Month: March 2010

This is just something random that occurred to me on the way home.

When you look at job listings in the paper or on the Internet, they’ll often tell you what a great company it is to work for, and tell you about the “benefits.”  “Blah blah blah 401k match blah blah blah term life blah blah blah health and dental etc.”  Not to say that stuff isn’t important, but I find it odd that most companies don’t post the everyday benefits of working there.

For example, when I first heard about the job I eventually took in 2006 at the City Schools headquarters, what if I’d been told that there’s a cafeteria onsite with really affordable, pretty good food?  And that if I wanted to go out for lunch, Midtown was only blocks away, where there are all kinds of places to eat?  What if I’d been told that I’d be outta there most every day by 4:45, and that I can leave earlier than that if I get there earlier?  What if I’d been told that I’d be able to dress pretty casually, and could even wear T-shirts and jeans on Fridays?  What if I’d been told that I’d earn a vacation day a month to start, and that I’d get slightly more than a week off around Christmas, plus MLK Day, Good Friday, and some random day in March in addition to the usual holidays?  What if I’d been told that I’d be in a cubicle, but it was a big cubicle with plenty of room to move around and plenty of privacy?  I took the job anyway, but I’d have been jumping up and down to get it if I’d known all those things in advance.  To me, day-to-day quality of life is more important than stuff like insurance and retirement plans.

I’m not knocking the city schools or any company in particular here, but I just want to suggest that more quality-of-life benefits ought to be written into job postings.  You rarely hear about these things until late in the interview process, or even the new employee orientation.  But in my opinion, they matter a lot and are big selling points.

So that’s the random rant for the day.  (And in case any of my co-workers read this and wonder, NO I’m not job hunting, just got to thinking about how the new health care reform might change the way workers think of “benefits” and it led me to this rant.)

It’s 5:20 and I’m home from work.  I said I was going to set up an ad campaign for my affiliate sites tonight, but you know what?  It’s too pretty a day not to relax and celebrate it being spring.  I have another week to cash in my Google AdWords coupon.  Time for a beer.

Real quick post today because I want to run to Italian Rebel for lunch…

There’s a Woot-off today on Woot.com.

The Metal Museum is having Forging on the River this Saturday, March 27. Come by at 5 for a blacksmith demo, then at 6:30 there will be a dinner and art auction. Demo is free, dinner available for a small suggested donation. Go to the Metal Museum website for more info.

Spindini is having a wine dinner next week. Here’s what they posted on Facebook: “March Wine Dinner Wednesday, March 31 7:00 p.m. Crab Raviolo Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Macaroni and Cheese Pancetta, Seared Duck Breast w/ Mandarin Glaze, Wilted Arugula, Stuffed Lamb Chop Morel Mushrooms, Dessert Marsala Zabaglione Mission Figs and Chocolate Cups”

Go to http://my.barackobama.com/cosigner if you want to co-sign the health care bill with the President. Best Facebook status update I saw yesterday: “(name) became a fan of the uninsured not paying 1200% more for an xray than the insurance companies. Became a fan of my plumber being able to get his kid an inhaler. Became a fan of not being bankrupted by an uninsured driver. Became a fan of knowing that you are lucky, and not assuming everyone else is a lazy free loader.” Indeed.

I have info on some limited edition shirts at Lansky, but I gotta go eat so I’ll save that for the next post. I just got an e-mail telling me Google is giving me a free $100 AdWords credit, so I guess I’ll take the MacBook or the netbook to the Second Street Branch Office after work and start some campaigns for my Amazon affiliate sites.

This is a pic from last night’s I Love Memphis party at South of Beale, hosted by Kerry who writes the fantastic I Love Memphis Blog.  That’s Kerry with me in the pic.  Fantastic party!  Not only people there who I’d previously met, but there were five or six people who I knew from blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc. but had never met face to face.  There were drawings for T-shirts, and a cake shaped like a guitar in a FedEx box.

Being down there made me realize, it’s been a while since I’ve been at South of Beale.  I need to go down there and eat sometime soon.

On my way to the Mpact Spring Happy Hour at Primetime, and trivia at the Saucer after that.  If you’re looking for stuff to do, Stepbrothers (Tyler & Cameron) play the Silly Goose on Tuesdays, and it’s Super Tuesday with $5 34 oz. mixed drinks at Kooky Canuck.

One of the Downtown Download bloggers did a great post on Foursquare, the location-based checkin service with apps available for most smartphones.  On Foursquare, your phone senses your location when you visit a venue, and you check in from there.  You can earn badges for certain types of checkins, such as “crunked” for checking in at four different venues on the same night, and “school night” for a checkin after 3 AM on a weeknight.  If you check in at a location more than anyone else over a two-month period, you become “mayor” of that venue.  You can also post “tips” and “to-dos” for a venue.

In cities like New York and San Francisco, many restaurants and bars offer specials to Foursquare users for certain types of checkins, certain badges, or for being the mayor.  It’s starting to spread to Memphis.  In the post linked above, blogger Brian C discusses Foursquare awards as a way for Memphis restaurants and bars to attract more business.

You can go here to see a complete list of venues across the US offering Foursquare specials. (Click on a venue’s name to see the special.)

For example, there’s a bar in Connecticut called The Pour House that offers $1 drinks to its mayor, and a free drink for the mayor on every third visit.  Now, I don’t know if there’s a bar in Memphis that would be similar to The Pour House, but if there is one, maybe they should think about offering that deal to its mayor.

Business owners:  Surf around the Foursquare business page, see what venues in other cities are doing, and maybe you’ll come up with some ideas on how Foursquare can lead to new repeat customers for you.

If you like ice cream, this is a good week for you.  Ben & Jerry’s will give away free ice cream cones today from 12 to 8 PM.  Also, all week long, the Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality at the U of M will let you build your own ice cream sundae all week from 2-4 PM.

Join the group “The City Taste” on Facebook to keep up with more great food deals from around the city.  That’s how I learned about these.

Free ice cream?  Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

Oh, speaking of whom… I’ve learned that the Nuh-Uh Girl will be attending Mpact Memphis’ happy hour from 6 to 7 tonight at Primetime Sports Bar.  There’s an open bar and buffet for members ($5 non-members), but if you plan on eating you better make sure you get there before she does.

Let’s see… I’m a member, and there’s an open bar… yep, sounds like I’ll be late for trivia tonight.

Speaking of MPACT, there’s a new Downtown Download blog up about their recent Soul of the City Gala, including very detailed descriptions of what they had to eat and a picture of the buffet.

I saw a good tweet this morning linking to a Beer Flavor Wheel, which seems like it would be very useful to print out and learn about the different styles of beer.

If you like Cuban food, today’s Memphis Groupon is for dining at the Rumba Room on South Main.

All right… I have some stuff on Foursquare, but I want it to stand alone in a post, so I’m going to hit Publish on this Tuesday news post.  Another to come shortly.

Chef Patrick Rose invited me to come to Bardog to try his food, after seeing me mention him in the blog last week.  So I did.

Scallops with cream sauce and citrus rice.  It’s one of their specials this week.  It was fantastic.  How I wish they’d tweet their specials.  I’d probably eat there an extra 1-2 times a week if they did.

If you haven’t eaten at Bardog, you’re missing out.  Patrick is there Fri-Sun nights.

My friends Dennis and Mary Pat volunteer at St. Vincent DePaul, a wonderful organization that helps the poor and homeless.  I asked them to e-mail me some information about it.  I especially like the fact that although the volunteers believe they are serving Christ by giving their time and money, they do NOT preach to those in need.  They simply give from the heart.  Their e-mail is below.

St. Vincent de Paul Society usually operates out of the Catholic Church but it is a non-denominational organization dedicated to helping those in need. It is not a traditional “preaching” type ministry. The members are volunteers who go out and help anyone in need. Here’s a quote from the Memphis SVDP webpage (www.svdpmemphis.org). “The Society collaborates with other people of good will in relieving need and addressing its causes, making no distinction in those served because, in them, Vincentians see the face of Christ.”

St. Mary’s Catholic Church operates the soup kitchen downtown. Here’s a quote from their webpage (http://www.stmary-memphis.com/soup-kitchen/) “St. Mary’s Catholic Church Soup Kitchen has been operating continuously for one hundred-thirty-six years! The soup kitchen serves the poor, the homeless, the less fortunate and the marginalized in our community. We serve more than 50,000 meals each year.”

These are just two of the many fine organizations in Memphis who are there to help those in true need. Instead of giving money to the scammers on the street, people should consider making a donation to these charities. Anyone truly in need can go seek help and find it. I would also encourage your readers to consider volunteering for a shift at the soup kitchen from time to time. It is very rewarding, and it really makes a difference.

I forgot to mention in my lunchtime post – the “I Love Memphis” party is happening NOW, Monday 5-7 PM, at South of Beale.  Will head down there in a few minutes.

Pint Nite after that.

It’s official: The NCAA has denied Memphis’ appeal of the allegations that led to Memphis vacating its 38 wins in the 2007-08 basketball season. The allegations concern a player, presumably Derrick Rose, who allegedly had someone take a standardized test for him. Way to go Coach Sleazeball… wonder how long it’ll be before the same thing happens at the U of K.

Here’s an article that explains what President Obama’s health care reforms mean to you. Great job Mr. President! I’m going to quote and agree with someone who posted on Twitter this morning: If I have to pay higher taxes so the poor in this country can have health care, then I’m happy to pay them.

MPACT Memphis is having an “It’s Officially Spring!” happy hour with a twist tomorrow night, Tuesday, March 23, at 6 PM at Primetime Sports Bar. Stop by to enjoy some free appetizers, grab a drink, mingle, and get plugged in with local nonprofits. You’ll also be able to join Artitude, the young professional group that supports RiverArtsFest. Free food? Well, I guess the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up late to trivia across the street at the Saucer tomorrow night.

If it’s not chillin’, the South Main Association will be grillin’ Friday night at the South Main Trolley tour. They’ll have complimentary hot dogs, hamburgers, and Boscos beer for SMA members ($5 for non-members). Forecast for Friday is sunny and 64, so it’s looking like this will happen.

The Tennessee Human Rights Commission is holding a Listening Session at BRIDGES, 477 N. Fifth, on April 5 at 5 PM. The THRC investigates complaints of discrimination based on race, creed, color, religion, sex, age, national origin or disability in the areas of housing, employment, or public accommodation. Such discrimination is illegal in TN. The THRC wants to hear from the community, and this is your chance to tell them your concerns. Go here to RSVP.

Plans for tonight: Pint Nite, what else?