Month: November 2008

The debut screening of Getwell, a documentary about the Church Health Center, is set for 7 p.m. Nov. 18 at Germantown Performing Arts Centre (GPAC). The film, which will run from 7 to 8:15 p.m. with a reception to follow, is free and open to the public.  The film begins with the 2005 TennCare cuts, forcing 171,000 people off the rolls and dramatically increasing the number of people coming to the Church Health Center.  The film also goes into a lot of depth about the Health Center’s founding.  Check out their website to find out more about this great organization.  It was great meeting some of their team at the PR luncheon yesterday, and I look forward to taking a tour of the facility soon.

Memphis Area Legal Services will hold their first fundraiser tonight ar Bardog Tavern from 5 to 8 PM.  Give a suggested donation of $10 to MALS and get complimentary cocktails.  More info about what MALS does here.

I’ve had some replies to my Firefly Sweet Tea vodka question.  In Midtown, Old Zinnie’s and the Blue Monkey carry the vodka.  That means the Downtown Monkey likely does too.  Itta Bena had it at one point, not sure if they still do.  My favorite blogger/MILF texted me that East End on 64 out in East Bumblefuck serves the sweet tea vodka as well.

The Memphis Holiday Parade moves to the South Main area this year.  It will happen the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, November 28, at 5 PM.  The parade will start at St. Paul and run north to Huling.  Before the parade, there will be a Make-A-Wish fundraiser sponsored by FM100 and WRVR 104.5.  After the parade will be the monthly trolley tour, called the South Main Jolly Trolly Night for this month, with galleries and shops open serving egg nog and other goodies.  MATA will offer 25 cent shuttles from Main Street at Peabody Place to the parade location from 3 to 7 PM that day.  Visit the Downtown Memphis holiday page for more details.

Whew.  I think I’m finally caught up now.  And hungry.  I think it’s time to walk down to Court House Deli for a mushroom swiss burger.  That probably is not on the list of approved foods my health guru AL is creating for me, but, oh well.

I went to the MPACT Memphis happy hour at Mollie Fontaine Lounge last night, and had a really good time.  MPACT seems to be getting back to being a fun, social organization, much like the MPACT I remember from 2002-2004 when I was most active.  I’m going to have to start attending more events.  I can’t make the wine tasting at Memphis Heritage tonight, but I’ll check their calendar and see what’s coming up… hmmm, there’s a Lunch Bunch at the Rendezvous on Friday, December 5.  Maybe I’ll attend that one.

Ground Zero is hosting a tribute Saturday night in honor of the late soul musician O.V. Wright.  See below for details:

Go to ovwright.org for more.  The event will launch a new non-profit called The Soul of Memphis, which will undertake projects like this one.

Question from a reader:  Is there a bar in Memphis that serves Firefly Sweet Tea vodka?  He can’t find it anywhere.  My guess would be that there is a bar somewhere in Memphis that serves it, and it probably isn’t Downtown.  Can anyone help?  E-mail me at paul@paulryburn.com if you can help.

I’m pleased to announce that Bardog Tavern has Pabst Blue Ribbon on tap.  It was definitely missed for several days this weekend.  Also, if you’re a fan of the Ghost River beers sold at the Saucer (Hefeweizen, Pale Ale, Brown Ale), there’s a fourth Ghost River offering on tap at Bardog, Ghost River Golden Ale.  I believe they’re selling it for $4.

All right.  Time to get started.  I’ve been invited to a Downtown Safety Task Force meeting this afternoon, so I guess I better wash my “NO BUMS” T-shirt so I have something to wear.  I’m about 50-50 on whether I’ll attend trivia with Pete the Trivia Guy and Mikey tonight at Jillian’s (7 PM, $2 Bud and Bud Light, $3 cherry, grape, Jager bombs).  I’ll definitely be at the Saucer by 9 for The Dempseys.

That’s all for now… possibly back later with answers to more questions from yesterday’s PR meeting.

This morning I participated in a panel discussion held by the Public Relations Society of America’s Memphis chapter.  On the panel with me were some of the top Memphis bloggers, representing blogs like Mediaverse, Smart City Memphis, and The Gates of Memphis.  Some excellent questions were asked, by both the moderator and the audience, and I thought it would be fun to give some more in-depth answers here.

One question that was asked:  Do you take information from PR people to put on your blog?  What can PR people do to work with bloggers to get their information out?

My answer is yes, I do take info from PR people, and am usually quite happy to get it. The reason why is that I believe the secret to successful blogging is to blog every day, to constantly have fresh content for my readers.  However, like any writer, there are days when I get writer’s block, or when I’ve run out of upcoming events to talk about, or when I’m busy and just need something quick that I can copy, paste, publish.  Announcements from PR people help me out in that regard.

Here are three pieces of advice I have for PR people who want to interact with bloggers:

1) Determine which blogs speak most directly to the target market you’re trying to reach.  Then develop a personal relationship with those bloggers. I have PR people who have befriended me on Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn.  I’ve been out for drinks with a few of them.  It builds credibility to get to know them face-to-face.  Then, when they ask me to mention an event, I think, “Oh, this is for Katie,” or “Oh, this is for Ashley,” or whoever, and I’m a lot more likely to include their item in a future post, than I would be if I see some random e-mail address and name I don’t recognize.  I’m more likely to help people I know, like, and trust.

2) For the blogs you select, figure out the blog’s overall message or theme, and try to tie items you send in with that theme. Doing it that way adds value for the blog’s readers.  It keeps the blog from looking like a graveyard for random PR releases.

For example, my blog’s theme is “Downtown Memphis.”  If you can tie your items to Downtown in some way, it’s more likely that I’ll include them.  Example: A couple of years ago, I received several e-mails asking me to mention a weekly concert series at a casino in Tunica.  I wanted to help and thought about it, but… I just couldn’t see it being of interest to many of my readers.  Downtowners don’t drive that much.  We tend to go to local events.  I just couldn’t see a lot of value for my readers.

On the other hand, I mentioned a fundraiser at Hollywood Casino in Tunica just last week.  Why?  Because the chairpeople of the event were the owners of Big Foot Lodge, a very popular restaurant Downtown that we all enjoy.  I know people would look at the announcement and go, “Oh, THEY’RE doing it, well, I’m buying a ticket, then.”  It was something I knew would connect with my readers.

3) No matter how good a job you do, no matter how well you connect with me and present me with items that add value to my blog, if your client screws up, I can’t help you. You have to make sure your client is delivering a quality product or service.  There are a couple of restaurants down here, for example, whose events I simply won’t promote on the blog.  I’ve had too many friends and neighbors go there and report back that they had a lousy time – I’m talking on the order of 70% negative comments.  I can’t in good conscience say, “Hey, go to Such-and-Such night at Restaurant X!” just to help a PR person out, knowing that my readers will probably have a bad experience there.  Doing so would blow my credibility.  It would make readers less willing to trust me the next time I heard of something truly outstanding that I wanted to share.

In my opinion, if a business is not turning out a quality product or quality service, the last thing in the world they should do is PR.  They need to fix the problems first.  Until they do, the less publicity they get, the better.

Hope that helps some of the PR people out there in Memphis.  It was good meeting all of you, and I enjoyed the lunch at the U of M Holiday Inn.

I’m never going to question my team members’ spelling again.  Last night we had a trivia question: “Which party are Tony Blair and current British PM Gordon Brown members of?”  I wrote “Labor” and handed it to my teammate Eric to hand in.  He corrected it to “Labour,” causing several team members and me to complain, “Oh, come on, Eric, he’s not going to be that picky about the spelling.”

The Rapscallions won, beating the St. Jude team by only one point.  They ran over to compare scorecards.  “Pete the Trivia Guy gave us an extra point for spelling ‘Labour’ right,” they told us.  Then I realized if Eric hadn’t corrected our spelling, we would’ve missed out on the extra point, and been forced into a tie-breaker with the St. Jude team.  Great job, Eric!

Thanks to the win, we now have $320 in Saucer money to spend, plus another $150 across the street at Jillian’s.  We’re going to be some drunk people by the end of the night when we have our party.

I should’ve got to the Saucer earlier… when I arrived at 6:30, I learned that I had missed bartender Brittney fall off the bar by about 5 minutes.  She had climbed up there to change something on the chalkboard above the bar.  Old Lazy-Ass was so unfamiliar with the concept of “work” that she fell.  They should’ve told her, “Brittney, stand around and talk to people while someone else updates the chalkboard.”  That she could’ve handled.

While there, I noticed a flyer saying that The Dempseys will be playing the Saucer Thursday night!  Yay… attn consulting clients, I won’t be available before 10 AM Friday as a result.  I wonder if Brad is able to sing again?  He had a throat operation and couldn’t talk for two weeks, and couldn’t sing for six.  Another of my favorites, Snozberry, plays the Saucer Saturday night.

New Restaurant.com coupon code: Enter HARVEST at checkout for 60% off.  That means you can get $25 restaurant gift certificates, normally priced at $10, for only $4.  You also get a bonus $10 gift certificate.  Offer is good through tomorrow, November 13.

Time to unveil my latest website:

It’s Pocket Time! is a pocket watch and accessory supercenter.  This store organizes all Amazon products related to pocket watches into one convenient location.  Amazon handles the secure checkout and shipping, so you’re dealing with the Internet’s most recognized retailer.  I never see your name or credit card number, only an acknowledgment that an item was purchased.

I have to drive the car TWICE today… ugh.  At least the rain will wash the dust away.  My second trip in the car will be to MPACT Memphis’ happy hour at Mollie Fontaine Lounge tonight at 6.  Maybe I’ll see you there!

Trivia returns to the Flying Saucer tonight after a week’s absence for election night.  Needless to say, the Rapscallions will be there, looking to continue their pattern of dominance.  I noticed that flyers on the tables listed 7:30 as the start time.  Not sure if that’s a typo, because it’s always started at 7:00 in the past.  If you plan on playing tonight, it’s probably a good idea to have at least some of your team there by 7.

Tonight’s also the South Main Association meeting at Jay Etkin Gallery (6:00), with info about Downtown’s new dumpster initiative.  Since I’ve missed trivia two weeks in a row (the week before the election, we had a birthday party for Mikey), I’m going to skip the SMA meeting this month and get my trivia fix for the full 3 rounds.

For MPACT Memphis members, there are a couple of good events coming up this week.  Tomorrow night, Wednesday, November 12, there will be a happy hour at Mollie Fontaine Lounge, the former Cielo in Victorian Village at 679 Adams at 6 PM.  I haven’t seen the place since it was converted to Mollie’s, and I’ve been meaning to do more MPACT stuff since I re-joined, so I’m going to try and make it to this one.  Too far to walk, but just the right distance for me to ride my bike up there, if it’s not raining.

The following night, Thursday, November 13, MPACT is having a holiday wine tasting at Memphis Heritage at 7 PM.  It’s $15 for members, $25 for non-members.  An expert speaker will discuss holiday wines and how to pair them with foods (to save the Nuh-Uh Girl the trouble of e-mailing me, no, I don’t know what kind of food they’re going to have).  If you join that night, you can have the admission fee applied against dues.

All right!  Time for me to get busy.  I’ve come up with 5 new ideas for websites, and I’ve also uncovered an additional way to make money as I work online that I’ll share in a few days.

I’ve been asked to announce that there will be a birthday brunch for Downtown legend Terry, aka Terance, aka Black Man, next Sunday, November 16 at the Majestic Grille.  Terry has enriched people’s lives Downtown for years with great conversation, thoughtful listening, singing, and dancing.  Hmmm… now that I think about it, maybe not the singing so much.  But anyway, this is a big one for Terry, the big FIVE-O (his actual birthday is the following week), so we’re trying to get all his friends together at the Majestic for brunch.

If you want to attend, shoot me an e-mail at paul@paulryburn.com.  It will help the organizers if we know how many people to expect.

It looks like I may have been LoLo’s Table’s last customer ever last night.  But we’ll get to that.  Starting from the beginning.

I hit LoLo’s from 5 to 6 and watched the Alabama-LSU game.  People started coming in, and I found out that several prominent Downtowners had read my blog and sent out “Save LoLo’s” e-mails.  Thanks!

About 6:30 I packed up 2 magnums of wine and some beer in a box and headed toward South Main for a get-together among friends.  As usual the MATA trolley was completely undependable, and I walked all the way to Vance (7 1/2 blocks) and still no sign of a trolley heading south.  My buddy Chuck drove by at that point and put the box in his trunk.  Thank goodness.

Party was fun, just 10-15 good friends hanging out.  Watched football, ate world championship pork shoulder and other good food, caught up with friends, tried to figure out where to hold a 200-person wedding reception, watched a border collie puppy herd cats.  It was a good way to spend a Saturday evening.

About 10 the Nuh-Uh Girl and the Nuh-Uh Sister wanted to head to LoLo’s for a drink, so I rode back up there with them.  The Nuh-Uh Girl ate dessert, but I didn’t get any pictures of her eating.  They told me they’re doing a wine tasting at the Blue Monkey tonight.  “It’s only $15,” said the Nuh-Uh Girl.  “I hope they have good food.”

While there I talked to a leasing consultant at Renaissance Apartments who was at the bar.  She’s lived in the building for a long time and loves it.  Sounds like it’s gotten considerably better there over the past few years – she told me the occupancy rate has jumped from under 50% to well into the 90s.  Cool.  I feel a lot more comfortable recommending that place, having talked to her and also other people who live there.  She was good to talk to, hope to see her again, although I probably won’t because when I asked where she hangs out, she said, “Not much of anywhere… mostly I hang in.”

The crowd started to dwindle, but I was in no hurry to leave, which had a lot to do with the owner’s decision to slash the price of PBR bottles to $1.  The Nuh-Uh Girl and Nuh-Uh Sister took off.  Within 10 minutes, the crowd was down to two other Downtowners and me.  Suddenly the people in the kitchen started bringing out many plates of food.  “It’s the Last Supper,” they told us.  “Come join us.”  So I sat down in front of a pork chop and asparagus, and although stuffed from an earlier party, I managed to eat almost all of it.  I couldn’t help but laugh to myself at how mad the Nuh-Uh Girl is going to be when she finds out she missed free food by only a few minutes.

The other two Downtowners left, and figuring I should go too and let them get to their closing duties, I asked for my check too… and instead got handed another PBR.  “Here, drink it, it’s the last one.”  So I stuck around for another 25 minutes.  It doesn’t look promising for the survival of LoLo’s.  They were calling it “LoLo’s last night.”  It’s really too bad because they were very close to turning a corner.  An article on them, and on the awesome new specials they planned to attract the people who live in the neighborhood, was to appear in this week’s Memphis Flyer.  I was just getting used to the idea of having two locals’ bars (LoLo’s and Bardog) less than a block from home.  Doesn’t look like it’ll happen though.

Got out of there just after 1.  Contemplated the Saucer, but I realized FreeWorld was finishing up their last set, and the place would close within the hour.  So I decided to make the short walk to Bardog, which was packed as always.  Their $2.50 PBR got so popular this week that they ran out, and I had to switch to $2.50 Coors “yellow belly” cans, which turned out to be not as bad as I expected.

Former BFF Suzy was there, and expressed dissatisfaction with her “former BFF” status.  I don’t blame her; after all, Meghan is a former BFF as well, and who wants to be placed in the same category as Meghan?  I reassured Suzy that she set an incredibly high standard for all future BFFs to live up to.  I need to come up with another term besides “former BFF,” and have it apply to all past BFFs of the Month – which would mean the term wouldn’t apply to Meghan, since I started the BFF of the Month concept to improve upon the incredibly lousy job she was doing.

Lasted until last call at Bardog, then called it a night.  What a fun place.  You know, I need to revise my “places I hang out” rankings, since so many bars have come and gone and turned themselves around the past few months.

I haven’t had anyone take me up on work for the panhandler who expressed interest in turning his life around and who asked for my help finding a job.  I’ve had people forward me leads on jobs that were posted in the classifieds or online, but I’m really looking for a Downtown business owner or manager who’s willing to say, “I’ll take a chance on this guy.”  E-mail me at paul@paulryburn.com if you’re willing.  If we can get one of them back to work and off the streets, maybe it’ll be a sign to others that there’s hope, and they’ll ask for help as well.

I got an e-mail explaining why the Tigers play at 11 PM on November 17:  It’s ESPN’s 24 hours of college basketball, and it could’ve been worse, we could’ve been given a 3 AM game.  OK that makes sense.

Trying to decide what to do today.  I’ve already missed brunch.  I’m sure the Saucer will see me at some point.  Also, I’ve heard that Sunday night jazz at Earnestine & Hazel’s is really good, may check that out tonight.

I’ve had the song “Walking in L.A.” by the Missing Persons stuck in my head since Thursday, when it came on the radio at the Saucer.  I just bought it on iTunes.

I don’t know could’ve been a lame jogger maybe
Or someone just about to do the freeway strangler baby
Shopping cart pusher or maybe someone groovie
One thing’s for sure, he isn’t starring in the movies

Because he’s walking in L.A.
Walking in L.A.
Nobody walks in L.A.

Walking in L.A.,
Walking in L.A.
Only a nobody walks in L.A.

I’m tempted to re-write that song for Cordova.

There’s a game on November 17 at ELEVEN p.m.!  It’s a home game at the FedExForum vs. UMass, and it’s undoubtedly scheduled at that hour because it will be televised on ESPN.  Who’s going to be awake at that hour to attend the game?  Glad to see Memphis getting national TV exposure, but I hate to see an empty Memphis arena on TV.

Since I’ve extended my hiatus from job-hunting until December 1, there’s no doubt I’ll still be up at game time, and as a bonus, right around halftime the clock will strike 12 and it will be my birthday.  Hmmm… November 17 is a Monday night… where can I watch a basketball game on TV at 11 PM… ideally I’d like to sip a Dos Equis Lager while watching… but I don’t want to pay more than $2.75 a beer… and it’d be nice to have other stuff to look at besides the TV… waitresses in short skirts for example.  Maybe I’ll figure out where to find a place like that before game time.  Or who knows, maybe I’ll actually go to the game and make the arena look one person more full.

I feel even more sorry for UMass fans, who will have to stay up until midnight their time before the game even starts.

If you’re wondering what the Obama administration will be like, here are a couple of clues:

Barack Obama, CEO in Chief – a Fortune article on Obama’s leadership style.  It’s 4 pages long, and make sure you read it to the end, because the really good stuff is on pages 3 and 4.  Basically, he likes to keep people who disagree with him in his inner circle, where he actively engages them and questions them before coming to a decision.  He learned this from one of his heroes, Abraham Lincoln.  He also believes in regularly asking the advice of those who know more than he does, such as Paul Volcker and Warren Buffett for financial issues.

Rahm Emanuel: “Do what you got elected to do” – a Wall Street Journal article that provides a look into the midset of the incoming Chief of Staff.  He believes the president needs to do what works, and not put on a show for ideology’s sake.

More and more I’m liking this administration.

Don’t forget the “Save LoLo’s” party tonight, starting at 4:30 – all tips go toward the $8,000 they need to raise by Wednesday to hold on to their lease (see my previous post for more).  I’ll be there from about 5 to 6.  After that, I’m heading to a small party at friends’ condo in South Main.

Recently I blogged about LoLo’s Table, on Monroe next to McEwen’s.  They came under new ownership in the recent past, and had hopes of getting more locals in the place with deals like $2 PBR during happy hour, free food one surprise night a week, and lunch delivery Downtown.

Well, tonight I learned that, due to some obligations the new owners were not aware of, LoLo’s has to come up with $8000 by noon Wednesday or lose their lease.  So, they’re having a party tomorrow, Saturday, November 8, to keep the place open.  Starts at 4:30 when the place opens, lasts until close.

$2 beers (and yes they have PBR)
$3 drinks all night long
20% off all food

Tips go toward saving the restaurant

Come support.  I already committed to a prior engagement but will be at the bar 6-7.