Year: 2011

Yesterday I was walking around Cooper-Young Fest with some friends, and we happened to see this sign in an artist’s booth:

Not the same John D as our friend who has a breakfast named after him at the Majestic, but we still thought it was funny.

Later in the day we ran into the man himself.

Hey, now!

This was the first Cooper-Young Fest in nearly 20 years that I’ve hung out with a group of friends the entire day, rather than wandering around from one group to another all afternoon. One of my friends commented, “Probably the most fun Cooper-Young Festival ever,” and I’d tend to agree. Perfect weather, fantastic art for sale, great food (I had to have my Athenian gyro or the festival wouldn’t be complete). Good to have my friends at the festival the entire day – that usually doesn’t happen.

I got to try two new bars yesterday: Sweet Grass Next Door and Slider Inn. I was really impressed with Sweet Grass Next Door. TVs all over the place with all the games on. I enjoyed a $2 PBR tallboy while watching Vandy kick Ole Miss’s ass. I didn’t get a chance to try the food but it looked outstanding.

As for Slider Inn, given that Aldo owns it, I knew it would be good. After the festival, we sat on a large bench on the patio and continued our drink-a-thon. I had the mushroom swiss silders which were delicious.

One of the others in our group got the Double Deuce, massive double-decker sliders.

Although we sat outside, I went inside to check out the interior. Small but comfortable. It reminded me of a bar that I went to last year on my trip to Savannah, a little bar called Pinkie Master’s which was described to me as “the ultimate dive bar.” I was told it was where the locals drink. Many celebrities and dignitaries including Jimmy Carter have been in the place. I went in there wearing one of my club shirts that I got from Shelton Clothiers, which was way too much. When I walked in, I could feel several of the regulars looking at me and thinking “who told this tourist douchebag to come here?” But I sat at the bar, watched TV, chatted with the bartender, and eventually the regulars must have figured out, “oh okay, this guy gets how to hang out in bars” and by the time I left I must have met half the people in the place, which meant I met about 15 people (small bar). Anyway, I see similar “ultimate dive bar” potential in Slider Inn.

Only downside was Brooke wasn’t working. She had the day off. I miss sitting at her bar.

As we were chatting, we commented, “We need to take a road trip to Midtown one Saturday to do some day drinking.” (Yes, Downtowners consider Midtown a road trip.) We could hit up Slider Inn, Sweet Grass Next Door, Celtic Crossing, the Deli and wherever else we feel like going. One of our group is a student and he takes the #2 bus from the Downtown core to Cooper-Young all the time. He said it’s on time and dependable, which is good to hear. If no one wants to be DD we could take it down there.

A fun fall Saturday. Congrats to the Hogs on beating Troy. Time for Sunday Fun Day!

Don’t forget to chant this every time Austin Peay scores on us:

FIRE R.C.!
FIRE R.C.!
FIRE R.C.!
FIRE R.C.!

Facebook, in an effort to be more like Google+, has upgraded their friend lists. Now you have more control over who sees which status updates, links and posts that you put on the site.

That’s nice and all, but you know who really needs friend lists? Foursquare. The fact that all your Foursquare friends can see all your checkins (unless you check in off the grid, and then what’s the point?) can lead to problems. Let’s look at a few examples where friend lists would be useful:

1) Friends who live in South Main invite me to a cookout on the parking lot of their South Main condo. When I check in, I’d want my “Close Friends” list to see it. However, out of respect to my hosts, I might not publish the checkin to my “Acquaintances” list, to prevent people from thinking it’s a public party and showing up.

2) If you go out and meet your buddies on a Saturday afternoon at the bar for a few beers, you might choose to publish that checkin to the “Close Friends” and “Acquaintances” list, but not to the “Wife” or “Girlfriend” list.

3) Suppose you and your friends plan a long weekend in New Orleans, but you don’t have any vacation time left. So you call in sick on Friday. When you get down there and check in at a bar on Bourbon at 3 PM, you could publish it to your “Close Friends” and “Acquaintances” lists, but you’d sure want to hide it from your “Co-Workers” list.

4) When someone you know friends you on Foursquare, it can put you in a difficult spot. You don’t want to hurt their feelings by refusing their request, but if you accept it, then that person knows where you are. That’s not a good thing, if you don’t want them showing up wherever you happen to be. Lists would eliminate that problem. I could check in at the Saucer, and my “Close Friends” and “Acquaintances” lists would know I’m there if they want to meet up. However, I could hide it from my “Guy Who Follows Us Around” list.

5) A female in a relationship gone bad, knowing the guy would flip out if she went as far as to de-friend him, could create a “Stalker” list and not publish checkins to it.

I hope friend lists are in the works at Foursquare. They’d add value to the service, just as friend lists and circles have added value to Facebook and Google+.

Not enough news to merit a “Friday update” post today. I was going to post a link to a hilarious Wikipedia entry about R.C. Johnson, but someone went in and changed it. The only other thing I have is that I discovered an additional bar that has the NFL all-games package: The Russwood Park Grill, inside the Holiday Inn on Union. Probably not as much fun to watch games there as Max’s Sports Bar, but if you’re in the core and looking for something close, it’s an option.

Going to take it easy tonight to rest up for Cooper-Young Fest. If anyone wants to split a cab out there from the Downtown core about 11 tomorrow morning, hit me up.

Sixteen mini-parks will appear tomorrow on Peabody Place, in spaces usually reserved for metered parking. The parks will be open to the public from 11 AM to 6 PM, and will have various themes such as a desert oasis with belly dancing, a mini-bike trail, and a human library. The CA has the entire list of all the parks. This is a celebration of International Park(ing) Day.

The Flyer’s Hungry Memphis blog has some photos of the yummy food on South of Beale’s new lunch menu. Dammit, one more great Downtown lunch spot that I’ll rarely get to enjoy because I work in Horn Lake. Even a hardcore carnivore like myself has to admit that their hummus plate looks really tasty.

Okay, this is simply awesome. If you’re concerned about the University of Memphis football program, take a minute and 25 seconds to listen to this audio clip. This is the caller who called in immediately after athletic director R.C. Johnson had been an on-air guest on the Chris Vernon show. R.C. had been saying that people were overreacting to the loss of two football games. The caller said that R.C. did not deserve to be fired for losing two games. However, he deserves to be fired for firing Larry Finch in front of a hot dog stand, hiring Tic Price, allowing Calipari’s NCAA violations to go unreported, allowing Cal to take his recruiting class with him when he took the job at Kentucky, allowing a number of bad contracts and buyouts, not capitalizing on the success of the football team 2003-05, not even coming close to getting a BCS conference invitation, and not quickly addressing the problems Tommy West had recruiting after 2005. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes. The caller accused R.C. of “coasting until the end” and that is exactly what he is doing.

The Peabody’s new promotions in the Corner Bar continue today. On Thursdays, from 5 to 7 they will sell “Duck Flights of Jack” for $20. The flights will include shots of Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7, Gentleman Jack, and “Peabody Select” Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel. There will also be an appetizer bar with Jack Daniels flavored apps, and music from Memphis Music Foundation artists.

Plans for tonight: With the weather cooled off, I think I’m going to skip Thursday night poker at Max’s Sports Bar and hit the Main Street Block Party instead. Weather would be near perfect, if the wind would die down a bit.

Silly Goose costume party. I spent $1.39 on this costume. I had everything I needed except Elmer’s glue.

And the news just keeps rolling in… for the second day in a row, an after-work news update is necessary.

I have more information about The Brass Door’s alley party, to be held Saturday, September 24. The event will last from 3 PM until midnight, and will feature entertainment by Myla Smith, Jeremy Stovall, Candy Company, Walrus and Big Betsy. There will be a $5 cover.

The Downtown Memphis Commission (formerly CCC) is looking for a new Public Safety Director. This person will continue the work Larry Bloom has done for the past 4 years, supervising the Downtown Safety Patrol and working with various organizations, businesses and the police. The most notable qualification for this position is 5 years experience working for a full-service law enforcement agency.

With Larry departing in a few weeks, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank him for all the hard work he has done. Downtown is much safer than it was in 2007, and furthermore the perception of Downtown as safe (which hasn’t always matched reality) has much improved too. We will be very lucky if we can find a replacement as skilled as he is.

AutoZone Park has announced a free watch party for the second game of the World Series on October 20. The game will be shown indoors on the big screen at the Club Level. Activities available will be batting practice in the indoor cages, self-guided tours of the clubhouse and dugout, and (weather permitting) inflatables for the kids. There will be a buffet available: $7 advance purchase, $10 day of. Budweiser beer and Barefoot wine will be on sale at a cash bar. Call 901-722-0299 to reserve your place and get the advance price on the buffet.

In addition, if you renew your season tickets before the start of the party, you’ll receive a free buffet and one drink ticket for each season ticket renewed. You can call the same number as above to get this deal. Is there any minor league team that treats its ticket holders better than the Redbirds? Not to my knowledge.

New website Join the Revulsion invites you to join the protest against the University of Memphis’ incompetent athletic director R.C. Johnson. Keep up with all the latest “Fire R.C.” news there. They’re also on Twitter at @TheRevulsion.

Even The King has joined the protest against Johnson. CBSCollegeSports.com reports that WWE superstar and commentator Jerry Lawler emailed CA writer Geoff Calkins, commending him on his call for the A.D.’s resignation, and for head coach Porter’s as well. You know, since wrestling has come into this discussion, I’ll make this analogy: R.C. Johnson runs the UM athletic department about as well as WCW was run in 1999-2000.

I’m almost tempted to root for Austin Peay this Saturday. If they beat the Tigers this weekend, this thing will surely reach a tipping point and R.C. will be gone. I suppose it’s not really fair to the Memphis football players, though, to cheer for them to lose. Go Tigers and Fire R.C.

On my way to the superhero party at Silly Goose. Homemade costume on. Hopefully there will be pics.

(I have updated this morning’s post with updated info about the bottomless mimosa. Scroll down to view.)

Want to check out some art while helping fellow Memphians get a hand up in life? Check out the Art for Advance party at 769 Vance this Thursday from 5 to 8 PM. More than a dozen artists will have their work on display, and food will be provided by The Brass Door. All proceeds from the event go to Advance Memphis, a nonprofit which trains adults with soft job skills and education to be economically self-sufficient. They’re asking people who plan to attend to RSVP, either on their Facebook event page or by emailing kate@advancememphis.org.

Downtown Groupon Alert! Today’s Groupon deal is $7 for $15 worth of food at Cockadoos. Remember, they open at midnight Friday and Saturday and stay open until 3 PM the next day. Great place to go after a night at the bars and clubs. Weekdays they’re open for breakfast and lunch.

Attention Arkansas Razorbacks fans: I got a text last night informing me that Max was on the phone with Comcast, making sure Max’s Sports Bar would have the Arkansas-Troy game Saturday. Kickoff is 6:30 PM. It’s time to CALL THOSE HOGS!!! Troy is one of those Sun Belt teams that get a lot of TV dollars every year losing to the SEC in the preseason. They’d probably beat Memphis 77-3. Then R.C. Johnson would hold a press conference, saying he still holds out hope that one day Memphis will make it to 6-6 and get invited to a shitty December 18 bowl that no one watches. Because, you know, he doesn’t expect blind faith, but he still hopes for your continued support.

Amy LaVere and John Paul Keith and the 145s will play Earnestine & Hazel’s on Friday, September 30. It will be a musical celebration of Mayor A.C. Wharton. $10 donation at the door is suggested. Music starts at 6 PM sharp and the party will last until 9.

One of the widgets on my Google home page is a How-To of the Day. Today there was a good article on How to Be Less Clingy. Some of the WikiHow articles kind of suck, but this is one of the most well-written and relevant ones I’ve seen.

Stuff going on tonight: Journey, Foreigner and Night Ranger play the FedExForum. $1.50 house wine in the Peabody Corner Bar from 5 to 7. Superhero Costume Party at the Silly Goose at 9. Poker in Bardog’s Underdog Room at 7:30. Bikes on Beale. Lots to do, so take your pick.

Time for a quick Target run to get supplies for my superhero costume.

(Edit: I have updated info about this from a server who works there. $15, noon-3 PM Sunday.)

Last night I played trivia at the Silly Goose. Between rounds, Charles announces all the Goose’s daily promotions, and they’ve added a new one. $15 bottomless mimosas on Sunday. Wow. I hope they realize how popular that will be, and how much Downtowners like mimosas.

I wasn’t going to play trivia, but I got a couple of last-minute texts that people were going and headed over there. Although we had a small team, we managed to score first place.

Back at lunch with more news.

I want to apologize my readers for something I’ve said incorrectly on this blog and on Facebook and Twitter. In the past, I’ve said that University of Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson has tolerated mediocrity from the school’s football program for far too long.

That statement is inaccurate. Mediocrity would be a huge improvement over what we’re seeing from the U of M. The truth is, R.C. Johnson has tolerated incompetence from the football program for far too long.

This weekend we play Austin Peay, who lost to Cincinnati 72-10 in their season opener. People are calling it the Super Bowl to see who is the worst team in Division 1.

I have a suggestion for Tigers fans who attend Saturday’s game, and every game for the rest of the season. Every time an opposing team scores vs. Memphis, start chanting the following:

FIRE R.C.!
FIRE R.C.!
FIRE R.C.!
FIRE R.C.!

If the entire stadium starts chanting it repeatedly, maybe the boosters will finally get the hint and tell Shirley Raines to get rid of Johnson. Chris Vernon made this point on his radio show Monday and he’s exactly right – The public can hate R.C. all they want, but as long as the people with the money are content, he’ll continue to have a job.

There’s a Fire R.C. petition you can sign online too, but I think the chants at the games will do more good.

Saying we can turn the corner and get to a bowl game is not my idea of vision. You only have to go 6-6 to be invited to a bowl. I want nothing less than the success the basketball team has enjoyed the last 5 years.

Fire R.C.!

Cool… I have my Comcast Internet fully restored, and a new, faster wireless router. Let’s get to the second news post of the day.

There’s a new festival coming to Downtown, according to the @DowntownMemphis Twitter account. The “Pinch and Punch” festival will be in the Pinch District, and will be an Irish festival featuring music, fun, food and plenty of punch. I’ll post more details as I get them. Given that it’s an Irish festival, T.J. Mulligan’s is likely involved.

The Peabody’s new promotions in the Corner Bar continue tomorrow from 5 to 7 PM. “Wine About Wednesdays” will feature $1.50 house wines and a selection of cheeses. Buck fifty glasses of house wines??? Are you kidding me? That’s the best wine deal I’ve seen since I bought a bottle of Two-Buck Chuck at Trader Joe’s in San Diego 11 years ago. Also, free cheese? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

The Third Thursday party happens on the block of South Main between Gayoso and Peabody Place this Thursday, September 15. Live music by Deborah Swiney, Blind Mississippi Morris and Shufflegrit. Shops and restaurants in the area will have retail and food specials. Now that the weather has cooled off a bit, I bet attendance picks up at this month’s block party.

There will be entertainment on the grounds of the Metal Museum Sunday, September 18. The Delta Collective will perform from 2-5 PM. There will be family activities, blacksmith demos, and a new exhibition, Master Metalsmith: Fred Fenster. Admission is $6 adults, $5 seniors and $4 students, and includes admission to the museum. No pets or coolers, but blankets and chairs are welcome. SallyAnn’s Ice Cream Diner and Eenie Weenie’s Hot Dogs will be on hand to sell food and drink.

That’s the news for now, but I’ve got one more post to put up. Stay tuned.