Living in Tennessee

This morning, FOX News had a segment on the hundreds of people that were leaving Democratic-controlled states and moving to Tennessee, specifically NASHVILLE.  But, the state of Tennessee is not just about Nashville...

• When I think of Nashville, I think of the home of Country Music...
• When I think of Memphis, I think of the home of Elvis Presley...
• When I think of Bristol, I think of the home of NASCAR....
• When I think of Knoxville, I think of the home of Oak Ridge National Laboratories...
• When I think of Chattanooga, I think of  Glenn Miller's Chattanooga Choo Choo and the revitalized riverfront, similar to the riverfront in San Antonio, Texas...

Tennessee is also the home of Jack Daniels whiskey and has the nickname of "Volunteers" that dates back to the Alamo and Davy Crockett...

And, what is not mentioned often is the Great Smoky Mountains which is the NUMBER ONE TOURIST ATTRACTION in the entire US of A...   imagine that?

Tennessee has a HUGE system of LAKES thanks to the TVA and the public works projects of the 1920s that put people to work because of the Great Depression.  And, where I am currently living, I have access to two lakes on either side of me, Cherokee and Douglas...  I can get to either lake in about 10-15 minutes.

About 40-60 minutes (depending upon traffic) away from my location, there is:

• Pidgeon Forge
• Dollywood
• Gatlinburg

Each of these tourist attractions went from just being opened in the summer months (circa 1990s) to being open 12 months a year (circa 2000s)...

Oak Ridge National Laboratories just outside of Knoxville, receives 80% of the Department of Energy's budget each year to work on a variety of projects for the Federal Government...  Currently, ORNL works on protecting nuclear materials to secure the peaceful use of energy production, medical applications, and scientific discovery around the world...

I moved over to TN in 1990 and 32 years later not only am I still here but I have no desire to live anywhere else...  I wear a t-shirt from April through December...  that's 8 months out of the year...  not bad.

Do yourself a favor...  come to TN for a visit...  stay a week or two, maybe three...  spend your money, but don't stay!!!

Magical Road Trip

Just South of Knoxville, TN and on the way to Pigeon’s Forge and Gatlinburg, this is the perfect place to stay for a long weekend (or more!) while you explore all the area has to offer. I was traveling with four teenagers, so I booked a rental van and struck out for east Tennessee and headed towards the Great Smoky Mountains. The 3 hour, 45 minute drive was pretty scenic and took us through Chattanooga and a time zone change to Eastern Standard Time.

There are lots of places to stop along the way if you like, and we stopped at Goats On the Roof to ride the goat coaster, a one-person mountain coaster that flies an exhilarating 30mph down a 1-mile track. You control your cart using a hand brake and let gravity do the rest! The mountain views are so pretty, and since you can go as fast or as slow as you want it’s great for a variety of ages. Parents can ride with their littles in their lap too! There’s also a kitschy little gift shop, gem mining, ice cream, and a goat petting zoo to enjoy.

After our little pit stop, we headed over to Ancient Lore Village.

The owner and creator had a vision to create a world where people from different backgrounds could live together in peace and harmony in a place where only good, genuine goodness, exists. Sounds fantastic, right? Technically, Ancient Lore Village is a boutique resort and event facility, and the story of how it came to be is fascinating and inspiring.

The first thing you see as you drive through the gates is an enormous waterfall, Boyd Hollow Falls. It’s one of the largest man-made waterfalls in the country, and it’s a breathtaking backdrop. We were there during St. Patrick’s Day and the water was tinted green for the celebrations happening at the Village. All around the falls are places to sit for a meal or just to watch the sun set or rise. At the base is a valley with nature trails to explore.

Right next to the waterfall is Bokee’s Bungalow, a cozy 2-story house fit for a hobbit! This is where we stayed with our group of five, but it can house up to eight people. It’s nestled into the side of a hill, and even has charming grasses shipped in from Ireland growing on the rooftop.  READ MORE...

Considering A 4 Day Workweek

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Could your workweek be getting a little bit shorter? One business expert with the University of Tennessee thinks it might be a good idea.

An associate professor of management at UT’s Haslam College of Business started by explaining the five-day workweek comes from Henry Ford and the manufacturing industry more than 100 years ago. Timothy Munyon said it then spilled into office life; however, he said it’s obvious times have changed.

“The history of work, if you look at how we’ve structured work really over the last 120-plus years, it’s an artifact of some realities that were relevant in history but maybe not relevant today,” said Munyon. “When you look at the nature of the way that we actually do work it’s not always the best way for employees.”

That’s why Munyon said he’s passionate about improving the work-life balance for Americans across the nation. It’s also why he feels it may be wise for employers to consider changes like a four-day workweek, saying it can improve productivity, reduce burnout and increase respite.

“It’s about sustainability, actually helping people be well at work and thrive while also helping manage for the long run,” he said.

Munyon also adds this has become vital over the last couple of years as the world dealt with political unrest, the pandemic, and financial insecurity.

“One thing that employers can do is kind of build in a little bit more rest for their employees to recharge, it’s not business as normal,” he began. “If you look at things like base rates of things like burnout and depression in the population, we see spikes, and often they are non-work-related spikes, but employers can help employees better manage those stressors by giving them flexibility and a little more latitude at work.”

Munyon also said there must be a shift in the way employers think soon if they hope to slow down what’s been dubbed “The Great Resignation.” Throughout the pandemic, Munyon said more Americans than ever reevaluated what mattered to them, forcing some of them out of the workforce altogether.  READ MORE...

4 Day Workweek

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Not everyone is an expert in human resources or business management and there are terms used among professionals in these industries that could be useful to others whom are employed; emerging data on the four-day workweek calls attention to some terms used among management experts and the history of the American workweek.

Academics and business industry professionals are talking more about the four-day workweek and discussions have been happening for years. Tim Munyon, associate professor of management at UT Haslam College of Business, offered both a history lesson on the topic as well as what some of the terms used actually mean. Munyon also touched on some recent studies and academic literature aimed at not only employee productivity but also the historical effects.

Recently, the shortened American workweek became a trending topic among international media and on social media when a study out of Iceland called the four-day workweek a success and a California congressman introduced legislation to modify the workweek last summer that was endorsed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus in December.

Terms defined
Business researchers are finding that more companies are considering or switching to a results-only work environment, or ROWE that focuses on complete autonomy and accountability for outcomes only.

A broader approach to ROWE some companies are taking includes flexible work practices or FWP, which have seen positive effects according to research prior to the coronavirus pandemic – and after – but meta-analyses (“studies of studies, as Munyon put it) on these practices are still being developed that aim to reduce or and bias.

A peer-reviewed business research study published in late 2017 explored the different avenues of FWP and how companies attract potential employees – and keep them – utilizing FWPs. Overall, FWPs produce positive results, according to the meta-analyses, and Munyon summarizes this when asked about FWPs and ROWEs.  READ MORE...

Heart Cath

What happens during a heart catheterization procedure?

In cardiac catheterization (often called cardiac cath), your doctor puts a very small, flexible, hollow tube (called a catheter) into a blood vessel in the groin, arm, or neck. Then he or she threads it through the blood vessel into the aorta and into the heart. Once the catheter is in place, several tests may be done.

AUTHOR's COMMENTS:  

On Tursday of this week, I will be having this procedure at UT Medical Center - Heart and Lung Department...    This is the second time that a procedure like this has been performed on me...  the first time was at the same hospital and was performed in 2008 and the surgeon recommended a triple bypass, but instead I had 5 stents inserted into my heart arteries over a 12 month period of time with 3 surgeries.

It appears that my stents may no longer be working as they should since a recent stress test indicated an abnormal reading that pointed to my LAD...  So, this procedure is to take a closer look at the problem...

My surgery is scheduled at 7:00 am so I have to arrive at 5:30 am which means I have to leave the house at 4:30 am and that means I must get up and shower at 4:00 am...  this should not be a problem for me as I am always waking up during the night at various times to urinate.

Hopefully, I will be released and on my way home by noon or earlier of that same day...

Cancer Treatment Day

Despite the fact that I awoke early and cannot go back to sleep, I am usually up early on these days anyway...  so, it is only an hour early which is not that much of a lost sleep night...  and, for the last 4 days, I have had to get up early each and every one of those to go to some kind of doctor visit, treatment, or procedure.

This morning my routine is (arrivig driving the 45 minutes to the cancer center) to check in and have lab work done...  this is place where they access my port, so I make sure that I have put plenty of numbing cream on the skin covering the port...  it must stay on an hour or more.

The next step is to wait the see the Oncologist who is trypically seeing loads of patients each day and always seems to fall behind as the day progresses so I try to see him as early as possible.

Then I return to the lab waiting room to be called for my treatment after checking in again.  Within 15-20 minutes, I am taken to a chemo suite of 6 chairs.  

UT Medical Cancer Center has 10 suites on the 4th floor of the center.

For some reason, I always wait another 30 minutes or so for the OPDIVO to arrive and then my infusion lasts only 30 minutes and I am outta there.

I arrive at 7:00 am and typically leave at 10:30/11:00 and much of that time is due to waiting.

Today, I will be informed of the results of my CT scan that I had on Monday...  so, I am really interested to see if there has been any metabolic activity inside me.

Life Goes On

Life in America now is different than life in America was...  at least for the old timers...  who were around in the 1960's with the Vietnam War, Demonstrations on college campuses, Race Riots, and Woodstock...  although, there is more to it than just that...  it also includes an increase in the quality of life that revolves around:

• higher wages
• better healthcare
• quality education
• housing
• clothes
• technology
• transportation
• communications

AND...  just when life starts to get interesting, my mentality is to retire and extricate myself from the rigors or employment which is mainly because of asshole bosses who are more incompetent than government workers.

Retirement is good...   and, it is good not because I can sleep in or not shave or wear what I want to, but because I have enough money to do whatever it is that I want to do even with my limited resources...  in other words, I can go out to dinner and order the $13 Salmon rather than the $25 Filet Mignon...   or, I can go to a resort area on the East Coast and get an efficiency condo for $1,200/week rather than an efficiency condo for $2,500/week.

During the winter months, I pretty much stay inside but when the weather is warm, I am on the back porch or I am working in the yard; however, regardless of the weather and my physical location, I spend an enormous amount of time writing.  My writing consists of articles that I publish on my 3 blogs, most of which I write myself, others borrowed but given credit, publishing poems on my 4th blog, and writing a few pages each day on a novel.

To date, I have written two and a half novels, and am working on my 4th without finishing my 3rd.  Why did I do this?  No sure...  other than I got tired of writing or questioned my ability to write and when I returned, decided to start something new.

Will I contact publishers?

Not sure...

Am I writing just to be writing or am I writing to be published?

Again, not sure...

But, writing keeps me busy and occupied and in retirement I suppose that is a good thing.

However, some people like to continue working and continue building up their wealth.  I have no desire to build wealth as long as I have enough money to meet my needs and the needs of my wife after I die.

Am I being un American?

Perhaps...  but, I have never like the concept of GREED or the concept of climbing to the top of the ladder just so I could say that I got there...

Coming Back From Knoxville

My wife and I live the valley of Eastern Tennessee about 30 minutes northeast of Knoxville, and about 60 miles southwest of Bristol...  the home to a NASCAR racetrack.  To our right (no more than 45 minutes) are the Great Smokey Mountains where some of the best moonshine is made and the best marijuana is grown and for the most part law enforcement simply ignores or tries to ignore what is going on.

What makes our location so perfect is that we are less than 10 miles from the interstate  and about twice that distance located in between 2 lakes;  Douglas and Cherokee, on which we used to go kayaking on the weekends.  There is no entrance fee for either lake unless you want to camp or park a camper, trailer, or whatever...  then there is a small daily or weekly rental.

In those Great Smokey Mountains are the homes and resorts of Gatlinburg and DOLLYWOOD which is quite an adventure all its own but too expensive for my tastes and what it offers.  We used to get season tickets just to have something to do but after a few years of going once or twice a month, there simply isn't anything really new to see.

Just about everywhere one drives and parks the car, a scenic view of the Great Smokey can be found except in my driveway...  however, if I walk through the open field, past a few not so reluctant deer, and to my neighbor's house up on the hill, I would have this view of which I speak.

In 1990, when I first relocated to East TN, I lived in Greeneville and every morning before going to work, I would stop by the local Hardees for a couple of cups of coffee (maybe more) and pick a table by the front windows where the amazing view of the Great Smokey Mountains was crystal clear.

Where we are living now is not too far from Morristown where COPPER HEAD ROAD can be found as it winds its way down to Knoxville....

Copperhead Road by Stevie Earle

Well my name's John Lee Pettimore
Same as my daddy and his daddy before
You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here
He only come to town about twice a year

He'd buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some copper line
Everybody knew that he made moonshine
Now the revenue man wanted Grandaddy bad
Headed up the holler with everything he had
'Fore my time but I've been told
He never come back from Copperhead Road

Now Daddy ran whiskey in a big block Dodge
Bought it at an auction at the Mason's Lodge
Johnson County Sheriff painted on the side
Just shot a coat of primer then he looked inside

Well him and my uncle tore that engine down
I still remember that rumblin' sound
When the Sheriff came around in the middle of the night
Heard mama cryin', knew something wasn't right
He was headed down to Knoxville with the weekly load
You could smell the whiskey burnin' down Copperhead Road

I volunteered for the Army on my birthday
They draft the white trash first, 'round here anyway
I done two tours of duty in Vietnam
I came home with a brand new plan
I take the seed from Columbia and Mexico
I just plant it up the holler down Copperhead Road
And now the D.E.A.'s got a chopper in the air
I wake up screaming like I'm back over there
I learned a thing or two from Charlie don't you know
You'd better stay away from Copperhead Road...

While Knoxville is not considered to be the big city that Atlanta or Nashville is, it does have it fair share of traffic, especially in the mornings and afternoons during rush hour...  although, if you hit it just right, you can breeze through the city in no time at all...  but, that breezing does not happen very often...  and, there is usually an accident at least once or twice a week, mainly because people ain't paying attention due to running late.

Anyway...  on my way back from Knoxville, regardless of the time-of-day, I pass a Weigle's Convenience Store and Gas Station about a mile from the house and ALWYS STOP for a couple of large cups of French Vanilla Cappuccino.  Your first cup costs $1.89 (largest) but if you bring back your cup, refills are less than a dollar...  and two are $1.95 including tax.  I keep two empty cups in the car just for this purpose.

I reinforce the sides of cup with clear box packing tape so the cups lasts longer than Weigle's expected but thy say nothing at all when I sit my refills on the counter to pay.

I can serve myself French Vanilla Fat Free, French Vanilla Alert, or French Vanilla Supreme...  and, because I have tried all 3 and cannot decide which I like better, I fill up each cup a third of the way with each.  Every once in a while, there are people behind me waiting but I never turn around to see their expressions.

As soon as I get home, I pour the contents of both cups into a larger plastic pitcher, rinse out the Weigle's paper cups and sit them upside down on the counter to dry, putting them in the car later for my next visit.