Market Square, Knoxville, Tennessee

Today I awoke in Knoxville, went downstairs to fix my breakfast and then took my myriad cornucopia of pills to help me with my foot condition. Afterward, I went back upstairs and played around on the computer. Apparently someone in the neighborhood has wifi access because I was able to hook up on the computer and read my emails, etc.

After awhile, I went downstairs and joined the breakfast table confab. Ultimately, we went to our respective rooms and floors and got ready for the day. Later, we drove into town and took part in the Dogwood Festival at Market Square. Cindy and her mother went into some used clothing store and her dad and I walked around looking the various booths.

We connected with Missy and Megan and talked about lunch, which was coming on with a fever. Meanwhile, we discovered some various photo booths and looked over the photographs.

Ultimately, the band on the big stage started up and I stood around and listened to them while purchases were being made behind me. The band was pretty good instrumentally, although I wasn't a big fan of their singer. The band seemed to revolve around him and he took various instruments throughout the set and left the rest of the band behind.

I ultimately left the stage area and went with Cindy to look at some of the other booths. We finally started discussing lunch and Cindy and Missy decided they really wanted to eat in a restaurant rather than finding booth food, although some of the food booths had smelled and looked pretty good.

We ended up in a Cuban restaurant which was having service problems. We sat around for almost an hour before we were served. As it turned out, the restaurant had a tiny kitchen and one cook, so it was no wonder they had a time serving us.

The food was ok and it was finally nice to get fed. After we left, Cindy's dad and I were separated from our respective wives as they left to look at other booths.

Meanwhile, we headed back toward the river and ended up standing around near two young guys with guitars trying to sing and play on the edge of the festival. They were bad. And I mean bad in the literal sense. They weren't bad instrumentally, but they yelled their lyrics and made up for their lack of vocal technique with the strength of their volume. Not a good combination.

Finally, after about thirty minutes of this, a young man came up to us and told us that he had just left the Knox County jail and didn't have any money and would we be willing to give him some money for lunch.

I felt like walking over to the musicians and telling them that I would ordinarily put the money in their guitar case in appreciation for their playing. However, these guys were so bad that I felt compelled to give this money to this dude who had just been released from the Knox County jail.

Of course, I didn't do that. My father in law opined that he would just take the money and use it on alcahol or drugs. But I kept an eye on him and saw him buy a barbecue sandwich from the Buddy's Barbecue truck.

Ah, Vindication. And I didn't have to give any money to those two dudes killing the air with their voices. Too bad I didn't make the point to them I really wanted to.

By the way, the Market Square, which is where the old City Market building was located, has various quotes from famous Knoxville writers about the old City Market building imbedded in the sidewalk. In front of the stage, there was a quote from Cormac McCarthy's "Suttree". I tried to read it, but some young mothers and their post teenage friends were standing on it and wouldn't move to let me read. They were more interested in themselves and the mindless drivel rolling off their corporate tongues. Little Phillistines.

I doubt if they would recognize the beauty of McCarthy's prose. They seemed to be more interested in themselves as objects of beauty. Whatever.

I didn't see it.