Month: September 2008

The South Main Association got several new members yesterday.  I helped recruit some of them.

The SMA’s Oktoberfest party was yesterday, on Harry’s Detour’s patio on GE Patterson.  There was German food prepared by John Bragg of Circa, and wine and Boscos beer.  For SMA members, it was all you can eat and drink for free for 4 hours.  Nonmembers could join the party for a $10 donation.

“Look, the individual membership fee for the SMA is only $25,” I pointed out.  “They have several of these parties a year – remember when they had Cinco de Mayo at the Arcade?  And they have burgers and Boscos beer at the Trolley Tours for SMA members.  And there’s usually free food at the monthly meetings, and free beer and drinks at some of them too.  Think of it as paying $25 to join a drinking club, that just happens to have monthly neighborhood association meetings.”  That seemed to convince quite a few people.  You don’t have to be a South Main resident to join SMA – if you work down there or spend a significant amount of time down there and take an interest in the neighborhood, they’re happy to have you.

While I was convincing people, I came up with another idea.  Most Downtown neighborhoods have names – Uptown, the Pinch, the Edge, South Main, South Bluffs, South End.  But the Downtown core neighborhood – from Adams to Linden – doesn’t really have a name of its own.  What if we made a deal for beer company sponsorship – the beer company gets to name the Downtown core, and in turn the core’s residents would get free or heavily discounted beer?

While at the event, someone asked if there are going to be any Obama watch parties for Friday night’s Presidential debate.  There will be, and I’m rounding up the info now.  Expect a post on the matter later today.

Today:  8 exciting hours in a cubicle.  Tonight:  Pint Nite.  Possibly a trip to Bardog at some point in the evening, but as Bicycle Bobby put it, “Pint Nite is sacred.”

The brunch at Calhoun’s yesterday was a huge success.  For $5 a plate, brunchers got GREAT food – two casserole dishes made with smoked sausage and chicken smoked sausage, as well as a Cajun spicy sausage and cheese grits dish, bloody mary shrimp and garlic rosemary potatoes.  If they decide to do it again I’ll let you know.  It was outstanding.  Plus, since Calhoun’s is a sports bar, you can watch football while you eat, although after seeing the Arkansas-Alabama game yesterday I think I would’ve been happier if they had tuned the TV to Gilligan’s Island reruns.

Moved on to the Saucer early in the afternoon, where I saw in the window and watched bums for the better part of the day.  Got in an argument with St. Jude Bum as he walked by.  He preached me a long sermon about how the Good Lord takes care of him and guides him.  Yeah, I just bet it was God who told him to panhandle and lie and tell people the money is going to a children’s hospital.  He seems to really believe he’s justified in what he does.  “I always ask before I rob,” St. Jude Bum told me.  Well, isn’t that nice.  Panhandling and robbing – well, I guess that’s a unique application of the “multiple streams of income” idea, although I noticed “employment” was never considered as a source.

The gang joined me in the window, and around 5:30 we heard that Bardog Tavern was doing free drinks ’til 7 again, which caused us to do a very quick change of venue.  Some of the group wanted to drive over there.  Geez, people, it’s only 3 blocks.

I ended up staying at Bardog until 12:30 AM, hanging out at the bar mostly.  I’m becoming increasingly impressed with the place, and with Aldo the owner.  Bars that seem to be a natural extension of the owner’s personality tend to be hugely successful (see Big Foot Lodge for an example).  I had a great time there and have every intention of coming back soon.  Actually I’m a little irritated that my schedule is so full this week (I have stuff to do lined up for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights already, and of course Tuesday is trivia).  Not sure where I’m going to pencil Bardog in.  Tomorrow, but that’s Pint Nite.  Maybe after trivia on Tuesday.

I liked the crowd that showed up at Bardog.  It was a young, sophisticated crowd, attractive but not in the Hot Chicks with Douchebags kind of way that you see at the Saucer and the Rooster on weekend nights.  There were also a lot of the old Sleep Out Louie’s regulars there, more so than Friday night.  I still need a couple of weeks to see who the regular crowd is, but I think it’s extremely likely Bardog will be a several-times-a-week stop for me.

Slept late, missed brunch.  I was going to skip the Saucer altogether today too, but now that I’ve learned Sunset Wheat is the Fire Sale, it’s back on the agenda.  I’ll probably hit the Saucer for an hour, then Calhoun’s for an hour, then the South Main Oktoberfest at Harry’s Detour, then back to the Saucer for more Sunset Wheat.  Time to get things started…

Bardog Tavern opened its doors for the first time last night, and I was there with the camera.  Basic info:  It’s at 73 Monroe, between Front and Main, next to the Little Tea Shop.  It’s a two-story bar:  The upper level, which is the one you’re in when you enter at street level, is a long bar area with a few tables, about the size of Calhoun’s, and smoking is permitted.  Downstairs is more of a dining area, larger, with a second bar, and is nonsmoking.  Let’s have a look at the place.  First of all, the really important stuff:

The beer taps, for those of you wondering what Bardog would carry on draft.  Note the PBR tap; that’s the important one.

As you can see, they have a full bar with a large selection of booze to choose from.

Okay, here are a few pics to give you a feel for the layout of the place.  Some of these may be a little fuzzy, because I was standing on my tiptoes holding the camera as high as possible to get crowd shots.

From the middle of the upstairs bar, looking toward the front door

The view from the front door looking toward the upstairs bar

The downstairs, nonsmoking dining area as viewed from the entrance.

Dang it my Comcast connection is slow this morning… let’s see if my neighbor “linksys” has his or her wireless router running… yup.  Switching networks.  Okay, now I can finish this post faster.

From the back of the downstairs area, near the bar, looking forward

The bar’s mascot

Me with Suzy, who is wearing a Bardog T-shirt.

My overall opinion of the place:  Overall the outlook is very good.  I can’t truly get a feel for the place until I come in there at 8:30 PM on a Wednesday or Thursday night for a beer, and see who the other regulars at the bar are.  But, I think they’re off to a very good start.  It has that neighborhood bar feel, completely unpretentious, feels like home.  It’s also going to have great food – Aldo, the owner, used to be at Stella.  I haven’t seen a regular menu yet, but last night I was served appetizers like salmon and swordfish.

Looking forward to drinking many a beer there.  I’m also trying to figure out how to fit another bar into an already full rotation (and yet another one on top of that in two months, when the Silly Goose opens).  Something’s gotta give.

Off to brunch at Calhoun’s.  I hope the Arkansas game’s on TV, although I don’t exactly have high hopes for the Hogs beating Alabama today.

Get ready to put on your dancin’ shoes… the Travel Channel will be at Hollywood Disco (formerly Raiford’s) to do a feature on the place next Thursday, September 25. They start filming at 6 PM and need the place to be as full as it is on a weekend night, so they’re asking everyone who loves the Disco to please try and be there. “Dress to impress,” reads the e-mail I received, so I guess I’ll have to bring out the “Disco Paul” persona for an evening. There’s no cover until 9 PM, but they’re asking everyone to PLEASE be there at 6 sharp if at all possible.

There will be a brunch buffet this Saturday at Calhoun’s from 11 AM to noon. $5 a plate. No, it won’t be Calhoun’s lunchroom pizzas and other usual menu items; it’s being prepared by some of their regular patrons in an agreement with the owner.  I know the people doing the brunch and they’re fantastic cooks.  If it does well it may become a regular thing.

If you’re Downtown at lunchtime, check out the new street vendor who sets up every day on the Main Street Mall called Hippie Geek. They set up 4 tents every day and sell a wide variety of items that would make good gifts. They have a website but so far it’s just a “coming soon” page.

Research indicates that laziness may be genetic. Scientists performed a study using 50 lab rats and Brittney who bartends at the Flying Saucer, and found that genetic evidence could be used to predict whether or not a particular subject would be inclined to be lazy. They’re saying it may one day lead to the creation of a drug that makes people want to be active.

Last night I ended up at the bar with a buddy of mine who’s a finance guy, and I asked his opinion of the recent stock market meltdown. He believes history will remember Paulson and Bernanke as heroes who prevented a second Great Depression. Although I’m glad the crisis was averted, it annoys me to think that Dubya appointed them, which means that history won’t remember his presidency as a total failure.

The Flying Saucer is having a presidential buy-the-glass competition, where you can buy either an Obama or a McCain glass for $5 to vote. I bought an Obama glass last night.  The glass “vote” is running about even, with McCain up by a narrow four-glass margin as of yesterday.  In the RealClearPolitics national poll average, Obama is up by 2.1% this morning.

Porn star Foxy Jacky is back in the news… this time she’s been photographed in a Shelby County Deputy’s uniform, and authorities want to know how she got it.  Ummm… maybe she got it on the sale rack at Salvation Army Thrift Shop?  That’s the only explanation I can think of, because I know no Shelby County deputies would ever do anything inappropriate.

Bardog Tavern.  7 PM tonight.  Be there.

More Downtown events to mention, after looking at the CCC’s weekly Livin’ It Up newsletter:

Lots going on Friday night… I’ve already mentioned my plans, which involve heading to the Saucer for happy hour and rounding up a posse to take to Bardog Tavern’s opening at 7.  However, there are other options too.  Pam & Terry play their last date at the Russwood Park Grill, on the ground floor of the Holiday Inn at Second and Union, from 7 to 11 PM.

Also, tomorrow is the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Orpheum.  8 PM, $5 admission fee, costumes encouraged.

This Sunday is the Diversity Memphis 5K Walk, starting and ending at AutoZone Park.  Registration at 12:30, walk at 1:30.  After the walk there will be a rock climbing wall and boardwalk games at AutoZone Park, as well as multicultural music and dance.  It’s an event to bring Memphians of different races and cultures together for the afternoon, and to raise funds for the FreeLand summer youth camp.

Sunday evening, the City Champs play Huey’s at 8:30 PM.  I caught a little of their set at the Memphis Music & Heritage Festival, after being encouraged to see them by our VP of Marketing at work, who is married to one of the band members.  They were pretty good, so I’ll try to swing by for some of their show Sunday, if the South Main Association Oktoberfest hasn’t put me down for the count.

Two dinners next week:  There will be a wine dinner at Encore Monday night at 6:30 PM with a four course meal and wine presented by Chef Jose Gutierrez and BR Cohn; $65; 527-3621 for reservations.  Wednesday night will be the latest installment of the Memphis Farmers Market monthly dinner tour, featuring fresh produce from MFM.  6 PM, 523-0877 to make reservations.

I finally had another crepe from Crepe Maker at Third and Peabody Place.  Had one at lunch today, and I once again went for the chicken Philly, which I think has become my favorite of the entree crepes.  They’re open ’til 9 Sunday-Thursday and midnight Friday-Saturday, so you have plenty of time to get one after you get home from work.

All right, need to get some work done on my websites… time to grab the laptop and head somewhere where there’s beer, waitresses in miniskirts, and Wi-Fi.

I got an e-mail a couple of days ago from the chairman of the groundbreaking committee for First Church. He thanked me for mentioning the groundbreaking on October 5, but he wanted to clear up a misconception a lot of people seem to have. There’s a belief that the project is already fully funded, when it’s actually not. The actual costs, the chairman tells me, add up to about $8.3 million, and so far $6 million has been raised. They still need additional donations or lines of credit. The misconception is due to the media erroneously reporting the cost as $5 million.

Old School Pictures, a Memphis-based movie production company, will be filming a movie called Daylight Fades in Downtown, Midtown, and other Memphis locations in early 2009. A press release from the company described the film as “a drama with a horrific twist, a character-driven story that explores love, redemption, sacrifice, and immortality.” Look for them filming around town in the months to come. For more info on the film, you can visit their website or their MySpace page.

I caught very little of the Downtown Alive! Gayoso Alley party last night… I was just dead tired and not up to mingling. I hate it that I missed out on crepes from Crepe Maker, although the restaurant is only about a 4 block walk from my front door so I can actually have one anytime I want. A private party is going to keep me away from next Wednesday’s Downtown Alive! concert, but I’ll still post details about it here as the date gets closer, and I’ll be at the one following that on October 1st.

I did notice one big difference from last year’s concert series – no bums.  So instead of “Bands, Beer, and Bums,” this year it’s “Bands, Beer and Bum Patrol.”  The Downtown Safety patrol officers passed through while I was there.  Good to see them monitoring the action.

Change Memphis will hold its first session to educate the public on proposed changes to the city and county charters from 6-8 PM next Wednesday, September 24, at the Orange Mound Community Center (2572 Park Ave.) Representatives from the Charter Commission and Change Memphis will be on hand to answer questions and concerns, and to explain each amendment in detail.

Let’s see what’s in the Memphis Flyer this week… on page 3 there’s an announcement that Beignets, a wine and dessert lounge at 124 GE Patterson, will open soon.  The ad says will have salads, sandwiches, soups and more.  It’s being opened by my neighbor Aaron who used to manage Itta Bena – just a super nice guy, am looking forward to giving this place a try.

Get ready for another Warehouse party!  Feed the Soul, celebrating MIFA’s 40th birthday, will be a celebration at Kris Kourdouvelis’ Warehouse on Thursday, October 2, from 6 to 10 PM.  There will be entertainment by the one and only Raiford.  $40 general admission.  Visit mifa.org for more information.

Great article on p. 17 by McCain supporter Ken Hall and Obama supporter Darrell Cobbins, saying that it’s time for America to return to being civil in its political debates.  I agree 100%.  You know, I just can’t jump on the McCain-hating bandwagon.  Friends of mine say “he scares me,” and they’re entitled to their opinion, but he doesn’t scare me.  He clearly has dedicated his life to public service, and I think he’d make a very competent President.  It’s just that I disagree with too many of his positions, especially on social issues, to vote for him.  But I don’t have bad things to say about the man.  He doesn’t scare me.  George Bush scares me because he’s just too stupid to be dogcatcher, much less President.  Dick Cheney scares me.  If Cheney had 8 years to start World War III and couldn’t get it done, I doubt McCain would be able to either, if so inclined, which I don’t think he is.  No matter who wins, I think the country will head in a much better direction after January 20, 2009, but I’ll be pulling the lever for Obama.

p.20:  A reminder from Bardog Tavern that the doors will open 7 PM Friday night, September 19.  They’ll stay open ’til 3, and will be open 7-3 Saturday night as well, with a full bar, 10 beers on tap, and free food being passed out throughout the night.  (John D: “Paul, will they have Bud Light bottles?”  I’m sure they will, John.)

p.50:  Brother and sister Pomeranians named Buffy and Precious are up for adoption.  I don’t know which one is the male, but if I were a male dog and someone named me either Buffy or Precious, I’d bite them really hard.  What horrible names.  Walter… now that’s a good dog name.  Where have I seen that recently?

Back page:  Looks like the Cajun restaurant formerly known as Cayenne Moon is now calling itself Orleans on Front.

And that’s the lunchtime update.  Time to go to a meeting.  Yay meetings.

 

It’s time to unveil my newest website. Sometimes I carefully plan these things, revising them over and over again before launch. And then other times I just throw some crap on the Web and see if anyone notices.

This site is the latter. Literally, it is.

As I contemplated my next site, I thought, “What’s a unique niche… what’s a topic for a web-based storefront that no one else would dare touch?”

After a little brainstorming, I had my answer. I decided to do a store about poop. Doo. Feces. BMs. Dung. Scat. Various four-letter words which I won’t mention here, although I’ve probably used every one of them in other blog posts.

Announcing The Doo Doo Store. Products you’ll find there include books about poop, books about farts, books to read in the bathroom, designer toilet seats, poop- and fart-related clothing, doggie pooper scoopers, kitty litter and litter boxes, systems to toilet-train cats, manure, toilet paper, laxatives, enemas, Depends, fake dog doo and various other poop- and fart-related novelties, and feces-related Halloween costumes. There’s also a children’s books section, as this is a topic that is tremendously popular among kids.

Yes, I really went there.

As with my other stores, it’s an Amazon.com storefront, so when you check out you’re doing business with the Internet’s leading retailer, with their state-of-the-art secure ordering system. I never even see your credit card number – all I get is a notification that an order was placed.

I’m quite proud of this new store, but I’ll be the first to admit, it’s without a doubt the shittiest website I’ve ever created.

As I said yesterday, I had an e-mail conversation with Larry Bloom who is the security director of the CCC, and I now understand the verdict of “nolle prosequi” (“prosecutor decided not to pursue”) on St. Jude Bum’s recent “throw missile/begging/gaming prohibited” charge and his contempt of court charge.

The main thing was, the maximum punishment for the charge St. Jude Bum faced was 5 days in jail, and he was already on his 4th day by the time he got to court.  He would have to be credited with “time served,” which meant at most he would have served one additional day.  For the additional trouble it would have caused (keeping officers in court all morning to wait to testify and stuff like that), it wasn’t worth pursuing.

The actual charge, by the way, was sleeping on a park bench.  How that translates to “throw missile/begging/gaming prohibited” is as much a mystery to Larry as it is to me.

So, as they say in the police business, St. Jude Guy beat the rap, but he didn’t beat the ride.  He still spent 4 days in jail waiting for his court appearance.  I was happy enough with that explanation.

Then, later in the day, something occurred to me.  Another of our career panhandlers, who routinely charges people to park at meters near Beale Street, has had 6 of his last 10 panhandling cases thrown out as “nolle prosequi.”  I questioned Larry Bloom about that one.  “The maximum penalty for panhandling is a $50 fine, with no jail time at all,” I pointed out.  “So there is no ‘ride,’ no ‘time served’ in jail waiting for a court appearance.  So if the verdict is ‘nolle prosequi,’ how is our panhandler being punished at all?”

Larry went back to St. Jude Bum’s case for a minute, telling me that there was more to it than just those 4 days in jail.  He had to sign a court order stating that he would not engage in that type of offense again.  If caught, he has now violated a court order, and will go to jail for that reason (which is more serious an offense) than merely the charge itself.

Larry is working with Judge Potter and prosecutor Don Siemer (who was the prosecutor in St. Jude Bum’s case Monday) to set up a similar system for panhandlers.  The first time they’re caught, they may get off, but they’ll have to sign that court order saying they won’t panhandle again.  Then if they do get caught panhandling – and most of our regulars have been caught dozens of times – instead of looking at a $50 fine that will probably get thrown out, they’ll find themselves headed to jail for violating a court order.

So things are in progress to attack the panhandling problem from a legal perspective.  They’re doing what they can to work their way around Tennessee’s antiquated legal system, which states that offenses like panhandling are civil, rather than criminal, and carry a $50 fine that is not a deterrent to anyone (talented panhandlers can earn that much in a few hours).

I owe Don an apology for calling him a “lazy prosecutor” in yesterday’s post – I wasn’t aware of all that was going on behind the scenes.  However, I’m not sorry I made the post, because the panhandling/court order thing has been on their to-do list for a long time, and now they’ve remembered that it’s time to get serious about implementing it.

As for St. Jude Bum, he’s back on the streets for now, but not for long hopefully.  Mike King and I have started checking the “regulars” daily for outstanding warrants, and when we find them we post to the Handling-Panhandling forum to tell everyone to be on the lookout.  We have another one with an active warrant right now, and Mike has printed out copies of the warrant and handed them to Downtown safety patrol officers.

It’s frustrating at times but we gotta keep fighting the good fight.

I’ve been asked a couple of times the past week, “Will Bardog Tavern [which opens Friday at 7 PM] allow smoking?”

My answer is, “1) If you’d quit your filthy, nasty, disgusting habit, it wouldn’t matter; and 2) yes, they will, upstairs.  Downstairs will be table seating and will be nonsmoking.”

Sitting at Hoop’s Bar typing this (drunk post).  Flying Saucer bartender Lazy Do-Nothing Sit-On-Her-Ass-All-Day Brittney is sitting a couple of seats down from me acting like the queen bee with the three dudes who are hanging out with her tonight.  People are playing Wii Bowling.  I’m drinking a can of PBR.

Coming up this week:  First Church still needs your help to rebuild; an explantion of why I’m okay with St. Jude Bum’s “nolle prosequi” verdict (but I still have questions for the DA); a review of the first Downtown Alive! after-work concert; and I have yet ANOTHER website to roll out.

Lots to talk about this afternoon.  But first, it’s time to roll out my newest website creation:

Energy Drinks, Mints and Gum is a storefront that places the energy products that Amazon.com sells together in one convenient location.  You can get many of these products, when you buy them in bulk in packs of 12 or 24, for less than half what you would pay if you walked down to the convenience store and bought them.  The store carries caffeinated mints and gum, energy drinks like Red Bull, Rockstar, and pretty much every other brand out there, and the little energy shots like 5 Hour Power.

If you use these products to stay awake, check out the store, save some money.  I guess the cat’s out of the bag now, how I can stay out at bars ’til 1 or sometimes even 2 AM and still be productive at 8:30 at work.  Well, Mountain Dew plays a role as well.  My health guru AL will be happy to see that the store carries an acai-based energy product.

There’s a new promotion for those discount restaurant gift certificates I talk about from time to time.  From now through September 21, you can enter coupon code FESTIVE at checkout and get 60% off the normal price.  That means their $25 face-value gift certificates, which normally sell for $10, are now $4.  Many restaurants Downtown are part of this program; scroll to the bottom of this blog’s right sidebar and enter 38103 in the zip code search to see which ones participate.  Some restrictions apply – be sure to read each restaurant’s restrictions before you put its certificate in your shopping cart.

The Center City Commission won an international award this week for its Downtown Alive! lunch program.  The program offered concerts, performances, and walking tours of Downtown at lunchtime in the spring.  Downtown Alive! starts up again tomorrow with an after-work concert in Gayoso Alley.

South Main Oktoberfest, sponsored by BankTennessee, will take place this Sunday, September 21 from 3 to 7 on the courtyard of Harry’s Detour at 106 GE Patterson.  Bratwurst, beverages, music and more; beer provided by Boscos Brewery.  Free to South Main Association members; $10 cover for non-members, or you can join the SMA at the event and have membership privileges through the end of 2009.

Shelton Clothiers will have their Fall Trunk Show this Saturday at their store on the Main Street Mall.  Come enjoy jazz on Main Street and Bloody Marys from 11 AM to 3 PM.  Made-to-measure suits from $550; two for $995.

I’m now hearing that the Silly Goose will open in the former Swig space sooner than I previously reported.  They’re now shooting for November, assuming inspections, licenses, etc. don’t cause delays.

Time to go play trivia – my two St. Jude scientist friends e-mailed to let me know that they won’t be there this week, but it’s not because the Rapscallions have run them away.  We haven’t run them away YET.