I made it to double digits for the first time in a while last night – 11 beers at Pint Nite. The great thing about Pint Nite is that almost all the drafts are $2.50, so you can try out different beers and see if you like them. For example, I tried a beer called Dos Equis Special Lager last night. In fact, I tried it 11 times. The verdict’s still out, so I’ll probably have to try some more Special Lager again next Monday.
One of my all-time favorite former bartenders came in last night, and came over to say hello. “Paul’s the man about Downtown,” she told my waitress. “He’s everywhere. He’s a regular at, like, 6 different bars.”
“When does he find time to be a regular at 5 other bars?” asked the waitress. “He’s always here!”
Let’s get on to today’s news. The 5th annual Mpact Memphis/Volunteer Memphis Volunteer Expo will happen this Thursday, January 31, at the Botanic Gardens from 4:30 to 7:30 PM. This has turned into a huge event. You’ll be able to talk to representatives of many, many nonprofits (last year I think they had about 75) and learn about opportunities to work with them to better your community. Last year there were about 900 attendees, and they expect more this year. Besides talking to the nonprofits, it’s a good time to catch up with fellow young professionals and do some networking.
This next event is one that I really like – it’s a wedding reception without anyone getting married. Considering that I refer to marriage as The Ultimate Mistake I gotta like this one. It’s a “Wedding Crashers” theme party at Jay Etkin Gallery on Saturday, March 22. It will benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Mid-South Chapter and will be hosted by Team in Training. There will be dancing, a DJ playing ’80s favorites and wedding tunes, great food, a silent auction featuring local artists, and door prizes. Tickets MUST be purchased in advance – none will be available at the door. Tickets are $40 before March 1, $50 after that. You can call Chris at 825-1159 to purchase tickets. There’s also an eVite for the party – if you want to be added to that e-mail me (paul@paulryburn.com).
MLGW has a new blog called Bird on a Wire. You probably wouldn’t expect our local power company to write anything entertaining, but the blog is surprisingly good, dealing with issues like power conservation, recycling, and community outreach. Check it out, it’s worth a look.
One city has come up with a very unique way to keep birds and squirrels off power wires. Click here to see how they did it.
Tonight’s trivia night at the Saucer, and the Rapscallions team can push their gift certificate total past the four hundred mark with a victory. There’s a Saucer Girls team that plays every week (they’re ineligible for prizes, of course) and they’ve been doing very well lately. Not that I’m surprised at all – when the two blond waitresses left in December, it raised the average Saucer employee IQ about 20 points higher.
Speaking of people with low IQs, George W. Bush gave his State of the Union speech last night. Here’s a link to a summary and analysis of the speech by NPR.
I forgot to blog about the upcoming entrepreneurial event and don’t want to do it here – it’s worthy of its own post. Maybe this afternoon after work I’ll do it.
I’m eating turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes, and turnip greens from Blue Plate Cafe as I type this.
Tonight after trivia I’ll sit on the benches and listen to Leo Lazarus’ Tuesday night performance for a while, then make an appearance at either McGuinness or Hoop’s Bar. Gotta put in time at those 5 other bars where I’m a regular, after all.