WWDTD?

What WOULD Dan Tanna Do? I guess he'd have to go buy an earbud or a bluetooth compatible phone to use in his Ford Thunderbird if there were laws like this being pushed through his city of Las Vegas. Go read the Tennessean article in the preceding link and then come back, 'k? I'll wait.
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Here's why this chaps my hide: If they're gonna try to pass a law regarding cell phone usage in your car, then why stop there? The tow truck operator in the Tennessean story has it right. Here's a list of other car distractions for Nashville's Metro Council to consider along with proposed fines.
- Combing hair while driving: $25
- Eating while driving: $25
- Operating iPod while driving: $25
- Smoking while driving: $25 (fine doubles if witnessed lighting cigarette while car is in motion)
- Shaving while driving: $50
- Reading while driving: $100
- Watching television or a video on DVD while driving: $250
- Applying makeup while driving: $500

In general, people don't pay attention, and all the legislation in the world won't make them. No one can convince me that using a cell phone in traffic is any more distracting than having a conversation with someone riding in the car with you (especially if it's a heated one). Like Bill Murray said to the kidnapped groundhog that sat in his lap as he sped toward a gaping ravine in the film Groundhog Day, "Don't drive angry!" While we're at it, let's get rid of billboards and other signage that takes citizens eyes off the road, and here's another opportunity to levy fines on verbose bumper stickers.

Nashville's Metro Council needs to get its priorities straight and not worry about stuff like this, but apparently they're just going with the flow. I mean, if it's banned everywhere else in the world, then it must be dangerous, right? I would have thought that Israel had bigger worries than legislating cell phone use, but what do I know?

As for the U.S. of A., it looks like Dan Tanna's carphone is safe in Nevada for the foreseeable future.

BATS!!!!

These pictures are from the Congress Street Bridge in Austin on Sunday, April 23rd. Jamye and I stood in the bat observation area adjacent to the Austin Statesman newspaper's parking lot with several other onlookers. The bridge was jam packed on the east side to watch the exodus of over 1 million Mexican free-tailed bats. I manipulated some of the pictures in Photoshop because the lighting at dusk was obviously not ideal. Click on the pics to see them a little bigger.

The banner hanging on the southside of the bridge touting the World's Largest Urban Bat Colony

Those black streaks? Bats.

Used the flash here to bounce off the underside of the bridge and some bat bellies (white shapes on the right). Remember those black streaks? Fast bats.

SUMMER MOVIES!!!!

I'll be watching both of those at one of these.

The 2006 NFL Draft

Saturday is one of the most exciting days in professional sports. Unfortunately, I didn't realize it until this year. Perhaps it was because, as they say, I didn't have a dog in that hunt, but this year, Vanderbilt's Jay Cutler is my dog. I can see him going to the Arizona Cardinals as the tenth pick in the first round. Actually, I'd be fine with him going to several different teams, but please, Lord, don't let him end up in Baltimore, Oakland or Detroit.

Also, the Titans are picking third, and since McNair looks to be on his way out, they'll almost assuredly be taking Vince Young or Matt Leinart. I think they want Vince, but here's another scenario. The Titans give up their third pick for a couple of extra picks, say, in a trade with Arizona. Then, the Titans could take Cutler and get another offensive lineman or inside linebacker. Who knows? All I know is my DVR is set because we're going to be in Corsicana, TX this weekend, but I'll be out at the Corsicana Country Club to watch the first couple of hours before Fred and I tee off that afternoon. I'm kinda hoping we get rained out. Then I can sit, play cards and watch the draft. We can always play golf on Sunday.

But Apparently, Texas Wants Us Anyway!

Break out your Belt Buckles and dust off your Stetsons!! As many of you may already know, I've accepted a job at the University of Texas at Austin in a Pharmacology lab studying breast cancer. We're too excited! Not to mention overwhelmed with details of moving...as well as a few pangs of nostalgia and moments of sheer panic. Alas, we are still convinced it's the right thing for us right now. More details to come.

For now, we hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! bock, bock! (the following video may not be suitable to young, Easter bunny loving children).

Your move, Mr. Gates.

"Apple Opens Doors To Windows" @ Forbes.com

"Apple gives its blessing to Windows on Macs" @ Macworld.com

Apple's Official Press Release @ Apple.com

Steve Jobs breaks the news to Bill Gates:

"Have you been reading my blog, Miss West?"

Losing the Local Flavor?

Well, duh.

Texas Expatriates

I had several errands to run this morning, and as I drove around Nashville, I decided to write about something that I notice during my morning and afternoon drive times: lots of Texas license plates. On average, I'd say I see about half a dozen daily. Compound that with Texas flag stickers, Texas Longhorn emblems, Texas neon signs in bars and Texas bumper stickers of every stripe, and you've got a gen-you-ine Texas subculture brewing right here in the verdant hills of Middle Tennessee.

Now, loyal reader, I ask you this: with all this Texas swagger and pride, why are all these people living in my Tennessee town? To put it more bluntly, if the great state of Texas is, in point of fact, so great, why have all these people left? I know there's a lot of reasons for people to leave home and hearth so I really don't expect an answer to that, but there really seems to be a disproportionate amount of eau de Texas wafting through the corridors of the Capital City.

I used to see a lot of Michigan tags during my college years, and they are still abundant, but the Texas plates outnumber them at least two to one, even on the streets surrounding Vanderbilt University, where in a given week or so you can see just about every license plate from the lower 48 if you are paying attention.

We know a lot of people from and living in Texas, and they all seem to be very proud of their home state. State pride is a nice thing, I suppose, but seeing as how I have none to speak of, I can only guess as to what it is about Texas that pulls the heartstrings of its former and current residents and often causes them to wax poetic about the big and bright stars at night. Is it the flat prairies for as far as the eye can see? Is it the cowboy persona? Is it the American made truck in every other driveway and/or front lawn? Is it the sheer size of the place? Is it the Lone Star beer?

Maybe we'll find out soon, but until then we'll have to remain in the dark on what makes these folks so gosh durn happy about living in a state with over 22 million other people spread out over 260,000 square miles. By the way, that's over 7.5 acres per person. Californians only get a measely 3 acres. As for us Tennesseans, we have a respectable 4.5 acres per person. I know you can get better odds in places like Alaska (a whopping 640 acres or 1 square mile a person), Montana, the Dakotas, Idaho and Wyoming, but whoever heard of "Don't mess with South Dakota"?

10 Things I Would Miss About Nashville

Things is the key word here... as in inanimate objects... i.e. not people. That's not to say there aren't people we'll miss. That would be silly.

Honorable Mention: Blue Moon Waterfront Cafe. I'd miss it if it were still around to be missed.

10. Krystal's Combo #2 with one of Jamye's Chiks (Currently none in Austin)
9. The Blue Bar at The Gold Rush
8. Hot Diggity Dog's charred Texas Dog and fries
7. The Ryman: The best-sounding concert venue in Nashville, and maybe anywhere
6. Monterey Clubs served by Lee, B.A. and Maria at Dalt's
5. Sir Pizza: Good to the very edge!
4. The Tennessee Titans: Through thick and (currently) thin... like a Sir Pizza
3. Cajun Burgers and fries at Edgefield Sports Bar and Grill
2. Harpeth Hills Golf Course: Site of my best and worst rounds ever
1. Vandy Football: The tailgating, the intimate confines of Dudley Field, and the accompanying heartbreak

Spring is here...

...and so far, I am unimpressed. Cold. Cloudy. Windy. Rainy. Altogether dreary. No sun. No shorts. No sandals. No golf. No fun. Pbbbttthhhhh.

Editorial note: In the interim between infrequent posts, we actually have had several blogworthy events to report on here in the capitol city, namely, our visitors from California and Jackson, TN, our Oscar party, the news (or lack thereof) on the Austin front, a day in court testifying about (drumroll, please) my stolen license plate, and most importantly, Jamye's 30th birthday. So, should we press on or look back? That's the question I'll be mulling over before tonight's sure-to-be-action-packed post.

This May Be the Coolest Commercial Ever

It Ain't Over Yet... but Do They Care?

Vanderbilt's basketball team beat Kentucky twice this season. It's the first time that's happened in my lifetime. Now, here we are on the eve of the SEC tournament, and Vanderbilt stands at a disappointing 16-11. The season that started with such promise looks like a bust, unless they can get at least two wins in the tournament. Even then, they probably won't make it into the NCAA tournament.

Sure, Vandy's taken their share of tough losses this season, including five in the heart of the SEC season by a total of 18 points (with two losses in overtime by a total of 5), but I've also watched them wilt under defensive pressure after leading opponents at halftime on several occassions. So what's the deal? Is it the coach? Is it lack of oncourt leadership (read: Mario Moore)? Is it just tough competition in the SEC? Who knows? The difference between good teams and bad is so razor thin for most schools that there are just a few plays that separate a successful season from a disappointing season.

Regardless of Vandy's performance in the SEC tournament, they're still gonna be my team, and I'd love to see them put on a run and make people take notice. Unfortunately, the 'Dores still seem to be looking for answers to some basic questions, questions that successful teams shouldn't be asking themselves this late in the season. They might be content to go back to the drawing board for next year.

Another One Bites the Dust

Vandyland, the 75-year-old West End diner, is set to close its doors on May 31st. I only went there once and had a damn fine milkshake, if I recall correctly. Sentimentally speaking, this is no skin off my nose, but it still sort of chaps my hide.
Read more about it here.

This is a test.

Here's something I'm excited about.

It's a Phillip K. Dick novel adapted for the screen by a guy named Richard Linklater, a filmmaker who lives and works in this place called Austin, Texas. Linklater has been around for awhile and has an impressive resume of moderately successful and quirky films. This one uses the rotoscoping animation technique that Linklater introduced in 2001's Waking Life, and his Detour Filmproduction company in association with Flat Black Films have completed the film using the technology pioneered by software guru Bob Sabiston. It should be in theaters this summer. No date has been set for the release, but I'll be keeping my eyes peeled.

Click on the banner at the top to see the newest trailer for A Scanner Darkly, and yeah, I know it's got Keanu in it, but I'm excited about it anyway.

Us and Hem

I wasn't as enthusiastic as Jamye about going to last night's Hem show at Exit/In. In fact, I teased her about going home to watch the Olympics right up until the moment we walked into the venue. It was a small crowd, but as the handful of tables were all occupied, we headed for the end of the bar closest to the stage.

After suffering through a Tom Waits/Robert Earl Keene/John Prine knockoff from Minnesota named Ben Weaver, the four piece band we had paid to see ambled onto the stage. After two songs, the band's frontwoman, Sally Elyson (who sounds like Joan Baez without the corncob) implored the crowd to pull their tables and chairs closer to the stage as there was a ridiculous (although typical for the Exit/In) gulf between the stage and the first landing where the tables had been set up. With the kind of quick efficiency that should be reserved for fire drills, most of the crowd complied.

I must say, it was an excellent set that had the crowd rapt. Despite the one or two moronic girls shouting requests at the stage, our failure to get out of another concert without someone yelling "Freebird," and making us wait until the encore to hear our favorite songs, we left the Exit/In satisfied that we had heard a show where the band had enough faith in their talents to not comprimise their sound for more popularity. Actually, it was quite a shame that a band that so effortlessly fuses folk, country and pop stylings couldn't draw a larger crowd here in Music City, U.S.A. It just shows to go ya.

Postscript: Before I log off here, I do need to mention their cover of a classic old tune that I believe is still in the pantheon of my Dad's favorite songs. He (and anybody else) can download a live version of it by clicking here. Also, you can check out their albums and a brief bio on iTunes. Just figured out how to make those links. Cool, huh?

Nashville Favorites: In Memoriam II

Granite Falls

Jamye and I had our first date there. Six years later, my parents hosted our rehearsal dinner in the room pictured on the left. Obviously, Granite Falls was a special place for us. Now, according to their website, they are closed for business after 19 years.

We should have known that trouble was afoot weeks ago when we caught wind that the restaurant was only going to be open during the dinner hours for private events. The place put a positive spin on the change by trumpeting previously non-existent breakfast hours on a large banner hanging from the side of the building. Lunch would still be served too, but the scene had been set for eventual failure. The Midtown breakfast crowd had already been cornered by the likes of Pancake Pantry, Noshville, Le Peep, Provence and Jackson's, and even with the staggering amount of gentrification in Nashville, I guess the management of Granite Falls began to see the writing on the wall very soon after their last ditch effort to keep the venerable restaurant alive.

It's funny. With more and more urban living projects in the pipeline, the Nashville restaurant scene should be booming, and perhaps it is for some, but from our vantage point, the locally owned places seem to be disappearing. From what little I've experienced of it through our friends Tracy and Jody, the restaurant industry is a fickle business that can turn on a dime, and sentimental spots of our past are easily ground to rubble by the wheels of corporate expansion.

Granite Falls wasn't a place we visited often, but it was a special treat when we did. As with Blue Moon, we'll always have our memories of Herb Lemon Chicken, Rattlesnake Pasta and Maryland Crabcakes, but more importantly, Jamye and I will remember the place we met for lunch that sunny April day in 1996. Ten years later, we're still going strong. We wish we could say the same for Granite Falls.

Ever get the Mean Reds??

Yeah, well, I do too. I've never resorted to shoplifting, but a good rant-fest is never beyond me. (Poor Jon!) Right now, it's the annoying Kindergarten teacher from none-other-than-Nashville on the Bachelor that's giving me the fidgets...I know, I know! Could it get any more pathetic?? I think I'm just getting fed up, feeling some issues are way overdue. Definitely becoming impatient, restless, and I'm most assuredly giving up on the news.

When Arthur March only gets 18 months in prison, and a Metro officer only gets 30 days and some community service for hitting and critically wounding a college student while driving under the influence--I just want to pull my hair out. Not to mention a VP with bad aim, riotous fundamentalists (I mean, c'mon! Isn't everyone just sick and tired of being offended already??!?), kids dying from some stupid choking game that I remember idiots performing in the Girl's restroom by the cafeteria in high school, and enough about Hillary! Stop it! Just... stop it.

Who knows, maybe a more conservative outlook is in my future. Maybe Ann Coulter and I will one day see eye-to-eye. Um, HA. Maybe it's because I've been out of the job-hunt for too long and no longer know what to expect. Perhaps it's all of the recent snow and ass-chapping weather. (Although we've just had the most relaxing weekend I can remember in months). Or maybe it's because I'm breathing down 30's neck. (By the way, I feel old. The undergrad volunteer in our lab, Michael, told Marty and I today that he had never heard of The Police. Imagine our surprise when Michael gasped, "Sting? He was in The Police?") Whatever it might be, I'm having a hard time shrugging off this cabin-fever.

Well at least the Olympics are on and my inner, neglected athlete is getting motivated. I'm off to the gym.

Oscar Wieners

No, that isn't a Brokeback Mountain joke. It's a slam on the 5,800+ members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The Oscars are bestowed on the important pictures that Hollywood usually releases during the final month of the year after they've spoon fed us pap for the previous 11 months. "These are the Oscar-worthy films," they say. "This is the good stuff. All that other stuff was just to sell popcorn and pad our accounts so we can make great cinema. Yes, many of you will get a chance to see these movies in your hometown weeks after they have been released in New York and Los Angeles and after the critics in those two cities have told the rest of the country what we already knew: These films are the cream of the crop. Now, we will nominate ourselves for awards to confirm what the critics said about what we already knew."

I watched Million Dollar Baby on HBO recently. You may remember that it won the Oscar for Best Picture last year because everyone in Hollywood thinks that Clint Eastwood can do no wrong. If you recall, this is a man who made his career out of 1. playing gunslingers in Spaghetti Westerns, 2. toting around a hand cannon as a guy named Dirty something-or-other, 3. acting as second banana to a precocious orangutan named Clyde, and 4. singing that they called the wind Mariah. Now, I'm not going to say the movie was terrible, because it wasn't, but man, it was a bummer. I guess the new measure of a movie's worth is if you leave the theater wringing your hands and crying, "Woe is me!" while simultaneously rending your garments and gnashing your teeth.

Sadly, I'm still a sucker for the stuff (stuff=Oscars). When the final act in the Lord of the Rings trilogy swept the Oscars two years ago. It was a reward for a staggering achievement in film that will probably not be duplicated in my lifetime: Three features filmed back to back on location in New Zealand and recreating, down to the finest detail, a completely engrossing fantasy world. A movie I actually loved (although not as much as the previous two installments) had won for being accessible, crowd-pleasing entertainment. To each his own, but give me movies that aspire to be rousing entertainment over movies about cowboy lovers, Truman Capote, racial tensions in Los Angeles, a 50-year old witch hunt, and a 30-year old act of terrorism.

In all honesty, I haven't seen this year's nominated films. Every year, Jamye and I plan to see each one, but we never make it. I think there's something to that. After a long day at work, it makes more sense to go see a big gorilla scale the Empire State Building or a Caped Crusader take down ninjas rather than watch two ranch hands stare at each other longingly across a campfire. Maybe we just resent being told what is good and/or important by the very people who make sequels to movies called Big Momma's House.

"The Weighing Is the Hardest Part"

Or, "What I've Been Doing Since My Last Post"

I've needed to lose some weight for awhile, and by "some weight" I mean about 50-60 pounds... roughly 1/4 of myself. I had tried the Atkins approach before and had some success (losing roughly 20 lbs in six weeks), but once I fell off the no carb wagon, I rapidly put the 20 lbs. back on after a few helpings of potatoes. If man cannot live on bread alone, what makes Dr. Atkins (may he rest in peace) think man can live on bacon and rabbit food alone.

So here I was on January 22, 2006, back from a week of gorging myself on queso in Austin and looking for a sensible way to change my eating habits without being forced to give up the lifeblood of any self-respecting Irishman or adopt the eating habits of primitive man.

I decided to return to a site of a former failure. CalorieKing.com I had attempted to keep track of calories in the past, but had been unsuccessful sticking with it. I would get tired of toting around my little book made from office-supplied materials and jotting down my caloric intake day after day. This time, I downloaded their trial software, so I could keep track of what I was doing in the comfort of my little Macintosh world. Plus, it gives me fat, carb, protein, and fiber content in addition to caloric information. The database of foods included is truly stupefying, so I can usually find what I need and simply drag the item into my daily intake window. After two and a half weeks, I can see that I tend to like things that have fat in them. Imagine that. I am routinely close to or slightly above my daily allotted fat intake while I usually lag behind in the protein department. The whole exercise has been very eye-opening, and speaking of exercise, it'll keep track of that too.

Anyway, if I can trust our little bathroom scale (and that's a big IF), I have managed to shed eight pounds in two and a half weeks. At that rate, I should find myself getting to where I need to be in another.... oh, four months. I suppose it would help if I ramped up the exercise regiment a little, and by "ramped up" I mean started, of course.

I realize that some of our loyal handful of readers will be taken aback by the confessional nature of this post, but as somebody once said, "Confession is good for the soul." Now, let's see if it does anything for love handles.