Memphis on Halloween weekend is incredibly entertaining.
My friends and I ended up getting $25 student rush tickets for the closing night of "Wicked" at the Orpheum Theater downtown. The show was incredible. I had never really had any interest in it before (I know, I know) and I only went because everyone was going (peer pressure). I am, however, very glad that I did. I have since downloaded the entire soundtrack from iTunes and have one more thing to be girly and obsessive about. I really must read the books (Christmas present?).
After the show, we went over to the KookyCanuck again. They have won us over with their s'mores. Apparently they were having a costume party/contest on Halloween (go figure), so we had free entertainment as well. Aside from the inevitable blond wearing a lace thong and leather chaps and her corseted friend, the costumes were actually really good. I counted just two Elvi, several people dressed like the Memphis Police (not the real Police...), some Freddy Kreugers.... There was a guy wearing one of these (See: Avatar AMP Suit) made out of Cardboard...there were slutty Hermione costumes... a Miss Universe ... Jesus .... Quail Man....
The costume contest ended with this guy winning $300, I believe. (See: Avatar AMP Suit) Rightfully so.
There was also, unbeknownst to me at the time, a Geek Parade downtown on Saturday. Photos of the event show some pretty great costumes - Cobra Commander, Tron, Inspector Gadget (complete with gadget copter/ceiling fan)....it looked like it was a good time. This event was NOT as much about Halloween as it was to kick off Memphis "Geek Week," which leads up to the Memphis Comic and Fantasy Convention happening this weekend.
I would be going...if I weren't going to be at Wrockstock.
Apparently it's going to be all kinds of awesome....celebration of Mark Hamill....Steampunk....Harry Potter discussion...Wizard Rock....Comic Books...Super Heroes...Epic Epic Epic Epic.
If I weren't going to be in another state, I would SO BE THERE. Alas, I shall have to wait until next year...where they will hopefully not conflict. I will note here the dilemma that presents itself when there is Wizard Rock at a con at the same time there is a big wizard rock festival... it's only good for the people who can't go...lol. It makes the rest of us sad that we can't have both.
That's about it, though. I'm having a wizard gathering tomorrow night before we all drive up to Missouri on Friday morning. I'm really, REALLY looking forward to it.
OH! Happy NaNoWriMo! (National Novel Writing Month)
Many of my friends are consumed by their daily almost-2000-word quota (the goal of NaNoWriMo is to write 50,000 in the month of November), and I see them posting updates constantly. I have every intention of participating, but I have to wait until I finish some more pressing obligations first. Papers, Homework, Wrockstock....that sort of thing. xD
My novel this year is partially set in future dystopian society former-Memphis. It would, theoretically, be quite good if I ever get around to writing it.
Until next time!!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Goodness Gracious, Great Balls of Fire!!
So,
The last week or so has been a little hectic since I've had midterms at school and what-not. We're on Fall Break until Tuesday, and I'm planning to head back down to Lubbock on Sunday for a few days to take care of some long-overdue business (and to cure some homesickness and see some people I love and miss). I've got to finish recording my album tonight and tomorrow so that I can get the master sent to the printer and get everything back in time for the release party. I've just been too busy to get it done. :/ The good news is, I released a preview of the title track and the album cover last night and I've gotten some pretty positive responses. So. Press on!
I'm happy to say I've finally found myself some Memphis friends. And man, are they awesome! There's Lafayette, of course, as well as several members of my music theory review class (I'll blog-name them as soon as I think of good ones). We've bonded through a combination of commiserating, studying, and exploring the city...and I'm really hoping we stay friends even after Theory is done. They're just plain enjoyable.
We had a homework/study session at my house on Sunday evening and discovered that one of our friends (We'll call her...SarcasticSnape, because that's her facebook image right now) had never been to Beale Street. I love Beale...I think it's awesome (though I'm getting a little tired of walking around it...I'm ready to start becoming a "regular" somewhere), and I'm sure that by now you all know how ready I am to do stuff here at the drop of a hat...so, naturally, Lafayette and I decided we would go on Monday after classes.
And we did.
But before that, we got a group together (Myself, Lafayette, SarcasticSnape, Maryland, and yet-to-be-blognamed) and went to check out the food at the Kooky Canuck. This restaurant had a featured food challenge on Travel Channel's "Man vs. Food" back when it was called the Bigfoot Lodge (before a place in California with the same name had a fit). True to form, the Kooky Canuck's King Kookamunga Burger is enormous, and more food than our whole table could have eaten. We avoided it like the plague. The Kooky Canuck also has another gigantic plate - an 18-scoop ice cream monstrosity...which we also avoided. Even the half order on that one was entirely too much.
So, after we all enjoyed our individual, normal-sized (but still actually pretty huge) meals, we split an order of the Kooky Canuck's signature dessert - S'Mores!!! They brought out a little flame-in-a-can, some skewers, marshmallows, graham crackers, and Hershey bars, and we were far-too-entertained as we enjoyed our dessert. By the end, we were burning our wooden skewers down to nubs, making "ink" from the ashes, and writing on our (disposable) place mat/menus. I may (or may not) have signed my receipt with my skewer. >.> There may (or may not) be photographic evidence of this on Facebook.
It was all fun and games until Lafayette had to be mature and put out the fire. Haha.
Anyway, to Beale Street we went! We checked out Memphis Music again, which is always nice (but now that I'm always out of money, it's not as fun!) and wandered around for some time so that everyone could take a look around, window shopped, browsed, were entertained, and eventually headed home.
It was a good day. On Wednesday we had another group study session for our midterm that was this morning...and it has generally been a good week.
I'll have another update for you as soon as something else happens! And you can expect my short travel guide pages to be up after I get the album finished...probably after Fall Break.
Until next time!
The last week or so has been a little hectic since I've had midterms at school and what-not. We're on Fall Break until Tuesday, and I'm planning to head back down to Lubbock on Sunday for a few days to take care of some long-overdue business (and to cure some homesickness and see some people I love and miss). I've got to finish recording my album tonight and tomorrow so that I can get the master sent to the printer and get everything back in time for the release party. I've just been too busy to get it done. :/ The good news is, I released a preview of the title track and the album cover last night and I've gotten some pretty positive responses. So. Press on!
I'm happy to say I've finally found myself some Memphis friends. And man, are they awesome! There's Lafayette, of course, as well as several members of my music theory review class (I'll blog-name them as soon as I think of good ones). We've bonded through a combination of commiserating, studying, and exploring the city...and I'm really hoping we stay friends even after Theory is done. They're just plain enjoyable.
We had a homework/study session at my house on Sunday evening and discovered that one of our friends (We'll call her...SarcasticSnape, because that's her facebook image right now) had never been to Beale Street. I love Beale...I think it's awesome (though I'm getting a little tired of walking around it...I'm ready to start becoming a "regular" somewhere), and I'm sure that by now you all know how ready I am to do stuff here at the drop of a hat...so, naturally, Lafayette and I decided we would go on Monday after classes.
And we did.
But before that, we got a group together (Myself, Lafayette, SarcasticSnape, Maryland, and yet-to-be-blognamed) and went to check out the food at the Kooky Canuck. This restaurant had a featured food challenge on Travel Channel's "Man vs. Food" back when it was called the Bigfoot Lodge (before a place in California with the same name had a fit). True to form, the Kooky Canuck's King Kookamunga Burger is enormous, and more food than our whole table could have eaten. We avoided it like the plague. The Kooky Canuck also has another gigantic plate - an 18-scoop ice cream monstrosity...which we also avoided. Even the half order on that one was entirely too much.
So, after we all enjoyed our individual, normal-sized (but still actually pretty huge) meals, we split an order of the Kooky Canuck's signature dessert - S'Mores!!! They brought out a little flame-in-a-can, some skewers, marshmallows, graham crackers, and Hershey bars, and we were far-too-entertained as we enjoyed our dessert. By the end, we were burning our wooden skewers down to nubs, making "ink" from the ashes, and writing on our (disposable) place mat/menus. I may (or may not) have signed my receipt with my skewer. >.> There may (or may not) be photographic evidence of this on Facebook.
It was all fun and games until Lafayette had to be mature and put out the fire. Haha.
Anyway, to Beale Street we went! We checked out Memphis Music again, which is always nice (but now that I'm always out of money, it's not as fun!) and wandered around for some time so that everyone could take a look around, window shopped, browsed, were entertained, and eventually headed home.
It was a good day. On Wednesday we had another group study session for our midterm that was this morning...and it has generally been a good week.
I'll have another update for you as soon as something else happens! And you can expect my short travel guide pages to be up after I get the album finished...probably after Fall Break.
Until next time!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Home Is Where The Heart Is
Well,
Life got the better of me, and I couldn't find the time to write a post that I felt would be worthy and representative of what I have been experiencing here in Memphis. Now that it is something like a month later...I'd like to start catching everyone up.
I've been exploring the city, both with a new friend of mine, who shall be referred to in this blog as Lafayette, since that's where she's from....and with my parents, who have both visited at separate times when they could get away from work. Mostly, I've been in a back-and-forth between school and falling asleep on my couch. Morning classes have been the hardest adjustment to my life...although I appreciate the amount of things I can get done in a day now.
I'm really falling for this city. I really liked it before, from the first time I visited (Summer 2009) right on up until I moved, I was really charmed by Memphis...and the longer I'm here, the more I agree with my decision to move here. I've been missing Lubbock a lot, but Memphis is good. Good, good, good.
I've been to a few attractions around town...and while I had intended to write about each of these things in turn as I visited them, I did so much at once and got behind. SO, what I've decided to do as an alternative is make some pages, which will be linked to the left, that will list many Memphis attractions, restaurants, and things to do along with my reflections on them and some other information. I haven't gotten all of that typed yet, but I've been taking notes everywhere. Hopefully I can get that up soon. I'll be sure to post when that's ready.
That's about it. I don't have much to say, really...because so much time has passed that I can't come down to one topic to address. So, once I get those supplementary pages up, I'll be able to focus this a bit more.
Life got the better of me, and I couldn't find the time to write a post that I felt would be worthy and representative of what I have been experiencing here in Memphis. Now that it is something like a month later...I'd like to start catching everyone up.
I've been exploring the city, both with a new friend of mine, who shall be referred to in this blog as Lafayette, since that's where she's from....and with my parents, who have both visited at separate times when they could get away from work. Mostly, I've been in a back-and-forth between school and falling asleep on my couch. Morning classes have been the hardest adjustment to my life...although I appreciate the amount of things I can get done in a day now.
I'm really falling for this city. I really liked it before, from the first time I visited (Summer 2009) right on up until I moved, I was really charmed by Memphis...and the longer I'm here, the more I agree with my decision to move here. I've been missing Lubbock a lot, but Memphis is good. Good, good, good.
I've been to a few attractions around town...and while I had intended to write about each of these things in turn as I visited them, I did so much at once and got behind. SO, what I've decided to do as an alternative is make some pages, which will be linked to the left, that will list many Memphis attractions, restaurants, and things to do along with my reflections on them and some other information. I haven't gotten all of that typed yet, but I've been taking notes everywhere. Hopefully I can get that up soon. I'll be sure to post when that's ready.
That's about it. I don't have much to say, really...because so much time has passed that I can't come down to one topic to address. So, once I get those supplementary pages up, I'll be able to focus this a bit more.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Doin' the Best I Can
Well, Friends, it's been a few days. I'm sure my nonsense was sorely missed and that you were all glued to your desk chairs, losing sleep and constantly refreshing to see if I had posted anything new. I've been in the midst of a school crisis until just about an hour ago. Now that it is solved and I can resume life as normal, I figured you all deserve an update.
Be forewarned that this post will have very little to do with the City of Memphis, and more to do with school.
Classes officially started today for me. I finished registering this afternoon, after scrambling around on the phone with my mom and Texas Tech, trying to get my immunization records sent. I thought this had already been done, but apparently not. So, my mother, being the awesome faxer-woman that she is, took care of faxing the form in for me and within 2 hours all my registration holds were lifted. And, in combination with a meeting with Dr. K (the head musicology dude here) in which I gained permits to register for closed classes, my schedule got sorted.
This morning I "woke up" at ten-till-six. I use quotes there because I never really went to sleep. I just laid there in bed for 7 hours trying to sleep. After a summer of nothing working out quite like it was supposed to, I was fearing the worst for registration. At that point, I didn't really think it would be possible to clear the holds before the registration deadline on Thursday. Then my loan money wouldn't have covered the 2 classes I was able to register for before that, and I would have essentially been a semester behind already. All I kept thinking to myself was - "How can you sleep? You need to solve this STAT."
(I was also kind of disturbed from a documentary I had watched earlier that evening called "The Cove." It is an excellent film, I'm looking forward to the follow-up series "Blood Dolphins" starting on Animal Planet this week...but it was pretty graphic and horrifying. Link Here. As someone who barely stays on the rational side of the fence when watching "Whale Wars," and as someone who regularly considers dropping everything and volunteering with the Sea Shepherds...I spent a good hour sobbing on and off and still haven't been able to get that film off my mind. You really must see it. Everyone needs to see it. ANYWAY...that is neither here nor there.)
So, I heaved myself out of my bed, which wasn't as hard as it should have been because my new sheets are really scratchy and have significantly shortened the time that I want to be there, and took my time getting ready. Despite spending almost an hour on my hair, having a full shower, eating breakfast, drinking an excessive amount of coffee, and watching TV, I still got to campus 40 minutes early. This won me an excellent parking spot, but I felt like the dorky n00b who gets to school 40 minutes early.
So I sat in my car and tweeted constantly...and texted my mom and stuff. Then, I attended the first 8 AM class I have had since my undergraduate degree. Theory. Theory, theory theory. The bane of my existence...I hate music theory with every ounce of passion in my bones. I have a tremendous respect for people who are good at it and who enjoy it, but I am not one of those people, and I don't reckon I ever will be. This is the third time in my life I have been required to take a Theory Review because my entrance exam was failsauce. What gets me is, I really just need to start over and go back and do freshman theory and the whole theory sequence over again. Know why? Because my entire undergrad degree was a joke. Not that the faculty and courses weren't good, but I didn't take them as seriously as I needed to. So, as a result, I retained squat...and it is coming back to bite me.
The theory class is going to kick my butt really hard. But, third time's a charm?
My second class was Renaissance Music, my first music history course at this new school. The professor, Dr. K, specializes specifically (and obsessively) in Renaissance stuffs, and was very gleeful and exuberant as he was teaching it to us. He has been so helpful to me outside of class already, with registration, that I have really high expectations for the course content. He's a pretty funny dude, too. He keeps control of the class while keeping us all chuckling frequently. It seems like his philosophy is that we enjoy it enough to want to learn more and share it with others.
He said to us today, while talking about time periods (and while I'm not sure I agree, it was pretty funny):
Anyway, the class seems like it'll be structured more score-driven than I'm used to. I'm kind of excited because I need more of that because I'm not comfortable with it...and if I'm going to be a grown up musicologist someday, I need to be able to use that more readily.
Lastly was Aural Theory lab. I'm not getting credit for it, and it's optional, but as Aural Theory is a component of my Theory class, and I have discovered that I need more help there than I thought, I'm going to it. Apparently, I can learn tunes by ear, and know which fingers go down to make which sound...but when it comes to any kind of interval identification or dictation writing, I can't do it anymore.
So. This is a bad, bad thing. And I've got to fix it. So...this semester is about the re-catch-up.
Tomorrow I have 2 classes: American Folk and Popular Music, and Blues History. I'll also be going on an adventure to find the ID office and the parking pass people.
And that's probably more than you ever wanted to know about my school day. My mom is visiting this weekend for Labor Day, and we're going to the Memphis Music and Heritage Festival. My new ethnomus professor is performing. He won a Grammy in 2003 and is part of Last Chance Jug Band and he also plays old-time blues as a solo project. See here.
Be forewarned that this post will have very little to do with the City of Memphis, and more to do with school.
Classes officially started today for me. I finished registering this afternoon, after scrambling around on the phone with my mom and Texas Tech, trying to get my immunization records sent. I thought this had already been done, but apparently not. So, my mother, being the awesome faxer-woman that she is, took care of faxing the form in for me and within 2 hours all my registration holds were lifted. And, in combination with a meeting with Dr. K (the head musicology dude here) in which I gained permits to register for closed classes, my schedule got sorted.
This morning I "woke up" at ten-till-six. I use quotes there because I never really went to sleep. I just laid there in bed for 7 hours trying to sleep. After a summer of nothing working out quite like it was supposed to, I was fearing the worst for registration. At that point, I didn't really think it would be possible to clear the holds before the registration deadline on Thursday. Then my loan money wouldn't have covered the 2 classes I was able to register for before that, and I would have essentially been a semester behind already. All I kept thinking to myself was - "How can you sleep? You need to solve this STAT."
(I was also kind of disturbed from a documentary I had watched earlier that evening called "The Cove." It is an excellent film, I'm looking forward to the follow-up series "Blood Dolphins" starting on Animal Planet this week...but it was pretty graphic and horrifying. Link Here. As someone who barely stays on the rational side of the fence when watching "Whale Wars," and as someone who regularly considers dropping everything and volunteering with the Sea Shepherds...I spent a good hour sobbing on and off and still haven't been able to get that film off my mind. You really must see it. Everyone needs to see it. ANYWAY...that is neither here nor there.)
So, I heaved myself out of my bed, which wasn't as hard as it should have been because my new sheets are really scratchy and have significantly shortened the time that I want to be there, and took my time getting ready. Despite spending almost an hour on my hair, having a full shower, eating breakfast, drinking an excessive amount of coffee, and watching TV, I still got to campus 40 minutes early. This won me an excellent parking spot, but I felt like the dorky n00b who gets to school 40 minutes early.
So I sat in my car and tweeted constantly...and texted my mom and stuff. Then, I attended the first 8 AM class I have had since my undergraduate degree. Theory. Theory, theory theory. The bane of my existence...I hate music theory with every ounce of passion in my bones. I have a tremendous respect for people who are good at it and who enjoy it, but I am not one of those people, and I don't reckon I ever will be. This is the third time in my life I have been required to take a Theory Review because my entrance exam was failsauce. What gets me is, I really just need to start over and go back and do freshman theory and the whole theory sequence over again. Know why? Because my entire undergrad degree was a joke. Not that the faculty and courses weren't good, but I didn't take them as seriously as I needed to. So, as a result, I retained squat...and it is coming back to bite me.
The theory class is going to kick my butt really hard. But, third time's a charm?
My second class was Renaissance Music, my first music history course at this new school. The professor, Dr. K, specializes specifically (and obsessively) in Renaissance stuffs, and was very gleeful and exuberant as he was teaching it to us. He has been so helpful to me outside of class already, with registration, that I have really high expectations for the course content. He's a pretty funny dude, too. He keeps control of the class while keeping us all chuckling frequently. It seems like his philosophy is that we enjoy it enough to want to learn more and share it with others.
He said to us today, while talking about time periods (and while I'm not sure I agree, it was pretty funny):
"If Machaut is like gin and tonic tastes,The longer I think about this, the more it makes me wonder how one gets from gin and tonic to chocolate dairy...but it was still funny.
and Palestrina is like a chocolate milk shake tastes,
then DuFay is like at least Yoo-Hoo."
Anyway, the class seems like it'll be structured more score-driven than I'm used to. I'm kind of excited because I need more of that because I'm not comfortable with it...and if I'm going to be a grown up musicologist someday, I need to be able to use that more readily.
Lastly was Aural Theory lab. I'm not getting credit for it, and it's optional, but as Aural Theory is a component of my Theory class, and I have discovered that I need more help there than I thought, I'm going to it. Apparently, I can learn tunes by ear, and know which fingers go down to make which sound...but when it comes to any kind of interval identification or dictation writing, I can't do it anymore.
So. This is a bad, bad thing. And I've got to fix it. So...this semester is about the re-catch-up.
Tomorrow I have 2 classes: American Folk and Popular Music, and Blues History. I'll also be going on an adventure to find the ID office and the parking pass people.
And that's probably more than you ever wanted to know about my school day. My mom is visiting this weekend for Labor Day, and we're going to the Memphis Music and Heritage Festival. My new ethnomus professor is performing. He won a Grammy in 2003 and is part of Last Chance Jug Band and he also plays old-time blues as a solo project. See here.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
I'm in a Crowd But Oh So Alone
One thing I've been trying to do since before I moved to Memphis is find the nerd culture. I know that one typically does not move to Memphis, Tennessee to seek out that specific subculture...but as you may have already guessed, those are my people. Yours truly is one of those really excited Harry Potter fans that camps out for books...I dig Star Wars, I dig Back to the Future, I love Disney and old-school Nintendo... Lost, Avatar, Lord of the Rings...
In fact, I am so much into my nerd culture that I make up the entirety of a Wizard Rock band (bands who write/perform music about Harry Potter), and my "muggle" music project is named after a Lost episode.
I am, flat out, a fandom nerd.
Unfortunately, all of my efforts to find nerdy friends prior to the move were an absolute failure. As well connected as I like to think that I am, I have simply neglected to make many Tennessee nerd friends while at conventions and such. I placed an open call on both my Facebook and Twitter to see if any of my current friends knew anything or anyone...but that was a bust.
As I gear up for starting school soon, the upstairs of Gryffindor Tower (what I have named my apartment) starts to look more and more like my comfy nerd cave, Yesterday, I hung up my framed wrock posters and t-shirts, and set out all of my books and HP memorabilia. I find myself aching more and more for a friend, but most of all, for a nerd friend.
I do believe that I saw a commercial while sitting in bed last night that advertised classes to learn lightsaber fighting. I have only seen it one time, so I can't be sure...but if that really exists, those people might be my best bet for now.
So, here is where I make my desperate plea for any information anyone may have on Memphis Wizards or otherwise-affiliated-nerd-folk. I just don't know where to look for them and there haven't been, to my knowledge, any useful events or functions around here lately.
And, with that, I leave you with some Jason Munday (Skyway Flyer)...because he's a nice dude and this is one of my top 2 songs of the summer. (Second: "Don't Let the Muggles Get You Down" - The Remus Lupins...really, really spoke to me at just the right time....link here)
In fact, I am so much into my nerd culture that I make up the entirety of a Wizard Rock band (bands who write/perform music about Harry Potter), and my "muggle" music project is named after a Lost episode.
I am, flat out, a fandom nerd.
Unfortunately, all of my efforts to find nerdy friends prior to the move were an absolute failure. As well connected as I like to think that I am, I have simply neglected to make many Tennessee nerd friends while at conventions and such. I placed an open call on both my Facebook and Twitter to see if any of my current friends knew anything or anyone...but that was a bust.
As I gear up for starting school soon, the upstairs of Gryffindor Tower (what I have named my apartment) starts to look more and more like my comfy nerd cave, Yesterday, I hung up my framed wrock posters and t-shirts, and set out all of my books and HP memorabilia. I find myself aching more and more for a friend, but most of all, for a nerd friend.
I do believe that I saw a commercial while sitting in bed last night that advertised classes to learn lightsaber fighting. I have only seen it one time, so I can't be sure...but if that really exists, those people might be my best bet for now.
So, here is where I make my desperate plea for any information anyone may have on Memphis Wizards or otherwise-affiliated-nerd-folk. I just don't know where to look for them and there haven't been, to my knowledge, any useful events or functions around here lately.
And, with that, I leave you with some Jason Munday (Skyway Flyer)...because he's a nice dude and this is one of my top 2 songs of the summer. (Second: "Don't Let the Muggles Get You Down" - The Remus Lupins...really, really spoke to me at just the right time....link here)
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
It's Alright Mama
So, since mid-June ish, I've been watching this show called "Memphis Beat" on TNT Tuesday Nights. This is the show that conveniently came along to fill the void that was left in me after Lost ended. Now, I'm not a TV aficionado or a trained theatrical analyst or critic...but this show has really grown on me...and I'm proud to sing its praises.
One reason for this probably has something to do with me simply being excited to move to Memphis since I found out I was admitted to the university. I have, dorkily, been giving any show with the word "Memphis" in it a fair try...but "Memphis Beat" is the only one that I have stuck with.
The show stars Jason Lee, formerly of "My Name is Earl," as Detective Dwight Hendricks...a musically inclined Elvis enthusiast and well-rounded, multi-dimensional character. Dwight loves his mama, struggles with his conscience and history, is a very proud protector of his city, and drives an awesome old car...
I'll avoid saying much more so I don't give any spoilers.
Anyway, having visited Memphis several times and having lived here almost 2 full weeks (lol), I think the show does a fantastic job of capturing the personality of the city and the people in it (friendly, deceptively clever, quirky, southern). And, although I think its mostly Caucasian casting is kind of an inaccurate racial representation of a city that is 61% African American (...way to fail, TNT?) ... the story line is very good and the writing has gotten a LOT better and focused since the pilot and first couple episodes. I also appreciate that, although it's a bit predictable, each episode follows a pretty familiar form that adds to its charm, including the obligatory Hendricks musical number at the end.
Tonight was the season finale...and it was pretty good. I'm really looking forward to seeing this show return and continue growing and developing. If the improvements continue with the writing and the focusing of the plot, the show is sure to reach its potential. The premise is fantastic...and the execution only keeps getting better.
If you've never seen it, you can catch it on TNT online...or TNT On Demand....though, again, don't be turned off by the first few episodes. They are...admittedly...a little hokie and overly complicated. It gets so much better by Episode 10.
Now that I have sufficiently advertised for people who aren't paying me, I'm going to wrap up.
In non-TV news, I had my music theory entrance exam today. I am really glad it was only a diagnostic. I'm anticipating having some extra courses to take, which is fine, though...it can't hurt anything but the pocketbook.
I also learned someone's name today.
Also, my mommy is coming to visit on Labor Day. :)
One reason for this probably has something to do with me simply being excited to move to Memphis since I found out I was admitted to the university. I have, dorkily, been giving any show with the word "Memphis" in it a fair try...but "Memphis Beat" is the only one that I have stuck with.
The show stars Jason Lee, formerly of "My Name is Earl," as Detective Dwight Hendricks...a musically inclined Elvis enthusiast and well-rounded, multi-dimensional character. Dwight loves his mama, struggles with his conscience and history, is a very proud protector of his city, and drives an awesome old car...
I'll avoid saying much more so I don't give any spoilers.
Anyway, having visited Memphis several times and having lived here almost 2 full weeks (lol), I think the show does a fantastic job of capturing the personality of the city and the people in it (friendly, deceptively clever, quirky, southern). And, although I think its mostly Caucasian casting is kind of an inaccurate racial representation of a city that is 61% African American (...way to fail, TNT?) ... the story line is very good and the writing has gotten a LOT better and focused since the pilot and first couple episodes. I also appreciate that, although it's a bit predictable, each episode follows a pretty familiar form that adds to its charm, including the obligatory Hendricks musical number at the end.
Tonight was the season finale...and it was pretty good. I'm really looking forward to seeing this show return and continue growing and developing. If the improvements continue with the writing and the focusing of the plot, the show is sure to reach its potential. The premise is fantastic...and the execution only keeps getting better.
If you've never seen it, you can catch it on TNT online...or TNT On Demand....though, again, don't be turned off by the first few episodes. They are...admittedly...a little hokie and overly complicated. It gets so much better by Episode 10.
Now that I have sufficiently advertised for people who aren't paying me, I'm going to wrap up.
In non-TV news, I had my music theory entrance exam today. I am really glad it was only a diagnostic. I'm anticipating having some extra courses to take, which is fine, though...it can't hurt anything but the pocketbook.
I also learned someone's name today.
Also, my mommy is coming to visit on Labor Day. :)
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Is it So Strange?
I was just looking for something in particular to do with a certain friend when they come visit me when I came across this video. It's old...but I am now living in a place where, instead of news about cows and such (ahem, Lubbock)...we get news like this.
It's awesome.
It's awesome.
Monday, August 23, 2010
No Room To Rumba In A Sports Car
Today was my first day to set foot on campus. In a trip Mom and I made up here earlier this year, we drove around and looked at everything, but I never actually got out of the car. Stepping into the music building today was a pretty intimidating experience. It's the first time I've been to a school where I know absolutely nobody, and every time I've started somewhere new I've always had marching band as a social introduction. It was nerve racking, but I met a few people and I think my music history entrance exam went alright.
I know one thing. No one from my old school is ever allowed to complain to me about their music building ever again. This new one is fine, but Lubbockians don't know how good they have it. Seriously.
What really cracked me up today, though, has nothing to do with school. The road to school, Poplar, is possibly one of the most busy roads in the city as far as I've seen. It's not a highway, but it is a major East-to-West road running from the suburbs to downtown. I hadn't personally driven on Poplar since I drove into Memphis when moving here.
I noticed today how narrow the lanes are down Poplar. They're uncomfortably narrow, and lumpy, and busy...and kind of scary to someone unfamiliar with driving here. For the lanes already being as narrow as they are, a surprising number of people have some serious trouble driving within them. Once in the parking lot on campus people seemed to have the same trouble staying within the lines. And again, on the way home, I was in the lane beside a truck that spent more time in my lane than in his own.
I began to wonder if lane lines were more just a suggestion in Memphis. I've also been wondering if maybe that just has something to do with the overall casual and laid-back attitude of this city. I haven't witnessed any road rage, save for one student who seemed to be in a huge hurry this afternoon....but it's certainly nothing like driving in Dallas or Houston. Thank goodness. I've also noticed that, at least when I've been out, people tend to go whatever speed they feel like. A few people speed, but there's a surprising amount of people who go as far under the limit as they please.
Tennessee is driving friendly. :) Good for them! There are some points where you have to drive a little like an a-hole when you want to change lanes in traffic or something...but the personality of these roads is significantly different and, in my opinion, better. Except for the narrowness. :)
In other news, I think one of my neighbors might be a musician. I haven't met them yet, but it sounded like there was practicing coming through my wall tonight. A bass-like instrument...though I can't tell if it was electric or string bass, and some voice. But they were doing scales. It was kind of nice.
I also had Corky's for dinner again. This time I stopped through their drive-thru on the way home...because it's right on the way and on the easy side of the road. This is not diet friendly, at ALL, but my BBQ nachos were quite tasty. And I think the chicken sandwich will be a good lunch tomorrow.
I know one thing. No one from my old school is ever allowed to complain to me about their music building ever again. This new one is fine, but Lubbockians don't know how good they have it. Seriously.
What really cracked me up today, though, has nothing to do with school. The road to school, Poplar, is possibly one of the most busy roads in the city as far as I've seen. It's not a highway, but it is a major East-to-West road running from the suburbs to downtown. I hadn't personally driven on Poplar since I drove into Memphis when moving here.
I noticed today how narrow the lanes are down Poplar. They're uncomfortably narrow, and lumpy, and busy...and kind of scary to someone unfamiliar with driving here. For the lanes already being as narrow as they are, a surprising number of people have some serious trouble driving within them. Once in the parking lot on campus people seemed to have the same trouble staying within the lines. And again, on the way home, I was in the lane beside a truck that spent more time in my lane than in his own.
I began to wonder if lane lines were more just a suggestion in Memphis. I've also been wondering if maybe that just has something to do with the overall casual and laid-back attitude of this city. I haven't witnessed any road rage, save for one student who seemed to be in a huge hurry this afternoon....but it's certainly nothing like driving in Dallas or Houston. Thank goodness. I've also noticed that, at least when I've been out, people tend to go whatever speed they feel like. A few people speed, but there's a surprising amount of people who go as far under the limit as they please.
Tennessee is driving friendly. :) Good for them! There are some points where you have to drive a little like an a-hole when you want to change lanes in traffic or something...but the personality of these roads is significantly different and, in my opinion, better. Except for the narrowness. :)
In other news, I think one of my neighbors might be a musician. I haven't met them yet, but it sounded like there was practicing coming through my wall tonight. A bass-like instrument...though I can't tell if it was electric or string bass, and some voice. But they were doing scales. It was kind of nice.
I also had Corky's for dinner again. This time I stopped through their drive-thru on the way home...because it's right on the way and on the easy side of the road. This is not diet friendly, at ALL, but my BBQ nachos were quite tasty. And I think the chicken sandwich will be a good lunch tomorrow.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
I'm Itching Like a Man on a Fuzzy Tree
Trees. Yet another thing I am unaccustomed to seeing that are now part of my life in Memphis. It's taking me awhile to adjust to the fact that there is an enormous tree outside my window that actually does the job of blocking sunlight from the building. It's strange to me that, at 2 in the afternoon with two West-facing windows, I can not function solely from natural light like I could in Texas. I can achieve true darkness in my apartment, which is pretty cool....but surprisingly hard to adjust to.
I knew that Tennessee had trees before coming here, obviously. The world pretty much turns green at the Texarkana border(ish). I was pretty excited about the change in scenery, as I've always held trees in such high regard (because of their rarity where I've lived). I know that while staying at my parents' house this summer, we would celebrate the growth of our back yard trees like we would celebrate the growth of a human child..."I can't believe how much it's grown!" My brother and I chatted frequently about how much we preferred our neighborhood to the new ones because of the size of the trees (small compared to Tennessee trees, but pretty good size for north Texas trees).
So, tonight as storms roll through the area, I hopped out of bed to write this quick note about how trees have changed my life. Where I would be, in Texas, standing or sitting out on my porch watching lightning scorch across the sky for miles, I look out a rain-splattered window into thick foliage. For some cool Texas lightning pictures taken by some friends of mine, please see the following websites. If you know some good places for watching storms in Memphis, feel free to drop a comment. ;)
In the Frame
I knew that Tennessee had trees before coming here, obviously. The world pretty much turns green at the Texarkana border(ish). I was pretty excited about the change in scenery, as I've always held trees in such high regard (because of their rarity where I've lived). I know that while staying at my parents' house this summer, we would celebrate the growth of our back yard trees like we would celebrate the growth of a human child..."I can't believe how much it's grown!" My brother and I chatted frequently about how much we preferred our neighborhood to the new ones because of the size of the trees (small compared to Tennessee trees, but pretty good size for north Texas trees).I'm told that, now that I live in a state with four seasons, I should really be looking forward to autumn and the colors of the leaves, which I am. I'll probably have another tree blog post for that with pictures or something when the time comes. But, even in the blaze of summer, the trees here are incredibly beautiful.
I couldn't help but to giggle when I saw a commercial the other day for something called "The Tree Firm." I understand the need for such a service, but it's a pretty foreign concept to me that it would be necessary enough to dedicate an entire business to tree trimming and removal. Where I'm from, the regular landscaping people just do it. But I guess with the larger quantity comes a larger demand. Still, it took me a second to remember that people HERE are not clinically insane for cutting down their trees. Ha!
One thing I do miss, though, are the big skies of Texas. I used to make fun of the flat, brown, dusty landscapes of Lubbock and West Texas while I was living there...yet that's probably what I miss the most. There's nothing quite like the red-brown canyons and the mesquite bushes...or being able to see for days in any direction. That's the thing about trees...they block the view, even though they make another kind of nice view themselves.
So, tonight as storms roll through the area, I hopped out of bed to write this quick note about how trees have changed my life. Where I would be, in Texas, standing or sitting out on my porch watching lightning scorch across the sky for miles, I look out a rain-splattered window into thick foliage. For some cool Texas lightning pictures taken by some friends of mine, please see the following websites. If you know some good places for watching storms in Memphis, feel free to drop a comment. ;)In the Frame
Saturday, August 21, 2010
All Shook Up
I've got this guilty pleasure of watching the apocalyptic disaster shows on television because I'm secretly fascinated by carnage and destruction. Not that I would ever actually want to experience anything like that, but I find it incredibly interesting, against my better judgement. So, this afternoon as I was sitting down to a lunch of homemade homesick quesadillas, I was flipping through the channels on the TV and noticed that "Mega Disasters" was on the History Channel.
Past experience has taught me that I should never, ever, under any circumstance allow myself to watch that show or any shows like it...but being the self-rebel that I am, I ignored my smarter self and watched 3 straight episodes. The first was about a magma pocket under Yellowstone. The second was about a tsunami in the Mediterranean. The third was, you guessed it, about Memphis. Well, sort of.
Prior to watching this episode of scary-show, I had always just assumed that the worst earthquake in US history was the San Francisco earthquake of the early 1900's....just because that is the one I have always been most familiar with and have seen the documentaries and photographs. Surprise to me that the actual strongest earthquake in US history was the New Madrid, Missouri earthquake of 1812.
New Madrid sits on a small fault line running right up the Mississippi River area, caused from the shoving together of the major tectonic plates on either coast causing stress in the middle of the continent. See the red spot in the map below, compliments of Wikipedia.
This earthquake, the largest of a series of earthquakes starting in 1811, was completely terrifying to the people living in New Madrid. It registered somewhere between a 7.5 and 8.0 in magnitude, destroyed houses, shot pockets of sand and steam out of the ground, and even caused the Mississippi River to flow backwards. To the then-people of New Madrid, the earthquake seemed like the end of the world. It caused sidewalk damage in Washington D.C., caused church bells to ring in Toronto, and was felt for up to 1 million square miles. It was a terrible, terrible earthquake that was only NOT cataclysmic because the Midwest wasn't very developed yet.
If you hop on Google Maps, Memphis is actually the closest "big city" to New Madrid....only about 50 miles away. The "Mega Disasters" people were insisting that should an earthquake of 6.5 or higher strike the area, we will pretty much all die. To be more specific, they said that new steel buildings would probably be ok, that wooden residences would probably be ok, and that masonry buildings would crash to the ground from the shaking. All of the bridges will collapse (even the I-40 one they're working on if the magnitude is over 7.6), the gas lines will blow, fires will start, then there will be firestorms from that. Additionally, everything will flood and we will all die, even though all of the buildings might not fall down. Not only this, but aftershocks in the 1812 earthquake lasted for about 5 months. This would make it really difficult to make any kind of relief effort.
Now, I don't know how much I actually have to WORRY about that kind of earthquake situation. All of the "Mega Disasters" shows end by making people feel that they're going to die at any second. They say that according to the geological record, earthquakes with the magnitude of the 1812 New Madrid earthquake happen every 300-500 years. Since it's only been about 200, I don't think there's too terribly much to be concerned with.
But now the idea has been planted in my head that I live in a big, scary earthquake place and I will inevitably be fighting off nightmares for years to come. But, at the same time, I'm kind of excited. I've left Tornado Alley and the Dust Bowl and put myself in the way of a whole new kind of natural disaster. This should be interesting!
Until next time!
Past experience has taught me that I should never, ever, under any circumstance allow myself to watch that show or any shows like it...but being the self-rebel that I am, I ignored my smarter self and watched 3 straight episodes. The first was about a magma pocket under Yellowstone. The second was about a tsunami in the Mediterranean. The third was, you guessed it, about Memphis. Well, sort of.
Prior to watching this episode of scary-show, I had always just assumed that the worst earthquake in US history was the San Francisco earthquake of the early 1900's....just because that is the one I have always been most familiar with and have seen the documentaries and photographs. Surprise to me that the actual strongest earthquake in US history was the New Madrid, Missouri earthquake of 1812.
New Madrid sits on a small fault line running right up the Mississippi River area, caused from the shoving together of the major tectonic plates on either coast causing stress in the middle of the continent. See the red spot in the map below, compliments of Wikipedia.
This earthquake, the largest of a series of earthquakes starting in 1811, was completely terrifying to the people living in New Madrid. It registered somewhere between a 7.5 and 8.0 in magnitude, destroyed houses, shot pockets of sand and steam out of the ground, and even caused the Mississippi River to flow backwards. To the then-people of New Madrid, the earthquake seemed like the end of the world. It caused sidewalk damage in Washington D.C., caused church bells to ring in Toronto, and was felt for up to 1 million square miles. It was a terrible, terrible earthquake that was only NOT cataclysmic because the Midwest wasn't very developed yet.
If you hop on Google Maps, Memphis is actually the closest "big city" to New Madrid....only about 50 miles away. The "Mega Disasters" people were insisting that should an earthquake of 6.5 or higher strike the area, we will pretty much all die. To be more specific, they said that new steel buildings would probably be ok, that wooden residences would probably be ok, and that masonry buildings would crash to the ground from the shaking. All of the bridges will collapse (even the I-40 one they're working on if the magnitude is over 7.6), the gas lines will blow, fires will start, then there will be firestorms from that. Additionally, everything will flood and we will all die, even though all of the buildings might not fall down. Not only this, but aftershocks in the 1812 earthquake lasted for about 5 months. This would make it really difficult to make any kind of relief effort.
Now, I don't know how much I actually have to WORRY about that kind of earthquake situation. All of the "Mega Disasters" shows end by making people feel that they're going to die at any second. They say that according to the geological record, earthquakes with the magnitude of the 1812 New Madrid earthquake happen every 300-500 years. Since it's only been about 200, I don't think there's too terribly much to be concerned with.
But now the idea has been planted in my head that I live in a big, scary earthquake place and I will inevitably be fighting off nightmares for years to come. But, at the same time, I'm kind of excited. I've left Tornado Alley and the Dust Bowl and put myself in the way of a whole new kind of natural disaster. This should be interesting!
Until next time!
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