Knoxville520.com

With a weekend like the one we just had (in case you were out of town...the temperature got down to a frosty 20 and warmed up to a frothy 35), I contemplated sitting at home with some hot chocolate. I failed miserably. Friday night, after my return from North Carolina, I thought about just taking it easy. After all, I’m battling a cold thanks to my lack of insulation. My friends could care less about my health, especially when they refer to the almighty Brucerator.

Sitting a mere block from my house sits what we like to refer to as "The Big Blue House." It is in this house where many life-altering decisions have been made. For instance, the
decision to go to Las Vegas last year was made there (perhaps soley based on the fact we were able to enter a National Beer Pong Tournament. Yes Knoxville, you are home to the National Lampoon's National Beer Pong
Champions - no autographs, please). The decision to return to Vegas was also
made at the same house. But the greatest decision of all, was the instinctive decision made by the rentees of the house, to create a kegerator, not just any kegerator, but "The Brucerator." Covered by many famous Bruce's, this converted refrigerator has been the ignition switch to several forgettable nights. I am not here to talk about things I can't remember. I am here to talk about the culture of conversation that said
Brucerator stirred up Friday night.

My Vegas friends have bought this Vegas guidebook. I was always more of a Choose Your Own Adventure kind of guy (Or Encyclopedia Brown!). The truth is, I hate
planning. It reminds me of the time my Mom "planned" to encourage family bonding by visiting every lighthouse along the Outer Banks of NC. Really cool idea? No. Not at all. Not when a 5 hour trip ends up lasting 16 hours, riding 3 ferries, getting crapped on not once, but twice, by the seagulls your brother and sister continue to feed. Not to mention you are riding on this giant metal ship which absorbs every bit of sunlight, turning it
into one of the finest saunas you have ever set foot in. Although memorable, I don't think it morphed into a family tradition (a family tradition example: Every year my sister
(14), my brother (18), myself (22), and my parents put on Christmas pajamas (always from Old Navy) and take 3 rolls worth of pictures for a family Christmas card. Awesome.)

Back to this guidebook. I have to tell you I was not a fan. I've threatened at least one of the group members that if at every casino we go to, he says something like "Built in 1960's, the Stardust casino was one of the only Casino's in Vegas to be owned by more than one organized crime group..." (Not factual by the way, just saying), I may kill him. However, sitting around the Brucerator, the comment was made "Did you know Paris Casino has the only true French roulette wheel in Vegas?" My first thought - "What the hell is a French roulette wheel?" It was explained to me, "a French roulette wheel contains no 00, making the odds of Red vs. Black, the highest odds in Vegas." Crickie!!! I love this guidebook! And fyi, we are staying in the Capital of Freedom Casino the first two nights we are in Vegas, meaning this would be where our balls to the wall, put it all on red, extravaganza would go down. It occurred to me that perhaps the stars were aligning... the odds of winning it all on red were getting better. Conversation snowballed (thanks again to the Brucerator) into a decision that we embark on our "Journey" the next day.

That was the plan, head out to a random town, to travel through bars finding
themes that we could parallel to Journey songs. However, the choose your own adventure ended up being that it was too f’in cold outside, and upon some research, the temperature was going to get below 20 degree. (Salt doesn't
melt ice below 20 degrees) I live in the mountains of NC, I can drive on snow, but I say no to ice.

Saturday night I was unsure of what to do until one of my friends called and said “We are at the Tasting Room.” Now, I have never been to the New Knoxville Tasting Room before Saturday night, but I have tasted New Knox beer, that’s all it took for me. Once I had maneuvered past Blue Cats, left on Randolph Street and right on Depot Street, I walked into a small venue, where everyone was lounging on couches, listening to Medford ‘s Black Record Collection. It was the friendliest scene I believe I have ever walked in on. I literally thought I was in a scene from "That 70’s Show." Friends laughing with $2 pints of New Knox, people sitting on the pool table, and not a mirrored beer sign in sight, I realized by not going there before, “I’ve made a huge mistake.

I also had no clue that I had walked in to a birthday party. Not in the sense
that there were balloons, birthday hats, and streamers, but in the sense that the birthday girl was walking around giving away free shots. I declined, but I watched all of my friends celebrate this once-a-year occasion. I ducked out the door early wondering where the night might have gone if I stayed. As I met up with three friends the next day for brunch, I found it humorous that all of us had headaches, three from the night
before, and one (me) from battling sickness. I spent the entire day Sunday battling sickness by turning on events such as the Daytona 500 (which is awesome, I fell asleep and woke up at the end!) and the NBA All-Star game (fell asleep, never woke back up… not until the morning).

So Knoxville, it’s voting day! And President’s Day! I wonder what percentage
of Knoxville will come out to the polls? I hope enough. It’s going to be sad to see one of us go, we’ve all come running out of the gates, but which one of us will be the Knoxville 520 Barboro? I’m not sure of the odds, but I’ll hopefully be back tomorrow with the promised blog on our energy future, and the green revolution. Keep it in the road!