Friday update

The Grizzlies host the Sacramento Kings tonight at FedExForum at 7. Do you like pizza? Tonight is one of five “Rock’N Save Dough” nights at the arena. Starting at $20, the promotion offers a Terrace level seat, a slice of pizza from Grizzlies pizza partner Rock’N Dough Pizza, and a free collectible mug.

From time to time I have mentioned my longtime friend, career coach Angela Copeland on here. I have some exciting news: On Thursday, January 12 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, she will be at the Booksellers at Laurelwood signing copies of her book Breaking the Rules & Getting a Job. If you’ve never heard of career coaching services before, this is a great chance to meet Angela and learn about the ways a coach can work with you to find ways to jump-start your career.

High Cotton is hosting Toys and Trivia tonight in their taproom at 7 PM. They will have Memphis Trivia there and they want to give back to the community. They are seeking donations of toys and/or canned food. Bring as little or as much as you can, and when you drop off your donation items you will get a discounted pint.

The folks at the Fourth Bluff incorrectly listed the Downtown ice rink bazaar as starting today. It actually starts tomorrow and runs through Sunday.

Congratulations to Memphis Family Vision & SEE Main Street, Walking Pants Curiosities, and Wrapzody Gourmet, winners of the Downtown Memphis Commission’s 2016 storefront decorating contest. Each of the three winning businesses will receive $500.

If you’re feeling competitive, Belle Tavern now has a selection of games you can play. Among the ones I see in the photo they posted are dominoes, Tumbling Towers, Pop Culture trivia game, Movie trivia, and Pass the Pigs. They also have decks of playing cards. I stopped by Belle last night on the way home from Blind Bear. That place is starting to grow on me and I may have to give it a spot in the regular rotation.

The MBJ has a look inside the former American Snuff Co. building at Front and Keel. It was recently purchased by a partnership including Billy and Benjamin Orgel, who are behind the redevelopment of the Tennessee Brewery and other historic properties. They do not yet have a purpose in mind for the former snuff company building. They just bought it because they liked it.

From FiveThirtyEight’s Significant Digits newsletter: The combined wealth of President-Elect Cheeto’s cabinet and cabinet-level appointments so far is $9.5 billion. That’s more than the combined wealth of the poorest 43 million American households. I thought the cheeto said he was going to drain the swamp?

Last night I picked up a couple of pieces of news about holiday-related events. I was told that the Silly Goose is going to have a big party on Christmas night, with a DJ and everything. Later at the Blind Bear, Jeannette told me that the full FreeWorld band will be performing on New Year’s Eve, rather than Kaleidoscope or KaleidoWorld which feature some but not all of FreeWorld’s members. They will move the pool table to make room, and yes, Dr. Herman Green will be performing.

The Goose, by the way, has added beef noodle and chicken noodle soup to the menu.

College football bowl season kicks off tomorrow with six bowls. Among the bowls that people from this region might care about are the AutoNation Cure Bowl featuring UCF vs. Arkansas State at 4:30 on the CBS Sports Network. Then at 8 Southern Miss plays Louisiana-Lafayette in the R+I. Carriers New Orleans Bowl on ESPN.

Check out 10 things ESPN writer Zach Lowe likes and doesn’t like. Number 1 is the genius of Marc Gasol.

In case you haven’t seen the weather tomorrow, the forecast is for a high of 74, dropping to a low of 28 at night with a chance of sleet or freezing rain. It appears it will be warm through the daylight hours, so I am going to dress festively. I will have on my beer stein Christmas socks and my Mid-South Food Bank shoes.

If you drink shitty beer, at least put a good face on it.

That’s it for now. Back with more tomorrow.