Comments on: Nashville

By: BIYF

BIYF — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 02:19:10 +0000

Well, if I’d knowd you were gonna be in Nashvegas, I would have set you up with backstage passes to The Grand Ole Opry. Imgaine walking into the mens room and seeing Little Jimmy Dickins, no pants, in his boxers, socks and sock-garters (oh yeah), standing in front of the mirror, strumming the guitar. I speak from unfortunate experience.

By: WindyLou

WindyLou — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 15:55:11 +0000

Ireally hope that while you are in Memphis you hit places like STAX, WDIA, the Lorraine Motel and not just Beale Street.

By: Mrs. Paul

Mrs. Paul — Mon, 18 Jul 2005 13:59:16 +0000

HOW CAN YOU NOT GET THE PARROTHEAD THING?
Jon. This is going to make me lose sleep tonight.
I may have to kidnap you and take you to a show.
Be prepared. Have limes. And coconut-boobie prosthetics.
Trust me. One show is all it takes. We’ll have you in an inflatable gumby costume in NO time!

By: Nobody

Nobody — Sun, 17 Jul 2005 19:54:35 +0000

It’s a big world. You’ll never see it all. You’ll both hear about more of it if you occasionally take turns going out and seeing it and reporting back to one another.

The money you spent on this trip was going to go to _someone_ — a charity, a business, a mutual fund. It’s gone to people who worked and created things to earn it. What’s wrong with that?

But leaving your wife alone to dogsit Bo all by herself? That’s dubious.

By: miel

miel — Sun, 17 Jul 2005 07:26:03 +0000

I wish I could meet this McQueen guy…he sounds guilty and tormented and I can relate to that.

I hope when you are in Memphis you are only eating VEGAN bar-b-que. ‘Cause if you are going to get guilty, ya might as well go all the way.

But have fun anyway.

By: Geof F. Morris

Geof F. Morris — Sat, 16 Jul 2005 19:29:42 +0000

I’ve never been to L.A., but man, your comparison of the two cities rings true to me. I’m two hours south in Huntsville, and it always amuses me how so much of Nashville is for show. I have musician friends [as does anyone who has friends in Nashville], and they all bemoan, it, yet they stick around. It cracks me up.

If I’d've known you were going through Nashville, I would have directed you to stuff a little off of Broadway to go catch shows, places like 3rd and Lindsley that are a rite of passage for most any up-and-coming artist in Nashville. You can see some great work and some absolute dreck there, and … it’s somehow strangely worth it.

Enjoy the mid-South … it’s been real rainy this week.

By: minxlj

minxlj — Sat, 16 Jul 2005 14:02:51 +0000

It’s fantastic that you have a marriage where you can take a roadtrip and know your wife is fine with it (and that you both miss each other like mad) and also that she can go off with the girls and you’re quite capable of looking after Leta and Chuck. I know a lot of people who’ve become resentful in many ways that they perceive their life to have ‘ended’ when they had kids.

As well as getting valuable time to yourself, I agree with impy that you’re giving a valuable gift to Leta too. Life is there to be explored, with friends as well as family.

By: impy

impy — Sat, 16 Jul 2005 13:36:01 +0000

I feel the very same when I travel. Plenty of people will voice an opinion as well,,,”how can you leave your husband and three children to go to Europe for 2 weeks”. Well he does leave as well for trips and somehow I’d like to think that my daughter and sons as well, know that married people travel independently of each other, to grow, learn, live. I want them to have such options as adults. If we’re not setting the example how do they know? Leta will know that when she’s married, she’s free to make a life where she continues to grow, be nurtured by friends, travel and feel excitement. You’re giving Leta a gift as well you know. She won’t expect any less for herself.

By: Jen

Jen — Sat, 16 Jul 2005 07:43:23 +0000

I find the brief discussion you brought up about whether or not the trip is indulgent very compelling, because the older I get, the more socialist I get. I do understand the concerns that a trip like the one you are taking could be construed as self-indulgent– but I am not sure that is necessarily a bad thing. I engage in self-indulgent spending, but I also go overboard contributing to charitable organizations when sometimes I shouldn’t. I think you have to strike a balance. Do I think it would be great if the very very wealthy redistributed their wealth more? Yes, absolutely. But I think that ultimately it can be a quality of life issue: if you indulge without pause, without ever giving anything back, then yes, I think that is worthy of criticism. But people like you and I are not even in the ball park of being able to completely change society by self-denial. And yes, what if all of our friends decided to engage in self-denial, would we be able to change the world? No. It has to come from the few and the powerful (and it is not going to without Marx’s long touted revolution– and I think even that is a stretch despite my own socialist tendencies). It is more self-indulgent to live ostentaciously on a daily basis, perhaps, than to enjoy a trip as you are doing (and from the little I know of your life, I don’t think you are overly ostentacious in your daily life, though Draper is a helluva neighborhood if you live nearby it– my uncle and his tennis court live there).

I think your awareness on the trip is awesome– but I think you should enjoy it.

By: feisty girl

feisty girl — Sat, 16 Jul 2005 07:09:33 +0000

I have to say, I went to the EMP in Seattle before I went to Cleveland, and I think I liked the EMP better. I agree, more flow…and less chaotic.