Sunday, January 30, 2011
Memphis - "City as Text" - Hands on Memphis Volunteer Organization
For my semester project, I plan on enrolling in the Hands on Memphis Volunteer Organization and exploring how the organization helps Memphis. They are a centerpiece for volunteerism in the area. I plan to explore the history of the group, learn about the volunteers and the local charities, businesses and groups that they assist, and spend time volunteering for some of the projects they have available. They do everything from reading at St. Jude to mentoring students for Girls Inc. They are having a volunteer expo in February and I hope to attend and be able to interview the different companies who are looking for volunteers. By doing this, I hope to achieve a better understanding of the organization and the work they do in the Memphis area.
Memphis: City as Text - Surveying Shelby Farms' walking, running, and biking trails.
Course objective: Since I enjoy Shelby Farms and the woods so much, I feel that it would
be appropriate to share some of my explorations in this special part of the city, along with the park's history, and all the fine trails and paths the place has to offer from a pedestrian's and cyclist's points of view.
Hopefully, by the time this semester is over, we can know more about what the trails mean to
the people of the city, how it impacts the city of Memphis, and the controversies surrounding the park.
be appropriate to share some of my explorations in this special part of the city, along with the park's history, and all the fine trails and paths the place has to offer from a pedestrian's and cyclist's points of view.
Hopefully, by the time this semester is over, we can know more about what the trails mean to
the people of the city, how it impacts the city of Memphis, and the controversies surrounding the park.
Born and Bread in M-Town
Hello people, my name is Josh Wiley, I was born January 22, 1986 at Baptist East Hospital on Walnut Grove Rd. Both of my parents were born and raised here along with my fathers side of the family. For the first six years of my life I lived in Whitehaven, both sets of my grandparents lived there as well. On my mother's side, my Grandfather worked for and retired from United Airlines and on my father's side, my Grandfather was a transplant from Dyersburg who studied Law at the University of Memphis and later became a prominent defense attorney here in the midsouth. Growing up, both my parents worked, so everyday until I was five our six I stayed with "Granmama" my Dad's mother our "Mimi" my Mom's mother. I enjoyed going to Grandmama's and Mimi's; everyday was something new and exciting. Grandmama kept my brother and me well fed and would take us all around town doing odds and ins. Mimi was my artistic inspiration, at a young age she taught me how to paint in acrylics and oils along with pencil sketching. As I grew up, everyday was an outdoor exploration, constantly roaming the woods, riding my bike everywhere, going fishing, and playing just about any game I could dream up with my friends. As I got a little older I became very emeresed into bmx racing and dirt jumping. My parents weren't to found of it considering by the time I was sixteen I had broken both ankles and wrist seperately two times, bruised my heart, broken my tail bone , shoulder, and had one concusion that broke a full faced helmet. However, the absolute best days of my life have been experienced on a bicycle. These days I do not ride as much as I used too do to work and school, but in the spring and summer time you will find me riding the trails on my mountain bike and hitting up some of the local hidden dirt jumping trails on my bmx bike. As for growing up here, I really have blocked out most of the negatives and ignored the ignorant. I have found Memphis to be full of very unique individuals that are intelligent and interesting. I do however dislike the racial tensions between blacks and whites. Living in both urban and suburban areas of Shelby county has exposed me to both sides of the tension and that sucks. But, I have noticed slow improvements over the years. Hopefully the people of Memphis will realize the opprtunities and possibilities of this great city and polish it into a premier city of America. Well, I could go on and on but I believe I have given you guys enough for now. If you are more intersted in me our my past adventures hit me up in class!
Peace,
Joshua Wiley
Peace,
Joshua Wiley
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Memphis: City as Text - Researching St. Jude
For my “Memphis: City as Text” project, I will be working directly with the children at the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the nearby Target House in a one-on-one or group setting for the next year. I lost a best friend to cancer at the age of thirteen. Jeffrey Foster was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of eight and battled it for the next five years. He was taken out of school and isolated from his friends. As he struggled with cancer, his classmates struggled with understanding what was going on. I feel compelled to work with the children at St. Jude to make their time there more enjoyable, to comfort the families and help with the burden of long hours at the bedside, and to do what I can for the doctors and nurses to make their jobs easier. Not only do I, as a volunteer, want to contribute in the efforts of saving lives, but as a student, I want to learn all that I can about St. Jude.
Research Objectives:
1. I will learn from working directly with the children and the doctors exactly what is done for the children at the hospital and the Target House. Most Memphians are aware of St. Jude as the hospital that works with children and teens to help rid their bodies of cancer and that is committed to research to develop new and better ways of fighting cancer in all forms. But most of us do not know how these tasks are performed.
2. I will research the types of cancer that are treated at St. Jude, how they affect the body, and how treatments react with children. I aim to better understand the side-effects that occur from treatment, how children respond to these physically and emotionally, and how the whole patient is treated.
3. Lastly, I expect the children can teach me something about life and resilience. We can learn to overcome the struggles of daily life by witnessing the children at St. Jude deal with their life threatening illnesses.
Presentation:
I will present my discoveries, reflections, and research in lecture format, including excerpts from my journal entries on personal experiences, staff testimonies, and research on the hospital and different forms of cancer treated there. My presentation will be an informative extemporaneous speech, but I am hoping it will be persuasive enough that some of my audience will consider contributing monetarily or in personal time.
Research Objectives:
1. I will learn from working directly with the children and the doctors exactly what is done for the children at the hospital and the Target House. Most Memphians are aware of St. Jude as the hospital that works with children and teens to help rid their bodies of cancer and that is committed to research to develop new and better ways of fighting cancer in all forms. But most of us do not know how these tasks are performed.
2. I will research the types of cancer that are treated at St. Jude, how they affect the body, and how treatments react with children. I aim to better understand the side-effects that occur from treatment, how children respond to these physically and emotionally, and how the whole patient is treated.
3. Lastly, I expect the children can teach me something about life and resilience. We can learn to overcome the struggles of daily life by witnessing the children at St. Jude deal with their life threatening illnesses.
Presentation:
I will present my discoveries, reflections, and research in lecture format, including excerpts from my journal entries on personal experiences, staff testimonies, and research on the hospital and different forms of cancer treated there. My presentation will be an informative extemporaneous speech, but I am hoping it will be persuasive enough that some of my audience will consider contributing monetarily or in personal time.
Friday, January 28, 2011
My Around the World Journey to Memphis
Hi everyone. Let me start by introducing myself, my name is Erin Mullinax. I have been married to my wonderful husband Daniel for 14 years this past November. I have been a student at Southwest for 4 semesters now and will be here for 2 more after this one. I am working on my Engineering Associates Degree and will be transferring to University of Memphis to earn a dual bachelor's in Math and Electrical Engineering.
My journey to Memphis has been a long one. I have lived here since the day after the 2004 election. Prior to that, I started out in Saratoga Springs, New York. My step-father joined the military and we moved to California, Georgia, and Mons, Belgium. I attended High School at a DOD school in Europe with 52 different nationalities of students. From there, I moved to Kansas and married my first husband. We were married in Nov. 1992 and divorced in Aug. 1994. I moved back in with my parents in Virginia and worked as a cashier and a waitress. The second waitressing job is where I met Daniel. Daniel worked for a company that rebuilds cable television systems, so we moved 11 times in 7 years. We lived in Virginia, New York, North Carolina, Mississippi, and Alabama. In 2003, we left that industry and moved to Georgia to be closer to my family. October of 2003 found us in Valdosta, GA where my younger brother attended Valdosta State University. The job market in Valdosta was very stagnant, so my husband became a truck driver. He worked for Werner Industries and J.B. Hunt. In July of 2004 he quit being a truck driver and looked for work around the Valdosta area. After 4 months of his unemployment, we decided to move to Millington to be near his family. The first year we were here, he worked at a factory in South Memphis. In May of 2006, my mother moved in with us and Daniel went back to truck driving. November of 2007 we bought our first house and finally established ourselves in a permanent environment.
I do not know Memphis very well. Our main focus was in the Millington area with family and friends. Daniel's parents lived here for 25 years and his mother worked at a bar in Millington for 21 years, so we already had an established circle of acquaintances. My exposure to Memphis was mainly centered around the Beale Street area and East Memphis where I worked. Through my job in the electrical industry, I was exposed to the industrial areas and St. Jude, where we helped build the Chili's Care Center. Since I joined the Honor's Academy last semester, I have been introduced to much more of Memphis. The arts, theater, and museums especially. I am slowly learning my way around Midtown and do not have to call Doug as often for directions. I like the cultural diversity in Memphis and the amount of different things there are to do. I admit, I have not been to many of the traditional "touristy" places like the Zoo, Graceland, or the downtown Museums, but I am slowly rectifying that. The two main things I dislike about Memphis are the corrupt political arena and the crime. Since moving to the area, my car has been broken into twice and I have had two car accidents. I have witnessed two crimes myself and had family members who are victims of theft.
What I hope to get out of this class is a better understanding of Memphis, the people who call Memphis home and the culture of Memphis as a whole. I am looking forward to exploring more of the area and learning more of the history. I have already made some very good friends through school and the Honor's program and feel that this class will enhance my comprehension of the Memphis psyche.
My journey to Memphis has been a long one. I have lived here since the day after the 2004 election. Prior to that, I started out in Saratoga Springs, New York. My step-father joined the military and we moved to California, Georgia, and Mons, Belgium. I attended High School at a DOD school in Europe with 52 different nationalities of students. From there, I moved to Kansas and married my first husband. We were married in Nov. 1992 and divorced in Aug. 1994. I moved back in with my parents in Virginia and worked as a cashier and a waitress. The second waitressing job is where I met Daniel. Daniel worked for a company that rebuilds cable television systems, so we moved 11 times in 7 years. We lived in Virginia, New York, North Carolina, Mississippi, and Alabama. In 2003, we left that industry and moved to Georgia to be closer to my family. October of 2003 found us in Valdosta, GA where my younger brother attended Valdosta State University. The job market in Valdosta was very stagnant, so my husband became a truck driver. He worked for Werner Industries and J.B. Hunt. In July of 2004 he quit being a truck driver and looked for work around the Valdosta area. After 4 months of his unemployment, we decided to move to Millington to be near his family. The first year we were here, he worked at a factory in South Memphis. In May of 2006, my mother moved in with us and Daniel went back to truck driving. November of 2007 we bought our first house and finally established ourselves in a permanent environment.
I do not know Memphis very well. Our main focus was in the Millington area with family and friends. Daniel's parents lived here for 25 years and his mother worked at a bar in Millington for 21 years, so we already had an established circle of acquaintances. My exposure to Memphis was mainly centered around the Beale Street area and East Memphis where I worked. Through my job in the electrical industry, I was exposed to the industrial areas and St. Jude, where we helped build the Chili's Care Center. Since I joined the Honor's Academy last semester, I have been introduced to much more of Memphis. The arts, theater, and museums especially. I am slowly learning my way around Midtown and do not have to call Doug as often for directions. I like the cultural diversity in Memphis and the amount of different things there are to do. I admit, I have not been to many of the traditional "touristy" places like the Zoo, Graceland, or the downtown Museums, but I am slowly rectifying that. The two main things I dislike about Memphis are the corrupt political arena and the crime. Since moving to the area, my car has been broken into twice and I have had two car accidents. I have witnessed two crimes myself and had family members who are victims of theft.
What I hope to get out of this class is a better understanding of Memphis, the people who call Memphis home and the culture of Memphis as a whole. I am looking forward to exploring more of the area and learning more of the history. I have already made some very good friends through school and the Honor's program and feel that this class will enhance my comprehension of the Memphis psyche.
From Steel to Beale
Greetings and salutations everyone. I would like to get started by introducing myself, my name is Aaron Estelle, and I am a Yankee. I can only be considered a damn-Yankee if I stay and I haven’t planted my feet too deeply in the cottonseed soil of Memphis just yet.
I am originally from Beaver Pennsylvania which is located in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area. I love the Steelers (NFL team) and the Penguins (NHL team,) but I despised living in Western PA. I was exasperated by the weather, traffic, and the people’s dispositions. I wanted to get out of Pennsylvania in the worst way, and as soon as I graduated from my electrical apprenticeship I made plans to move to Florida, which did not work out as I intended them to. After eight months of making less than satisfactory money for the work that I did, I ended up in the Pittsburgh Tri-State area again for about a year. I was in some ways a vagabond, moving to whatever town had the most work until I met my wife, Sarah. We met in Virginia, where she was working on her doctorate in economics at the University of Virginia. To make a long story short, she ended up taking a job as an associate professor in the economics department at Rhodes College. That was almost four years ago and we will be married three years in July.
My first encounter with Memphis was during Sarah’s interview at Rhodes. I was excited about visiting a city that I had never been to. Honestly, the first time I saw Memphis I thought it was small and my perspective has not changed. But what has changed is what I now know about Memphis. When I first stepped off the airplane at Memphis International in 2007, all I knew was Elvis once lived here. I am a different person now; I am open to learn new things, I have visited many historic places and learned a lot about Memphis as a city and as a people. I know I don’t know everything about Memphis, but I do know that a little under four years ago I knew nothing about it. I also know that with this class, I will learn much more than I would have on my own.
My life’s path has brought me to Memphis and I am not certain that it ends here. I may end up in many more places before I stop, places full of history and character. I may like them, or dislike them, for one reason or another. Whatever direction my life does take me, Memphis will always be a part of me. It has built my character and molded my soul. Like I said before, I am a different person now, and Memphis is the reason why.
I am originally from Beaver Pennsylvania which is located in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area. I love the Steelers (NFL team) and the Penguins (NHL team,) but I despised living in Western PA. I was exasperated by the weather, traffic, and the people’s dispositions. I wanted to get out of Pennsylvania in the worst way, and as soon as I graduated from my electrical apprenticeship I made plans to move to Florida, which did not work out as I intended them to. After eight months of making less than satisfactory money for the work that I did, I ended up in the Pittsburgh Tri-State area again for about a year. I was in some ways a vagabond, moving to whatever town had the most work until I met my wife, Sarah. We met in Virginia, where she was working on her doctorate in economics at the University of Virginia. To make a long story short, she ended up taking a job as an associate professor in the economics department at Rhodes College. That was almost four years ago and we will be married three years in July.
My first encounter with Memphis was during Sarah’s interview at Rhodes. I was excited about visiting a city that I had never been to. Honestly, the first time I saw Memphis I thought it was small and my perspective has not changed. But what has changed is what I now know about Memphis. When I first stepped off the airplane at Memphis International in 2007, all I knew was Elvis once lived here. I am a different person now; I am open to learn new things, I have visited many historic places and learned a lot about Memphis as a city and as a people. I know I don’t know everything about Memphis, but I do know that a little under four years ago I knew nothing about it. I also know that with this class, I will learn much more than I would have on my own.
My life’s path has brought me to Memphis and I am not certain that it ends here. I may end up in many more places before I stop, places full of history and character. I may like them, or dislike them, for one reason or another. Whatever direction my life does take me, Memphis will always be a part of me. It has built my character and molded my soul. Like I said before, I am a different person now, and Memphis is the reason why.
"First time for everything"
Thats exactly, what i was thinking when we discussed this whole "blogging" thing in class. I must admit i'm not the most computer literate person in the world nor do i have experience in blogging so i was a little nervous. Of course we all at some time or another go online to shop, research, browse, and even just burn time searching the web for the heck of it, but never in a thousand years would i have seen myself blogging. This class has already introduced me to something new and i'm sure there are many more new adventures waiting for me; and yes you read right, i call this an adventure because i'm setting out into new territory, uncharted lands, and things i've never done before. I have my backpack, compass, supplies, and i'm ready to go where this journey leads me. There is truely a "first time for everything."
LEARNING
Good Morning,
I am impressed with the projects that are being described on the blog. I look forward to learning more about both. This is a very, very new format for me and I will welcome any advice I can get from you. This is my practice post! Irene
I am impressed with the projects that are being described on the blog. I look forward to learning more about both. This is a very, very new format for me and I will welcome any advice I can get from you. This is my practice post! Irene
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Semester Project - Walking in Memphis
Music has always played an important part of my life. I have eclectic tastes, but there are specific songs that inspire me, calm me, and one could say enlighten me. One such song is "Walking in Memphis" by Marc Cohn.
Cohn wrote the song after a visit to Graceland as an inspiring songwriter/singer. He has labeled his time in Memphis as a "spiritual awakening" that changed how he viewed his career and life. It just so happens that "Walking in Memphis" was Cohn's only number one hit.
My objectives in this project are:
1) Research the hidden meanings to the song. For instance, I have already learned that Cohn's first historical reference in the song, "put on my blue suede shoes and I boarded the plane," was actually not a reference to Elvis Presley but to the unknown artist who recorded the song before him.
2) Research the historical places and figures represented in the song (i.e. Elvis, Bruce Springstein, Reverend Green, WC Handy, BB King, Beale Street, the Hollywood Cafe)
3) Follow the journey that Cohn took myself, from Union Ave to Graceland, down towards Tunica to the Hollywood Cafe, trying to put myself into Cohn's shoes as someone struggling to find my way hoping to recreate the spiritual awakening.
I plan on staging my presentation with an introduction to my audience about my project followed by my own documentary like "music video" of my journey to Cohn's "Walking in Memphis". Then of course the meat of my presentation and the closing.
Cohn wrote the song after a visit to Graceland as an inspiring songwriter/singer. He has labeled his time in Memphis as a "spiritual awakening" that changed how he viewed his career and life. It just so happens that "Walking in Memphis" was Cohn's only number one hit.
My objectives in this project are:
1) Research the hidden meanings to the song. For instance, I have already learned that Cohn's first historical reference in the song, "put on my blue suede shoes and I boarded the plane," was actually not a reference to Elvis Presley but to the unknown artist who recorded the song before him.
2) Research the historical places and figures represented in the song (i.e. Elvis, Bruce Springstein, Reverend Green, WC Handy, BB King, Beale Street, the Hollywood Cafe)
3) Follow the journey that Cohn took myself, from Union Ave to Graceland, down towards Tunica to the Hollywood Cafe, trying to put myself into Cohn's shoes as someone struggling to find my way hoping to recreate the spiritual awakening.
I plan on staging my presentation with an introduction to my audience about my project followed by my own documentary like "music video" of my journey to Cohn's "Walking in Memphis". Then of course the meat of my presentation and the closing.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
That Slow Southern Style
Let me first curtsey and introduce myself. My name is Lyndsey Roland, born and raised in Memphis the only child of two blue collar workers. Growing up, my southern accent was an embarassment that I tried to mask by practicing the dialect of my literature texts aloud, and I could not wait until I turned eighteen and could move far away to start my life over somewhere new and exciting. In fact, that is exactly what I did right out of high school. Abandoning the conventional expectations of college, career, and marriage, I instead chose to move to Saint Louis, MO., Anaheim, CA., and Chicago, IL., and I have seen many beautiful places such as Catalina Island and the mountains in Northern California. However, I always find myself coming back here, back home.
As someone who spent most of my life here, one would think that I would find the city familiar and welcoming. I have come to realize that I did not really embrace the city as my hometown, and never ventured very far beyond my comfort triangle of home, school, and work. I have never been to Graceland, cannot remember the last time I saw Mud Island, and could not name even one museum aside from the Children's Museum. While I assume that a city that could father musicians such as Elvis Presley and BB King would have a story behind such a rich culture, I do not know the city's history or any names of the founders. It is because of all of this that I am looking forward to this class. I am hoping to change how I have always looked at this city.
Though I have had a negative view of the facade Memphis presents to the rest of the world, I have always been able to recognize the interwoven threads that tie us all to this place. It is in the rich soil that has supported generations of farmers. It is in the thick drawl of our words and the slow pace of our lives. It is in the setting sun of an easy Sunday afternoon. It is in the smile of your closest friends and family at a fish fry to celebrate the Fourth of July. Having lived in the North and the West, I haven't been able to find this atmosphere anywhere else. There is an expectation here that men are gentlemen, the women are ladies, and your neighbors are going to be willing to give you the shirt off their back if you find yourself running into hard times. This is the place where family and roots mean something other than more presents at Christmas. This is where "yes ma'am" and "no ma'am" are a way of life.
This is no Utopia. Each day we are faced with racism, violence, and tension. If it isn't in our backyards, it is just beyond the fence. Most of the students here do not finish a degree, and if they do they end up moving out of state. I would like to help change that. Just researching what I want to do for the semester project in this class has inspired me to push myself to make a change in this city. I am very excited for what the semester will hold for all of us.
As someone who spent most of my life here, one would think that I would find the city familiar and welcoming. I have come to realize that I did not really embrace the city as my hometown, and never ventured very far beyond my comfort triangle of home, school, and work. I have never been to Graceland, cannot remember the last time I saw Mud Island, and could not name even one museum aside from the Children's Museum. While I assume that a city that could father musicians such as Elvis Presley and BB King would have a story behind such a rich culture, I do not know the city's history or any names of the founders. It is because of all of this that I am looking forward to this class. I am hoping to change how I have always looked at this city.
Though I have had a negative view of the facade Memphis presents to the rest of the world, I have always been able to recognize the interwoven threads that tie us all to this place. It is in the rich soil that has supported generations of farmers. It is in the thick drawl of our words and the slow pace of our lives. It is in the setting sun of an easy Sunday afternoon. It is in the smile of your closest friends and family at a fish fry to celebrate the Fourth of July. Having lived in the North and the West, I haven't been able to find this atmosphere anywhere else. There is an expectation here that men are gentlemen, the women are ladies, and your neighbors are going to be willing to give you the shirt off their back if you find yourself running into hard times. This is the place where family and roots mean something other than more presents at Christmas. This is where "yes ma'am" and "no ma'am" are a way of life.
This is no Utopia. Each day we are faced with racism, violence, and tension. If it isn't in our backyards, it is just beyond the fence. Most of the students here do not finish a degree, and if they do they end up moving out of state. I would like to help change that. Just researching what I want to do for the semester project in this class has inspired me to push myself to make a change in this city. I am very excited for what the semester will hold for all of us.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Welcome
Welcome, class. I hope you enjoy this opportunity to blog about "Memphis: City as Text." You may certainly give the address of this blog to any friends or family members who may wish to read or even contribute to our class blog.
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