Month: May 2013

The Mississippi River is expected to crest this week at flood stage of 34 feet. But fear not, BBQ Fest goers; that’s still 14 feet below the 2011 level that forced the move to Tiger Lane. Tom Lee Park is safe this year.

In other river news the developers of Beale Street Landing have requested an increase in city funding. Because, you know, the project has been so incredibly cost-efficient and so much progress has been made already. Sure, let’s throw some more money at it! The taxpayers won’t mind! It’s being reported that the City Council had some tough questions about this request, and I don’t blame them; they wouldn’t be representing their constituents well if they didn’t.

There’s a good Google Doodle today. It’s a tribute to designer Saul Bass. www.google.com

A new shop has opened in the Peabody. Lansky-The Accessory Shop. This shop will showcase women’s accessories to include jewelry, handbags, shoes, scarves, hats, and other trendy apparel. It will also enhance the shopping experience of the three other Lansky-branded shops in the hotel. It will be open seven days a week.

In honor of the Memphis Grizzlies’ playoff run, the Flying Saucer will sell a special Grizzlies pint glass tonight for Wednesday glass night. You can see a pic of it here. Glasses go on sale at 7 PM.

Plans for tonight: Some of the BBQ team leaders are going to be at the Blind Bear tonight, so I’m going to head up there and get the latest team news. Maybe I’ll do a BBQ post tomorrow. After I get done there I’ll walk over to the Saucer and have a look at the Grizzlies glass. Two and a half work days left until vacation!

The South Main Association is having a “meet your firemen” cookout Saturday. Weather permitting, from 11 to 2 PM the cookout will be at Station #2, 474 South Main. You can come meet your local firefighters that keep you protected and safe.

The Blind Bear is having a Great Gatsby party Thursday, May 9 to raise money for St. Jude. Costume contest, blackjack tournament. Dress in period attire and get your photo taken for the Bear’s dining room wall. Party starts at 8 PM.

The Center for Southern Folklore will hold a salute to Big Bill Broonzy featuring Billy Boy Arnold Friday, May 10 at 7:30 PM. Arnold will perform songs from his Broonzy tribute CD and will share first-hand stories of Big Bill Broonzy and the Chicago blues world of the 1940s and 1950s, along with Robert Riesman, author of a Broonzy biography.

Southwest Airlines has scheduled its first Memphis flights for later this year.

The Redbirds are back in town tonight and it’s “Two”sday. $2 hot dogs, sodas, and popcorn, and $2 off Budweiser draft products. Opponents are the Sacramento River Cats. Who names these teams? Game time is 7:05.

Plans for tonight: After the good experience I had Sunday at the Blind Bear for Game 1 of Grizzlies-OKC, that’s where I plan to be for tonight’s Game 2. Tip-off is 8:30. From 7:30 until the end of the game, say “basketball special” to your bartender or server to get $2.50 select domestic bottles, $3.50 apps, $5 chili cheese dawgs with fries, $6 chili cheese burgers with fries. You can also get the specials by playing poker, which starts at 8. I’m going to pass on poker this week so I can concentrate on watching the game. Come join me at the Bear!

I’d like to start off this post by thanking the Blind Bear for providing such an excellent environment for game-watching yesterday. They had brunch specials, Cinco de Mayo specials, and basketball specials all happening at once – it was a “special” place to watch the game! I drink a margarita to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, possibly the first time in the 17 months that the Bear has been open that I have had a drink there that was not a PBR or a Fireball. After yesterday, my issue of “where to watch the game?” has been settled for the rest of the 2013 playoff season. Except for games that happen during BBQ Fest, I will be at the Blind Bear.

About those remaining games: The NBA has released the complete schedule for the Western Conference semis. Game 2 will be in Oklahoma City Tuesday night at 8:30 (TNT); Game 3 in Memphis Saturday afternoon at 4 (ESPN); Game 4 in Memphis Monday 5/13 at 8:30; Game 5 (if needed) in OKC Wed 5/15; Game 6 (if needed) in Memphis Fri 5/17; Game 7 (if needed) in OKC Sun 5/19. Time TBD for games 5-7, TV TBD for games 4-7. Game 3 and 4 tickets are now on sale here.

If you want some free Grizzlies swag, head down to the FedExForum today between 11 AM and 6 PM. They’re handing out sunglasses, headbands, and posters.

Official watch parties have been announced for Tuesday night’s Grizzlies game. Downtown, the party will be at Aldo’s Pizza Pies. Great choice for a watch location – yummy pizza, great beer selection, plenty of alternatives on the menu if you don’t want pizza. There will also be two parties in Midtown, at Celtic Crossing and Local on the Square, and one in the U of M area at Buffalo Wild Wings on Poplar.

In other basketball news, Tigers assistant coach Damon Stoudamire has left the organization to return to his alma mater, Arizona. He was with the Tigers for two years, and his status as a former NBA All-Star was a help with recruiting. Before that he was an assistant for the Grizzlies. Best wishes to Coach Stoudamire, who looks to have a promising coaching career ahead of him.

Justin Timberlake has announced that he will play the FedExForum on Monday, November 18. That happens to be my birthday. I have little interest in attending, but lots of interest in people-watching that night. Tickets go on sale a week from Friday.

If you love fine Italian shoes, there will be a trunk show at Lansky at the Peabody from 11-4 Saturday for Donald J. Pliner shoes. Sales rep Jimmy Richmond will be on hand to showcase the spring line and preview the fall line for these shoes that stand out for fashion and comfort. 20% off all Donald J. Pliner shoes during this event.

A Facebook friend of mine who works at Lokion posted that there are jobs open: Bookkeeper, ATG developer, Java developer, account exec, entry-level C# developer, C# developer. I have heard that this is an excellent place to work.

The second annual Beale Street Mess Around benefitting the Blues Foundation is this Friday, May 10 at 7 PM at the Rum Boogie Cafe on Beale. Fundraiser presented by Brandon Santini for The Blues Foundation’s Raise the Roof! campaign, features performances by Mud Morganfield, John Nameth, Bryan Lee, Terry Hanck, Sugar Ray Radford, Dennis Gruenling, Little G. Weevil, Brandon Santini, Jeff Jensen, Greg Nagy, Redd Velvet and more. $10 at the door.

That’ll wrap it up for now. After-work plans: Pint Nite at the Saucer for some $3 drafts.

I’m just going to be lazy and copy their Facebook status.

Sunday opening at 11am Grizz game at noon!! CINCO DE MAYO $5 Very nice Brand Tequila shots, Margaritas & Skinny Rita’s all day!! Say Basketball special 1hr Before & throughout every Grizz & PLAY OFF game $2.50 select domestic bottles, $3.50 apps & $5 Chili Cheese Dawgs!! SOFIA SUNDAYS!!!! $15 bottles of Yellow Tail Bubbly & $30 bottles of Sofia Blanc de Blancs!! Plus Brunch!!! special till 6pm!! $20 bottles Handcraft Pinot Noir, Hess Select Chardonnay, Buehler Chardonnay & Kunde Sauvignon Blanc!!

Plus, my friends Dennis and Karen will be there. Come join us.

I totally forgot it’s Cinco de Mayo. That plus Grizzlies = a very good day.

It’s 11 PM Saturday of Music Fest weekend and I’m home drunk. I took a nap this afternoon and could easily stay out until 2 or 3, but I want to be well rested for the Grizzlies tomorrow. Game is at noon and several bars are opening early. Let’s have a look at the list.

The Blind Bear will open at 11. They have a basketball special during Grizzlies games where all apps are half off (so, $3.50). You have to say “basketball special” to your bartender or server to get the deal.

“Grizzville” at Max’s Sports Bar will be open at 11. They will be serving their famous nacho brunch. Don’t ask, I have never heard of brunch at Max’s before.

Silly Goose will open at 11. They have a $3 Bloody Mary bar (sriracha as a Bloody Mary ingredient is the best).

The FedExForum will host the official Grizzlies watch party. Doors open at 11:30. Free to enter, concessions available, watch on Grizz Vision. Claw Crew, Grizz, and the Grizz Girls will be there.

There are also bars whose regular opening time is noon or earlier and will be showing the game. In the Downtown core these include the Flying Saucer, Bardog, Local, and the Brass Door. I think Mad Earl opens at 11 now too.

One of my BBQ teammates posted this link to Facebook earlier today: The 15 Kinds of Drunk People. Visit the Silly Goose about midnight on Saturday to meet all of these people.

Random pro wrestling videos of the week: No classic ’80s videos this time. This week’s footage is from Spring 2013, from WWE’s developmental territory NXT Wrestling. Developmental talent Emma (and the use of the word “talent” here is very questionable) makes her way to the ring in several videos. You may have heard of legendary women’s wrestlers like The Fabulous Moolah and Trish Stratus. You probably haven’t heard Emma mentioned among them. Here are reasons why. Emma 1
Emma 2
Emma 3 (Harlem Shake)
At least the theme song is catchy
To the music of Fandango
Full match vs. Audrey Marie April ’13 Dude, this girl sucks.

Off to bed. I will be watching the Grizzlies at the Blind Bear with my friends Dennis and Karen in the morning. Going to skip brunch at Majestic and go straight to Bear to get a good seat.

Before we get to the usual news, it’s time to take care of business. Well, not business, but Grizzness. Blake Griffin, you can get in your Kia Optima with Chris Paul and his “twin brother” Cliff and take yo ass back to L.A., because you have been ELIMINATED! The Grizzlies got the job done at home yesterday, 118-105. It was a physical game with a heaping serving of technical fouls. The Grizzlies play the Oklahoma City Thunder at noon on Sunday in the first game of the second round. Game will be in OKC and broadcast on ABC. Even without Russell Westbrook, the Grizz should not take the Thunder lightly. Still, though, with the momentum we have, I would not be surprised at all if we get a Game 1 win on the road to take command of the series.

Any bars opening early for the game tomorrow? If so, shoot me an email at paul@paulryburn.com, or hit me up on Facebook or Twitter or whatever and I’ll post tomorrow before gametime.

Memphis in February continues today. MemphisWeather.net reported that we had a low of 36 this morning, breaking the all-time record low for May by 2 degrees. That is not the kind of record I am not happy about breaking. The high today is expected to be 55. If I remember correctly, 55/36 is normal weather in Memphis right around December 5 and February 15. This is putting a damper on my “Let’s see those tube tops ladies ALL ABOUT THE TUBE TOPS giddyup” messages that I post to Facebook this time of year, and I am not happy about it.

Are people starting to develop better taste in beer? As usual, my first stop after work was the Flying Saucer. I watched random people in town for Memphis in May come to the bar and order, and it seemed like most of them were ordering craft beer! I only saw one person order Bud Light. As recently as last year it was almost all Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Lite. Drew who is opening the brewery on South Cooper was bartending last night. Next time I see him I need to ask if he noticed this too, or if I just happened to be standing next to people who like good beer.

Speaking of beer: 26 drinks that prove that mixing beer is a good idea. The Saucer sells several of these, including Black Velvet, Snakebite, and Black and Tan. For the others, you can run to a grocery store that sells a lot of good beer (I recommend the Cash Saver on Madison) and pick up the ingredients. Beer and banana juice? Wouldn’t have thought of that, but with a good hefeweizen it would work. Or that dunkelweizen the Saucer used to sell… can’t remember the brewery.

One thing that happens every Sunday post-brunch is that my friends Otto and John D show each other funny videos that they found on their phones. If you show lots of photos and videos to people on your phone, you might be interested in Dabkick. It’s an app that changes how you share those media. Both of you see the same content on your phones at the same time.

It’s Free Comic Book Day. View a list of Memphis locations here that are participating and giving away free comic books. Free comic books? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up… probably not, you can’t eat a comic book.

I know there are a few vegans who read this blog, so I’ll post a link to a vegan Groupon deal going on right now in case they haven’t seen it.

If you have to get your basketball fix, the Chicago Bulls play the Brooklyn Nets tonight on TNT. It’s an all-important Game 7 to determine which team will eventually lose to Miami.

Plans for today: I’ll start off at Panda’s bar at Bardog as usual, 11 AM. After that: Walk around and people-watch the Music Fest attendees. I want to try The Mad Earl at some point this weekend too. I’ve been there once, but it was right when it opened and it wasn’t totally done yet. One thing’s for sure: I will NOT be at Tom Lee Park. PBR hoodie and shorts weather for hopefully the last time this year.

This weekend is Memphis in May Beale Street Music Fest, the speed bump on the road en route to BBQ Fest. Music Fest weather strikes again. The Weather Channel has a low of 37 predicted for tonight. The all-time record low for the month of May for Memphis? 38.

Could be worse though. I follow Arkansas head football coach Bret Bielema on Twitter. This morning he posted a pic of snow in his yard.

If you live Downtown, it would be a very good idea to ask if you can leave work early this afternoon. Between Music Fest and people pre-gaming for the Grizzlies, parking Downtown is going to be an absolute zoo by about 5 PM.

Bluefin is offering 10% off tonight for people who show their Music Fest or Grizzlies tickets.

I want to remind everyone to stay safe tonight. Keep your purses and other valuables in your sight at all times. Don’t turn your back on your valuables to talk to a friend. Don’t leave your purse partly open where a thief could reach in and grab your phone without you realizing it. Whether you’re going to Music Fest, the Grizzlies game, or a bar or club, this advice should be heeded. Also, don’t leave any valuables in sight in your cars. Downtown is the safest area of Memphis, but this is still a large urban environment and thieves see opportunity this weekend.

It’s Grizz Night and Chris Paul is going to be flopping around the FedExForum like a horse stepped on his foot and knocked him unconscious. I hope the Grizzlies that played in games 3, 4, and 5 show up tonight. If they do, we’re headed to the second round.

On Her Game Sports is looking for two part-time Memphis Grizzlies bloggers. These are unpaid internship positions. The site covers sports from a female perspective. Bloggers would cover the Grizzlies in traditional blogging format or video blogs.

Fun quiz which seems appropriate for this weekend: Guess who’s more stupid, drunk people or kids.

Off to a quick early lunch so I can attend a training at 1… will be back Downtown by 4:45 before most of the madness starts.

Got a couple of pieces of burger news to kick off this Thursday post. First of all, the burger that won the 2012 Best Memphis Burger Fest is now a permanent fixture on Kooky Canuck’s menu. It’s topped with a fried egg, avocado, BBQ onions, and herb garlic mayonnaise.

Huey’s is having a Design Your Own Burger contest. See the poster below for details (click it to view in a larger size).

More food news: The Flying Fish posted last night that they have added mahi to their menu.

Bon Ton Cafe is now delivering during lunch. Delivery area boundaries are Fourth to the river, Beale to Jefferson. A delivery charge will be included in the final total.

Riverside Drive is closed between Union Ave. and Georgia Ave. for Music Fest.

Motel Mirrors, a side project of Amy LaVere, John Paul Keith, and Shawn Zorn, will perform tonight at the Blind Bear at 10 PM.

If you want to hear some good music Friday night without traipsing through rain and mud, Eric Hughes and Guy Venable play the Flying Saucer at 9 PM. I heard Eric at a wedding reception I attended last year, and thought to myself, “I knew he was good, but I had forgotten he was THAT good.” Highly recommended.

Tim Tebow will be at the FedExForum June 15. His appearance will be part of Agape Child & Family Services’ HeartLight event.

That’s it for now. Quick bowl of chili then back to work. Six and a half business days left until my BBQ Fest vacation.

The daily update post is a little late today. Normally I do it at lunchtime, but we had a company picnic, so I was away from my desk.

MIFA is hiring for two positions: Graphic Designer, and Development Officer in charge of Direct Mail and Individual Giving. Check out the job opportunities here if you’re interested in working for one of the city’s top nonprofits.

Memphis in May has updated its phone app for 2013. The Music Fest portion of the app is really well done. You can create your own schedule, view artist info, follow artists on social media, etc.

However, as someone who cares more about BBQ Fest than Music Fest, the BBQ portion of the app needs work. The teams are listed, but if you click on a team all it does is take you to a generic point on the park map which may be somewhat near the team booth. Or not. The booths are numbered in groups rather than individually. You can’t click on a team and find out their booth number. I hope the app designers issue an update to fix some of these things.

Great post on WKNO’s site about Stan “The Man” Bronson. Stan has been the Memphis Tigers’ baseball team’s bat boy longer than the Rolling Stones have been together.

Ron “Metta World Peace” Artest has never been my favorite player, but he has interesting analysis of the Grizzlies here.

And finally, the Orpheum released its Summer Movie Series schedule today:

1920’s
Friday Classic, June 7 at 7:00 PM: The Cameraman

1930’s
Friday Classic, June 14 at 7:00 PM: Gone with the Wind

1940’s
Thursday Chick Flick, June 20 at 7:00 PM: The Philadelphia Story
Friday Classic, June 21 at 7:00 PM: Casablanca

1950’s
Thursday Chick Flick, June 27 at 7:00 PM: Pillow Talk
Friday Classic, June 28 at 7:00 PM: The Searchers

1960’s
Thursday Chick Flick, July 11 at 7:00 PM: Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Friday Classic, July 12 at 7:00 PM: Sound of Music Singalong

1970’s
Thursday Chick Flick, July 18 at 7:00 PM: Grease Singalong
Friday Classic, July 19 at 8:00 PM: Rocky Horror Picture Show

1980’s
Thursday Chick Flick, July 25 at 7:00 PM: Dirty Dancing
Friday Classic, July 26 at 7:00 PM: Fright Night Double Feature with Ghost Busters and Poltergeist

1990’s
Thursday Chick Flick, August 1 at 7:00 PM: Pretty Woman
Friday Classic, August 2 at 7:00 PM: The Big Lebowski

2000’s
Thursday Chick Flick, August 8 at 7:00 PM: Mean Girls
Friday Classic, August 9 at 7:00 PM: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Family Matinees
Friday, June 28 at 1:30 PM: The Parent Trap (1961)
Friday, August 2 at 1:30 PM: Anastasia

Company picnic was supposed to end at 3, but the CEO told us that when we finished eating, we could leave for the day. I can deal with that! Headed to Flying Saucer, with Bardog as a possible backup depending on who’s bartending Saucer. It won’t be happy hour for a while yet but I’m already happy!