I didn’t have time to do a post at lunchtime. It was time for my annual visit to the Memphis vehicle inspection station.
The latest NBA trade rumor has Pau Gasol coming to Memphis. NO NO NO NO NO. This is a terrible idea, and this CBS Sports NBA blog post nails the reason why. “Memphis’ identity has been forged in toughness, grit, and defensive attitude, three things that the elder Gasol is, shall we say, not known for.” EXACTLY. It’s nothing against Pau; he just isn’t a good fit for the Grizzlies as they exist now. We need a player who will contribute the kind of grit and grind that Tony Allen and Marc Gasol are known for, and that Zach Randolph is known for when he’s 100% healthy.
Memphis is competing against 4 other cities to win $5,000 for swimming lessons for local kids. Vote here.
Nice tweet this morning from Paul Morris, who runs DMC. He linked to a March 2012 Memphis Flyer article, in which John Branston predicted that the bike and pedestrian path over the Harahan Bridge would not happen anytime soon. Looks like Branston got that one wrong.
City Market has a new flavor of Lay’s potato chips: Indian Magic Masala. I bet my friend Sarah will be stopping by City Market soon after she sees this post. Also, check out their hard to find products photo album. People wanting to cook gourmet or ethnic dishes will find a lot to like at this Downtown grocery.
I stopped by Blind Bear last night, where I had the pleasure of meeting Jamie’s parents. Here’s a pic of Jamie’s mom, with Elizabeth.
(Edit: Well crap. I completely I forgot I already posted that pic. I’m leaving it in though, to satisfy Tube Top Month requirements.)
After the Bear I went to Bardog, where I got to meet the people from Fireball Whisky and have a beer (and of course, a shot of Fireball) with them. Really nice guys. Too bad they can’t meet us for Saturday brunch at Bardog, where their product gets consumed in huge quantities.
Now that I’m done with the news, I’d like to take a moment to brag about my car. Every year I worry that because of its age, my car will fail inspection, leaving me with an expensive trip to the repair shop followed by a second visit to the inspection station. Today’s results? My 17-year-old Saturn SC2 passed with hydrocarbons of 64 ppm (220 ppm is passing), and carbon dioxide emissions of only 0.09% (1.20% is passing). I guess I should get a new car at some point, but why, when this one is still doing so well?
Time to grab a beer at the Saucer. Should be a good crowd there pre-gaming for the Michael Jackson/Cirque de Soleil event at the FedExForum. Not 100% sure I’ll do trivia at the Blind Bear at 8 but am leaning in that direction.