The Memphis Zoo, McDonald's, and there is big trouble in Little China.

Today we went to the awesome Memphis zoo, and by we I mean; Melissa, River, and myself, Mom and Dad, Jon, Brandy, and Flint, Scout, and Wyatt. An interesting group if anything. We got up nice and early to spend the day watching my boy go "wowwwwww". It was well worth the planning and short ride.

   As for the Memphis zoo... Of all my fondest early life memories, this one stands out along with Kentucky and South Florida. It may have only been once, I'm not even sure, but for some reason I can remember vividly our trip to the zoo with Nancy (if you don't know who Nancy is, well, I guess it is your loss). Once again, at 31 years old, we are at the zoo with Nancy.

   I've always enjoyed all animals and it looks like my boy is just the same. He was grinning from ear to ear from start to finish. We showed him all the main attractions but he was mostly interested in the Choo Choo going around one of the regional areas. Of course we had to do it, not for me, but because of the boy. From that point we could have left and he would have been satisfied for a week. My personal highlights are the Pandas and Silver-backs. We took photos of both. The boy loved it.

   On our way out of the park we stopped by the Chimp area to try and drop River back off. After a small amount of bartering, a lot of heavy argument and a borderline "fight", we returned home with the boy and the chimp owes me $85 cash weekly for the next three weeks. Not bad I guess, considering the circumstances. It was definitely a good day. I'm beat, my pretty Mama is out cold, and River is drooling in bed. Well worth the two hours of listening to country with Melissa(by force of course). Well worth the small change required to instill a love for the Earth's dwellers both land and sea like I've had all my life. And well worth it for the lovely date I've had with my wife all day. It is a good day to be alive.

   We returned home later in the afternoon and our good friend Jimi Two Times came over to hang out and watch some ball. After the games and while flipping through the channels I came across "Big Trouble in Little China". If you have never seen this movie, YOU SHOULD. I pretty much watched it on rewind when I was a young man. Yes, I said rewind, not repeat, if we had repeat I probably wouldn't be the man I am today. It is a classic "B" movie by John Carpenter starring Kurt Russel. Live it, learn it, love it. I'm not joking. It's one of the greatest movies of the 80's.

A fun day indeed. Envy it folks. Envy. One day it's what comes to us tramps. Hold that thumb out, get on that plane, buy that ticket. Run buddy, run. One day it will come to this. I'm not warning, I'm just letting you know, every second is worth it. On that, I leave you with this:

"Okay, I get the picture, White Tigers, Lords of Death, guys in funny suits throwing plastic explosives while poison arrows fall from the sky and the pillars of heaven shake, huh? Sure, okay, I see Charlie Chan, Fu Manchu and a hundred howlin' monkey temples, and that's just for starters, right? Fine! I'm back! I'm ready, goddammit let me at 'em!"
                                  Jack Burton, Big Trouble in Little China, 1986

A tramp at home.

   I have lived in Alabama now since 2008. Its been over 3 years and this is now officially home. We have a little boy running wild around our home and in a few months there will be another little boy crying in the background. I'm not complaining; just stating the facts.
   After nearly ten years of running around from place to place and base to base, I've relocated my homestead to the area where I was raised. We have our own little house in the country, a garden, hunting land, and dogs.  I am now a armed security officer at our local TVA nuclear plant. Its a simple living, but it gets us by. So, this is it. I once traveled the world, now I satisfy myself chasing my sidekick around. I guess that's what I had in mind to begin with.
   We still get a bit of interstate travel. So far my boy has seen about ten states. He's got girlfriends in three. With family and military friends all over it gets pretty easy to call and reserve a couch. You may even be able to coax a meal out. With a few of our hideaways we are spoiled rotten from enter to exit. But, now, as a tramp at home, with no road, or trail, or run up ahead, I sit back and watch. It is a nice view from a comfortable seat. It is also nice to know we can always pack up and pick a road.