No name...

Look at that sweet wrinkly head (!!). He's a 4 month old Shar Pei mix (we're guessing mixed with a hound by the look of his ears and tail) that Darling and I adopted from the Bartlett Animal Shelter. He's been so, so well behaved since he came home yesterday and it's already apparent he's a mama's boy (which I couldn't be happier about). I feel as thought I've got a newborn on my hands after last nights sleeping schedule was broken into 2 hour increments for bathroom breaks... I'm glad to report that he's learning extremely quickly and responding to praise well. More updates and photos to come!

Missing

Homesick is not a word I would use to describe the way I feel; but I have been missing the mountains and the sunsets terribly. I haven't seen a sunset once since I've been here. I can hardly see more than 1/8 mile in any direction. It's too flat. There are too many huge trees (which I love, but still...). Seeing this photo of the sun setting over the Oquirrh Mountains in the Salt Lake Valley made me sigh.

Still Looking...

There is so much to consider when bringing a fur child into your home. I didn't grow up with dogs in the house so I especially want to avoid my initial response of taking home the first thing I see and make a well researched decision with a plan in mind. This duration of unemployment seems to be the perfect time for adoption. I'll be at home with the new one for lots of one-on-one time and training from the beginning. There are so many options: humane society/shelters, fostered dogs, breeders, classifieds "back yard breeders." I give my whole heart to the idea of adoption from a shelter (I adopted Fosse from a shelter) as there are 100 dogs euthanized every. single. day. in Memphis. That is 700 dogs every. week. (!) and it utterly breaks my heart. The other side of getting a shelter dog is the amount of difficulty in retraining a pup. Shelter dogs have been abused, abandoned, uncared for, etc. and an older dog needs time and energy to build trust to help them build a less jaded view of their new world in the home. I know this is not impossible, however, as a first time dog owner, how much can I expect from myself that I will be able to handle it? I think a puppy will, in the end, be the easiest for me to raise. Puppies are a handful, but I will be able to train her how to behave, instead of re-training ... It's a lot. But i look every day hoping for something soon....

Fried Green Tomatoes

So, what would your reaction be if I told you I had this friend, and this friend of mine watched the movieFried Green Tomatoes twice in one day??

My aunt gave me a little boy Barbie for Christmas one year when I was a kid. He was the ring bearer from a wedding Barbie collection. In an unremembered accident, said boy doll lost his arm. In every Barbie story line I had going at the time, he had lost his arm in a train accident...

hmm...

There's are some great soul food cafe's nearby. And many wonderful fried green tomatoes to be had.

Eva's

If you are in the Salt Lake City area you absolutely must go to Eva's. It's still a fairly new little joint located on Main between 300 and 400 South. Cozy, adorable, intimate, with incredible food (all small plates) and specialty cocktails (if that's your thing). No asking questions, you have to sit on the patio.

The story goes:
Grandma Eva inspired Charlie Perry to be a chef. Chef Charlie recently opened Eva, as it is every chef's dream to have his or her own restaurant.

I went to Eva's 3 days in a row before I left Utah. Seriously. The "french pie" is a must: european style pizza with brie, pears, toasted walnuts, olive oil and arugula salad.....

You can check out there menus here

*Note: During their "happy hours" and after 10, all small plates are $5.00! After you taste it you're mind will be blown, not only is it the only thing open past ten, but the food is great and it's ridiculously affordable.

go. now. bon appetite.

Lorraine Motel

This weekend Darling and I went downtown for the Saturday Farmer's Market, stopped for lunch, and found ourselves at the Lorraine Motel, now the National Civil Rights Museum. The Lorraine Motel is the site where Martin Luther King Jr. was shot in 1968. MLK came to Memphis to help 1300 sanitation workers (garbage men) protest for their rights and recognition under the famous "I AM A MAN" slogan.

It was both chilling and moving. It was absolutely surreal afterward, to drive a few blocks down the street and see Sun Records, the recording studio of Johnny Cash and Elvis. Everything happening simultaneously. What an extremely thick and complex history this city has...

A wreath marks the last spot he stood on the balcony.





MLK Jr was told not to come to Memphis. He was working on the poor people's march in Washington and Memphis was said to be too dangerous. The first march in Memphis ended in a violent riot. Dr. King was distraught at such an outcome, and, wanting to prove that he could hold a peaceful march, came back for a second try. There was a scheduled rally at the church to bring everyone together before the second march. It was incredibly stormy, and Dr. King thought that no one would make it to the church so he stayed behind to work on the poor people's march while some of the other reverends left to deliver the details of the upcoming march to the news cameras. Once they arrived, the reverends saw that the church was packed full of people. They called Dr. King and told him that he had better come down. He arrived at the last minute, without a note of reference in hand, and delivered what is now known as The Mountain Top speech. If you watch the last clip, you can see that he needs assistance to sit down afterward, that he is absolutely spent, that he has nothing left after delivering a sermon such as that.

I know the writing of this post sounds ridiculous. It's too much information and emotion to try and convey in a small blog post, but I was so overcome that I wanted to share something.

The Mountain Top Speech



if you can't make the whole speech, at least catch the end

please note the note about the note

After a late night John Hughes movie fest, due to my lack of ability to sleep properly, I would like to say that Ferris Bueller's Day Off is, indeed, my favorite of the Hughes films. Pretty in Pink, rather, is my favorite of the brat-pack, Molly Ringwald Saga. It in no way beats out FBDO, my crush on Duckie Dale must have clouded my thoughts over while I was typing and reminiscing. I would like to note that I still also love She's Having a Baby and the unmentioned Planes Trains and Automobiles, Christmas Vacation, and Flubber.
Thank you,
The Management

Cross your fingers, say a prayer

photo via simple lovely.

I just had a phone interview. The rest of the interview process is coming. I'll say more (if there's more to say) when I know more...
Have a fantastic weekend!

heart.
sissy.

John Hughes

Everyone has been blogging about the unfortunate passing of John Hughes last week. His movies changed all of our lives. "Angsty teen" wouldn't be a catch phrase without Hughes' work. The Breakfast Club's closing scene made us feel understood, inspired, and taught us what well dressed in the 80s meant for our demographic. Home Alone made us giggle, see the non-gangster side of Joe Pesci, and fall in love with Macaulay Culkin. His movies aren't brilliant, but there was an undeniable method to the madness. John Hughes, essentially, wrote and directed movies that became culturally pervasive standards. All (or most) mainstream "quotable" movies are John Hughes films, I promise you--Look it up.

Here they are, my top 3:
Pretty in Pink. My favorite of Hughes' classics. I believe one of the greatest moments in cinema is Ducky Dale doing Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness." Pretty in Pink starring Molly Ringwald, a Hughes Muse if you will, I've always thought that as a young actress, she looks similar to my sister...




Second, Ferris Bueller's Day Off starring Matthew Broderick


And third, She's Having a Baby starring none other than Kevin Bacon himself.

um what?

I haven't had any form of television since the digital switch over. It's been nothing but fine until I saw that I missed this:


I can only imagine seeing it live, without ridiculous screaming at every turn, inside a theater with great lighting... *sigh*

Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival aka Sam Cooke Weekend

To celebrate the last weekend of summer and to calm Darlings first day nerves, we took off Saturday afternoon for an overnight trip to Clarksdale, MS to attend the Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival. We saw a poster on the door of Goner Records advertising the the free festival and highlighting Bettye Lavette (who you recall sang Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come" at President Obama's inaugural ceremonies) as the Saturday night headliner and were sold.

We have been plotting to go to Clarksdale since we got to Memphis. A tiny town, located in the heart of the Delta, Clarksdale is home to a surprising amount of history and talent: Tennessee Williams, Sam Cooke, John Lee Hooker, Ike Turner, Muddy Waters, Morgan Freeman, and the list goes on. It's located off of the iconic Hwy 61 (think Dylan albums people) and in the center of town is "the crossroads," the Hwy 49 junction, where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil for mastery of the blues.

I know I'm not normally much of a picture person, my camera is not so wonderful, and I'm not much of a photographer, so, please bear with me on this post:

I'm such a sucker for camp. I was loving the old school vendor stands that were littering the grounds.




We were asked to be on the local radio. Yes, I know we look sweaty. It's Mississippi in August, what did you expect?

Like I was sayin'--everyone is sweaty in Mississippi. Sweaty is a state of being. I found one of those popsicle stick church fans shortly after this photo was taken.


Ground Zero Blues Club: the greatest, most authentic blues club you could ever imagine going to. I'm sure *any* weekend of the year you can hear some incredible tunes. It was complete with dilapidated couches and barefooted men on the porch, shouts of "Mary Lou?! Where the hell is she at? Mary Lou!" by someone who meant it, and one of the *best* "sammiches" I have ever had--fried green tomato, mozzarella, bacon, and some sort of wonderful sauce.


Make sure you got your blues hat on.






"The First Lady of Soul"