Memphis Blogger

From: theogeo

2009-03-07T10:39:00.001-06:00

Day 65: Madison

I got out of the office tonight for dinner at just the right time. The sun was setting and the sky was heavy with blue. People were out and about, letting the warm air hit their skin. I love this time of year right at the birth of spring, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get tired of saying it.

From: Memphis Mud

2009-03-02T09:42:00.001-06:00

Teflon Snow?

We had a nice late season snow here in Left Tennessee overnight, one of those 'good snows'. What's a good snow? One that builds up to about half a foot on the weekend then melts off before rush hour Monday. Heck, most of the streets were fine before church Sunday, but we still have a few inches left on the ground for display purposes.

The media coverage of this has been interesting. Evidently the Commercial Appeal was AWOL Sunday, using a generic report with very little updated info. On the national front, CNN decided to use their regular Joe network--I report citizen journalists--to cover the event here. And just like a regular reporter, he got it wrong, mentioning something about teflon snow'.. well here, let's let him explain:

In Memphis, Tennessee, CNN iReporter George Brown said Sunday that forecasters had predicted "Teflon snow," which wouldn't stick to the ground. But the snow that fell was much heavier, he said. iReport.com: Share photos of icy, snowy weather in your town

"We were getting an inch or more an hour," he said. "Some roads are impassable because the folks here aren't use to dealing with slick streets. Many cars are off the interstate, and hotels are packed," Brown said.

Not sure where Mr. Brown got this bombshell info but the NWS in Memphis issued a Winter Storm Warning around 4 am Saturday morning for the entire city, calling for 4 inches of snow. Earlier forecasts on Friday had called for accumulating snow, although not 4 inches. But hey, it's Memphis. The local weathermen often get winter forecasts wrong but let's give credit where due--they hit this one. But history, as written by CNN's George, will not reflect that.

There was also this puzzling comment, coming from a TDOT spokesperson:

Julie Oaks from the Tennessee Department of Transportation told CNN she had never seen snow before in the western part of the state.

Strange, Memphis and the western part of the state got 4-6 inches about this same time last year. There simply must be a logical explanation for this baffling statement aside from "it's CNN".

Perhaps Ms. Oaks just moved to her job at TDOT from some other part of America (or the state) and arrived after March, missing last year's storm. Or maybe they took something out of context such as "I've" never seen snow there before because she was based in Nashville or something. But the notion she's been at the state agency that issues road condition reports and has no memory of any snow in the west is beyond comprehensible, if true, leaving my confidence in the information flashed on those overhead signs as next to nil.

So I'm going with "it's CNN".

Posted by A.C. McCloud

Follow me

2009-03-01T23:35:00.001-06:00

Memphis Blogger now on Twitter.

From: Urf!

2008-08-24T15:31:00.001-05:00

Most Mistake

The Commercial Appeal has released their special section Memphis Most in today's paper.

I worked on this section for two and a half weeks. Halfway through working on it, I lost almost half of what I'd written, yet still managed to finish three days before deadline.

If you look at the section itself, in the paper, I wrote every syllable from page 18, Most "Memphis" BBQ Sauce, to page 36, Most Boundless Beer Selection. That's 34 categories; nearly 9,000 words. And, if I may, it's all pretty good stuff.

For some reason I was left out of the list of section writers on page 1. I'm not sure yet why that is, but I hope to find out soon. In the meantime, the categories I was responsible for are:

Most "Memphis" BBQ Sauce
Most Beloved BBQ Joint
Most Prime Steak Dinner
Most Enticing Burger
Most Savory Slice of Pizza
Most Sensational Sushi
Most Profitable Business Lunch
Most Satisfying Biscuits
Most Revered Sunday Brunch
Most For The Money
Most Craved Catfish
Most Romantic Restaurant
Most Delicious Deli
Most Tempting Bakery
Most Vietnamese Restaurant
Most Bountiful Buffet
Most Fine Dining
Most Italian Restaurant
Most Indian Restaurant
Most Kid-Friendly Cuisine
Most Thai Restaurant
Most Chinese Restaurant
Most Mexican Restaurant
Most Mediterranean Restaurant
Most Japanese Restaurant
Most Exotic Cuisine
Most Scrumptious Seafood
Most Wholesome Health Food
Most Popular Pub
Most Cosmopolitan Night Club
Most Masterful Martini
Most Fanatical Sports Bar
Most Bona Fide Blues Club
Most Boundless Beer Selection

Birthed by RJA

From: The Gates of Memphis

2008-08-05T20:28:00.000-05:00

Completing Main Street

When the Center City Commission asked the public about returning auto traffic to Main Street, the public came out strongly against the idea.

There have been many arguments for returning traffic to Main. The CCC's retail consultant made the argument. The NEA Director of Design, Maurice Cox recommended it. His predecessor at the NEA, Jeff Speck, made it one of his 12 suggestions for Memphis.

Even if public sentiment for the pedestrian over the car is technically flawed from an urban design point of view, such sentiment is still a good, progressive sign for Memphis. And I want to point out that Speck had also suggested fixing the South Main knuckle, the walking discontinuity formed by the Main/Beale parking lot, MLG&W's mega-berm and parking garage, and the empty Chisca. I believe that the knuckle is a much greater obstacle to Main Street revitality. It cuts Main Street off from the energy of both South Main and Beale Street (which is itself auto restricted yet prospers). I don't think returning traffic without fixing the knuckle will fix Main Street.

The CCC will decide later this month what it will do. They could still open Main to traffic. At the very least, I hope the public's opposition will keep them from the more invasive, multi-million dollar projects. Maybe the opposition will lead the Commission to take Speck's specific advice and try a woonerf, a simple plan that would make the pedestrian and the car and the bike equals on Main.

From: My Midtown Memphis

2008-08-05T20:25:00.000-05:00

Overton Park Shell Schedule, new local beer, Harlan T. Bobo show, and the return of Schlitz

Ok, big post today.

First off let's start with the schedule for the newly remodeled Levitt Shell (formerly Overton Park Shell). I know a lot of people are really anxious for this to get going and I'm one of them. This is just one more thing that Memphis lacks that other cities this size have. I think Midtown will be able to support the project and I'm very impressed with the progress of the project so far. I would paste the schedule below but it's way to large to fit on the page so you can check out the homepage HERE for some more info. It's a really well done site as well so that always helps a projects image. I will say that the opening Amy Lavere show on Sept. 4th should be great and I'll be sure to attend.

The Memphis Flyer had a little write up today on a new local beer brewery called Ghost River Brewing. It's made at the Boscos facility downtown on South Main and is made by the same guy that co-owns Bosco's. The thing that makes them special is that it's brewed with Memphis Artisan well water, the same special water that makes Memphis famous in terms of clean, natural water sources. The Ghost River beers — Ghost River Golden, Glacial Pale Ale, Brown Ale, as well as seasonal beers, such as a German-style Hefeweizen and a Scottish ale — are draft-only beers and are currently being marketed to local restaurants and bars by Southwestern Distributing. It will be available at both Flying Saucer locations, both Central BBQs, Ciao Bella, Equestria, and Yia Yia's.

In case you're reading this RIGHT NOW at 7pm on Monday, then I have something for you to run out and do right now.....HARLAN T. BOBO Video Shoot Monday NIght @ HiTone

"$5 Cover" will be shooting footage of Harlan performing on Monday night at the Hi-Tone.
This will be a free, 18+ shoot, and we would like to invite those who love Harlan and his music
to participate.

Exact time has not been set yet, but if you would like to take part, please email Lorin here:
fivedollarcovercasting@gmail.com and she will contact you as soon as the time is set.

IMPORTANT:

Please dress accordingly for a Harlan show. Think darker or muted colors.

Please also avoid the following things, as they
do not show well on the camera:

Black, white, red
Logos/Writing
Small stripes/patterns (1/2inch or larger, fine)

PLEASE BRING CLOTHING OPTIONS.
Feel free to bring a friend as long as they are aware of the wardrobe constrictions.

Finally, the beer that we all love to get tall boys of at the Deli is going retro on us and reverting to their old fashioned recipe. I'm talking about Schlitz, the beer that made Milwaukee famous. According to a Yahoo! news report, Schlitz was originally the most popular beer in the world until about 1955 when a Milwaukee beer brewers union strike opened up the floodgates to the world of Budweiser. After that it was downhill for the beer with "just a kiss of the hops" and now you can really only find it in tall boy cans that border on malt liquor. But the company, which is owned by Pabst Blue Ribbon, has now done their homework and is going back to the original recipe that made it loved worldwide. Apparently, years of cutting corners to save money and sacrificing flavor as well as poor marketing campaigns, resulted in the downfall of the Schlitz empire but it is now poised to return. For right now, the old school recipe beer is only available in Milwaukee, Chicago, and Minneapolis (another reason Minnesota rocks) and they cant keep it on the shelves there. It's gotten to the point where stores have to have a waiting list for people and also won't let them buy more than a certain amount of the stuff in one trip. So keep your eyes and mouth open for the return of the Beer that Made Milwaukee Famous!

Posted by Ryan

Recent Keyword Searches

2008-07-25T13:52:00.002-05:00

famous mommy blogger, memphis
mpd blogger
memphis blogger dirk diggler
where to find japanese eggplant in memphis
the pesky fly memphis
memphis tobacco bowl
eddie vedder memphis rumor
george carlin zesty advertising
tube float trips near memphis
artbutcher.blogspot.com
dixie homes memphis
otto berchem
paul ryburn tube top

From: Sketchwork

2008-07-22T20:25:00.000-05:00

Stairs

Working on show ideas...

sketched by Elizabeth Alley

From: Memphis, Etc.

2008-07-22T20:20:00.000-05:00

Memphis Police Director opens Pandora’s Box?

For the last few months, I’ve been aware of a Blog called MPD Enforcer 2.0. It’s a place where MPD officers (or anyone, for that matter) can go and vent about the MPD. I didn’t publicize it because it has turned into a foul mouthed bashing site. Plus, there are some serious allegations concerning the behavior of the MPD brass amongst all the name calling. However, let me be the first to say I don’t own the blog and the owners and posters on that blog are free to say anything they wish. It’s not my business.

But apparently MPD director Larry Godwin thinks it’s his business.

The Blog owner goes by the name of Dirk Diggler. This morning, the MPD and the City of Memphis filed a lawsuit demanding AOL give up IP addresses, user and billing information of the e-mail account Dirk provided for tips and information on his blog. The Commercial Appeal has picked up the story. Be sure to read the article comments section to see how the people of Memphis feel about this use of their tax dollars. Making matters more intriguing, most of the case is sealed.

I have asked several legal types if Godwin has a case or is this just intimidation and a gross violation of Free Speech? About 90% of them said there is no case. One wasn’t so sure based on current events involving bloggers. We shall see. Perhaps the case can be made of several postings libeling folks.

In any case, one wonders why Godwin would do this? It can only generate really negative publicity for him, and drive thousands of people to the site to see what all the commotion is about, therefore letting the general public know how the MPD rank and file really feel about him. Not a good move for someone most likely planning to run for Sheriff, and it does add credibility to the claim Godwin practices Gestapo-like tactics against those who go against him.

Is it perhaps that some of the allegations on the blog are true? Has Dirk hit a sore spot? Or is there more to it than meets the eye? Enforcer’s comments are moderated, so we don’t know what didn’t make it to the blog. I have to admit I have heard several of the allegations on that blog from other sources. I have discussed some of them in the past here, but there was never any proof and so they remain rumors and allegations. Maybe that’s changing.

Note: I was gonna put a picture of Godwin on here, but I'd have to take it from the MPD site, and I don't want Godwin coming after me for copyright infringement!

Posted by The Truth Hurts

From: Rock 'n' Roll Minor Planets

2008-07-08T22:36:00.000-05:00

The name game

If you've ever visited the Rock & Roll Planet before, you may have noticed my name has changed. Still me, though, and if I do blog here again with any regularity, please rest assured it will still be me.

What about me? Looking for a new job, maybe. Swimming every weekend. Reading lots of Paulo Coehlo lately, too. Eating my veggies and even the poisoned tomato here and there. How about y'all?

Posted by Memphis Chix

From: Chop Fayn

2008-07-08T22:31:00.000-05:00

Ribs

Mmm...ribs!
Satchel LOVED eating these and slathering grease all over his face. Jiro, not so much.

Posted by Stacey Greenberg

From: C-Dog Mama

2008-07-03T15:33:00.001-05:00

A Farmer in My Kitchen

On Saturday, we received our first farm share from the CSA Farm that we joined (Ohana Farms in Coldwater, MS). Rather than spending $25 on produce each week from Easy Way (much of which comes from far far away places), we decided to put our funds towards a local farmer and reap the benefits of his family’s hard work. And of course, we want to support local agricultural instead of the giant industrial farms that strip the land and use who know what kinds of chemical on our food.

Our booty this week was, well, somewhat limited. Our famer explained that last year, they were eating ripe tomatoes on June 1. This year, because the weather in our region until recently has been cool and rainy, most farms in the area are suffering a bit. Instead of gorgeous juicy red tomatoes, we got turnips and kale. My 6 year old self is saying, “Ick! Turnips and kale? Gross!” [Note: I really do like turnips and kale, but my excitement over the CSA and its possibilities made me revert to my 6 year-old mindset.]

Initially, I was terribly disappointed and even wanted to get a little annoyed with my decision to join the CSA. We paid good money and this is what I get? But then I realized why I wanted to do it in the first place. I want to support the local guy. I want to eat what’s fresh and available instead of expecting plump juicy peaches to magically appear in my kitchen. I wanted to change my food philosophy and habits in hopes to help the environment and better nurture my family. So, I took sour lemons and made lemonade. Barbara Kingsolver would be so proud.

I decided to pull out an old cookbook I bought several years ago when we were living in Rochester and enjoying the city’s weekly (and wonderful) public market. This book, Local Flavors, is one from which I have never really cooked. Surprisingly, it is also mentioned in Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. It’s like I was meant to eat this way. I first looked up turnips and found a delicious recipe for a Turnip Potage. When I told my mother the name of the recipe, she said, “Gross.” But it is actually quite delicious. It’s basically a turnip, potato and leek soup (the potatoes and leeks provided by my local Easy Way). I am pleased to say that even my picky eater, Charlie, enjoyed drinking down a cup.

My next challenge was to find something palatable for the kale. I wanted a meal, not just a side dish, so I opted for a dish of Kale, Beans, Cilantro and Feta (I also threw in the greens from the turnips). When I told my husband the name of the recipe, he said, “Gross.” Again, though, the recipe is really tasty. The cilantro and feta give it a unique twist and after eating a bowl of it last night, I was stuffed. It’s amazing what real food can do for you! Charlie ate a few of the beans but was not too thrilled about the kale. I’ll keep working on him, though!

So here’s to a successful first week of being a part of a CSA. So far, I am pleased with my choice to take part in the partnership, and I especially look forward to seeing what is to come this summer! Now, if I could just break my pregnancy guilty pleasure from the organic ice cream sandwiches that make their way to my freezer all the way from Eugene, Oregon…

Posted by Cathy

From: memphis . cool . movies

2008-07-01T22:32:00.000-05:00

Reminder: Indie Memphis deadline

Film submission deadline for October's Indie Memphis Film Festival is tomorrow, although there's an extended deadline:
Regular Deadline: June 16
LATE DEADLINE: JULY 1
WAB Extended Deadline: July 15

Posted by Jon W. Sparks

From: artbutcher

2008-06-27T09:38:00.000-05:00

Please Stop With the Emails and the Texts

yes i won the wingoff
yes i hosted the wingoff that i won
yes i handpicked the judges
i picked judges that would be objective
see after several years
i began to see hamlett and alan
for what they really are
cheats
i am not saying
i am just saying
but i will say this

they were not judges

and

i won the wingoff

oh and here are some reviews
of some of our favorite
memphis people
young at art
may not be an appropriate title
as some of these peoples
were slanging their wares on the corners
before avon barksdale
was even famous

oh yeah
i went and saw
west side story last night
pepe was beautiful
one of the shark girls wasnt wearing any underwear
that was exciting
she was one of the few
out of high school

i think there is some behind the scene romances going on
that should be a new reality series
the theatre peoples that do it with each other
because your god knows
the art people aint doing it with each other
actually
the art people aint doing it with anyone
poor art people

poor art people
poor people that read this blog
i have to end this post now
as i just had
what some would call
a breakthrough
i can not post
what i just wrote
as it is probably
that greatest thing i have ever written
and i have to save it
save it for my may show
i know may is along way away
but believe me
it is worth the wait
and on the bright side
you will probably forget
all about this blog post before may
and you will still think
it is the greatest thing ever
that is how fucking hot it is
here is a list of people that i mention
in the rest of this post that you will not read
but will hear about in nine months

the georgia
david lusk
anna "cowboy bright" rossi
steve cohen
emily walls
taurus "from fifth grade"
marjorie baker
john weeden
carissa's stuffed cabbage
the judge
kilgore trout
anita "the first black girl i did it with"
richard deacon
matt saunders
otto berchem
richard prince
and eddie vedder

Posted by dwayne

From: The Chockleys

2008-06-26T22:12:00.000-05:00

Generation Gap

A couple of months ago, some coworkers and I attended a brainstorming session with a few of the ad wizards from Red Deluxe. Much of the discussion revolved around marketing to "Millennials," which is a fancy term for Generation Y, the group immediately following my beloved Generation X. During that meeting, as we discussed texting and IMing and online shopping and cynicism, I looked smugly around the room at all the Baby Boomers and thought, "Yeah, Gen X can hang. We know about that stuff." I may be (almost) 35, but I'm not totally out of it.

Or so I thought. After learning about what market research had to say about these kids, I started observing them a little more closely. On the surface, things didn't look so different. Then, in quick succession, I had an email exchange with one twentysomething and an IM exchange with another that suddenly alerted me to the main issue separating X from Y.

Grammar.

Now don't get me wrong- it's not that the Millennials sound like cavemen, or that the MTV generation speaks only the Queen's English. No, when we talk to each other it's all the same. The difference comes when we try to communicate in the aforementioned cool, hip ways. That’s when I realize just how out of touch I am.

Gen Y: how was your weekend
Gen X: Mom kept the kids Saturday night, so Chip and I went out to dinner. Then we got stuck sitting next to a table full of kids!
Gen Y: haha thats crazy. where did you go

It’s worth noting that most of my texting and IM activity involves other people my age. We craft carefully worded sentences, full of punctuation and capitals, and even correct ourselves if a typo slips through. Sure, we throw in a BRB or LOL every now and again- we’re not opposed to acronyms. We spent most of high school writing notes (an old-fashioned precursor to texting) that included phrases like BFF and LYLAS. But we also started each note with ’Sup- not sup- because we demanded an apostrophe to hold the place of those dropped letters.

Thirtysomething: You can work a desk job while he works on becoming a professional photographer.
That's my plan, but with writign.
Me: You're off to a good start there.
Thirtysomething: Ha! I misspelled "writing."

The Millennials don’t have these standards. They zoom through an instant message without so much as an accidental brush against the shift key. No apostrophes, no capitals, no shame. In a recent attempt to hold my own with someone younger, I tried to type in the style of the day- a bunch of letters, no punctuation- but found that I couldn’t. I would try so hard to not hit the shift key, but then accidentally I would, and it looked even more dorky that some words were correct and some weren’t, so I went back and edited the IM so that it was uniformly wrong. Are you kidding me? I quickly went back to my normal patterns. I'm sure the youngster I was chatting with was picturing a gray-haired old lady typing away on my end, but that’s just how it will have to be. I can't give up my commas.

It’s hard to believe I have children who are even younger than the Millenials. What will their catchy nickname be? How will Red Deluxe market to them? Will they grow up using apostrophes? One thing is for certain- I will have to work pretty hard to stay a step ahead of them. It’s clear that I’m already falling way behind.

Posted by Stephanie

From: Paul Ryburn's Journal

2008-06-25T08:44:00.000-05:00

BBQ Fest rumors

All right, below are the rumors I’ve heard about BBQ Fest. Keep in mind that all of the below are RUMORS and not anything I’ve confirmed with Memphis in May:

- The festival will be downsized next year. This one is almost certainly true, as construction will begin on Beale Street Landing, and that will cut into the amount of space they have available at Tom Lee Park.

- In order to compensate for the reduced space, the rumor is that MIM plans to reduce the number of teams. I keep hearing that they intend to eliminate some of the smaller teams. Not sure if that means just the Patio Porkers, who are by definition smaller teams, or if it extends to the smaller teams competing in the Big Three (shoulder, ribs, whole hog) as well.

- Another rumor is that they plan to make it more corporate, and one way they plan on doing this and also getting rid of the smaller teams is to raise entry fees considerably. I’ve heard the number $5,000 thrown around more than one time, but again, that is all hearsay. In one case I heard $15,000. The idea, I’ve been told, is to raise it to a number high enough where it would be very hard to enter without heavy corporate sponsorship.

- Another rumor is that they want to make it more of an international competition, with teams from the US and around the world. Therefore, it’s been rumored that the competition will become an invitation-only event, with some current teams grandfathered in and with teams who finished near the top in previous years’ competition receiving automatic bids.

- There’s also a new governing body that sanctions the contests, Memphis Barbeque Network. Prior to the first of 2008, Memphis in May was its own sanctioning body. Rumor is that since MIM wants the event to be more reflective of a world championship, they’re going to start inviting teams from other circuits, e.g. KCBS, FBA, etc. Problem is those circuits are a completely different format, don’t do on-site judging, and don’t cook MIM-style BBQ anyway.

Again, all just rumors, but I’ve heard this so many times (and a couple of times, from people connected to the aforementioned Memphis Barbeque Network) that I figured it deserved to be posted. If these rumors are incorrect, Memphis in May deserves the chance to refute them.

If this turns out to be true, it sounds like MIM is going to royally screw up one of the best festivals ever. Hate to see it happen to one of my favorite tube top-watching events of the year. Perhaps Memphians will react by boycotting their other events, Music Fest and Sunset Symphony, en masse.

Will keep you posted as I hear more. E-mail me at paul@paulryburn.com if you’ve got anything.

From: Born-Again Hippies

2008-06-25T08:36:00.001-05:00

To: God, Re: George Carlin

Dear Lord,
Please look after the soul of one George Carlin, who probably passed customs and should be coming your way about now. I know he vehemently denied Your existence, going so far as to say, "There is no God, none, never was," but I know these folks are your favorite kind. Besides, any one soul who brought so much laughter and cheer to so many others is deserving of favor, and he was merely railing against the God he was taught about in Catholic school, rather than the God he talked about in his act; "The Big Electron," The Sun, Joe Pesci. His indignation was about organized religion's version of God; the vengeful, white bearded, invisible man in the sky who's spying on you all the time and who decides the outcome of athletic events. But anyone as observant and perceptive as George Carlin saw the larger frame surrounding the smaller picture, so he never claimed to be an atheist, just a pragmatist. And anyway Lord, he's already been in front of one Supreme Court.

My friends and I who grew up in the sixties thought George Carlin was the funniest man alive. After his first album release, teenagers were quoting from his routines, like "The Wild Willy West Show on Radio WINO, (Wonderful WINO, in Western Walla Walla)," or "Al Sleet, your Hippie Dippy Weatherman, (Today's high? Whenever I get up)." When the times grew turbulent, we were delighted to see Carlin take off the coat and tie and grow his hair long. He was one of us, and he was still funnier than hell, deconstructing language and pointing out oxymorons like Jumbo Shrimp, and Military Intelligence, so that you can't hear some absurd phrase without thinking of him. How many times has someone thought, "That would be a good one for George Carlin?"

And the older he got, the more outrageous he became, and we loved him for it. No subject was beyond examination; Cats and Dogs, Baseball and Football, Religion, Advertising, and a lot of humor that was just plain crude. But God, could he make you hold-your-sides laugh. After he became famous for his "Seven Words" routine, he updated the list on his next HBO special, unrolling a long scroll and naming in rapid fire diction every slang term ever used for any known body part or bodily function, and I was left, doubled over in the chair, gasping for breath. But he was also a deep thinker, and agree or not, he could provoke you to consider another point of view. He claimed he didn't do political humor, but his comedy was deeply political and often radical. Lenny Bruce may have opened the door, but it was Carlin who came through.

I heard Jerry Seinfeld say that Carlin recently spoke of being relieved that this season's current death wave seemed to have passed him by, but he ended as part of a troika with Bo Diddley and Tim Russert anyway. I think he might have liked the company because, although the three men excelled in vastly different arenas, they all shared a singular defining passion about what they did. But Carlin's sudden death was similar to when Johnny Carson died; there was no time in advance to consider a life without him. You could prepare for Richard Pryor, but Carlin? And in the middle of this political season so rich with humor? He didn't "pass away," or "expire, like a magazine subscription." He up and died.

If I said that I feel like I lost an old friend yesterday, George Carlin would have thoroughly mocked that, since we were never in the same area code, so far as I know. In the 1984 HBO show, "Carlin on Campus," George said, "I believe in live and let live, and if anybody doesn't believe that, we'll take him outside and shoot the motherfucker." (Excuse me Lord, that was one of the seven). On this occasion he might say, "Go ahead back to your blog (and he would make exaggerated belching noises since the word is funny), and if it makes you feel any better to write a little something about me, have at it." So I did. And I will remember George Carlin with gales of laughter, and hope he is now in the process of being pleasantly surprised. In the name of Joe Pesci, we all say....

Amen

Posted by Sputnik57

From: BEEB

2008-06-23T09:41:00.001-05:00

Earnestine & hazel's

Earnestine & hazel's, originally uploaded by medusahead.

After the photo shoot...and the soul burger.

Posted by Melissa

From: My Midtown Memphis

2008-06-22T20:15:00.000-05:00

Crispin Glover at Black Lodge and new coffee shop in Crosstown area

Crispin Glover, the really creepy/interesting actor, will be making a few appearances at Black Lodge Video later this summer. Here is the info from Black Lodge themselves......

We are proud to announce probably a once in a lifetime event for most of us....

An Evening with Crispin Hellion Glover. He will bring his traveling 1 man show to Memphis for 3 nights only on August 5th, 6th, & 7th.

You will be be able to hear him speak, and see 2 of the films from his 'It' trilogy that Crispin wrote, directed, and funded. Followed by a Q&A with Crispin, and a booksigning will bring the evening to a close.
This section below is a rather "enthusiastic" summary of Glovers roles over the years. George McFly from Back to the Future is my favorite...
The dark clouds of mediocrity forever looming over the city of Memphis will part for 3 days in August. We warmly welcome Rubin Farr (Rubin and Ed), Layne (River's Edge), Cousin Dell (Wild at Heart), Willard Stiles, Andy Warhol (The Doors), Jimmy from Friday 13th pt. 3, Danny (Lynch's Hotel Room), Arlo (The People Vs. Larry Flint), the ominous train passenger from Dead Man, Lucas (At Close Range), Roy (Nurse Betty), Bartleby ("), and George Mcfly! into our seconds from suicide lives for a few days.

The entire event will take place at the Palace Cinema off of Summer Ave. on Old Summer Road. 5117 Old Summer Rd. to be exact. It's the theatre that used to be the old Fare 4. Right next to the now burned and closed roller rink if anyone's memory goes back that far. They have been very cooperative and supportive with the organization of this event. We're very pleased with their accomodations, and extremely grateful for their participation.

Due to the strong adult themes and just general slightly messed up nature of his 2 films being screened, you must be 18 years of age to enter the event. NO EXCEPTIONS.

We'll release the ticket price and the date they'll start being sold soon. TICKETS WILL ONLY BE SOLD AT BLACK LODGE VIDEO. You won't be able buy tixs for this at the Palace Cinema. If you'll be coming in from out of town to this, email me here in as much advance as possible, and we'll work something out in getting you your tickets.

And we'll give you the same disclaimer for the event we were given by him. IF between now and then he's offered an acting job or something else he can't turn down and it forces him to cancel the dates- he will most definitely make up whatever dates missed.

So I don't live in the Evergreen neighborhood anymore, but I still think that's one of the nicer neighborhoods in the city, so I like to keep up with things there if I can. There is a little bar on the corner of Watkins and Overton Park that has been a variety of things over the last few years. The first thing I remember it as was a restaurant called Lupe and Bea's, then it was Club XYZ for a few years and was home to the CRAZIEST bathroom ever in existence (it basically looked like you were Alice falling down the rabbit hole), and most recently it was an AA meeting house. Well according to my sources it's now going to be a neighborhood coffee house called The Edge. Should be open soon and it's a great addition to the neighborhood. I hope they keep the bathroom like it used to be.

Posted by Ryan

From: Midtown Stomp - A Memphis Wine Journal

2008-06-22T20:12:00.000-05:00

Wine Tasting

This just in:

Joe's Wines next big tasting will be held at the Vine, 1819 Madison on Thursday June 26th, 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Cost to attend is $35 per person. They will be pouring a selection of wines from around the world, with each station focusing on a particular region (Austria, Washington, California, etc....) If you would like to purchase tickets, please stop in the store, 1681 Poplar or call 901.725.4252. With gas prices so high, why not skip your vacation & come to a wine tasting instead?

From: The Gates of Memphis

2008-06-22T20:10:00.000-05:00

RDCRSSFTW!

The Riverfront Development Corporation has a new web site. It looks good and, more importantly, it's built on a dynamic, open-source backend -- the Wordpress blogging platform -- and has RSS turned on.

This is a progressive float forward for the Riverfront folk.

Hopefully they'll add an event feed for their calendar soon. And I bet Wordpress will allow them to map previous web pages to their new locations, so they don't lose any of their Google Juice.

(Geekery, yes, but systems are possibilities. If you have a web site that is so static that you need a programmer to update, you won't update it much unless you're a web programmer. No updates mean little communication which means less promotion and less transparency. Of course, you still have to update but for those inclined not to communicate, Wordpress takes away the ease of use excuse.)

I hereby nominate the person(s) who made this happen to tweet, blog and lead the RDC master planning process.

From: Dining With Monkeys

2008-06-22T20:06:00.000-05:00

Lemongrass Sushi and Thai--Nashville

Thanks to Steph for keeping DWM cosmopolitan!

Lemongrass Sushi and Thai
7108 Hwy 70 South
Nashville, TN

During a recent trip to Nashville, we were trying to figure out an interesting place to go for Saturday lunch that would satisfy the palates of both my vegetarian in-laws and my chicken-nuggetarian son. (Our other restriction was that we didn’t want Mexican, since we already had sweet potato burritos planned for the next day.) My mother-in-law came up with the perfect solution: Lemongrass, a Thai and Sushi restaurant that was located directly behind a McDonald’s!

Chip and I hit the drive-thru and then joined the rest of the family at the restaurant. It was clear from the minute we walked in that this place was a little too sterile for our children. Their simple greeting of “Mom! Dad! McDonald’s!” reverberated through the nearly empty dining room. “Inside voices!” I stage-whispered, for the first of about a thousand times. But even my stage whisper seemed loud in this place, so I tried not to worry too much about it.

The kids went about the task of clogging their arteries while the rest of us looked over the menu. One side was all Thai food, and the other all Japanese. It was hard to decide! My in-laws both picked something Thai featuring tofu, but I didn’t catch exactly what. Roy liked his better than Sherri liked hers, that’s all I can really tell you. They also got an order of spicy tuna rolls, which were delicious. Chip ordered a sushi sampler platter, which featured simple rolls made with very fresh ingredients. I got a crabstick and an avocado nigiri from the a la carte sushi menu, and Pad Thai noodles with chicken from the other side of the menu. All of it was great. Chloe tried the tofu, ate all the avocado nigiri, and had a significant helping of the pad thai noodles. For the Thai dishes we ordered, they brought us a selection of spices, peppers and oils so that we could tailor the heat in each dish to our individual tastes. This also provided the afternoon’s entertainment, since Chip ate some sort of pepper that almost caused his head to explode. Hee!

But aside from the food, how was the experience? Well, our waiter was definitely new and more than a little on the slow side. Since it was kind of a quiet restaurant, my kids’ normal voices really stood out. By the end of the meal, made a bit too long by our slow server, my kids really seemed disruptive. If we had been in a noisy chain restaurant they would have blended in fine, but in this environment their restlessness was really conspicuous. However, since it was a Saturday afternoon and the service was iffy, I didn’t feel guilty about it. The kids did the best they could.

I’d speak to the prices, but my generous father-in-law picked up the tab so I don’t really know if it was reasonable or not. (From what I remember of the menu, nothing seemed too expensive.) Lemongrass is definitely a place we will visit again. There is something for everyone to enjoy, even if some of it came from the drive-thru next door.

From: only in Memphis

2008-06-17T10:08:00.001-05:00

Homie Depo

This city has so many great small businesses. Special thanks to Fudge for finding this one on Summer Avenue.
Homie Depo shares a parking lot with Taqueria Guadalupana. That way you can get your taco on after you shop for some hoochie wear.

Posted by Melvis

From: The Soundcheck & the Fury

2008-06-15T12:43:00.000-05:00

Wands for hands: a novel excerpt

A bit from my novel, "The Very Last Night." Tammy Miles is talking about her girl, Lucy, the pale, plain-faced, skinny-as-a-broomstick girl who has Billy Heavens mesmerized down in the nothing-doing Mississippi town of Roost:

Tammy Miles waved her cigarette like a child with a sparkler. She was smiling and laughing, telling Miss Annie about Lucy.

“She’s tall and skinny like her daddy and wild like her mama and she’s got my love for fancy ways of saying things but she’s her own thing, too. She got things in her we didn’t put there. She’s tougher than me. She can fend. She don’t fold. I seen her slug boys and separate fighting dogs, one about to maul the other and Lucy just reached in and said something sharp – she’s got a mouth on her, my girl – and they just stopped what they was doing. Lucy, Lucy. You can see clear to her bones how tough she is. She’s skinny and plain faced and she knows it, but it’s like she’s got wands for hands, the way she can cast a spell. She can make even dirt poor Mississippi a place worth living – if you know where to look. She knows. She got leads on buried treasure and towns that was lost to history. Can even pick a lock, my girl! Ain’t so hot on boys, leastways she ain’t found one that she likes in that special sort of way. She’s particular that way. I never was.”

Tammy Miles sighed. She snuffed one cigarette and lit another and watched the flame on the match until it liked to burn her fingers. She let it burn, a little. She didn’t know why. The frown on her face looked like a prop from some dramatic staging of a lesser tragedy.

Posted by David Williams

The Pesky Fly

2008-06-14T11:09:00.000-05:00

The Courtship of Eddie's Hulk Father

Nobody

Makes

The Movies

I want to see

ever.

sigh...

posted by PeskyFly

From: 55-40 Memphis

2008-06-14T11:06:00.001-05:00

Summer hiatus

Like I've said before: There certainly will be racism. But when it appears, it will be called out vigorously and quickly. Sexism, as we have seen, would be chuckled at and dismissed as a guys-will-be-guys thing.

That is one big reason why Barack Obama was, and is, more electable than Hillary Clinton. It's amazing to me that TGW never saw the incongruousness of decrying all the misogyny and sexism, yet still claiming that she was the more electable.

It's going to be a long, cathartic summer. If racism bubbles to the surface (as indeed it will) and gets fully examined and openly discussed, rather than pushed down and buried for the sake of PC, that's a very good thing. We could achieve more progress in the coming months than in all of the 40 years since Martin died.

There has never been a better time to elect our first black president, and there was never a better candidate to be the first. I didn't feel that way in 2006 or 2007. I do now.

With that thought, I am going on summer hiatus.

From: Secret Agent Mom

2008-06-09T17:08:00.000-05:00

Hundalasiliah!

I was just going to do a straight-forward Top 50, but a) that's a nearly impossible task in light of 30+ years of recording, and b) I can't resist an opportunity for at least a little exposition. And so, in honor of Mr. Nelson's 50th birthday, I present
Ten Top Fives About Prince Songs!

I. Five Partyingest Songs
5. Trust
4. D.M.S.R.
3. 1999
2. Housequake
1. Let's Go Crazy

II. Five Least Embarrassing Political and/or Spiritual Songs
5. Planet Earth
4. The Cross
3. 4 The Tears In Your Eyes
2. Pop Life
1. Sign O' The Times

III. Five Filthiest Songs (Darling Nikki barely makes the Top Ten, Mrs. Gore)
5. 319
4. Head
3. Sexy M.F.
2. Erotic City
1. Come

IV. Five Loveliest Songs
5. I Wish U Heaven
4. Still Would Stand All Time
3. Take Me With U
2. The Arms of Orion
1. Forever In My Life

V. Five Least Justifiably Popular Songs
5. Batdance
4. Diamonds and Pearls
3. The Most Beautiful Girl In The World
2. Cream ("Sh-boogie-bop?" Seriously?)
1. U Got The Look

VI. Five Saddest Songs
5. Condition Of The Heart
4. When U Were Mine
3. Purple Rain
2. Nothing Compares 2 U
1. Sometimes It Snows In April

VII. Five Kid-Friendliest Songs
5. Uh ...
4. Hm ...
3. Er ...
2. Um ...
1. Starfish and Coffee!

VIII. Five Sexiest Songs
5. When 2 R In Love
4. Superfunkycalifragisexy
3. Hot Thing
2. Anotherloverholenyohead
1. Adore

IX. Five Funniest Songs
5. Vicki Waiting (there's an entire joke!)
4. Glam Slam '91
3. Mr. Goodnight
2. Alphabet St.
1. Bob George

X. Five Songs I Cannot Control The Urge To Sing Along To, Down To Every Exclamatory Noise, Not Already Mentioned Above
5. Raspberry Beret
4. The 1 U Wanna C
3. Little Red Corvette
2. I Would Die 4 U/Baby I'm A Star (required to be played in succession)
1. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man

Happy birthday to a hometown hero and permanent musical companion. Every stage of my life has had Prince on the soundtrack.

The astute observer will notice that there are a number of albums not represented on this list. That's because those albums are either shamefully forgettable and/or were released during the post-Crystal Ball period when Prince and I were not on speaking terms. We worked it out, though.

From: Squirrel Squad Squeeks

2008-06-06T17:36:00.000-05:00

Memphis Farmers Market June Dinner

The June dinner celebrating and supporting the Memphis Farmers Market will be on Sunday, June 22, at Circa by John Bragg. The five course dinner is $65 plus tax and gratuity. The menu looks fantastic, plus 30% of the proceeds go to the Memphis Farmers Market.

Market-Fresh Field Greens and Herb Salad
with Curry-Fried Oyster
Kuentz-Bas, Gewürztraminer 2005, Alsace, France
Iconic grape, intoxicating perfume and spice

Roast Heirloom Tomatoes Stuffed with Jumbo Lump Crab Salad
Minet, Pouilly-Fumé 2005, Loire River, France
Pure, refined, dry French Sauvignon Blanc; zesty, flinty, flowing flavors

Neola Farms Beef Short Ribs Chasseur
Raymond “R” Collection, Merlot 2005, St. Helena, California
Full, fleshy, with classic black cherry and boysenberry flavors

Selected Cheeses from Bonnie Blue Farm
Verget du Sud, South-West France
Plump, time honored blend of Grenache and Syrah

Farmers Market Inspired Dessert Creation — Surprise!
Banfi “Rosa Regale” Brachetto d’Acqui 2005, Piedmont, Italy
Aromatic with a hint of rose petals and raspberries, marries well with chocolate, vivacious and aromatic

Posted by Papa Squirrel

From: artbutcher

2008-06-05T09:09:00.001-05:00

I am Trilingual

i went to a mexican restaurant in berlin
and seemed to somehow order my meal
in three different languages
all the same breath

Ich hatte gern uno dos equis cerveza with a lime und eine mineralvasser mit gas and the mexicana con pollo, bitte.

it rolled off the tounge with such ease
as if i were taking
english I
spanish I
german I
all at the same time at a university in china

i got everything i ordered
just like i ordered

the images are a view out the window of the restaurant
which is the gas station across the street
from the hotel we stayed at
and of course
the cerveza

Posted by dwayne

From: theology&geometry

2008-06-04T12:33:00.000-05:00

While you were sweating

Holy hell, it got humid fast. I don't care if "quickly" is preferred standard English grammar there or not. When you're talking about humidity, you spit the words out and get it over with and then go back inside and take a bath in iced tea.

Mmmm, iced tea.

Anyway, I would like to sit and write and write about lots of different things, but my eyes are still dilated from the eye doctor this morning and I can't focus on the damn screen. The good news is that my vision hasn't gotten worse in a year and a half. That's unheard of for me. So I may finally be stable enough to consider Lasik. Which means that if I am in a plane crash and get stranded on an island, I won't be the weakest link because I lost a fucking contact lens during the crash. (I know I'm only on the second season of Lost, so maybe that plot device is yet to come, but seriously — where are all my vision-impaired brothers and sisters who would be up the proverbial shit creek were they to land on an island with a pair of broken glasses or no spare contacts? Yes, these are the things I think about when I watch that show.)

More good news: Yesterday I came in to work only to find out that I'd won a Scripps quarterly design award. Yee haw! I got a certificate and everything. I'm pretty proud. I've had a lot of help this year and been given a lot of freedom to create some pretty cool designs, so I'm really thankful for that. Here are the pages that clinched the win:

Apparently the judges really liked the tornado A1. We were sure to include the backstory with the description of the page. (That was the night we had to hoof it to the basement twice and lost at least an hour of production time and they still expected us to meet our regular deadlines. Oh, and it was Super effing Tuesday, too.)

From: Bigger Than Your Head

2008-05-31T10:17:00.001-05:00

Another Wine Ingredients Moment from Bonny Doon (& the 3rd Rosé of the Season)

As many people know, Randall Grahm, the canny proprietor of Bonny Doon Vineyard, is committed to listing the ingredients of all of his wines on the back labels, starting with the vintage of 2007. One would assume that this would be a simple proposition; the ingredient of wine is grapes. In fact, the wines from Heller Estate say exactly this on the back labels, as in: “Ingredients: 100% organic malbec grapes.” There you go.

But matters are never so easy for Grahm. Here, for example, is the ingredients list for the recently released Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare 2007 “Pink Wine of the Earth” (How’s that for an appellation?): “47% grenache, 27% cinsault, 14% syrah, 7% grenache blanc, 5% roussanne grapes, tartaric acid, sulfur dioxide, pectinase.”

In the interest of complete transparency, Grahm goes farther, deeper: “In the winemaking process the following were utilized: Yeast hulls, bentonite, yeast nutrients, French oak barrels, untoasted oak chips, organic skim milk, copper sulfite.”

By this time, Mr. & Mrs. John Q. Wine-Drinker, standing in the retail shop trying to decided what wine to take home and drink with a ham sandwich, puts this bottle back on the shelf, muttering, “I’ll take my rosé without the skim milk, organic or not, thank you very much.”

It seems to me, in other words, that this is an instance in which complete transparency could backfire. How much do people actually need to know about how wine is made, when they just, you know, want a glass of wine with lunch?

Now it’s true that these constituents are traditional and harmless in winemaking, though some people are allergic to sulfur. Most of them are used to clarify the wine and “fine” it, as the term is for drawing particles to the bottom of the tank or cask to get rid of them. That’s the case with bentonite and skim milk, which is used in the form of casein. None of these elements is left in the wine when it is bottled. Pectinase is used to settle grape solids in the must, before the wine is sent to tanks or casks. Who, I ask, really needs this technical knowledge? Whose pleasure is increased thus?

On the other hand, the Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare 2007 is a delightful rosé. Sporting an entrancing ruddy watermelon color, the wine offers beguiling notes of melon, strawberry and plump. ripe peach with a hint of tart cranberry. Flavors are consistent with the bouquet, adding, though, strains of darker and slightly spicy raspberry. The wine is crisp and lively, just off-dry, with a dry, bracing finish that brings in a bit of dried herbs, a layer of chalk-like minerals. We drank this at home with salmon tacos. Thoroughly charming and delicious. Very good+ and Good Value at about $15, though I have seen it on the Internet for $12.

Closed with a screw-cap, as all wines from Bonny Doon are. Production is 7,800 cases.

Visit BonnyDoonVineyard.com.

Posted by Fredric Koeppel

From: Click(Daily)

2008-05-30T11:14:00.000-05:00

Three strikes

Also found in the backyard.

From: Urf!

2008-05-29T14:31:00.000-05:00

GK Critic

I took the opportunity, with the running of my fourth column, to interrupt 2-year-old GK's morning espresso and newspaper to ask what she thinks of it.

Me: Well?
GK (from behind the newspaper): What?
Me: What do you think?
GK: I think you people better figure out this mortgage situation before I get ready to sell my starter home.
Me: Not that, sweetie. My column. What do you think about it?
GK (folding paper down): Column?
Me: There, on the cover of the 'M' section. It's called "Because I Said So."
GK: Look at that, aren't you adorable with your little picture?
Me: It's the fourth one I've done. What do you think so far?
GK: Oh. Here, let me skim it.
Here she very quickly reads the column
GK: Your ... spelling is topnotch. Good use of punctuation, too.
Me: Thank you.
GK: How did this come about? Did you win a contest? Do they have Amateur Day over there?
Me: Well, some people called "editors" decided they wanted this column done and, I guess, some of them were familiar with my blog, so ...
GK: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up there, Winchell. Familiar with your what?
Me: My blog.
GK: The hell is a blog?
Me: A web log. It's a website that makes it simple for the user to add content ...
GK: Look, let me explain something to you. I'm two. I'm trying to learn this insane language and it doesn't help when you people just make up new words to amuse yourselves and your internet friends.
She picks up and continues reading the Business section
GK: So what is this web log of yours called?
Me: Urf!.
GK: (audible sigh)
Me: What? It's something S used to say when she was about your age!
GK: I just saw S trying to eat a popsicle stick-end first.
Me: Yeah, she kind of worries me.
GK: You all worry me.

Birthed by RJA

From: Squirrel Squad Squeaks

2007-07-07T16:03:00.000-05:00

Hello, Minnesota!

Through careful scientific analysis, we have determined that the population of Minnesota is 3,780. Or, at the very least, that the population of slightly off-center folks at buzz.mn is 3,780.

Today, we got comments on our piece on fried chicken pizza. We get comments, but that piece was written a while back, so we thought it a bit odd. Then our friend and personal wine guru Benito wrote to let us know that we had been mentioned on buzz.mn.

We were mentioned by James Lileks, author of The Gallery of Regrettable Food. I have never expected Ruth Reichl to put our blog in Gourmet, but I had hoped to at least avoid being called regrettable. (I get enough of that from Mama Squirrel.)

It turns out that July 6, 2007 is National Fried Chicken Day. We were mentioned because James Lileks thinks fried chicken pizza is a good idea. And not only were we mentioned, but we were recognized as the official inventors of fried chicken pizza. Patent office here we come!

And in the mean time, hello, Minnesota! You're welcome back anytime. We'll keep the cast iron seasoned just in case anyone wants to drop in for a pizza.

From: The Soundcheck & The Fury

2007-07-07T15:58:00.000-05:00

The Brittle Hymn

This is my blog. This is my blog on the Fourth of July. This is a short story about America, set in Kentucky in the long ago.

The soldier was three days gone from the war when he came upon the small river. Pleasant Means was his name. He was spent and weary with bones pleading and his uniform hung dank and muddy from him like some other self. He thought he might see them both in reflection on the small river, but shadows played hell upon the water with what little light of day remained.

Pleasant was a fresh twenty-one and not a fighting man. He was a poet, by nature if nothing else, and out of that poetic nature he sat and watched the water flow. The bend of the river, the crook of the thing. He had been deserting from the Southern side for those three days and some twenty miles and his bones were nearing some riotous brink. His feet were tombstones and he liked to have died but he hadn’t the vigor dying would demand.

It had rained through this day and the better part of the day before and so with each trudge through the woods his boots had picked up more mud and muck and he tried not to think too awfully hard about this in any symbolic way, the mud and muck and this other self dank and heavy upon him.

Pleasant couldn’t help but wonder if the war was coming home with him.

* * *

He rested at the river. His mind cleared and so was at clutter’s mercy. His mind drifted, as minds do. Hearts are heavy and this uniform is deadweight, Pleasant thought, but the mind is a weightless thing; it grows wings and goes to town.

He thought of home and the big river. He thought of a tavern, a taste of whiskey, a fiddle tune about the last flood or the next one. Mostly, he thought of a woman, her sad eyes looking out from under black hair, her salty mouth.

He thought of the folly of the moment, dropped to one knee, sank an inch, it may have been two. He thought the earth ought to just swallow him whole. Anyway, he wouldn’t be welcome at home as a deserter, a coward, a failure at the fine art of shooting strangers where they stood for what they wore, and the woman in question was otherwise engaged.

Can we please, he pleaded, get a little poetic justice here? But the earth wouldn’t have him, just soaked and muddied the knee of his dank, heavy grays.

He lowered his head, clasped his hands; he was in a handy position to pray if he had any praying to do. He closed his eyes and thought about that, gave it a good going-over in his mind, but in the end decided against waking Your Lord.

Pleasant Means was a poet, a heathen, a deserter, a coward, a mother’s son. His bones pleaded and his mind heard tell. He raised his head without opening his eyes, cried out without opening his mouth, heard a twig snap across the way but paid it no mind.

Pleasant was a drinker, a rounder, carouser, a little bit of a fiddle player. He was a weary traveler, something of a sage pilgrim, had an element of damn fool about him, too. He was a man out of time; early or late, he did not know which.

He opened his eyes to the river and the river moved on him. The river was a cracked whip. It was vengeance stretched taut and then gone slack.

He whiled away the day watching it. He aged a decade, became a small child. He blinked and became an old man looking back with aged wisdom too late in coming, a voice to faint to heed. Time was scattered, history strewn. America was a book held by its spine and shook; words leapt from the pages and fell as proclamations and rallying cries, sermons and psalms.

He blinked again and then sat for the longest thinking nothing whatsoever, but the sheer bulk of all that nothingness was too much for him and so he set it aside. He pondered madness and peace of mind and wondered were there three silver coins of difference between the two.

He sighed and it settled him. Time fell in line. Time took to its paces. Time marched like a good soldier. It was dusk, and now came another snap of twig and a crack of knuckles, and from across that small river came a voice.

“Well, if it ain’t my little brother, deserting from the Southern side.”

Jacob Means wore a bemused frown that didn’t clash all that much with his soldier’s blues.

Pleasant raised his head ever so slightly. He nodded. “How you, big brother?” he said.

“Been getting by,” Jacob said. “And you?”

“Just about barely.”

Family pleasantries thus exchanged, gun barrels were raised and aimed.

Posted by David Williams

From: Paul Ryburn's Journal

2007-07-07T15:50:00.000-05:00

From the MBJ: Prince Mongo's Planet to be converted into boutique hotel

Friday, July 06, 2007

In this print edition of this week's Memphis Business Journal, there's an article about plans for the space formerly occupied by Prince Mongo's Planet, a nightclub of the 1990s where 14-year-olds could go to get a beer and mingle with belligerent Navy recruits. A developer has a contract on the building and plans to renovate the building (56-60-62 South Front) into an upscale boutique hotel with 34 rooms. It will be called the Grade Hotel.

Furthermore, there will be meeting rooms, a restaurant, a coffee shop and a BOOKSTORE(!!!!) on the ground floor. The developer is hoping to attract students from the U of M law school, which will be moving downtown in 2009, as well as students from nearby medical, dental, and optometry schools, to the coffee shop. He hopes to have clean-up crews in the building by September. The hotel's grand opening could happen as little as 18 months from then, with the ground-floor businesses open sooner.

Great news for Downtown! Unless you're a freshman in high school and were hoping Mongo's would reopen so you'd have a place to drink.

posted by Paul Ryburn

From: The ChockleyBlogs

2007-07-07T15:41:00.000-05:00

Firecracker, Firecracker, Siss Boom Bah

Chip and I have picked up our running efforts of late, mostly because our friend RJA challenged us to run a 5K with him. He's been so happy to be doing so much running that his enthusiasm was contagious. But while Chip and I have enjoyed the running on some level, on others we've found it quite depressing. You know how professional athletes are considered old by the time they hit their mid-30s? Now that I'm there, it totally makes sense. My toe hurts. Chip's knee hurts. Of course my knee hurts. And sometimes my back. And maybe Chip's heel. It's not debilitating, just humbling to realize how quickly one's body can turn on you.

So last night we ran the Firecracker 5K. The boys soon left me way behind, but I'll catch up with them sooner or later. I finished in 31:45, Chip in 30 flat, and RJA in 27:09. I definitely want to break 30 minutes next time, but I think I'll take a day off from my training to celebrate our nation's awesomeness. And to rest my toe.

(The pictures aren't relevant at all. They're just cute. Sorry!)

From: 55-40 Memphis

2007-07-07T15:35:00.000-05:00

A.B.C.

Whenever you listen to a Republican operative commenting on the Democratic primary race, I want you to notice something. Pay attention as to which candidate gets the most hits and snarks, and which candidate is declared the apparent front runner. Make a note and move onto the next operative. Do you see a pattern?

Expand your awareness. Take in what all the Republicans are saying about the Democratic candidates. Read the bloggers, too. Make note of which candidates get trashed most often, and which are pretty much left alone. As if the Republicans are purposely holding their fire. Do you see a pattern yet?

I'll give you a hint: The Democratic candidate the Republicans most love to trash goes by the initials A.B.C. On the other hand, the candidate they're leaving alone is the one that has the worst negatives in the polls.

Factor in something else. Look at the messaging of the Republican candidates. What is the common theme among them? What the single most wonderful trait of every last one of them? (Except the libertarian.) Chris Matthews sees it. Do you?

Is it "strong on national security?"

Nope. It's manliness.

That should tell you who the Republicans want to win the Democratic primary campaign and they're gearing up to face in the general. They want it so bad they're having a tough time keeping a straight face. They ache for it. They're having political woodies over this candidate because if that's whom they will face, they know they win in 2008.

The scary part is that they're right.

And that's the top reason I'm voting for A.B.C.

From: at home she feels like a tourist

2007-07-07T15:26:00.000-05:00

When in Memphis....

It occurred to me as soon as I posted the previous entry that I had only looked at one side of a two-sided problematic. When addressing the relationship between a city and outsiders, one can examine both how city residents should receive the outsiders, and how outsiders should approach their new city. The old platitude "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" offers one rather simplistic response to the latter issue. Adapt and assimilate, it suggests.

On one level, this advice is obviously correct. If you are visiting a city where tipping is considered a rude affront, then you shouldn't leave a tip. If people pass on the right and walk on the left, then for reasons both practical and ethical, you shouldn't plow through a line of walkers on the left.

OK - but: what if you are visiting an explicitly racist city? What if you're a committed vegetarian in a city where venison is the local specialty? What if you're part of a gay couple in a city where homosexuality is considered a moral affront and gays are advised to stay very, very closeted? What if the local custom involves pelting stones at stray animals...or stoning adulteresses?

At what point does a cultural variation cease to be a fairly indifferent matter of local custom and become a political or moral issue which might call for outspoken public defiance?

Just a few hypothetical questions here. I'm not suggesting that Memphians pelt stones at stray animals or stone adulteresses - the cultural differences between Memphis and San Francisco certainly aren't that dramatic. But I'm using a few intentionally extreme examples to point out that, while we all accept the "when in Rome" principle up to a point, there is a line somewhere, beyond which even the responsible outsider should not necessarily simply accept local "custom" as such. Where does this line lie? Where exactly is the critical difference between boorishly refusing to respect the local culture, and taking an ethical stand against cruel or unjust local practices? Or even just an aesthetic stand against, for example, an ugly architectural craze in a city you're visiting?

A lot of questions in this post with no answers. I'm just trying to introduce a complicated problem for now; in the next post (whenever that comes) I will try to work out how this problem applies to an outsider in Memphis, specifically.

posted by fearlessvk

From: Listwork

2007-04-27T07:26:00.001-05:00

Get to Know Your Blogger

1. New: Stacey dines with a Chockley at EP Delta Kitchen!
2. New: S.A.M. i.m.'s StephChockleyBlog.
3. Stacey Greenberg right here on Listwork.
4. Me! Elizabeth Alley interviewed by Urf!
5. RJA of Urf! interviewed by StephChockleyblog of One of Each, part 1 and part 2.
6. More to come as soon of the rest of these people get on the ball.

Organized by Elizabeth Alley

Recent Keyword Searches Leading To Memphis Blogger

2007-04-23T21:40:00.000-05:00

frederick koeppel picture (google)
threshold montessori (search.msn)
mother day brunch, memphis, tn (search.msn)
memphis liberty bowl architecture pictures (google)
memphis skyline photos (google)

From: The Gates of Memphis

2007-04-16T16:20:00.000-05:00

Embarrassment is Conservative

Over at Lantana Projects, Ian Lemmonds recently interviewed Frederic Koeppel, the art writer for the Commercial Appeal. In a question about getting people to pay attention to your art, he says:

Show as much as you can at spaces that are not embarrassing (no beauty salons, frame stores and pet shops).

But later, in a question about the changes in the Memphis art scene,

We have more alternative spaces, more independent and non-profit groups, more artists (and many of the same artists), but it’s clearly still a struggle to make and sell art in what is essentially an artistically conservative town.

Which leads me to this: maybe we're an artistically conservative town because we label mundane venues as embarrassing.

Maybe.

Because I think we should be an artistically progressive town, and because maybe is good enough for me, here's where we should show art:

convenience stores
car washes
parking garages
anywhere Louise Dunavant's paintings hang.
barbecue shops
MATA buses and trolleys
back yards
front yards (especially Prince Mongo's front yard)
public schools
ATMs
clubs and coffee houses.
feed stores
i ndependent used bookstores
police precincts
pawn shops
churches
multiplexes
sidewalks
cafeterias
empty buildings
empty lots
Second Life
greenhouses and nursery grounds
tattoo parlors
anywhere Thomas Kinkade's paintings hang
junkyards
martial arts academies
where newscasters get their hair cut
the sides of the Pyramid
any setting of a Craig Brewer movie
any setting of a John Michael McCarthy movie
tanning salons
video stores
animal shelters
public libraries
City Council chambers
funeral homes
liquor stores
Chinese food buffets
sno-cone emporiums
everywhere else

Note: following my advice rather than Mr. Koeppel's will not only harm your career, but possibly the art itself. It could get stolen, it could get shot, it could get barbecue sauce on it.

But I just don't see how Memphis can build whitewalls around art and still shake artistic conservatism.

Labels: art, Memphis culture

posted by gatesofmemphis

From: artbutcher

2007-04-16T16:18:00.000-05:00

Some Art Venues Embarrassing?

i would like to comment
on my own blog
my own opinion
about an ongoing conversation
between the gatesofmemphis blog
and the lantana events blog
about the interview ian did with fredric koeppel
and particularily a comment fredric made

"Show as much as you can at spaces that are not embarrassing (no beauty salons, frame stores and pet shops)."

the gatesof memphis blog
did not really agree with this statement
or this statement

"We have more alternative spaces, more independent and non-profit groups, more artists (and many of the same artists), but it’s clearly still a struggle to make and sell art in what is essentially an artistically conservative town."

gatesofmemphis blog
is of the opinion
one should show art everywhere
and he gives numerous locations
of where that art should be shown
then
ian comments on the gatesofmemphisblog

"As an artist myself, I can tell you that putting your art in these places will definitely harm your career. It takes only a little while for people (after they've seen your work around) to begin approaching you with "opportunities". They mean well, and will tell you they are curating a show in some restaurant or hair salon somewhere, and at first you will do a few of these kinds of shows and say to yourself, "maybe this will help my career". Trust me, it won't. No one goes to the hair salon to look at or buy art. Instead, the hair salon is getting free, revolving are placed on their walls ao they don't have to go out and buy any. Frederic's advice was right, and I, for one, am going to take it. Memphis may be conservative artistically, but that's no reason to start hanging your art in places where people will not see it, buy it, or care about it."

i think i have to disagree somewhat here
because i just happen to curate a space
that is in a restaurant
the p and h cafe
it may not be a traditional restaurant
and it sure in the hell
is not a traditional
nontraditonal space
but the exhibitons are important
important to the artists
important to the patrons of the p and h
it is a small space
the lighting is not that good
the exhibition wall is crooked
and to paraphrase fredric and carol and andrea
all of whom have written about shows
at the p and h
it is the worlds smallest gallery in memphis
i have put on over 25 solo shows at the p and h
and with the exception of about five
each artist has sold something
most have sold it all
last night for example
jason cole had an opening
no one in this cities art scene knows of him
except for me
and he has sold three pieces so far
bought buy people who do not care about art
they never go anywhere to look at art
and the only art they see
is the art i hang at the p and h
it helps the artist to work on their first public art
i am talking about the table tops here
not a traditoal form of public art
but some of these artists
get commissions to make more art
as a result of these table tops
i think that is important
important to the artists
i think the artists think it is important as well
as i have a waiting list about a year long

and i think i may have to disagree
with the statement
that it wont help the career
of an artist to show in such a place
i think the shows getting reviewed
is a help to the artist
some of these artists have gotten shows
in traditional white walled exhibition spaces
as a result of these shows
some of these artists have gotten
their work reproduced in national magazines
and printed on the front covers of books
as a result of having these shows
i think it is important for the artists
to have a place to have their first shows
which start out on a good note
because
people who do not care about art
buy it
these artists get to see their name in the paper
these artists have another addition on the web
when they google their name
some get to have an interview with me
that i post on this blog
and a shit load of people read this blog
from NYC to Los Angeles

it may not be a space
where an established artist
would want to have a show
which is not really true
as some the more established
well known artists
in this city
want to have a show at the p and h
i dont know what that says
but i think it says a lot

regarding shows in such venues
that are like the p and h
but are not the p and h
are important to the artists
and the people putting on the shows
take for example the shows
the gallery management class at rhodes puts together
this is
i think
great experience for young aspiring artists
and young aspiring curators
having a one day show at donald donuts
may not get you an interview
with the curator of the whitney biennial
but it is a start
and you cant end up at the top
without starting at the bottom
i am curious to know the locations
of the first exhibitons
that greely myatt had
terri jones had
veda reed had
hamlett dobbins had
elizabeth alley had
susan maakestad had
larry edwards had
pinkney herbert had
tad lauritzen wright had
alan duckworth had
ian lemmonds had
mel spillman had
mark nowell had
nancy cheirs had
just to name a few

all quotes printed without permission
beause that is the way i roll

Posted by dwayne

From: The Gates of Memphis

2007-03-19T08:54:00.000-05:00

How Much Do You Hate The Gates of Memphis? A Lot? A Fair Amount? Just a Little?

The Memphis Business Journal ran an online survey asking their readers how much they read blogs, then posted the results in "Business Pulse results: Memphians hardly care for blogs". The brief story began:

The majority of an online survey participants don't bother to read blogs.

Memphis Business Journal asked its online readers last week if they liked blogging. Of the 106 respondents, 41 percent said they don't waste their time reading blogs. 34 percent said they only read blogs on occasion.

However, 10 percent enjoy reading others' blogs and 6 percent have their own blogs and post often. A surprising 9 percent don't even know what a blog is.

2 things:

were "do you bother to read blogs?" and "do you waste your time reading blogs?" survey questions? Maybe they were, but I can't find the actual survey.
if a majority doesn't bother to read blogs, what's the percentage that does? 34 percent on occasion, plus 10 percent who enjoy reading other blogs, plus 6 percent who have their own blogs and post often equals ... 50%. 50% -- well that's definitely not a majority. But doesn't that also mean that the percentage that doesn't bother to read is also 50% -- definitely not a majority either! So the opening line "the majority of an online survey participants don't bother to read blogs" is incorrect. Readership is split down the middle. Avid readership is pretty low but they didn't say "bother to read regularly", they said "bother to read."

Why such a slant?

Perhaps a clear defeat of a pale young pajama-wearing whippersnapper upstart reads more entertaining than a split decision. I appreciate this explanation because I don't want my avid-to-occasional readers falling asleep in their Wheaties either.

But could it be something else?

This is absolutely not a story unique to Memphis, but the continuous, public, no-barriers-to-entry conversations and debates created and nurtured by this and this and this and this and this and all of these are with few precedents in Memphis' history.

50%, 10%, 1% -- all improvements over silence.

Update/Apology: I had copied and pasted the text above from the MBJ article. Little did I know I also copied their HTML, which included a reference to an ad (I must have that adblocked on my other computer). It's gone now.

As a consequence of this mistake, I've changed the title of the post. You win this time, Memphis Business Journal!

Labels: Memphis media, navel-gazing

posted by gatesofmemphis

From: at home she feels like a tourist

2007-03-19T08:52:00.000-05:00

What should fill those empty buildings?

Since I live in downtown Memphis, I watch the developments and changes in that part of Memphis with particular interest. Sometimes I actually feel vaguely guilty about this; I realize that downtown is where the money is, where the expensive condos are, where the tourists are, where the boutiques and upscale restaurants and shiny beautiful people are. And the reflexively guttersnipe part of me (the Clash once sang that the truth is only known by guttersnipes, after all) wants to scoff at much of this, at this shiny veneer that Memphis hopes to present to its tourists while ignoring the desperation, despair, and decrepitude of its less desirable zip codes. Nonetheless, earlier today, yet again I found myself giddily excited over the latest addition announced to downtown: a pastry and coffee shop in the core of downtown.

So if I may be allowed to indulge my downtown-ism for a minute: for all the talk of revitalization, much of downtown Memphis remains abandoned and empty. The overgrown lots and warehouses testify to nature's inevitable revenge against everything artificial and manmade in her midst. While I find urban decay oddly beautiful in its own right, particularly when armed with a camera, my desire for bustling streets and welcoming storefronts typically outweighs my romanticization of decay. But still, I worry that our eagerness for something, anything to occupy those buildings will overwhelm our critical reception of new developments.

For example: the development of downtown, apart from residential development, has consisted predominantly of new restaurants and bars; retail lags behind. Does this mean we should dream of Gaps and Banana Republics and Hot Topics and Blockbusters and Foot Lockers filling the streets of downtown Memphis? When I pose the question like this, the answer seems so obvious: of course not. Naturally I favor independent businesses and local entrepreneurs and establishments with some genuine connection to the city and the neighborhood. Yet given the vastness of decay and abandonment, and the achingly slow development of retail in downtown, would I necessarily oppose the arrival of some predictable but reliably popular chain store in downtown Memphis? That is a tougher question to answer. In SF, I certainly would have opposed almost any chain store that set its sights on a well-travelled corner in one of my favorite old neighborhoods. But one can easily afford the luxury of opposing chain stores in a place like SF with a thriving street life and a thriving independent business culture. Can we afford the same luxury in a struggling and scarred city like Memphis?

Apart from Peabody Place, the world's most useless mall, with all 3.2 of its shops, and the American Apparel down in South Main, downtown Memphis does retain a certain independent charm. No doubt this is the independence of necessity rather than the independence of a defiant anti-chain spirit, but all the same, when I walk from one end of downtown Memphis to the other, I pass very few of the Usual Suspects, and that helps downtown Memphis to maintain a distinctive sense of place. Can a genuinely revitalized downtown Memphis maintain that independence? Can we support retail coming to downtown Memphis without homogenizing it via the Usual Suspects? What should - and what shouldn't - fill all those empty buildings?

posted by fearlessvk

From: The Daily Diversion

2007-03-14T19:05:00.000-05:00

WAITING...

(I actually wrote this down last night while I was laying in bed, unable to sleep)

Yeah, I like the movie, but when it comes to fruition in real life, well, that's another story.

We weren't even back in Memphis for two hours before the first calamity took place. Being that is was nearly 80 degrees when we made it home, we decided to it would be a perfect evening to take a walk, followed by a nice dinner out.

We walked south down Main Street to the Orpheum and had pretty much decided that we were going to eat outside at the Majestic, but we wanted to stroll a little longer, since we'd been cramped up in a car for about five hours (speaking of which, I'll get to another story about some adventures in driving a little later).

So, we walked over by the FedEx Forum to see how the construction was going on the new hotel, then back north up 3rd Street toward Peabody. I remembered there was a Crepe place that opened up not too long ago that we hadn't tried yet, so we stopped by, just to check out the menu.

Unfortunately, they didn't have their menu posted on door, like most places here in Memphis, but no sooner than we turned to walk away did one of the chefs come out and greet us with a smile, a friendly face, and an offer of one of their "to go" menus. He also said "We'll delivery too, if necessary."

Knowing what we know now (several hours later), we should've just walked in and placed an order. We didn't though. We just took the menu and headed back up toward the corner of Peabody and Main, where the Majestic resides. All the while, Adrianne is focused on the menu we received at the Crepe place.

So, we get to Majestic and step inside, planning on eating outside on Main Street. No problem there. We're quickly seated and a couple of waiters pass us by, paying us no mind. This actually doesn't bother me much, as I assume they are handling other tables and one of them would probably be with us shortly.

A few minutes pass when our server approaches our table. He promptly asks if we would like something to drink. We oblige and place our drink orders. This, in and of itself, shouldn't be difficult, right?

Well, somewhere in between us speaking English and him bringing us our beverages there was a serious lapse in communication.

Now, rewind for a moment... About five minutes after we were seated, a family of six or seven people were seated at a table just behind us.

Back to the present... About five minutes after placing our drink order, the family seated behind us received their drinks, while we sat with two sets of silverware, neatly rolled in a cloth napkin, and two menus, closed, at the edge of the table (as we had long since decided on what we were having for dinner).

I really can understand taking a few minutes to retrieve drinks from the bar, especially when someone orders a rare port or single-malt scotch (where you actually have to go to the cellar to see if you have it in stock), but when the order is a Sprite and a water, with lemon, I kind of lose my understanding. I guess the lemon part was too difficult? Or could it be that the lemon's weren't ripe enough to serve?

Either way, after waiting 15 minutes for our drink order, which never came, we got up and left. Our server (if you actually want to call him that, since he didn't actually serve anything) was standing nearby when we exited the restaurant.

Now, I understand that this happens occasionally to tourists, and it's not that big a deal, since they probably won't be coming back anyway, but it really sucks when it happens to residents of downtown, who really want to spend their money down here, supporting downtown businesses. After all, I live, work, and enjoy playing downtown, and want to keep it that way.

The worst part of it isn't that this is first time this has happened at this restaurant. This is the fourth time I've eaten there, and not once have I been pleased with the service. If it wasn't for the food, I would've never given this place a second chance. I can assure you they will not get a fifth.

I know they probably don't care either, and that's fine with me. All of the waiters whom we saw outside were more worried about chatting with and catering to the two ladies sitting at the tables next to us anyway. I hope they were big tippers!

However, if I were an "undercover" restaurant reviewer, this would not look so good.

I love supporting downtown businesses, and it breaks my heart when one of them goes out of business. That being said, I sincerely hope that I am the exception to the rule at the Majestic, and not the norm when it come to service, other wise they won't be in business much longer.

Now, we did end up having a nice meal though, so don't think this story ends on a down note. We walked back down the street to the Crepe place and there was that smiling face, waiting to see us again. That was really a nice change of pace from what we had encountered only minutes prior to this.

We split a delicious chicken Caesar crepe and followed it with a "Triple Threat" dessert. The entree was wonderful, but the dessert was outstanding! This is the way the night should've gone to begin with. Now we know! Here is the restaurant: Crepe Makers

See, fate always finds a way to step in and make things right!

Now, let me tell you a little story about having some fun while driving. Better yet, read this short story from the Commercial Appeal...

I-40 pileup kills at least 1, shuts down eastbound lanes

By Associated
Press
March 9, 2007

DICKSON, Tenn. — At least one person was killed Friday night in a pileup on
Interstate 40 in Dickson County involving at least seven tractor-trailers and
six cars.
The chain-reaction crash started about 7:20 p.m. and shut down
eastbound lanes near mile marker 165 and backed up westbound traffic for miles,
according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The area is about 42 miles west of
Nashville.

At least one tractor-trailer overturned. The cause of the wreck was being
investigated.
Lanes were not expected to be clear until 2 a.m. Saturday.
Eastbound traffic was diverted to State Highway 48.

Yeah, well we left Memphis at 5:15 pm on Friday night, and at about 7:30 came upon a parking lot on I40. I'm guessing we were only about 10 to 12 miles from being involved in this accident, which is a relief. However, we were stuck in the aftermath for more than two hours because of this. After we had already finished watching "Anchorman" and started watching "BASEketbal" a TDOT truck came by telling us to cross the median and go to the closest exit, so we could be rerouted back to the interstate.

Well, we went a little different route. I decided, since I kind of knew where we were, to take an alternate route to Owensboro, thus avoiding the slow moving traffic that would be involved with getting back on I40. Needless to say, this was not a shorter route by any means.

Around 1:40 am we pulled into the driveway. In case you didn't know, it's a five hour drive from Memphis to Owensboro, pretty much any way you go. To say that we were exhausted when we finally go there would be a slight understatement.

I actually slept while a vehicle was in motion for the first time since I was a child, on Saturday, while we were heading to Lexington. That, alone, should speak volumes.

Inflicted on you by John

From: Fertile Ground

2007-03-13T18:51:00.000-05:00

Lamplighter Column--Getting Schooled

For those of you who haven't picked up a copy of this month's Lamplighter...

GETTING SCHOOLED
Education choices in Memphis lacking

I was a proponent of the Memphis Public School system before I had kids. “I went to public schools and I turned out fine,” I would say (loudly in bars while having hypothetical holier-than-thou arguments). When I actually got pregnant and started thinking about reality versus winning an argument, I realized that “fine” wasn’t what I wanted for my future offspring.

For the first year of Satchel’s life I plotted ways for Warren or I to stay home full-time, but (ironically, due to needing two salaries to cover our student loans) nothing panned out. Our precious baby went to a home-based daycare and we went to work. When Satchel was eighteen-months-old and showing signs of sponge-like learning abilities, I started looking for a school to enroll him in. I called around and didn’t find too many options for his age group. At the time, the best choice was Threshold Montessori. Not only did they take the kids young, they were open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. — a working parent’s dream. At the school, children did art twice a day, played outside a lot, and had freedom to choose what “work” they wanted to do when they wanted to do it. Best of all, I liked the diversity. Threshold had a pretty even mix of white kids and black kids in addition to a smattering of kids with other ethnicities.

Satchel thrived at Threshold. He was well-liked by the teachers and students and quickly adapted to the Montessori style of learning. He paved the way for Jiro to be accepted at fifteen months of age, and soon he was thriving too. By the time Jiro enrolled, I no longer got upset by the amount of television they watched or the junk food they witnessed their friends eating. In fact, I looked forward to the third Thursday of each month when they had fast food or pizza because that was one less day that I had to make lunches. I was secure in the knowledge that they were both well cared for and intellectually stimulated. I gave glowing accounts of the school to my friends and never spent a moment worrying about either of my boys once I dropped them off in the morning.

Despite this, I did have a small inferiority complex in conversations with friends who sent their kids to the “fancy” Maria Montessori downtown. With its gardening program, high parent involvement, and no TV and no plastic toys, it seemed to me like it belonged more in California than in Memphis. I had called Maria Montessori when I was initially looking for a place to send Satchel, but upon discovering that they were only open until 2:30 p.m., closed in the summer, and that Satchel would have to be “invited” to attend a full day session after proving himself part-time, I couldn’t quite figure out how a family with two working parents could logistically send their child to Maria Montessori (even if they could afford it).

As much as I liked Threshold, I had to think ahead. Threshold only goes through kindergarten and Satchel is almost five. Warren and I had a come-to-Jesus talk where we discussed sending Satchel to Idlewild Elementary, the public school in our zone at the time. Idlewild was close by, it’s an optional school, and it has a pretty decent reputation.

We decided to do an Idlewild drive-by in August. I immediately noticed the “Open House Next Thursday Night” sign out front and the boys immediately noticed the cool playground behind the teachers’ parking lot. That Saturday we went to the playground and started talking about the time when Satchel would go to his “big school.” He was very excited and immediately started talking about his “big school” on a regular basis.

At the Open House, Satchel was amazed by the sheer number of people in attendance and was very interested to see the inside of the school. We walked by a few classrooms and ventured into the library, and of course, the restrooms. He seemed smitten, but inexplicably, by the time we got home, Satchel said he no longer wanted to go to the “big school.”

“Why?” I asked, perplexed.

“There’s too many people. Too many brown people,” he said.

“Whaaa, huh?” I was totally taken off guard.

But truthfully, I noticed too. According to the school’s racial breakdown, in a class of twenty-four, there might be three or four non-African American students. Satchel had plenty of black friends at Threshold, but I didn’t know how he’d feel being in the minority at Idlewild. When I went to Newberry Elementary, the racial breakdown of the classrooms was pretty much the same and I don’t remember feeling out of place. However, I would really like to have Satchel in a classroom that more accurately reflects the diversity of Midtown.

Recently, a crunchy friend of mine enrolled her daughter at Evergreen Montessori. “You should see it,” she said. “They have all of the traditional Montessori materials, they make lunch there, there’s a huge backyard with no sand and lots of animals, and there are all kinds of extras like yoga, soccer, and Tae Kwan Do.”

“Really?” I said trying to figure out why I hadn’t sent Satchel there in the first place. “What time do they close?”

“Six-thirty,” she said.

“Isn’t it expensive?”

“A little bit, but you would save some money not making lunches.”

“Don’t they close when the City Schools close?

“Yes, but they do stay open extra days for working parents.”

Warren and I set up an appointment to take Satchel and Jiro on a tour of Evergreen. We were greeted at the door by one of Satchel’s old Threshold classmates who immediately took him by the hand and ran off to show him everything. There were lots of other familiar faces too — from the playground, from Mothersville, from the grocery store, etc. The director told us that there were three other students with a Japanese parent and/or grandparent, which we thought was pretty cool. Once we saw all of the amenities at Evergreen, we were very impressed. It had all that Threshold had and more — all the way to the eighth grade. We were sold.

Looking over the enrollment packet, I was worried if we’d be able to afford Evergreen. It wasn’t as much as Maria Montessori, but it was definitely more than Threshold — especially if we needed before and after care, which we did. However, Warren and I were committed to making it work. And thanks to the understanding of Evergreen’s director, we did.

The boys have been at Evergreen for two months now and are fitting right in. They love yoga and Tae Kwan Do and can’t wait for soccer. Warren and I like seeing our friends at drop offs, pick ups, and parent meetings. I don’t miss making lunches one bit. The school definitely reflects Midtown and has a very neighborly feel.

It is easy for me to imagine the boys staying at Evergreen indefinitely, but not without feeling a little guilty about it. It was a no-brainer for us to buy a house (twice now) in a transitional neighborhood — the realtor actually said something along the lines of, “This neighborhood needs people like you” — but taking the leap into the public school system is much scarier.

I saw a high-school friend last fall at a Rock-n-Romp. As we sat and talked for over an hour, he told me how much he wanted to move back to Memphis.

“What’s stopping you?” I asked.

“The schools,” he said. In North Carolina, he told me, they have great schools. All kinds of schools. Even public Montessori schools.

I want to live in Memphis. In Midtown. I want to be a part of the solution, not the problem. But, I also want my kids to get a great (and not necessarily traditional) education. I don’t want a third of my income to go to private school, especially when a third of it already goes toward student loans.

I want better choices.

There's already been a record breaking THREE letters to the editor...one of which clears up a few facts about Maria Montessori that I got wrong, one basically says I am a racist, and one that simply says I am a whiner/poor journalist.

What do you think?

posted by Stacey Greenberg

From: Urf!

2007-03-01T14:03:00.000-06:00

Why Bother?

I believe nature abhors a vacuum but loves irony. I think I have that right. I get a kick out of irony, I know that, whether in fiction or real life. But I don’t care so much for it when it kicks me in the solar plexus. Such is the case tonight, or this morning, whichever it is now. Fresh on the heels of the previous post, Robbin’ & Stealin’, wherein I poke fun at S and a friend’s daughter for stealing things, my business was broken into. Again. This makes five times in roughly seven years. I haven’t written much about what I do, but I own a small retail business in downtown Memphis. I’m sitting here, having spent two hours boarding up a window, picking up merchandise and sweeping up glass. And all I can do now is sit and type and wonder Why Bother? Why try to keep a small business going when there are animals out there? And that’s what they are – animals – a class of citizens in this city that wanders around and simply takes what they like with no regard at all for anyone else. They are no better than a pack of wild, roving animals and should be treated as such. Why bother trying to raise a family in a city that is increasingly becoming a cesspool of crime? Why bother being an entrepreneur at all? Why not work for a corporation and let all of this be someone else’s problem? Let them try to find money in the budget for a new 8-foot window.

Perhaps I’m just tired. I’ve got a full day now, once I go back home to get The Quartet dressed, fed and out the door for school, of cleaning, securing and buying glass. Or perhaps I’m just tired of everything.

Birthed by RJA

From: Secret Agent Mom

2007-03-01T14:02:00.000-06:00

Our Happy Home In Memphis, Tennessee

With RJA's recent unexpected store guests added to the tally, that makes three fingerprint-garnering crimes inflicted on our small circle of friends since the beginning of the year. It's frightening, infuriating, and deeply demoralizing. Seeing headlines flick by on the news is depressing enough, but it's even harder to feel much hope about the place where you live when you watch your friends going through the cycles of anger and fear that being a crime victim entails. As Memphians, and (semi- to actual)Midtowners in partcular, we're constantly asking ourselves why we stay, why we put up with the problems we know are here, why we're raising our kids in a city that often resembles an Old West free-for-all rather than a stable metropolis.

In the new issue of Fertile Ground, a number of Memphis parents/writers address this issue both directly and indirectly (including all three of the lawfully infringed parties referenced above). There are a lot of positive things mentioned about Memphis, from the culture to the sense of community, but I think the most basic reason we're here is because ... this is where we are. This is our home, whether we've been here all our lives or have transplanted by choice. And sure, I guess there are those folks who pack up and move when the floors get creaky or the basement walls crack, but for those who crave stability and are slow to uproot, it just feels natural to work through the problems. Or better yet, follow the true Midtowner-homeowner path and ignore them.

And of course, pure stubbornness comes into play. Some chickenshit burglar or cracked-out, theoretically-armed robber thinks he's going to get the better of us? Some sackless douchebag is going to make us fear for the safety of our kids? The fuck he is!

(Ahem. Sorry, Mom. Did I mention the anger part of being a crime victim?)

Point is, we've made choices and sacrifices and commitments to this place. We've built careers and families and friendships here. As a native and 14th-generation Minnesotan, I never expected Memphis to feel like home to me, but now I can't deny the pull. Call it insanity or inertia, but it's become very hard for me to imagine myself having as full a life anywhere else. It's both the good and bad that make this town unique, and one night of having the crap scared out of me doesn't outweigh the countless park dates, shared meals, and hours of laughter that occurred before and since. Plus, of course, the nightly poker games at the saloon/brothel.

Briefed by S.A.M.

From: One of Each

2007-03-01T14:01:00.000-06:00

Ode to S.A.M.

Of late, I feel I've really been on the same wavelength as S.A.M. It's time to quit ignoring it and just go ahead and write my love letter.

For awhile now, I've been fascinated by my internet friendships. I know people join dating services and meet people online, but this is different. I have developed real connections with people I've only met a handful of times, and all because we read each other's blogs. If I were still working on my sociology degree (I'm still just a paper away from that Master's!) I thinkI would delve into this topic. Sadly I'm not clever enough to write about it without academic prodding, but fortunately S.A.M. tackled the subject for me in the latest issue of Fertile Ground. I did much head-nodding while reading her essay, glad I wasn't the only one who thought this phenomenon was noteworthy.

Today S.A.M. has a blog post about why we stay in Memphis, even though we all know it is a cesspool. And it's the same thing I've always said. I'm a person who likes stability, likes to put down roots. When we were in our twenties, with no responsibilities and the whole world at our feet, I would shoot down the thought of leaving Memphis. My reasons were mainly that if I moved somewhere else, I'd live the same life- I'd find a few restaurants/bars/hangouts that I liked, and I'd frequent them. I'd get the same type of job, and go to it every day. The only thing that would be different is that I wouldn't have my friends and family with me, and what's the point in that to a person like me? Yes, sometimes Memphis seems to suck. But when it does, I imagine myself in a different city without the people I love, and I just work through it.

So I was already feeling the S.A.M. love when I received this email today: "Does anyone have any interest in joining Team S.A.M at the Riverkings game tonight?" She thought it was a longshot that any of her friends would want to go to a minor league hockey game. What she didn't know was that earlier this week, while watching hockey highlights on SportsCenter, Connor turned to me and said, "Can you take me to a hockey game?" I had already checked the Riverkings schedule to find a suitable night when we could take Connor down south. We had decided on March 10 (Hockey Mr. Potato Head giveaway night), but tonight suddenly seems like a much better option. I think we'll even listen to Sign O' The Times on the way to the rink, just to make the experience complete.

Then tomorrow we'll deal with the restraining order.

From: Urf!

2007-03-01T13:52:00.000-06:00

Why We Bother

I feel like I need to expand on my earlier post, Why Bother?, written a week ago and only hours after my business had been broken into, and perhaps answer my own question. Why bother, I wondered, to live in a city with an increasing crime rate and leaders who are impotent to fight it? Why bother to work six days a week for eight years to build a business only to have some piece of crap break into it and take what he likes? Why bother to live within the law when so many seem to have no respect whatsoever for it? These are the questions I had that early morning on only a few hours of sleep. And most of this is still a dilemma for me, let me make that clear. However, since that day, some of those questions have been answered for me. They’ve been answered by friends and family who live in this city, or have lived here. Some of them have been victims of crime recently and are entrepreneurs themselves.

Both S.A.M. and StephChockley, in response to my question, waxed more eloquently than I can on why it is we live where we live. They touched on friends more than anything, friends who have become family. Their posts meant more than many of you realize because they have both been victims of crime recently as well, one in her family’s home and one a victim of armed robbery at her place of business. Yet they are able to see past this all to recount the good in this city and her people. I should take a page from their book, or blog, if these are pages, and look for the positives in my fellow Memphians. But it’s difficult for me. It’s difficult because this was my fifth break-in, because of the garbage I witness harassing the good people downtown every day and because the newspapers are full of the irresponsibility, incompetence and egos of the leaders of our city. But this is where we are. This is where I grew up, bought a business and am raising four children. If I were to suggest to Big Mama tonight that we pack up the kids and our favorite books into the Volvo 740 turbo wagon and move away from here, she would do it, such is her disdain for the city, but we both know that’s not possible. We’re entrenched here … for now. And as long as we’re entrenched, we’re lucky to be so with some really good people, true friends and family.

My other question had to do with owning a small business. Why bother? I heard from an old friend living in Oklahoma who reminded me that she reads about the four reasons why I do the work I do on this very blog all the time. And there’s truth in that. One of the reasons I wanted to own my own business, to be my own boss, was to show my kids that it was possible. That they could make their own way, just as my father-in-law and step-father had shown me. I’m not sure how good a job I’m doing of teaching them, but as long as they don’t have access to the books yet then I’m still the king. When something happens like a break-in, however, I keep it from them because they don’t need to know that things they see on the news or in television shows is happening to their father. And just the fact that some stranger has affected me in such a way that is out of my control, and that I have to keep it from my kids, makes me angry.

Other friends have stepped up, too. One has a blog devoted to the entrepreneurial spirit. He’s a zealot and it is worth a read. S.A.M. owns a couple of businesses, too, and tells me to repeat the word “cubicle” over and over when times become distressing. Even my mother, who called just to talk about the original post – no, wait, she called to talk about The Godfather III – laughed at my considering corporate work, saying I should go to work for Enron.

What stands out to me more than what these people said is that they said it at all, or wrote, or called at all. Friends understood, they sympathized and they empathized. I bother because of all of them. I bother because I owe it to my family to bother. Memphis is our home, we’ve made friends here and we have family here. And this city is ours as much as, if not more, than those who wish to sully it. So we’ll stay here for now with our fellow Memphians and we’ll visit Peabody Park and travel to each others’ houses, we’ll eat pork and go to work and school, and we won’t let the bastards get us down.

Birthed by RJA

From: Sassy Molassy

2007-03-01T13:50:00.000-06:00

Ok, I'll talk

Everyone in our circle of friends seems to be blogging about why Memphis is still a good place to live even though it's not. Or even though three of us have been victims of crimes in the past month, to be more specific. It seems I have been cast in the role of hater in this little love-for-our-home fest, so I thought I would talk about why I want to leave.

Yes, Memphis has been my home for all but about two years of my life. Yes, my parents and friends are here, and leaving them would be sad and difficult. But it's not like moving a few hours away means we'd never see or hear from any of you again. I know that we would miss the weekend hangouts and watching our kids grow up together, and yes, I'm tearing up as I write that. Still, I have to believe that in another city we could not replace, but add to our circle of friends, and make a life for ourselves just like we've done here. Just with less crime and prettier scenery.

The crime is bad but it's not the main problem for me. Ok yes, yesterday the librarian here at school mentioned that she had seen my address on some paperwork and realized we are neighbors on the same block. In the course of the conversation, she told me that last year she came home and surprised a robber, who kept her in the house for two hours, lying face-down on the floor, while he went through her stuff and took what he could find. When I said I had heard about that from another neighbor but thought it happened in a nearby cove, she replied in a low voice "No, that was the rape. That was terrible." And we live in a pretty good area, in what we jokingly call the servants' quarters of one of the city's oldest and most expensive neighborhoods. Why don't the crack heads steal from the rich people in the million-dollar mansions and leave us alone? I have to ask if I'm just biding my time until I come home with my kids one day to see the door kicked in, or how I will help them recover from the fear after we all get carjacked. We are just, today, two full months into the year and there have been 23 murders in Memphis so far. The big story in the local news is that the bloated monopoly of a utility has been giving certain political figures a free ride on utility bills registering in the several thousands, for who knows how long, under the guise of a program designed to protect the elderly and disabled poor from unexpected cut-offs. The separate-but-not-equal dual school systems are still zoning for overcrowded schools along racial lines and still trying to say they are not doing any such thing. I won't even get into the disgustingly inept and corrupt city council, mayor, et al. It's too depressing.

I feel like it's time for a serious risk/benefits analysis. When I spend time thinking about whether it is better to try to talk an armed attacker into letting me live, or saying nothing so I won't anger him, I think it's time to go. I realize there is no utopia, and that every community has crime and problems. I just can't believe there isn't a better place than this in which to raise my family. I can't help but think what a big world this is, and what a short life, and that I could live someplace beautiful, but instead I live here. Consistency is always easiest, but I'm not afraid to leave my comfort zone. And even though I do love and thrive on change, I'm not advocating change for its own sake. There are just so many reasons to leave, and just too few to stay.

From: at home she feels like a tourist

2007-02-12T16:48:00.000-06:00

Southern Gothic Pyramid

It's something of a civic sport in Memphis to propose new ideas for the Pyramid, that giant empty white elephant that nonetheless occupies an iconic place in our skyline. Memphians debate whether Bass Pro will actually take over the building, and perhaps more importantly, whether Bass Pro actually should take over the building. We ask ourselves whether an aquariam would better serve the space and the city. Some have proposed an indoor amusement park; others prefer a museum; a few have suggested a casino (please, God, no!) Finding the art museums in Memphis rather disappointing, especially in the department of modern art, and being generally a geeky, arty type, I was instantly supportive of the art museum idea - not that there's any chance of this happening, but purely as a fantasy. I imagined an elegant modern art museum in that ancient structure, a clever juxtaposition of old and new, the sort of attraction which would lure an edgier crowd to downtown Memphis.

An iconic building in the Memphis skyline really should be a public space, not a glorified fishing store. Ideally, it should be educational in some manner, a genuine cultural attraction. But perhaps I should be more creative with my thinking. There are modern and contemporary art museums in dozens of cities across America and the world. I would still love to see one in Memphis, but perhaps an iconic Memphis building should house something a little more culturally specific, something which captures the spirit and soul of Memphis. Many Memphis museums, art galleries, and cultural spaces cultivate this city's keen sense of place by chronicling, commemorating, or displaying local culture: the Stax Museum, the Rock n' Soul Museum, the Center for Southern Folklore, etc etc. So in the spirit of absolutely delusional fantasy, I propose the following idea for the Pyramid:

A MUSEUM OF SOUTHERN GOTHIC

Consider the endless possibilities. A lending library and a bookstore focusing upon literary Southern gothic, featuring Flannery O'Connor and William Faulkner and Cormac McCarthy and all the usual suspects. A visual arts wing, displaying paintings and photography capturing the haunted darkness and the heart of darkness of the American South. A theater for periodic film showings of classics like A Streetcar Named Desire and newer versions of the genre like Undertow. Perhaps a historical wing could examine the ghastly true tales which have inspired the genre. This would make for a fascinating, unique, apropos, and genuinely significant space. I could imagine scholars and aspiring writers and those with vaguely morbid sensibilities descending upon Memphis to visit such a singular attraction. It would fit perfectly into Memphis' own manner of confronting its past: proud of the Southern heritage but also painfully and admirably willing to lay bare the grotesque scars and the ghastliness.

The pyramid would be an ideal space for an exploration of the Southern gothic sensibility. The ancient Egyptians had their own bizarre and often grotesque mythology, and pyramids signify opulence, tombs, and death. What better place to unearth the ghosts of the South and celebrate the region's sublime cultural singularity?

If nothing else, it would surely be a better use of public funds than a new stadium...

posted by fearlessvk

From: Fertile Ground

2007-02-12T16:43:00.000-06:00

Advertising

I've been seeing this ad featuring someone's belly all around town. An initial drive-by had me thinking it was a Nike ad featuring a pregnant woman since the media seems obsessed with pregnant women.

Then I thought maybe it was just a regular old post-partum body and that the ad was showing that one can be athletic and stretchy at the same time. Cool, I thought. Way to show an accurate picture of women's bodies and make it look 'sexy'.

Before I could google Nike and get to the bottom of the campaign, I noticed the billboard on my lunch time stroll down Main Street. I got close enough to read the very fine print and discovered that the picture is of a man! It's a part of the Ad Council's new anti-obesity campaign.

That's cool too, I guess. I was just really excited about the potential sexy-ification of stretch marks.

posted by Stacey Greenberg

From: Jen-sized.

2007-02-12T16:36:00.000-06:00

Huh.

Sometimes I log in to my Movable Type and start typing away at an entry, only to get sidetracked by something on the television or elsewhere on the net, or I decide that a) I've already talked about this too much, b) nobody cares or c) there is no cohesive idea behind what I'm rambling about. This time I'm going to go all the way and if it doesn't make any sense, OH WELL.

I got my new MacBook yesterday and I love it. I love the built-in iSight and the remote and all the neat features that my PowerBook doesn't have - oh, and the glossy screen is just spectacular. Reminds me of watching television in HD. I love not being restrained by my AC adapter, which has become a breathing tube for my PowerBook. I've even found a couple of neat new apps, like this Flock browser and Transmission, the BitTorrent client. Still need to get Adobe CS/CS2 and see how it performs, but that can wait.

But... my wireless router and the new Mac -- which I've named Reggie, go ahead and laugh -- don't seem to want to get along. I can connect to our home network, which was handy when I transferred my music and photos over, but not the Internet. I tried everything I could think of, which wasn't much. Although I know my way around a Mac better than I know my way around my house but I'm no network administrator. I jumped on one of the neighbor's networks (y'all really need to secure your network), so I know I can connect SOMEHOW.

I even called Apple, which is like the Ultimate Last Resort™ and they couldn't help me. I realize that the issue is between my computer and the router, as our other Macs connect wirelessly with no trouble, but I was really hoping that they would say "Do this, this and this, set this to this, and you should be fine." I don't think the lady was qualified. I think her qualifications ended at the power button. I hung up on her. And I've been attached to the wall all day. I don't really mind it, because it's kind of nice to see our "office" actually put to use, but Saturdays Bravo shows Six Feet Under marathons, and they were at Season 4 today, and I really wanted to watch, but I wanted to play with my new toy at the same time. Waah.

Anyway, any kind of advice would be appreciated.

Here is a cool picture I took at the Vending Machine CD release party last Saturday.

Out of all the times I've seen them, that was probably the best. They had two drummers. I have only listened to the new album a little bit (as a certain person has been keeping a pretty tight grip on it) but it's as good as I expected. It's about the only local music I keep up with anymore. Nothing's really impressed me lately. I did like Castle Poster when they played at the Bucc a few weeks ago.

Tonight I think I'm going to the Hi-Tone again for the MRD Birthday Party. Maybe it will motivate me to grow a pair and start skating again. Who knows. We'll see about that.

-jen

From: The Gates of Memphis

2007-02-12T16:34:00.000-06:00

Dixie Homes from outer space and auld lang syne

I was scrolling around Google Earth and saw this very interesting street layout not far from Downtown:

After a few minutes I ciphered it was Dixie Homes, the housing project at Pauline and Poplar.

The architect of Dixie Homes was J. Frazer Smith, who was profiled in an article last June by Frederick Koeppel (I believe the CA has already Berlin Walled the article). I also came upon the essay The Art of Architecture: Modernism In Memphis 1890 - 1980 by architectural historian Judith Johnson. Turns out Smith was not only an architect but an early historical preservationist.

A complex person, he wrote a history of the early nineteenth-century plantation architecture of the Middle South, White Pillars, and simultaneously designed housing projects sensitive to recent international developments in housing design. During the Depression, Smith was also the regional chief of the Historic American Building Survey (HABS). Ironically, he would order the city’s original nineteenth century building stock located in the Market square slums surveyed by HABS before he demolished it for the construction of Lauderdale Courts.

The irony continues -- they've begun demolition of the Dixie Homes.

Karmic backlash 50 years after Smith's death.

By the way, below's an illustration of the Dixie Homes grounds from the final presentation [a very interesting pdf!] of last summer's Winchester Park/Intown Charette.

This might mean Smith's layout will live, if not his buildings.

Labels: Dixie Homes, historic preservation, Latitude 35.147302, Longitude -90.028003

posted by gatesofmemphis

From: Listwork

2007-01-26T22:03:00.000-06:00

Things That Are Missed in Midtown Memphis

This list can probably be added onto continually forever, but these are just a few (or 22) things that I have thought of that used to be in Midtown but are no longer. I didn't frequent all of these places myself but know others who did, plus there are probably a ton of things I left off. And these only date as far back as 1990. They are in no particular order, except for #1, which is really #1.

1. The Antenna Club: Where I watched The Wayback Machine and Judge Crater, and realized I was just about to fall in love with the man who would become my husband.
2. River City Doughnuts: Diagonal to the Antenna on Madison Ave., it was a good place for a pre-show snack, or for lunch!
3. Lam Hung: A few doors down from River City Doughnuts in that little strip mall. It was the first place I ever ate Chinese food and liked it, and it just had a weird Midtown vibe.
4. Decadence Manor: Closer to Belvedere on Madison - are you noticing a theme here? Cool place. Cool owner.
5. Babylon Cafe: I didn't go here much because you couldn't smoke inside and in 1990 I was all about smoking.
6. Red Square: I don't remember if I ever went there, but I know the rest of you did, though you may not remember it!
7. Recovery Road: Where under-aged kids could see The Wayback Machine.
8. Salvation Army at Crosstown.
9. The Occasion Shop: I know Click(Daily) and a lot of other Midtowners got their wedding rings there.
10. Giovanni's: Keeping with the wedding theme - LOTS of people got engaged there. It was a good restaurant - good food, good atmosphere. It's a shame the owners moved from the Cleveland location to Park before closing for good.
11. That Italian Place on Poplar: I can't remember the name of it, but it was just west of Belvedere kind of where the Taco Bell is now - there has always been one there (at least since 1990) but at some point they tore down the old one and built a new one, but anyway - the Italian place had good chicken cacciatore, and bands played there sometimes because apparently if you serve food in Midtown you also have to let bands play there.
12. Squash Blossom.
13. Cancun Mexican Restaurant: When it was on Cooper across from where Bari is now - the building burned down a few years ago. It was big and loud and cheap.
14. Mega Market: Okay no one really misses Mega Market, but when I needed it most they had the largest quantity of ramen noodles for a dollar.
15. Romeo's Pizza: My brother introduced me to Romeo's - he actually bought me some dinners there when I had no food!
16. Silky Sullivan's patio: Another place to see The Wayback Machine. They were on the western edge of Overton Square. What is there now? A parking lot? They had a small Statue of Liberty that got stolen. I still sometimes wonder where that went.
17. Melos Taverna: I miss the restaurant, the food, and the tiny, grumpy but very cute old man who ran it.
18. TGI Fridays: I can't help it - I got a little nostalgic after reading this review on Dining with Monkeys.
19. Robert E. Lee Antique Mall: When it was the Robert E. Lee, not when it was Kate's - it was much better then.
20. The Cupboard: Yeah yeah I know they just moved down the street to where the old Shoney's was that I worked at for one night, but we all know that the food and atmosphere were better at the old place next to the Kimbrough.
21. Anderton's: A more recent loss, but felt strongly nonetheless.
22. The graffiti wall on Madison: I am very anti-graffiti, and maybe I will list those reasons for you one day, but this wall on Madison was an exception. The wall is still there - just east of the P&H next to (what was?) the BellSouth building (I think?). For a long time it had a giant "MEAT IS MURDER" painted on it (ah, the 90's), until someone painted over it so that it said "MEAT IS YUMMY".

Posted by Elizabeth Alley

From: Urf!

2007-01-18T22:31:00.001-06:00

The Drive To Drink

Childhood tends to be remembered as a menagerie of cars and houses, and mine was no different. When I was a kid, we went through several different cars. We had a Ford Grenada, a Ford Pinto, an MG Spitfire, a Porsche 914, Buick Regal, a Renault, a Camaro and a Cadillac. We drove everywhere in these cars, from Memphis to the Gulf Coast and Chicago, to Pickwick and Sardis, countless trips to my grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ houses, to Montesi’s, Central Hardware, downtown to take my father to work and to the liquor store. My dad went to the liquor store a lot, though we kids had to stay in the car while he ran in. I never knew what went on behind the doors of the liquor store. In my mind there were naked women dancing around. Seriously. That’s what was taboo in my prepubescent head – nudity. It couldn’t simply be that there was booze in there, because there was booze everywhere. It was also the 70s and must have been safer to leave your two or three kids in the car with the windows down while you ran in for a bottle of scotch or rum or gin.

Tonight, on the way home from work, I had one of The Quartet with me and needed to stop by the liquor store for a bottle of wine. I debated with myself the whole way there as to whether or not he should come in with me. I didn’t see any reason why not, but something told me he shouldn’t, not because I think a liquor store is some sort of den of iniquity, but simply because I wasn’t allowed to at his age so neither should he. I silently talked to myself the whole way there about the situation, shaking my head and shrugging just the way my mother does, and finally decided, as I pulled into the parking lot, that he should stay in the car. I have no good reason for that. More reason, in fact, for him to come in with me, what with all the crazies out there eyeing my 1991 Volvo 740 wagon. The car could easily be taken with one of The Quartet in it. I really questioned my decision when I got out of the car and was immediately panhandled by one of our quaint, Midtown denizens. But I’d parked right in front of the store, had locked the doors and could see the car the whole time from the Pinot Noir display and the front counter.

So the trip ended safely and neither the car nor the kid were stolen. The kid barely escaped a visit to Gomorrah and I was left with a nice bottle of wine and the nagging disappointment, as an adult, that there are no naked girls dancing behind the door of a liquor store.

Birthed by RJA

From: Click (Daily)

2007-01-13T11:31:00.001-06:00

I can't resist one more dance photo.

at 6:50 AM

From: Rachel and the City

2007-01-12T23:08:00.000-06:00

About 10 Minutes Before I Was Almost Arrested

So, a few people have been wondering where I have been lately. For those of you who care, after what I like to refer to as "The Christmas" incident, I have been on hiatus from going out.

After seeing the Pirates play Christmas night at The Hitone (they were awesome btw, and are now joined by Mr Steve Selvidge) I was on my way home around 2AM when I was invited to take a ride in my friends new Cadillac...at the time it sounded like a great idea, so I hopped in the car with some friends and off we went. I had no idea the block we were going around was down Poplar to Front Street to Union, and as we turned onto Union on two wheels with Beyonce blasting from the speakers, we past three police officers in the middle lane and you can fill in the blank what happened after that.

As I sat in the front passenger seat frantically dialing Drue Diehl's number to warn her that I may be on my way to jail, I said a little prayer that if I didn't go to jail that night, I would never drink again.

Now, the irony of course is that I'm agnostic! But as soon as I said that little prayer in my head the police came back to the car and told us to have a good night and they ended up sending us on our way (it was Christmas!!)

So, although I highly doubt I will never drink again, I am so inclined to lay off for a while and regroup - cause even though I wasn't driving and afterwards was told by several people that there was little chance of anything happening to me, I really don't want to ever be in that situation again.

So, yeah, I'll see ya around, but please don't buy me a drink...

Posted by Rachel

From: Secret Agent Mom

2007-01-12T23:06:00.000-06:00

True Confessions

I don't know if guilt is hereditary, but Miss M seems to be channeling the previous generations of Mormon and Catholic repentance. The last thing she does before falling asleep at night, after the two books and one story and two songs, after the lights go off and her mother growls "Lie down, be still, close your eyes" for the 48th time, she confesses something. She goes through her mental summary of the day and finds something that she needs to apologize for. Last night, it was a fairly recent one: "Mama, I'm sorry for knocking over all the books" (which she'd done by kicking them off her nightstand about ten minutes earlier). The night before last, she went further back into the day and recalled an unfortunate potty-related incident that I never held her accountable for in the first place: "Mama, I'm sorry I fell in the toilet." Then she asks the most important question in her world: "Are you my best friend?" Mama stops growling after that.

Briefed by S.A.M.

From: a pulp faction

2007-01-12T23:00:00.000-06:00

February/March Submissions

We're now accepting submissions for the February and March issues.

1) Comic/Cartoon Submissions. 1-2 panels, 1/2 page (4 1/4" x 5 1/2"), Black and White. Should cover a topic pertinent to Memphis creative culture and be at least a little bit funny. Or witty. Or snarky. You know, whatever.

2) Story Submissions. 400-600 words. Pertaining to Memphis creative culture. Brevity is your friend, so is wit and more or less proper engrish. (English works, too.)

Of particular interest:

-- Stories covering local bands or bands playing in Memphis in said month. -- Stories covering albums or films to be released during said month. (Again, Memphis related only.) -- Juicy gossip about people that make art or books or music or movies or clothes or whatever. (Keep it clean, folks.) -- Weird hobbies. -- Favorite Memphis intersections. -- Newsy type things. (I like press releases.)

Rules:

-- Don't write a story or interview about your band. -- Give me something by the 15th for potential publication in the February issue, the more complete the better.

So, get on it.

Thanks.

posted by pulpfaction

From: The Gates of Memphis

2007-01-05T08:08:00.000-06:00

A Letter to Target

Robert J. Ulrich
Chairman of the Board and
Chief Executive Officer
Target Corporation

Dear Mr. Ulrich,

Memphis has recently learned that we're to get a new Target store in the area of Memphis called Crosstown. There's been much discussion as to whether Target would choose a suburban design -- a box warehouse surrounded by asphalt parking lot -- for this location. I'm writing you to ask that Target build a store that will embody, in your aisles and in our streets, your corporate emphasis on great design and is mindful of the urban setting you have chosen for your store.

Crosstown is a section of Memphis that was originally an early 20th century trolley suburb, full of bungalows, shotgun houses and 2-story family homes and small-scale commercial buildings (I've enclosed photos of some nearby examples). However the area had declined substantially from the 1960s, when a urban freeway sliced through its heart, demolishing many of these structures, and another planned (but never completed) freeway resulted in the demolition of many more. Businesses closed. Cheaply made apartment buildings replaced houses. Neighborhoods not destroyed began a long decline. Where you plan on building your new store is one of those neighborhoods.

Memphis has only recently stopped this decline. A big part of the comeback has been the infill of homes in the area where the unbuilt freeway demolished homes. At the insistence of community leaders, the rebuilt homes were built to the aesthetic standards of the neighboring undemolished homes. The scars left by the unbuilt freeway have healed thanks largely to the design quality of these rebuilt homes. Other factors are the diverse community who have settled and stayed in that area, and a new downtown to Crosstown trolley system that Memphis added whose terminal is just 2 blocks from your proposed site.

I speak for no one but myself, but I nevertheless ask that as you design the new store, you consider how you can help further transform and revitalize Crosstown Memphis (as well as attract customers) through beautiful, affordable and place-conscious design. Just as Target transformed itself by growing through design, you can help do the same with this area of Memphis. I hope that you will consider my request.

Respectfully,

The Gates of Memphis

From: Paul Ryburn's Journal

2007-01-02T15:10:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Had a fun New Year's Eve. Since it was a Sunday, I started with brunch at Sleep Out Louie's, and hung around the entire day playing NTN Trivia. At one point in the afternoon regular blog reader Skippy made the mistake of challenging me to a trivia game, and I handed him a devastating loss. At 6 PM Crash Kole, Bobby Durango, and Smokin' Lemon took the stage:

They've been playing together for several months now and their act has gotten really tight. I could definitely tell Smokin' Lemon has been spending a lot of time practicing on the new guitar he got for Christmas.

At 8:00 we moved on to The Majestic Grille, where we had reservations for a table of 20. Their special New Year's Eve menu delivered the goods - I had a gorgonzola crusted filet with port wine reduction, with au gratin potatoes and broccoli, green beans, and snap peas sauteed in butter. Absolute best filet I've had in this city. They also had a gorgonzola encrusted ribeye which people told me was even better... ya know, I never order ribeyes when I go to restaurants. Probably because I ordered them at Bonanza when I was a kid. And at the time I thought "well done" (meaning: horribly overcooked) was the proper way to order a steak. Maybe I should give ribeyes another chance in 2007.

A lot of pictures were taken, and this time very few of them were taken with my camera, so I don't have a photo album to post. However, the picture of the night was taken by me - the Nuh-Uh Girl in a tube top:

The Nuh-Uh Girl and Chad tell me that they're going to try and get "blogworthy" added as a dictionary word. Example: "Is that tube top picture blogworthy?"

Thanks to Patrick and Deni at the Majestic for a great evening, and also thanks to our friend Mikey for setting up the reservations and the champagne. Good times.

Didn't make it to Big Foot Lodge on New Year's Eve, but I heard I missed some interesting developments that night. One of my blog readers knows what I'm talking about. If anyone has pics feel free to send 'em to me - I won't post 'em without permission, but wouldn't mind seeing them.

Wasn't awake on New Year's Day in time to hear Mayor Herenton's speech. However, I read some summaries later in the day, and the big news is that he wants to spend $30 million to build a new football stadium to replace the Liberty Bowl, with construction to begin in 2009.

I have to ask, WHY??? Why do we need a new stadium? Is the Liberty Bowl falling apart? Why is it that we can find $30 million to finance a new stadium, but we can't seem to find money to GIVE OUR POLICE OFFICERS THE RAISES THEY DESERVE??? Isn't that more important?

By the way, 5 years ago when the FedExForum was proposed, I was firmly and fully in support of building it, even if it meant raising taxes. I believed and still believe that bringing the Grizzlies to the city was a good move to make. But this is a different proposal. It's not like we have an NFL team saying, we're prepared to move to Memphis if you build us a stadium. Who's going to use the thing once it's built? Maybe if the Liberty Bowl were to be upgraded to BCS status, I could see it. But that's not going to happen. It just seems building it like a waste of money and we ought to be using it to pay our cops better. If there's a side to this story that I'm not seeing, please let me know.

Heard a rumor last night that the Hot Topic in Peabody Place Mall is closing, and they're selling everything in the store for 50% off, and some items are marked at 75%. So that might be worth checking out if you like their clothing.

I'm still off work this week, so I think I'll head out to the other mall today, the Wolfchase Galleria. I wonder how many residents of East Bumblefuck would list the Wolfchase Galleria as one of the Seven Wonders of the World? Quite a few, I'm sure. They'd probably list the Cordova Fox and Hound as one of the Wonders too. And Bahama Breeze.

Anyway, I'll have the camera with me, and if anything interesting happens out East (which I doubt) I'll take pictures. I'll be back downtown in time for Trivia Bowl tonight.

posted by Paul Ryburn

From: Joe Larkins

2007-01-02T15:06:00.000-06:00

Winding Down the Old Year

Wow. Here it is December 27th and I'm asking, "Just where has the year gone!" I had a couple of minutes and thought I would stroll down memory lane.
WREG did NOT become WHBQ West after all. Two out of three frontline anchors is close but no cigar there. Still, it apparently helped with the formula to help boost the Station DOTR to the lead in certain time slots that they weren't already winning. They still have one more big time slot to hurdle in the race against WMC. We'll have to see how it goes in 2007. I'm sure the former ND DOTR wishes she had stayed a few more months so SHE could claim the victory, but alas, "It's all about timing". The current ND DOTR gets to put that feather in his cap.
Fox 13 proved they have a formula that works in the morning. They will continue to do well.
The ratings trend didn't help the manager situation at the Station on Union. First the GM departed back in the summer and speculation ran rampant about when ND Peggy Phillip would leave. That happened in December. Like her or not, the Pegster left her mark on the news business in the Bluff City. We'll see where she lands next.
Some long-time radio personalities in the Memphis market got the boot, thanks to the bottom line. I hope the New Year brings some good news for them.
The first rumor of the pending sale of the NYTimes Broadcast group surfaced last summer and was announced a couple of months later. Everyone with that organization is still waiting for that second shoe to drop. I personally think the asking price for TV stations may have dropped a bit since Clear Channel announced they were selling their TV holdings as well. Hey, you flood the market with properties and companies that want to invest get to pick and choose.
As I mentioned on the date of my one year of blogging last week, I've heard from a lot of folks. Most were nice, some were not. Hey, I will give the not-so-nice people the benefit of the doubt that perhaps they were having a bad day. I've learned a lot about trying to stay fair and balanced. I have tried to be fair about my observations. A few of you have let me know when I strayed. It can be hard not to jump into the fray.
And, I can't believe it's been almost a year since my Dad succumbed to cancer. I find I still reach for the phone on occasion to call him for advice before I realize those days are gone. Sometimes I just feel the need to talk to him. I really miss him.
All in all, it's been a good year. Like everyone else I've had some ups and downs. The bottom line is that my key still works at home so that means my lovely and talented bride Bethany hasn't changed the locks and the two pups, Newby and Mac still jump up in my easy chair for a butt scratch. Talk about unconditional love all the way around. I'm a lucky guy.
So while I got caught up in a last minute rush and failed to post a Christmas greeting as I had intended, I will post a New Year's wish to everyone who takes time to read this blog.
May the New Year bring you not so much what you want but what you need. And remember, sometimes wanting is indeed better than having.
Happy New Year everybody.

Regards,
Joe Larkins

posted by Joe Larkins

From: The Gates of Memphis

2007-01-02T14:58:00.000-06:00

Use RSS, Memphis!

By gatesofmemphis

It sounds geeky, but it's more than geeky. Way more.

RSS, depending on who you ask, is either Really Simple Syndication, or Rich Site Summary, or something else. It's often called a newsfeed, or an RSS feed, and is identified by icons like the one to the left, or like this in Safari. What it really is a file that your web site provides giving a summary of your website's content, in a standard format. As your website changes, the file changes, so it provides an up-to-date summary of your website. Who uses it? Someone with a browser, an RSS reader or even another website. Because it's in a standard format, it can be used anywhere and by anyone who can think of ways to use it. Arguably the best use of it to date has been podcasting, where the RSS feed provides podcast receivers like ITunes with a link to recent MP3s and other multimedia files produced by the owners of that website. In short, a way to detour broadcasting hegemony.

But I'm not writing this to provide a crappy explanation of what RSS is. I write it because it doesn't appear that many Memphis institutions use RSS. I see very few of those icons when I visit non-blog Memphis websites. This is probably a legacy condition -- people have older websites created before the advent of RSS's popularity. But it's important that they change for 2 reasons:

1. not having RSS often means that your website is static. A web brochure. It doesn't change much; new data comes in and sits on a desk somewhere because it's too dang hard to put in a webpage. Your website is written in unchanged-by-data HTML and requires a web designer every time you want to change that. Which means that even though the world changes faster every day, you're communicating with that world in 1995 tools -- or not communicating because who has time to learn Dreamweaver or FrontPage (cringe!) or pay a web designer to let people know your organization needs money to pay your web designer. You might use the phone, but then you're using 1876 technologies. You need dynamic websites that are easy to update by everyone in your organization -- from the Executive Director to the Plant Duster. If you don't have RSS, chances are you're still hacking your way through HTML and your stale content shows it.

2. more importantly, RSS is a vanguard. It's the older brother of technologies, open and free and participatory, that allow the sharing and mashing up of your information. Sharing and mashing in ways you probably never imagined. By and with people who you never imagined might want to use it. If you're not using RSS, you're probably not sharing your information by any means but webpages (and badly at that if 1. above is to be believed). Sharing means new audiences, new partners, new markets, new capital, new funding, new friends, new ideas, new possibilities.

Memphis needs that stuff.

Use RSS, Memphis!

From: artbutcher

2007-01-02T14:55:00.000-06:00

Resolutions

do more than i did last year

Posted by dwayne

From: Life In & Around Memphis

2007-01-02T14:45:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year, yall

Ok, I had a blast last night at Newby's. I need to upload my pics to the computer. But I'll get to that later. I have to get packed to go hunting tomorrow. I hope you had a great NYE wherever you were. So here are my resolutions for the New Year:

1. Get a job. No, wait. Let's make that a great job.

2. Save more than enough money to have a down payment on a house.

3. Pay off existing debt (which really isn't that much and makes this very possible).

4. Get weight below 185 and maintain that level for the rest of the year.

I don't know about you, but I think those are manageable.

posted by Philip

From: Squirrel Squad Squeeks

2006-12-23T15:08:00.000-06:00

Stick out your tongue

One day, Teh Boy is going to kill us.

Recently as Mama Squirrel and I were driving home from work, I veered off the road and into the parking lot of Taco Loco. Mama agreed with me that we needed a snack before we started dinner. I ordered us a quesadilla of suadero, succulent roast pork. I asked Mama if that would be enough. She left it up to me. I ordered a second quesadilla of carne asada, but they were out. "We have chicken and tongue", we were told. With a quick glance at Mama, I asked for "lengua". Another glance at Mama showed that she was unfazed. The dangerous part is not that Mama accepts me as I am; it's that she encourages me.

We both know by now not to try eating Taco Loco food on the way home. It's insanely hot. Besides, we couldn't eat this without Squirrelly, Jr.

Once we were home, we quickly figured out which quesadilla had the tongue. That is the one we gave Teh Boy.

Not long ago, we brought chicken foot home for Teh Boy to try. That experiment did not go well at all, and he wouldn't speak to us for hours after that. We were holding our breath as he bit into the quesadilla de lengua. No bad reaction. In fact, he dug in. As Mama and I were nibbling on our share of the quesadillas and puttering around the kitchen, Teh Boy sank into a chair and went to town with tongue.

When we asked him what he thought, he said that was the best quesadilla he ever ate. He asked when we could go back. We said we would go again soon and that maybe next time we should try the tongue. His immediate reaction was, "Oh, no. No tongue. I can't eat tongue. I wouldn't like tongue." So here we go. I asked him what he thought was in the quesadilla. He said, "beef". Mama said, "well, yeah." I just made rude gestures with my tongue. He looked at me and asked, "This is tongue?" One tense second passed as we waited to see if his head would asplode before he shrugged and said, "Huh. I guess I like tongue. Can I call Nana and tell her?"

Honestly, Mama and Teh Boy liked the tongue better than I did. I have had tongue once before. That time a big piece of tongue was cooked to doneness and put on a plate. That was pretty bad. At Taco Loco, they dice the meat and season it beautifully. The dish is very good, but the meat has a stronger flavor than I like. Still, I wouldn't hesitate to have it again, especially in one of those quesadillas. They were so satisfying that we never did make dinner.

Now I just have to convince the rest of the squad to try the tripe.

Taco Loco
3035 Lamar Ave
Memphis, TN 38114
(901) 743-9295

Posted by Papa Squirrel

From: Bigger Than Your Head

2006-12-23T14:58:00.000-06:00

Shameless Referral to My Website

Posted by Fredric Koeppel under Champagne , Sparkling Wine
No Comments

A few minutes ago I posted on KoeppelOnWine.com a “Featured Article” page that reviews 20 sparkling wines and champagnes, priced from cheap to mind-boggling and designed to fulfill every need you might have for those delightful and profound products. I mean, Christmas is right around the corner! New Year’s is right around
the bend! Let our motto be: “We must have bubbles!”
Here’s the link to that page: http://www.koeppelonwine.com/Featured_Article.asp

From: at home she feels like a tourist

2006-12-23T14:55:00.001-06:00

Bars of Memphis?

I like bars. Not all of them, of course. But a good bar is a perfect snapshot of night-time urban sociability: it's messy and chaotic, noisy and dark, full of oddballs, chance encounters, missed opportunities, a curious combination of hope and desperation (but then, there's nothing so curious about that, really), shadowy corners, midnight seduction rituals, poetic profanity, and the allure, promise, danger, and threat of strangers. There are yuppie bars and working-class bars, punk rock bars and trannie bars, dive bars and upscale cosmo-sipping bars, bike messenger bars and Young Republican bars and goth bars and dockworker bars and fashionista bars and Latino bars and everything in between - bars and their clientele represent the full spectrum of crazy, diverse cities. And the best bars jumble together strange and unpredictable combinations of subcultures and ethnicities and classes for a bizarre riot of voices and fashion sensibilties and generally embarrassing dancing styles. They feature well-known quirky regulars, beloved jukeboxes, bartenders who become minor celebrities, distinctive decorations and moods. There's something democratic - in the populist, bottom-up, anti-authoritarian way - about this messy, alchohol-tinged sociability. It's no wonder that bars have long been cradles of the revolutionary spirit in nations teetering on the edge.

But bars can only be as compelling as the city that houses them. So I'm pleased that I've stumbled into some great little places in my 4 months in Memphis. I love the spooky, crumbling, mysterious former brothel on the upstairs floor of Earnestine and Hazels, the crazy jumble of art, junk art, and caricatures covering the walls (and ceiling) at the P&H, and the rundown divey hole-in-the-wall feel of the Buccaneer (to say nothing of the pirate theme!) But I figured I'd ask you, oh knowledgeable readers, for your recommendations. Anything unpredictable, off-the-beaten-path, seedy-in-a-good-way, not in the guidebooks, catering to a truly odd clientele? Unload your thoughts on me - I'm on vacation in Boston, dreaming of M-town...

posted by fearlessvk

From: at home she feels like a tourist

2006-12-23T14:55:00.000-06:00

Bars of Memphis?

posted by fearlessvk

From: Bar-B-Log

2006-12-13T21:20:00.000-06:00

Smoking Turkeys

For all practical purposes, The Saucier is a libertarian. If you want to smoke, smoke. If you want to do so in a restaurant, knock yourself out. If the restaurateur would rather you didn't, get out. And if you don't want to work in a smoky environment, get another job. Anti-smoking legislation has nothing to do with public health. Like all politics, it's about money, power, control and self-righteousness.

With that, I give you guest Bar-B-Logger, RJA:

The Commercial Appeal today has a story regarding the proposed state-wide ban on smoking in all public buildings, with the focus being on restaurants and bars. I’m not here to argue whether this is a good idea or not, or whether the government should be going into private businesses to tell them what they can and can’t do. The solution seems like common sense to me – let the private business owner set his own policy and the free market will decide whether it’s a valid policy or not.

This is the Bar-B-Log, so if The Saucier will indulge me, I’m going to focus on the story below the fold, the one about The Rendezvous voluntarily initiating a no smoking policy as of Jan 11. I should point out that I’m a small business owner and that my business happens to be tobacco. The fact that they want to change their policy is their business, being able to make our own rules is why we go into business for ourselves. And I don’t dare tell the Vergoses how to run their operation, they run one of the best tourist traps in Memphis. My problem is with the hypocrisy, with these bar and restaurant owners spouting off about health and the well-being of their patrons. Nick Vergos is in the game of trying to get you to cram as much pork into your system as you could possibly handle. I can also visit the Rendezvous, drink draft Michelob after draft Michelob, put my family in the car and drive them across town. But there’s money to be made in fat. And there’s money to be made in beer. And if there was money to be made for him in tobacco, you can be sure Nick Vergos would baste it, chop it or pour it up with as much gusto as imaginable.

From: The Daily Diversion

2006-12-11T19:57:00.000-06:00

HOME AGAIN!

Yes, I finally made it back home yesterday. I'm back in the office today trying to catch up on emails, reading Hilltopper Haven, and filling out expense reports.

I logged 875 miles from Friday, December 1st to Sunday, December 10. That's good for $389.38 in my pocket! Not too shabby, huh?

I've decided that I like Chattanooga, just not the drive there. I can't stand going up and down mountains. It's bad enough with me trying to control my vehicle around tight corners at 80 miles per hour, I don't need a tractor-trailer doing the same thing next to me! Those roads over there scare the hell out of me, and I couldn't imagine driving them in the rain, sleet, or snow.

My travels were relatively uneventful though. I got most, if not all, of my Christmas shopping completed (and wrapped too) while I was gone. I still have a couple of ideas, but we'll see if I can make them happen or not.

I had a couple of nice meals while on the road, but with the budget restrictions my job has put us travelers, we had to cut it back a bit. I will make one recommendation... If you happen to travel to Chattanooga, be sure to stop by Sticky Fingers BBQ. It's good stuff. They've got several sauces, which are all tasty! I had the rib sampler, where I could have four different sauces. I didn't get to thoroughly enjoy the habanero sauce because I was full from eating the three other styles. It was spicy though!

I didn't get to go to a couple of places I really enjoyed during my prior trip to Chattanooga though. That one meal, in and of itself, would've eclipsed my daily per diem for food, and I would've had to do some "creative accounting" to get that one paid for. Oh well! Maybe when I take my honey there sometime we can go there (on our own dime. Yikes!).

Really, there's not to much else going on here. I'm getting ready to start up a whole new "project" which will mean that I'll be insanely busy, again. It'll also mean that I might be a bit grumpy! My boss told me this morning that they'd like to have it done by the end of January. I gave him my best "good luck with that" face. We just started a "project", which I have plenty of work to do on, and they want to yank me off of it to start another one. Remember folks, you can only stretch a rubber band so far before it breaks and comes back and slaps you square in the face. Right now, there are a bunch of rubber bands that are pulled pretty damn tight!

On a positive note, since I didn't mean to vier off into something negative... I finally got to see my honey again! It seemed like it had been several weeks since we last saw each other, and I sure did miss her! I guess she missed me a little bit too. I think I made her day by not making her watch any sports yesterday once I got home! We'll see if that trend holds out tonight!

Inflicted on you by John

From: Whining & Dining

2006-12-11T19:56:00.000-06:00

Plop, plop, fizz/fizz

Was it the gumbo or the Cajun chili I slurped at lunch at Bluff City Bayou? Or the 40 tons of stress sitting on my stomach? I'm a poster child for heartburn aids this afternoon...

I cajoled my buddy Dave to dig into his stash of ginger ale... close, but still feeling the burn.

Forgot my Tums at home... darn. In extreme cases, I'll even quaff a baking soda cocktail... (perfect prep for those burping contests!)

What works for you when there's a fire in your gut?

Posted by Leslie Kelly

From: Blake's Blog

2006-12-11T19:53:00.000-06:00

The Ford machine

Could "Come with me if you want to live" be his new campaign slogan?

Just like the Terminator, Harold Ford Jr. vowed in a story in our local news section today that he'll be back.

But if he runs against U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander in two years, I'm wondering if it'll be his political career that gets terminated.

With Tennessee trending Republican in recent years, any Democrat faces tough odds in a statewide race. Not impossible, as Gov. Phil Bredesen has amply demonstrated, but tough.

The thinking here is that it would be a lot more difficult for Ford to beat a popular incumbent Republican than it would have been to win an open seat against Bob Corker, who had to survive a bruising primary that divided Republican party loyalties.

Losing a close race to Corker apparently didn't do much damage to Ford's political stock. But losing two races in two years might stigmatize him as, well, a loser.

Anyway, if Ford's got presidential ambitions, it's hard to imagine why he'd want to run for Senate anyway. This country hasn't elected a senator to be president since JFK.

Governors are a different story, though. Americans have elevated plenty of governors to the White House through the years. (In fact, trivia points to anyone who can name the last president who didn't serve as a governor beforehand.)

And if Ford were to run for the Tennessee governor's seat in four years, he might even be able to wrangle Bredesen's endorsement. (Which would be valuable as long as Bredesen remains popular during his final term.)

Of course, Ford will need to be doing something between now and then to keep himself busy and his name in the limelight. Selling Amway probably isn't going to cut it.

Speaking of Fords, Edmund's legal troubles got me to thinking about who might fill the City Council's District 6 seat if he has to step down.

I'm guessing either Jake or Sir Isaac (or both?) might jump in to make sure the seat stays in the family.

Posted by Blake Fontenay

From: Rock 'n' Roll Minor Planets

2006-12-10T20:31:00.000-06:00

So, maybe I'm semi-retired. Let's dispense with the usual "why I've been missing lately" crap and get to the good stuff.

Lately I've noticed something strange happening to my self-preservation instinict. Although I've never wanted to die in an unpleasant way, of course, I've never really feared death itself. It's funny to me that most religious people (who presumably believe in an afterlife) are so afraid to die. I just think of it as ceasing to be, not the Great Beyond or some unknown state of being. To my way of thinking, it is the opposite of being. I also think reincarnation is probably a part of it, but I don't think any single consciousness is preserved intact.

Anyway, my point in all this is pretty simple: For the first time in my memory, I'm sad at the thought of dying. Not really afraid of it, but sorrowful in thinking I might die before getting to do all the stuff I want, seeing places in the world I haven't yet, or generally missing out on the living stuff. I can't tell where this comes from. I also feel happier than I have--maybe ever. I'm generally a very content person, not patient with people around me who may be unhappy or dissatisfied with a world of their own making. (I usually think this is a result of choices or personality, both of which are under individual control, so it's hard to feel sorry for unhappy people. Feel free to disagree, but you likely won't persuade me.)

Interesting to ponder the sorrowful side of happiness. Unhappiness doesn't really have a flip side, though.

Posted by Serrabee

From: Click (Daily)

2006-12-10T20:26:00.000-06:00

!Roller Derby!

Recent Keyword Activity on Memphis Blogger

2006-12-10T20:20:00.000-06:00

paul ryburn memphis ep's
chris memphis roller derby angels of death
papa mike mpact
memphis pta mom roller derby
real names roller derby memphis
soundcheck & the fury blog
whining & dining
las tortugas germantown
sawdust and diamonds explained
joanna newsom emily spirit in the night
ep delta kitchen memphis review
tony bennets paintings
ep's restaurant

From: The Memphis Scene

2006-12-08T22:33:00.000-06:00

More Roller Derby Action!

I had been planning to root for the PrissKilla Prezleys over the Legion of Zoom in Saturday night's preseason roller derby bout -- if only because I think I know more of the former girls -- but the Legion is blowing up my comments, making me think I might need to switch my loyalties. It's as if the Legion has some kind of comment-generating bot out there ...

After writing about the Legion of Zoom, I couldn't help but look up this ...

Posted by Mark Richens

From: Letters to Larry

2006-12-08T22:28:00.000-06:00

Jobs

Larry,

How's it going, old timer? I'm doing well. Just wanted to say hello. Let you know about some exciting things happening in my little world. Or, should I say, "Little World"? That joke never gets old.

Anna goes for her first ultra sound tomorrow. I think that I'm going to tag along to see what the baby looks like. I'm guessing that I won't be able to tell very much of anything but it will satisfy my curiosity.

I got a Wii last week. It's Wii-ly fun. Although, I think that I pulled a muscle playing so much; (the bicep, if you were wondering).

I think that Vietnam would have been a much more popular war had the turning point of said war been known as the Tit Offensive. It takes on a totally different meaning but, trust me, you would have loved it.

I thought of a sketch for SNL or even for Studio 60. I call it Pagan Girls Gone Wild. It practically writes itself. Nothing hotter than a Goth Girl flashing (boobs) and slashing (throats of livestock).

Oh, yeah. I'm thinking that I want to look for a new job. Not earnestly but in a very casual manner. I've made my resume public so maybe someone will happen along and find it and call me and offer me something that I will love. You can check it out here. If you know anyone that's looking, send them my way. Not opposed to relocating. Places that I would consider: TiVo, Anheiser-Busch, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, UPN, HBO, AOL/Time Warner, Victoria's Secret, Oprah Actually, I'm pretty open at this point.

So, not much of a point. Just wanted to say hello.

Oh, I'm reading a book right now that I can't get anyone to agree to read after I'm finished. However, I think that it's great and everyone should have to read it at some point in their lives. It's called The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. A must-read. And I mean it-you MUST! It's about Atheism.

Speaking of which, Anna and I had to drop by the grocery store on Sunday and pick up a couple of items. Actually, I went to the grocery store while Anna took a detour over to Hallmark. As I was entering Kroger, there were a group of ladies stationed in the lobby taking donations for something that felt church-related. I cut her off pretty quickly as she accosted me. "I'm an atheist", I said flatly as I sauntered by her. I've never seen someone look so horrified in my whole life. And I've done some horrible things. And I wasnt even serious. The Christians really have to lighten up a bit, I think.

Finally, I quit smoking. What a relief. I never thought that I'd get that monkey off my back. Thanks, Chantix!

Talk soon,

Paul

Posted by Paul

From: Jen-sized

2006-12-08T22:25:00.000-06:00

Well lookie here!

While I was driving to work this morning, my gas light came on. I still had about 10 miles left to go, so I was cutting it pretty close. Fortunately when I left work my car actually started. So I hightailed it to the nearest gas station, where all the pumps were occupied. However, I saw no one actually pumping gas. There weren't any people sitting in their cars either. So while the fumes feebly powering my car were dissipating all these chumps were using the pumps as a PARKING LOT!

GOD THAT IS SO RUDE!

So then I turned on to Poplar in search of another station, and there were so many crackheads in there, and people turning their paychecks into lottery tickets, I almost gave up. But I'm home now, and the SNL rerun currently showing on E! is the one from last winter when Jack Black hosted. You'd think that with Jack Black hosting, even in this era of SNL, it'd be nonstop hilarious, but so far "Lazy Sunday" is the only funny thing I've seen. And of course I've already seen that.

-jen

From: artbutcher

2006-12-08T22:18:00.000-06:00

It's Easier to Get a Show at the Brooks than the P and H

there is a review that came out
in the flyer
of steven and chris' work
at the brooks
and the last couple of lines are the greatest

"It's really flattering," Williams says of his invitation to show at the Brooks. The fact that he had two shows running simultaneously in Memphis, he maintains, is "pure coincidence."
"I'd booked the P&H last winter, and their waiting list is so long that it took until now for my name to come up," he says.

not even carol knowles
could come up with lines like that
thats right
people want the p and h art shows
people need the p and h art shows
not even the brooks
can plan as far in advance as me
but
now the self flattery is over
and
with the p and h in mind
dont forget about gabe martin tomorrow at 8:00pm
after chris wollards bfa and aaa show
after richard gambles introduction
to the memphis art world
and the p and h artbazaar
dont miss that on sunday
like you missed
virginias talk
about her piece
and egg nog martinis
and her
cube outside a square with a light on
or
something like that
i shouldnt make fun
as i need to stay in her house
when i go to nyc
to see pinkneys show

Posted by dwayne

From: Bar-B-Log

2006-12-01T22:45:00.000-06:00

5 Takes Memphis

All in all, the Travel Channel show 5 Takes: USA is pretty lame. Nothing seems very spontaneous, and the corporate sponsorships are over the top. The travelers, or TJs as they're called, are a bunch of doofuses. In fact, I think one of them is a bit touched in the head.

With that said, their recent visit to Memphis left our fair city looking like quite the place to be. As soon as the episode was over, I turned to E and said, "I wanna go there." Of course they made the requisite visits to Beale Street and Graceland, but they did some unexpectedly hip stuff too like visit Goner Records and take an American Dream Safari with our friend Tad.

What really crossed the t's with me was their avoidance of any barbecue joints. Instead, they went to a backyard BBQ in South Bluffs. The event came across as really staged, but I appreciated the unique effort.

We Memphians tend to be an apathetic and downright negative bunch when it comes to this town, but it was fun to see things through the eyes of a bunch of fer'ners. Apparently, there are some cool things happening in these parts. At least, that's what the Travel Channel would have us believe.

From: My Memphis Lawyer's Life and Work

2006-11-27T01:25:00.000-06:00

Memphis BBQ

I think its time for me to weigh in on Memphis Barbecue. I’ve judged a couple contests and enjoy it throughly.

Interstate- Ribs 4.5 star – Barbecue 3.5- A bit overly chopped bbq. Very Smoky. Excellent ribs not too sugary. Sides a bit lacking. VERY good value.

Blue City Café- Ribs 5 star – BBQ none- Excellent ribs. Very expensive.

Corky’s – Ribs 4 BBQ 3 – A Memphis tradition. On a good day comparable with the best a lot of variation in the recent years.

Central- BBQ 2.5 – Dry and kinda tough. I think this place is overrated

BBQ Shop BBQ 4.5 Ribs 2- Tough Ribs excellent smoky BBQ- Most BBQ places do either shoulder or ribs well but not both.

Paynes- BBQ 5 Ribs 2 – Again excellent BBQ funky location. Don’t go at night worked a little on a gang related shooting near here.

Germantown Commisary BBQ 4 Ribs 2- Again a shoulder place. Excellent pie.

Tops- A chain but decent and very good value.

Movie Review- Stranger than Fiction- Excellent movie. Very moving. Has enough of that literary funky feeling to get into it but still be engaging. The performance of Dustin Hoffman as a supporting actor as a consulting literary professor was very good.

Posted by attorneydavid

From: theology & geology

2006-11-21T23:08:00.000-06:00

Score

I opened the dryer and guess what tumbled out along with a sock and a pair of ratty underwear? Seven dollars, that's what.

Suddenly that $10.74 in my checking account doesn't make the day seem so bleak.

posted by theogeo

From: Fertile Ground

2006-11-21T22:55:00.000-06:00

Snippets

I don't anticipate having a lot of time to really flesh out the weekend in my usual "hall monitor" way, so I offer you a brief recap.

Friday
After a Mediterranean feast, my brother agreed to hang out and do laundry while the monkeys slept, so Warren and I could go to Neil's and see my favorite band. I actually went a little early so that I could interview Kate, the lead singer, about being a rock star and a mom. It was my first ever face to face interview (I usually do them by email), and I wasn't quite sure what to do. Luckily, Angelina Rolie loaned me her tape recorder. And a tape. (I still scribbled notes wildly.)

Kate is a great interview, and a really cool person. I even snuck in a few questions to her husband and bandmate, Corey.

As we talked, people filtered in and when we were done talking, I looked up to see several people I knew scattered about the bar. "Why didn't you say hi?" I demanded.

"Because of the tape recorder!" They said. "You look so official."

The show was awesome, but I have to admit, by 12:30am I had to switch to Diet Coke for a much needed caffeine jolt. It's a good thing being a rock star is nowhere on my list of things to do. I just hope to someday have a block of time in which to transcribe my hour long interview with the Crowders!

Saturday
I woke up at 7:00am (ouch) and went to work until noon, took the boys (plus JP) to the playground for a bit, then hopped in Kel Diabla's car to start the journey to Collierville for the inaugural roller derby bout! We all had to be there at 4:00pm. Showtime was at 7:30pm.

Things actually seemed to be running extremely smoothly and it was fun to just hang out and breathe in the excitement. We had a packed house (sold out at 933 and turned away almost 100) and a action-packed game that was up for grabs until the last few minutes when the Angels of Death pulled out the lead to win 164 to 132 (or something like that).

I got to hang out in the center with the refs and help notify the refs, the coaches, and the players when they were in danger of getting 4 fouls and visiting the penalty box for a minute. Like I said, it was an action-packed game, so I was BUSY.

Warren and the monkeys enjoyed the game from the kids' area mostly, until they discovered the ice cream machine by the concession area. Luckily, Warren's motorcycle buddies (The former half of the Foster-Oster Gang) were in attendance and provided him with some adult conversation. He did a great job of keeping the monkeys under control and as usual, I didn't properly convey how much I truly appreciate him and his all out derby support.

Sunday
After the incredible success of the derby debut, I couldn't sleep. I stayed up all night making ravioli so the monkeys and I could prepare a fabulous meal for Warren, as a proper thank you.

Some friends joined ua and we spent all day hanging about, cooking, laughing, and talking. It was most awesome. Even better than going out to a restaurant or imaginary beer garden. I might have to share some more of my recipes...

posted by Stacey Greenberg

From: artbutcher

2006-11-21T22:52:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

i had a good day today
i got a haircut
got the oil changed
washed the car
finshed a painting
went to the brooks
to see the sculpture show
again
also saw
steventroywilliams
and chris wollards show
washed four loads of laundry
made 1200 lines
on a piece of paper
cooked dinner
watched tony bennetts
birthday show
rented
wrath of khan
and watched an episode of
smith
on cbs.com
now tomorrow
i get to drive to dallas
with my wife
my brother
my nephew
and my girlfriend in law
play a heated game of risk
drink a bottle or seven of wine
smoke three cigars
go to the fort worth art museum
book a flight to nyc
a little treat before grad school
so i can see
the henry darger show
the john currin show
the david bates show
the brice marden show
the chie fueki show
the ellsworth kelly show
only if i lived in nyc
i could wish to live in memphis
so i could see
the don estes show
the class of 06 show
(BOOTLEG WINNERS)
the elizabeth alley show
the susan maakestad show
the jan hankins show
the mel spillman show
and the wangechi mutu show
ahhh
to be an artist

Posted by dwayne

From: The Soundcheck & The Fury

2006-11-19T21:04:00.000-06:00

On harp (the musical instrument, not the beer)

So I'm sitting here on Saturday morning, listening to new weird folkie Joanna Newsom pluck her harp and sing in her precious, but not in a good way, cartoon voice. The critics rave about her, you know. On metacritic.com, the reviews added up to a 92 -- the third-best record of the year, so far. That's a notch ahead of Dylan's "Modern Times," and five ahead of the new Los Lobos. The likes of the Decemberists and The Hold Steady can merely stand back and gaze at the heap of praise at Joanna's bare (I'm betting bare, new weird folkie that she is) feet and say -- well, I don't want to put words in anybody's mouth. I'll just say that I prefer my harp in a bottle.

The album is called "Ys." I don't know how to pronounce it. I don't know if anyone can. Does it rhyme with "hiss"? Anyway, here's what some of the critics say:

Drowned in sound: "It’s a vivid and beautiful painting that you can walk into; a magic window into another world that I'd be happy to get lost in, and never come back."

Uncut: "For the 56 minutes that "Ys" lasts, all the doubts evaporate. Every elaboration has a purpose, every labyrinthine melodic detour feels necessary rather than contrived. Tempting as it is to fixate on the gilded reputations of her associates, this is unequivocally Newsom’s album."

Pitchfork: "The people who hear this record will split into two crowds: The ones who think it's silly and precious, and the ones who, once they hear it, won't be able to live without it."

But I can't get inside the damn thing, try as I might. I'm six minutes into the third of five songs, "Sawdust & Diamonds," and so far the only melody that's stuck is from the first song, the 12-minute "Emily." Thing is, isn't that the melody from Springsteen's "Spirit in the Night"?

posted by David Williams

Recent Keyword Searches for Memphis Blogger

2006-11-15T10:02:00.000-06:00

joel hilgenberg nude
ep's restaurant memphis address
cogic bookstore memphis
christopher blank memphis
blog cite for cafe kudzu

From: hugh's blog

2006-11-13T22:28:00.000-06:00

Act like a star

“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them.” George Bernard Shaw

I sat in on the saddest exchange I have ever heard the other day. I hang out, or lurk, in a lot of forums so I can stay on top of what is going on out there on the Interweb. On one of them the question was asked

“If you could do anything in the world for a living, what would you do?”

The range of answers ranged from Astronaut to Teacher, to Scientist, to Professional Dancer. People told tear-jerking stories of their love for music, the way they enjoyed baseball as a child, how happy they were when surrounded by little children. They were spilling their guts, sharing their dreams.

Well, I could not resist asking the obvious question:

“How many of you are doing these things for a living”?

In over 80 responses, not one was doing what they would love to do for a living. Now, don’t get me wrong, everybody had a reason. Age, health, family circumstance, education, children, no credit, to much debt, no money, ad infinitum, ad nauseum.

I don’t understand: If you are not doing what you want to be doing, why aren’t you? When will you? What is going to change that will allow you to think you can do it?

In college, I remember sharing a history class with a lady who was in her late 70’s. She was working on a degree in American History. When the instructor commented on her age, she said her family was scandalized that Grandma was going back to college. She said they told her she would have to take classes for at least 5 years to get her degree, and by then she would be 80 years old.

She told them that in 5 years she would be 80 anyway, the only question was if she would be 80 and have a degree, or be 80 and not.

The next five years are going to pass. Will you just be five years older, or will you be five years older and doing something you love?

This is NOT a rehearsal for your life. This is the Main Event, the big show.

Ask yourself this: Am I acting like the star of my own show, or am I content to be an extra in someone else’s movie?

From: Urf!

2006-11-12T08:37:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday, Click

Tonight was the birthday party for Shannon, who is pushing 40 now. A real, grown-up party with beer and a band and friends and some more beer. Kristy tried to arrange for a sitter – her parents – but, inexplicably, they were going to a concert at The Coliseum. So, not only were our kids still at home, but their cousin was along for the ride. I really wanted to go to the party and Kristy wanted to go to the party, and what did Kristy say? “Go. Have fun.” How about that? Just one reason I love this woman so much. So as a possible topic for the concession speech for the Husband of the Year award, I left her alone with five children. I feel terrible about that. But that party was a lot of fun.

Here is who was at the party: friends and family, pierced people, bald people, Asians, Ultimate Frisbee players, artists, roller derby queens, a newspaper maganate, moms, dads, grandparents, film makers and musicians. Click was there, of course, as was Elizabeth, Toby, Hamlett, Julie, Stacey, Warren, Heather (who has a brand new baby and a brand new URL that I have not been made privy to), Rodney, Christa and Mr. and Mrs. Dwayne (with all these bloggers, it was as though Memphis Blogger had made out the guest list). I had a long talk with Hamlett, wherein we decided that the internet was indeed an amazing thing that seemed to encompass the world. Then he and I talked movies with Dwayne. People danced like The Peanuts outside in 30-degree weather and tonight, for the first time ever, I was recognized as the author of Urf! And it was by one of my favorite commenters, a lovely woman, the mother of Brian, who I even told the real names of The Quartet. I was told by others that they feel like they know my children, though I assured them this is all made up, that I’m really a single 21-year-old living in my mother’s basement in a split-level ranch house just outside Minnetonka, MN. And then I was given some advice on what to write about. We discussed back surgery and I showed my scar, right there in the Dixon kitchen, to Warren.

All in all, it was a great night. I only wish Kristy could have been there. In a strange twist, most of The Quartet was going to spend the night with their grandparents later in the evening, leaving just a manageable GK at home. When everyone asked why I was leaving the party, I explained this to them and they all understood. Maybe I’ll have a party like this for my next birthday. Maybe I can get 1/16 of the people to show up. And maybe, just maybe, one of these fine people will write about how much fun it was on their blog.

From: Sketchwork

2006-11-10T20:30:00.000-06:00

San Francisco 8

10/27/06

Sheesh! Did that seem like the longest trip or what?! This is from breakfast on the day we left.

by Elizabeth Alley

From: Wineography

2006-11-10T20:28:00.000-06:00

Question One: Booze Edition

While Tennesseans have spent the past several months pondering our own ballot questions, the fine folks of Massachusetts (I'm ashamed that I just had to look up how to spell that) have just finished wrangling over whether or not they want to be able to buy wine in supermarkets.

And the people have spoken and sent a resounding HELL NO to the powers that be.

Alls I can say is Whaaa?

As a resident of a state with wacky liquor-related laws, I am continually fascinated with the idea of purchasing spirits in other locations than seedy liquor stores where they shove everything in a brown bag inside another brown bag, so the God-fearing people on the streets don't have to be confronted with the knowledge that you, at some point in the future, are going to get a little tipsy and commit a social faux pas that will haunt you 'til your lonely, pathetic death.

So when I see a relatively progressive state like Massachusetts pooh-pooh the idea of strolling from the toilet paper to the orange juice to the dry reds, I marvel at the weirdness. Who wouldn't want to be able to buy booze in the damned grocery store?

Other than package-store owners, that is.

Apparently the liquor lobby pulled a Hail Mary to come from behind and defeat the ballot initiative.

Polls taken two weeks before the election showed Question 1 favored by a two-to-one margin among those surveyed. The opponents blitzed TV and radio airwaves with ads portraying the proposal as a public safety issue. They claimed teenagers would be more likely to obtain alcohol because convenience stores also could apply for wine licenses if the question were approved.

Right. Because teens are all about waltzing into a Piggly Wiggly to buy a $16 bottle of wine when they could just go to MapCo and buy $8 worth of beers and get equally as drunk.

Anyway, too bad for Massachusettianistans. I feel their pain. The lack of availability of wine in grocery stores confounds me. Not only does it suck outright having to hoof it to a liquor store — which, thanks to the laws 'round these parts, close at 11 p.m. on every night but Sunday, when they're not open at all — but it also undoubtedly keeps prices from being very competitive across the board. Just imagine the creative discounts the supermarkets and liquor stores could launch to best one another. Just imagine the savings! Just imagine the slurred speech and stumbling and fuzzy holiday memories!

Maybe one day, when Tennessee is done putting Teh Gays in their place, we'll tackle an initiative like this.

posted by theogeo

From: Secret Agent Mom

2006-11-08T21:49:00.000-06:00

The Guy Said Honey, You're A Funny Girl

I had been hoping to launch an unofficial NaBloPoMo over here, but I've been too busy working on my bit for the The Funniest Mom in America competition. Yes, the agent is stepping out of the green room and onto the stage, thanks to the supportive goading of Stacey and the somewhat unsupportive smirks from certain friends who think I can only be funny in two dimensions (suck it, Cory!). It seemed like an amazingly well-timed chance to follow up on my life-long dream of pursuing stand-up comedy, so in a swift move that surprised everyone who's ever met me, I read about the Memphis auditions and immediately emailed the local comedy club for a spot. And I got one. And now ... I have to show up. With the funny. I secretly slipped some of my bit onto the playgroup moms this morning, and it went very well, but I know that the Wednesday night crowd at Comedy, TN isn't likely to be a bunch of sleep-deprived mamas. But hopefully, it'll be some of you. Did I mention that it's November 15? At 8:15pm? Bring all your hard-drinking, child-humor-loving friends!

Briefed by S.A.M.

From: Paul Ryburn's Journal

2006-11-07T15:44:00.000-06:00

Welcome COGIC

This is the week when the saints of COGIC gather in downtown Memphis for their annual convention. Welcome, and if you have any questions about the area that you'd like to ask a local, feel free to e-mail me.

One of the best ways to celebrate the abundance that God has given you is to share that abundance with others. To that end, I'd like to ask you to please tip your servers well when you go out to eat at downtown restaurants this week. With so many people in town, the servers are going to be extremely busy, and they deserve to be compensated well for their hard work, don't you agree?

A standard tip at a restaurant is 15%. For your convenience, I have computed 15% of common amounts below.

15% of $10.00 = $1.50
15% of $20.00 = $3.00
15% of $30.00 = $4.50
15% of $40.00 = $6.00
15% of $50.00 = $7.50
15% of $60.00 = $9.00
15% of $70.00 = $10.50
15% of $80.00 = $12.00
15% of $90.00 = $13.50
15% of $100.00 = $15.00

If you make special requests of your server - food prepared a special way, substitutions, etc. - you may want to consider tipping your server a little extra, say, 20%. Again, for your convenience, 20% of common amounts is below.

20% of $10.00 = $2.00
20% of $20.00 = $4.00
20% of $30.00 = $6.00
20% of $40.00 = $8.00
20% of $50.00 = $10.00
20% of $60.00 = $12.00
20% of $70.00 = $14.00
20% of $80.00 = $16.00
20% of $90.00 = $18.00
20% of $100.00 = $20.00

Also, please keep in mind that if a restaurant does not give a COGIC discount, it's a policy set by management. Your server has no influence over that policy and does not deserve to be penalized on his or her tip. If you only want to eat at restaurants that give COGIC discounts, it would be a good idea to ask about this before you are seated.

I personally can attest that when you freely share your bounty, as God Himself would, with all those around you, it comes back to you tenfold and more. So please keep that in mind when you sit down to eat in downtown Memphis this week.

Again, welcome. Thank you for spending you tourism dollars in Memphis, and if you have questions about Memphis just ask.

11:18 AM

From: Downtown Books

2006-11-06T09:35:00.000-06:00

We are growing up.

Our blog is, anyway.

We have decided to get a self-hosted blog, so we can have a bit more control over it. Also, this way we can integrate it into our website (whenever that happens....)

Anyway, please update your feeds and such, because we can now be found at

http://memphisbookshop.com/wordpress/

The new blog will (eventually) have many new features, such as categories, a better comments system, and lots of other things I am not cool enough to yet understand.

I look forward to seeing you over there.

posted by Hugh Hollowell

From: Whining & Dining

2006-11-06T09:33:00.000-06:00

Farmer's market lives!

The official Memphis Farmers Market is shuttered for the season, but a few purveyors are gathering on Saturdays outside Cafe Francisco on North Main.

Bought some beautiful salad greens, baby spinach and pea vines from my favorite Mississippi gentleman farmer/NWA airline pilot... chefs, take note: this is amazing stuff!

And the meat man was there... last Saturday, I ran into the Squirrels (their blog comment handle), who inspired me with their mission of roasting soup bones they bought from the meat man. Sadly, he didn't have any this trip, but we chewed the fat.

I asked about how he raised his cattle, and he said they grazed on grass to 700 pounds, then finished off with corn. I said something about cows were not really meant to eat corn, and he said: "You read 'Omnivore's Dilemma' didn't you?" Guilty!

What he said made some sense, and I appreciate his good practices, especially dry-aging the beef... something very few processors do.

That reminded me of a conversation I had earlier in the week with food editor Jennifer Biggs about the distinction between food that's grown or raised under strict organic rules, and crops/animals done old-school... something people refer to as authentic. It's a complex world out there, with corporations in the organic biz... I still cannot bring myself to buy packaged spinach... well, except from the man from Holly Springs. Go see him next Saturday!

What about you? Are you steering away from certain foods because of the way they're raised/grown? Or, is it a matter of price?

Posted by Leslie Kelly

From: Fertile Ground

2006-11-05T20:45:00.000-06:00

Love at First Sight

Several months ago, I fell in love.

With Pocky.

And now it is all mine.

See it for yourself (as well as 14 other amazing paintings by Elizabeth Alley) at Perry Nicole Fine Art (a.k.a. the original home of Mothersville)during the month of November.

posted by Stacey Greenberg

From: a pulp faction

2006-11-05T20:41:00.000-06:00

A self-indulgent post riddled with parentheses.

Time for a break from magazine production, or I will surely suffer a bad case of burn out and it will never get done.

I've surprised myself with this all, lately. See, somewhere in the back of my mind I'm aware of the fact that I am capable of amazing feats of discipline and self-control and do in fact posses a selectively stellar work ethic. I frequently forget this, however, thanks to my tendencies towards drinking and sleeping a lot and watching too much TV and otherwise taking a rather lackadaisical approach to life. This project is bringing all the good stuff out, with the help of a little more coffee than I usually consume. (Ok, actually my drink of choice is a Cafe Con Pana, a double espresso topped with whip cream. Dreamy.)

The point is that I feel really accomplished, it feels good to be working on something I believe in, something that challenges me without it being some impossible thing which will surely break me.

I'm about to be sappy, if you're not in the mood for it don't read it. I'm about to tell you how I wake up every day and find myself thinking it's an effing beautiful day. (WTF is up with that. This isn't exactly Mr. Roger's neighborhood.) Even that one day after Halloween when it was all foggy and misty. I find myself appreciating the trees and how many of them there actually are around here compared to a lot of places and how pretty their leaves are this time of year. I find myself working harder for my boss (Yes, I still suffer from the affliction of a day job,) and taking deep breaths when I go outside and cussing a lot less when I drive. (It's still a lot though, you should call me sometime when I'm driving home from work. It's hilarious.)

Though I haven't done laundry in over a month (it's ok, I own lots of clothes for this exact reason,) and I really don't shower as often as I probably should and some might say I'm cultivating a hair style rather reminiscent of Einstein in his later years, things are actually going quite well and frankly, this has been an entirely self-indulgent post serving only to convince me of that fact.

posted by pulpfaction