Wednesday update

New restaurant/nightclub Atomic Rose opens to the public today at 4:30 PM. Atomic Rose, which calls itself a LGBTQ-friendly establishment, will have retro night with DJ Tree this evening. A cover charge will begin around 10:00, based on occupancy. The cover charge per night will be between $10 and $20. It will be open Wednesday through Sunday with a variety of entertainment including karaoke, various types of dance music, and on Sundays a drag show.

Next week is Shark Week, the Discovery Channel’s week full of programming to help viewers understand sharks better. Cordelia’s Market will be streaming the channel on its north patio, and there will be shark-themed food in the deli.

Speaking of Cordelia’s, tomorrow is the monthly Meet Your Neighbors Dinner at the market. All who live on Mud Island are welcome at this event, which runs 5:00-7:00. Dinner plates will be available for $12, and guests will be able to purchase beer and wine if they wish.

Front Street will be closed between Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. and Pontotoc Ave. today through Saturday 7 AM to 9 PM. Based on a letter a friend of mine who lives in the area got on his door, it appears the closure is for the filming of new TV series Bluff City Law.

Jobs, jobs, jobs! TRUE Sports is moving Downtown to two floors in One Commerce Square, bringing 35 employees down here. Welcome! You’ve got some great lunch spots nearby: McEwen’s, Bardog, Little Tea Shop, and Huey’s, to name a few. For snacks and sweets, be sure to visit The Peanut Shoppe on Main.

More scooters are coming Downtown. Spin is the newest e-scooter company to put its vehicles on city streets. I’m generally not a fan of the scooters, but this Memphis Flyer article indicates that this company is more socially responsible than Bird or Lime. They have a program called Spin Access, making use of the scooters possible for riders who don’t have a credit card, smartphone, or device with GPS. Cheers for making transportation available to all! They also detect when the scooters are ridden into areas where they don’t belong and automatically slow them down.

South of Beale is getting a new home. The owner bought the old Ambassador Hotel right down the street on South Main and will move the restaurant there. SOB has been so successful that it needed to be in a larger space.

Chef Demitrie at The Brass Door is rolling out a small plates menu on Fridays. The menu will change every week, and this Friday the menu will have a Spanish and Latin theme. Offerings will include

  • Frijoles Charro with chorizo – $8
  • Ceviche with pico de gallo – $7
  • Shrimp tacos with chipotle cream – $9
  • Gazpacho – $5
  • Steak chimichurri soft taco – $10

The Blind Bear is hosting a cigar brunch with a cigar roller on site Sunday, September 1 from noon to 6 PM.

The Cousins Maine Lobster food truck will be at the Memphis Farmers Market this Saturday.

The annual Tennessee sales tax holiday is this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Purchases of clothing up to $100, school supplies up to $100, and computers up to $1500 will not be charged sales tax during that time.

A new clothing store called 901 2 504 has opened in The Edge at 676 Marshall. Why the name? One of the partners is from Memphis, while the other is from New Orleans where the area code is 504.

Woof Wednesday returns to AutoZone Park for tonight’s game. Dog owners can purchase a special ticket to get themselves and their pet admission.

Those of you who commute to other parts of town have probably discovered this already: Extra officers are patrolling Memphis interstates. They are aiming to curb aggressive drivers. This is a good thing! I have been saying for years, the cops need to go after these drivers who make travel in Memphis so dangerous, not the guy going 72 in a 65.

Teachers, save the date: There will be bingo at Loflin Yard August 13, 15, 16, and 18 and teachers get an extra bingo card.

WWE Smackdown Live will be at FedExForum next Tuesday. Announced names include World champ Kofi Kingston, Drew McIntyre, Samoa Joe, Roman Reigns, and Dolph Ziggler. Not announced but almost surely there to take away TV time from up-and-coming talent: Shane McMahon. Also, it’s rumored that Hall of Famer Trish Stratus may come out of retirement to face Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam, so it’s very possible Trish may show up on Smackdown to get the wheels in motion to set up that match.

Sunday at 4 PM, Street Church Under the Trees will pop up at Court Square. At this event, Unitarian Universalists and friends will share a conversation about new beginnings.

I watched an hour of the Mueller testimony and then turned the TV off. Here’s a summary for those of you who were lucky enough not to watch:

  • Democrats tried to get Mueller to say that Trump checked all three boxes for requirements to prove obstruction of justice
  • Republicans tried to get Mueller to explain why he indicted some people who lied to his team and not others. They also painted the two-year Special Counsel investigation as a waste of taxpayer money. (Hello! What about Trump’s golf trips?)
  • Mueller said “I’ll refer to what’s in the report” and “I can’t get into that” a lot

It’s all a dog-and-pony show. Nothing will change. It’s all just a bunch of grandstanding to fire up the respective bases. I’m sick of it all. None of these clowns work on behalf of their constituents anymore. All they care about is either putting or keeping themselves and their party in power. I’m sad for those of you who are too young to remember a time when Congress worked across the aisle, in a civil manner, for the good of the country.

And, look at the message these bozos send young Americans. It’s OK to be completely disrespectful of those who disagree with you. It’s OK to condone baser traits like white supremacy if those displaying those traits can help you get what you want. Compromise is for wussies.

I’ll get off my soapbox now. For the next little while, I may miss a day posting, as I did yesterday, so I can step up my game on this “where does my career take me next” thing. Back tomorrow or Friday with more news.