Paul Ryburn’s Journal

This is the sign on the barricade that the Memphis Police Department places at the entrance to Beale Street when they block it off to traffic. The last line reads, “NO animals/reptiles.” Um, last I checked, reptiles [...]

I may as well have my mail redirected to the Flying Saucer, because this week I’ve been spending more time there than I have at home. I have to say, you certainly do learn some interesting facts from the people sitting next to you at bars. For example:

- I learned that Dean Kamen, who [...]

Sitting here in the Second Street branch office with my Residents for a Safer Downtown Memphis co-founder Mike King… we just updated the news section of the RSDM website. To check it out, click here to go to the website and then click the “Latest News” link. We have details of a resurgence in [...]

Carabella, a gift shop on Second Street across from the Peabody, is closing after nine years in business.

As you can see they are selling their remaining inventory for 50% off. Carabella has a lot of unique wine and martini glasses, cookbooks, cocktail napkins, girly-girl gifts, wine openers, and such. So if you need anything [...]

BREAKING NEWS: Former President Gerald Ford died this morning.

Last night at trivia, our three-person team consisting of the Nuh-Uh Girl, Mikey, and myself tied the 18-member Weiss Ass team for first place. So Pete aka Trivia Guy did a tie-breaker question. He asked us, “How many live trees were sold in the US [...]

Thaddeus Matthews. I know I’ve posted his name before but he has new posts up tonight. He posts multiple times in a 24-hour period so make sure you read all of them. I make no claim as to whether he says is true; that’s up to you the reader to judge [...]

Thursday, December 28, 4 pm: Liberty Bowl parade on Beale Street. Yes, I know that’s during the workday, just tell your boss you need to leave early because you’re sick. If you feel guilty about lying you can stop by Wet Willie’s on Beale Street and order a large Call-a-Cab, then you really [...]

I work as a contractor at the Board of Education. Every year around Christmastime, the Board has a competition involving holiday-themed door displays. This year, one our office neighbors down the hall did a display based on reading and children’s books. This is one of the books they featured:

I have a BIG problem with [...]

In my last post I talked about the wild animal cam on a South Africa game reserve that I’ve been watching. Things have been getting good on the cam. Saturday night when I got home, I turned it on and they had a close-up of a zebra drinking. Sunday morning when I woke [...]

Over the years I’ve been addicted to a site called Africam, which has live webcams focused on watering holes in Africa, where wildlife come to drink. Since discovering the site in 1999, I’ve seen zebras, elephants, leopards, antelopes, and other critters on the cams, in their natural habitat.

Well, now they’ve added a live cam with [...]