the summer too shall pass

I've been pretty lame this summer, deciding to be super American and drive my car everywhere rather than ride my bike at all. Continuously blasting fake cold air in my face has taken its toll on my psyche, however, so last Tuesday, when the air cooled off a bit, I got on my bike and headed downtown. I realized it had been forever since I've taken time to enjoy an evening on Market Square, so with no plans, I biked up Gay Street to see what would unfold.

Divine providence would have it that The Pol was window shopping at Noveau Classics, because that is apparently what the Pol does when he locks himself out of his apartment. We decided to go have a drink on the roof of Pres Pub because he hadn't been up there yet.

Once on the roof, we were able to find a table close to the Square. The weather was pitch perfect and from the stage, there were jazz musicians playing. We couldn't tell from there if it was an official performance or some buskers, but there were spectators below, enjoying it all the same.

After our drink, we walked out into the Square where The Pol ran into a freshman he had met a few days earlier, and a group of his friends. They would be starting class the next day. Even if no one told me they were freshman, I would have known because one proudly wore a bright orange lanyard around his neck featuring his dorm key.

As the jazz played and I breathed in the sweet, autumn-like air, I was a little jealous of the group of new students. Walking around a bustling downtown Knoxville in college wasn't an option during most of my college experience, let alone before my very first day of class. I looked into their cherub faces, into their deer-in-headlight eyes, and decided it best not to tell them how lucky they were.

As they walked off, The Pol and I sat on a bench to listen to the rest of the set. It was then I realized the trumpet player was my old landlord, Vance Thompson, who is the director of the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra. When they finished, he thanked the small crowd and said they would be playing every Tuesday until September (or maybe through September, I'm not quite sure).

So if you've been hiding under an air-conditioned rock all summer like me, I encourage you to take a stroll through Market Square this Tuesday evening and have a listen. Even if it's hot, the tunes are sure to be coooool.