Staycation

Last weekend, I think I probably had the busiest weekend I've had in a loooong time.

It was one of those weekends that's kind of like being on vacation in your own city — okay, a staycation — where you go to places you've never been before or haven't visited in a long time. And you meet all kinds of new (sometimes crazy) people and, despite them, you remember, hey, this place is pretty cool.

With a nod to my friend Moxie over at Listwork, here's a list of my staycation destinations.

1. David Lusk Gallery for the Price is Right show. Convinced my friend to buy a painting by Dwayne Butcher that reminded her of a cupcake. Desperately wanted a piece by Carolyn Bomar that looked nothing like a cupcake.

2. L Ross Gallery. Felt equally silly for loving watercolors of animals with other animals on their heads and a watercolor of the Olsen twins.

3. Had various starchy foods at the Belmont Grill.

4. Celebrated the beginning of the tax-free weekend by closing down Macy's shoe and ladies' departments at 11 p.m.

5. Skated at Shelby Farms. I've never seen so many dragonflies in my life. I'm talking hordes of dragonflies. As I was going around Patriot Lake, it was like swimming through a cloud of them.

Don't think I wasn't worried one was going to land in my mouth. I was. One hit my friend in the head. (Update: Yesterday, one hit me in the cheek, right under my left eye. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that I ran into it with my cheek. Either way, ow!)

6. The Bagel Company on Poplar. Got the lox bagel — all it was missing was some capers.

7. Lyna's Nails. Got a manicure. Somehow managed not to mess it up before it dried.

8. More tax-free weekend celebrating at DSW, TJMaxx, Saddle Creek.

9. Got a slice of New York-style pizza at a strange little building in the parking lot of Lowe's in East Memphis. Got a lecture on religion, too.

10. Second-to-None Scooter store. Was having some work done on my scooter and had to go pick it up.

11. Broad Avenue. After realizing that I couldn't find my driver's license, my friend told me she had seen something fly up from my scooter when I hit a set of train tracks on Broad Avenue. At first I thought she had probably just seen some trash — of which there was PLENTY right there — but no, she was right. I found my ID in the middle of the road, just a little worse for the wear.

12. Mollie Fontaine's. Sat in a high-backed chair that matched my shirt. I love it when that happens.

13. Mary's. Had a beer. Watched a Cheetah Girls music video, thought it was Miley Cyrus.

14. The Cove. Brought back the Shirley Temple.

15. Senses. Danced on the platform.

16. Taco Bell. When I ordered, they told us they had run out of beef, which seems sort of extraordinary. It led to all sorts of confusion with the order and the substitutions and then, wouldn't you know it, I got a taco with beef in it.

17. Late night drive around the city.

18. Ate sushi at Wild Oats. They'd taken the gigantic fruit off the top and put it in a dumpster in front of the building, where it looked like huge, rotted fruit. Wished I had a camera.

19. Hung out at my friend's pool.

20. TCBY. It was under a new owner and new management, but I could believe it was yogurt.