Well, I’ve been meaning to do it, but I’m glad someone else got around to it instead. There is now a Memphis Flickr group. Please join if you’re a picture taker. Come see what’s in there already. It’s mostly my pictures, but with any luck, there will be many more. If you want to see more Memphis pictures on Flickr, you can also just look here.
Click on the picture to see the full size version.
Received this silly letter the other day and cracked up! First of all, I am referred to as "Mister." That’s the least of the ridiculousness.
I am here as an intern, a card carrying American Psychological Association-approved intern. I am on a prestigious consortium internship, but it’s the Memphis City Schools that pay me because I am there more than I am anywhere else. This is the case for the two of us working in the schools. The other four interns are paid by UT. The sites that offer major rotations all chip in to pay our stipends.
From the beginning, MCS has tried to stick this square peg into their round hole. They made me fill out an application with all this stuff about what subjects I want to teach and my teaching certifications. I am not a teacher! Not here anyway! When I teach, I teach college, not K-12. Most of my application said "Not Applicable." Since I’ve been here, I have to fill out their time sheets, their activity trackers… even though I’m only in the schools for part of the week. This letter is the culmination of all of their silliness.
Beaurocracy, man. It’s unbelievable. No wonder the schools can’t get it together. Micromanaging from the top, and soooo many budget cuts. And then we have more school-aged kids than just about anywhere. It’s a mess, and this letter… this silly ridiculous letter… is just a perfect example of the way of things.
I’ve deidentified this thing so that noone is singled out, but I think it still illustrates just what I’m talking about.
I posted this picture of the Central BBQ Shop sign in Flickr. I don’t eat here, but please read the comments below the picture. As you see, I was invited to the Happy Ham group, which is described here:
Everybody has seen them: Those oddly disturbing signs on restaurants or butcher shops or elsewhere, showing whistling octopi or dancing pigs or other animals who are just so thrilled that they are about to get eaten. This is the place to collect them.
So of course, I had to post this picture, which reminded me of another picture I had, a BEAUTIFUL picture of my takeout barbecue spaghetti! And did you catch that the entire recipe is posted there?! Yes, I was once an orderer of the pulled pork barbecue sandwich, but since I tried the barbecue spaghetti, it’s been really hard for me NOT to order the thing! YUM! Did you catch that the recipe is right there in the comments?! If you missed it, here it is again (taken from the Bar-B-Q Shop’s Dancing Pigs sauce’s web site:
This recipe was featured on www.foodnetwork.com for the Bobby Flay Show on Bar-B-Q Specialties, which aired Summer 2004.
Cook Pasta for 15 minutes & drain. Rinse in cold water & drain.
Meanwhile in a Large Skillet, add:1 cup of chopped onions
¾ cup of chopped green peppers
1 pint of Dancing Pigs Original Bar-B-Q Sauce
1 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of Liquid Smoke
½ cup of cooking oil
A dash of saltStir Occasionally. Cook for 30 minutes slowly. Pour Bar-B-Q Base Sauce over Pasta & stir.
Dice up Pork Shoulder with each serving to put on top.
Serve Hot.Serves 6 to 8.
Hey, if you’re some random person who comes across this recipe online, I really recommend you actually purchase their sauce. It’s to die for! And yes, the best barbecue really does come from Memphis, so you should listen to what I’m saying!
Oh, and did I mention that the next Blogger Bash is at the end of this month, and it’s going to be at the Bar-B-Q Shop? I’m so there. As you know, I’m a bit of a fan of the place!
If you know me in Memphis, you know I never go out. Being on internship means lots of work + job hunt + dissertation + no money at all. Plus, I’m only here for the year. I’m a terrible friend because I’m never available to have any fun… not often anyway. So I don’t make much effort in making friends because I know I can’t follow through. If you know me from somewhere else, you’ll know how strange this all sounds, but sadly, it’s true. But then there are weekends like the one that just passed, when I honestly, didn’t have much to do workwise, Aaron was out of town, and I just didn’t have a lot of plans.
That said, I managed to have a lovely Sunday, despite the rain. I had noticed on Friday that Dianne Price and Her Boyfriends were playing at Huey’s. One of my mother’s college friends in town had raved about her/them, so I called her up, and we went. It was a perfect rainy day thing to do. Dianne Price is one of those people who plays piano like it’s an extension of herself. It’s effortless. Her voice is husky and soulful and wonderful, and she has amazing energy. “Her boyfriends” weren’t too shabby either. What a treat. Please take a lo-fi or hi-fi listen.
DiAnne Price and Her Boyfriends at Huey’s on Easter
The extra pictures of the drive down Madison were for the whiners over at Dark Bilious Vapors. You guys want the other 50 or so not very good pictures I took while mindlessly clicking the button on my camera?!
The picture of Andertons on Flickr actually wasn’t mine. I ended up with a corner of the roof. Why? The shutter was just kind of going at its own pace and honestly, I wasn’t really paying all that much attention! It’s about quantity, not quality!
