25 cent trolley rides the day after Thanksgiving

As I was walking around taking pics of the Downtown lights last night, I noticed this sign posted at the trolley stops:

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Next Friday, you can ride the trolley for only a quarter.  Great day to take the riverfront loop and see the river for cheap.  Or take the trolley to the Pinch and hang out at Westy’s or TJ Mulligan’s.  Or take the trolley to South Main and watch football at Calhoun’s.  Or take the Madison Avenue line and… um, I don’t know, go to the Circle K at Madison and Cleveland or something.

What to do with my Saturday… my plans for tonight got cancelled, so the day is wide open.  My little blue netbook is sitting on the coffee table, saying, “Paul, you know you’d like to open me up and play some poker, wouldn’t you?”

Let’s see what football games we’ve got going on today… Mississippi State at Arkansas at 11:21 AM.  An easy win for the Hogs hopefully.  It’s on ESPN360.com, which I don’t think the Saucer carries, so that’ll save me from starting my beer drinking early.

Memphis at Houston at noon… oh who cares about the football team anymore.  Did you hear Team Pastner slaughtered Tennessee Tech last night?

LSU at Ole Miss at 2:30 on CBS.  Go Tigers!  Ole Miss home game… I’ll have to look for white hoods in the stands.  “The South Shall Rise Again”… I wish an earthquake would rise up and bury Ole Miss for good.  Volcano would work just as well.

Vandy at Tennessee at 6 PM on ESPNU… go Vandy.

Kansas at Texas at 7 on ABC… go Jayhawks.

Meanwhile in basketball news, Rivals.com has just updated their rankings of 2010 recruiting classes.  Who’s #1?  Have a look.

All right, I’m going to sign off and try to figure out what to do with my day… beautiful weather, maybe something outside.

Pics: Downtown Lights

I walked over to Court Square about 5:15 for the flip-the-switch celebration for the Downtown holiday lights.  As I walked up, I noticed two things:  1) There were fewer people than last year, a little surprising because the temps this year were about 30 degrees warmer; and 2) I found it odd that the carolers were caroling at the edge of the square, by the Porter Building, rather than in the gazebo.

As I walked through the square and looked at the lights, though, my questions were answered:  The square had been overrun by rats!  They were running all over the place.  I stayed in the park for 5 minutes and must have seen a dozen of them scampering around.  They definitely were not afraid of humans either.

During the course of the evening, I took two walks and took photos of Downtown storefronts decorated for the holidays.  Here are some pics.

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Turkey of the Year glass night at the Saucer next Wed. Plus: SOB review, KKK @ Ole Miss, Liberty Bowl, Thanksgiving, hot dogs, and more

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When I was listing all the fun stuff to do Downtown Thanksgiving weekend, I forgot one big event:  Turkey of the Year glass night at the Saucer the night before Thanksgiving.  Every year they pick a “turkey” and honor them on the “buy the beer, keep the glass” night.  Not sure who this year’s turkey will be; my suggestion is in the photo above.  Glasses go on sale Wednesday at 7 PM.  Right down the street from Kooky Canuck who is doing 99 cent Bud Light on Wednesday.  Should be a fun Thanksgiving Eve in the Downtown core.

In other news… South of Beale was reviewed in the Commercial Appeal today. I agree with the reviewer, the duck with duck fried rice is fantastic. And an egg on top too… yum. When eating the dish, I like to think how one day, there was a duck somewhere who was happily swimming and quacking, and then the next day he ended up on my dinner plate. Not good for poor Mr. Duck. Good for South of Beale patrons though.

The KKK is coming to Ole Miss’s campus. What, is it Homecoming weekend down there? The KKK is protesting the ban of Ole Miss’s fight song, where the students chant “The South Shall Rise Again.”

 I was reading an article the other day speculating about SEC bowl births, and how Ole Miss may end up in the Liberty Bowl… God I hope not. One Memphis appearance by the most idiotic football fans in America per year is enough. New Year’s weekend is already enough of an amateur night without those clowns in town.

Now, on the other hand… it’s possible that Arkansas may end up in the Liberty Bowl. That would be a treat, to get to party with some Hog fans… I’ll definitely have the Hog Hat on most of New Year’s weekend if that happens. Of course, I’d love to see the Hogs upset LSU next week and make their way to a higher bowl berth, but if that doesn’t happen, it sure would be nice to have them here in Memphis.

Taking a break from online poker for a while, after a disastrous day Sunday. I think the next time I’ll play will be Thanksgiving. There should be lots of fish online that day, people who know nothing about the game, and are just playing to look busy on the computer so they can avoid talking to Aunt Ethel. Hopefully some easy money to be made.

Wait a minute… if I play PokerStars all day, then hit the Saucer at 5, then head south to the E&H Thanksgiving party, when am I going to EAT??? I guess it’s time to pose the question I ask every year… what Downtown restaurants/bars will be open Thanksgiving Day? E-mail me at paul@paulryburn.com or tweet me at @paulryburn and I’ll compile a list. Wang’s and Westy’s usually keep their normal hours. Any other places open during the daytime that aren’t massively expensive Thanksgiving buffets?

I forgot to mention, yesterday when I had to go Downtown to renew my license, I stopped at Main Street Hound Dogs to grab a dog to eat on the way back to the parking garage. Good stuff and they have an ample selection of toppings. They’re at Main and Union most days, weather permitting, and can deliver to your car if you pull over. Follow them on Twitter at @mainsthounddogs.

I’ll be at the flip-the-switch holiday lighting ceremony at Court Square tonight… will probably get there by 5:15, in time to see the lights come on. Plans after that are wide open. Maybe I’ll walk around and take pics of some of the storefront decorations. Weather is a lot better than last year’s lighting ceremony, when it was freezing cold outside, so come on by!

Lucky accident

So as I mentioned in the last post, I had to come downtown in my lunch hour today to renew my driver’s license.  While Downtown I walked down Main, and as I looked down Monroe I saw that this was one of the specials at Bardog:

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Pasta Bolognese with a side salad and toast.  I think it was $11.50.  And I would not have known about this except for the fact that I’d randomly walked by earlier.  Lucky accident.

Attn Bardog:  Why don’t you tweet your specials?  I was new to Twitter less than a year ago myself… and at the time I thought it was the stupidest thing ever.  And yet now I check it throughout the day.  Your food is awesome… I would probably eat there 1 additional time a week on average if I could look up your specials on Twitter.  Just a suggestion.  And remember, the Nuh-Uh Girl lives in the same building I do… who knows how many times a week she’d be in there, given that she’s less than a minute from your front door.  Of course who knows if she’d be actually ordering food, or just trying to eat off plates of paying customers.

10:01 PM and I’m home.  May actually get a full night’s sleep tonight.  Oh. One more thing before I go:

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Happy birthday Alexis

Finishing my pasta then off to bed.  Will actually get enough sleep to make a decent run at Friday night partying tomorrow.

Thur update: Holiday lights flipped on tomorrow, MIFA, survey, Customer Appreciation Night @ Republic

There’s a party in Court Square tomorrow, Friday, November 20, from 5 to 5:30 to celebrate the flipping of the switch on Downtown’s holiday lights.  There will be Christmas carolers and free gourmet cocoa, courtesy of the Majestic Grille.  I plan on heading that way right after work.

After the lighting ceremony will be the judging of the Downtown business storefront decorating contest at 6.  Good night to walk around Downtown and see how businesses have dressed themselves up for the Christmas season.

If you’re looking for a place to volunteer or donate for the holidays, MIFA has many opportunities.  Find them here.

The City of Memphis is asking everyone to take a minute to fill out a survey about the city’s website.  Click here to go to the survey.  What do I like most about the city’s website?  The fact that it no longer says, “Dr. W. W. Herenton, Mayor.”

Republic Nightclub is having a Customer Appreciation Night Saturday night.  No cover until 12:30 AM.

Sorry there was no lunchtime post today… I had to go get my driver’s license, which expired yesterday, renewed and I wasn’t eligible for online renewal because I needed a new photo taken.  I went to the County Clerk’s office at 150 Washington and there were only TWO people in front of me… not many people know that the Downtown clerk’s office can do renewals and replacements.  Certainly better than the hours-long delay I’ve heard about at the other DL stations… I know many people who have had to take vacation to get the renewal done.  “Happy birthday!  You get to stand in line for a long, long time!”

The Woot-off continues on Woot.com… I just missed an opportunity to buy a Bag of Crap earlier this afternoon.  I’ve been told that the Bag of Crap (it’s like an e-commerce version of a grab bag) is not to be missed.

Fire Sale is Blue Moon, and that’s one of my favorite beers, so you know where I’m heading as soon as I hit the Publish button.

Thanks everyone!

Just wanted to pop in and say thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday today via text or Facebook.  Gotta run to a work birthday luncheon for November birthdays, so this has got to be a super short post.

No big plans for tonight… a Wednesday in the middle of November is a really boring time to have a birthday.  Will probably drop by the art opening at the Majestic, then I’ll park myself at the Saucer for a while.  How bout them Tigers, holding the #1 team in the country to two points… over and out, time to eat.

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For those of you surfing the web at home while you wait for the Tiger game to tip off at 9, surf on over to Woot.com.  There’s a Woot-off going on today.

Sorry for not posting that info earlier in the day.  Didn’t find out myself until about 4 PM.

Tue update: Go Tigers, trivia, steak night, E&H Thanksgiving party, Majestic art show

Tonight’s the night we’ve been waiting for… Memphis vs. #1 Kansas. Yes, we’ll probably lose, but we’ll get to see what this year’s team can do against elite competition. Go Tigers, and go Coach Pastner and congratulations on an amazing 2010 recruiting class.

For those of you who do trivia at the Saucer, Mikey the Other Trivia Guy has told me he’s going to do whatever he needs to do to get trivia done by 9 sharp, so that the big screen will be available for the game. They will have the sound on in the main room. Perfect… since the team tends to sit on one of the rails when we play, I’ll end up with one of the best seats in the house for big-screen viewing.

If you’re more in the mood to eat than to play trivia, it’s steak night tonight at the Silly Goose. A strip and garlic butter mashed potatoes for $9.99. Pretty good deal.

From the Memphis Flyer: The Rumba Room on South Main is now open for lunch. Cuban food!

I received info this morning about the Thanksgiving night party at Earnestine & Hazel’s. It starts at 8 PM and benefits CASA Memphis (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children). The organizers of the party will provide 2 DJs and some beverages. I’ve been to this party the past two years and it is a blast. I absolutely recommend attending if you find yourself in town on Turkey Day. I’ll likely start Thanksgiving with a few warm-up beers at the Saucer, which opens at 5, and then head on down to E&H. Party at E&H starts at 8 I believe.

Don’t forget that tomorrow, November 18, is the reception at the Majestic Grille for Sophorn McRae, who is showing her design photography in the Majestic’s back room/art gallery. Free admission, complimentary hors d’oeuvres. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

4.5 more hours of work, then trivia, then Tiger basketball watching for me tonight.

Beef brisket with mashed potatoes @ Silly Goose

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I played poker at the Silly Goose tonight, and ordered the beef brisket, pictured above with mashed potatoes.  Oh sweet mother of God this was good.  I don’t expect this from bar food.  And only eight dollars.  This is a value in terms of food what Kooky Canuck’s 34 oz. mugs are in terms of beer.  Very high recommendation to check this out if you’re a carnivore.  If you’re not a carnivore, very high recommendation to become one.

Went out early in poker though.  Went all in on 77 shorthanded, figuring a made pair was good.  Crystal flipped over KK and knocked me out.

Mon update: meteor shower, Church Health Center cards

Not much to talk about today… in recovery mode from last night… ended up at the Silly Goose where I stayed until a little after midnight.  I really like the Goose… going there after the Saucer kind of reminds me of the old days when I’d go to McGuinness after the Saucer.

The Leonid meteor shower is tonight. Peak will be about 3 AM, although there will be plenty to see as early as midnight. If you live Downtown, you may have trouble viewing due to the city lights though. More info here.

The Church Health Center is now taking orders for holiday honorarium and memorial cards. This year’s card features a print by native Memphian Jimpsie Ayers. To send cards to the people on your list and support the work of the Church Health Center, call (901) 272-7170 or visit www.churchhealthcenter.org.

That’s all I’ve got. Debating whether or not I’m going to do poker tonight at the Silly Goose… I’m worn out and have a feeling I wouldn’t play very well. It’s a fun time though, if you’re looking for some live action.

Time to go put gas in the car.  Exciting day.