Singing The Praises of Small Town Living

My dreams lie more in thoughts of enjoying the things that big cities have to offer. My lovely wife is more of a small town girl. I want excitement and she wants stability. I think that Nashville offers a nice compromise.

I get my small taste of urban life when I take the bus downtown, visit the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, catch a show at The Basement or Mercy Lounge, or enjoy classical music at Schermerhorn Symphony Center. She gets an easy pace and a nice quality of life that isn't often found in the New Yorks and Chicagos of the world. While I still get my little pleasures reading about New York's Hotel Chelsea, looking at photos online of subways and skyscrapers, and watching the webcams of Times Square, I realize that my wife is right. For our ever expanding family, what is best is what is found in Small Town, America. Cookouts, big yards, and friendly neighbors appeal to me. Room to breathe and a big front porch are soothing to the spirit.

Writing beautifully of life in scenic White House, Tennessee is my good friend at MonsterMash40 . Entitled "I Love a Small Town," this post is, as newscoma would say, "of the good." Read her words and know that she's good people.

Mostly, she just sleeps and snores.

Melancholy Monday - "Picking Up After You"

Enjoy this early take of this beautiful duet by Tom Waits and Crystal Gayle. My favorite line: "Tell me, how long have you been combing your hair with a wrench?"

Nice Genius Work There

A Twitter friend mentioned that he was listening to Bill Evans tonight. His smart mention prompted me to abandon the Ace of Base that I was listening to and play some of the Bill Evans that I had. He was right. It was indeed "perfect Sunday evening music."

I then put iTunes Genius to the test. Twenty-five similar songs coming right up? Not too shabby.

1. "What Kind of Fool Am I?" - Bill Evans
   
2. "If I Were A Bell" - Miles Davis
3. "Dancing In The Dark" - Diana Krall
4. "Here Comes The Sun" - Nina Simone
5. "Birdland" - Weather Report
6. "Aural Oasis" - Wynton Marsalis
7. "Candy" - The Manhattan Transfer
8. "A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening" - Johnny Mathis
9. "Skylark" - Paul Desmond
10. "Danny Boy" - Bill Evans
11. "Alone Together" - McCoy Tyner
12. "You're My Everything" - Miles Davis
13. "The Low Road" - John Scofield
14. "I Get Along Without You Very Well" - Diana Krall
15. "Four Women" - Nina Simone
16. "Manteca" - Dizzy Gillespie
17. "Goodbye" - Wynton Marsalis
18. "After The Rain" - John Coltrane
19. "When I Fall In Love" - Bill Evans
20. "The Nearness of You" - Norah Jones
21. "Harlequin" - Weather Report
22. "Strange Fruit" - Billie Holiday
23. "Venus De Milo" - Miles Davis
24. "The Night We Called It A Day" - Diana Krall
25. "Worrisome Heart" - Melody Gardot

Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?

Lots of talk lately about what the hell this bailout will mean for Wall Street and for Main Street. (Tonight, SNL's Weekly Update added, "As always, Martin Luther King Blvd., you're on your own.")

Most believe that we're in for a long, hard road ahead. Sad and despaired visions of "Hooverville" from the Great Depression are brought to mind. I'm afraid of what lies ahead. I've got folks who depend on me and I haven't been bringing home much even when the economy has been good.

Let's hope it doesn't come to me asking, "Brother, can you spare a dime?"

This Bicycle Lane Not Safe For Bicycles

America Works

We'll just call this my profound insight tonight.

That first hard blink after a good and unexpected cry is always so damn cold.

In other news, I watched Dexter, Season Two, Disc One tonight. Episode One was fantastic and the the following two are following a nice and very intriguing path. I'm conflicted though because Disc Three should be ready for me to pick up at the library very soon but I forgot to request Disc Two. I put in the request for it tonight but that puts me at 23 of 23 holds. I'm not sure I want to wait that long, however, I'm very sure I don't want to watch this unfold out of sequence. Maybe I'll just have to suck it up and get a video store card for the first time in probably a decade or more so I can watch this properly.

I was considering writing about classic concerns like money woes, who I am to my family, what am I doing for them, am I supposed to always be so worried and sad and... Well, you know, just more existential stuff like that. McCain, however, seems to have put the word existential into the Internet zeitgeist (currently #5 on the Google Trends page) after tonight's debate, so I'll just let him have the floor on that one for a bit.

Writing for the sake of writing, or typing for the sake of typing, I'm looking forward to viewing Classe Tous Risques . It's also soon to be available for me at the library. As with most of the things I request from the library, I don't remember why I requested it in the first place. It was probably mentioned in a magazine or a newspaper article sometime a month or two ago and I was moved or intrigued enough to look for it at the library. I expect I'll like it.

And now, with The Beatles' "Love" album playing and soothing my troubled little brain, I'll sign off for the night. Or soon, anyway.

Thanks.

Hard Times or Dumb Head?, or, This Ain't Mulberry Street

As I've gone on about before, I've had to walk to or from work a few times recently. At six miles, it's less the distance than the route that is the challenge. When I lived near Hillsboro Village, everywhere I wanted to go was either pedestrian friendly (sidewalks) or accessible by bus. The bus stop was conveniently at the end of my street on 21st Avenue.

Now I live in Hermitage and work in Donelson. Pedestrians are noticeably not welcome in these parts. The walk down Elm Hill Pike has no sidewalks and hardly even a shoulder for safe walking alongside its busy road. Still, I do what I must and walk carefully, mindful of traffic and rude drivers. I have a bicycle, but I'm not brave enough to ride it down Elm Hill. Woe is me, right? Not compared to some.

Yesterday I was driving the hotel shuttle down Elm Hill Pike and I saw a sight which concerned me greatly. It was that of a young mother pushing her baby in a stroller down Elm Hill. In the picture below, you'll see where I saw them, walking eastbound against westbound traffic. At least the mother might be able to observe a dangerous situation that way, but I question her ability to maneuver the stroller's four wheels over the curb and into the grass at a moment's notice. Can you even call that a shoulder? When on foot, I keep my feet in the grass.

Anyway, I drove back by ten minutes later and didn't see them again. Was it just one of those unfortunate situations where she felt she had no choice? I wish she and her daughter well. And I want some more sidewalks in my town.

Taking Out the Trash

Feel Good Friday - Girl on LSD

One of these things is not like the other.

I'm looking forward to my next visit to the Hermitage library branch. On hold for me are Dexter: The Second Season, Disc One and a DVD entitled Slapstick Masters featuring films by Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.

Dexter is for me and the other one is for the kids (and me). Here's hoping I don't put in the wrong one for Family Movie Night. No one five and under needs to be traumatized just yet.

Clean and devoid of clutter.

Hell Blues Choir are responsible for my big fat smile.

 

Big thanks to The Eyeball Kid for making me aware of this album of Tom Waits covers by Hell Blues Choir.

Newscoma and others should listen to the samples at eMusic.com  and smile big as well.

Watching a princess smile.

She sure is happy.

There's not much I love more than watching her smile.

I should have known. She's watching princesses.