Congratulations to all the folks at Bardog Tavern. Downtown’s neighborhood bar has turned 15 years old.
Student Madness, a pre-season party celebrating Memphis Tigers basketball, will happen on October 4 at the U of M’s Elma Roane Fieldhouse. As the name suggests, the event is for students only. The event will replace previous years’ March Madness events. Students: Get your free ticket
The DM reports that a Whataburger location may go into 1925 Union. That’s probably as close as the chain plans to get to Downtown.
Moneybagg Yo’s September 30 concert at FedExForum has been postponed. This news comes after the shooting inside the arena at a Lil Baby concert earlier this month.
Today is National Fried Rice Day.
It’s also National Queso Day, and Local on Main is celebrating with a Queso Burger that has
- pico
- tortilla strips
- house pickles
- jalapenos
- queso
Local also has $6 small queso dip today.
The Memphis Flyer’s Bruce V explains his thought process in determining his vote for Memphis mayor.
BRIDGES is hiring an accounting and grants coordinator.
YogaSix Downtown seeks a yoga teacher.
The Church of the River (Unitarian) seeks a part-time music director.
Ducks Unlimited seeks a visitor service rep (weekend only) for its Waterfowling Heritage Center at Bass Pro at the Pyramid.
And now, a personal story…
Yesterday morning I turned on WREG Live at 9. They had a segment on living with Parkinson’s Disease. One of the presenters was a man who had Parkinson’s. His hands were trembling as he talked.
I thought to myself, my left hand trembles like that sometimes.
For years, I thought my trembling was related to the drinking I do out at Downtown bars. But recently there have been periods when I have gone weeks without drinking, and the trembling didn’t subside.
So I searched Wikipedia for Parkinson’s and discovered that several other motor-related behaviors I have could be symptoms.
About 2 1/2 years ago, as I was working at a law firm in Brinkley Plaza, I noticed I had a tendency to clench my left hand (I’m right-handed, by the way). That tendency continues to this day. I can consciously relax the hand, but when it slips out of mind I start clenching it again.
I clench my left foot often when sitting or when lying in bed. Like the hand, I can consciously relax it.
The past year or so, I have found it more difficult to do things like get my wallet in and out of my pocket and put a hoodie on.
Leaning forward, I’ve heard, is a Parkinson’s symptom. I tend to lean hard to the left lately when seated at the bar at Blind Bear or Bardog. Now that I think about it, I’m leaning a little to the left over the computer right now.
My typing speed has decreased from 50 WPM to 10 WPM over the past two years.
For the past month, my left wrist has hurt when I twist it in certain directions. I assume this is a result of constant clenching of my hand.
When I was a little kid, Muhammad Ali was The Champ. The Greatest. He fought in The Rumble in The Jungle, The Thrilla in Manila. He was larger than life. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
Then I saw videos of Ali in the 2000s. The rigidity that I seem to feel in my left hand had overtaken his body and even his face. He could barely move or speak. He was a shell of his former self physically.
Is that my destiny? Scary to think about.
Back tomorrow with more news, assuming I still have the ability to type.