Follow The Yellow Brick Road: May

So, this month we get to get a little bit outside of the heart of Downtown and go to Old City. We are, also, going to kick it a little old school with the movie as we talk about Director Clarence Brown.

This movie is all about the summer love and finding yourself. Ah, Wilderness follows a family trying to navigate love at all sorts of stages. From one man who, is very young, and thinks he know everything, a man who has loved his wife for years, a college man finding that he never needed to look far to find love, and a slightly older couple just trying to start things out. 

The first few minutes of the movie I thought was going to ruin the movie. The reason for that is because the young man who is graduating has all of these "ideas", a young men do, that makes them think that they know everything. It's one of the insufferable people that you are just begging to grow up. Thankfully, the movie ends up being very sweet and funny and really ends up with everyone being happy. It's really a movie that does stay with you. I think that t's because of how wonderful Mr. Clarence Brown directed it. 

Clarence Brown was born in 1890 in California but moved to Knoxville, Tennessee at the age of 11. He went to Knoxville High School and then to UT where he got two degrees in engineering. He actually had a lot of different job before he found where he was meant to be in movies. He worked on cars, and then had his own dealership. He was a fighter pilot and instructor during World War I. In 1913 is when he found his love of movies and got interested in directing. In 1924 he got his official start at Universal Studios and then when to MGM and he stayed with them until he retired in the mid 1950s. He got to work with some of the best Actresses in the business, Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo. 

I wish that on the list today was Knoxville High School, because it was close by but it's not in this section of town. However, I am sure that some of the place we are going to talk about are the same the Clarence Brown would have seen during his time in Knoxville.

  This wonderful building was came alive in the Old City in 1888. It's called the Patrick Sullivan's Saloon. The Saloon was a shocking thing it's day because everyone was allowed to come in! All genders and colors were welcomed. That is until 1907 when Knoxville banned Saloons. However, that did not stop the building from being used. It quickly changed into and Ice Cream parlor that was run by the Armetta family. The name can still be seen on the building, if you are look hard enough (not in this picture). However, it's currently the home of the Lonesome Dove. A place that I will hope to one day eat but it might be a while. 

Boyd's Jig and Reel is a great place to eat! The building that it resides in is from the 1890s and was originally a pharmacy. In the 1920s it was actually turned into a chili parlor, called The Manhattan Café, that was Greek owned, and set a precedent for having the same size rooms for black and white in the establishment. However, something to note that Stick McGhee, who wrote the rock'n'roll hit "Drikin' Wine, Spo-dee-o-dee" worked here as a waiter in 1987. Jig and Reel set up shop here in 2011 and has been a wonderful addition to our town since.  

The JFG Flats is a set of apartments that are built into the old location of the JFG Coffee. The location is the thirst location, and the longest, of the coffee brand. The brick buildings also shown at the far end of the picture are the Richardsonian Romanesque Building. These buildings have a very unique, and expensive, style. There would have been more of these styled buildings however, the depression of 1893 put a stop to that. 

The White Lilly Flats is another set of apartments that are in a building that was one the factory of Lily White Flour. The building has been here since 1885 and it saw a lot of what was happening on Depot Street with the South Railway Station.

The Southern Railway Station has seen many historical events since it's opening in 1903. It's seen riots, and tragedy, and it's welcomes some very famous people too. Buffalo Bill, President Wilson, President Taft and Al Jolson to name a few. The last passenger trial that ran through was in 1970. There is a Museum inside the walls that talk all about the history. The trail, Three Rivers Rambler, hold special events in the fall and during Christmas time to show off what locomotive used to be able to do. 

I am so happy! For the first time in a long time I am caught up! I really do hope that I can stay like this moving forward. However, we all know that that is not likely to happen. I will see you next time friends!

Let The Joyous New Be Spread: May

 So, May has been impossible! 

I was all set to do the celebration I had originally wanted to do, then I wound up going to a funeral on the same day and could not do it. So, instead of National Take Your Parents To A Playground Day, I did International Jazz Day!

Now, I love Jazz music! I don't play, but I love listening to it! So, when I found our the National Jazz Day was on May 28th, I was thrilled. I picked a great movie to go along with the theme of this day Disney's Soul.

Soul is about a man who is trying to figure out his purpose in life. He thinks that playing jazz music is all there is for him. He loves jazz, he knows everything there is to know about it. He gets called to an audition for a club, and it thinking that his dreams are finally coming true after all of this time. However, an accident leads him into the afterlife. He is trying to escape in order to get back to his body and to the audition. However, the powers that be are there to stop that plan. He is trying to get back to earth he find that another new soul is unwilling to go to earth. 22 is her name and avoiding earth is her game. She has several people be a mentor to her in the time but none of told her anything that makes her want to go to earth. Until, she accidentally goes with him. The question is will she find out that living is exciting? Will living show her how much she wants to live, will her life also show that there is more to life and just a purpose? 

While this is not my favorite Disney movie, it's got a great message. We all want to find our passion. We often confuse Passion with Purpose. Passions are the things that get us excited, and get us moving, even when we don't want to. Purpose can change over time. Some of use the the awesome time of the passions we love being our purpose. Those don't always cross and the time time. When they don't it's not always for a long time. Everything in life is about a balance. Keeping the balance is heard, so we always needs to step back and look at the world around us and refocus.

So, I really didn't do a whole lot for this day. However, I did listen to Seth MacFarlane's new Jazz Album that dropped earlier this month, Blue Skies!

It's his like 7th studio album, and it's just a wonderful treat that I was so happy for this month. He does a great job of singing all of the standards, and all of the songs are lovely. I was very happy to celebrate that day listening to a wonderful talent.

What Ought To Be: May

1. Closer in Faith:  It's spiraled out of control. Every year I start off good for a few month and I always hit a very bad wall. Granted, this year it took way longer to get to this wall, but I have come to it. I was getting lazy before the death of my Grandma, but her death made it worse. I was not super close with her, but going to her funeral was well more than enough to give me crazy amount of anxiety for many reasons. The spiraling of me not praying, and look grip on what feels like everything, has been heightened because I have not been praying or in the word. I will be better, I need to stop thinking that I can fix everything before coming to God and just run to Him. 

2. Lose 50 Pounds: I have only kept up with going to the gym because of the fact that I will be getting paid for that. Diet, and everything else has not been happening. I have either not been eating, or eating out far too often. I know that if I fix the above issue this one will work itself out. I still have time I just need to stop being lazy and scared. 

3. Cook Better: I only made it to two meals. One was a make up from last month and the other was the one I had planned to do with Alaina. I think, besides the meal I made for small group, this was the only two times I cooked anything in my kitchen this month. 

4. Dress for Success: Nope, not even going to go here. I went to work everyday looking like a sack of potatoes. 

5. Speak up: I said a few things in the car to my dad about his driving, that was about it. This month was more about survival than speaking out. 

6. Own the Room: Survival mode. Did not care enough to even try. 

7. Look People in the eye more: Survival, and also didn't want to try and feel like I didn't want to cry so avoided eye contact at all cost this month. 

8. Building Relationships: This one was ok. I was not home for a weekend, and I texted friends some. However, Beth did come for a visit this month and I was glad to see her!

9. Style: 

I bought this shirt for lots of reasons, and none of them are something that I agree with at all. I did not like the neckline, the cut, or the color. When I wear the right cardigan with it I feel better. Honestly, that's really just to cover up the shirt so it's fine. I did get lots of compliments on it, but I'm not going to be making this shirt one of my favorites anytime soon. 

10. Creativity: Yeah, didn't really do anything. Survival mode. 

11. Spoiling: Ok, I did buy a new car! I did that before everything went sideways. It's been in the plan for a while now to buy a new one but I finally did it!

12. Peace: I have not been a peace for a while. In some ways I am at peace about certain things in my life. In general, no. If I sit and talk with God for a few minutes, I feel like God has me. I know that I can be at peace again. It's just a matter of giving it to God. It's hard to give up control. It's harder to realize that I never had the control in the first place, which makes me hold on tighter that I have before.

The Philadelphia Story is classic story of a love triangle... well two love triangles... well maybe it's a love hexagon? Tracy is getting married, however, is it to the right guy? A Story writing and photographer and trying to get the inside scoop, even though they don't want to, and wind up at the wedding. Who is helping them get into the wedding that everyone is talking about? C.K. Dexter Haven, Tracy's ex-husband. However, all of this is rolled up into so much blackmail that everyone is about to be blackballed from the wedding! This is also rolled up into some of the best comedy, so it's all fun and laughs along the way too!

I know that I have written about this movies before, and I know that I will again, but I love this movie. It's really one of my favorites! It's got some of the best actors and writing. If anyone asks for a good classic comedy that is a love story this is one of the ones that I will recommend. 

The meal that went with this movie was, of course, a Philly Cheese Steak. Now, I will say that this meal was blah. The steak really needed some more spices or some sort of marinade. Not like something crazy, but just a little something more with flavor. The drink was ok. It was a Stinger. It was just too much Bandy for me. I would make the meal again, but I would add some stuff and fix it.

Man and wife should always fight for each other.... that is unless it's in court. Adam, and his wife Amanda, are both lawyers that have found themselves in the middle of an insane court battle, each defending a husband and a wife. The wife found her husband cheating and tried to shoot him and his lover. Amanda defends her to show that it's was a crime of passion and you would feel different if the husband was the one who found that his wife was cheating. The questions becomes, will Adam and Amanda stiff find that love that they carried outside of the courtroom all along, or will is just become a pain in Adam's Rib?

It's been a very long time since I have seen this movie. I forgot how much I love seeing Kathrine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy on the screen together. Their scenes when they flirt in the courtroom have to be my favorite. Manly, I think it's because I see them being like that in real life on the set. It's funny, serious, flirty, and almost everything you want in a film.  

Now this meal was interesting to say the very least. It was the mean the Tracy and Hepburn made in the move, Lamb Stew with Aromatic Rice with a Lime Daiquiri. Now, Alaina and I have never worked with Lamb before, and Walmart didn't have the cut I originally wanted, so we had to make due. We had a great time making the meal. We talked a lot about personal stuff, funny stuff, and just being stupid in general. We watched Pitch Perfect and had a great night. We both really enjoyed the meal. I was not sure what I was going to think but it was so good! It will be one the I will be making again! 

Well, I only got to two this month, however, I am doing 4 meals in the month of June and I have already completed one of them! If I can just get back to planning things like I need to I will be able to be on tope of things for this month.. Wish me luck!

Follow The Yellow Brick Road: April

 Let me tell you, getting to this point has been a struggle. I am glad that I am here but let's get into it!

The great Patricia Neal is the star of this month! She is very well known for her role in Breakfast at Tiffany's, however, we are going to look at The Day The Earth Stood Still.

What beings from outside of our world come to speak with us about our intentions, the world panics. 

It's the early rise of Sci-Fi Movies this month. Since it's so early there isn't really much to the plot of this movie. I will say that this movie wasn't bad. I don't think I would have ever had watched it had it not been for the fact that Patricia Neal is in it. She was wonderful, and she gave lots of hope to the story, but the story was ok for me. Not too much really to be invested in. 

We are taking another good look downtown this month by being in the Historic Downtown.

This is the old Courthouse. It one of four that have been around downtown. However, it's no longer used as courthouse these day. The local government still uses it for offices and such but not much for anything else. There have been many historic decisions have been made in these alls. The most notable one would be desegregating Clinton High School in 1956. It was the first school in the south to be desegregated. 

In the yard of this building are a few statues that need to be noted. 

The first governor of Tennessee is buried, along with his wife, in the lawn. His name is John Sevier and he was a Revolutionary War hero. He actually died in the lands that would later become Alabama, and was buried there. in the 1880's, during the construction of this building, he was exhumed from Alabama and buried here. 

The soldier that stands outsit the courthouse is to honor those who fought in the Spanish-American. War. It was placed in 1940 but those who actually fought in the way and was the last staue places in the downtown area for a couple of decades.

 This status if the Beloved Woman of Justice that was placed here in 2000. 

The post office was designed in 1932 and it's shows off Tennessee Marble in the best way possible. The eagles that are featured here are carved by Alber Malani, an Italian immigrant who lived in Knoxville for 60 years. 

The Medical Arts Building was build in 1931 and was intended for people who worked in the medical field to live here. It's not hold lots of residents and buisnesses. 

Park House was originally supposed to be a home for John Sevier but he gave up the home in 1812. That same year Irish immigrant James Park took the house and finished building it. James Park became Knoxville's Second and Fourth Mayor. His son was born in the house and died there 90 years later. It's now the heardquarters of the Gulf & Ohion Shor-line Railroad. 

The YWCA has been around since 1925 and it's been a place for women to seek help all this time. However, one of it's more interesting notes is that it was used in the movie October Sky in 1999. The lobby was used to be Indianpolis hotel. 

The YMCA has been home to many people through the years with Benton Mackaye being one of them. He was the creator of the Appalachian Trial. However, one of the most intertesting stories is the in 1944 the FBI caputed a Nazi Spy, who was in town tyring to find out what was going on at Oak Ridge. 

The Lawson McGhee Library has been here since 1971 and it's the third library to honor Charles McClung McGhee's daughter who died giving birth in 1883. 

There are a few churches that we do need to take note of here as well. 

The is First Baptist and it's has called Knoxville it's home since 1924. The Steeple was actually originally built in order to hide a radio tower. The second Knoxville Radio station was actually a religious based network from this church. 

St. John's Episcopal is a beautiful building that has been here since 1892. That is the original church building has been. There has been lost of expansions in the years since it has been here. The church was the home church to Author James Agee. 

Church Street Methodist is the last of the churches on today's list. This church opened in 1930, on the same day of the opening of the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. 

 I know that something of these were cheats. I clearly pictures taken from my car. However, that is life. It's not always how you image it to be. I do love showing off my city, even if it's not in the way that I had wanted to. However, there is only so much that a person can do when life gets nuts. I am clearly behind, seeing that this is being published in June. However, I have done everything to May except write the dang blog. I will be working on that tomorrow and I pray I can get it all caught up before I go back to work and prolong that too!