Month: December 2007

… these two.

Tuesday night a friend of mine who works at a Downtown restaurant got off work. As many restaurant workers do, his plan was to change clothes in his car and go back out. As he approached his car a bum appeared and asked for some money.

“I’m a local, dude, leave me alone,” my friend said. He then proceeded to get in the car and start changing clothes.

The bum knocked on the car window. “Well, can I help you change clothes for a dolla?”

These people are unbelievable.

I was one of only about 7 people to observe the pajama party theme at Hoop’s Bar last night. Still had a good time though. People are going to start thinking I’m crazy (if they don’t already). In the past two months, I’ve been seen walking out of my apartment building wearing a Flying Saucer Beer Goddess uniform, a Santa suit, a red sequined shirt and pimp hat, and now a robe and pajamas.

Today after work I’m being interviewed by Memphis Magazine for their “Q&A” column for an upcoming issue. I’ve been told that I’ll be asked about my favorite bars Downtown, the panhandling problem, and whatever else is on my mind about Downtown Memphis. Looking forward to it.

After that I have two private Christmas parties to go to tonight. My bank account can definitely use a night when I eat and drink for free.

No Sunday Fun Day for me this week… driving home to Little Rock Sunday afternoon for Christmas. I may stop by the Majestic and say Merry Christmas to the brunch crew and Patrick and Deni though. Will be back in Memphis by 5 PM Christmas Day.

And that’s the lunchtime post. Back to work. I need to grab this week’s copy of the Flyer and see what’s going on this weekend.

The Christmas party season begins in hardcore fashion for me today and continues for the rest of this week… 5 parties in 3 days. Tonight’s party, however, is the one I’m most looking forward to. It’s a Christmas pajama party at Hoop’s Bar.

Unfortunately the hours present a bit of a dilemma… I’ve been told the party will be at its best from 10 PM to 3 AM. That doesn’t exactly go well with a job where I get there somewhere between 8 and 9 and leave around 5. I want to enjoy the party, but I don’t want to be dead at work tomorrow.

So here’s my plan for tonight:

5:00: Come home from work. Turn the cell phone off. Get in bed. Take a nap.
9:45: Get up. The good thing about a pajama party is, I don’t have to change clothes. Put on robe and slippers. Turn phone back on. Walk to Hoop’s.
10-3: Christmas party
3:15-7:30: Nap #2.

That actually IS a full night’s sleep, it’s just divided into two parts. As long as I take it easy on the beer at the party (dammit Hoop stop waving those Coronas around when you see me) I should be okay tomorrow.

In other news: Having a blog can be an advantage sometime. Last night while we were playing trivia, there was a big party going on in the other room at the Saucer. They didn’t even come close to eating all their food, and after the party ended one of the cooks who reads my blog brought us a veggie tray and a hot wing tray. You should’ve seen the Nuh-Uh Girl swoop down on that veggie tray – I think she went through two-thirds of it by herself.

The trays came with big bowls of ranch and blue cheese. It was the near unanimous agreement of everyone on the team that the Saucer’s ranch SUCKS. I thought about offering to run across the street to McGuinness to get some take-out cups of their ranch, but then I remembered that I don’t do that anymore. The Nuh-Uh Girl dipped her veggies in ketchup. That’s disgusting.

Time for work. I haven’t had time to do my usual morning routine, reading the Commercial Appeal’s site, news feeds from the local TV stations, and my favorite blogger/MILF’s and Thaddeus’ blogs. I feel like I don’t know what’s going on.

The info I got from a reader yesterday was incorrect… I went by Circa last night and they WERE still doing the $3 snaCks. There was some miscommunication Monday night and one of the bartenders thought they had discontinued it. But it’s still on. I had the Hawaiian big eye tuna and the beef brochet last night, both excellent.

I also had a $2.50 bottle of Corsendonk, a $2.50 Chimay White draft, and a $2.50 Chimay Red bottle. That’s right, $2.50 for CHIMAY. Circa will be seeing more of me on Tuesdays in the future. Probably other days of the week too. I want to try their other happy hour specials. And I want to EAT there too – not just snaCks but dinner!

The Rapscallions took second place in trivia last night. Pete the Trivia Guy wants to let everyone know that there WILL be trivia next Tuesday night, which is Christmas. Saucer opens at 5 that night.

Below is a picture of New Guinea, the second largest island in the world, split by the countries of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

Does anyone else think it looks a lot like Meatwad from the TV cartoon Aqua Teen Hunger Force? Seriously, put a couple of eyes and a mouth on it and it’s totally Meatwad… if I had a little more time this morning I’d Photoshop it.

I’ve been told that the neon signs are now hanging in the new Downtown Blue Monkey location. Hopefully that means they’re getting close.

Been making a lot of fun of people who hang out at the Cordova Fox & Hound lately… well, this morning I hit their website and took a look at their “December Favorites.” One of the products they’re pushing hard this month is BUD LIGHT. Oh. Okay. Now I get why people go there. Who wouldn’t get all excited about a bar that features Bud Light as one of its most outstanding offerings? John D: “Wha… Wha happened? Paul, can you give me driving directions to Cordova?”

However, I’ll be at Circa this evening, where I’ll be able to get a beer that actually has FLAVOR for $2.50 during their happy hour. Here’s a list of the beers they carry, all of which are on the special.

Woodchuck Draft
Yazoo Pale Ale
Anchor Steam
Spaten Lager
Chimay Peres Trappistes
Abita Light
Wild Hop
Warsteiner
Grolsch Blonde
Stella Artois
Xingu
Tiger
Harbin
Blanche de Chambly
Paulaner Hefe Weizen
Stone Mill Pale
North Coast Prankster
Theakstons Old Peculiar
Tillman’s Dutch Brown
Guinness

(Corrected correction: I had been told that the $3 snaCks had been discontinued. That’s not true. They’re still there!)

Happy hour runs from 4 to 7, but I’ll be there from the time I get off work (5ish) until I have to leave to do trivia night at the Saucer (6:40ish). Here’s a picture from the future (did you know this blog was clairvoyant?), from about 9:00 this evening, of Pete the Trivia Guy announcing the Rapscallions as the first-place team.

Born on this day: Pro wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (1964) and singer Christina Aguilera (1980). Also my next-door neighbor in the dorm in college, who got his 15 minutes of fame on the cover of the Memphis Flyer last week.

Time to hit Publish and go to work. It’s going to take at least a liter of Mountain Dew to turn me into a productive human being this morning.

As usual, I’ll hit Pint Nite tonight at the Saucer for $2.50 drafts. However, I’m also going to get in on some $2.50 beer for a little while tomorrow night as well.

You see, on Tuesday nights, Circa runs a happy hour special of $2.50 for all beers. They’ve got some nice ones on the list – some that not even the Saucer carries (Abita Light, Wild Hop, Tiger, Harbin, Stone Mill Pale), and some that the Saucer does carry but doesn’t sell for $2.50 on Pint Nite (Stella Artois, Chimay, Blanche de Chambly). I e-mailed owner/chef John Bragg and asked if there were any restrictions, and he said no, as of right now all the beers on the list go for $2.50 during Tuesday happy hour.

They also have “snaCks” (small appetizers) on sale for $3 during Happy Hour and I’ll try a couple of those as well. Check my November 27 post for a list of snaCks as well as a list of all of Circa’s happy hour specials during the week.

Of course, about 6:30ish I’ll have to leave to hit the Saucer for trivia. There’s no Grizzly or Tiger game tomorrow night, so I won’t have to get there early to hold the team’s spot in a crowded bar environment.

Anyone who wants to join me tomorrow night from 5ish to 6:30ish is welcome to do so… heck, you’re welcome to come over to the Saucer and play trivia too.

Just made my morning run to Jack’s for Mountain Dew. On the way back I heard yelling as soon as I stepped out of the store, coming from about a block away. And sure enough, as I passed Court Square, one of the bums was yelling at the top of his lungs. He had his shirt off (the current temperature is 29F) and alternated between trying to pick a fight with the three other bums in the park and dancing. Someone must’ve had some good crack for sale this morning. Or meth. I gave him an extremely wide berth as I hurried back to my apartment building. Last night a friend posed the question, which power would I rather have – invisibility, or flight? This morning I sure would’ve voted for invisibility.

Sunday Fun Day: Brunch at McGuinness at 11, then the usual move to the Saucer around 1 with a full day of drunken stupidity to follow. Here’s what Sunday brunch crew member Pete will be thinking this afternoon:

Had dinner at Bluefin with my friends Clay, Yoko, and Otto tonight. I ordered two Coronas, and when the check came I saw that they were $3.50 each. That’s a perfectly reasonably price to pay for a Corona. That’s why Bluefin will likely see more of me in the future and certain other “upscale” restaurants in the area will not.

The sushi was delicious. I don’t know why I don’t go there more often – I really like Bluefin. (This sentiment was echoed by the other members of the group). I had the Hurricane roll (a fried tempura roll) and the Jacksonville roll. Both were outstanding.

My favorite blogger/MILF replied to my last post, letting me know that my accusation of her surfing guys’ bar tabs is off-base; she gets free drinks out in East Bumblefuck because she’s friends with the bartenders and tips them well. Fair enough. I’m still going to make fun of her for hanging out at the Fox though.

The parade was miserable due to the weather. I snapped a few pics of the scooter club and of Shawn from Big Foot riding in a Corvette and holding a 4 lb. Sasquatch burger. Will post them later.

Taking a quick break to check my e-mail and social networking messages. There’s a private party going on but it’s close to a mile from where I live and I don’t feel like walking that far, or taking the trolley. Most likely I’ll end up at Hoop’s Bar again.

Been going crazy on Facebook this morning, making tons of add friend requests. I wish I had more time to play around on Facebook… I’m starting to see why people get addicted to it.

Whew… by the end of next week I am going to be a ZOMBIE. I have 5 Christmas parties to go to within a 48-hour time span. Going to the party at Hoop’s Bar on Wednesday night, and am so excited about that one that I’m going to skip the Saucer and take a nap from 5 to 10 so I can stay up way late. Thursday I have my apartment building’s Christmas party, and a private party being held at a local restaurant. Then Friday I have my company’s Christmas party at Earnestine & Hazel’s at 5 (Soul Burgers!!!!! Yay!), and then a Sleep Out’s reunion party/Christmas party at the other end of Downtown. I have a feeling there may be photo albums of the Hoop’s Bar party and Sleep Out’s reunion party, especially if the Camera Nazi gets a hold of my camera.

Last night I went to the Russwood Park Grill inside the Holiday Inn, where Pam from Pam and Terry was celebrating her birthday. Terry and guest musicians played while Pam wandered the room and caught up with friends. After that I went to the Saucer, where the gang was hanging out throwing darts. What’s up with the Saucer bringing waitresses in from the East Bumblefuck location? Anyway, I had two beers there, then went to Hoop’s Bar, where I tired out quickly. By midnight I was DONE. Too bad because EP’s next door seemed to be filling up with a very nice-looking crowd.

Plans for today: Pre-parade drinking at the Saucer; Christmas parade on Beale Street at 4; a private party somewhere Downtown after that. If I run into my favorite blogger/MILF at the parade I’ll try to get a pic of her so y’all can see what she looks like.

Oh! My favorite blogger/MILF responded to me making fun of her for hanging out at the Fox & Hound in East Bumblefuck: “And yep, the Fox is pretty bad. But not bad enough to convince me to drive all the way downtown, pay to park, have to spend money on my drinks (because in the Dirty Dova I don’t usually pay for anything), and then figure out how the heck I’m gonna get back to the house.” So my favorite blogger/MILF is a LIQUOR PIMP! Ha. Meaning, a girl who surfs guys’ bar tabs all night. Actually, my favorite blogger/MILF is cool enough that I WOULD buy her drinks if she came down here and hung out. Ain’t driving her ass back to Cordova though.

Flipping through the Flyer trying to find stuff to recommend for tonight… wow, there’s really not much going on. Everyone’s got private Christmas parties to go to, I guess. FreeWorld is playing the Saucer. One of my readers messaged me on MySpace to remind me that the Dr. Feelgood Potts band at Blues Hall is always a good time, and she specifically complimented the bartenders there.

Coming soon: New Year’s Eve recommendations.

Heavy rain is predicted for tomorrow. However… it looks like the Downtown Christmas parade may be able to proceed nonetheless. The Weather Channel’s daily forecast for tomorrow predicts rain at 6, 9, and 12, but none from 3 PM forward. Parade is at 4. Hopefully it’ll be okay. I have several friends riding in the parade, including my friends who own scooters and my favorite blogger/MILF’s daughter.

Dayum… my favorite blogger/MILF just posted a new profile pic on her blog and she looks HOT. Wish I could convince her to start hanging out in better venues… the East Bumblefuck Fox & Hound? Really? Isn’t that just about scraping the bottom of the barrel in the bar scene?

I think I’ll change my profile pic today too. The current one is from July ’06 and was taken at the Tap Room, where I rarely hang out anymore.

Other than that, not much news to report. They’re thinking about getting PBR cans at Hoop’s Bar. That’s the only thing I know of. Those of you who send me stuff to post – this would be an excellent time to get your stuff on my blog. I have writer’s block today for some reason.

No idea what I’ll get into tonight. Saucer crowd sucks on Fridays (especially when there’s a Grizzlies game at the Forum) so Hoop’s Bar will probably be my default, unless other plans come along. If anything interesting is happening shoot me an e-mail (paul@paulryburn.com) and let me know.