The Kat House » Knoxville

Rain, Rain, Go Away…

Tish — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:00:03 +0000

A storm system rolled in through Knoxville yesterday, and according to KnoxNews.com, we’ve already received 3.29 inches of rain from it! The flooding is unbelievable, with dozens of traffic accidents reported around town. Blount County Schools have canceled classes for tomorrow. No word yet on Knox and surrounding counties.

When I got home from work today, I was shocked to find a lake in my front yard.

It’s too dark to tell right now, but I’m afraid that Lake Chattie has grown to monstrous proportions. With any luck, I’ll be able to make it down the driveway tomorrow morning. Rest assured that I’ll have my emergency kit in tow.

Sunday Samplings #17

chattiekat — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 04:09:23 +0000

Complete Geek posted one of the most fascinating things I’ve seen in a long time. Check out Tesla Coils Playing the Super Mario Bros. Theme Song.
We recently welcomed Christine Senter to the amazing team of writers at BlogsWeLuv. Christine has posted her first review, Romance Tracker – A Blog We Luv.
My good friend Garry Conn just launched a new website. Money Listers dot Com gives you the resources to make money online by providing you with articles from hundreds on professional Internet marketing experts.
Byron Chesney stumbled across a NY Times article from 1913 regarding a Knoxville man who went missing in 1910. He has been unable to locate any further updates, so we are left to assume that after 97 years, Charles Fagan has never been found.
If you’re a fan of Kevin Smith, you’ll be happy to know that he just joined Facebook. Take a moment to stop by and add him to your friends list.

Sunday Samplings #14

chattiekat — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 13:13:09 +0000

Garry Conn posted a video of his long lost brother, another addicted blogger. After watching the video, I’m certain that I’m part of the family as well.
If you enjoy keeping up with what the celebrities are doing, check out this list of 66 Celebrities that Blog.
Now I understand why Trey of Complete Geek has been using his blog to prepare the American people for a zombie attack. President Bush just announced that zombies are indeed a threat to the security of our nation.
I recently wrote a review of Knoxville Trivia Blog for BlogsWeLuv. If you live in the area or would like to know more about Knoxville, check out the review for a sample of some of the cool things you’ll find at Knoxville Trivia Blog.
After a number of chaotic events and misfortunes, Diva finally managed to tie the knot! Congratulations!

Sunday Samplings #12

chattiekat — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 04:00:25 +0000

Les Jones has posed an interesting question for all you bloggers out there. Just what is your ratio of blog posts to comments? Take a moment to stop by and post your information. The responses are really interesting!
Yvonne Foong is a Malaysian college student suffering from Neurofibromatosis. The disease affects the nervous system and causes benign tumors to grow throughout the body. Yvonne has had three brain surgeries and one spinal surgery to remove these tumors, and she still needs additional treatments. Her blog contains an online store where you can purchase clothing, jewelry, artwork, and her book entitled I’m Not Sick, Just a Bit Unwell: Life with Neurofibromatosis.
Byron Chesney just participated in the Light the Night Walk for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He walked in memory of his sister, Pam, raising more than $1,300. Byron’s post, Look Mommy, It’s Raining Flowers!, is the story of Pam’s life and death. Have a tissue handy when you read it.
If you live in the Knoxville area and are interested in auditioning for a film project, you can find the details on the Callboard Blog.
As you know, I’ve had a serious spider problem in my house, so I can’t resist passing along a link to Bobby’s Freaky Morbid Spider post. You’ll find out more than you ever wanted to know about Brown Recluse spiders.
And while we’re on the topic of spiders, be sure to check out Andrew’s post entitled You Found What in the Grapes?

Night at the Symphony

chattiekat — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 02:45:15 +0000

For the first time in my adult life, I spent an evening at the symphony! Thanks to the generosity of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, I attended the season’s opening concert last night. Local bloggers were given free tickets to the show and invited to a post-concert reception with the musicians.

I must admit that, like Byron Chesney, I had the pre-symphony jitters. I was fine until just a couple of days before the show. I am a big fan of theatre and attend plays on a regular basis, but I hadn’t been to the symphony since I was a kid. What if I wore the wrong outfit? What if I acted in an unacceptable manner?

I met my friend Kevin in Market Square, and we then walked to the beautiful Tennessee Theatre. After having some champagne, we found our seats and prepared for a new experience. The first half of the show was by modern American composers. The first piece was Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine. Then soloist Jeffrey Biegel took the stage for Liebermann’s Piano Concerto No. 3.

In my usual theatre fashion, I had gone to the restroom immediately before the show, as I knew that it would be near impossible to fight the crowds during intermission. Instead, I spent the intermission scanning the room for other bloggers. I didn’t see anyone that I recognized, but Kevin quickly pointed out that you could tell who the bloggers were simply by hair color. In a sea of white hair, other colors easily stood out. Surely those colorful heads of hair must belong to youthful, technologically gifted bloggers!

The first half of the concert had been enjoyable, but the second half was my favorite. It consisted of Copland’s Appalachian Spring and Gershwin’s An American in Paris. Osbasso had predicted that I’d like Appalachian Spring, and he was right! Both pieces were fantastic.

After the show, we made our way to the Glenn Miller Room for the Bloggers’ Reception. The first person I met was KSO Communications Director Stephanie Burdette. I then recognized Byron Chesney of Knoxville Trivia Blog. I had a great time chatting with him and his wife.

Rich, Lissa Kay, and Doug were there as well. I’ve had the pleasure of hanging out with them before, but it was certainly nice to see them again. I also met Frank Murphy and Craig Thomas. Is it just me, or are bloggers the nicest people you’ll ever meet?

I met Maestro Lucas Richman as well as a few of the KSO musicians. They were all so nice and down to earth! I would have stayed at the reception longer, but I was wearing heels that will never be worn again. My feet hurt so bad as I left the show that I just took off my shoes and walked the several blocks to my car barefoot.

As I mentioned, I had been really nervous before the show, but I was pleasantly surprised. My outfit didn’t stick out like a sore thumb, and I think I behaved in an acceptable manner! Yippee! It was a wonderful night, and I look forward to attending another show in the future.

If you’re in the Knoxville area and would like to attend a show, check out the KSO’s website for all the juicy details. And as an added incentive, you can find a great KSO coupon in the School Coupon Book. Buy one ticket to the Family Concert and get a second ticket free!

Thanks to Kevin for taking these great photos.

Maestro Richman with Jeffrey Biegel (That’s the Maestro’s son in the background)

Rich, Lissa Kay, and Stephanie

Be sure to check out these concert reviews from other local bloggers.

I Had a Blast at the Orchestra! by Doug McCaughan

Bloggers’ Field Trip by Frank Murphy

Bloggers at the Symphony by Lissa Kay

KSO Blogger Night Review by Byron Chesney

Semi-Live Blogging the Symphony by Craig Thomas

Semi-Live Blogging the Symphony Part 2 by Craig Thomas

The Symphony by Noah Caldwell (9 years old!)

KSO and Bloggers Unite! by Krisha

Night at the KSO by Brian Arner

Tweet, Tweet to the Music by Jack Lail

If you know of any other reviews, please let me know so I can post a link!

Bloggers’ Night at the KSO

chattiekat — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 16:59:29 +0000

Several local businesses have started reaching out to area bloggers. I was recently invited to attend a Bloggers’ Night at a restaurant in town. I couldn’t make it that particular night, but the word is that it may become a regular thing. I’ve always enjoyed hanging out with likeminded individuals, so I will probably check it out from time to time.

The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra (KSO) has jumped on the bandwagon. The first 50 bloggers willing to blog about the opening night concert will receive two free tickets to the show. Not only that, but they will also be invited to a post-concert reception. I just scored my tickets, and my friend Kevin will be accompanying me to the show.

If you’re interested in attending the KSO concert, here are the details. The show will be held at the beautiful Tennessee Theatre at 7:00 PM on Thursday, September 27th. The program will consist of music by American composers. Tickets range from $19 – $78 each. You can get more information on the show and purchase tickets here. Of course, if you’re a blogger and are willing to blog about the show, you may still be able to get free tickets. Just email Communications Director Stephanie Burdette at stephanie@knoxvillesymphony.com for your tickets.

Thanks to Rich of Shots Across the Bow for informing me of the show, and thanks to Frank Murphy for providing all the juicy details!

See you at the show!

Legend of the Dump Man

chattiekat — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 23:12:34 +0000

Mention his name, and big burly men cower in fear. He’s a legend around these parts- fortunately, one I’ve yet to confirm the existence of. He guards the gates of the county dump, but he may as well guard the gates of Hell. Lucifer himself couldn’t strike as much terror in the hearts of the local residents.

I made the move from the city to the county a few months ago. I love the new place, but unfortunately, it doesn’t come with some of the conveniences I had while living in the city. I received garbage pickup while in the city. It wasn’t free, mind you – it was rolled into those insane property taxes. My property taxes are now less than half of what they were before, but garbage pickup is an extra $300 per year – $300 more than I want to pay. I live only a mile or so from a solid waste/recycling center, so I just haul off my own garbage each week.

I’m a girly girl, and the idea of going to a dump site was a foreign one when I moved here. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I sure didn’t want to embarrass myself by doing something stupid. So I did what I normally do. I asked a few of the guys at work. Just what do I do when I get to the dump?

“Pass by the recycle bins, and then you’ll see large bins for household trash. Just get out and throw your bags in the bin – fast! Do it before the Dump Man gets you!”

What?

“If you bring too much trash…or if your license plate was issued in any county other than Knox…or if you breathe…he’ll rip you to shreds and throw your mangled body in the dumpster! I’ve been on the front lines of war, and I’ve fought dragons barehanded, but it all pales in comparison to my encounters with the Dump Man!”

Maybe I should just pay the $300, but I like to live on the wild side.

I get up early each Saturday morning so that I can make my way to the dump right as it opens. I rush in and rush out. So far, I haven’t seen anything resembling this mythical beast. In fact, I was starting to wonder if he was just that – a myth. So I once again confronted the guys at work.

“The Dump Man doesn’t work on Saturdays.”

I guess this explains why Saturday dump traffic rivals that of a Vols game at Neyland Stadium. I’m forced to get up at the crack of dawn on my day off just to arrive before the rest of Knoxville does.

I pity those poor souls who are forced to work on Saturdays.

July BlogFest – Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria

chattiekat — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 04:43:22 +0000

Rich from Shots Across the Bow has just announced the July BlogFest details.

This month’s festivities will be held at Barley’s in the Old City on July 21st at 6 PM. All area bloggers are welcome! Leave a comment on Rich’s blog to let him know you’ll be attending!

Hope to see lots of you there!

June BlogFest – Bailey’s Sports Bar and Grille

chattiekat — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 14:27:16 +0000

The June Blogfest was held last night at Bailey’s Sports Bar and Grille. This was my first time attending. I had a blast and look forward to future gatherings.

This was sitting on the table when I arrived, and I just couldn’t resist taking a photo.

Meet Rich from Shots Across the Bow. He organizes the monthly blogfests, and as you can see, he takes his blogging very seriously. He even blogs from the bar!

Meet Michael from No Silence Here and Les from from Les Jones.

Doug from Reality Me! gave an advanced blogging lesson to Mushy of Mushy’s Moochings.

Mushy and I have been reading each other’s blogs for a while now, so it was nice to finally meet him in person!

That’s Lissa Kay from Oh…Really? chatting it up with Michael, Michael’s daugher, and Les.

Bloggers are always hard at work, even on a night out.

Mark Steel from Blogitude.com and Mushy stood there side by side like they were a couple or something.

My friend Barry was unable to attend Blogfest because his band, The Atomic Horns, was playing a gig in Oak Ridge. Since he so kindly asked us to attend, four of us made our way to the Eagles Club after leaving Bailey’s.

The Atomic Horns put on a fabulous show. I’ll definitely be seeing them again.

That’s Barry from Inn of the Last Home on the left. I’ve known him since 1994, and guys don’t come any nicer!

This photo cracks me up!

I had such a wonderful time last night and can’t wait to do it again. Prior to Blogfest, I had only met two of these bloggers in person – Mark and Barry. It was so nice to meet the others. I now consider them all friends!

Knoxville Blogfest

chattiekat — Fri, 25 May 2007 18:52:49 +0000

Rich from Shots Across the Bow is hosting a Blogfest on Saturday, June 9th at Bailey’s in West Knoxville. The festivities will begin at 6 PM. Yours truly will be there. I’m looking forward to meeting all the Knoxville bloggers I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting as well as seeing those that I know and love!

Head on over to Rich’s blog for the skinny. And be sure to leave a comment if you plan on attending. Hope to see you there!