Thur update: Parties, Pyramid bricks, Megabus, prepaid iPhone, Wednesday recap

Administrative note: This blog will be under construction this weekend. Yesterday at work I had to do a WordPress installation for a third party we work with, and I found a theme called “Suffusion” that I like so much that I want it on my own blog. Content won’t change, just the look and feel. Changing a theme is a good “take the computer to a bar with Wi-Fi” kind of project.

It’s Thursday. Let’s start the post with a look at the outdoor parties happening tonight.

Internationally known blues diva Reba Russell performs on the rooftop of the Madison Hotel tonight. 7-11 PM. $7 cover, with a cash bar and small plates on the roof.

Mudflap King headlines the Peabody’s rooftop party tonight. 6-11 PM, $10 to get in but it includes your first drink. Ladies free before 7. PRO TIP: Station yourself along Peabody Place or Second and watch the Nuh-Uh Girl make a mad dash from the Silly Goose to the Peabody about 6:55 so she doesn’t have to pay cover.

Bleu’s “Retro on the Patio” theme will be the ’80s this week, and The Plaintiffs will perform.

In other news: If you supported MIFA by purchasing a Pyramid brick in 1991, you can get it back this week. Details here. If you don’t claim it, it will be moved to the Ramesses statue’s new home at the University of Memphis. You need to bring ID or something tying you to your brick.

Megabus has added Memphis-to-Dallas service with fees starting as little as $1, if you book far enough in advance. The upscale bus service currently operates out of the North End Terminal with service to Chicago. The MBJ has details here.

Have you always wanted an iPhone but hate contracts? Next month, it will be possible to get an iPhone with a prepaid plan.

I had a very enjoyable Wednesday evening yesterday. I started at the Saucer for a double plate party. Amy, one of the bartenders there, had made it through 200 different beers to get her first plate, earning a $100 plate party. Gary, AKA G-Rock, celebrated his 18th plate. (That’s 3600 beers!) For plates 9 and above, you get $175 for your party. So there was plenty of beer to drink. In addition, one of the Saucer regulars, Margie, had a birthday, and there was Baskin-Robbins ice cream birthday cake – half rocky road, half chocolate mint.

Gary, in honor of his 18th plate, chose “Legal” as his slogan. Since Amy is a bartender at a bar with many good craft beers, she put “No I won’t serve you a Coors Light” on her plate. Congratulations to Gary and Amy, and thank you for having me as a guest at your party.

From there I went over to the Blind Bear, where something resembling our old trivia team assembled for the first time since last summer. It was good to hang out with the old gang for trivia again – and hard to not play with my phone for two hours. I contributed to the bonus question that got us the win. “If you listed the Jackson 5 in alphabetical order by first name, who would be first?” I asked for the score sheet and wrote “Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, Michael” and circled Jackie. Most of the rest of the room guessed Jermaine – Jackie never had a solo career and is not well known – giving us a 20-point boost.

One reason to come to trivia is that Charles will give you the passwords so you don’t have to pay cover at the Bear Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Based on Saturday’s password, I take it that “wears a lot of tube tops” is not necessary to qualify as a password.

All right, time for a quick trip to the grocery store. Yes, I actually buy groceries sometimes. I’ll be out somewhere after work, not sure where. Would like to do poker at Max’s Sports Bar but weather may prevent my getting that far south.