Memphis, TN
Normally I write about my goings on and various activities but I thought I might highlight something that I think is great…,

Memphis finally has a decent Hostel!

I have traveled over the world and have stayed at many different Hostels. The clientele and decor always interesting. The ones in German are strict and have minimum and maximum ages. Others in Amsterdam cater to party people. Most hostels are for any age. They operate on the premise that you as a traveler want to spend your money on sites and experiences rather than a luxury place to sleep. If you think about it this way it makes sense. Why spend a ton of money on a place that you only sleep in. There has even been a few times that only my luggage spent the night at the hostel! Hostels, because of their communal nature, are also great places to meet people and get recommendations on sights to see and places to go. My hostel experiences, both good and bad, are some of the greatest memories of my travels around the world.

Well I saw in the Lamplighter, a Cooper-Young neighborhood monthly that a church/community resource center called First Congo (First Congregational Church) opened at hostel called Pilgrim House Hostel and Retreat Center. First off for anyone wary of religious types do not worry the folks at First Congo are certainly spiritual but just a certainly one of the most laid back group’s you will ever run across. For instance they run a program called the Community Bicycle Initiative with neighborhood kids where if the kid learns how to repair bicycles and put a set amount of volunteer hours working on bicycles then the kid gets one. They also have the MeDiA Co-op which gives work shops on using and utilizing digital media. Like I said the place is cool.

For those who do not know Memphis the Cooper-Young area is a neighborhood located in the heart of Midtown Memphis that has tons of dining, bars, book stores, coffee shops, and just cool places. I am biased because I used to live there but trust you will have fun. To those who come across this don’t worry about distance from downtown. The cab ride is about ten bucks and there is bus (#2) that runs right downtown (Medical Center Loop) with access to the bus station, train station, and of course Beale Street. The bus also runs to the airport. In other words the location is ideal.

The Cooper Young trestle welcomes visitors

The rates are very reasonable and only out of towners (both foreign and domestic) can stay there. The Pilgrim House Hostel also has laundry facilities, a group kitchen, internet access, and off street parking. My good friend Mocha Dave and I would often speculate, scheme, and conjecture about how to do good hostel in Memphis. These folks seem to have pulled it off.

Kitchen

Hallway to private and community rooms

Top Five Personal Hostel Memories

1. Breaking into our hostel in Munich through a window because we were out way too late at the Hofbrau House.
2. JW's “natural” sleep attire in community bedroom at Jatzek’s Hostel in Amsterdam.
3. Eating curry chips (french fires) from a late night chipper watching two drunken fools make out through the window of my Belfast Hostel.
4. Camping out in a tent in the backyard of a Dingle Peninsula hostel for one pound and waking up to a spectacular sunrise of over the Dingle Bay.
5. An untold “incident” at the hostel in Krakow, Poland. Nuff’ said.
   
   

Memphis, TN

If you work in downtown Memphis you certainly noticed well over 200 middle school students in business attire wandering around various government offices. Unfortunately this was not a coup by the young people. The students were there for Model United Nations sponsored by the YMCA of the Mid South. The conference introduces middle school students the basics of the United Nations General Assembly. The students do research, draft, and debate resolutions. (Here is link to some the resolution)

The girls from the “H”, under the guidance and tutelage of the 7th grade geography teacher and me garnered many honors. There were eight schools and eighty-eight total resolutions. Sixteen of the resolutions make it to the General Assembly. Our girls had seven of them. We had two of the three outstanding resolutions, and two of the five outstanding delegates. Great work!!!

The Gibson Lounge off of Beale Street

Amel Larrieux

Later on that night I joined the Canadian Duck, Kath, Truk, Mocha Dave, and Christina for a performance by Amel Larrieux at the Gibson Lounge off of Beale Street. She had a very soulful jazzy sound that was quite enjoyable. She was without her usual keyboard player, due to the impending birth of his child, and one of her back-up singers. Amazingly her thirteen year old daughter filled in. You could tell she was nervous at first. However with each song she gained more and more confidence. It was neat to see the mother daughter interaction. If want a listen to her music here is her Myspace page which has some of her music.

The Green Beetle from the outside

A stained glass of the interior of the Green Beetle with... Green Beetles.

Notice the tacky X-Mas sweaters. Great theme for a party!

A bar with lots of wood panneling and a reference to "Memphis State" is my type of bar.

Memphis, TN

To those of you who do not follow sports in general or NFL in particular were probably not aware of crisis involving the NFL Network and Time Warner. The crisis reached fever pitch with the Cowboys/Packers game on Thursday. If you can’t get aboard the whole sports theme here is a theme I KNOW you can get behind; HATING the cable companies!!! I would explain to the non sports people but you will have a much better chance of understanding by simply reading this article from ESPN.

Brett Farve before being knocked out of the game

Aaron Rodgers proved a very capable replacement for Farve

Normally I would go to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch this great game but it would be packed with a bunch of idiots who think they like the Cowboys or Packers. Since I had recently been to Alex’s, Baruch and I decided to go watch it there. Great Decision!!! The place was less packed but still had a great crowd. The wings, although more pricey, were wonderful. We were joined by the Big Mike, Cheryl, the Canadian Duck, and the Music Man. The game lived up to its billing. Much to Baruch’s delight the Cowboys pulled away at the end for a victory.

Here is a help guide from the Packers Website for those who had questions of how to be able to watch the game.
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding wacthing the Packers game against the Cowboys

Memphis, TN

After Turkey day things were pretty quiet. Everyone was still recovering from what I believe to be the American of holidays. What better way to celebrate America than conspicuous consumption of large amounts of food and drink!!! God bless the USA!!!

I went out to Well’s place to watch the Brown’s with Uncle Dave. Another good win for the Brownies. They now have definitive playoff aspirations. I have feeling that the Browns will see the Steelers again in the playoffs, and it will not be good for the “Stillers”. Just a gut feeling.

Wednesday
I met with McGoogle for at Alex’s for a BBQ meeting. Unbeknownst to us, we did not check our e-mail, the meeting had been canceled. We continued the meeting none the less and decided the following things;

1. Pork will be served.
2. More beer is good.
3. A second Port O’ John is needed. (A third “manly” man Port O’ John was discussed. It would have no seat and only be used for urination, vomiting, and of course holding “Smiling Chuck” during judging)

All votes were unanimous (2 to 0)