Month: December 2016

Big Wednesday news update: You can get pho burritos Downtown now, New Year’s Day recommendation and lots more

Got a great tip on a craft cocktail last night. I decided to brave the cold weather and watch the Boca Raton Bowl at my home away from home on the south side, Max’s Sports Bar. I was sitting at the bar when my friend Bones pulled up to my left and ordered an Old Fashioned. “Have you ever had an Old Fashioned made by Bjarni?” he asked. I had not. He poured a little in an extra glass. Bones was not wrong – that was the most delicious Old Fashioned I had ever had. Bursting with flavor, no bitterness. Try one if you’re into craft drinks. Bjarni works Monday and Tuesday nights and sometimes days on the weekends.

Good seeing my friend Jean last night. If you have someone who likes to read, you will find plenty of unique books about Memphis (history, culture, fiction, local authors) at her store South Main Book Juggler in the Arcade building on South Main.

The Memphis Tigers host Incarnate Word tonight at FedExForum at 7.

Several months ago I blogged about the phorrito, all the goodness of a bowl of pho wrapped up in a burrito. You can now get phorritos in Downtown Memphis. They have made it onto the menu at the Silly Goose.

If you’re looking for something to do New Year’s Day, South Side Supper Club will be jamming at the Ghost River taproom from 2 to 4. I had the pleasure of hearing them at the taproom the day after Thanksgiving, and I can assure you it is a good time. Speaking of New Year’s, I overheard someone at Max’s last night say that Clarence is going to have black-eyed peas on New Year’s at Earnestine & Hazel’s. Hmmm sounds like I might have to make New Year’s Sunday Fun Day a South Main/South End day! I need all the black-eyed peas I can get for good luck in 2017. And besides, one never knows who one might run into at the Ghost River taproom, does one? :mrgreen: Last time I was there, I drank the Grindhouse cream ale, but given the cold weather I would be more open to IPAs, stouts and porters than usual. Any recommendations, let me know!

The CA has an article on the evolution of Mannheim Steamroller, performing their popular Christmas show Friday at the Orpheum.

Thrillist has a really good piece on the twisted history of Earnestine & Hazel’s, America’s best burger dive bar. They downplay the brothel years a bit much I think, but it’s a good read anyway. Two comments:

1) They got the address wrong. It’s 531 South Main, not 351, at the corner of G.E. Patterson.

2) If you’ve never been there, come during the daytime on a Saturday (it opens at 10 AM) and ask Clarence to show you around and tell you more about what you read in the article. In case you missed the announcement I made earlier this week, E&H will be open this Saturday, Christmas Eve, from 10 AM until 11 PM or maybe a bit later.

Black Restaurant Week, started in Memphis in 2016, is going nationwide next year, coming to cities including Atlanta, New Orleans, Birmingham, and Washington DC. Memphis Black Restaurant Week 2017 will be March 6-12.

For you up-and-coming ballers: Here’s Skills and Drills – Ball Handling with Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley.

And here’s a video of my absolute favorite part of Grizzlies home games: The Grizzlies Grannies and Grandpas.

The St. Louis Cardinals will bring their Cardinals Caravan to 21 cities this year, including AutoZone Park on January 13. The Redbirds will release more details soon.

Jennifer Biggs of the CA has a review of Catherine & Mary’s, calling it another gem by Hudman and Ticer.

The UrbanArt Commission is seeking a a full-time project manager.

That’s it for now. As usual on Wednesday, I will hit the Silly Goose for work this evening for a few PBRs. I will most likely get to hear how my “DAWG” John D enjoyed his birthday yesterday, and how another friend of mine has been enjoying his civet cat feces coffee. Back tomorrow with more news.

Tuesday update #2

A lot of people will be watching the Tigers in the Boca Raton Bowl tonight, but what if you’re more of a movie person than a sports person? Come to the Orpheum. It’s a Wonderful Life will be on the big screen, and it’s a fundraiser for the Mid-South Food Bank.

Free Grizzlies giftwrap to the first 5000 fans in FedExForum this evening. The Grizz play the Boston Celtics tonight at 7.

If you prefer to have someone else do the cooking for your holiday dinner, you’re in luck: Felicia Suzanne’s Restaurant has extended orders for Operation Holiday through tomorrow. They prepare favorites like deviled eggs and Sunday Sugo, and you pick them up and serve them.

On the other hand, if dining out is your preference for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, check out Paulette’s Christmas menu. They’ll be serving Christmas Eve 5-9 and Christmas Day 11-3.

Loflin Yard is having a Holidance Party with DJ JD Friday from 10 PM to 1 AM.

If you’ve read about the deep-fried Cornish game hens served by the Flying Sobie’s food truck for brunch at the Ghost River tap room, but have not made it down there yet, you need to check out this post by Holly: 6 Things to Eat in Memphis Right Now. Number two is the game hen and waffles and she has a photo and more details about what you get.

Great article on ABC News: The Grizzlies sit atop Clutch Mountain. They are confounding John Hollinger’s own model for determining what stats indicate a top team.

The first trailer for “Sun Records” (formerly “Million Dollar Quartet”) has been released. The show, filmed in Memphis, premieres on CMT on February 23.

As a former college algebra teacher, I find this amusing: An algebra teacher was disciplined for an inappropriate lesson. Parents of two 14-year-olds complained when their kids were given problems like this one: “Tony can send 5 texts and 3 nudes in 19 minutes. He could also send 3 texts and 1 nude in 9 minutes. How long would it take him to send one text and one nude?”

(In case you’re curious, I’ll tell you the answer. It takes Tony 2 minutes to send a text and 3 to send a nude, so it would take him 5 minutes to send one text and one nude.)

A GoFundMe page for a parade has has exceeded its goal. If the Cleveland Browns lose their two remaining games, a fan wants to organize a “Perfect Season” parade to celebrate their 0-16 record.

This makes me angry: Team Bernie knew months before the election that Hillary was going to lose the swing states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. They reached out to the Clinton campaign and offered their help, knowing they had the skills and grassroots cred to connect with critical voters who would keep those states blue. The Clinton campaign blew them off, belittling former Bernie supporters and treating them like a circus sideshow. Damn. Hillary deserved to lose the election. The hubris and the sense of entitlement among her staffers is just mind-blowing.

Beale Gives Back has announced the next recipient of its program to distribute a pool of money from Beale Bucks that went unused: The Memphis Police Department. There will be a ceremony Thursday at 2 at Handy Park to present the check.

I haven’t totally decided where to watch the Boca Raton Bowl tonight, but I am leaning in a direction. Normally my home away from home on the south side, Max’s Sports Bar, would be my call, but due to the cold weather I don’t know if I want to be that far away from home. So I’m leaning in the direction of the Silly Goose, with enough TVs to comfortably show Tiger football and the Grizzlies at the same time, and craft cocktails by Hanin.

photo-dec-13-5-35-09-pm

Here’s a photo of the hand-crafted Irish Cream Hanin made last week. It is troll-tested and troll-approved.

Back tomorrow with more.

Tuesday morning update

It’s time to go bowling! The Memphis Tigers face off against Western Kentucky in the Boca Raton Bowl this evening at 6:00. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. GO TIGERS!

The Ataris play the New Daisy tonight, joined by Shamefinger, Indeed, and We Digress. Doors open at 7, music begins at 8. Tickets are $14-17. Buy tickets here.

If you notice a lot of people gathered around the Peabody Place office tower at lunchtime, they are part of a rally called Speak Out whose purpose is to show continued support for the Affordable Care Act.

Wiseacre is opening its taproom early Friday for the release party for Astronaut Status Barrel Aged Imperial Stout. From 1 to 10 PM the Astronaut Status will be flowing, with a 22 oz. bottle for $11 or a case of twelve 22 oz. bottles for $132. They are limiting purchases to 1 case per person. Daft Punk’s Interstella 5555 will be shown on the big screen, and PressureWorld will be spinning tunes from 7 to 10.

In other Wiseacre news, bike jerseys are now available in their online store. Order by Thursday, December 22 to delivery by Christmas.

Statistics site FiveThirtyEight, its work of analyzing the 2016 presidential election done, took a moment to focus on another extremely important analytical task. It ranked the kids dancing in the Charlie Brown Christmas Special from 1 to 11.

Members of the Grizzlies are giving back, yet again. Is there any other NBA city where the players are so connected to the community?

Volunteer Odyssey has a list of volunteer opportunities your kids can do during winter break.

Nerd alert: You can count a lot higher than 10 on your fingers if you count in binary.

A friend of mine received the gift of Kopi Luwak on Sunday. What is that, you ask? It’s coffee that goes through a special kind of processing, I guess you could say. Indonesian coffee beans are fed to an Asian civet cat, and then the partially-digested beans are harvested from the civet’s feces and packaged and sold. It’s considered a delicacy. Yes, people literally drink shit water and brag about it.

(Pats self on the back for proper use of “literally”)

Live music tip for Christmas: Kaleidoworld will play the Blind Bear Christmas night.

Ugh… this time of the year I can’t even look at Facebook without Elf on a Shelf showing up on my news feed time and time again. For those of you who take part in that Christmas tradition, let me remind you of one thing:

photo-dec-19-10-28-35-pm

My troll had quite a day at Blind Bear brunch on Sunday. As you can see, she made a new friend, and she almost dived into an above-ground pool filled with Fireball. Heck of a lot more fun than sitting on a shelf all day checking to see if children are behaving.

Off to work. Possibly back later today with more.

Monday update

Two longtime Rendezvous servers are hanging up their bowties by the end of the year. Geoff Calkins reports that Big Robert, at the restaurant since 1963, and Percy, there since 1969, are calling it a career.

The CVB has a page outlining all the different food tours you can take around town. It covers local craft brewery tours as well.

Stats site FiveThirtyEight has ranked all 40 college football bowls after grading each of them on quality, closeness, and offense. Coming in surprisingly high at number 5 is the Belk Bowl, featuring Virginia Tech vs. Arkansas. It was ranked ahead of three of the big six bowls. The Liberty Bowl is ranked 9th of the 40, not bad either and two spots ahead of the Rose Bowl. The Boca Raton bowl featuring the Memphis Tigers vs. Western Kentucky is middle of the pack at number 20.

One of my former students is an elector for Tennessee, and he tweeted that all 11 of our state’s votes have gone to Trump. However, someone shouted “Trump is fucking nuts” from the gallery. Assuming the electors don’t abandon Trump, this is a great idea:

Now that Memphis has an IKEA, here’s a Thrillist article on the best foods to buy there.

From Food & Wine: Boozy cookie recipes to liven up your holiday party

Uh oh: The Grizzlies are listening to trade offers for Tony Allen. The team has to do what is in its best interest, especially since it is becoming clear that the Grizz are probably going to the playoffs rather than the lottery this season. But damn, FedExForum without The Grindfather would be a hard pill to swallow.

Aldo’s Pizza Pies (both locations) will be closed after 4 PM today for their company Christmas party.

That’s it for now. I’ll probably hit happy hour at Bardog after work. Back tomorrow.

Ghost River gives back this week + more Sunday news

To celebrate the season, Ghost River will be celebrating four days of giving back this week. Good causes, free beer. That’s right. Donate, and Ghost River will give you a free 10 oz. beer. (Note: You have to be at least 21 to get the beer, and no you don’t get 17 beers if you donate 17 items – it only counts as one donation.)

On Wednesday, December 21, the cause is Memphis Pets Alive. Bring pet food or pet supplies to the taproom between 4 and 10:30 PM to claim your free beer.

On Thursday, December 22, donations will be collected for the Memphis Union Mission. Clothing and toiletries are the requested items. 4 to 10:30.

The Mid-South Food Bank is the cause for Friday, December 23. Bring canned food. The hours will be 2 to 10:30.

On Christmas Eve, Saturday, December 24, there’s a special deal involving the Wolf River Conservancy. Purchase a 4 oz. beer, normally $2, for only $1. The other dollar will go to the WRC. Open noon to 5.

If you can’t make it on those days, there are a couple of other ways to participate. There will be a Donations for Gatlinburg box at Ghost River. Drop off toys, gently-used clothes, or new socks and underwear. Marc will be driving the donations to Gatlinburg on Christmas Eve.

You can also give blood before Christmas Eve to get the free beer. Take a selfie of yourself giving blood, and show it at the taproom. (Note: Coming for beer immediately after donating blood is a bad idea.)

Today’s your last chance to see Annie at the Orpheum. There are shows at 1:00 and 6:30 today.

My feet were stylin’ and profilin’ yesterday.

photo-dec-17-10-50-22-am

Everyone at work got a pair of socks this week as part of our office holiday festivities. Based on the pair that was picked out for me, I tend to think that whoever chose them is aware of my after-hours activities. As for the shoes, if you look carefully you will notice the Mid-South Food Bank logo on the heel. Back in April I was walking back from the Memphis Farmers Market, when I noticed them on sale at Stock & Belle. They probably cost $5 to make and I knew that when I bought them, but didn’t mind paying $50 knowing hungry people would get fed. The shoes were made by SoGiv.

From AP News: UPS delivers assault rifle instead of toy for Christmas gift. DAMN RIGHT THEY DID! We’re living in Trump’s America now! The couple, who by the way live in New York state where there are all those LIBERALS, opened the box expecting to find a toy plane for their friend’s son. Instead they found a semi-automatic rifle, scope, stand, and ammo clip. Well, you know what? Maybe their friend’s son needs to stop being such a PUSSY and embrace his new semi-automatic rifle. If he does, maybe he’ll GROW UP and learn to be the MAN that true American heroes like Dick Cheney and Rex Tillerson want him to be.

Damn… I just love human interest stories like this one that show that there is still hope for our country. I bet Ted Nugent writes a song about the UPS delivery. Maybe he will perform it at Trump’s inauguration celebration. If “sweets for the sweet” is true, I bet there will be Cheetos on the buffet at the inauguration.

That’s the news this morning. As for me, here’s what I am about to do:

photo-dec-15-2-07-52-pm

I’m about to roll out to D-RANKS with B-RAD at the Blind Bear. He was off last Sunday, so he has not met my little green-haired troll yet. I can tell him the story of how I rescued her from the Walgreens at 51 and Church Road down in Horn Lake. Some people rescue dogs. I rescue trolls. Hey, maybe I should found the troll equivalent of Streetdog Foundation so there will be a troll rescue nonprofit in Memphis. Doesn’t Start Co. have a branch of their accelerator program for nonprofits? Maybe I could get with them for help getting this thing off the ground. I wonder if the Memphis Farmers Market would let me set up a booth in the spring? You can never have too many trolls at the Farmers Market.

Everyone get out there and enjoy the last normal Sunday for three weeks. Back tomorrow with more news.

A cat convention and Saturday news

Several of my friends are going to be booking plane tickets after they read this. You’ve heard of ComicCon? Well, in Pasadena, California on August 12 and 13, 2017, CatCon happens. Described as “the convention with cattitude,” it’s where pop culture and cat culture meet. One of their goals is to change the negative perception of the “crazy cat lady” and prove that it is possible to be hip, stylish, and have a cat, simultaneously. The convention will showcase some of the world’s top cat-centric merchandise, and a DJ will spin songs about cats. Lil BUB, Nala, White Coffee Cat and Oskar the Blind Cat will be on hand for Meet & Greet sessions.

A really neat-sounding performance called Take the Soul Train to Christmas happens at the Cannon Center today at 3:00 and 7:00 and tomorrow at 3:00. Granddad takes his granddaughters back in time to Christmas during the era of slavery to hear old spirituals and watch African dancing. Next the train stops at the Harlem Renaissance to meet authors of the day and listen to holiday jazz. Next stop is the 1950s to hear Stevie Wonder’s civil rights song ‘Someday at Christmas,’ then on to the 1970s for songs and dances with the Jackson 5. Just before the visit ends, they make a stop in the 1980s for Christmas rap and breakdancing.

Holy sleep, Batman! There’s a Yoga Nidra event at Downtown Yoga from 4:00 to 5:30 this afternoon. Yoga nidra is considered to be the yoga of sleep, and this 90-minute class is said to be the equivalent of 4 hours of REM sleep. It will be an afternoon of relaxation and sound as instructor Kristina guides students through several exercises to build awareness of the breath and different parts of the body. The class will end with an extended savasana (that’s the corpse position) during which Kristina will play her crystal singing bowls.

The Memphis artwork formerly found at the Real2Reel gallery on South Main is back! You can buy it at Life is Good on the Main Street Mall, and today there is a special deal going on from 10 to 3. Buy one get one free on artwork, and there are also free test rides on Segways, and free cookies, coffee, and hot chocolate while supplies last.

This will probably get rained out tonight, but every Saturday there will be a Skate Night with Live DJ at the Fourth Bluff Ice Rink from 6 to 10 PM. $10 fee includes skate rental and time on the ice. There will be skating lessons on Tuesdays at 5:30 and 6:00.

SneakFest with the Memphis Grizzlies happens at FedExForum today from noon to 5. Urban fashion vendors from around the country will be selling footwear, apparel, and accessories. Attendees can bring their own sneakers to buy, sell, or trade with others. There’s a ticket package that includes a seat at tomorrow’s 5 PM Grizzlies game vs. the Utah Jazz.

Villa’Nova, a band from South Carolina, will perform at the Tin Roof in a special free early show today at 5.

There’s a special going on at the Silly Goose this week:

photo-dec-16-7-06-06-pm

Leave it to the Goose to come up with new and inventive ways to add value to customer purchases. Hey Hanin, may I request “Hold the Line” by Toto?

It’s not in the way that you look or the things that you say that you’ll do…

Monday could be an interesting day. The members of the Electoral College will officially cast their votes. Ever since the day after the election, there has been talk about Republican electors abandoning their obligation and voting for someone other than Trump. If 37 Republican electors did this, Trump wouldn’t have a majority, throwing the election to the House of Representatives next month. Now, up until this week, that seemed like a pipe dream to give liberals something to fantasize about now that Bernie Sanders’ campaign is over. However, now that the CIA, FBI, and Director of National Intelligence have all agreed that hackers sanctioned by Russia interfered in the election to benefit Trump, faithless electors become a real possibility. Some may refuse to rubber-stamp this joke of an election and change their vote to Pence, Ryan, Kasich, or whoever their favorite alternative is.

The vote-flipping might not be restricted to the right side of the aisle, either. I betcha there’s an elector or two from New England, having heard about Republican electors’ plans, who changes their vote to Bernie as an f-you to former DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Hillary, and the machine in general. In a rare moment of telling the truth, Trump said that the Democratic primary was rigged against Bernie. Indeed it was.

If Teddy Long were running this election, he’d book a Fatal Four-Way with Trump vs. Pence vs. Hillary vs. Bernie at the Royal Rumble, with the winner getting the presidency and the last person to get pinned becoming vice-president. The Monday Night RAW before the Rumble, he’d book a tag team match, Trump and Pence vs. Hillary and Bernie, with a “can the partners trust each other” storyline. A nice touch would be to bring Nikolai Volkoff out of retirement to interfere in the Rumble match.

Off to Bardog to enjoy this balmy 70 degree weather. For those of you who go to Bardog late tonight, remember, $2 Fireball when it’s snowing. If this sounds unusual, you are not familiar with Memphis weather. Back tomorrow with more news.

 

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.

Thur update #2: Give the gift of assistance and more

Do you have a friend, family member, or business associate who is impossible to shop for? Someone who already has everything, and you don’t know what to give them as a Christmas or holiday gift? Why not visit MIFA’s holiday catalog and honor them with a gift that supports our most vulnerable neighbors.

A $150 Senior Package will give a homebound senior nutritious meals, friendly visits, and safety checks from Meals on Wheels. A $250 Family Package will pay the utility bill and keep the lights on for a family that has fallen on unexpected hard times. A $500 Deluxe Package will fund a spectrum of critical interventions for a senior or family facing a crisis.

Lita Ford plays the New Daisy tonight. Tickets $25-30.

Check out the Memphis Flyer’s cover story this week, Sports Talkin’, profiling some of our local sports radio personalities. I leave the office at 4:45 every day and turn on the Gary Parrish Show for “GP’s 4 notable stories at 4:44” (It rarely actually starts at 4:44; 4:48 is probably the average). The Flyer is right, GP is as likely to talk about news headlines or pop culture stories as he is about sports, especially during that segment. It makes for good entertainment as I’m getting tailgated at 70 MPH by someone checking their Snapchat.

The Blind Bear has announced its New Year’s Eve plans. From 5 to 9 they will serve dinner (menu yet to be announced) at a price of $35 per individual or $60 per couple. From 8:00 on a $17 cover will be charged, with FreeWorld playing starting at 9:30 and photographer Joseph Warner taking pictures. Make reservations at www.blindbearmemphis.com (please indicate whether you will be having dinner or not). I haven’t talked to my friends yet to see what they are doing NYE, but I am leaning in the direction of the Bear that evening. I have never rung in a New Year there, and of my several bar homes it is first among equals. I think it may be time.

I have a request from my friends to be more active on Instagram. Several of my friends either never joined Facebook, my main social media outlet, or they joined it and then decided to leave. From now on I will try to remember to make sure any photos I post to Facebook go to Instagram as well. Follow me on there at @paulryburn.

Friday night at 550 S. Main is the final songwriter night of 2016 from 7 to 9 PM. Locals Mike Mielenhausen, Nick Long and Ben Dayton will make their debut, while Lucciana Costa and Rachel Coats of Bashville (did you mean Nashville, Mark?) join the songwriter night from three hours East of here. Veteran Savannah Long will make her 4th appearance on the stage as well.

NOGA! High Cotton tweeted that there will be no Thursday yoga tonight at the taproom, although the Mojo food truck will be there and the brewers will be canning fresh batches of ESB and Scottish ale.

Stats site FiveThirtyEight has an article about the regions with the fastest startup growth. Pine Bluff, Arkansas??!?! I had no idea! My father’s side of my family is from that region, although I haven’t been down there in many years. My friend Pete has family in that region and travels there frequently. Next time I beat his ass at pool I will have to ask Pete about goings-on in and around Pine Bluff.

Red Stripe beer is being produced in Jamaica once again, for the first time in many years. The first cases of Jamaican Red Stripe have arrived in the U.S.

That’s it for now. I was going to go to the yoga class at High Cotton tonight, but since it has been canceled I guess I will take the evening in a different direction, and sit at the bar at Silly Goose and drink PBR instead.

The limo lives on and more Thursday news

I’m sure some of my readers took the Double J limo to Grizzlies games last season. It was so convenient – you could park in South Main, away from all the hustle and bustle of the Beale Street Entertainment District with all its traffic and parking garages. You could get a snack at Double J and then catch a limo ride to the game and then back to your car.

Well, this season the Downtown Double J location is no more, as the owners closed it to focus on the West Memphis location and their new food truck business. What does that mean for the limo? Is it no more as well? Do you have to go to West Memphis to catch limo rides to the Grizzlies now?

No, in fact you can still catch limo rides from South Main, practically in the same location as before! The limo will be picking Grizzlies fans up from Max’s Sports Bar, right across the street from the former Double J, and giving them rides to the games and back. This service will be provided throughout the entire season.

The Fourth Bluff has announced some of the vendors that will be at the Downtown ice skating rink Friday and Saturday. KPreSha Boutique will be there, as will as Traci Lynn Jewelry and Downtown Candle Co.

“Million Dollar Quartet,” the upcoming CMT television series which spent 70 hours and $6 million filming in Memphis, has been renamed “Sun Records.” The TV show was originally based on the story of an impromptu 1956 jam session between Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis. However, it has evolved into a look into the music universe created by Sun Records and its founder, Sam Phillips. The series will premiere February 23.

I want to send a shout-out to Draper’s Catering. They catered holiday brunch at my office yesterday and did an outstanding job. Look at this plate of food!

photo-dec-14-11-07-39-am

If was an office brunch, so no, there were no mimosas or PBR. I did brunch wrong though, violating an important rule: If it’s green, there’s no room for it on your plate. Look at that salad, taking up valuable bacon space! Suggestion for caterers: Put a sign near the salad saying “There’s bacon later in the buffet, save room.”

I finally found the menu online for Belle Tavern, the bar with the entrance in Barboro Alley half a block east of Main. Go to their website, give the background a few seconds to load, and either click the word menu or scroll down. That may seem obvious, but I’ve visited their website a couple of times before and the first thing I saw was UNDER CONSTRUCTION in big letters. I assumed “there’s nothing here yet” and left without looking around. They really need to get that message off their main page. If you’re a bar and you have your hours, your menu, and your cocktail menu listed, your website is not under construction. You may still have further improvements planned, but with those elements you have a functional website.

Streets Ministries is the third recipient of a grant funded by Beale Bucks that were not cashed in. On Saturday nights, there has been a $10 cover on Beale, with those paying getting $7 in Beale Bucks to spend in the entertainment district. Streets Ministries serves Memphis’ toughest neighborhoods, providing a safe environment for students as well as educational, athletic, spiritual, and mentor-based programming.

Off to work. I may have more news at lunchtime.

Wed update: Cavs, live music, Annie, yoga and more

The Grizzlies host the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight at 7 PM at FedExForum. This is the second game of a Memphis-Cleveland back-to-back, following last night’s game which Memphis dropped to Cleveland 103-86. However, Coach Fiz chose to rest Marc Gasol last night and the Grizz were not expected to win. With Gasol back on the floor and with home court advantage, the Grizzlies should be more competitive tonight.

Whoa! The Cavs are resting LeBron, Kyrie, and Kevin Love tonight! We’re probably gonna win this!

If you’re in the mood for some live music this evening, Bobbie & Tasha play The Dirty Crow Inn from 7 to 10 PM.

The musical Annie is at the Orpheum this week through Sunday.

Happy New Year, YOGA! Downtown Yoga is starting a new 6-week Beginners’ Series on January 2. The classes will happen on Tuesday evenings at 6:45. If you’ve never done yoga before, this is the perfect way to learn the fundamentals, the breathing, the asanas (poses). Visit downtownyogamemphis.com to learn more. It’s a great way to begin a life-long practice… or a 6-week practice and then a return to Cool Ranch Doritos and Netflix on the couch, whatever works for you.

I saw on Downtown Yoga’s Specials page that there’s “Love for Sale” this holiday season. Let me make it clear, this is not the same kind of “Love” that was for sale down the street at Earnestine & Hazel’s 35 years ago. Rather, you can give the gift of yoga – buy someone 5 classes for $50, and while supplies last they will throw in a free yoga mat, eye pillow, or Downtown Yoga T-shirt.

WTF is an eye pillow? Wikipedia to the rescue.

In other yoga news, CorePower Yoga founder Trevor Tice was found dead in his home in San Diego Monday afternoon. Suspicious circumstances were indicated. The yoga world will miss Tice, but at least DDP is still with us. There are some very qualified yoga instructors here in Memphis, but for my readers who do yoga, I’d like you to ask your instructor a question at your next class. Ask them if they’ve ever dressed up as La Parka and given “Macho Man” Randy Savage a Diamond Cutter.

Give the gift of the South this holiday season. The Center for Southern Folklore’s online store has holiday collections including a Music CD Sampler, Yesterday’s Memphis, a Memphis Soul Sampler, a Memphis Music Sampler, and an Elvis Sampler.

Our President-Elect, ladies and gentlemen:

You know how there’s Kermit and Evil Kermit? There are no Trump and Evil Trump. There’s only Evil Trump.

Ugh… we need something to cleanse our minds of the image above, so here’s this… No one loves baths more than this tiny pug puppy

Taco Bell jewelry is a thing now. My God.

That’s all the news that’s (maybe) fit to print for now. Time to get through an afternoon at work then happy hour at Silly Goose.