul Morris got up to speak about panhandling. Paul leads the Center City Commission's Just Say No to Panhandling effort. Below are some notes from his talk.
- The Just Say No effort is divided into three prongs: education, social services, and enforcement. $7000 was raised and half went to education (e.g. the Just Say No signs that are all over downtown), and the other half went to social services.
- The panhandlers and the homeless are two different groups. The true homeless rarely bother anyone and find social services and use them. The people we see panhandling usually have places to live (I heard a great story related to this point that I'll turn into a separate blog post) and see their panhandling revenue as extra income to spend on drugs and alcohol.
- It takes two to panhandle. If we all say no to panhandlers, they'll have no reason to be on the streets. You're saying no to the behavior, not the person. Instead you can redirect your generosity to social services. Social services provide a legitimate reason for us to say no.
- For the third leg, enforcement, Paul's group has met with Inspector Mhoon of the South Main Substation several times, and has also talked with District Attorney Bill Gibbons about creative ways to enforce laws panhandlers violate (both the panhandling ordinance and other laws).
- One roadblock is that panhandling is a city ordinance. By state law, violations of city ordinances can carry a maximum of a $50 fine and no jail time. Now, there are ways around that. If a panhandler is cited for a $50 violation, he has to show up in court. If he doesn't, then he can be charged with contempt of court which IS a state charge, and one that can land him in jail. Cops can also look for other state laws to charge panhandlers with - for example, if they touch you, that's battery, which can send them to jail.
- Paul said that studies in other cities indicate that the #1 solution to the panhandling problem is not arresting people, but a walking police presence. That's why we MUST push MPD to follow through on their promise from Monday's meeting to have walking patrols on the streets of downtown.
- Then Paul did something absolutely incredible and fantastic and wonderful. He said, "One thing I'm really excited about is a new organization that just got started to do something positive about crime down here - Paul Ryburn and Mike King are starting a new group called Residents for a Safer Downtown Memphis." And Mike got to come up and give a 30-second plug for our new organization. THANK YOU PAUL M.! We had no idea he was going to do that.
- Immediately afterward, I saw a woman get Mike's attention and they went to a back corner of the room to talk. What's that about, I wondered. Before the end of the meeting, I'd find out.
- Officer James Boyland then took the floor to continue the panhandling discussion. He said that a lot of panhandling violations get dismissed in court - the assistant DA will tell them that those are minor violations that aren't worth the trouble to prosecute (i.e. they'll cost more to prosecute than the $50 revenue the fine will bring in). Recently MPD picked up a bum who was cursing at people, disturbing the peace, and generally disturbing the quality of life for residents and tourists downtown - and the DA dropped the charges and he was back on the street. Does anyone know who we should talk to in the DA's office to complain about the dropping of these charges?
- Someone asked about scalping. Scalping is considered vending inside the downtown historic district, and therefore the scalpers must have a permit if they do business within 300 feet of an area bordered by the river on the west, Third on the east, Mill on the north, and GE Patterson on the south (he wasn't positive about the south boundary, may be Carolina).
- My good friend Monte Hawes was introduced as the coordinator of South Main's Neighborhood Watch program. I tracked him down after the meeting and made plans for him to meet with us sometime in the next week.
- Then they announced that next month's South Main Association meeting will be on July 11, at the Happy Mexican. Margaritas... yum! Then she announced the featured speakers... Kevin Kane of the Convention & Visitors Bureau will be speaking on tourism... and MIKE KING OF RESIDENTS FOR A SAFER DOWNTOWN MEMPHIS will be speaking about community involvement to fight crime! That's why Mike got pulled aside earlier in the meeting... to get put on next month's agenda. I was stunned when I heard the news. This organization has been around for less than a week and we already have a speaking engagement in front of one of downtown's most important groups.
- After the meeting, it took us an hour to get out of there. People kept coming up to us, wanting to talk. Everyone was offering their support. Real estate agents and developers were asking what they could do to help - just having them on board is quite a bit of help, and I'm thrilled that they see that this is to their long-term benefit. Business owners were offering meeting space, contacts - even money. Which brings me to a question... right now, I'm guessing we can't accept their money, as the IRS would look upon it as personal income. What do we need to do to file for nonprofit status? When I was on Mpact's board I remember seeing their 501(c)(3) paperwork, but I never actually had to deal with any of it. If you've been through this and know what we should do, e-mail us at saferdowntownmemphis@gmail.com.
- I'm working furiously to pull a website together for the organization, since Mike told everyone it would be up in 48 hours. I have the site's front page done and at this point am just waiting for the server settings to take effect so I can transfer the files up. As soon as all that's done, all official communication will go through that site, and this will go back to being my personal blog.
That's all for now. Look for an official announcement of the new site in the next day or two.
-12:08 PM
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
From: Smart City Memphis
Forbes Magazine Slaps Local PILOT Program
From Forbes magazine this week comes this report on the PILOT program that waives more than $50 million a year (city and county taxes combined; this article only addresses city tax freezes):
States and cities lure businesses with promises of tax abatements and other goodies. They'd do better with broad-based tax cuts.
The recent Supreme Court decision validating state tax incentives for corporations looked like a triumph for tax-cutting. But it was a Pyrrhic victory. Targeted tax cuts aimed at attracting particular employers are bad policy--bad for the states and bad, in the long run, for the corporations that are the intended beneficiaries.
For decades now targeted tax incentives have been a favorite elixir of state and local politicians in depressed communities. But targeted tax incentives don't spur real growth. Quite the contrary. While across-the-board tax cuts expand economic activity, targeted tax incentives are inevitably financed at the expense of established businesses. Today's winner of a targeted tax break is tomorrow's victim of a broad increase in business taxes. Assuming, that is, that this employer sticks around.
Memphis, Tenn.'s Payment-in-Lieu-of-Tax (Pilot) program is a case in point. For 18 years Pilot has created property tax holidays (of up to 15 years) for businesses adding jobs in the city. The cost, as measured by local and state authorities in the last thorough study (for 2002), was 7.4% of property tax revenue, or $23 million a year.
What does Memphis get for its $23 million? According to a study paid for by the city, Pilot created 65,000 jobs between 1988 and 2000. But that claim is tough to reconcile with the city's unemployment rate. In 1990 the rate equaled the national average. Now, at 7%, it's two points above the national level. Memphis' poverty rate is 21.5%, twice the national average.
Here are a few more damning numbers: Between 1993 and 2002, 21 companies in Memphis received Pilots but then had the Pilot terminated, usually because the company didn't live up to the promises it had made in order to win the tax breaks. In that same time period another 19 companies that got Pilots and kept their promises by staying a certain number of years eventually left the city for greener pastures.
One specific example: SubmitOrder.com, a now defunct order-fulfillment company for Internet retailers. In 2000 the company promised to invest $79 million and generate 971 jobs with a median wage of $27,600. In exchange, the city granted SubmitOrder a 15-year property tax freeze. SubmitOrder stayed in Memphis for just one year and generated only 50 jobs during that time. Neither the company nor city officials foresaw the bursting of the tech bubble, but the fact that their crystal ball was on the fritz illustrates the obvious problems associated with extending tax breaks into a murky future.
Many companies that received Pilots did indeed stay in Memphis. But it's tough to say that the Pilots were the reason. Some would have come to Memphis anyway, and others lobbied to receive extended tax exemptions. Who wouldn't? Electrical equipment maker Thomas & Betts, for instance, has become one of the most successful businesses in Memphis. It received a 15-year tax incentive in 1996. But it's impossible to know whether the company would have come to Memphis without Pilot.
Memphis city leaders know that the Pilot program hasn't produced the desired results. This month the city council is voting on a proposal to move the power to award tax breaks from a nonpartisan development board to the council itself. But such a change would fix nothing. Rather, it would simply add a layer of politics and favor-courting to an ineffective program.
Unfortunately, the mere existence of tax-incentive programs can hinder deeper reform. In Memphis city expenditures have increased by 27% in real terms in the last ten years, while reserves have dwindled.
So, what's a city to do?
The answer is surprisingly simple. Keep taxes low across the board. Don't grant favors. Cities and states that pursue nondiscriminatory reforms, like reining in taxes, debt and public spending, will enjoy the most robust growth. Remove barriers rather than trying to steer economic growth to this favored corporation or that one.
posted by Smart City Consulting
From Forbes magazine this week comes this report on the PILOT program that waives more than $50 million a year (city and county taxes combined; this article only addresses city tax freezes):
States and cities lure businesses with promises of tax abatements and other goodies. They'd do better with broad-based tax cuts.
The recent Supreme Court decision validating state tax incentives for corporations looked like a triumph for tax-cutting. But it was a Pyrrhic victory. Targeted tax cuts aimed at attracting particular employers are bad policy--bad for the states and bad, in the long run, for the corporations that are the intended beneficiaries.
For decades now targeted tax incentives have been a favorite elixir of state and local politicians in depressed communities. But targeted tax incentives don't spur real growth. Quite the contrary. While across-the-board tax cuts expand economic activity, targeted tax incentives are inevitably financed at the expense of established businesses. Today's winner of a targeted tax break is tomorrow's victim of a broad increase in business taxes. Assuming, that is, that this employer sticks around.
Memphis, Tenn.'s Payment-in-Lieu-of-Tax (Pilot) program is a case in point. For 18 years Pilot has created property tax holidays (of up to 15 years) for businesses adding jobs in the city. The cost, as measured by local and state authorities in the last thorough study (for 2002), was 7.4% of property tax revenue, or $23 million a year.
What does Memphis get for its $23 million? According to a study paid for by the city, Pilot created 65,000 jobs between 1988 and 2000. But that claim is tough to reconcile with the city's unemployment rate. In 1990 the rate equaled the national average. Now, at 7%, it's two points above the national level. Memphis' poverty rate is 21.5%, twice the national average.
Here are a few more damning numbers: Between 1993 and 2002, 21 companies in Memphis received Pilots but then had the Pilot terminated, usually because the company didn't live up to the promises it had made in order to win the tax breaks. In that same time period another 19 companies that got Pilots and kept their promises by staying a certain number of years eventually left the city for greener pastures.
One specific example: SubmitOrder.com, a now defunct order-fulfillment company for Internet retailers. In 2000 the company promised to invest $79 million and generate 971 jobs with a median wage of $27,600. In exchange, the city granted SubmitOrder a 15-year property tax freeze. SubmitOrder stayed in Memphis for just one year and generated only 50 jobs during that time. Neither the company nor city officials foresaw the bursting of the tech bubble, but the fact that their crystal ball was on the fritz illustrates the obvious problems associated with extending tax breaks into a murky future.
Many companies that received Pilots did indeed stay in Memphis. But it's tough to say that the Pilots were the reason. Some would have come to Memphis anyway, and others lobbied to receive extended tax exemptions. Who wouldn't? Electrical equipment maker Thomas & Betts, for instance, has become one of the most successful businesses in Memphis. It received a 15-year tax incentive in 1996. But it's impossible to know whether the company would have come to Memphis without Pilot.
Memphis city leaders know that the Pilot program hasn't produced the desired results. This month the city council is voting on a proposal to move the power to award tax breaks from a nonpartisan development board to the council itself. But such a change would fix nothing. Rather, it would simply add a layer of politics and favor-courting to an ineffective program.
Unfortunately, the mere existence of tax-incentive programs can hinder deeper reform. In Memphis city expenditures have increased by 27% in real terms in the last ten years, while reserves have dwindled.
So, what's a city to do?
The answer is surprisingly simple. Keep taxes low across the board. Don't grant favors. Cities and states that pursue nondiscriminatory reforms, like reining in taxes, debt and public spending, will enjoy the most robust growth. Remove barriers rather than trying to steer economic growth to this favored corporation or that one.
posted by Smart City Consulting
Monday, June 12, 2006
Bonus Post: From: Half-Bakered
Would You Like to Meet a Blogger?
Interesting observation from a political candidate-blogger about the bloggers bash:
Political ideology aside, it sounds like a wonderful opportunity to meet some of the people behind the blogs. Only catch is, you have to be a blogger to attend.
That raises an obvious question. Is there any interest in having some kind of "Meet the Memphis blogosphere" kind of event?
There have been blog panels at various events around town. I know Rachel's done them, as has Jon. I've even done one, about a year ago.
But I'm thinking maybe some kind of social/media event with an eye to getting us on the news or in the paper. Something to raise our profiles. And maybe something to let a curious public who read blogs and comment on them but don't blog themselves get to hang out with us. I know some of my commenters have wanted to attend a bash.
Yeah, that's a fairly formless idea, I know. But is there any interest?
posted by mike hollihan
Interesting observation from a political candidate-blogger about the bloggers bash:
Political ideology aside, it sounds like a wonderful opportunity to meet some of the people behind the blogs. Only catch is, you have to be a blogger to attend.
That raises an obvious question. Is there any interest in having some kind of "Meet the Memphis blogosphere" kind of event?
There have been blog panels at various events around town. I know Rachel's done them, as has Jon. I've even done one, about a year ago.
But I'm thinking maybe some kind of social/media event with an eye to getting us on the news or in the paper. Something to raise our profiles. And maybe something to let a curious public who read blogs and comment on them but don't blog themselves get to hang out with us. I know some of my commenters have wanted to attend a bash.
Yeah, that's a fairly formless idea, I know. But is there any interest?
posted by mike hollihan
Sunday, June 11, 2006
From: Urf!
Doing Stuff
In an effort to bring the kids down from a week of doing stuff with their Nonna, who had been here visiting from the swamps of south Florida, we decided that we would have to do stuff with the kids today. Two of The Quartet spent the night with their grandparents last night, so we took GK and JP to breakfast at Brother Juniper’s. GK was born two weeks ago today and this was her first dining out experience. I’m afraid she was terribly bored by it all – she slept through the whole thing.
We went out to pick up C and S and then surprised them by taking them to a movie. I would rather have sat around watching the World Cup matches, but Sunday is my only day off work and The Quartet get it in their heads the other six days that they want to spend a day doing stuff with me. It was supposed to be 105 degrees today, making Peabody Park out of the question, so we went to see Cars. Or, as JP called it as we pulled into the parking lot of the theater, “Disney’s new movie, Cars!”
Pixar, once again, went above and beyond with the animation in the movie. However, I put all of their movies up against Toy Story, which I still think is their best, and which this one didn’t even come close to. I didn’t realize that there were not going to be any people characters in Cars. There were cars in the stands watching the cars race, which was weird. C and JP really seemed to enjoy the movie. S, exhausted from either staying up too late at Grandma’s, or from picking on JP through most of the movie, fell asleep for the last 15 minutes. GK told me later that the film left her feeling hollow, like that last scene in Planet of the Apes. These cars seemed to inhabit a world that was built by humans for humans – there were buildings everywhere, obviously meant to house people, and tractors which, presumably, would have been used to harvest food. “Where were all the people?” she asked. “Did the machinery rise up and destroy the population like an episode of Twilight Zone or a Philip K. Dick novel?” I didn’t have the answers. Damn you, Walt Disney!
So it was a big day for doing stuff and for GK – her first breakfast out and her first movie, which led directly into her first lecture from Daddy on how movies are too expensive when they really needn’t be, and that the snack bar is an unconscionable scam which should be investigated by the federal government. The cost, by the way, for two adults and one child having breakfast at Brother Juniper’s: $26. The cost for two adults taking three of-age kids to the movie with large popcorn, Coke and bottled water: $40. The cost of spending time with my kids on my only day off: $66.
birthed by RJA
In an effort to bring the kids down from a week of doing stuff with their Nonna, who had been here visiting from the swamps of south Florida, we decided that we would have to do stuff with the kids today. Two of The Quartet spent the night with their grandparents last night, so we took GK and JP to breakfast at Brother Juniper’s. GK was born two weeks ago today and this was her first dining out experience. I’m afraid she was terribly bored by it all – she slept through the whole thing.
We went out to pick up C and S and then surprised them by taking them to a movie. I would rather have sat around watching the World Cup matches, but Sunday is my only day off work and The Quartet get it in their heads the other six days that they want to spend a day doing stuff with me. It was supposed to be 105 degrees today, making Peabody Park out of the question, so we went to see Cars. Or, as JP called it as we pulled into the parking lot of the theater, “Disney’s new movie, Cars!”
Pixar, once again, went above and beyond with the animation in the movie. However, I put all of their movies up against Toy Story, which I still think is their best, and which this one didn’t even come close to. I didn’t realize that there were not going to be any people characters in Cars. There were cars in the stands watching the cars race, which was weird. C and JP really seemed to enjoy the movie. S, exhausted from either staying up too late at Grandma’s, or from picking on JP through most of the movie, fell asleep for the last 15 minutes. GK told me later that the film left her feeling hollow, like that last scene in Planet of the Apes. These cars seemed to inhabit a world that was built by humans for humans – there were buildings everywhere, obviously meant to house people, and tractors which, presumably, would have been used to harvest food. “Where were all the people?” she asked. “Did the machinery rise up and destroy the population like an episode of Twilight Zone or a Philip K. Dick novel?” I didn’t have the answers. Damn you, Walt Disney!
So it was a big day for doing stuff and for GK – her first breakfast out and her first movie, which led directly into her first lecture from Daddy on how movies are too expensive when they really needn’t be, and that the snack bar is an unconscionable scam which should be investigated by the federal government. The cost, by the way, for two adults and one child having breakfast at Brother Juniper’s: $26. The cost for two adults taking three of-age kids to the movie with large popcorn, Coke and bottled water: $40. The cost of spending time with my kids on my only day off: $66.
birthed by RJA
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Bonus Post: From: Rock'n'Roll Minor Planets
Last Night's Party [Blogger Bash]
Often, what is weird and uncomfortable at first ends up being quite pleasureable after a while, if you stick with it. Sports are always like that for me, and so was my high school reunion. Now, so was last night's blogger's bash, but I was not surprised at that. I arrived about an hour after it started (having opted for a shower after my flyer-hanging sweat-a-thon) and then hung out with Sarah from Lantana Project. I was just putting off going over to the table of middle-aged white guys as long as I could, though I knew I'd eventually have to make my way over there. In the meantime, I think a lesbian tried to pick me up. I could be wrong, of course, but straight women don't often introduce themselves to women who are complete strangers. She was sort of with the group, though, so maybe I made it all up in my head (she did give me her email, though).
So I finally wandered over to sit by the artbutcher (aka Dwayne). As David (aka WestTN Liberal) noted, "conservatives come early & leave early, and the liberals come late & stay late," which is how I prefer it. Suppose that's cause I'm a liberal, right? I knew ML and Lindsay wouldn't make it, having recently resigned from the blogosphere, but I was sorry Brandon and Paul didn't show up, or Rachel #2, or Sarah---or or any other girls besides me for that matter---but I'm sort of glad Charly wasn't there as I suspect she would be exhausting to be around. Everyone there was pretty low-key, except for the charming autoegocrat. I thought for a moment he was going to lose it, and it was going to be all my fault (forgot what it was I said as his reaction was so much more spectacular than whatever provoked it), but luckily the explosion was over as quickly as it began.
Some discussion was had on the gender issue, i.e. Why don't women seem to blog as much as men? The general consensus was that xanga & livejournal-type bloggers don't consider themselves true bloggers per se. I also think women bloggers may be less likely to show up to an even which is:
A. Dominated by middle-aged white guys, and
B. Likely to expose them to stalking.
Not that I think I'm exposed to stalking as a result of going to the P&H last night, or even as a result of blogging, period. But I think many people think the internet is another area where women should be too afraid for their physical safety to speak up. I think that because that is the first thing about half the people to whom I mention my blog ask me. Then they ask where to find it. (Duh, if I've just met you, and you mention stalking, am I likely to help you stalk me? just kidding, I tell some people). Unfortunately, that sort of fear works on a lot of us.
There were some other noticable gaps in attendance as well. Neither Phillip nor Joseph (who is on hiatus) attended, and they are two other non-political fellow bloggers---Dwayne & I were certainly holding down that minority. I'm still sorry I missed the last one, but I always seem to be out of town when they hold these things. I was glad to finally meet Brock---who doesn't look like a Brock at all, more like a Steven or Allen to me---and to see the Freedonian again, who added one to the liberal mix. There were many others I didn't get a chance to chat with, so I'm voting for another one in 2-3 months (rather than waiting 6 this time).
posted by Serrabee
Often, what is weird and uncomfortable at first ends up being quite pleasureable after a while, if you stick with it. Sports are always like that for me, and so was my high school reunion. Now, so was last night's blogger's bash, but I was not surprised at that. I arrived about an hour after it started (having opted for a shower after my flyer-hanging sweat-a-thon) and then hung out with Sarah from Lantana Project. I was just putting off going over to the table of middle-aged white guys as long as I could, though I knew I'd eventually have to make my way over there. In the meantime, I think a lesbian tried to pick me up. I could be wrong, of course, but straight women don't often introduce themselves to women who are complete strangers. She was sort of with the group, though, so maybe I made it all up in my head (she did give me her email, though).
So I finally wandered over to sit by the artbutcher (aka Dwayne). As David (aka WestTN Liberal) noted, "conservatives come early & leave early, and the liberals come late & stay late," which is how I prefer it. Suppose that's cause I'm a liberal, right? I knew ML and Lindsay wouldn't make it, having recently resigned from the blogosphere, but I was sorry Brandon and Paul didn't show up, or Rachel #2, or Sarah---or or any other girls besides me for that matter---but I'm sort of glad Charly wasn't there as I suspect she would be exhausting to be around. Everyone there was pretty low-key, except for the charming autoegocrat. I thought for a moment he was going to lose it, and it was going to be all my fault (forgot what it was I said as his reaction was so much more spectacular than whatever provoked it), but luckily the explosion was over as quickly as it began.
Some discussion was had on the gender issue, i.e. Why don't women seem to blog as much as men? The general consensus was that xanga & livejournal-type bloggers don't consider themselves true bloggers per se. I also think women bloggers may be less likely to show up to an even which is:
A. Dominated by middle-aged white guys, and
B. Likely to expose them to stalking.
Not that I think I'm exposed to stalking as a result of going to the P&H last night, or even as a result of blogging, period. But I think many people think the internet is another area where women should be too afraid for their physical safety to speak up. I think that because that is the first thing about half the people to whom I mention my blog ask me. Then they ask where to find it. (Duh, if I've just met you, and you mention stalking, am I likely to help you stalk me? just kidding, I tell some people). Unfortunately, that sort of fear works on a lot of us.
There were some other noticable gaps in attendance as well. Neither Phillip nor Joseph (who is on hiatus) attended, and they are two other non-political fellow bloggers---Dwayne & I were certainly holding down that minority. I'm still sorry I missed the last one, but I always seem to be out of town when they hold these things. I was glad to finally meet Brock---who doesn't look like a Brock at all, more like a Steven or Allen to me---and to see the Freedonian again, who added one to the liberal mix. There were many others I didn't get a chance to chat with, so I'm voting for another one in 2-3 months (rather than waiting 6 this time).
posted by Serrabee
From: Memphis Scene
Roller Madness
Wear your helmet, knee and elbow pads and -- knowing these roller girls -- a supporter and cup.
Posted by Mark Richens
Wear your helmet, knee and elbow pads and -- knowing these roller girls -- a supporter and cup.
Posted by Mark Richens
Friday, June 09, 2006
From: memphis.cool.movies
LI’L FILM FEST 2
Live From Memphis™ Presents LI’L FILM FEST 2: it’s BBQ ya’ll! A theme-based, mini-festival – the second one ever.
Live From Memphis™ is announcing round 2 of its quarterly film fest “Li’l Film Fest” to take place on June 17, 2006 at 2pm. Sponsored by Churchill Studios HD Production and Post, the Festival will be held at the Memphis Digital Arts Co-operative (1000 S. Cooper Memphis, TN 38104).
The following is a list of accepted films and filmmakers:
"The Nine Circles of BBQ Hell" Brett Hanover
"Christopher Lloyd’s" Erik Morrison
"Good Slaw and Good Pork" Jon W. Sparks
"Lunch" Nick Ross
"The Champ" David Thompson
"Pig in a Poke" Morgan Jon Fox and Brett Hanover
"The Doctrine and Aesthetics of Pig-Husbandry" Adam and Melissa Remsen
"Divine Intervention" Christopher Reyes
"Plenty for Days" Eric Swartz
"The Guys Who Make the Movie Poster but Never Finish the Script" Valibus
"Barb-e-que" Sarah Fleming
"What It’s All About" Tammy Marqueerius
The event is free and open to the public; Live From Memphis and the MeDiA Co-op will be accepting donations. Support Local Filmmakers!
For more information about the LI’L FILM FEST go here or call: (901) 523-9763. Li’l Film Fest is a new kind of festival, highlighting local talent while showcasing interesting happenings around town.
Here’s how the festival works: Every 3 months LFM staff members announce a new theme to the filmmaking community. Filmmakers then put their own unique spin on producing a short film. The theme for the second Li’l Film Fest is barbecue, meaning that each film submission must somehow relate to barbecue. The winner(s) will be awarded a $200 cash prize and will also be guaranteed a spot in the next Indie Memphis Film Festival. Additionally, the li'l films must not exceed 5 minutes in length.
Live From Memphis™ is a grassroots organization representing Memphis music, film and the arts. We support and promote local musicians, filmmakers, artists, and industry professionals who are the lifeblood of the Memphis creative scene. It is our goal to connect creatives, grow opportunities, and gain exposure for our creative culture.
posted by Jon W. Sparks
Live From Memphis™ Presents LI’L FILM FEST 2: it’s BBQ ya’ll! A theme-based, mini-festival – the second one ever.
Live From Memphis™ is announcing round 2 of its quarterly film fest “Li’l Film Fest” to take place on June 17, 2006 at 2pm. Sponsored by Churchill Studios HD Production and Post, the Festival will be held at the Memphis Digital Arts Co-operative (1000 S. Cooper Memphis, TN 38104).
The following is a list of accepted films and filmmakers:
"The Nine Circles of BBQ Hell" Brett Hanover
"Christopher Lloyd’s" Erik Morrison
"Good Slaw and Good Pork" Jon W. Sparks
"Lunch" Nick Ross
"The Champ" David Thompson
"Pig in a Poke" Morgan Jon Fox and Brett Hanover
"The Doctrine and Aesthetics of Pig-Husbandry" Adam and Melissa Remsen
"Divine Intervention" Christopher Reyes
"Plenty for Days" Eric Swartz
"The Guys Who Make the Movie Poster but Never Finish the Script" Valibus
"Barb-e-que" Sarah Fleming
"What It’s All About" Tammy Marqueerius
The event is free and open to the public; Live From Memphis and the MeDiA Co-op will be accepting donations. Support Local Filmmakers!
For more information about the LI’L FILM FEST go here or call: (901) 523-9763. Li’l Film Fest is a new kind of festival, highlighting local talent while showcasing interesting happenings around town.
Here’s how the festival works: Every 3 months LFM staff members announce a new theme to the filmmaking community. Filmmakers then put their own unique spin on producing a short film. The theme for the second Li’l Film Fest is barbecue, meaning that each film submission must somehow relate to barbecue. The winner(s) will be awarded a $200 cash prize and will also be guaranteed a spot in the next Indie Memphis Film Festival. Additionally, the li'l films must not exceed 5 minutes in length.
Live From Memphis™ is a grassroots organization representing Memphis music, film and the arts. We support and promote local musicians, filmmakers, artists, and industry professionals who are the lifeblood of the Memphis creative scene. It is our goal to connect creatives, grow opportunities, and gain exposure for our creative culture.
posted by Jon W. Sparks
Thursday, June 08, 2006
From: Art Butcher
friday night
at the p and h cafe
is really the only place to be
it is where i will be
if that matters to anyone
the summer bloggers bash
is there first around seven
and yes
we have a bloggers union
here in memphis
it is a time
where we
the bloggers
get together
and discuss
how great we are
how we are changing
the landscape of this city
how we tell people what to think
with regards to
politics
art
music
how people should live their daily lives
there are
many
many blogs in memphis
about memphis
for memphis
and most of those people
will be at the p and h friday night
if you do not have a blog
how are you changing the face of memphis
how i am
changing the face of memphis
i really dont think i am
because no matter
how many art events
i post on this here blog
none of you ever come
hey
art may not be your thang
just like being brainwashed by the right
and going to church
aint my thang
so i dont hold
it against you
so here is another art event
you can not go to
the lantana projects
welcomes
Ann-Marie James to Memphis
a video-audio artist living in london
art
it aint nothing but a good time
more art you say
the world traveling tad
is having an open studio tonight
visit the delta axis website for information
and his art
really is nothing but a good time
but who am i to say
what art is
and what art isnt
but i do know
the sexual orientation
of my friends
but that is not important either
side note
nickname of the week
lush
not really a nickname
more of a fact
do you know what else is a fact
the fact is this aint nothing but a good time
and no
it has nothing to do with
knee high boots
panty hose
socks
midgets
or circus freaks
but sunday
i will be at los compadres
to watch mexico play iran
in some world cup action
you cant tell me
watching the mexicans
play in a mexican bar
will not be a good time
plus
the iranian president
is supposed to be in attendance
the one who has said the holocaust
did not happen
i wonder what the germans
will have to say about that
isnt it illegal in germany
to say the holocaust
does not exist
go mexico
posted by dwayne
at the p and h cafe
is really the only place to be
it is where i will be
if that matters to anyone
the summer bloggers bash
is there first around seven
and yes
we have a bloggers union
here in memphis
it is a time
where we
the bloggers
get together
and discuss
how great we are
how we are changing
the landscape of this city
how we tell people what to think
with regards to
politics
art
music
how people should live their daily lives
there are
many
many blogs in memphis
about memphis
for memphis
and most of those people
will be at the p and h friday night
if you do not have a blog
how are you changing the face of memphis
how i am
changing the face of memphis
i really dont think i am
because no matter
how many art events
i post on this here blog
none of you ever come
hey
art may not be your thang
just like being brainwashed by the right
and going to church
aint my thang
so i dont hold
it against you
so here is another art event
you can not go to
the lantana projects
welcomes
Ann-Marie James to Memphis
a video-audio artist living in london
art
it aint nothing but a good time
more art you say
the world traveling tad
is having an open studio tonight
visit the delta axis website for information
and his art
really is nothing but a good time
but who am i to say
what art is
and what art isnt
but i do know
the sexual orientation
of my friends
but that is not important either
side note
nickname of the week
lush
not really a nickname
more of a fact
do you know what else is a fact
the fact is this aint nothing but a good time
and no
it has nothing to do with
knee high boots
panty hose
socks
midgets
or circus freaks
but sunday
i will be at los compadres
to watch mexico play iran
in some world cup action
you cant tell me
watching the mexicans
play in a mexican bar
will not be a good time
plus
the iranian president
is supposed to be in attendance
the one who has said the holocaust
did not happen
i wonder what the germans
will have to say about that
isnt it illegal in germany
to say the holocaust
does not exist
go mexico
posted by dwayne
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
From: Rock'n'Roll Minor Planets
Fun stuff
Okay, I know it's political, but here's some fun stuff for you:
Vote for your favorite Democratic Presidential candidate. Vote for Clark, while you still have a chance to.
It's not too late to punch an Emo kid today! (Okay, it's not political per se, but it does remind me of Blue States Lose.)
It's not too late to watch Frontline, either--- there's a great epi on tonight titled "The Last Abortion Clinic" (if it is when you read this, click the link for a good mini-show). It made me want to cry.
Our very own Sen. Frist is introducing a bill that would amend the Constitution to ban gay marriage. Cause apparently he has nothing better to do (yet another thing to thank Nashvile for).
posted by Serrabee
[Corrected by Papa. Thanks, Serrabee.]
Okay, I know it's political, but here's some fun stuff for you:
Vote for your favorite Democratic Presidential candidate. Vote for Clark, while you still have a chance to.
It's not too late to punch an Emo kid today! (Okay, it's not political per se, but it does remind me of Blue States Lose.)
It's not too late to watch Frontline, either--- there's a great epi on tonight titled "The Last Abortion Clinic" (if it is when you read this, click the link for a good mini-show). It made me want to cry.
Our very own Sen. Frist is introducing a bill that would amend the Constitution to ban gay marriage. Cause apparently he has nothing better to do (yet another thing to thank Nashvile for).
posted by Serrabee
[Corrected by Papa. Thanks, Serrabee.]
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
From: Dining With Monkeys
Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana
1215 S. Germantown Parkway
901-751-1200
My friend Chip is crazy about Mexican food like I am crazy about Asian food. We went to lunch one day (at Bluefin) and did nothing but talk about food. In addition to convincing me to finally try Edo, he got me really excited about a little place called Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana in Germantown. (Trust me, it is not easy to get me excited about anything outside the ten mile radius of my house.)
When I asked my sister if she had ever tried Las Tortugas, she was decidedly less enthusiastic than Chip. “It’s totally overpriced and has the ambiance of Subway,” she said. “And they won’t have anything the kids will want to eat.”
“Chip says it’s really fresh and the owner goes out and buys the days ingredients each morning before opening,” I countered.
She mulled this information over a bit. “Yeah, it is fresh,” she said. “But it is still overpriced.”
I had my mind made up though. Warren and I took the kids on Friday night after swimming at the Germantown Center for a few hours. “Are you sure it’s open?” Warren asked me as we drove down Germantown Road.
“It better be. I mean, it’s only 8:00pm on a Friday night!” I said exasperated. We had tried eating at Las Tortugas a few weeks earlier, but it was on a Sunday and they were closed. (Chip, I know you warned me, but I had to find out for myself!)
Thankfully, they were open and we shuffled in the door as fast as we could. A very nice (and pretty dreamy) man sat patiently at the register while we quickly scanned the menu. I have to say that the menu featured many things I had never heard of and I was a bit stumped. And there was no children’s menu.
“Do you have anything that kids like to eat?” I asked Senor Dreamy as the monkeys tried to crawl on the counter.
“We have lots of things that kids like to eat,” he purred. As he started to list the items, I tried to remember them, but I got stuck staring into his smiling eyes.
Warren interrupted my reverie and said, “I’ll have the De Carnitas Mexico City (Mexican Pork Barbeque Shoulder).”
Senor Dreamy asked, “Sandwich or tacos?”
“Sandwich,” Warren said.
I scanned the menu some more and found the word Tilapia. (Apparently I had a choice of getting several items either on a sandwich or in a taco. I opted for the fish tacos, one of my all time favorite things to eat. (On my first trip to San Francisco in 1997 to meet my future in-laws, Warren took me to a Mexican restaurant on Haight Street. When he ordered fish tacos, I gave him the same “yuck face” I gave Molly Ringwald in The Breakfast Club when she busted out her sushi lunch during detention.)
Then I ordered a deep fried chicken flauta and a Mango Agua Fresca for the boys to split. Our total was a mildly alarming $28.30. As I looked around the restaurant to find us a place to sit, I noticed that we could watch our food being prepared right behind a glass window next to the register. The monkeys each pulled up a chair and watched as an older gentleman (the owner, I presume) gently grilled my Tilapia. I gathered napkins, plastic forks, and waters for everyone and put them on our table. The mango shake was ready almost immediately and I lured the monkeys away from the grill with it.
The shake, excuse me, agua fresca, was 24 ounces and big enough for all of us to share—especially when the monkeys shunned their portions after one sip. It was plenty yummy, just not sugary like they had hoped. I bought them a bottled lime drink imported from Mexico instead and that satisfied them. By the time I finished this second transaction, our food was ready. Warren and I were quite pleased with our orders and couldn’t wait to dig in.
Satchel, however, pushed his plate aside and said, “I don’t like that green stuff.” His flauta was covered in shredded lettuce and dotted with chipotle sauce. Warren and I gave each other the no, you do it face before I finally broke down and wiped the flauta clean of the icky lettuce and “ketchup.” I cut it up into pieces hoping I could interest Jiro in it, but he was quite content to eat chips and drink his limeade.
My grilled tilapia was wrapped in four separate corn tortillas and dressed with fresh avocado and salsa tayde (a yummy avocado based spicy green sauce). The tacos were served with a small serving of crisp cucumber salad, chips, and a crazy fresh salsa mexicana. I was overcome by how fresh and delicious everything was and really wished the portions were twice as big. Warren gave me a bite of his Mexican Pork Barbeque Shoulder sandwich which was also tasty. (The owner explained to him that the sandwiches were made to look like little turtles, hence the name Las Tortugas.) The pork was thinly sliced and dressed with Mexican cheese, avocado, shredded lettuce, and the salsa tayde.
Once Satchel gobbled up his flauta, he wanted more. “More!” he said over and over again. I quickly glanced at the menu Senor Dreamy had given me to take home and tried to find something else to order. I decided on the Molletes con Pollo (toasted Tortuga bread with chicken, beans, and melted cheese.) When I got to the counter, no one was there. I looked around and noticed the owner standing at the front door chatting with some other patrons. I craned my neck to see if the rest of the staff had snuck out for a smoke break, but I didn’t see anyone. My happy dining experience was threatening to come to an end. Finally the owner noticed me and came over.
“We need more food, “ I said with a smile.
“Oh no,” he said very sadly, “We closed at 8:00pm. All the girls have gone home. What do you want? Maybe it is something I can make by myself.”
“The Molletes,” I said.
“Oh, I need the girls for that,” he said. “How about a…or a…” He started listing several things but I couldn’t understand a word he was saying. I realized at that moment he must be Senor Dreamy’s dad.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Thanks anyway. We’ll try to come earlier next time.” Apparently we had been lucky to get in at all.
I had to break the news to Satchel who was not happy. “I want more food!” he whined. Jiro had run over to the counter and was pointing at the pile of mangos behind the glass. “Apple! Apple!” he demanded.
“What should we do?” I asked Warren.
“Go to McDonald’s?” he said.
“I hate to go to McDonalds after we just spent $30 on fresh and delicious food,” I said.
“Come on guys,” I said to the monkeys. “We can get some more food at home.”
“But I want restaurant food!” Satchel moaned.
I looked at Warren. “We can’t go to another restaurant,” I said.
“Wanna go to McDonald’s?” he asked.
“Oh, yeah!” Satchel said, suddenly elated.
On the way home Satchel ate two hamburgers and Jiro ate two bags of “apple dippers”. They both had chocolate milk. Warren and I had a good laugh at the current state of the Happy Meal and studied the menu for our next trip to Las Tortugas.
posted by Stacey Greenberg @ 1:48 PM
1215 S. Germantown Parkway
901-751-1200
My friend Chip is crazy about Mexican food like I am crazy about Asian food. We went to lunch one day (at Bluefin) and did nothing but talk about food. In addition to convincing me to finally try Edo, he got me really excited about a little place called Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana in Germantown. (Trust me, it is not easy to get me excited about anything outside the ten mile radius of my house.)
When I asked my sister if she had ever tried Las Tortugas, she was decidedly less enthusiastic than Chip. “It’s totally overpriced and has the ambiance of Subway,” she said. “And they won’t have anything the kids will want to eat.”
“Chip says it’s really fresh and the owner goes out and buys the days ingredients each morning before opening,” I countered.
She mulled this information over a bit. “Yeah, it is fresh,” she said. “But it is still overpriced.”
I had my mind made up though. Warren and I took the kids on Friday night after swimming at the Germantown Center for a few hours. “Are you sure it’s open?” Warren asked me as we drove down Germantown Road.
“It better be. I mean, it’s only 8:00pm on a Friday night!” I said exasperated. We had tried eating at Las Tortugas a few weeks earlier, but it was on a Sunday and they were closed. (Chip, I know you warned me, but I had to find out for myself!)
Thankfully, they were open and we shuffled in the door as fast as we could. A very nice (and pretty dreamy) man sat patiently at the register while we quickly scanned the menu. I have to say that the menu featured many things I had never heard of and I was a bit stumped. And there was no children’s menu.
“Do you have anything that kids like to eat?” I asked Senor Dreamy as the monkeys tried to crawl on the counter.
“We have lots of things that kids like to eat,” he purred. As he started to list the items, I tried to remember them, but I got stuck staring into his smiling eyes.
Warren interrupted my reverie and said, “I’ll have the De Carnitas Mexico City (Mexican Pork Barbeque Shoulder).”
Senor Dreamy asked, “Sandwich or tacos?”
“Sandwich,” Warren said.
I scanned the menu some more and found the word Tilapia. (Apparently I had a choice of getting several items either on a sandwich or in a taco. I opted for the fish tacos, one of my all time favorite things to eat. (On my first trip to San Francisco in 1997 to meet my future in-laws, Warren took me to a Mexican restaurant on Haight Street. When he ordered fish tacos, I gave him the same “yuck face” I gave Molly Ringwald in The Breakfast Club when she busted out her sushi lunch during detention.)
Then I ordered a deep fried chicken flauta and a Mango Agua Fresca for the boys to split. Our total was a mildly alarming $28.30. As I looked around the restaurant to find us a place to sit, I noticed that we could watch our food being prepared right behind a glass window next to the register. The monkeys each pulled up a chair and watched as an older gentleman (the owner, I presume) gently grilled my Tilapia. I gathered napkins, plastic forks, and waters for everyone and put them on our table. The mango shake was ready almost immediately and I lured the monkeys away from the grill with it.
The shake, excuse me, agua fresca, was 24 ounces and big enough for all of us to share—especially when the monkeys shunned their portions after one sip. It was plenty yummy, just not sugary like they had hoped. I bought them a bottled lime drink imported from Mexico instead and that satisfied them. By the time I finished this second transaction, our food was ready. Warren and I were quite pleased with our orders and couldn’t wait to dig in.
Satchel, however, pushed his plate aside and said, “I don’t like that green stuff.” His flauta was covered in shredded lettuce and dotted with chipotle sauce. Warren and I gave each other the no, you do it face before I finally broke down and wiped the flauta clean of the icky lettuce and “ketchup.” I cut it up into pieces hoping I could interest Jiro in it, but he was quite content to eat chips and drink his limeade.
My grilled tilapia was wrapped in four separate corn tortillas and dressed with fresh avocado and salsa tayde (a yummy avocado based spicy green sauce). The tacos were served with a small serving of crisp cucumber salad, chips, and a crazy fresh salsa mexicana. I was overcome by how fresh and delicious everything was and really wished the portions were twice as big. Warren gave me a bite of his Mexican Pork Barbeque Shoulder sandwich which was also tasty. (The owner explained to him that the sandwiches were made to look like little turtles, hence the name Las Tortugas.) The pork was thinly sliced and dressed with Mexican cheese, avocado, shredded lettuce, and the salsa tayde.
Once Satchel gobbled up his flauta, he wanted more. “More!” he said over and over again. I quickly glanced at the menu Senor Dreamy had given me to take home and tried to find something else to order. I decided on the Molletes con Pollo (toasted Tortuga bread with chicken, beans, and melted cheese.) When I got to the counter, no one was there. I looked around and noticed the owner standing at the front door chatting with some other patrons. I craned my neck to see if the rest of the staff had snuck out for a smoke break, but I didn’t see anyone. My happy dining experience was threatening to come to an end. Finally the owner noticed me and came over.
“We need more food, “ I said with a smile.
“Oh no,” he said very sadly, “We closed at 8:00pm. All the girls have gone home. What do you want? Maybe it is something I can make by myself.”
“The Molletes,” I said.
“Oh, I need the girls for that,” he said. “How about a…or a…” He started listing several things but I couldn’t understand a word he was saying. I realized at that moment he must be Senor Dreamy’s dad.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Thanks anyway. We’ll try to come earlier next time.” Apparently we had been lucky to get in at all.
I had to break the news to Satchel who was not happy. “I want more food!” he whined. Jiro had run over to the counter and was pointing at the pile of mangos behind the glass. “Apple! Apple!” he demanded.
“What should we do?” I asked Warren.
“Go to McDonald’s?” he said.
“I hate to go to McDonalds after we just spent $30 on fresh and delicious food,” I said.
“Come on guys,” I said to the monkeys. “We can get some more food at home.”
“But I want restaurant food!” Satchel moaned.
I looked at Warren. “We can’t go to another restaurant,” I said.
“Wanna go to McDonald’s?” he asked.
“Oh, yeah!” Satchel said, suddenly elated.
On the way home Satchel ate two hamburgers and Jiro ate two bags of “apple dippers”. They both had chocolate milk. Warren and I had a good laugh at the current state of the Happy Meal and studied the menu for our next trip to Las Tortugas.
posted by Stacey Greenberg @ 1:48 PM
Sunday, June 04, 2006
From: Steve's Nude Memphis Blog
June 5, 2006
I've got a dilema. About a month ago I interviewed with a company who sounded fun, but was rather vague on the technology I'd be working with. They made me an offer and it was very low. So I asked for a better offer and continued to look elsewhere.
They came back with an offer that was slightly below my current salary at the Big Alabama Bank. But their benefits are much, much better and they aren't eliminating huge quantities of employees like the Big Ugly Bank is. I had no other offers and had been looking actively for awhile. So I verbally accepted the last offer, but with a great deal of reluctance. I told them I'd start Monday June 12. I wanted more time to look. They agreed I could start then.
Last week I interviewed and received an offer with a company that is crystal clear about the technology I'd be working with. They also offered me the salary I was asking for. They want me to start this week on Wednesday. I told them I would.
I have no written agreement with either company, but even so this is stressing me out. The company that I made the first agreement to work for seems like nice people and a nice environment. Their benefits are amazing. But their vagueness about the technology I'd be working on made me concerned. It isn't good for a Computer Scientist to work with antiquated technology. It hurts your career. The low salary offers made me think they are looking for someone of a lower level experience than me and will likely consider me topped out when I walk in the door. Thus, it will end up like the Big Ugly Alabama Bank that never gave me decent raises no matter what I did for them. I quickly grew to resent that.
The second company I accepted an offer for has very average benefits, but I'll be working with the very latest technology, which is good for my career. They offered me the exact salary I was asking for, which made it easy for me to say 'yes' on the spot and much harder to put them off. Also, they needed an answer as soon as possible because they needed someone to start this week. They even let me talk to another Computer Scientist who works there and he said he likes it there.
Also, the second company is about 10 minutes away from my house. The first company is about 45 minutes away, even further from home than the Big Ugly Alabama Bank.
So now I have a committment to work for 2 companies. I can only work for one. I need to call the first company and tell them I won't be coming. But I don't want to. I'm stressing over this after all these weeks of searching and stressing. I don't want to make the wrong choice, and I hate going back on my word.
When does the stress end?
posted by Memphis Steve at 11:32 AM
I've got a dilema. About a month ago I interviewed with a company who sounded fun, but was rather vague on the technology I'd be working with. They made me an offer and it was very low. So I asked for a better offer and continued to look elsewhere.
They came back with an offer that was slightly below my current salary at the Big Alabama Bank. But their benefits are much, much better and they aren't eliminating huge quantities of employees like the Big Ugly Bank is. I had no other offers and had been looking actively for awhile. So I verbally accepted the last offer, but with a great deal of reluctance. I told them I'd start Monday June 12. I wanted more time to look. They agreed I could start then.
Last week I interviewed and received an offer with a company that is crystal clear about the technology I'd be working with. They also offered me the salary I was asking for. They want me to start this week on Wednesday. I told them I would.
I have no written agreement with either company, but even so this is stressing me out. The company that I made the first agreement to work for seems like nice people and a nice environment. Their benefits are amazing. But their vagueness about the technology I'd be working on made me concerned. It isn't good for a Computer Scientist to work with antiquated technology. It hurts your career. The low salary offers made me think they are looking for someone of a lower level experience than me and will likely consider me topped out when I walk in the door. Thus, it will end up like the Big Ugly Alabama Bank that never gave me decent raises no matter what I did for them. I quickly grew to resent that.
The second company I accepted an offer for has very average benefits, but I'll be working with the very latest technology, which is good for my career. They offered me the exact salary I was asking for, which made it easy for me to say 'yes' on the spot and much harder to put them off. Also, they needed an answer as soon as possible because they needed someone to start this week. They even let me talk to another Computer Scientist who works there and he said he likes it there.
Also, the second company is about 10 minutes away from my house. The first company is about 45 minutes away, even further from home than the Big Ugly Alabama Bank.
So now I have a committment to work for 2 companies. I can only work for one. I need to call the first company and tell them I won't be coming. But I don't want to. I'm stressing over this after all these weeks of searching and stressing. I don't want to make the wrong choice, and I hate going back on my word.
When does the stress end?
posted by Memphis Steve at 11:32 AM
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