It's getting hot!

I've lived in the South for most of my life.  I've grown accustomed to the muggy, hot weather that comes in summer.  I'm used to being uncomfortably hot for 3-4 months of the year, but I still dislike the Memphis heat.

When I tell people about Memphis summers their reactions are usually "I wouldn't think that area would be so bad." or "Well it's not hotter than the desert!" or "Well ____ is hotter than Memphis."  It's hilarious when those people visit Memphis in the summer.  They look at me with wide eyes, slightly red from the constant drip of sweat into them and say "You were right.  It is super hot here."  That's happened several times for me.  People not believing how hot it gets here and then experiencing it themselves.

I'm not saying that there aren't other places that are hotter, but Memphis' heat is different.  When you sweat it doesn't really help.  You're always going to be slightly damp here, but due to the high humidity you're not going to feel any cooler.

Among Memphians Memphis has the reputation of being a horribly miserable place in the summer.  Some people love it.  They get energized by the heat.  I personally don't like it, but it's home so I deal with it.

Since it's getting hot please be sure to drink plenty of water, wear a hat, and if you're like me and burn at the drop of a hat, wear sunscreen.

Have a great summer everybody!

Greek Fest

Memphis has many traditions, festivals and occurrences throughout the year.  BBQ Fest, Cooper-Young Festival, Memphis in May and many others.  Every spring the Greek Orthodox Church on N. Highland celebrates their culture through Greek Fest.

Greek Fest exhibits dances, food and other forms of merriment from Greece.  It's a pretty cool event and there's tons of great food.  You can even get beer.

Admission is about $3 and food costs will vary, but if you have time you should check it out.

The Best Burger in Memphis

I'm a fan of "How I Met Your Mother".  I especially like the character of Marshall Ericson.  I see a bit of myself in him, as does my wife.  An episode I particularly like is the one where he is trying to find the best burger in New York.  That gave me an idea:  What's the best burger in Memphis?  I have decided that I will begin sampling different burgers in the Memphis area in an attempt to find "the best".

If you have any suggestions feel free to let me know.  I already have on my list:  Dyers, Huey's, The Shelby Forest General Store, Alex's, Ernestine and Hazel's, and Tops BBQ.  Please keep the list to local Memphis establishments (local chains are okay just not National ones).  I really want to find Memphis' best burger.  I look forward to hearing your recommendations.  Feel free to include places in Germantown, South Haven, Olive Branch, Collierville and so on.

The Farmer's Market

I did something yesterday that I had been intending to do for years.  I went to the Memphis Farmer's Market.  I don't know what I was expecting outside of cheap and delicious vegetables, but I was satisfied upon leaving.

The market had roughly 20 booths set up, all selling different home grown or home made items.  There were bakers and farmers, ceramicists and even a guy selling beef products.  It was pretty nice.  I really enjoyed the assortment of vendors and the selection of their wares.  I didn't, however, like the prices.  I felt some of the stuff was a bit over priced such as the pies for 18 bucks.  Now, that same seller had mini-pies for $3 and that was pretty nice.  The vegetables were moderate, but the eggs were more expensive than Kroger!

The people I met there were all extremely friendly and talkative (even though we were all freezing).  I think it was the people that I enjoyed the most of my time at the market.

I do intend to start frequenting the Farmer's Market and maybe someday I'll even join in.  It is a great place to get local produce and to help further the local economy.

The market is at Front Street and G.E. Patterson in downtown Memphis.  It runs from April to October from 7 am to 1 pm.  For more info see:  http://www.memphisfarmersmarket.org/home

Textbook Brokers

For those of you who attend university here in Memphis, I highly recommend Textbook Brokers at the corner of Walker and Brister. Not only do they have better prices than the University Bookstore and the Tiger Bookstore, they are willing to work with you to get your business.

I went in there yesterday pricing books for my upcoming classes. I already bought one for about $106. At Textbook Brokers they had the same book for $96. I told the guy that I wasn't going to buy it since there was only a $10 difference. He excused himself and spoke with his manager. When he came back he offered me the book at $86. Done deal.

That impressed me and made me a customer. I highly recommend them. Ask for Rich.

Memphis Running

On my way home this morning I encountered several road obstructions. Apparently there is some running event going on around Overton Park. It was particularly annoying in that they had a couple lanes of west bound Poplar blocked off.

If you are heading into Midtown today, exercise caution. I'm not sure how affected traffic will be due to this.

Memphis Schools

As many of you probably know by now, the Memphis school board has decided to postpone the first day of school indefinitely. This is a major failing of the city government. How can they be expected to run a city if they cannot take care of something so important as the education of our children?

Before you start glaring angrily at the BoE, first understand some things. This problem isn't new. The City of Memphis has regularly short changed the BoE. Some 9 million dollars are still owed from last year. This time the BoE decided to use a drastic tactic: keeping the schools closed. This is going to cause significant problems to not only those who make a living in education, but to the children and to the families of the children. Parents cannot afford to take time off of work nor are they able to leave their children alone for most of the day.

The council has dropped the ball. They gave a "tax break" to land owners and gave a pay increase to city employees. Now these aren't bad things when a governing body can afford it, but these breaks and raises came from money that was supposed to be allocated for the schools. Wake up people! Of course the BoE is going to play hard ball after getting fucked for so many years.

Politicians need to be woken up. They need to realize what's important and to do what's right for the people, not their own (or their friends') wallets. We the people need to wake up and stop letting those we elect to abuse their powers or to make stupid decisions.