Sunday Morning Nashville

Sunday morning Nashville

Listening to Ol '55

Got to get in the car and drive

Got to get out of my mind

To pretend

I'm alive

So tired of getting yelled at in the mornings

Saying sorry after don't mean a thing

You think it's nothing to forget what I remember

But I got plenty of reasons to leave

Nashville has the morning

And lots of people like me

Not all sad songs are country

And I got plenty of reasons to leave

A Trip to the Country - a Show in the City

There are many sides of Nashville - many more than I ever imagined. Yesterday was a great example of that.

First, we headed out to east Nashville to drop off one of the BF's amps to get fixed....lugging it up a flight of creaky stairs to a tiny apartment in the attic of someone's house. The repairman, who of course will remain unnamed, seemed a solitary genius packed in a couple of tiny rooms and surrounded by electronics and/or possible bomb making equipment - I couldn't tell for sure.

Next stop - my favorite store so far: Happy Japan!
We picked up some Christmas gifts and candy. I love the fun Bento Box supplies and the sushi erasers.

After some shopping, we went to Lebanon - my first trip there.

We had to make a quick run to the liquor store to pick up some bourbon for the people we were visiting there and happened upon Bettie's Books and Things while we were stopped.  At first I thought it was a used book store just for romance novels. UGH. However, in the back, there are all kinds of used books.

Finally, we got to our destination out in the country. It was so nice to see horses again! (I miss my Chico who is staying in Alabama until I find a place for him here.)  It was so cold that our host gave me a blanket to put over my legs as we rode their John Deere Gators around the property. And I got to play with their pit bulls - Boots and Pete!!

Later that night I got to see my first show at The Rutledge.



I had fun with my friends and watched a singer who had exceptional enthusiasm and proprioception.  Like most evenings in Nashville, I ended up totally exhausted.

Notes from Big Red 4

Random notes:

I just picked up two new blogs that I'll be writing and updating monthly for a media company in Louisiana.
That should be fun work!!

So far, I have one tutoring student in Franklin.

And I've been Christmas shopping and baking cookies while getting organized.
I have yet to get my TN Driver's License (oops) or my library card (a must).

My reading list this week:

Dune
Feminist Social and Political Theory
The Republic

A Great Weekend in Nashville

I had my first job interview with the Metropolitan Action Commission on Friday. Before the interview I was able to spend some time at the Nashville Farmer's Market.  I was able to find some ingredients for my medieval recipe that I was cooking later that night and some pie and tarts that were handmade and yummy. (I even got some awesome incense called Patti LaBelle!)

Yes, after getting the rest of my ingredients from Turnip Truck and Froogal MacDoogal, I cooked an original Medieval meal for the BF. (I've been practicing my Middle English that, I'm sure, is quite irritating to him.)

The menu was:

Fyllettes in Gallyntyne
Wild Mushrooms in Beef Sause
Steamed Apples
Thick Bread

I served the meal with Ale (because the BF doesn't care for Mead.)


That evening an indie movie company was filming a movie outside Big Red. We recognized one of the actors working that night: Bruce McGill. (No, I did not remember his name; I had to look him up as a guy who was in Animal House.)  I think the movie is based on a true story, but will have to look that up.


On Saturday, we ate at Ted's Montana Grill (I had the meatloaf with mashed potatoes - yum) with friends Alan and Emily and then later listened to some Iggy Pop with wine back at their place.

Alan writes a great blog that everyone should check out. It's called The Smokin' Chicken Shack. Please check it out.

Overall, it was such a nice weekend. I can't wait to finally move in!

Welcome to Nashville

Welcome to Nashville

During my last trip to move some more of my stuff to downtown Nashville, I discovered the answer to one of life’s great questions: why are homeless guys often seen wearing only one sock?  It’s a random thing to wonder, yes; but for someone who doesn’t see many displaced people these days, I’ve pondered the one sock conundrum more than a few times. When I lived in New Orleans, I would occasionally see the down-and-out barefoot or wearing only one sock – but seldom two.

By no means am I obsessed with socks, although I am a bit of a “sock snob.” I’ve been wearing only American Apparel tube socks for a few years now, justifying them as essential to my horse riding gear. (They are super-comfy with boots.)  But are other socks just as good? Probably.  Another reason (and I hate to admit this) that I’m a sock snoot is that I’m a sucker for the hipster marketing of American Apparel; so much so that I have spent more than enough money on these items. It’s ridiculous to think of what I’ve spent on fancy socks in this economy when a pair from Wal-mart or Target would probably get the job done just as well.

One small consolation is that I’m not one of those people who wears holiday themed socks, or socks with pictures of Snoopy or Charlie Chaplin. None of those thin black socks displaying Rudolph for me, thank you. No socks that light up – no socks that play songs. And those horrid rainbow things with toes – no way. I always imagined that those spending money on novelty socks also had an impressive collection of fanny packs and ceramic roosters.

      Socks are just small things we take for granted. Of course, for the refugee, having only one pair of socks makes each one all the more precious – which has made me wonder what kind of a quandary could one get into to lose a sock. A fight? Maybe someone stole one from you while you slept under the rail bridge on 8^th Ave. Maybe you just lost one in a bet. I guess there are lots of ways to lose a sock. Plenty of us lose one every now and then in the dryer…although I don’t imagine that would explain a loss for so many homeless seen battling the urban landscapes with one cold foot.

      I also don’t think we understand how uncomfortable wearing one sock all day would be. We don’t appreciate the comfort of having both socks – or of having the softest socks we like – or can afford – when others feel blessed to wear two paper thin socks with holes in the toes.

Times are hard everywhere and Nashville is no exception. The vagrants in Nashville aren’t necessarily wondering around The Campus for Human Development  with any better socks (or sock) than any other homeless person in the country.  In fact, I’ve noticed that around Big Red the down-and-out are seriously down and out. And how many of us are one or two missed paychecks away from being right there with them – our fancy socks and egos wearing thin in the Nashville haze?

      I happened to be right outside Big Red when the solution to the great one sock enigma was finally revealed to me.   I was leaving Nashville for Alabama again and the answer was right there at my back driver’s side tire.  There, between my car and the building was a giant pile of human excrement. Giant. And there, on top of the big pile of shit sat the answer to my question. Yes, a sock. A sock someone had to take off his foot to wipe his ass with. O' the humanity.  So now I know. And I can never unsee what I’ve seen.

      After I got home, I wondered if other people knew the secret. Turns out, there’s a Facebook group called Using a Sock When There’s No Toilet Paper….so, yes.  The actual term for a sock used to wipe one’s ass is “Sock Monkey.” (Urban Dictionary)  Further research revealed that there are several nefarious ways to use a sock, one of which is the “Bunk Sock” – a sock used to masturbate into while working on the Kenny Chesney tour.  One might also clean up spilled sperm with a sock – “Spunk Sock.” Then there’s the “Chunk Sock” – the definition of which is pretty self-explanatory.

     Thanks to this experience, I’ve learned more than the fact that a sock is a useful thing to have when you are desperate for toilet paper or something to ejaculate in. I learned that I take too many things in my life for granted – simple things like toilet paper and socks and having the money to buy either whenever I want. Most of all, I learned a valuable lesson from the man who left his body waste next to my Saturn – that there’s more than one way to wipe your ass; and there’s more than one way to say “Welcome to Nashville.”

Notes from Big Red - 3

Back at Big Red for the weekend. Of course, I plan to get some writing done! I have two pieces I want to finish this weekend  - a 6-8 page research paper on an obscure Brazilian metal Hamlet tribute album (really), and a short essay about the giant pile of human shit I found next to my car the last time I was here.

Today the Boyfriend and I went to the Habitat for Humanity store (there's a giant tile mirror there that I want), the Lao grocery, and an indoor gardening center...all just steps from Big Red on 8th Ave. I love downtown Nashville. Tomorrow we will go to The Turnip Truck - an all natural grocery.

Tutoring Services starting in January

Starting in January 2011, I'll be offering the following tutoring sessions in the Nashville area for students and homeschoolers of all ages. Please contact me at dananwhiddon@gmail.com to be added to my 2011 roster. (A Shakespeare and Great Books module will be added soon.)




English Tutoring for Non-English Speakers - Any level of student is welcome - $25 per hour

Special Tutoring Sessions

Writing a College Essay - $25 per hour - 4 hour minimum

This session takes place in one week with no book required.  (Homework is required.)

Instruction includes grammar, usage, spelling, vocabulary and rhetoric



Writing a College Research Paper - $25 per hour - 5 hour minimum

This session takes place in two weeks with no book required. (Homework is required.)

Instruction includes grammar, usage, spelling, vocabulary and rhetoric along with additional instruction on research, writing, editing, and citing sources.

Library trip included!

Back to BAMA

10/10/10

I'm driving back to Alabama today. The boyfriend has already gone to  work (an 8:00 call for rehearsal set-up). This is my first time relaxing in Big Red all by myself, and the first thing I thought to do - write. Yeah, I'm going to get alot done here.

The Dragon Cat and I are lounging on the sofa watching some stolen cable (he has 6 channels) while I recall this first weekend in Nashville.

My favorite time: visiting with friends of the boyfriend on Friday night.  Emily and Allen are this amazing couple who welcomed me with candles, hugs, and a very excited 6-month-old German Shepherd, Merle.  Merle had a bit of my wine when I wasn't looking, but otherwise, he was a well-behaved boy.

Emily and Allen work together at a place that does video production, which they are planning to buy soon!
We watched some of the home movies Emily had transfered for customers - amazing video of Mardi Gras from the 50s, home parties from the 60s, a boy's entire life; it was so interesting and personal. It's weird to think that you would get emotionally invested in someone else's home movies - but that's exactly what happened.

I invited them to come fishing at Whatley Farms and hang with me and the boyfriend while I'm still in Bama.

Me and the cat are headed there in about an hour.  Hopefully I'll be back here soon.
I love Nashville.

Notes from Big Red - 3

  Today, the boyfriend took me shopping around Nashville.

First, we went to Off Broadway Shoes where, he explained, many Nashville girls have recovered from a bad day with a little cheap shoe therapy. I'm all for that! I got a couple pair of boots and have decided that as soon as I move to Nashville, this will be a regular stop for me - bad day or not.

Next we stopped by Pre to Post Modern where I found the cutest little aqua suitcase! ($7)

The rest of the day was spent at Hillsboro Village walking through various overpriced versions of Urban Outfitters (Posh, etc.) and a cool old book store, Bookman/Bookwoman, where I picked up a 1957 printing of A History of Philosophy. I'm glad we took the time to stop by Provence Breads and Cafe for some light lunch before we left. (I love their tomato basil soup!!)

Our last stop: Katy K's - a nice store that I will check out again.  I think by the time we got to Katy K's, I was a little tired and the boyfriend was pretty shopped out.

My first day shopping in Nashville went pretty well. Traffic wasn't too nasty for a Saturday and we didn't have any trouble parking - definite plusses!

The Tree That Grows from Big Red

This is a tree growing from the second story of Big Red. I took this from the ground floor while looking straight up at its roots.

From a Dream 10/9/10

“They’re coming,” the man said.

“Who?” Someone asked in the darkness.

“Nobody.”

Everything went even blacker; and even though the man was still standing there in his suit, in the darkness, the room seemed empty. Who was nobody? And why was the man so serious?  And who dared to ask such a silly question?

The warning came without explanation. And it was not until days later it was understood that “Nobody” meant the people who aren’t people. How obvious. And hadn’t we known that all along – that they were coming?

But the days before would be remembered as “pre-end” – much like other sweet memories of 2005 and 2001 were called “pre-Katrina” and pre-911.”  They were kind days – warm and sunny; and everyone would return to those days in their minds when the “New Time” became an agony. 

Sometimes I would sneak back there, when I wanted to remember love and laughs and conversations and friendships – without the color of survival and strategy – an escape from being prey – if only for a few precious minutes.  Now that we had become animals, I understood how it felt to be always aware of every sound and flash of light. For humans that’s not so easy.  

Notes from Big Red - 2

10/8/10

I’m sitting at the kitchen counter reading passages from The Koran in my Western Lit text and writing notes on how I will present it to my students back in Alabama. None of them have read The Koran. I’m sure that some of my more religious students will be reluctant to read it lest they are corrupted by the Muslim text. 

The boyfriend and I have been listening to the Opening from The Koran on CD – something I will play for my students later next week.  He was given an entire recording of the Koran (in Arabic of course) when he was in Morocco.  I wonder if we’ll ever listen to all 15 hours of it.  Certainly Big Red would be the place to do that.

The more time I spend here, the more I am convinced that this is the place to do my writing.  Words come to me here in a way they haven’t in a long time.  Not since New Orleans have I been able to express myself so easily.  I’m glad I found Nashville. 

Notes from Big Red - 1

10/8/10

This is my first morning waking up as a quasi-resident of Nashville. The plan is to move here – to Big Red - in December. 

Big Red is a downtown building of 16 loft apartments – all with exposed beams, mismatched brick and stone walls, and wood/ concrete floors.  I love this place.  My boyfriend has lived here for years and I am coming to cohabitate with him until we find a place in the country to live out the “big change.”  (But more on that later.)

Since I first came here, Big Red has felt like a good place to be; and now, it feels like home.  The plan is to re-paint and find room for my stuff. I don’t have much furniture to bring up from Alabama. The only real concern is finding a place for my shoes. Sure, I could move them down to the boyfriend’s storage unit downstairs, but a girl likes to keep her shoes close.

Today the boyfriend will take me to explore some places in Nashville.  I hope to find places that I will like to shop. (I’m such a girl sometimes.)  But also, I hope to come back here  - to Big Red – and get some writing done. I’m pretty inspired here – and Big Red is the perfect place to materialize the stuff I’m working on. (More on that later.)