Hi everyone,
I’ve been doing a little spring cleaning, in the winter because when spring gets here I won’t have the time. I have identified several swag items that while are cool to say I own them, I don’t get any benefit out of them and they are cluttering up my place. So, I would like to see if any of my readers want them.
The first item, as I mentioned in this morning’s post, is a “COCKAWHAT?” T-shirt, size men’s XL, from the Cockadoos breakfast and lunch restaurant that operated on Second Street from approximately 2008 to 2012. The shirt is white with blue lettering and trim. It stayed open all night on the weekends, so maybe someone has fond memories of the place and would like a souvenir. Just thought I’d ask before throwing it away. Should definitely be washed before wearing.
The second item is a gong with the Gekkeikan sake logo on it. I won it when I came in (I think) fifth place at a Blind Bear poker league final table in 2014. It is about 15 inches in diameter, hangs on a sturdy wooden frame, and comes with a rubber mallet. It’s a nice gong that is powerful enough to get people’s attention. Total weight of gong and frame is (I’m guessing) four pounds and could be carried with one hand.
When I won it I thought “oh, that’s gonna go to BBQ Fest” but the fact is, it’s just one more thing that we’d have to haul in and out of there and worry about getting stolen. It isn’t a good fit for the Moody Ques but maybe one of the other party teams wants it, or someone else who throws parties or events and needs a unique way to command attention.
The third item is a cooler with Mexican beer logos (Dos Equis and Tecate), strong, solid wooden frame. I won this at a drawing at the Flying Saucer in 2009. It weighs about 15 pounds. It is about two feet wide by one and a half feet long by one foot deep. It would take two hands to carry. It holds (again guessing) about 18 beers. Therein lies the problem. Again I thought “this is going to BBQ Fest” but what good would it do? We’d have to haul it in and out, 18 beers would last about 3 minutes in our booth, and again it would probably get stolen. This would be a perfect conversation piece for someone with a home bar who is into Mexican beer.
The fourth item is a swag bag from the 2012 Folk Alliance convention in Memphis. It’s full of CDs and promotional materials. It’s sat on my bedroom floor for five years. I would throw this away, but I thought a music lover who is curious what happens at a folk music convention might want it.
The fifth item is three Grizzlies T-shirts that were part of a swag package they mailed to me sometime around 2010. There are two Marc Gasol shirts and one Z-bo shirt. These are all thin white cotton and I would guess they were promotional items for games that season. All are size men’s XL. The Marc ones are pretty basic, with GRIZZLIES 33 and the Sonic logo on the front and GASOL 33 on the back. The Zach shirt is pretty cool, though, with an image of him taking a shot screen-printed.
The sixth item is a Tennessee Brewery: The Revival growl towel that I picked up at the brewery the last Saturday of April 2015. The towel is a standard sized growl towel, blue with yellow lettering. If you’ve seen my profile pic on here, the giveaway towel is exactly the same as the one I was holding. The brewery had a watch party for a Grizzlies playoff game and gave a towel to everyone who attended. I asked if I could have an extra towel for someone who was out of town that weekend for death by PowerPoint for work. However, I never got the chance to give it to them.
Okay, if you want any of these items, here are the rules:
If I agree to give you the item, you must contact me and make arrangements to meet me where I am to pick it up. And I’m usually at bars – Melissa Monday at Bardog on Mondays, Jessica’s bar at Silly Goose Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11 AM brunch at Bardog on Saturdays (Farmers Market off-season), D-RANKS with B-RAD at Blind Bear at 11 AM on Sundays. So most likely you will be meeting me at a bar to pick up your item. You can contact me at paul@paulryburn.com or on Facebook. I forget to check my Twitter DMs so that’s a less reliable way to get a hold of me.
No I won’t drive across the city to drop items off. If you live in my building or within 3 blocks or so of my building, perhaps we can make arrangements for a drop-off.
No I won’t box up the stuff and take it to the post office. That sounds too much like physical labor. If you need confirmation that I am not a fan of physical labor, I can supply references.
When you contact me, you must tell me why you want the item and what you plan on doing with it. I don’t want to give this stuff away and then see it listed on eBay a day later. I want these items to be appreciated and enjoyed by local Memphians.
It’s not whoever asks for it first. I will sit back and see what comes in for a few days before deciding who gets what. These items have been crapping up my apartment for years. Another few days or a week or a month won’t kill me.
In the case of the T-shirts and growl towel, priority will be given to 1) people who I personally know are huge Grizzlies fans; 2) people who would not otherwise be able to afford a Grizzlies-themed item. In the case of the towel, those with special memories of the brewery will be given preference.
Thanks for reading, folks. If you want any of this stuff, hit me up.