Midlife Madness: How Tom Petty, My Whining Guitar and a Local Wizard Saved the Day!

Once upon a time, I made a promise to myself.  I would never be one of those women thrust into the madness of a midlife crisis.  I thought I had it all figured out.

Then a few summers ago, it hit me out of nowhere.  I dropped 75 cents into the slot of a newspaper machine.  I pulled a USA Today out from the stacks.  And there appeared Tom Petty of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.  I couldn't believe it!  The guy on the cover resembled nothing of the skinny kid who stopped me dead in my tracks, singing Refugee on Saturday Night Live.  He looked great, but obviously time had passed.  Petty's face and figure were a little fuller. His hair was slightly shorter and not so blonde.  Nonetheless, he was smiling and aging with all the grace a fifty-something year old man can muster.

What's ol' Tom up to these days?  Where's he been?  I thought to myself.

However, by the time I'd finished reading the article, I was pretty shaken up and asking myself a different question ... 

Floating Away With Sam Frazier and Friends

Yesterday I caught the 10:30 mass at St. Paul's and seriously prayed for some strength to get through another insane holiday season.

After church I concluded that the perfect plan was to shop at Sister's on Tate Street in search of some funky earrings sure to please the most persnickety of teenage girls. Next I would swing by Tate Street Coffee where my former guitar teacher Sam Frazier was playing a rare, almost unheard of afternoon gig.

I thought I'd hear a few tunes, give Sam a hug, and move onto the next gift on my list. So I slipped into a seat along the sidewall, sipped on my coffee, and casually leafed through the Sunday N & R. I hid behind a bunch of college guys with young hip hairdo's and who coolly contained their obvious admiration for the musicians at hand. And somewhere between the warm-up and Sam's finale, I went off to a place far far away from Christmas madness. 

Greg Phairas Comes Through on A Rainy Saturday Night!

Last Saturday night our daughter was invited to the Northwest Homecoming and so that left me and my husband with nothing to do.

So we decided to get in our car, grab a bite to eat and figure the night out as we went along. We couldn't complain about the oodles of rain that night because lord knows we needed it!

We took 220/Battleground into town and wound up at Buffalo's. All I can say to that experience is bring back the old location and the old food because it was so much better! While Buffalo's has never been haute cuisine, you could always count on getting a good hot sandwich there with a homemade side of some sort. It always left me satisfied. But not this time. It's a completely different restaurant and experience.

But the evening was not lost! We decided to head back toward Summerfield/Oakridge and we wound up at Bistro 150 in Oakridge Commons.