Guestlist: Top 8 Driving Songs

by Guest Blogger RJA

As a younger man I drove for a living. I transported packages across town as a courier and shuttled people as a chauffer. One of the delights of these jobs, other than spending the days free of four walls, was listening to the radio. This is a list of the Top 8 Driving Songs that I can remember from my time as a professional driver in the early to mid-90s. These aren't songs that are necessarily in my own music collection, nor would I necessarily listen to these while sedentary on my couch, but they're tunes that would pop up on the radio, prompting me to take the long way around. They made the list due to their length or their indubitable drivability. Songs are in no particular order.

1) Paradise By The Dashboard Lights --Meatloaf
2) American Girl -- Tom Petty & the Heartreakers
3) Walk On The Wild Side -- Lou Reed
4) Sympathy For The Devil -- Rolling Stones
5) Can't You Hear Me Knocking -- Rolling Stones
6) Bohemian Rhapsody -- Queen
7) Panama -- Van Halen
8) The Boys Are Back in Town -- Thin Lizzy

20 Things that Make ME Happy

1. Making lists
2. Sketching
3. Coffee
4. Licking the yogurt off of the inside of the yogurt lid
5. Overhearing conversations among my nieces and nephews
6. Having a stack of New Yorkers to read at my leisure
7. Clean sheets
8. Office supplies
9. Grids
10. Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches
11. Coca-cola light
12. Revolving doors
13. Terrazzo
14. Hearing T laugh at a show I'm not watching
15. Sorting
16. The smell from the Wonder Bread factory
17. This sign


18. Scarves
19. Finishing a painting
20. Sleeping late

Where in the World is Elizabeth Alley

1. Well, I'm here and here as often as possible. Also here.

2. On Urf!

3. Friday night I hope to be at all the openings on South Main.

4. This Saturday, April 28th from 1:00 to 4:00 PM I'll be at 1910 Frame Works, 2029 Union Avenue, signing Memphis in May posters.

5. Next Friday night, May 4, 6:00 to 9:00 PM, I'll be at the opening of my show Please don't leave anything behind, at Marshall Arts, 639 Marshall.

Lists from High Fidelity, the Movie

1. All-time top 5 breakups
2. Top 5 Monday morning albums
3. Top 5 musical crimes perpetrated by Stevie Wonder in the 80's
4. Top 5 side 1 track 1
5. Top 5 dream jobs
6. Top 5 things I miss about Laura
7. Top 5 songs about death: a Laura's dad tribute list
8. Songs at my funeral
9. All-time top 5 favorite records

Listmania! with Stacey Greenberg

As part of Get to Know Your Blogger, I sent Stacey Greenberg of Fertile Ground, Dining with Monkeys, and Chop Fayn a list to make lists out of. And even though she's been all over town leaving lists in other people's comments, the following is what you get when you ask someone adept at writing things like sentences and paragraphs to make a list:

List 1: 3 Things I would do if I won the lottery:
Well I never buy lottery tickets so this is an impossibility. If given a large sum of cash, I have no idea. I imagine I'd pay my bills, save a little, and then establish some sort of foundation. Ok that's boring! I'd buy MRD their own warehouse with everything needed to host top notch bouts. Then I'd totally trick out Evergreen Montessori so that it would have the best materials, best playground, best teachers, low tuition, etc. If there was anything left, I'd probably quit my job and spend a good deal of time traveling. (In the VW Camper Van of Warren's dreams.)

List 2: 3 Famous people that I'm totally in love with:
I'm not totally in love with any famous people I don't think. I used to have a thing for Parker Posey. Once I met her and had my picture taken with her it fanned the flames a bit. I also used to be madly in love with Patrick Stewart, but really only in his role as Captain Jean Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise. (My sister actually met him and told him I was in love with him.) I think lately I prefer to develop crushes on people I see in real life. It's more satisfying.

List 3: 3 Favorite blogs:
Well beyond my inner circle (Listwork/Sketchwork, Urf!, Sassy Molassy, Bar-b-log, Click Daily, Secret Agent Mom, Chockley blog) I have to say that I really enjoy Mel's Only in Memphis blog, the Gates of Memphis, My Midtown Memphis, and Squirrel Squad Squeeks. I also like crafty blogs like Soule Mama and helpful blogs like Parent Hacks.

List 4: 3 Things the average person does not know about rollerderby:
The average person I think has no idea how much of a time commitment it is with practices, committee work, league meetings, etc. and how much each girl gives of herself to make it work. Also, I'd say that the average person probably doesn't get the satisfaction that we feel when we get a big ol' nasty bruise or how much one's body aches after a practice/bout.

List 5: 3 favorite dishes that I've reviewed:
Ooh another sneaky one!! Fish tacos at Las Tortugas, Spicy tuna pizza at
Blue Fin, and Bacon Wrapped Stuffed shrimp at Cafe Ole. (These were actually the first three I ever did!)

List 6: 3 Things I enjoyed about having a 5-kid slumber party:
Hmmm...it was really fun just to say it and see the fear in most people's eyes! It was fun seeing how everyone interacted (Satchel & Jiro knew everyone, but not all of the other kids knew each other). I enjoyed having an excuse to get Memphis Pizza Cafe. I enjoyed getting to see our nice big yard get a LOT of action. I enjoyed seeing my boys enjoy themselves.

List 8: 3 Things I regret about having a 5-kid slumber party:
I didn't like getting up at 6:30am on a Saturday morning!! (Even my early birds will sleep until at least 7:45am.) I worry that some precedent has been set and that soon we will be having slumber parties every weekend! (The parties where the parents come and then everyone leaves before bedtime are much more fun! ha!) Uh...I can't think of anything else, which is a good sign. Besides the lack of sleep, it really was fun! Oh, I guess you could say I regret that all the other midtown bloggers got together
w/o me and that Kristy even cooked dinner. Losers!!

Auxiliary List - By the Author:
3 Things that I know about Stacey:
1. She still limps, with her left foot sort of out to the side. I'm not sure if she knows that she does this.
2. She is incredibly easy to talk to - I think mostly because she likes to ask a lot of questions, which just leaves me talking about myself a lot, which I really enjoy doing.
3. She seems to bring the same amount of enthusiasm to all of her efforts: being a mother and wife, being a writer, playing for the Memphis Roller Derby in the Legion of Zoom...even organizing get-togethers!

Things in My Studio

1. Pins & Phone



2. Notecards



3. Movies & CD's



4. Paint



5. Pencils

Central BBQ

You would think that being married to The Saucier that I would eat BBQ all the time. But, alas, he does a lot of his research solo or with friends at lunch. So last night when Thursday night family dinner coincided with The Saucier still being out of town, we went to Central BBQ without him. Other bloggers joined us! Hello other bloggers! Anyway, here are some (not so positive) observations about Central BBQ:

1. They had a band playing. On the deck that is a couple of hundred square feet, at 6:30 in the evening when all of the families are still out, they had musicians shoved in a corner with all their gear plugged in. I have nothing against music - I love it! - and they were doing nice covers, but why does there have to be live music? Playing? While I'm eating? While I'm trying to visit with my nephews and nieces? And the Chockleybloggers and Secret Agent Mom, each of whom I maybe said 2 words to?

2. Maybe we should have moved it inside, you say? Well, the weather was lovely, which is one of the reasons we went there, but also the floor inside would've been dangerous with all the kids (5 walking) because it was as slippery as an eel (not that I would ever walk on an eel, but it's the only expression I could think of). Seriously though - it was slick! - I slid twice and I was wearing tennis shoes!

3. While waiting for my food, one of the owners (I think) was outside bussing tables, and was having a conversation with someone about the health inspector's visit. I did not hear what he said but it was not: "We got a 100!" Hearing talk about the health inspector while eating at a restaurant is the equivalent to hearing talk about mechanical problems while in an airplane. I don't want to hear it.

4. The bun of my BBQ chicken sandwich was so cheap they might as well have given me a BBQ chicken plate without a fork, as the bun did nothing but disintegrate in my hand.

5. Okay okay that is a lot of complaining, but I do have something positive to say - I usually get the vinegar sauce there (they have a choice of 4 sauces: mild, hot, vinegar, mustard), but last night I decided to branch out and try the mild sauce, and it was DELICIOUS.

6. Will I go back? You know I will - it's still BBQ.