Month: December 2010

Whew… my iPhone is back and 90% of the critical stuff on it I need – apps, friends’ numbers – has been restored. A couple of things I learned from this experience:

1) Sync your contacts. If you don’t back them up to iTunes, several friends told me that Google Sync is a good tool to use. I set up Google Sync on my phone yesterday, so I won’t have to send out “send me your number again” e-mails if anything happens to the phone in the future.

2) If you have to go in to the Apple Store for technical help, you need a reservation at the Genius Bar. I had no idea, and only because I mentioned it on Facebook did my friend Shannan advise me to get one. “They turned me away without one,” she told me. So I got on the Saddle Creek Apple Store’s page and went to “Make a Reservation” in the upper right corner. I got on there about 9:45 and got a reservation for 12:15. Thanks Shannan – thanks to you I have a working phone this weekend.

When I got to the Apple Store, I thought I was going to HATE it – so many people in there. But they met me right at the front door, and when I told them I had a reservation, they used an iPad to check me in. They then told me to go to the Genius Bar – I didn’t have to stand in line or anything, just hang around, and sure enough by 12:15 they found me.

All the Geniuses go to Cupertino for training, and know pretty much everything about the Mac, iPhone, iPod, and iPad. They were good too. By 12:28 I had a working phone, even though I lost my data (which is my own fault for not backing it up, not theirs). The Geniuses were easy to spot with their red Apple T-shirts and jeans on. Good dress code. I heard one of them say, “May I have permission to blow your mind?” to someone test-driving an iPad. Really enjoyed my Apple Store experience.

Caught a quick lunch at Zaxby’s on the way back, and re-installed the most critical apps as I ate. It’s not a big deal to lose my friends’ numbers, because I can get those again. But not being able to check into Foursquare is a tragedy indeed. I have the Saucer mayorship to defend. I don’t think anyone’s close to catching up to me, but just want to be sure.

Another tragedy is not being able to record the beers I drink on Beerby. I would’ve earned the “Regular” badger last night if I’d had my phone to track the beers I had Thursday. I’ll get it today, I suppose.

There were a couple of silver linings to the data loss. They put iOS 4.2.1 on my phone. I’d been terribly lazy about upgrading and was still on iOS 3.whatever. Also, it cleaned all the apps I never use off my phone. Now I’ve got the apps I use the most – Foursquare, Facebook, Twitter, Beerby, Kindle, WordPress, Shazam, Evernote, MarksMenus, and Dropbox – all on one page.

Oh – reminds me of another thing I learned. I had been keeping key pieces of data that I need once in a while – my mother’s mailing address and the Saucer’s Wi-Fi password, for example – in my Notes app on the iPhone. I should have been keeping them on Evernote instead, where they’re backed up and accessible from any computer. They need to be in the cloud! The cloud! The cloud! So sick of hearing about the cloud but in this case it would have come in handy.

So, that’s the story of getting my iPhone back online. Maybe what I learned will help other iPhone owners.

I got a word of thanks from one of my neighbors yesterday. Back in October I posted an article about 40 government and non-profit board positions that were open. My neighbor applied, and has been nominated for one of the boards by Mayor Luttrell. Congratulations, and glad my blog helped!

Off to a bad start this Saturday… played a Level 2 freeroll with $2000 in prize money on PokerStars this morning. About 20 hands in I was looking at Q-Q at 15/30. I put in a standard raise to 90, and someone re-raised me to 240. Against a conservative player I’d have just called and seen a flop, but this guy had already demonstrated very loose standards. So I went all-in, he called, and showed 9-9, making me a 4-to-1 favorite in the hand! Flop and turn cards were blanks, and then came the river… a 9! Argggggh. That’s poker, though.

Hmmm… if it wasn’t raining I’d head down to the Memphis Farmers Market Harvest Celebration, at the pavilion next to Central Station from 10 AM to 3 PM. I’ll keep an eye on MemphisWeather.net’s StormView Radar. Looks like it may be outta here in another hour or so. Just enough time to find another poker tournament.

If I had your number before, and you want me to have it again, either e-mail the number to paul@paulryburn.com or shoot me a text with your name in it.

Will write more later. Time for a meeting.

If you need to reach me, E-mail or Facebook me. Apologies for any calls or texts after about 7:30 last night that to which I didn’t respond.

Will try to get it fixed today at lunch. Probably no lunchtime post.

There was an article in the Commercial Appeal today about South Main being the most likely area for Artspace, a project that has been successful in other cities but has not yet made its way to Memphis. The goal of Artspace is to provide live/work spaces for artists in the community at affordable rents. With several galleries and Memphis College of Art already in South Main, the area would be perfect for this kind of development. Check out the article for more info about Artspace.

Shelton Clothiers has announced that they and Christine’s by Shelton Clothiers will be open both Saturday (10-6) and Sunday (1-5) this weekend. (Normally they’re not open on Sunday). If you come by either day, they’ll have Bloody Marys and mimosas for you, and Sunday they’ll be serving a light brunch. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up. They’ll have storewide specials and free gift wrap, so come on by and support a local business for your holiday shopping.

If you can’t make it, this weekend, call them with your shopping list and they’ll deliver. Number is 901-522-9995 for Shelton, 901-791-2192 for Christine’s.

If you have kids, the Redbirds have a good deal. Kids can join Rockey’s Kids Club for $10. That gets them bluff seating to 11 Sunday games for the 2011 season, a T-shirt, 5 Boardwalk tokens, and fun activities at each game. The club also gets to lead the Sunday post-game running of the bases. Some of the fun Sunday activities include an Easter egg hunt, free Popsicle day, and the chance to high-five the Redbirds players while running the bases. Click this link to sign up for Rockey’s club.

Wow I’ve posted a lot of stuff for kids lately… when did this turn into a family-friendly blog? Not sure I like that. Time to start drunk posting again I guess.

The Hungry Memphis blog posted this pic of brisket pizza at Frank’s Deli on South Main. $1.50 for that slice? That’s worth a walk down there, even in the cold.

YoLo out in East Memphis is donating 10% of its proceeds today to MIFA. If you’ve never tried YoLo before, this would be an excellent day to do it!

If you want a list of must-do Memphis venues and events composed by locals, there’s a #MemphisBucketList thread on Twitter right now.

Plans for tonight… hmmm really not sure. It’s a little cold to walk or trolley to poker at Max’s Sports Bar, and poker at Bar None doesn’t start until next week. Probably I’ll just hit the Saucer as usual to start, then go from there.

I saw a very interesting post by Bar None, the new chef’s pub in the former Downtown Circa location, this afternoon. Here’s what it said, with the most interesting part (to me, anyway), highlighted for emphasis.

“Happy hour from 4-7! Check our our terrific menu, too! $4 well drinks, $1 off all beers and $5 house wine.. Poker night in private room on Thursdays. See you there. More to come! Stay tuned!”

Poker night? Hmmmm really… I will definitely be checking that out in the near future. Not sure if it will become my regular Thursday stop, because I’m a big fan of the poker night at Max’s Sports Bar on Thursdays. I’ll give Bar None a chance though. It’s significantly closer to both home and to my other home (the Saucer), a good thing when the temperatures are too cold to be conducive for long walks.

It begins next Thursday… not tomorrow night, or tonight, depending on when you read this… but next week.

Damn. I just realized, that means the 30th is the earliest I’ll play poker at Bar None. May be some easy money for those who go on the 16th, because it’s new and because I have previous plans.

Home from the Saucer and Bardog on a cold Wednesday. Good night all.

Last night I walked in the Saucer and Lil’ Kim (pictured at left) was standing at the door. She stuck her arm out and blocked my entrance. “What’s the password?” she said.

Lil’ Kim and I had recently had a football rivalry. She’s an LSU fan; I’m an Arkansas fan. The Hogs defeated LSU in the final game of the regular season, propelling the Razorbacks into a BCS bowl – the Sugar Bowl vs. Ohio State.

So, in response to her password request, I said, “Go Hogs.”

“No. That’s incorrect,” Lil’ Kim said.

“Wooooo pig sooooieeeeee?” I tried again.

“No,” said Lil’ Kim, and she continued to hold her arm up.

I just walked past her, because by that point I’d been in the Saucer 56 seconds and didn’t have a beer yet. “You know what the password was?” said Lil’ Kim, “Meghan’s a douche.”

She said it, I didn’t. Whose side is Lil’ Kim on?

Sorry for those of you who didn’t get this inside joke. Informative content will be back tomorrow.

Unless I’m still drunk tomorrow. Then, Friday.

The Memphis Farmers Market normally runs at the Central Station Pavilion from April until October, but this Saturday, December 11, they’re back for one week only for “Harvesting the Holidays.” Over 40 vendors will be at the pavilion offering holiday gift ideas. Items for sale will include baked goods, seasonal produce and locally produced stocking stuffers. There will be hot cocoa and sweet treats.

Good news for those of us who wanted to support the market but couldn’t bear to get up at the ungodly hour of 7 AM for its opening… this week it opens at 10 AM, much more reasonable. It will be open until 3 in the afternoon. At 11 there will be a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of the pavilion and the market.

Bring the kids in the afternoon, because they can get their photo taken with Santa from 1 to 3.

That evening at the Trolley Stop Market at 704 Madison, there will be a concert to benefit the Farmers Market. $10 donation goes to MFM. Star & Micey will perform, and there will be dinner and drink specials all evening. 7:30 to 11 PM.

If you’re looking for a way to give to the less fortunate this holiday season, I have an idea for you.

The Hospitality Hub, located on Jefferson between Second and Third next to China restaurant, was established by the Downtown Churches Association to help the homeless navigate through the network of services offered throughout the city. They open three days a week and the homeless are invited in for coffee and conversation. Once inside, they can gain access to job training and placement, free vouchers to sleep at the Union Mission, and help for mental and addiction issues. The Hub also helps them get copies of birth certificates and other documentation they need to be able to work.

The CCC sent out an e-mail yesterday afternoon asking everyone to support the Hub. The e-mail didn’t say it, but I know the Hub has been in tough financial straits recently. The services it offers are too valuable to those who need it. No donation is too small, and this is a MUCH MUCH MUCH better use of your money than giving it to a panhandler on the street, who probably isn’t homeless and will use your money for alcohol and drugs.

You can visit the Hub’s giving page to donate to their PayPal account

or send your check to:
Hospitality HUB
146 Jefferson Avenue
Memphis, TN 38103

Any amount at all helps, but just to give you an idea, $35 pays for eight shelter vouchers. $50 pays for two job program participants to have work shoes. $75 pays for 50 MATA bus passes so participants can get to their jobs. $100 pays for eleven people to get the Tennessee state IDs they need to be legally hired.

Please consider supporting this most valuable program. Thank you.

If you had to guess what the Nuh-Uh Girl’s favorite ’80s video game was, what would you guess?

Yeah. You got it.

This weekend is a family-friendly one Downtown, because the circus is coming! The FedExForum is full of lions and elephants as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus makes a stop for the weekend. There will be five shows – 7 PM Thursday, 7 PM Friday, 1 PM and 5 PM Saturday, and 2 PM Sunday. It’s the circus’ Illuscination (Gold) tour, which you can read more about here.

You can buy tickets on their website.

A bonus tip if you attend the Friday, December 10 show: Stop by the Doubletree Hotel at Third and Union beforehand for Cookies and Milk with Santa. He’ll be there from 3 to 7 to benefit Porter-Leath. Santa will have candy canes and chocolate chip cookies, and for a $5 suggested donation to Porter-Leath, you can have your child’s photo taken with Santa.

Where to eat before or after the show? Three of the family-friendliest restaurants Downtown are nearby on Second. Kooky Canuck has huge ice cream sundaes, skillet cookies, and s’mores you make at the table. Flying Fish has all kinds of fun photos and fish on the wall, and is a neat place to take kids. Then, of course, there’s Huey’s, with great burgers and toothpicks to blow at the ceiling. Can’t go wrong with any of these.