Open Studio Night in Fort Sanders

Tomorrow evening, you are invited to 17th Street Studios' Open Studio Night. Come and see the spaces where local artists (designers, movie producers, sculptors, painters, ceramicists) work.



There will be food and drinks to enjoy, whether you quietly peruse artwork or intensely interrogate each artist. Some work will also be for sale.



This is a great opportunity to support the work of 13 Knoxville artists. We'd love for you to stop by.



17th Street Studios OPEN STUDIO NIGHT
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
7-9pm
1642 Highland Avenue in Fort Sanders
on the corner of 17th and Highland in Redeemer Church

Contemporary Focus at the KMA, opening this evening 6-9pm

On Tuesday, I met with Brian Jobe at the Knoxville Museum of Art to take a sneak peek at the Contemporary Focus exhibition, opening this evening. He along with John Bissonette and Greg Pond are the featured artists for this annual show at the KMA which runs from August 26 through November 6, 2011. Here is an article about it in the News Sentinel.






















^ I've known Brian for quite some time, and therefore know his work quite well. The piece he made for this show is similar to his work from the past, as it is incredibly ambitious, but different as it incorporates a large built structure. Not only is it something to behold, but also invites the viewer to pass through it, to let the materials brush against your skin.



^ I was excited to hear John Bissonette is in this show. The last time I saw his work was at the Downtown Gallery on Gay Street for First Friday a few months ago. Being a painter myself, I really admire his work. He merges abstract and representational subject matter, layering transparent colorful paint, and typically leaving blank spaces on the canvas. One called Untitled (Jackson) made me catch my breath a little bit. In this show, he includes an installation, closely tied to the paintings he's made.



^ Greg Pond's work is sculptural, using welded metals, polished wood, and other shiny materials. Brian told me he is a sculptor who also works in sound art. I could see how this particular work might be inspired by sound or music, by the forms he uses, the spaces he creates, and the different delicate materials working together to hold each other up.

Hope you can stop in this evening.

Contemporary Focus
August 26- November 6, 2011
KMA
1050 World's Fair Park
Knoxville, TN 37916-1653

the summer too shall pass

I've been pretty lame this summer, deciding to be super American and drive my car everywhere rather than ride my bike at all. Continuously blasting fake cold air in my face has taken its toll on my psyche, however, so last Tuesday, when the air cooled off a bit, I got on my bike and headed downtown. I realized it had been forever since I've taken time to enjoy an evening on Market Square, so with no plans, I biked up Gay Street to see what would unfold.

Divine providence would have it that The Pol was window shopping at Noveau Classics, because that is apparently what the Pol does when he locks himself out of his apartment. We decided to go have a drink on the roof of Pres Pub because he hadn't been up there yet.

Once on the roof, we were able to find a table close to the Square. The weather was pitch perfect and from the stage, there were jazz musicians playing. We couldn't tell from there if it was an official performance or some buskers, but there were spectators below, enjoying it all the same.

After our drink, we walked out into the Square where The Pol ran into a freshman he had met a few days earlier, and a group of his friends. They would be starting class the next day. Even if no one told me they were freshman, I would have known because one proudly wore a bright orange lanyard around his neck featuring his dorm key.

As the jazz played and I breathed in the sweet, autumn-like air, I was a little jealous of the group of new students. Walking around a bustling downtown Knoxville in college wasn't an option during most of my college experience, let alone before my very first day of class. I looked into their cherub faces, into their deer-in-headlight eyes, and decided it best not to tell them how lucky they were.

As they walked off, The Pol and I sat on a bench to listen to the rest of the set. It was then I realized the trumpet player was my old landlord, Vance Thompson, who is the director of the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra. When they finished, he thanked the small crowd and said they would be playing every Tuesday until September (or maybe through September, I'm not quite sure).

So if you've been hiding under an air-conditioned rock all summer like me, I encourage you to take a stroll through Market Square this Tuesday evening and have a listen. Even if it's hot, the tunes are sure to be coooool. 

A unique way to experience Knoxville

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you may remember my completely embarrassing post where I shamelessly gushed about Jack Neely. I'm not going to link to it, so if you're curious you'll have to find it, but it was about my first encounter with him at the Knox Heritage Art and Architecture Tour, where he was a walking tour guide.

That was about three years ago (omg) and I am happy to report that since then I have grown from blindly obsessed to a sensible admirer/ acquaintance of him. This is good because this Friday night is the 5th Annual Knox Heritage Art and Architecture Tour, and Jack will be leading the walking tour once again.















Above: A photo from last year's tour by Phil Savage

I love this event because it encapsulates so many great things. It begins a few months prior to the actual tour when a call for entries is released asking photographers to take photos of historic buildings in a particular area of town. This year, the perimeters are in and around the Old City.

The photographs are looked over by seven judges who choose winning photos based on the image as well as what would be a suitable stop on the walking tour.























Above: A photo from last year's tour by Sharon Wright Cottrell

The event this year will begin at 6pm with a reception which includes food, drink, and the winning photos at the headquarters of Attack Monkey Productions, 117 South Gay Street. Then at about 7:15 begins the tour.

Along with Jack, David Dewhirst, a key player in the revitalization of downtown Knoxville with projects like the Holston, JFG, and the Daylight Building, will also be leading a tour. It's going to be fun as well as educational, and what could beat that combination? I'd argue that this a quintessential Knoxville event, one that shouldn't be missed.

Would you like to come? You are invited.

If so, go here.

Behind the Curtain of Knoxville's giant Faberge Egg (aka The Tennessee Theatre)

A couple of weeks ago, I was walking past the Tennessee Theatre with my co-worker Becky Hancock and said, "I should go to the symphony more often."

Deep down, I had hoped she would respond exactly how she did. She told me she'd make some phone calls and could probably get us tickets. Score.

How does my co-worker work her magic? She was the General Manager of the Tennessee Theatre from 2001-2007.

The next Thursday, we got dressed up and went to the symphony. That was wonderful in itself, but the icing on the cake was that she took me backstage afterward and introduced me to Tim who is the Technical Director there. He has been working there since 1979! Becky asked if he'd show us around and he concurred.

Here are some photos of our little adventure with captions courtesy of Becky Hancock.



Looking up into the fly loft backstage, about 80 feet high!



The counterweight system on stage right. This allows one person to maneuver all the scene changes and backdrops.



If you were the Maestro, this is the view you'd have as you enter the stage.





In the 2005 renovation, the decorative artists added a few whimsical faces in the north stairwell.



See if you can spot moon man on your next visit...



Old school: one of the very few reel-to-reel projector systems left in Knoxville.





A view above the decorative ceiling, which is suspended by hundreds of metal strips from the actual roof. (From B: This is what holds up the faberge egg!)



Looking through the lighting cut into the blue cove



The catwalk enabled stagehands to change the hundreds of light bulbs around the cove.









In the orchestra pit, the front half raised up to stage level. (From B: This is underneath the stage  During the symphony, they lowered the pit, rolled out the grand piano, and raised the pit to get it on the stage level. The Mighty Wurlitzer is in a room to the right.)



Stagehands' stash (From B: That's a lotta lights)



One of the "star" dressing rooms, new construction in 2005

This wraps up our little tour. If you are interested in hitting up the next concert, go here to learn how to do so.

year end thoughts (and how blogging helped me fall for Knoxville)

I'm getting sentimental in my old age.

Nothing makes it worse than when different seasons of life come to an end, so this being my last post of 2010, I'd like to reflect on living in Knoxville, especially in regard to being a writer for the Wigshop.

I've mentioned this in the past, but my first year after graduating from UT was a bittersweet one. Many of my friends moved away to figure out what to do with their lives as I struggled to figure out what to do with mine. I lived in a crappy yet quaint apartment in Maplehurst and watched as downtown Knoxville miraculously made leaps and bounds while the rest of the country seemed to be in shambles. I rode my bike everywhere because I couldn't afford to put gas in my car. I did, however, always seem to have enough money for lots of cheap beer*. Along the way, I was asked to write for the Wigshop. 

I admit that, at first, I used writing about Knoxville as a means to justify living here. I vindicated my decision to stay by trying to prove just how cool of a place it was becoming.

What I didn't foresee was how writing about this city would make living here not just bearable, but legitimate. It opened my eyes to what Knoxville had to offer, and the more I wrote, the more I realized there was to write about. In many ways, it made staying here just as exciting as traveling somewhere new.

Thankfully now I don't feel the need to defend Knoxville like I once did. I'm confident it's a great city in which to live, being a size and caliber that is both close-knit and full of new things to see and do. I'm very proud to call it my home.

So as this year comes to a close, and we ring in 2011, here's to Knoxville, Tennessee. Happy New Year!!**

* One of many things to be thankful for in Knoxville
** My top picks for places to be on New Year's: First Night, Pilot Light Party at Ironwood Studios, and the Public House. Cheers!

Tomorrow could be a grim day for Knox County: The controversy of Midway

Since deciding to stay in Knoxville and make it my home, I've realized that I frequent West Knoxville less and less. You can call me pretentious (do it, I really don't care) because it's not arrogance that keeps me away but something more. As I grow older, I consider the things that are most precious to me, and as a result, discover the things I disdain. I know I risk sounding melodramatic here, but I think I've developed a chemical aversion to sprawl. (Sidenote: As you read this, please do not mistake what I mean for sprawl as progress. I am pro-progress, anti-sprawl.)

I can assure you, it's not just West Knoxville. I feel it each time I go home to Memphis and stay at my parents' home in the suburb Cordova. Back roads that were once surrounded by farmland are now rows of desolate looking cookie cutter houses, stretching for miles along treeless streets. It breaks my heart and makes me lose faith in the creativity of mankind, to see people's greed at the expense of beauty and living in quality environments. I wonder how we got here, creating places that are cold and characterless, that all look the same, from city to city. Places you can't walk around by foot. Places that only accommodate vehicles. The lofty idea of development- bulldozing land, putting up buildings in hopes to lure tenants all in the name of "stimulating economy" - has made our cities and towns identity-less.

***

Tomorrow, Knox County Commissioners will vote on whether or not to approve the proposed business park off the Midway exit in East Knox County. This has been an ongoing battle, as outlined by Jesse Mayshark in this week's Metro Pulse. If you haven't been following this very controversial plan, in essence, the Development Corporation of Knox County wants to build a 300+ acre Industrial Park in East Knox County off of I-40 at the Midway Exit. Pam Strickland of the News Sentinel writes about the problems with the plan here.

This area of mostly farmland happens to be relatively untouched, a beautiful place unscathed by development. Many Knoxvillians don't want it to be developed, especially the people who have called it home for generations.



I decided to take a drive out there yesterday to take some photographs. I wanted a fresh reminder of what is at stake here for East Knox County. It's true, there is nothing there but farmland, rivers, and homes, farmhouses, and barns on stretches of land. There is nothing commercial or sprawling about it. Not yet.





So why put a business park here? Essentially, the Development Corporation bought the land for too much money in a supposedly shady business deal and are proposing this business park in order to make back the money to cover their asses. They say it will bring in thousands of jobs, but they don't even know what business will occupy the space much less how many jobs it will provide.






















The Development Corporation masks their greed by promising that the business park will incorporate parks and natural spaces and that it won't result in a domino effect of sprawl, but everyone knows that within a few years, gas stations will pop up, fast food restaurants, and the subdivisions to "sustain" them. East Knox County will be on its way to looking like West Knoxville, and I cannot think of a sadder fate for such a beautiful area. It is a gem, the kind of place that makes East Tennessee East Tennessee- Seven Islands Wilderness, the French Broad River, and expanses of farmland as far as you can see are all there.



What is even more frustrating is that the Development Corporation has been sweeping their already failed industrial parks under the carpet and won't consider using locations in Knoxville that are already vacant and perfect for commercial use. They say they need the acreage on Midway or else their plans won't succeed.



Tomorrow, the Knox County Commission will vote on whether to pass the plan or not. If it passes, it will be a dark day for not only residents of East Knox County, but all of those who oppose the plan across Knox County. Either way, I hope it will motivate a call for bigger and more organized movements to sweep across our county to protect the precious and beautiful land that makes Knoxville special and unique and to think of better, more creative ways to stimulate our economy.



Addendum added 12/13/2010: The vote by County Commission that was scheduled for today has been postponed due to inclement weather. It has been rescheduled for December 17, 2010 at 4pm. IF YOU ARE AGAINST THE PROPOSED INDUSTRIAL PARK AT MIDWAY The French Broad Preservation Association asks you to show up at 4pm at the City County Building to show your County Commissioners you don't want your tax money to be spent on it. See you there. -B

The Amplifier: Knoxville's first and only street paper

Today we have a guest post from David Morelli who has been working with Redeeming Hope Ministires to launch the Amplifier. Don't know what I'm talking about? Read on.



Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

The Amplifier launches today!

The Amplifier, you say? What in the world...?

The Amplifier is Knoxville's first and only street paper!

Street paper? Again: what in the world...?

A street paper is a cool, entrepreneurial way for the "winners of capitalism" (i.e., the homeless or radically poor) to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, the good ole American way. It works this way: a vendor--typically a homeless person operating as a free agent--buys issues of The Amplifier, at cost, and then turns around and sells them to the body public for a dollar. He then reinvests the markup, purchasing more inventory and earning an income. Voila, microcapitalism at work for the least of us.



The Amplifier is run out of the basement of a group of community-minded people in Fort Sanders. Check out their website.

So, if you see someone, whom you may ordinarily brush aside as panhandling, trying to gain entrance to our wonderful consumer economy by selling something that's not a windshield wash at a stoplight, then I implore you to swat away your preconceived objections and spare a buck for a fledgling, home-grown paper that's just trying to make it out on the streets of our scruffy city.

For Arts Sake

We at the wigshop could probably write a week's worth of posts about last First Friday. We won't, but here's another:

I couldn't believe the hordes of people downtown for First Friday last Friday night. Crossing Summit Hill at Gay Street with forty plus people was thrilling. I felt like I was in a big city for a moment. It was exciting. It was overwhelming.

I walked through the 100 block of Gay Street for the big grand opening party. There were more galleries than I remembered being there even last month, and all of them were bursting at the seams. It was great to experience, but my night had something quieter in store.

I went to see "For Memories Sake" a short film by Ashley Maynor at the East Tennessee History Center.


For Memories' Sake - Official Trailer from Ashley Maynor on Vimeo.

In this documentary, Ashley conveys the importance of film preservation and proper archival techniques through the fascinating story of her grandmother, Angela, who had taken at least a dozen photographs everyday for thirty-five years. As Ashley sifted through the vast collection of photo albums, she began to realize how talented her grandmother was as a photographer. She was compelled to dig deeper into why Angela took so many photographs, and in the process, she uncovered films and family videos, some in bad condition from years of exposure to sunlight, heat, and dust. She began to go through all of these items to save and preserve them.

Ashley's time and energy placed great value on a large part of her grandmother's life that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. Angela never thought about writing an artist statement or showing her photographs and films to the public. She took pictures daily because she had to, possibly to cope with darkness in her life in the forms of an abusive husband and the tragic death of her son.

We left the film and what I thought to be a profound moment of art viewing and walked back out into the mayhem that was First Friday.

***

I think First Friday has finally caught on and we can expect even more commotion downtown with each first weekend of the month. As it grows, there are a couple of things to consider:

1) The best art can be seen off the beaten path, and some of the worst art is consistently on the beaten path. I say this because I don't want people to mistake Knoxville as a factory for mountain landscapes. There is great artwork out there, one just has to make the effort, and if you haven't yet, please go to the Fluorescent Gallery and the Birdhouse.

2) As you overload on cheese cubes and copious amounts of boxed wine, I hope you will engage in the art being shown. Find out where good art will be, go there, and tell a friend whether you like it or not. If you like it, tell the artist. This may be their only compensation.

With a slew of awards and recognitions for "For Memories Sake," I think Ashley Maynor has received more "compensation" than many artists will ever receive for their work, but I'll give here even more. Her film was moving and inspirational to me. In the midst of everything going on last Friday, there was a quiet and a calm where an artist conveyed to me something important to her in a beautiful, creative, and intelligent way.

***

If you are an artist making good and relevant work in Knoxville (you know who you are), thank you, and keep it up.

city chickens

C'mon, everyone likes chicken. I know I do. And eggs! I could eat dozens of those amazing morsels in all the multitude of ways they can be fixed. But in this post-Food Inc. world, I often take a hard look at those chicken breasts and cartons of eggs in the store. Where did they come from? Am I supporting an inhumane system of industrialized agriculture? If only there was a way I could know where my food came from.

Oh wait, there is! Right now in my back yard a multitude of plants are working to give me delicious vegetables and berries. I know exactly where they came from. I was there from seed packet all the way back to composting the soil for them. If I was a vegetarian, I could pat myself on the back and stop right now. But chicken.... delicious chicken.

So I can fork over more money for "organic" chicken (trusting that the farmers followed the the intent of the certification) or I can raise some myself- a few delicious egg-laying, succulent meat-bearing pets. Much more useful than my lazy, good-for-nothing dogs. Alas, I cannot. Yet.

Knoxville does not allow citizens to raise chickens inside the city limits. And culturally it's unacceptable to eat dog meat, so... what to do? A new proposed ordinance is up for a vote tonight at the city council that will allow those who want to to raise a limited number of hens (no roosters! I promise) on their property in the city. Here's the deal- read below and if you agree, copy it or paraphrase it into an email and send it to your city council member:

Dear Sir/Madam,

I wish to express my full support for the Animal Control Board’s proposed ordinance change to allow residents to keep a small number of domesticated chickens. This change characterizes growing interest among our residents to expand urban gardening. This includes the keeping of small animals to support healthy, local food choices. I believe the ordinance is drafted in a manner to sufficiently protect property integrity, property value, and neighborhood aesthetics, as well as increase community interactions through gardening and pet companionship.

If supported by a fully staffed Animal Control force, I believe the currently proposed ordinance for domesticated chickens will benefit the community. Knoxville is not approaching this practice alone. Seattle, Portland (OR and ME), San Francisco, Denver, Fort Collins, Madison, Cedar Falls, and our neighbor Asheville, NC have recently passed similar code amendments. The main themes throughout these ordinances (and addressed by our city’s Animal Control) relate to limiting the number of hens, banning of roosters, and specifying that hens be confined within coops of specific design and construction.

Regards,

[YOU]

Better yet, join Lo and I at the council meeting tonight at 7:00. Hopefully we can make a big step forward for the urban gardening and organic movement in Knoxville. Thanks!

Knoxville's got Big Ears this weekend

We want to hear what you think about Big Ears 2010. Are you going? What are you looking forward to? If you're not going, why not? In the meantime, here's another guest post from our friend that we will now refer to as Wild Bill of Knoxpatch.

Hey y’all!

As you know, today, Knoxville becomes the meeting place for multiple influential artists during the second Big Ears Festival. The entertainment kicks off at 5 p.m. tonight!

Big Ears Festival is the brainchild of Ashley Capps, the owner of AC Entertainment (who also books shows all over, as well as Bonnaroo). Last year's was a resounding success. Big Ears is a festival that celebrates diversity and collaboration. The goal of the festival is: "...to offer an exciting and dynamic platform of musical and artistic discovery by artists possessed of singular and unique visions that stand apart from the mainstream.”

The way the festival is organized is a lot like South By Southwest in Austin. Venues all over downtown are incorporated so that multiple shows can take place simultaneously. The venues this year are: The Bijou, Tennessee Theatre, The Knoxville Museum of Art, The Square Room, The Pilot Light, a place called The Big Ears Annex (Catalyst/Blue Cat’s), and one show at the Cox Auditorium.

This year’s festival is being co-curated by the Godfather of Minimalism Terry Riley as well as one of the busiest musicians around Bryce Dessner (The National, Clogs). Some of the other artists include: The National, Andrew W. K., Clogs (a band that features Sufjan Stevens), Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond, Matt Beringer, and Bryce Dessner),The Ex, The XX, and Vampire Weekend. There are many more bands playing that will blow you away. The festival also features workshops, lectures, and more collaborations between artists than you can shake a stick at.

There are multiple ways to attend. Individual tickets are on sale for all of the shows, or you could go the more thorough route and get either the Inner Ear pass or the Outer Ear pass. The Inner Ear pass allows you to have priority access to all Big Ears events for $250. The Outer Ear pass allows you into most of the shows for $100. At this point in time I know that there are still a few Inner Ear passes floating around but I know that they are going fast. More info here.

What is it about Knoxville that makes AC Entertainment want to host an experimental music festival here? I would propose that there is just no place like Knoxville. It is a weird and wonderful place that no one can really pin down. There are so many influences crammed into a relatively small space. You have Appalachian culture, a large university, a history of industry, and the suburbs all within a few miles. It somehow created an environment that encourages experimental music. The music scene in Knoxville is unlike anywhere else, all of these influences meld together and make a really interesting music scene. This is definitely helped along by people like Jason Boardman (owner of the Pilot Light) who actively seeks to promote experimental music in Knoxville. Somehow it just fits that this festival should be here. It is comfortable place with all of the venues within a half-mile.

I hope that more locals attend this year, so in conclusion, come out and join me this weekend in the madness because it will be a blast.

-Wild Bill, Knoxpatch

This Friday

Have you ever thought, "I wish I could see the inside of that sweet old building," as you've walked downtown or driven around Knoxville?

Well, this Friday is your chance because Knox Heritage is taking all of their members on a tour of the Arnstein and Daylight Buildings. The Arnstein may be the future home of Urban Outfitters (where McCloud's used to be across from Market Square Kitchen). And remember, I recently wrote about The Daylight Building, located across the street from Pete's on Union.

If you're already a member of Knox Heritage, you can email rsvp@knoxheritage.org or call 523-8008 to RSVP (a-hem, The Pol and MG)

If you're not a member yet (a-hem, all the rest of you beautiful wigshoppers), but would like to support what Knox Heritage does, please join today.

Below is history on the buildings if you're interested:

The Arnstein (505 Market Square) is a seven-story Neo-Classical building with Renaissance-Revival detailing is said to be the first steel frame "skyscraper" built in Knoxville -- the City's tallest building when it was erected in 1905. The M.B. Arnstein Company became one of Knoxville's finest retail stores, famous for Irish linen and other imported goods such as jewelry, lingerie, and other "exclusive" best-quality goods. It is currently being renovated for office and retail use.


The Daylight Building (501 Union Avenue), completed in 1927, was built by Benjamin Sprankle, an influential real estate developer. Initially, the Daylight housed retail space on the ground floor and office space above. By 1934, it was primarily occupied by the offices of the Tennessee Valley Authority. On November 25, 2009, the Daylight Building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It is being renovated for residential use.

A long love letter, in some fashion, to one of my favorite places in Knoxville

I used to work at the Panera in Bearden. There, I climbed the corporate ladder from washing dishes to (wo)manning the cash register. To most, this kind of promotion would seem desirable. For me, it was an adjustment, as I am slightly uneasy around people I don't know well.

It's sad, but my biggest source of social anxiety while working there came from seeing the same people over and over again, what you would call regulars. I'm bad with small talk, therefore when given two minutes to speak to someone on a regular basis that I don't know at all, well, let's just say it's not my cup of tea.

When I'd ask any one of them, "What side item would you like?" I was really thinking, "Why are you here all of the time? What goes on with you when you leave this place?" (and, "I hope you know how foolish I feel in this flare-encrusted Panera hat.")

I have a sister who worked at Starbucks for a while. She used to talk about how Starbucks aspires to be people's "third place," their first being home and their second being work. The "third place" functions to take one away from the stresses of the first and second place.

This idea has always intrigued me, being a regular or making some random place your home away from home. I was never able to imagine having a place like that, or even more so, needing a place like that.

***

Last Saturday, early in the evening, I was bored staying inside due to the slush on the ground, so I went down to Old City Java. I expected the place to be fairly empty, but when I walked in, the line almost reached the front door and patrons filled the seats. I decided to walk into the second room to find a seat while the line died down.

I saw a friend who pulled out his earphones and invited me to sit with him. We talked for a while, one of those unexpected conversations that flows smoothly and provides unforeseen encouragement.

I took in my surroundings as we talked: a boy with a guitar on the couch behind me, playing softly for a few minutes, across from our table, a smartly dressed couple sitting with a girl whose religious affiliation requires her to wear a head covering, a couple of cool looking dudes in the window playing backgammon, and on the other side of us, five or six attractive Spanish speaking students, having a discussion that, to me, sounded pretty intelligent.

I finally went back to the counter to find the guy working delicately make a leaf out of latte foam. I ordered a cafe au lait and he went on about what that meant and names of other drinks that are in different languages. I was happy for him to enthusiastically carry the conversation, as I nodded up and down in return.

I went back to my table where my friend had his earphones back in, reading his book. I pulled out my sketchbooks and accomplished more in 30 minutes than I could in a few days at home.

I finished my coffee with milk and gathered up my things. On my way out the door, another Java employee who was not currently working called me by name and wished me a good night.

As I walked to my car while evening set in, it dawned on me. It was the fourth time I had been to Java that week.

I may not be as regular as a regular, but I think I found my third place.


photo from Java's Facebook page

Old City Java
109 S. Central Ave.
Knoxville, TN, 37902

The best thing that's ever happened to me

Something you may not know about being a writer for the Wigshop is how glamorous it has made our lives. Everyday people are handing us concert tickets, picking up our tabs, or letting us jump to the front of lines at clubs.


I'm joking. Obviously. (When do we ever go to clubs?)

Our compensation does come from the joy of knowing that there are people out there that read this blog. (Quite frankly, I think you're all crazy, but) It is such a great feeling.

However... it does not hurt for something more tangible to come our way every now and again.

That's why when I was invited a few months ago to visit the Titanic replica in Pigeon Forge because I had written a post about it, I was ecstatic. It was a sentiment much like Rose must have felt while dancing with Jack and his fellow swashbucklers in the hull of the Titanic.



It was a gray November day when I drove out to Pigeon Forge with two of my friends. We passed the large upside down mansion, and there on our right stood the smokestacks. We parked and walked inside the black trailer in the parking lot to meet our tour guide, Rick. Upon entering, a jovial woman announced, rather startlingly, "Welcome aboard!" I pursed my lips to hold back laughter, mostly from sheer delight.



Rick asked if we wanted to have the "Welcome aboard!" lady give us her spiel on the Titanic museum or if we wanted the tour first. I couldn't help myself. "The tour, please!"



We entered the ship, donning orange construction hats.

I have to say, it was a little disappointing. There was not much to see at this point but steel beams and concrete. Rick tried to paint images of its potential in our heads, of the Grand Staircase and the fine china place settings you would be able to touch in the dining room.



I'm not one to give you all the details of the inner-workings of the museum: "The Titanic was constructed with 50 gabillion tons of steel, blah, blah, blah..." Rick did inform us that it will be as factual as possible, a place where adult and child can learn in an incredibly ornate atmosphere. I did retain such information as, there will be an ice wall that you can touch at the end of the tour in a room with a starry filled sky overhead. Also, you will be able to get married on the Grand Staircase, and there will be a reception room above for after the ceremony. What a dream!



This spring, you too will have the chance to visit yourself, and it will cost you somewhere around $25. I can't wait to go back when it's all done, and you can be sure I'll be wearing (not a construction hat, but) my "Heart of the Ocean" necklace Rick gave me.

The first, second, third, and fourth photo were taken by Tracy Jackson

this week in review

 
I made sure to have my camera on me this past week to catch all of the different festivities happening in downtown Knoxville recently. Here are a few highlights.




Above: Ice skating in Market Square on Monday.


   The Christmas parade on Gay Street Friday night. Above are some pretty cute VW bugs, and below, who else but Frosty the Snowman on a dump truck.

 
 
 Above: At Lox Salon on First Friday for a show themed around the highly esteemed PBR.


Above: The snow covered valley of Townsend. I had the pleasure of waking up to this Saturday morning. I don't think I've never witnessed this much snow in Tennessee before.

Hope y'all had a merry week as well!