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Greetings my fellow Memphians!
My, how this year is flying by! Seems like just yesterday I was flipping burgers on my backyard grill at 8:30pm listening to our A/C unit humming overtime to compensate for the stifling dog day Memphis heat with plenty of daylight to spare. Now we’re into October, and the days are getting shorter, the temperatures a little more brisk. Fall has always been one of my favorite times of the year. It’s great to get outside and enjoy the sunshine and blue skies without sweating. And that’s just what we plan to do this weekend! Check out the 2011 Bartlett Festival and car show  at W. J. Freeman Park located at 2629 Bartlett Blvd. Food, Fun, Rides, Music and more for the whole family! Saturday’s events  will include an amateur BBQ  cooking contests, musical stages, arts & crafts, a car show, children’s activities,  and much more. The perfect place to spend an autumn weekend!

The Speak Now World Tour CD/DVD and CD/Blu-ray sets of the show will be available in stores and at online retailers on November 21st, the day before the U.S. tour wraps with the second of two sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City

The DVD/Blu-ray will give fans the complete Taylor Swift Speak Now concert experience, showcasing performances of all 17 songs from Taylor’s Speak Now show (“Sparks Fly,” “Mine,” “Story of Us,” “Our Song,” “Mean,” Back To December,” “Better Than Revenge,” “Speak Now,” “Fearless,” “Last Kiss,” “You Belong With Me,” “Dear John,” Enchanted,” “Haunted, “Long Live,” “Fifteen,” and “Love Story”), plus additional bonus content. The CD will contain over 75 minutes of music, including live versions of favorites from the Speak Now album.

Shun Your Fake Facebook Friends with This New Feature
Finally, Facebook is helping users create a list of real friends inside their official friends list. There’s no need to share everything with everyone, after all. But watch out, because people will know when they’re downgraded to your D-list.

Throughout the next week, Facebook will create empty lists of “close friends,” “acquaintances” and “restricted” buddies for everyone, according to the Facebook blog.
Read more:
 http://gawker.com/5839852/shun-your-fake…

thanks Gawker!

Now dog owners can carry their pets like babies. Small dogs have generally been carted about in designer handbags — but now there’s a new carrier designed especially pups. Similar to the way slings are used by parents to hold their babies, the Puppoose enables owners to transport their pets in fashionable comfort – and is said to be the first hands-free way of carrying your dog. It was designed by dancer and dog lover Shannon Beach, who owns a shih tzu, Ted D. Shannon said: “My vet told me the best way to carry a small dog is on your forearm with legs hanging on either side. I used this concept for the base of the product, which distributes their weight evenly. Then I added straps so I could free my arm, making it hands-free.”

It costs about $65 and comes in four sizes and a choice of colors. It can carry dogs weighing up to 22lb. http://tinyurl.com/3e83lo2

Greetings friends and neighbors!
You know Memphis has a lot to be proud of. From the rich and diverse culture from which modern music was born more than a hundred years ago down on Beale Street, to our beautiful parks and eclectic neighborhoods which reflect our unique southern heritage. In my 30 plus years as a Memphian I have watched our city grow from a sleepy river town into a  sleek modern icon of progress. A city that offers visitors from around the world something to write home about and remember for a lifetime. There are many examples of what sets us apart from other destinations, but the one shining  jewel of which I am most excited about and proud of is our Memphis Zoo and Aquarium. It all began in 1906 with a black bear named Natch, a retired baseball mascot. Today, the Memphis Zoo spans 70 acres and is home to more than 3,500 animals representing over 500 different species.
        In 2008, the Memphis Zoo was ranked America’s number one zoo by TripAdvisor.com. In 2009, the Memphis Zoo was rated the top zoo in the country in a national survey by Morey Associates.The Memphis Zoo has completed more than $77 million in renovation and expansion since the early 1990s. The Zoo’s animal inhabitants reside in one-of-a-kind exhibitry, such as Once Upon A Farm, Commercial Appeal Cat Country, Primate Canyon, Animals of the Night, Northwest Passage and CHINA.

    In April 2003, the Memphis Zoo became one of only four zoos in the United States to exhibit giant pandas. Giant pandas Ya Ya and Le Le reside the Zoo’s exhibit, CHINA – a brand new, three-acre facility that features animals indigenous to China and authentic Chinese architecture and gardens.
The Memphis Zoo is home to the world’s longest living hippopotamus, “Adonis”, who died in 1965 at the age of 54. The male hippo sired approximately 25 offspring in his lifetime giving the Zoo claim to being the “hippo capital of the world.”  

      A Zoo membership offers families from the mid south countless hours of fun, entertainment and education for just pennies on the dollar. There is one annual event which allows us as Memphians to give back to this wonderful place and have one heck of a good time doing it. I’m talking about the annual ZOO RENDEZVOUS. It’s a celebration of epic proportions featuring food from some of Memphis’  best restaurants, such as B.B Kings, Bonefish Grill, Huey’s, Itta Bena, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Houston’s, Automatic Slim’s, and Folk’s Folly to name just a few. Also copius libations and the opportunity to dance to the best music Memphis has to offer. This years musical lineup included The Plaintiffs, Party Planet, Brian “Breeze” Cayolle, Keith and the 145’s and more. Amanda and I took part in this years ZOO RENDEZVOUS  Saturday night. Friends, I have attended parties all over Memphis for the last 30 or so years and I can tell you without the slightest trepidation, this is the biggest and most awesome event I have EVER been witness to! The food was provided by only the best Memphis restaurants, The wine selection rivaled anything I have ever seen, and the entertainment was strictly top tier! It was simply one of the biggest and most exciting parties in Memphis history, and as an annual happening, it just seems to get bigger and better every year. If you missed this year’s ZOO RENDEZVOUS, be sure and make your plans to attend next year. I guarantee it will be one of the best times of your life! Click the link below to see pictures from Zoo Rendezvous 2011!    www.photobucket.com/zoorendezvous

     If you missed the MDA telethon this year, you’re not alone.    I do mean actually missed seeing it because it was so short this year it can no longer truly be described as a “telethon”.   But even more I mean missed as in “Where’s Jerry Lewis?   Where are the seemingly endless hours of  hokey but lovable entertainment,  tear jerking stories of awesome kids (Jerry’s kids),  and that tote board?”     And thenI had to acknowledge and accept that we have lost another tradition.      The MDA telethon with Jerry Lewis has gone the way of the Sears catalog and the Mid South Fair at the fairgrounds (although the roasted corn and the turkey legs at the Delta Fair still taste great).        Do we cherish our traditions because we’re getting older?  Because we lack the strong foundations people had a couple of generations ago?     Or do we all just need little things to hang onto?     I didn’t sit glued to the tv on Labor Day, but I did flip over throughout the day to see Jerry and the eclectic entertainment and to see all those people showing they care about other people.      I will miss that tradition as much as the Christmas Wishbook and the Mid South Fair at the fairgrounds.      I am learning to truly cherish even the smallest traditions and that I may have to do my part to keep some of them alive.  I can’t save a fair or a telethon, but I can read “The Night Before Christmas”  to a group of kids.     What seemingly small tradition needs you to keep it going?    It is worth the effort.

Welcome Football Season!!

Guys get a bad rap for their “diet.” From pizza and beer to fried chicken and wings, these stereotypical “man foods” can really pack on the calories, saturated fat, and sodium. Lighten them up by making just a few minor tweaks while still salvaging the flavors you crave. Here are a few of man’s best food friends lightened.

Read More:
 http://www.delish.com/recipes/cooking-re…

Dancing With the Stars’ first transgender contestant, Chaz Bono, will be dancing with Lacey Schwimmer on the upcoming season of the show. That couple — and the rest of the season 13 pairings — were announced Wednesday on Good Morning America.

The couples are as follows:

American soccer star Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer.
Soap star and Iraqi war veteran J.R. Martinez and seasoned vet Karina Smirnoff.
HLN’s Nancy Grace and Irish dance pro Tristan MacManus.
Reality star Rob Kardashian and two-time Dancing champion Cheryl Burke.
Los Angeles Laker Ron Artest has Peta Murgatroyd as his partner.
Ricki Lake is with returning pro Derek Hough.
George Clooney’s ex-girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis will perform with Maksim’s brother Val Chmerkovskiy.
Musician Chynna Phillips will have Kate Gosselin’s former partner Tony Dovolani.
Actor David Arquette’s partner is reigning champ Kym Johnson, who took the mirror-ball trophy with Hines Ward in May.
Reality star Kristin Cavallari is with two-time champ Mark Ballas.
Carson Kressley will dance with Anna Trebunskaya.