Year: 2011

Memphis in May just tweeted that the $49 Music Fest 3-day passes, which went on sale at 10 AM, are already sold out. They’ve now moved on to “Tier 2” passes for $59. Get them here before they sell out of tier 2, at which time it will cost $69 to tromp in the mud.

Breakfast time! At Bardog with the netbook. A PBR is in front of me and a breakfast burrito is on the way. Let’s get to the news.

The $49 three-day passes to Music Fest go on sale today at 10 AM. Get ’em here.

I hear from a source who knows that the first chocolate-covered strawberries of the season will be on sale at Dinstuhl’s about noon today. Why wait until Valentine’s Day? Grab some strawberries on the way home (if you were unfortunate enough to have to go to work today) and surprise her tonight.

If you had tickets to see the Harlem Globetrotters at the FedExForum, the show has been rescheduled for March 8. Details here.

In the news: The Center City Development Corporation recommends extending incentives for new businesses to Third Street. Currently, only Main, Front, Second, Madison, Monroe and Union are covered. Third Street is very much a part of Downtown and extending the incentives is a good idea.

Good article on the Memphis Daily News site about Blues City Thrift, the thrift store whose proceeds will support local non-profits.

Burrito has arrived, so I’ll hit Publish and get to eating. Will have the netbook out all day, and will probably post again.

Today’s Memphis Groupon is $12 for two terrace-level tickets to a Memphis Tigers basketball game, a $24 value. You have a choice of three games:

• Southern Miss on Saturday the 12th, 5 PM
• UAB on Wednesday the 16th, 6 PM
• Houston on Tuesday the 22nd, 8 PM

All games to be held at the FedExForum. Let’s go Tigers! *CLAP* *CLAP* *CLAPCLAPCLAP*

Since it’s a snow day, I’ll be doing the “post news as I get it” schedule today, rather than one big lunchtime update. I think I’ll take the little blue netbook out with me and post from the Monroe Avenue and Second Street branch offices.

“So they’re dismissing school early on RUMORS of snow now?”

That was a post I saw on Facebook yesterday. It irritates me and I’ll explain why.

Twice in the past three weeks, there has been a CHANCE of snow. These were cases were winter weather advisories were issued. The temperature was about 35 and rain was moving in, but it COULD turn to ice or snow if it got below freezing. That is, if the precipitation didn’t move out of the area beforehand. Which it did. People overreacted. Schools dismissed for what seemed like nothing. People were tweeting #snOMG and checking in to Snowpocalypse 2011. Bread and milk were flying off the shelves at grocery stores.

This time, however, there was little doubt snow was imminent. A winter storm WARNING, rather than an advisory, was issued. The temperature was cold enough that it was clear any precipitation would be frozen from the very beginning. All one had to do was look at the radar, see most of Arkansas covered in blue, and realize that we were next.

Schools absolutely made the right move dismissing early this time. It was necessary to protect the kids. I left work about 1 PM, and as my car turned into a 2,000 pound sled on I-55 north of Goodman, I realized I should have left at 11. It was terrible out there. If I were a parent I’d have been furious at the school system if they’d kept school open all day.

Yeah it’s only 3 inches, and notherners say, “What’s the big deal?” The big deal is that Memphis isn’t prepared for snow. We have only one plow, and it’s at the airport. Memphians don’t know how to drive in snow. Yesterday made it clear to me that I don’t know how to drive in snow. I-55 from Goodman to the Tennessee state line was an absolute skating rink. On the 240, traffic inched along at a snail’s pace from the 55 interchange to Union. As I drove across the bridge just south of Lamar, which is known for accidents due to ice, I had someone following about 3 feet from my rear bumper. Meanwhile, someone in the left lane whizzed by at 45 MPH when the other two lanes were lucky to get up to 15.

Lesson to be learned from all this? People can be accused of overreacting to winter storm advisories all they want, but warnings need to be taken seriously. In a city as badly prepared for snow as Memphis, the kids need to be sent home when snow and ice is definitely on the menu, and it makes more sense to send them home before the roads get treacherous rather than after.

Our office in Horn Lake is closed today due to inclement weather, so it’s a snow day for me. On days like this I tend to wander the Downtown core and tweet what’s open and closed. Feel free to follow me at @paulryburn if you want.

“Paul, want to do a shot?” a friend asked me at Bar None, where we stopped after trivia.

Normally I refuse shots on school nights. It just makes my head hurt too much the next morning. So, as usual, I said no.

“Paul, it’s a new vodka that tastes like Mountain Dew.”

Okay, sometimes you gotta bend the rules. It was delicious. It’s a new flavor called “Dude” by Three Olives. If you’re a fan of Mountain Dew, you’ve got to try it.

On with the news…

Thanks to a retweet I happened upon a good blog this morning – Lucy’s Information Station. Lucy blogs community, church and employment information, and I found some very interesting job posts there. In recent days she’s posted a Marketing Director position for YMCA, a Finance Director position for the City of Bartlett, an Accounting Supervisor position for the Church Health Center, and an Executive Director position for the Fire Museum.

If you eat at Lenny’s a lot, you can save some money by following @LennysSubsShops on Twitter. Every Wednesday is “Social Wednesday,” where they tweet a link to a coupon. This week’s coupon is good for $1 off their Hot Italian Sub. You have to give them your name and e-mail address. I’m willing to put up with a little spam for sandwich discounts.

Memphis in May has posted the Music Fest ticket options for 2011. The $49 3-day passes go on sale later this week, according to MiM. Pay for your chance to tromp through mud and get drenched by rain while it’s cheap!

One of my readers wants to know if any Downtown bars are doing any Anti-Valentine’s Day events for singles. If you know of any shoot me an e-mail at paul@paulryburn.com and I’ll post. I’ll be at the Saucer that day, but it has more to do with the fact that I’m at the Saucer most days than it does being Valentine’s Day.

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The above was the “lunchtime update” post I had started typing before I left work at 1. It is a miracle I made it home without wrecking the car. Lost control on I-55 north of Goodman, but regained control before hitting anything. Then on the 240 north of Norris, about 100 feet ahead I saw a car sliding backward into oncoming traffic, and expected a multi-car pile-up, but miraculously it didn’t happen.

Snow to continue for another 4 or so hours. Temps below freezing until Friday. Pretty damn sure I won’t be going to work tomorrow.

Since I’m home early, the drinking schedule will be (Edit: Saucer at 3, I see friends checked in there). Possibly Bardog poker at 7:30, but we’ll see (and heck, who knows if Poker Jon will even make it down there).

Time for a much-needed PBR.

The Folk Alliance’s national conference will be Downtown next week. Although the main point is for folk musicians to network with, and learn from, each other, there will be public shows Wednesday the 16th through Saturday the 19th. See the flyer above for details, and www.folk.org for more information.

They issued me a media pass, so I’ll be covering the convention next week.

Tonight is the monthly South Main Association meeting. This month it will be at Local Gastropub, and county mayor Mark Luttrell will be speaking. Social at 6, program at 6:30. If you haven’t renewed your dues for 2011, you can bring cash or a check. Happy hour prices, and they will have complimentary appetizers. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up. Of course, you can also order off their menu. Their award-winning wings are a particularly good choice.

Change of plans… I was going to suggest everyone wear Tiger blue to the SMA meeting, to remind Local which side of the state they’re on. They tend to pander to UT fans a bit much, including letting one fan plug her iPhone into the speakers and play “Rocky Top” after the Memphis-UT game. However, I just realized that UT plays Kentucky tonight, and blue could be misconstrued as support of John Calidouchebag and his team. Calipari vs. Pearl… the Jersey Shore of college basketball coaching.

Two big concerts coming this spring to the FedExForum: Kings of Leon on Saturday, April 9, and Bon Jovi on Thursday, May 19. Reminds me… I need to see what @kolpigeon is up to. That’s the Twitter account of the pigeon who pooped on Jared from Kings of Leon last year.

There will be a “We (heart) Uptown” event this Saturday, February 13, at BRIDGES from 3 to 5 PM. It’s a free event where you can get informed about community news and get connected to projects in the community. CCC president Paul Morris will be the guest speaker. If you join the Uptown Community Association at the event, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a year’s family membership at the Memphis Zoo. There will also be a drawing for UCA members to win a gift certificate to Ferraro’s Pizza. BRIDGES is at 477 N. Fifth, at the corner of A.W. Willis Ave. (formerly Auction Ave.).

Today’s Groupon is a Downtown deal: $20 for admission for four people, plus four collection catalogs at the Belz Museum of Asian and Judaic Art. The deal is a $48 value.

I’ve posted several job-hunting accounts to follow on Twitter, and this morning I saw an interesting one that got retweeted by the Redbirds: @TeamWorkOnline. They post Major League Baseball, NBA, NHL and NFL jobs, and other positions available in pro sports organizations.

Gay pride parade coming Downtown: The Memphis Flyer reports that the Annual Mid-South Pride Parade will move Downtown this year, taking place on Beale Street on Saturday, October 15. Welcome in advance to all the parade’s participants!

The Fuzzy Brew blog has a good post about the Ghost River brewery expansion. Brewer Chuck Skypeck discusses strategy for bottling and then marketing Ghost River Golden, and there are pics of prototypes for the bottle labels.

That’s all the news for now. I’m about 50/50 on whether to attend the SMA meeting. I should, but again, our trivia team has been needing all the help they can get lately. Coming soon: The national Folk Alliance conference is next week, and I’ll list the public showcases you can attend to hear some of the best artists.

Before we begin this post, I have a very important announcement: I just regained the Foursquare mayorship of Downtown Huey’s!!! I had it for nearly six months in late 2009-spring 2010 and never thought I’d get it back! Attn Huey’s: How about a free burger for the mayor? Or better yet, some beer.

Yesterday we had our annual Super Bowl party at Barton Flats, where our friends Chad and Robin opened up their condos and turned on the Super Bowl. Here are some pics.

It’s 11:56, I just got home from poker at the Silly Goose, and I’m too tired to post any more pics. Go look at the rest of the photo album here.

I’ve been asked to post a quick reminder to my BBQ teammates that it’s time to pay dues for 2011. We have to come up with a rather large registration fee to pay Memphis in May by February 15, and we need membership dues to be able to do that.

Ques Brothers – you should have got e-mails from Chuck or Steve explaining where to send the check. Individual memberships are $200 if paid before February 14 (that’s next Monday!), $250 afterward. If you lost the e-mail or didn’t get it, shoot me an e-mail at paul@paulryburn.com and I will forward you the announcement from Chuck and Steve.

Should be a good year… we’ve got WordPress back on board, and a couple of guests from last year had such a good time that they’ve already asked to become 2011 members.

QUES BROTHERS!!!!!

Feeling tired and out of it today, which I guess is to be expected for the day after the Super Bowl. Apologies for any spelling/grammar errors that I’m too tired to catch.

The Center for Southern Folklore is asking for help matching a $30,000 grant to be given by the National Endowment for the Arts. The Center does a lot to preserve the region’s artistic and musical heritage and deserves our support. Go here to learn how you can support the Center.

The Memphis Library is running a vote to pick the design for their new library cards. Artbutcher has the details on how you can vote.

If you’re a dog lover, you ought to head over to Air Traffic Mike’s blog and read the touching “Chain of Life” series Mike just completed.

Fun Super Bowl party last night at Barton Flats… I took over 100 pics, but it may be a few days before I can download them from the camera and go through them. Congrats to the Packers on their win.

Bleh. Sorry for a rather boring post but I’m just not with it today. Pint Nite at the Saucer is on the agenda tonight, of course. May play poker at the Silly Goose at 10.