The maiden voyage (sort of) of the American Queen

The American is a massive riverboat that will now docked in Memphis on the river in Memphis. We walked down to the river to catch it as rolled up the river.

I biked over to Jack and Ashley's for some oysters and mudbugs this evening.

Very nice.

Things I will miss about Memphis

As some of you know I'll be leaving my beloved Memphis in about two months for our nation's capital for a new job and another adventure.

There are countless things I'll miss about Memphis. The people, the places, the BBQ!

So over the next couple of months I'll be posting some of those things in no particular order.

Here's one thing I'll miss. The best porch in Memphis.

I'm dog sitting for Kath and Truk. So this morning I'm enjoying a cup of coffee on this great porch with Jake by my side. Jake and I go way back, 13 years in fact. His parents and I go back even farther. Truk was my roommate freshman year at Rhodes, and back then we were called freshmen not first years. Kath and I go back nearly as long. She a girlfriend briefly and has been a great friend ever since.

The porch is nestled in the heart of Midtown Memphis in close proximity to Rhodes College with views of Evergreen Pres. Church and Snowden School.

I can't count the number of meals, cups of coffee, beers, and conversations I've enjoyed on the porch with friends new and old.

I will miss the tranquility that this porch brings. As the Buddhist prayer flags gently flutter in the cool morning breeze my mind wanders about my past and future journeys.

I'm surrounded by the flowers that Kath dutifully tends. The fragrances of the flowers and the smell of fresh brewed coffee calm me as i sit in the mornjng sun. The sounds of children playing soccer across the way mix with the constant stream of planes overhead that only notice because I'm trying to capture this time and place in my memory. A seasoned midtowner stops hearing the planes within a month or two.

The fact that the porch is in close proximity to Rhodes College helps connects my memories past and present of Memphis. My mind wanders to an 18 year old John Stephany walking on campus. So many memories and great friends.

Enough of that.

I'm so excited to begin a new chapter of my life at St. Albans and in DC but it tempered by leaving Memphis. But as many people have said, "You never leave Memphis. It's always a part of you."

Thanks porch.

Things I'll miss about living in Memphis

The view of the Mississippi River from my condo roof.

Great Video of Memphis

This weekend is projected to have great weather. Here is a little video of some scenes from downtown Memphis, except for the Joe's Liquor's Sputnik (Memphis reference).

Memphis Moments from jason allen lee on Vimeo.

Snow at the Hutch

2011-2012 Memphis Tiger Basketball Intro Video

Tigers..., Leggo!

Today, goes to 11!

Nigel Tufnel: The numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and...

Marty DiBergi: Oh, I see. And most amps go up to ten?
Nigel Tufnel: Exactly.
Marty DiBergi: Does that mean it's louder? Is it any louder?
Nigel Tufnel: Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?
Marty DiBergi: I don't know.
Nigel Tufnel: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?
Marty DiBergi: Put it up to eleven.
Nigel Tufnel: Eleven. Exactly. One louder.
Marty DiBergi: Why don't you just make

ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a little louder?
Nigel Tufnel: [pause] These go to eleven.

What would make a chubby guy run a half marathon? Tony Oliveira and St. Jude.

St. Jude Half-Marathon for Tony Oliveira

Memphis...., Elvis, BBQ, rock n' roll, BB King, Stax Records, the Civil Rights museum, cotton, the Blues, the Grizzlies, and of course your the Memphis Tigers. All of these things are great; they help make the Bluff City awesome. But the thing that is the heart of Memphis, St. Jude Children's Hospital.

I've lived in downtown Memphis for almost 1o years. I have driven by it countless number of times. I still remember my first visit. It kicks you in the gut and then fills your heart. The place rocks. The kids have more courage in the little pinky finger than I'll ever have.

I was always impressed by the place but it never meant as much to me until my first year teaching at SBA, (St. Benedict at Auburndale). Before I ever taught a class there I found out that one of the students in my 12th grade religion class had been diagnosed with cancer. The class with Social Justice and Death & Dying. In addition I found out that the young man was supposed to play baseball for me in the spring (He did!). What the heck I am supposed to do with that information.

I meet the kid, his name is Tony Oliveira. I find out that he fought and beat cancer in his 8th grade year. Fighting cancer in your 8th and 12th grade years is not fair, not fair at all. Over the course of the next few weeks I'll be telling some stories.

How his buddies all shaved their heads when he was going through chemo.

The ridiculous and fantastic end of the day class we called religion with those seniors.

His return to the team in spring.

The Oktoberfest Brat cooking contest victory.., ok only a little of that one.

Tony fought cancer numerous more times.., he never let it win. Cancer may have taken his body here on earth but it NEVER beat his spirit. That young man lived more in thirty years than most people live in a lifetime.

So what possess me to run a half marathon? It comes down to this, if Tony and thousands of kids and people like him can battler cancer than I can put down my beer and sandwiches a run a few miles.

I've been training since the summer. I'm putting in the miles. I won't win the race but that's not the point. I'm going to try and fight my way through it. The victory is in the battle not the outcome.

A story about Tony

A Toast to Tony: Seven-course meal is four-star salute to chef fighting for his life

Tony's Obituary

Here is his obit.

A typical teen, chef Tony Oliveira would bum a few dollars from his father, Cody, here and there. But not for bars or new clothes -- he wanted a fine dining experience.

An athlete, outdoorsman, accomplished chef, husband and son, Mr. Oliveira lived every day like a treasured gift, friends and family members say.

He died Thursday evening after a 16-year battle with cancer. He was 29.

"Tony was a fun kid, watching competitive cooking shows and telling the chefs on TV what they were doing wrong," his father said. "He never once asked to go to Chuck E. Cheese's."

As a boy, he won regional and national cooking awards, entering under the names of family friends to bypass the age restrictions. He was an athlete training for triathlons.

At 13, his story changed.

For years, doctors helped him fight lymphoma and osteosarcoma, later taking tumors from his brain and lungs. They removed the majority of his spleen. Surgeries followed chemotherapy and convalescence. Through it all, he excelled.

Two years into a University of Tennessee-Martin education and baseball scholarship, he left for Louisiana's Nicholls State University and the John Folse Culinary Institute.

His talent wooed his colleagues; his charm wooed the gifted and ambitious pastry chef Brandi Hannon. The two cultivated a passionate rivalry and were married last March.

"They were a great team, always trying to outdo each other," his father said. "He'd create a magnificent, four-course meal and she'd dazzle you with dessert."

Mr. Oliveira went on to earn a scholarship at the prestigious Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon, France, and worked as a sous chef at La Tour in Vail, Colo., quickly moving up to chef de cuisine. In Memphis, he helped a dear friend establish Restaurant Iris at 2146 Monroe as a premier New Orleans-inspired eatery.

"My son had a pretty bright future," Cody said. "He accomplished most of his goals, lived the way he wanted. He just ran out of time."

Mr. Oliveira, husband of Brandi Oliveira, also leaves his parents, Cody and Linda Oliveira of Memphis; sister, Christin Anne and her husband Capt. Russell Streif, of Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; and two godsons, Jackson Graham Streif and Anthony Marshall Streif.

The funeral will be Monday at 1 p.m. at Holy Rosary Catholic Church on Park Avenue with burial services to follow. Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery has charge.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Tony Oliveira Scholarship Fund at St. Benedict at Auburndale High School or to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

If you could donate a few bucks to St. Jude it would go a long way.

LSU Football

In Baton Rouge for some Tiger football. Awesome tailgate with old friends.

Just watched a women pull a flask from her bra. I love SEC football!

Lucian

Play that funky music white boy!

Canoe trip on Ghost River

About to spend the day on the Wolf River with the lads.

Good times.

Perfect Fall evening in Memphis.

Memphis Madness in the FedEx Forum down the street.

Good friends dropping in and out.

It will be an early night because I have half-marathon prep in the morning. But enjoying some Ghost River brewed from the aquifers of Mid-South

An awesome evening. This is why I love Memphis.

High School football in Middle America

Went to see a close friend's youngest play football on my way to Chicago for fall break.

It was a beautiful fall night, after sunset their was an ever so slight chill in the air.

He and his team played fantastic and won the game 49 - 0. He's the youngest of three boys, the other two went to the Ivy League for school/football, which means that he tough from getting the shit beaten out of him by his older siblings.

Great weekend

Such a relaxin weekend. Enjoyed hanging out, grillin', socializing, and maybe a cold libation or two. This was were we hung out and stayed. A great time.

Bottle Tree

Morning coffee in the Delta

The Shack Up Inn

Enjoying a few nights at the Ernz Shack in Clarksdale, MS.

Friday evening ride

Had a great ride through downtown this evening. The sunset along the Mississippi was spectacular.

This is what college athletics should be about!

This is just awesome!!!!

On the first day of his Senior year at Green Bay, Coach Brian Wardle surprised Valentin with an awesome surprise. Valentin is the same player who walked onto the men's basketball team and broke the Guinness World Record for most half court shots made. Video courtesy of Green Bay Athletics.

Here's a little Memphis love

Here is the latest video from the Memphis band, FreeSol. Shot in and around downtown Memphis and it even features Justin Timberlake.