Things are moving so fast these days, since my life has become a series of fortunate events... when you dread things, it's as if time s l o w s w a a a a a y d o w n.
But then things pick right back up and, before you have a chance to think about it, it's like you slept the last month away -- things move along again as if you were just dreaming them. In the past few weeks, I've traveled around a lot, to Bonnaroo and St Louis and Little Rock/Hot Springs, for one fun thing and another. Now it's almost the 4th of July and I finally find myself looking around to see what else is going on around Memphis. Turns out there's not much, compared to about 4-6 weeks ago.
Don't get me wrong--I've still managed to do some great typical-Memphis stuff, like going to the Flip Side Memphis mini-documentary screening, the Pretty Things Burlesque at the old Antenna Club, and hitting up the Levitt Shell for a couple of shows, not to mention going on a Slow Foods tour of the Ghost River Brewery. But a lot of good opportunities passed me by this spring. C'est la vie, non? At least life in Memphis.
So many Memphians think there ain't nothing going on at all (like Janie did when she was about 5 years old, til she put on that New York station). Or, like a friend I call John Cusack (purely based on his looks a few years back) said of one recent Friday night: There's a lot going on; there's just not a lot going on (emphasis added). We don't want to do the work to make it exciting, we don't want to dig around and find things that might be more off the beaten paths of Beale Street and crawfish festivals and other things that (97% of the time for me) end up being a gigantic disappointment anyway.
So, Memphis, here's what I'm recommending you check out this summer, when there ain't nothing going down at all:
- Memphis Farmer's Market (every Saturday a.m.)
- Trolley Tour (last Friday of each month from 6-9 p.m.)
- Blues on the Bluff (July 25 at the Ornamental Metal Museum)
- Concerts at MBG, Minglewood Hall, and Mud Island Amphitheater
I just noticed that most of these things are outdoor activities, so let's add some more:
- Otherlands' weekend shows (or any coffee shop, bring a book or something, though)
- Classic Cinema at the Orpheum (maybe not chick flicks, cause you could give the wrong impression, or at least stick out like a gator in a pet shop)
- Continuing Ed classes at U of M (something for almost everyone, and it'll make you seem more interesting to have these things to talk about later)
- Mpact Memphis (lots of different activities going on--even has its own Toastmasters group)
If you have more, feel free to comment, if anyone's reading this space anymore.
