Blue vs. Orange

Like Gumby and Pokey, I too live close to a college football stadium. Today, it was the University of Memphis vs. the University of Tennesse, a match up that is always sure to bring out tons of people. My friend Linda and I had a blast watching everyone and visiting the mini-parties in the neighborhood. These are a few random pics I snapped today:

For those that care, Memphis lost. Boo!

I’m wearing an orange cap, but I’m a Memphis fan. It was the first cap I could find when I was awakened at seven thirty this morning by all of the folks parking on my street.

By the way friends, I’ve been neglectful of you on the blog and our chat sessions. My apologies. My job has been extremely hectic and complicated, but I think it’s all going to settle down soon.

Love always…

It was a zoo…

Thursday, Friday and Saturday of last week I was working at the Memphis Zoo, doing production work for their largest fundraiser of the year. Fifty or so of the finest restaurants in Memphis donate food, beverages and labor for the benefit. It is $200.00 for admission bur once you’re through the gate, everything that you want to eat or drink is free. There are live bands and the lighting is incredible throught the zoo. Many people wear a jacket and tie or their finest evening wear. Here’s a few pictures I snapped of the event:

Other than the intermittent showers, it was a beautiful evening.

Joke off Monday 15

George W. was out jogging one morning along the parkway when he tripped, fell over the bridge railing and landed in the creek below.
Before the Secret Service guys could get to him, three kids, who were fishing, pulled him out of the water. He was so grateful he offered the kids whatever they wanted.

The first kid said, “I want to go to Disneyland.”

George said, “No problem. I’ll take you there on Air Force One”.

The second kid said, “I want a new pair of Nike Air Jordan’s.”

George said, “I’ll get them for you and even have Michael sign them!”

The third kid said, “I want a motorized wheelchair with a built-in TV and stereo headset!!”

Bush is a little perplexed by this and says, “But you don’t look like you are handicapped.”

The kid says, “I will be after my dad finds out I saved your ass from drowning!”

Nepotisim revealed

I’ve been training my younger brother to work for my company. I know, it sounds like nepotisim, and it is, but there are other relatives that work for people within our company. So, it’s at least acceptable.

We had to let a person go at a satellite office, and the only person that I could think of that could pick up on the job very quickly and be concientious at the same time was Allan.

I started training last week. Today, we had a really productive day. It’s a lot to learn, but he’s beginning to catch on to the different documents that are researched when examining a title.

This is going to be a great job for him, and he will truly be an asset to our company. I can see it already. Each day, I feel like I made the right decision and I hope he does too.

Yeah, that’s a picture of him at his desk.

Joke off Monday 14

24 things you can do to make the elevator ride amusing…

1. Grimace painfully while smacking your forehead and muttering: “Shut up, dammit, all of you just shut UP!”

2. Whistle the first seven notes of “It’s a Small World” incessantly.

3. Crack open your briefcase or purse, and while peering inside ask: “Got enough air in there?”

4. Offer name tags to everyone getting on the elevator. Wear yours upside-down.

5. Stand silent and motionless in the corner, facing the wall, without getting off.

6. When arriving at your floor, grunt and strain to yank the doors open, then act embarrassed when they open by themselves.

7. Greet everyone getting on the elevator with a warm handshake and ask them to call you Admiral.

8. On the highest floor, hold the door open and demand that it stay open until you hear the penny you dropped down the shaft go “plink” at the bottom.

9. Stare, grinning, at another passenger for a while, and then announce: “I’ve got new socks on!”

10. When at least 8 people have boarded, moan from the back: “Oh, no, not now, damn motion sickness!”

11. Meow occasionally.

12. Holler “Chutes away!” whenever the elevator descends.

13. Walk on with a cooler that says “human head” on the side.

14. Stare at another passenger for a while, then announce “You’re one of THEM!” and move to the far corner of the elevator.

15. Wear a puppet on your hand and talk to other passengers “through” it.

16. When the elevator is silent, look around and ask “is that your beeper?”

17. Say “Ding!” at each floor.

18. Say “I wonder what all these do” and push the red buttons.

19. Listen to the elevator walls with a stethoscope.

20. Draw a little square on the floor with chalk and announce to the other passengers that this is your “personal space.”

21. Announce in a demonic voice: “I must find a more suitable host body.”

22. Make explosion noises when anyone presses a button.

23. Wear “X-Ray Specs” and leer suggestively at other passengers.

24. Stop at every floor, run off the elevator, then run back on.

Memphis revealed

I was tagged by Scott for a meme. (I have not forgotten your book meme Jimmi, but it is a more difficult tag than this one. I’ll try and get that one out this week.)

The idea is to list five things you can do in the city you live in. I don’t mention this often, but I love Memphis. It’s my hometown, and it’s just the right size. Not too big or small and it is decidedly southern. So, without further adieu, here’s what you might expect if you ever came for a stay…

1) A visit to the riverfront at sunset with a bottle of wine, brie and crackers. The Mississippi River is the western border for Tennessee and it’s fairly wide here at Memphis.

2) Beale Street is the home of the blues. Think Bourbon Street in New Orleans, just without the jazz, and you’ve got a mental picture. There’s always a great blues act playing at one of the clubs.

3) Dinner at The Butcher Shop downtown. You can have the cookstaff grill your steak or you can cook it yourself. Knowtng my control issues, who do you think prepares our steaks when we eat there? Yeah, I know that’s a tough one.

4) If you were visiting me here, I’d probably take you to see the Peabody Ducks. The Peabody is an old, majestic hotel here in Memphis. Every day the ducks ride the elevator down to the lobby from the roof and march on red carpet to the large, ornate fountain in the center and swim. It’s unique, cute and well worth seeing. That’s a picture of the ducks in the fountain, above.

5) The Pink Palace Museum is full of Memphis memorabilia and history. It’s a great way to learn what the city is all about. The Pink Palace was the home of Clarence Saunders, founder and owner of the Piggly Wiggly chain of supermarkets until he lost everything in the stock market crash of 1929. The city converted his pink, sprawling home into a museum after he defaulted on his loan.

So, there you have it. Wine, a river, blues, steaks, ducks and a fairy-tale palace. We’ve got it all. If you’d like to participate in the meme, be my guest.

That’s what I’m talking about…

You really are having a good day when a friend sends you a picture of the hunky Eli Manning in all of his shirtless glory. I hope you’re all having a great weekend. Thank you Wade, for the picture. It’s stunning.

The "skinny" explained

My last post is a little unfair, I suppose. This is more than a personal journal, because I have all of you that read and care. To just put that out there and not really explain myself is a grave disservice to you, as friends.

I’ll make this short and sweet: I’m feeling overworked and underappreciated both professionally and personally. That’s all it is. Isn’t that an incredibly selfish attitude? I think this will pass, but I’m not seeing the end of the tunnel yet, folks. I’m kind of lost in the middle.

Take care.

The straight skinny

Everyone demands a piece of me lately. I suppose that would be okay, if I had something left to give…

I’m afraid I’m building up to a huge meltdown and no one sees it coming. But, I do. I know this, because it’s happened before. I see it clearly.

I hope everything is lovely in your world. I can’t fucking stand mine.

P.S.: Please don’t humor me with encouraging comments. I’d rather wallow here a while.

Five years later…

…and I feel less safe than I did the very day that this great country was attacked. It seems that we, as a nation, are perched on the edge of a precipice, waiting for the inevitable fall.

I remember all of those that were lost five years ago. How could I ever forget? But, my greatest fear is that next time, it could be worse.

Is this a safer, more secure America five years later? I think not. We’ve only fanned the flames of hatred.

The bill on that hatred will become due. It’s going to come at a high cost for us now, and for generations in the future.

Believe it.