I Didn't See You There - Donut Edition

I love these shoes.  I mean, first of all, they are so casual, but not so casual as say, boots you would wear out to the forest to hunt.  These are casual, slip-on with no laces.  They are soft soled and look like something grandpa wears with his golf pants when he's sneaking off to the grocery store after 4 pm to pick up some donuts at mark down prices. (Yeah, you were wondering about that title, weren't ya, Bubba?)

It's ok, no one is going to see him, after all, they're camouflaged!  

In truth, there are a lot of people who think camouflage is only for soldiers, hunters and stars of Duck Dynasty. As I've said before, camouflage is for anyone with the gumption to wear it.  Pants, vest, and sure, casual shoes to get you to them donuts on time!  Me? I just can't seem to find the kind of camo gear that I think would fit in with my lifestyle (donuts excluded.)  I can't see wearing some big heavy camo jacket, and pants don't seem right either.  I might carry a camo wallet, but I like my plain black leather one.  So, where does that leave me?  (Camo Donuts?  Ooo there's a thought!) 

I think it's about time for me to get some camo gear, so I guess I'll just have to suck it up and find something to fit in.  No worries.  It's just another way of lovin' the South.

What a Crappy Day

Even though I love the South, there are times when things make you question your place of residence. This was one of them, and I hope, truly hope that this was a Southern moment that we'd all best forget.

So, it's no secret I ride the bus.  It's a nice bus and I've been a regular rider for nearly ten years.  It's amazing really that those of us regulars sort of have our own favorite seats, and our own ways of riding. Mostly, we read. So, I get on the bus, I get into my seat and I read.

Last week, there was this guy on the ride home, who got on and sat right beside me.  For the visual, my seat faces front and his, right in front of me, faces the center. There is only a stationary arm between him and me and for some strange reason it's folded UP out of the way.

So, it appears that my riding neighbor is drunk. Not just a bit tipsy, this guy is roaring stinking drunk and carrying a big gulp cup full of some noxious mixture which he continually sips at during our ride.  When the bus pulls away from a light, he all but falls over, and once he did fall almost right into my lap (amazingly not a drop was spilled!) Annoying yes, but the really interesting part come when the drunken rider gets up after 30 min to get off the bus at his stop.

I look up, mostly just to make sure that he wasn't going to fall into my lap and sure enough, the guy has pissed his pants.  The odor now fills the bus as the rest of us also get off. (This was, after all, also MY stop so I was happy to get out of the smelly proximity.)  They aired out the bus a bit before heading on, and the bus driver took time to let the drunk know the rules, even if he did forget within moments. 

Riding the bus is anything but ordinary. And it's times like these that hopefully prove the rule and not set it.

Places to See, Food to Eat

Every day I pass this place.  It's called the Arcade and it's located almost in the center of downtown.  Now, to me, Arcade means one of those places where I would go and play video games at a quarter a play.  $10 was a cheap date.

But this place is more than just an oddity. It's a shopping place where you could find anything from clothing to food.  It was built in 1902 as Nashville's first shopping center. It's a covered alleyway that runs through the center of the block to the next street.

These days you can find a Post Office location, jewelry store, and tobacco shop, but mostly, FOOD.  There are all sorts of restaurants here, and every time I get a chance to walk through the Arcade, there are always new ones. Places that sell Tortilla wraps, sandwiches, food from around the world - oh yeah, and mini donuts. There's this new mini doughnut place I just discovered.  I hope it's there for a while, too.  

To be honest, I didn't know it was so old, I figured it was built sometime around the 60's or 70's.  It just looks like something of that era.  It's always nice to learn the vast history of my new home, the South.  Nashville in particular.  (Uh oh, a sentence fragment.  Brother Bubba won't like that. Ah well, let's keep on , shall we?) 

The Arcade is mostly a place for the downtown worker to get lunch.  It's open from about 6 am, but none of the places serves breakfast (yet) and my pic above is taken about 6:30 - sans crazy homeless person who shouts at the nonexistent people in the arcade at that time of day.  

At any rate, the Arcade is a great place to grab a bite and as soon as I can get down there, I'll be tasting those aforementioned mini-doughnuts.  In fact...where's my wallet?

Getting It From Here to There

I caught this picture Monday while on my way home. Well, actually I nearly caught it.  My camera was not as quick as I had hoped, and the car was nearly out of the frame by the time I got the camera to capture the shot.  And what a shot.

You see, the Southern man (or even women - yes, women, it is the 21st Century after all, and yes, I am digressing again) The Southerner is nothing if not an 'out of the box' thinker.  It seems that this Southerner wanted to transport their lawn mower to another lawn, and didn't have a pickup truck, roof rack or trailer hitch and trailer.  (Wait a Southerner without a pickup truck? Yes, remember? 21st Century?  Out of the Box Thinker?  Stay with me now....) So, what does one do? He (or she) improvises with the tools at hand,  or rather - vehicle at hand; sitting there on the back of the car - no wait, IN the back of the car, dangling out of the trunk space itself, holding on to the handle of the mower, dragging it along.  Low Speed - High Efficiency - Low Cost. 

What box?  I don't see a box, do you see a box?

Definitely OUT of the Box thinking.  Southern Thinking.

Music in the Music City

One day, not too long after I had moved to Nashville, I was walking in the downtown area and heard some music. Well, it was the Music City after all, and at any time you can expect to hear music from one of a few dozen bars, nightclubs or even the many buskers that ply their trade in this area, but this was music coming from - of all places - the big control box which controls the stop lights at the corner.  I thought this was rather unique and forgot about it, until just last night. 

Walking to the bus, I came across this box (above) with some nice jazz playing.  (See that circular hole near the top?  That's a speaker!)  It never fails to make me smile, regardless of the day I've had.  Where else but Music City could you find recorded music set up for the public to enjoy.  

I've never found any rhyme or reason for these boxes as not all of them have speakers and are not on all the time.  It may just be that the music is there only when needed - and today they are working on the street and perhaps street workers work better when listening to Charlie Parker.  (You never really know!)  Or maybe that traffic cop over on 1st really prefers country for directing traffic in the rain.  I've also not found out whether this is pre-recorded music, or (as is my best guess) radio being piped in as requested by the city folks nearby. Each box is different, it seems and one day I may find the City Office of Extraneous Music and find out more.  

In the meantime, enjoy the music of the South.