Monthly Archives: December, 2011
The Weekendist: Animal Days Edition
Chins up, Nashville… It’s practically Friday, which means it’s almost Saturday. For some reason, our four-day work week has felt twice as long as usual, and we’re more than ready for this weekend. You may have noticed that The Weekendist has been eerily absent in recent weeks, and that’s because January and February are the most boring months EVER. Even so, it appears that Nashville is finally over the Christmas-exhaustion hump and back to business as usual, with plenty of stuff happening this weekend to keep us on our toes.
FRIDAY
- Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey: Over The Top at the Sommet Center, Friday-Sunday. (Performance times & tickets here)
- Tennessee State Fairgrounds Flea Market, Friday-Sunday. Admission is free, but be prepared to shell out a couple of bucks for parking.
SATURDAY
- All About Women at the Nashville Convention Center, 9am-9pm.
- Zoo Run Run 5k at the Nashville Zoo. Late registration/check in begins at 2pm, the race starts at 3pm and dinner for participants following the race will begin at 4pm.
- Heart & Soul Benefit at the Lofts at Werthan Mills, 7pm-11pm. This is the fifth year for Nashville’s Heart & Soul Benefit, sponsored by Lightning 100′s Team Green and Monells Dining. The event benefits the American Heart Association. This year, attendees will browse six beautiful lofts, with wine & microbrew tastings, hors d’ouvres & desserts, artwork and live entertainment available in each loft. Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 the day of.
SUNDAY
- Where The Locals Eat book signing & tasting at Davis-Kidd in Green Hills, 2pm-4pm. Pat Embry will be signing the second edition of his Where The Locals Eat guide to Nashville dining, and local restaurants will be forking over samples (pun intended). [See our previous post on Where The Locals Eat]
Photo by joshbousel.
Chins up, Nashville… It’s practically Friday, which means it’s almost Saturday. For some reason, our four-day work week has felt twice as long as usual, and we’re more than ready for this weekend. You may have noticed that The Weekendist has been eerily absent in recent weeks, and that’s because January and February are the [...]
Nashville Needs A Tutor [Mixed Reviews By People Who Don't Live Here]
It’s time for another batch of helter-skelter rankings and ratings bestowed upon our beautiful city. This time around, Vanderbilt University is our shining star. As for our unemployment and mortgage rates, well, they’re not so shiny. “Tarnished,” you might even say.
Vanderbilt University scored 98th place on Fortune’s 100 Best Places To Work, becoming the first school to ever make the list. When you look at it that way, 98th place sounds awesome! Vandy also came in 15th place on Kiplinger’s Personal Finance’s Best Value Schools.
A little south of Nashville, our neighbors in Franklin are also winning big. Franklin was named Southern Living’s 5th Best Small Town in a recent Reader’s Choice poll. The Williamson County Fair also just racked up a bunch of awards, though they’re only ranked among other fairs in Tennessee (still, there’s 60 of them, which is nothing to scoff at). The Tennessee Association of Fairs awarded them #1 Best Website, and they came in 2nd & 3rd place in five other categories.
Tennessee’s unemployment rate jumped to 7.9% in December, which is not surprising, but thoroughly depressing all the same. We ranked 17th highest in the nation last month, and when the nationwide numbers roll out next week, we’re hoping we won’t have moved too far up the list.
Other than that, we tied for 1st place (with Colorado) in Zillow.com’s study on states with the highest mortgage rates, and we failed miserably in the American Lung Association’s State of Tobacco Control 2008 report (we didn’t know there was a test). This one was not ranked, rather, graded – and we flunked with a C, a D, and two F’s. That’s a 0.75 GPA!
And lastly, out of 56 major television markets, we ranked #17 in viewership of the presidential nomination. Not too shabby, we say.
Photo by Mad Appler 78.
It’s time for another batch of helter-skelter rankings and ratings bestowed upon our beautiful city. This time around, Vanderbilt University is our shining star. As for our unemployment and mortgage rates, well, they’re not so shiny. “Tarnished,” you might even say. Vanderbilt University scored 98th place on Fortune’s 100 Best Places To Work, becoming the [...]
Happy Hour: Just A Day In The Life
- The circus came to town today and a lot of you guys even spotted some elephants wandering through the streets of downtown this morning. Is it just us, or does this seem to happen more often than one might expect? [WTVF]
- Perhaps more entertaining were the mostly-naked PETA protesters hanging around the impromptu parade to draw some attention to the circus’ cruelty to animals. [Tennessean]
- Bridgestone Firestone announced today that they’re cutting over 600 more jobs from its LaVergne plant because they’re discontinuing several kinds of tires. [WKRN]
- The dumb teenagers who drove around through a Franklin graveyard the other night caused upwards of $20,000 worth of damage. Good luck working that off! [WKRN]
- A fight kids waiting for the bus to Hillsboro High School this morning turned violent when one pulled a gun and started firing at the other. Fortunately his aim sucked so no one got hurt. [WSMV]
Photo by ldysw357.
The circus came to town today and a lot of you guys even spotted some elephants wandering through the streets of downtown this morning. Is it just us, or does this seem to happen more often than one might expect? [WTVF] Perhaps more entertaining were the mostly-naked PETA protesters hanging around the impromptu parade to [...]
Ford Community Day = Free Country Music Hall Of Fame Admission [Freebies]
This Saturday is Ford Community Day, which somehow translates into free admission to the Country Music Hall of Fame all day (not that we’re complaining). Funded by the Ford Motor Company Fund, this is the second annual Ford Community Day. The Country Music Hall of Fame doesn’t have free admission very often, so this is your chance to save a few bucks and play tourist at home. Enjoy! (via Webbspun Ideas)
Photo by afagen.
This Saturday is Ford Community Day, which somehow translates into free admission to the Country Music Hall of Fame all day (not that we’re complaining). Funded by the Ford Motor Company Fund, this is the second annual Ford Community Day. The Country Music Hall of Fame doesn’t have free admission very often, so this is [...]
Captain D’s Introduces IRefuseToCeaseAndDesist.com
You may have previously been unaware that Captain D’s is a Nashville-based company, but boy, are we proud of them right now! Anyway, Captain D’s is having a little wrestling match with that OTHER seafood chain over some advertising that compares their prices to that OTHER seafood chain’s (hint: Starts with “Red” and ends with “Lobster”) prices. That OTHER seafood chain send Captain D’s a cease-and-desist letter, to which our feisty hometown friends have responded:
Well, we’re not going to Cease and Desist, and we hope you’ll join us by visiting irefusetoceaseanddesist.com, where you can watch our response to Red Lobster’s Cease and Desist letter. And the first 1,000 visitors also get a free “I Refuse to Cease and Desist” t-shirt. Wear it with jeans, wear it with slacks, but most importantly, wear it with pride. For more information, visit http://www.irefusetoceaseanddesist.com or http://www.captainds.com.
Unfortunately, we missed the boat on the first 1,000 t-shirts. But we’re proud of these locals for being innovative, bold and for jumping at the chance for a great marketing schtick. Way to go, Captain D’s!
IRefuseToCeaseAndDesist.com
(via Post Business)
You may have previously been unaware that Captain D’s is a Nashville-based company, but boy, are we proud of them right now! Anyway, Captain D’s is having a little wrestling match with that OTHER seafood chain over some advertising that compares their prices to that OTHER seafood chain’s (hint: Starts with “Red” and ends with [...]
Bright & Early: ROFL OMG HAY BFF LOLZ Edition
Good morning, Nashville. With Metro Schools failing at pretty much everything these days, it’s good to see people trying different things… we guess. The principal of Hunters Lane High School recently gave her cell phone number out to every kid in the school and asked them to text her because she feels like it’s a good way to relate to them. Back when we were young’uns, cell phones were not allowed in school (and we had to walk to school uphill both ways in the Virginia Beach snow, etc.) so we’re interested to see how this sort of thing will pan out. She says she gets 300 texts a week and that she thanks God every day for unlimited texting, and that she’s getting really good with the acronyms. Surely there’s some way to harness the texting energy and turn it into test results that won’t get our schools shut down. Surely.
- More and more layoffs. The Davidson County Sheriff’s office may be laying off upwards of 100 people in the next few months. They’re not sure how that’s going to affect the rest of the city since crime goes up whenever the economy goes south, but the Sheriff said something about pulling one leg off of a three-legged stool…
- Not that any of them are reading. The Nashville Public Library is doing its part to help out the unemployed Nashvillians by offering a computer class for the “computer-challenged.” Yes, they said “computer-challenged.”
- Bits & pieces. Two students were held up at gunpoint last night inside their TSU dorm and had both their laptops stolen … The former MTSU student who slashed another student in the school’s parking lot a few months ago is trying to get out of attempted murder charges … It’s getting warm again! And then it’s getting cold again! … Rep. Susan Lynn is getting all bloggy about her sexual harassment allegations against Speaker Kent Williams.
Photo by scragz.
Good morning, Nashville. With Metro Schools failing at pretty much everything these days, it’s good to see people trying different things… we guess. The principal of Hunters Lane High School recently gave her cell phone number out to every kid in the school and asked them to text her because she feels like it’s a [...]
Election Madness, Part Deux: Get Out And Vote! [English Only]
Today’s the big election day for the English Only special ballot initiative, so be sure to take advantage of it this morning since you probably chipped in for the $350K it’s costing us to have it in the first place. Polls open at 7am today and will remain open until 7pm, which means you’ve got plenty of time to swing by after work if you’re not into the morning thing. You’ll be voting at your assigned polling place (the same one you went to for the Presidential Election if you didn’t early-vote) and if you’re unsure, you can find out where you’re registered from the Davidson County Election Commission, which also provides the full text of both amendments. For those looking to dig a little deeper, check out Nashville English First (the folks behind the initiatives) and Nashville For All Of Us (a coalition of organizations and businesses who oppose them) for more detailed information and analyses.
If you notice anything funky going on at the polls (and it does happen from time to time), contact the legal hotline immediately at 238-6300. Translation issues should be directed to the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition at 414-1030.
Happy voting!
Photo by buschap.
Today’s the big election day for the English Only special ballot initiative, so be sure to take advantage of it this morning since you probably chipped in for the $350K it’s costing us to have it in the first place. Polls open at 7am today and will remain open until 7pm, which means you’ve got [...]
Happy Hour: All Eyes On Us
- We’re all worn out from the inauguration festivities, but Nashville’s got another big day tomorrow: The English Only vote. And apparently the entire world is watching. Have you voted yet? [Tennessean]
- Congrats to Torror Wyatt who had a kid on the side of I-24 today! Crazy way to enter the world, but we’re glad it worked out. [WKRN]
- Our favorite singing, songwriting QB Kerry Collins is taking Brett Favre’s place at the ProBowl on February 8th. He’ll be the sixth Titan to take part in the festivities. [WSMV]
- The Wall Street Journal was evacuated today after an envelope of fake anthrax-y goodness made its way into their mail room, postmarked from Tennessee. [Tennessean]
- We’d read about this story earlier but didn’t realize it had a Nashville tie: The woman who fell into the tracks of a Metro train in Washington during the inauguration and was yanked out by a Houston transit worker was from Nashville. Thank goodness she’s alright! [WTVF]
Photo by gypsygirl.
We’re all worn out from the inauguration festivities, but Nashville’s got another big day tomorrow: The English Only vote. And apparently the entire world is watching. Have you voted yet? [Tennessean] Congrats to Torror Wyatt who had a kid on the side of I-24 today! Crazy way to enter the world, but we’re glad it [...]
This Weekend: It’s All Women, All The Time [You Wish]
This Saturday, all ladies of Middle Tennessee are invited to the free All About Women conference/event/experience-ish thingy at the Nashville Convention Center. Women of all ages are can take a break from the toils of their daily lives (whatever they may be) and learn how to fix a toilet. No, seriously, there are definitely classes on how to fix a toilet at this thing. Thankfully, women seeking some real relaxing (ix-nay on the oilet-tay ixing-fay) can participate in a long list of mildly entertaining activities and performances (and a few more that are a real drag). Straight from the press release…mostly:
- Divabetics, a pop music-style diabetes education stage show, featuring fun “Boalicious” and “Chair Cha Cha” workouts, healthy lifestyle tips, interactive games, diabetes education and prize giveaways.
- Cancer Queens, a cancer prevention musical revue.
- Ms Cheap, aka Mary Hance, with creative tips for frugal living.
- WKRN-Channel 2’s Lisa Patton, hosts an evening program for young women.
- Vanderbilt Medical Center’s Highway To Health, with glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure, BMI, CO, eye screening and more.
- All About Health, with local business providing a variety of services such as medical consultations, skin and carpal tunnel analysis, pressure point exams, spinal assessments , hand facials, foot therapy, zero gravity massage and pain relief. Did someone say massage?
- Up There, Down There Stage, which we’ll leave to your imagination. Dead serious. Okay, we can’t resist: “The Up There, Down There stage will allow women to ask the experts about everything ‘up there’ and ‘down there,’ such as Matters of the Heart, Bedroom Basics (sleep and sex), Aging Beautifully and ‘I’d like to buy a B’ (bowel and bladder).” Ooooookay.
- All About Home with Home Depot, where ladies will get to lay tile, caulk and weatherstrip, patch and paint, repair a toilet, install a faucet, gain basic knowledge of tools and the skills necessary to use them safely, learn how to switch 2-prong outlets to 3-prong outlets and install window security. Yay!
- Mamas World, where mothers can discover if they are smarter than other mothers, win free kiddie books and some other child development stuff.
- The Men’s Health Network will be on hand to help explain, well, men. ‘Nuff said.
- All About Life, with financial management classes and resources, DUI goggle fittings, circuit training with Curves, personal fire escape plans, etc, etc, etc.
- All About Me, where ladies can WORK OUT! Participate In Zumba, Hip Hop Funk, Boa Blast workout, Abs, Yoga for the Rest of Us, Hula Hoops and more on the Active Lifestyles stage. There will also be resume and interview workshops, and some stress-relief stuff. The end!
It’s your call. We figure that wandering around the place couldn’t hurt anything, as long as you skip the workouts and the caulking… Or maybe that’s even your thing! Everything is free (even parking), so hit up the Nashville Convention Center between 9am-9pm on Saturday to check it out. A full schedule of classes and performances is here, and the rest of the events will be happening all day.
This Saturday, all ladies of Middle Tennessee are invited to the free All About Women conference/event/experience-ish thingy at the Nashville Convention Center. Women of all ages are can take a break from the toils of their daily lives (whatever they may be) and learn how to fix a toilet. No, seriously, there are definitely classes [...]
Bright & Early: Waaaaambulance Edition
Good morning, Nashville. After the Security & Exchange Commission’s ruling last week about how the TVA needs to stop polluting North Carolina, the kind folks at the TVA are whining about how fixing the problem will increase their expenses. Nevermind that they just spilled a billion gallons of toxic sludge in East Tennessee. Nevermind that they’re pumping pollutants over the border into our neighboring state. Nevermind that they’re jacking up our prices so much that no one can afford to pay their electricity bills. And nevermind that whenever our bills go up, so does the CEO’s salary. Anyway, we’re predicting they’ll probably use it as an excuse to raise our rates some more, at which point we’ll quit heating our house altogether.
- Tennessee senator Diane Black wants to create a statewide Silver Alert program, kind of like Amber Alert, for old people. Because many older folks suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia and wander off, the Senator thinks it would help prevent tragedy.
- We know it’s been cold lately, but this is a little ridiculous: The Snowy Owl, usually native to “Canada and polar regions,” was spotted in Spring Hill near the GM plant.
- Bits & pieces. Jefferson Street, Nashville’s “Civil Rights Corridor,” was pretty much having a party yesterday … Franklin might be getting a toll road … The Post brings us a great picture of the inauguration from space … Sad times-Vandy lost.
Good morning, Nashville. After the Security & Exchange Commission’s ruling last week about how the TVA needs to stop polluting North Carolina, the kind folks at the TVA are whining about how fixing the problem will increase their expenses. Nevermind that they just spilled a billion gallons of toxic sludge in East Tennessee. Nevermind that [...]
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