Sunday By The River

Yesterday afternoon I had a community band concert in Harbor Town on Mud Island - we dedicated a new park specifically for live music! Since I don't go there very often, I couldn't resist paying a visit to the river after the concert.

It was a beautiful afternoon, and the people-watching was great. I saw potential stories everywhere. If I feel stuck on a fiction project in the future, I'll come down to this park for an hour or so!

I LOVE the houses in Harbor Town. These row houses always remind me of San Francisco - maybe that was the intention.

I fell in love with this house across the street from the park where we played. The top floor has windows all the way around. I wonder if it's an apartment, but it's a good thing I have no way of finding out, because I'd be tempted to move in immediately. Who needs space when you have all that light, and a balcony, up on top of the world? And not a bad view either.

Dinner Club at the Madison Rooftop

About a year ago, some girlfriends and I were discussing the plethora of cool Memphis restaurants that we hadn't been to. We thought they would be great choices for dates, but unfortunately, none of us were dating anyone. Then we looked at each other and realized, what was stopping us from going together? And so the Dinner Club was born. We go out about once a month to a hot restaurant that most of us haven't been to before.

We hung out at a downtown rooftop once (at the River Inn) and liked it a lot. So when I saw an I Love Memphis post about the renovated Madison Hotel rooftop, I forwarded it to the girls. On Saturday, we went downtown and ate a fantastic dinner at the original Local on Main. Then we walked the few blocks over to the Madison in perfect weather. Our goal was to watch the sunset from the rooftop, but apparently a lot of other people had the same idea, because they were at capacity. We had to wait in the lobby until some people came down. Thankfully, we made it just in time for the sunset!

Anyone who thinks Memphis isn't beautiful needs to take a look at this view in person. I felt blessed and free up on the roof looking at the lights and stars (and incoming FedEx planes that looked like stars), with my good friends and a delicious mojito.

The fireworks at the nearby Redbirds game were our cue to leave, and we made it out of the parking garage before hundreds of people descended. We all agreed that it was a perfect evening. I think we can make an exception and go back to the rooftop. We didn't have dinner there, so it doesn't count. :)

While it was great with friends, I would also love to be taken there by a guy I liked. You can't look at that gorgeous view and not feel romantic. At least I can't.

Grizzlies Western Conference Finals

I had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, but the highlight was going to Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals with my parents and brother! I'd never been to an NBA playoff game before, and in fact had only been to ONE Grizzlies game of any kind. (Mostly due to ticket costs and lack of game companions, although the Tigers are my priority, and even I can only go to so many basketball games.)

Fans on Beale before the game

 

The Grizzlies have never advanced this far in the entire history of the team. The past couple of months have been amazing here in Memphis. Basketball unites this city like nothing else! Throughout the playoffs, I've seen more and more Grizzlies growl towels in apartment windows, in car windows, on yard signs, and even on babies. (See also: 5 Places You'd Least Expect to See a Grizzlies Growl Towel.) On a Midtown bike ride last weekend, I even saw a giant Grizz head made from Christmas lights.
 

 

We made a point of getting into the stadium early, partly because we were afraid someone would take our towels!

 

 

 

The national anthem was sung by Kris Thomas, a Memphian who made it to the top 10 on The Voice and was just eliminated last week. (Sarah Simmons, another Memphian, is still in the running.) I don't watch the show, but he's very talented! Aside: all this time I've been waiting for Justin Timberlake to show up at a game (he's part owner of the team), but it never happened.

 

  

 

 

 

 

Sadly, the game didn't go so well. The first quarter was awesome, but things went downhill from there. We lost 104-93 in overtime. While the towels are intended for holding up and whirling around, they're also great for hiding your face and/or drying tears. ;) I was really looking forward to celebrating in the streets, but despite the loss, the game was a fantastic experience!




 

Last night, the Grizz lost the second home game of the series, ending the season and advancing the Spurs to the NBA championships. But watching it at home, I was very glad to see the fans still standing and cheering at the end of the game. I'm so proud of this team and this city. Next season will be here before we know it!!

Signs of Spring

Early Signs of Spring in Memphis

- Daffodils and hyacinths adventurously emerge from the soil.

- The sounds of leaf blowers, mowers, and bulldozers echo through the air.

- A thin coating of pollen appears on your car.

- The Music Fest lineup is released and you debate its merits with friends and colleagues.

- You start thinking about crawfish, BBQ Fest, and Italian Fest.

- Everyone complains about springing forward, but all you care about is that extra hour of light in the evening.

- You walk up Beale to the Forum for the last Tiger home game of the season... and you don't need a coat!

I had a really great time at the game on Saturday. The crowd was over 18,000, and the "positive energy" (Coach Pastner's favorite thing) abounded. Kathy and Daniel brought all three of their boys, and we fully enjoyed our last visit to section 224 until next year. WHERE did this season go??

All four seniors (plus Joe Jackson) on the court together for the last time.

I was going to write a season-ending ode to the Tigers today, but decided to save it for whenever we're out of the tournament. As March Madness is about to begin, I'm issuing my annual blanket apology for excessive Tiger flailing and bracketology talk on all social media over the coming weeks. Get ready!!

Memphis Blogger Meetup (and Tigers)

On Saturday I went to my first Memphis blogger meetup! It was organized by Alyssa of Ten Feet Off Beale, who was the only participant I knew prior to the event. We'd never met in person, but she's just as nice and fun as she seems online! I'm happy to have met her.

The other local bloggers in attendance were:

Cameron

Jade

Kim

Paige

Sarah

Alyssa's boyfriend Jeremy also stopped by to mingle and even took this picture for us. What a great sport! :)

We all met up at a new downtown speakeasy, The Blind Bear, immediately following the Memphis-Louisville game (more on that later). They gave us the VIP room. Swanky! The meetup was sponsored by Passionfruit Ads, so we enjoyed some Muddy's cupcakes and goody bags, as well as door prizes - I won an adorable penguin mug! Most of the other bloggers contributed fantastic handmade goodies. I contributed my freelance business card. Sorry ladies! I'm new at this.

Everyone was really friendly, and I'm glad to know more bloggers in the area. There's already talk of having another meetup in the spring, so I'll share details when available in case more people are interested!

*****

I have to make mention of the Memphis-Louisville game on Saturday - the biggest home game of this season. Louisville is our third-biggest basketball rival (behind UT and Kentucky), and the rivalry goes back to the 1940s. As Louisville was #6 in the country at game time, we were not favored, but no one thought it would be a blowout either. Attendance at the Forum was over 18,000 (most games of significance draw around 15,000). I was so excited to see all the fans in blue flowing toward the stadium. There were some alumni in attendance too - Penny Hardaway and Robert Dozier. The atmosphere was amazing! I told Kathy that this must be how it feels at an SEC school every week. :\

Blue-out successful!

The Tigers led for most of the first half and into the second, but then the Big East refs started calling foul on every single move they made, and if you're not allowed to defend the ball, you are not going to win. We could have beaten Louisville, but we couldn't beat them and their refs. Memphis lost 87-78. I had been looking forward to celebrations in the streets, but instead the sea of blue ebbed away sadly and quietly. The only bright spot in the situation was my favorite Tiger, D.J. Stephens, who had the game of his life. He literally threw himself into every play - I lost count of how many big spills he took. I've never seen anyone play with such abandon.

So, to sum up my weekend: Blogger meetup: good. Tiger loss: sad.

Grizzlies Game

Last weekend I went to my first ever Memphis Grizzlies game! I've wanted to attend a game for years, but it just hasn't happened. When I found out my friend Myla would be singing the national anthem on Friday night, I really wanted to be there! But no one I asked could go with me. I do plenty of things by myself, but I just couldn't go to my first Grizzlies game alone, especially after it had been built up in my head for so long. Plus, I was kind of tired anyway. So I sadly decided it wasn't meant to be. Then, late in the afternoon, Carol (another friend of Myla's) texted to say that she had two free tickets from work and did I want to go? YES!!!

To my delight, our seats were in Row J. (For comparison, my Tigers ticket is a few rows down from the ceiling of the Forum.) I couldn't stop smiling! I was like 20 feet from Marc Gasol the whole time. It was fantastic.



Myla sang the anthem with class and style (no Christina Aguilera flourishes). I was so proud!

At the terrace level, you can order food from a little form and they bring it right to you! Since we didn't pay for the tickets OR parking, we indulged in barbecue nachos, pretzel bites, and full-size drinks. I mean, it was a special occasion. :)

Again, this was my first NBA game, so I took note of the differences between NBA and college. NBA players have more style and grace. Their strategy and pacing is different (I was puzzled at first by the lack of offensive rebounds). The game atmosphere is much more fun and entertaining - two guys from Cirque de Soleil performed at halftime! As much as I love Tigers games, at halftime and timeouts, a pom routine is the most excitement you're going to get. Unless you love watching fans do free throws for a giftcard to Ashley Furniture (which won't even buy you a lamp there). Basically, at college games you're there for pure love of the team, while a Grizzlies game could be fun even if you don't like basketball.

Carol and I have a lot in common at this point in our lives, and it did me good to hang out with her. When most of the women you know are alike in ways that you're not, you can easily feel like you're Doing Life Wrong. So it helps to be reminded that there are a lot of different ways to be a Godly woman of purpose and influence. It's less about where you are in life and more about where your heart is.

Anyway, it was a wonderful night! It sounds ridiculous, but I really felt like God loved me. :) I gave up on going to the game at all, but then I got so much more than I had asked for. Maybe He's trying to tell me something there. I hope!

Cycle Memphis

Last Saturday night, I went on my first bike ride with Cycle Memphis! They organize a group ride on the first Saturday evening of every month. They always start at the Cooper-Young gazebo, but the route is different every time and usually includes a stop for ice cream. :) They even have music - one of the organizers pulls a big speaker behind him. I first heard of the group a few months ago, but they require lights on your bike, and I didn't get lights until last week. Now I'm sorry I waited so long. We did a 10-mile route that took us downtown and back. The pace was pretty leisurely, and no one acted like Lance Armstrong or anything. It was a whole new way to see the city, and being downtown on a bike was really cool. Plus, the weather couldn't have been more perfect.

There's something about riding a bike through a summer night with a bunch of other people that made me feel like a kid again. Like I was out in the neighborhood with the other kids and pretty soon my mom would call me home. It was a great feeling. I only knew one person there, but everyone seemed friendly and I'm sure I'll start meeting people if I keep going back. Which I will, because I'm already hooked!

I'm (Still) Glad I Went To The U of M

As everyone knows, the Tigers lost to St. Louis on Friday night in their first NCAA tournament game. It would have been more bearable if they had played "the Memphis way" and lost to a better team, but it was obvious right away that they were nervous and off their game. It broke my heart to see such a promising season end so badly. After the game I felt bereft and seriously didn't know what to do with myself. I mean, my next couple of weeks were planned around basketball - now what am I supposed to do? But by Saturday morning, I had mostly shaken off my emotional hangover. A friend told me she was proud of me for getting out of bed and making plans for the day. LOL.

I feel great affection and pride for the players as individuals, even though I've never met any of them, and it hurt me to see them go out like that. Happily, most of them will be back next year (including, I hope, Carmouche! He's my favorite, but sat out most of the season and is now trying to get a redshirt). Also, for those who don't know, most of the starters are native Memphians. My favorite part of the starting lineup at every home game is hearing "From Memphis, Tennessee" again and again. How many major college teams have that much hometown talent? It's something special.

Do you think I have enough game day shirts?

I hope the Tigers close their ears to the haters and know that their fans are still behind them. I've read a couple of articles that made me want to cry, and the calls to fire Pastner are so excessive and reactionary. Are Duke and Missouri turning on their coaches with torches and pitchforks? I stand behind Pastner. I think he's an outstanding human being who knows basketball and knows what he's doing. Bad days happen. Sometimes they happen in the national spotlight at the worst possible time. But you move on and continue to build. As for me, I stand ready to buy season tickets for what I'm sure will be an amazing 2012-13 season. TIGER FOR LIFE. GO TIGERS GO!!!

Memphis Zoo

My company had a night at the zoo last Friday for employees and families! My mom came with me, and we had a great time. It's always amazing to be reminded how far our zoo has come from what it was like when I was growing up. The lions and tigers were confined to a small, sad brick building, and the rest of the zoo wasn't much better. Since then, almost every area has been expanded and naturalized (for lack of a better word). The poor hippos are the only animals still waiting their turn, but a new area is in development and hopefully it won't take too long.

In the China section of the zoo, some monkeys are now grouped together with a bunch of otters. It was the best show in town - we stood there watching for about half an hour! The otters are so adorable. They go everywhere in a pack.

This was my first visit to Teton Trek, a new area for grizzly bears, wolves, and elk. It's huge. I would even venture to call it breathtaking.

Zoo admission is free on Tuesday afternoons. Maybe I'll sneak out of work early one day and see the animals I missed this time, like the giraffes and rhinos.

More About Florida

Most people probably know that I'm from South Florida. My parents were both raised there, and my grandparents, two of my uncles, and many longtime family friends still live there. I know it's weird - or pathetic - that I still claim to be from Miami even though I've lived in Memphis for roughly 2/3 of my life now. But my roots run deep, and I've only recently reached a point of considering myself a dual citizen, with allegiance to both places. On my trip last week, although it was balm to my soul to be in Florida, I was also aware of my Memphisness. It was strangely satisfying. :) Maybe it's because, at this point in my life, I'm actually choosing to be in Memphis. As a single lady, if I had a job opportunity, I could move back to Florida at any time. But I've decided that, at least for the time being, my relationships and roots here are more important than being near the ocean again. Besides, there are some great things about Memphis - you just have to want to see them.

Anyway, aside from lobstering, all I did on my trip was eat amazing food and commune with the ocean and with relatives and friends. We spent several days in the Keys and it was exactly what I needed. I ate seafood lasagna at the Key Colony Inn, and one of the best meals of my life at Snappers - hogfish (my favorite) sauteed in a wine and lemon butter sauce, with creamed spinach and sweet potato fries. I also had two kinds of key lime pie (surprisingly, the Publix bakery version was better by a nose). We also went to Gilbert's, one of my grandfather's favorite haunts, and I had a mango margarita that was even better than Chili's!

We went out to the coral reef for snorkeling one day, and my mom and I were crushed to see THOUSANDS of jellyfish in the water.

They were moon jellyfish, which aren't severe but will still sting you. Of course, my dad got in the water anyway. :) After a long internal struggle, I worked up the courage to get in the water because snorkeling is pretty much my favorite thing in the world. Unfortunately, my self-preservation instincts were too strong. The jellyfish were easy to see and dodge, but I had to keep looking up and checking for them. It was basically "Oh a beautiful parrotfish - OMG JELLYFISH! Oh a sea fan - JELLYFISH TO THE LEFT!! OMG JELLYFISH TO THE RIGHT!!!" It was like trying to snorkel inside a video game. I was afraid of hitting a jellyfish head-on and getting stung in the face. I kept shrieking and scaring my poor dad. After about ten minutes I was practically having a panic attack, so I admitted defeat and got back in the boat. I was very disappointed in myself. :( My only jellyfish sting was in Savannah a couple of years ago, and my dad says that that was a box or lionhead jellyfish and much more lethal than the moon jellies. But apparently my subconscious can't make a distinction.

Back in Miami, my mom and I decided to go to South Beach. I've never spent much time down there, but I loved it. I think it would be really fun to go with friends for a few days, and stay at one of those huge hotels, and not worry about anything but going to the beach and sitting by the pool and eating good food and enjoying the atmosphere. And shopping! They have some amazing shopping.

In conclusion, I wish I had a magical door between Memphis and Miami so I could go back and forth as needed.