Paul Ryburn’s Journal

In honor of tube top month here at paulryburn.com, it is my pleasure to present this look at one of the great moments in the history of the tube top.

The year was 1979. Hollywood, California. The game show The Price is Right was filming an episode. This was back when Bob Barker still [...]

Tonight I went to the Social Security Forum at the Marriott, presented by the Federal Reserve Bank and sponsored by Mpact. This was a nonpartisan attempt to explain to the public what is going on with Social Security reform. It was the best Mpact event I’ve been to this year, except for Impacto (where [...]

I’ve told this story before, but it’s worth repeating. It’s an annual tradition, like Miracle on 34th Street and the Rudolph cartoons for Christmas.

The year was 1972. This was back when tube tops were high fashion the first time around. I was a toddler. I decided that I wanted to be a [...]

For months now, I’ve heard a rumor that Emperor Bush is going to find a way to amend the Constitution or otherwise rig the election process so he can run for a third term. Up until today, I thought that would be a bad thing.

But today, as I was sitting at the Monkey drinking my [...]

Over the years, I’ve listened to friends who own homes bitch about their property taxes. “I don’t want an NBA team here if it means I have to pay one more dollar in property taxes…I’m thinking about moving to Eads so I don’t have to pay city property taxes…Developing the riverfront is nice, but not [...]

Time to dip into the mail. Looks like we have a lot of correspondence this week.

Subj: does it squirm and not squirt

You know, where was this e-mail message in 1988? Back then, I was trying to wash the car, using the garden hose in the back yard. But somehow it had got [...]

Tuesday night about 10:30 I decided to take a walk down to the Tap Room on Beale Street, to drink a beer and see if there were any cute girls in tube tops to talk to. As I was walking down Beale, the bums approached me with one of their most common gimmicks. “Free [...]

So after work I took a walk around downtown, and as I got back to the building one of my neighbors called. “Want to meet me on the roof for dinner?” she said. “It’s leftovers, but I have couscous and nachos and tuna salad. And, I have a surprise for you. A [...]

…that’s what this blog is all about these days. It used to be about bums and pigeons. Is that an improvement?

Saturday night I was on the rooftop of my building, talking to a friend of mine, a caterer who had just moved in. I asked him if he had ever tried out the [...]

One of my favorite outdoor festivals, Arts in the Park, is returning after a two-year hiatus. Formerly in Audubon Park in East Memphis, this festival showcased the arts, with live performances and an incredible artists’ market. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend it, and bring money because you will find some truly unique, [...]