I and I Back in Babylon Next Week

These photos have no special significance.
It's just that I can't figure out myspace.








And if I can't figure out myspace,
there's going to be an awful lot of lonely high school girls.

Year in Review

July

August

September

October (Blanton's cask strength. 131.7 proof)

November

December

Way to show up on time for all your shifts!

I wazz treeded foar a sida rice peeelaff!

Memphis Review: Last time, for real

Now that Paris is out of jail, I can blog again.
Here's Stax Records.

Memphis Slim's house. It's all tored up.

Did not receive his deposit back obviously.


BBQ Championships. Don't ever go. Big time rip-off. I don't care how many funny "cops are pigs" jokes they make.

Every time I look at this picture, I turn a little bit more vegetarian.

And then a little bit of my soul dies.

The Pink Palace, the mansion built for the founder of the Piggly Wiggly chain of supermarkets. Now a museum.


The Pig was the first self-service supermarket. So there's a little bit of history there for you.


La Ruca doesn't like having her picture taken in the morning.

Neely's BBQ.


Mississippi River Museum on Mud Island. Pretty neat if you like rivers.

On Elvis Presley Boulevard.



Monkeys are always looking at me.

What!!! Never seen a human before?

Oh. Never seen a human pissing on your fence. Well, I guess this visit has been educational for both of us then.

Sorry, Clyde.

KY Review

When I set out from Tennessee, the weather was dry and unforgiving.

I came upon this house, which supposedly inspired Stephen Foster to write the song "My Old Kentucky Home." You may recognize this house if you've ever looked closely at the famous Kentucky state quarter. It is requested that you disregard the fact that this wasn't actually his home. And also that he wasn't from Kentucky. This song is the official state song, and is sung annually at the Kentucky Derby. It is a testament to the human tendency to always feel envious of other people's homes.


As I traveled deeper into the state, the weather started to feel downright pleasant and moist. It even got warmer.

I decided to check up on the bourbon production.
Moments after this picture was taken, a chubby young German boy fell into the fermentation vat and got sucked through the tubes. God, I hope he's all right.


In this state, bourbon is a social lubricant.

This is where Maker's Mark makes their famous red plastic polymer that they dip their bottles in.
How quaint!


This particular county is a dry county, as they say. Thus, no free bourbon at the end of the tour. I'm still chafing with anger.

There's whiskey in them there barrels, in them there windows.


Our last true national hero.
They say that every boy named "Peter" that was born in the mid-70s was named after this man. Do you know any? Does he like to gamble? I'll bet he does.


Some people think Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame. That argument is a slippery slope.

Ken Griffey Jr. and 1990 World Series hero Billy Hatcher share a joke, anecdote, piece of important information, or recipe.


Cincinnati was alright too. But I just didn't think OH was as good as KY. It wasn't as safe, sensual and gentle. Not to mention fragrance-free.

A day at the zoo. Yay!

The zoo!

Reptiles!

Pachyderms!

Something!

This is a rough town. No matter what you do, it's never macho enough.


Next week: Tejas.

This is from a trip I took with my tejoing pal to Lockhart, TX.

Tourist stuff

Peabody Hotel. They got ducks hanging out in the fountain.
So, that's their whole deal.

Lorraine Motel. According to the review on hotels.com, "convenient location, but room was dirty, card keys didn't work, service was horrible, blood stains everywhere."


I had received so many e-mails requesting a photo of country music singer Charlie Louvin getting off the bus, I felt I must oblige.

I had never heard of this fellow, so I went home and looked him up on my Internet.

According to imdb.com, he apparently wrote a bunch of movies, many of which, quite frankly, I had never heard of. Although, his 1985 made-for-TV movie "The Long Hot Summer" featured William Forsythe. You remember him from "Raising Arizona." (see below)


We went and checked out the campus of Ole Miss. I thought it was progressive of them to have this statue of James Meredith, who just 45 years earlier, in a landmark event in the Civil Rights movement, became the first black student to attend classes at the university.

Naw, I'm just messing. It's a memorial for Confederate soldiers.
Did I have you going?
I'm a rascal.

Here's a Buddy Guy concert we stumbled upon.

And, we end the night at Graceland Too.

This museum is fantastic. And it's open 24-7. Ring the doorbell at any hour of the night, and the curator will gladly give you a tour.