Nashville Confidential

auld lang syne

It’s incredibly mild here, just as it was one year ago. I walked over to the Arcade for lunch and sat outside. Then it was down to the Country Music Hall of Fame to see the “Night Train to Nashville” exhibit -- finally! It is a great look at R&B music from this town, and the African-American musicians and entertainment districts that made it happen.

The Shelby Street pedestrian bridge was full of people coming back from the Music City Bowl! I was so happy and proud.

DMJ called me this afternoon -- quite a surprise. She is back in town so I will have a chance to see her before my northward return. I’m so glad.

I know I said the library is what I will miss most, but I meant that in terms of place. DMJ, hands down, is the person whom I will miss most. That’s all I’m going to say about that for now.

EV and I had a great dinner last night at Kien Gieng -- highly recommended -- and saw the Hot Club of Nashville at Station Inn. A fabulous way to close the musical year. When Stuart Duncan and Richard Smith are involved, you know it’s going to be good.

I’ve decided to stay an extra day and not drive back until Sunday morning. I keep postponing my “last day in Nashville,” which is a bad way to think about it, because it won’t be my last day in Nashville. I’ll be back to visit. There is my “yet to do” list, after all.

how i could tell who won the music city bowl

All the Alabama fans walking through downtown look really mad.

a city with a great library is a great city

The library is closed tomorrow, so today is my last chance to be here for a while. I am working in almost every room: The Great Reading Room, the East Reading Room off the Arts stacks, The Nashville Banner Archives, all of it. I write for a while, then pack up and move to another part of the buildings.

What a wonderful place, top-notch in every way: the collection, the architecture, the décor, the history, the technology, the staff.

The public library is my favorite place in Nashville.

Of all the things I will miss, the library is probably foremost. I’m jealous of all the people who will get to be here in 2005. I wish I would have utilized it more than I did – and I definitely got a lot out of it. If you ever come visit Nashville (or if you live near here already), make a point to come see the Main Library at 615 Church Street.

other voices, same room

When I went for a manicure today, a young American man with a military-type haircut was sitting alongside one of the manicurists at her station, speaking Vietnamese.

At first I thought he was in some type of tutoring situation, but my manicurist said he often comes in with his mother (a customer) and talks with the shop staff. He lived in Vietnam for three years, she said.

He spoke very confidently. Sometimes he would say something, and all the women would laugh at the clever joke he had made. My manicurist clucked appreciatively. She said to me in a low voice, “He is very smart. He understands everything,” she said.

“You must have to be careful about what you say,” I said. She smiled and nodded.

All of the manicurists talked, heads down over their work, with no eye contact among them or with the young man. It was quiet in the room except for the cadence of their conversation, the sing-song back and forth.

After about 20 minutes his mother was done with her manicure, and he got up to leave. I had a dozen questions I wanted to ask him, and the women, but I said nothing.

EV and I are going out for dinner tonight, and I get to pick the place. Vietnamese sounds good.

one more time

We walked to so many of my favorite places today: Provence, Union Station, the Frist and Ru San’s to meet some of my co-workers for a last sushi blowout. My brother really liked the Manuel exhibit and the Frist overall. Again, I cannot encourage your own attendance enough.

The movers drove away with nearly all my worldly possessions about 3:30 p.m. I stood in my empty apartment, teary-eyed. The move never has seemed as real as it did at that moment. I have always said I had the best place in Nashville and it is true. Standing there I remembered the long wall of windows as I saw them for the first time, which seems really long ago and yet just yesterday. So much has happened since that day when I decided this would be my home – a whole chapter of my life. My brother understood all of that, even expressed it aloud, although I could not.

Because it was such a temperate evening, we walked down to the Shelby Street pedestrian bridge. Downtown was really hopping, with carriage rides and tourists and holiday lights. A few Minnesota fans – and a wave of Alabama fans – are in town for the Music City Bowl. The Coliseum lights were on for a while as they complete final preparations for the game. The view from the bridge was so beautiful. We looked out over the calm water. There was a nice breeze; it actually smelled like spring.

i would have said something during the meal, but my mouth was full of food

My brother had one dining request for his visit to Nashville: Ruth’s Chris Steak House. I had never been there. We had a large, filling meal (and excellent, excellent service).

Our post-dinner wrap-up went something like this:

Brother: “That was delicious … and kind of nutritious.”

Me: “Nutritious? We had hunks of red meat sizzling in butter, cream-based soups, carbohydrates smothered with cheese, and ice-cream-and-liqueur drinks.”

Brother: “Well, if you’re going to look at it like that …”

i can see for miles and miles

My brother is here for his annual Music City visit and he has pledged to help me take a few things off my “yet to do” list.

Today we walked from downtown to Fort Negley, newly reopened to the public, and I recommend it highly. You don’t have to be interested in the Civil War to appreciate the location, which is atop St. Cloud Hill and has wonderful views of Nashville. The weather today was brisk but sunny, and you really could see a long distance in all directions. We also walked over to the Nashville City Cemetery, which I enjoy more every time I go. It’s such a cool place. Please go there.

I can’t say I showed my brother the best side of town in this walk, which goes through some pretty dicey areas (the reason I had never done it – I was afraid to go alone). Our parents called his cell phone at one point and when they asked where we were, we had to answer honestly: “Standing outside Babe’s Adult Showplace.”

just when you thought it couldn't get any better

JMS and I had dinner at Tin Angel. (He had never been there before!)
We had a meaningful conversation.
We had an incredible meal.
Then Van Morrison’s "Into the Mystic" played.

and a big box of irony

One of the freeing things about moving is throwing out stuff; however, this is hard for me. I’m back in Nashville for my final week, and before the move I am cleaning out closets and cabinets in anticipation of a big trip to Goodwill.

When I came down here, I moved from a two-bedroom house with a finished attic and finished basement into a space of roughly 1000 square feet. I left most of my library behind and scattered furniture among patient relatives.

I am returning with less than I brought. I’ve divested myself of a lot of clothes and some furniture. Yes, even now, I worry I will not have enough room for my prized possessions in my new place. It’s a ridiculous concern.

I was sorting through all my books, deciding I couldn’t part with a single one. Then I came across one titled “The Simple Living Guide” (synopsis: don't buy things you don't need, kill your television).

who wants to marry my dad

This is the first December my mom hasn’t made her holiday trek to Music City, and I’ve missed having her here. My mom has not had the easiest year of her life. If you look up “sandwich generation” in the dictionary, you will see her photograph. There are a lot of responsibilities on her, and she bears them all with grace.

I was thinking of this again today seeing her with my grandmother. My mom is just so outwardly focused, so in tune with other people’s needs instead of her own, that she moves around a room performing tasks instinctively. In the span of about 15 minutes this afternoon I watched her fill one of those seven-day medication dispensers, get a glass of milk, instruct someone on the way to use a remote control to start a DVD. None of these things was for herself.

Gentleness is a quality I have come to prize most in others, and to wish for most in myself. I love my dad very much, and we are very similar in so many ways. Our need to grow in gentleness is something that we share. He has done better about it in the past year than I have. Both he and my mom do many things for others; they are generous and kind.

My mom really excels in this. Right now she is jostling the care of my grandmother, preparations for my sister’s wedding, watching her grandchildren, living with my dad (by his own admission, no small feat) and guiding me through my move. With all the things on her plate, she is concerned about whether we should paint my new place. That’s just the kind of person she is.

I love you, Mom. Thanks for listening and for caring and for all you do. Merry Christmas.