Month: July 2010

One thing I noticed about my recent New Orleans trip is that I took hardly any photos. The ones you saw yesterday in my “NOLA trip – Food and Drink” post were about the only ones I took. On the other hand, up until a few years ago when I traveled, I took hundreds of pics. It made me think – what changed?

I think there are two main reasons people take photos when they’re on trips/vacations:

1) So they can look at the photos later and re-live the memories of being there. I could have taken photos of Bourbon Street, the dive bars, the restaurants, and other places I visited in New Orleans… but you know what? I didn’t need to. Anytime I want to go back and see the places I went, all I need to do is get on Google StreetView and take a virtual walk around.

2) To offer proof that you were there. “See, I was at Disneyland, here’s a photo of me with Mickey Mouse.” “See, I was in DC, here’s a pic of me at the Lincoln Memorial.” The thing is, though, with the advent of iPhones people now have different ways to prove they were there. When I went out in New Orleans, I checked in on Foursquare every place I went. My Foursquare account is connected to Facebook and Twitter, so most of my friends saw that I was there.

I kinda like it that I kept my camera in my pocket most of the time… it made me look less like a tourist, and it was one less thing I had to keep up with.

Speaking of Foursquare… I was worried that my four-day out-of-town trip might be long enough to cost me the mayorship of the Flying Saucer, but I managed to hold on to it. I don’t see myself missing any days in the foreseeable future, so I’ll have that mayorship locked down for a while. I did lose Bardog Tavern while in NOLA. I guess I’ll have to go in this week and work on getting it back.

My next check-in at the Saucer will be tonight… trivia, 7 PM.

I tried to experience as much of the French Quarter’s food and drink as I could on my business trip, during lunch breaks and after hours.  Considering I was only there four days, I think I did a pretty good job.

There were also some places I enjoyed where I didn’t take pictures.  Bad Shane told me that I needed to check out Johnny White’s pub at the corner of Bourbon and Orleans.  This was the pub that never closed at any point during the Katrina disaster.

Another Bad Shane suggestion was the Chart House at Chartres and Bienville.  Good locals’ feel to it.  They had High Life on draft for $1.50.  When I came back the second night, they’d run out of High Life, but Bud Light cans for $1.75 weren’t a bad value either.  (John D:  “Whaaaaa?  $1.75 Bud Light?  Paul, I’m booking a trip to New Orleans!”)

Lil’ Kim told me I had to eat a Lucky Dog.  They have stands on nearly every corner on Bourbon, selling large hot dogs covered with chili and cheese.  One of these is just what you need after a couple of hand grenades.

Another Lil’ Kim suggestion was Beer Fest, two bars on Bourbon that have nearly as many beers on tap as the Flying Saucer.  They weren’t nearly as crowded as the Saucer, though, which makes me realize what a big part of the Saucer’s appeal the girls are.  Bartender was super friendly though, and gave me samples of several local and regional beers.

One suggestion I got over and over again that I didn’t get a chance to try was ACME Oyster House.  I wanted to, but there was a line out the door every time I went by.  I’m not a fan of waiting in lines, so I skipped it.

I skipped Cafe Dumonde for the same reason.  I walked by as I headed to Coop’s Place, but the cafe was super packed and I didn’t feel like dealing with it.  People told me I had to try authentic New Orleans beignets, but I’ve actually already had them:  Before Crepe Maker moved into its current location in Downtown Memphis, that spot was a cafe that sold beignets, po’boys and muffalettas, run by a chef who had come from New Orleans.

Nor did I get to the bars and restaurants in other parts of town that people suggested.  I had the car with me, but with only four days in town and a significant portion of those devoted to work, I wanted to concentrate on the places I could get to quickly.

One other note:  The mini-marts on Canal Street are a rip-off!  As I returned from my lunch break on Wednesday, I bought a 20 ounce Mountain Dew to caffeinate myself for the afternoon board meeting.  With tax, it was $2.45!

Thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions where to go – I really appreciate them, and they made my first time in New Orleans memorable.

A friend of mine asked me to post about this new and very worthy cause.  As noted in an earlier post, I’m still drunk from last night, so I’m just going to copy and paste.

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I am writing to let you know about a foundation that my wife and I have set up this year and to invite you to our launch (see attached). The launch party will be hosted by The MED Foundation’s Young Leadership Council for our Small Beginnings Fund, on this coming Tuesday July 27 on The Madison Hotel’s rooftop, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. The event includes a Jazz band, light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. The Madison and others have generously donated the room, food and band. Tickets are $10 and available at the door with all proceeds going to Small Beginnings.

What is ‘Small Beginnings’?

Sometime ago my wife Georgia and I read, independently, an article describing the great problem of prematurity and infant mortality in Memphis. We both felt a great need to do something to help the teenagers, young adults and families with premature infants that are among the poorest in Memphis. The causes of prematurity and infant mortality are complex and honestly overwhelming! Over the last few months we have been able to meet and talk with the medical, social work and administrative staff at The Med Newborn Center who have helped us to understand more about the great need there is in this city to care for and support the most at risk pregnancies. We are writing to invite you to the official launch of Small Beginnings that will take place on the 27th of July in Memphis (see the attached). The focus of the foundation is very practical support.

Small Beginnings is a new initiative within The Med Foundation (the formal charitable arm of The MED hospital) that is focused on supporting the babies and families cared for by the Newborn Center at The Med. Our goal is to support the families affected by prematurity in close collaboration with the professionals at The Med. Together we have developed the following two main programs.

(a) The Best start in life program: This program provides essential infant necessities, including clothing, diapers and bottles for at risk babies that are ready to go home, but lack the basic resources for a healthy start in life. This program also provides assistance to mothers of babies in the Newborn Center to cover the cost of transport to and from the hospital and for basic needs while their babies are inpatients. This program is also seeking to develop comprehensive pre-natal and post-natal care for the most at risk pregnancies.

(b) The Garden of Angels program: Despite the best efforts of the staff in the New Born Center, a number of premature infants die at a very early age. The families of these babies often lack the means to provide a dignified burial for their child. At present these children are buried ‘en masse’ by a backhoe loader in large unmarked graves without a funeral or memorial. In collaboration with the Memphis Funeral Home and the Memphis Memorial Gardens we have established a Garden of Angels that will support the funeral costs and provide a specific ‘set aside’ garden where these children can be buried.

Why Small Beginnings?
Prematurity is a one of the greatest threats to child health in the Memphis area. A 2002 federal report placed Memphis at the top of the list for infant deaths in American cities: 692 dead babies over a four-year span, a rate of more than 15 deaths for every 1,000 births, more than twice the U.S. average. Premature birth and low birth weight are by far the biggest causes of infant death in Memphis. In 2002 they accounted for about a quarter of infant deaths in Shelby County; in 2006 the figure was more than 31%. In 2006 Shelby County lost 209 babies according to state Health Department data. No other Tennessee County lost more than 93. While the problem seems overwhelming, Small Beginnings is working hard to support all children and families affected by prematurity by providing the medical, nursing and social work staff of the Newborn Center with the critical tools necessary to provide the best care possible for premature babies and their families.

The Small Beginnings team.

Founders
Richard and Georgia Gilbertson moved with their three children from England to Memphis where Richard works as a research pediatrician at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Touched by the plight of premature babies in the Memphis area they founded Small Beginnings in 2010 in close collaboration with the staff of the Newborn Center and leaders in The Med Foundation.

NICU Staff
Dr. Ramasubbareddy Dhanireddy is the Sheldon B. Korones Professor and Chief of Neonatology at the Newborn Center in the Med.
Linda DeBaer is coordinator of perinatal social services at The Med Newborn Center.

The Med Foundation
Tammie Ritchey is the Executive Director of The Med Foundation.
Patrick Hendricks is the Project Specialist with The Med Foundation assigned specifically to work with on the Small Beginnings project.

The official launch!
Small Beginnings will be launched officially at a reception at the Madison Hotel downtown on the evening of July 27th. The Hotel is generously providing the room and food for the event that is being coordinated jointly by the Med Foundation, Young Citizens of Memphis and Small Beginnings. There will be a modest fundraising entrance ticket cost of ~$10 (proceeds going directly to Small Beginnings). We will send more details out soon. We would love for you to join us to learn more about this exciting venture!

Cheers! and we hope you can come!

Legendary group The Bar-Kays will be traveling overseas to perform for our troops in Iraq and Kuwait.  Monday night, July 26, there will be a celebration in their honor at Ground Zero from 6 to 9 PM.  Everyone is invited to come out to send them off in style, and to show your support for the Bar-Kays and for our troops.

Normally I don’t blog about work, because I prefer to keep my professional life and personal life separate.  However, I’m going to make an exception and blog about the reason I was in New Orleans last week.

Three times a year my company holds national bridge tournaments in different cities across North America.  The tournaments run from Thursday of the first week to Sunday of the second week, and people come from around the world to attend them.  The most recent one ran 12,000 tables in 11 days.  The Monday-Wednesday before the tournament starts, the board of directors meets.

So I got down there Monday night of board meeting week.  Tuesday I attended committee meetings, one on Internet bridge – meaning, the sanctioning of websites that function as online bridge clubs.  I didn’t do anything in this one, just sat and listened.  In the afternoon I attended a technology committee meeting, where I served as the technological expert of the company’s marketing department.

Wednesday I attended a meeting of the full 25-member board.  Again, I didn’t have to do or say anything, just sat and watched as they introduced and discussed motions and received committee reports.  It was interesting to listen to them conduct their business.  Well, for a while it was.  By mid-afternoon I was bored out of my mind and playing with my iPhone.  Our senior director felt my pain and told me, “Why don’t you take the rest of the day off.”  I was very appreciative of that.

Wednesday night I attended a dinner to honor the New Orleans volunteers who helped us put the tournament together.  It was at Pat O’Brien’s on the River.  I ended up at a table with my manager who is the marketing director, a couple of board members, and some volunteers.  I wasn’t expecting much, but it turned out to be a lot of fun.  Food was delicious.  There was an open bar and people were not shy about hitting it.  There were speeches recognizing the locals and lots of applause.  Everyone laughed and cheered and had a good time.

Thursday I was assigned to work with one of our tournament directors.  As games start and end, she gathers up the results, puts them in proper format, and uploads them to our website.  As webmaster, it was useful to see the process she went through, so I could think about enhancements to make her job easier.  It also helped me understand that it takes some time to get results rounded up and posted when it’s an extremely large tournament like the ones we run.

I also got to see the offices the company had rented to run the tournament.  There were desks for all the managers.  There were tons of scorecards and other bridge supplies everywhere.  There were radios, and I heard the tournament directors discussing how to set up the conference rooms over the radio, in order to maximize space while still giving our players as much comfort as possible.  Very fascinating to watch the tournament come together.

The main thing I learned work-wise during my trip:  Bridge players are really nice people. Quirky, yes, and they will admit that themselves.  But everyone was just extremely nice and could not have treated me better.  The board members especially.  It was also fun to hang out with my co-workers in a setting other than the office.  I certainly don’t think I would have had this much fun on a business trip, had I been working for a typical for-profit corporation.

One more NOLA post to come, and it’s the best post of all:  Food and drink.

Hi there.  It’s Sunday at 11 AM and I’m still drunk from last night.  Started the day at the Saucer about 4 yesterday, then went with my friend Lee to Kooky Canuck to eat.  Magan was working.  The hot one.  The other one was there too, but who cares about her.  Anyway, I had the corn brats, which were excellent as usual.  While there, I came up with a brilliant idea.  Lee should run a clothesline out his window.  Then, when his dogs need to go out, he could just clothespin them to the line and move the line so they’re out the window and can pee and poop from the second floor.  They’d probably be so scared that they’d get it done quickly.  Then he could pull them back in, and he’d never have to go outside himself.  I should get a $5,000/week consulting fee for coming up with brilliant ideas like this.

So anyway, we got done eating, and I decided to go back to the Saucer for another beer.  I managed to convince Lee that he needed to have another beer too.  While there, I ran into the elusive and mysterious Kimmy Kim.  Due to staffing at the Saucer, the E&M KK was not the shortest person in the building for the first time ever.  I ended up going to Bardog and then Paula & Raiford’s with the elusive and mysterious Kimmy Kim.  Man… Paula & Raiford’s was the place to be last night.  The entire club was packed and people were dancing their ass off.  I got pics of the elusive & mysterious Kimmy Kim, and I could post them, and I probably should, but I can’t… it’s like posting pics of Mr. Wrestling II without his mask on.  You just don’t do it.

Anyway, you people better be glad I have posts saved in Drafts, so you have something better to read today than this crap.  It’s 11:30 now.  Saucer opens in a half hour and Sunday Fun Day will begin.

Today is Social Saturday at South of Beale.  Buy a beer for a stranger, and get one free for yourself when you show your MarksMenus phone app.  Pretty neat and inventive promotion.  I may have to swing by and check it out.

If you’re looking for something to do tonight, SNOZberry performs at the Flying Saucer at 9:30.  $3 cover, free if you’re a UFO member.  They’re one of my favorite bands that play Downtown – check their website to learn more about them and view a sample song list.

Other Saturday night options:

It’s WKNO Night at the Redbirds.  There will be a preview of “The 10th Inning,” documentary film by Ken Burns.  Game was scheduled to start at 6:05, but due to yesterday’s power outage, they’re playing a doubleheader today, which I believe starts at 4 PM for two seven-inning games.  Not sure if they’ll show the film between games or after the second one.

WEVL’s Blues on the Bluff is today. This is WEVL’s annual fundraiser with The Bo-Keys, Last Chance Jug Band and the Eric Deaton Trio with Kent Kimbrough. It’s from 6-11 PM at the Metal Museum and you can bring blankets and lawn chairs.

Hope Clayburn’s Soul Scrimmage plays the Center for Southern Folklore tonight from 9-11 PM.

The Stunning Cunning Band plays the Tap Room tonight. I can’t recall hearing them but I’ve heard good things about them from my friends who are Tap Room regulars.

Those would be my recommendations, but you can find lots more to do on the DowntownMemphis.com events page.

Story here. Wow, guess we better not invite these guys to play outdoors on Beale Street.

(Edited to add: The pigeon has its own Twitter account at @KOLPigeon.)

Not even the loss of power could stop the beer dinner at the Flying Saucer last night.  They had the food warm and the ice cream cold, and everything was delicious.  Here are some pics.

Another excellent dinner.  Thanks to Schlafly and to the folks at the Saucer for making it happen.  Fun night with friends, and the perfect thing to do my first night back in town.