Max’s Sports Bar recently turned 10, but their 10th birthday fell on New Year’s Eve, a rather awkward evening to have a celebration and surely a night when many of their regulars would have other plans. So they deferred the celebration to two weeks later, Saturday, January 13.
PRO TIP: Anytime you see “Food by Glaze” at Max’s, come hungry.
Friends for Life is throwing a big gay dance party at Stop 345 tonight. Ticket includes unlimited keg beer from local breweries. There will also be a cash bar. There’s also a VIP ticket that gets you open bar.
The Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team hosts Tulsa at 3 this afternoon at FedExForum. Oh reminds me… let me share a story with you I heard on GP’s 4 Notable Stories at 4:44 yesterday. Antonio Anderson, who played for the best Tiger’s basketball team in school history (the one that got to the NCAA finals) and who played the most games of anyone on the team all 4 years he was here, was going to be in New York City the day of the Memphis-Louisville game at Madison Square Garden. He called the U of M athletic department and said he’d be in town, and asked if he could get tickets. He was told he had to BUY the tickets. WTF? Any reasonable head coach would have got him tickets AND an invitation to the locker room to speak to the players.
Gary Parrish went on to say that Tiger alumni Anderson, Chris Douglas-Roberts, and Derrick Rose contacted the university and said if they could do anything for the men’s basketball program, they would. They got no response. Again, WTF. That’s it. I’m done with Tubby. He doesn’t get Memphis basketball in the least.
Bleus (& Blues) & Brews returns to Wiseacre on Saturday, January 27. The taproom opens at 1, but at 2 and 4 they’ll have pairings of blue cheeses from around the world with Wiseacre beers. In the evening, a blues duo featuring TO Crivens will play and there will be no cover. Tickets to the cheese and beer pairings are $20 and include a short brewery tour. Purchase tickets here.
Regina’s Cajun Kitchen at 60 N. Main has announced that breakfast will be available 8-10:30 AM Tuesday-Saturday starting January 9.
MemphisWeather.net has forecast highs of near 60 Wednesday and lower 60s Thursday. That is going to feel so good!
I feel the need to say a few words about Jason Doty, recently sentenced to 25 years without parole for assault and neglect of his 3-month-old son. Jason reached out to me in 2012 on Twitter and struck me as a friendly fellow trying to make a name for himself in the Memphis food scene. He introduced himself as a big fan of my blog, and a baker at Bluff City Coffee. He asked my help getting the word out about food and events he was associated with. I told him I’m all about promoting good things happening in my neighborhood, so absolutely. He sent me a friend request on Facebook, and although I had never met him in person I felt completely comfortable accepting. I heard about random acts of kindness associated with Jason, of him randomly showing up at offices Downtown with gifts of muffins and baked goods. When he announced he’d be opening a bakery in Midtown, I hoped for his success.
But then I began to hear things. Or rather, read things. People started posting on Twitter that Jason had a history of violence against women. Now, when I heard the first claim, I dismissed it. But many other women tweeted similar stories. Some of the women were friends of mine in real life. Others were women I had never met, but their reputation on Twitter was solid to the point that I took their claims very seriously. I unfriended Jason on Facebook, never mentioned anything he was involved with on my blog again, and had no further contact with him. In an early #MeToo victory, the combined force of the women on social media convinced his investors to pull out of the bakery they had planned.
Since his recent conviction, I have learned that other people, people well-respected in the community and who I would in most cases consider good judges of character were fooled by Jason too. He reached out to them, as he did me, and put on a friendly face, investing time and even money into their endeavors. They were as shocked as I was when the accusations came out. It’s a lesson to be remembered – sometimes the most awful people on the inside can be the most charming on the outside.
In recent years (and in part because of who occupies the White House) I’ve done a good bit of reading about how to recognize a sociopath. I’m not saying Jason is a sociopath, because I do not have the clinical degrees and experience to make that diagnosis. However, I would encourage all of you to do some reading on this topic. It might save you a lot of grief and energy further on down the road.
All right, time for me to go put in some hours of service at an animal-related organization ’round the corner. I’m all about the service, you know. Back tomorrow with more news.
Really nice place. I would recommend checking it out if you haven’t already. It’s on Carolina Avenue just east of Main. PRO TIP: If you go during the day, hit the candy store across the street.
