Monday update

Today’s the big day: The series premiere of Bluff City Law, the law drama starring Jimmy Smits on NBC at 9 tonight. Over the weekend I’ve been asked, “Are there any bars Downtown that are going to show the premiere?” Normally I would say yes…

… But here’s the thing. The show is premiering on Monday night, which means it’s up against Monday Night Football. A lot of people are going to want to watch that too, and it’s traditional for bars to show sports on TV even if they aren’t sports bars. Let’s see who’s playing… the Chicago Bears and the Washington Redskins. Da Bearsss have fans nationwide. Also, MNF will have been on for an hour and 45 minutes by the time Bluff City Law comes on, giving bar patrons plenty of time to get emotionally invested in the game and want to see the end of it. In addition to that, there are going to be people who aren’t necessarily Bears or Redskins fans but who have some of their players on their fantasy football team.

My advice? The more TVs a bar has, the more likely you are to get them to tune one of them to Bluff City Law. Of course, there’s always the watch party in Court Square if you don’t mind being outdoors.

Iconic late-night bar Printer’s Alley in Midtown has been temporarily shut down as a public nuisance. Undercover officers bought both drugs and illegal liquor there over a four-year period. The owners have to appear in Environmental Court this week, at which time it will be determined whether the bar will be allowed to reopen, and if so what steps the owners must take. Printer’s Alley was one of only a few remaining Memphis bars that was grandfathered in to the current liquor laws and could therefore stay open past 3 AM.

I found out something interesting about one of the Memphis Farmers Market vendors, Thistle and Bee, this weekend. They are a nonprofit that provides jobs for victims of human trafficking and prostitution. So when you shop with them, you are helping young ladies get to a better place in life. I’m told they are known for their homemade granola, their honey, and mint & lemon balm tea. I forgot to take a note on which of my Facebook friends posted about that, but whoever it was, thank you for sharing.

Puck Food Hall at 409 S. Main is having a tasting party Wednesday from 5:30-8:30 to welcome Dr. Bean’s Coffee as its newest vendor. This is a good chance to sample all of the vendors at one time. There are 5:30 and 6:30 tasting rounds and tickets are $50 for adults, $25 for kids.

The Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Opera Memphis are teaming up for Opening Weekend with Opera Classics at the Cannon Center this Saturday.

UGGGHHH I just checked the MemphisWeather.net forecast and it is mostly not good. Tonight and tomorrow, lows are expected to be in the 60s. However, “humidity returns” is in the Wednesday forecast, with a high near 90. Highs creep up into the low 90s later in the week and will be back in the mid 90s on Sunday. Extended forecast for September 30-October 6 shows a very high probability of above-normal temperatures. Remember last fall, when the temperatures stayed in the upper 80s past the middle of October, then fell like a rock into the 40s and 50s? I have a feeling that’s coming.

No idea if Bardog is back open today. If I find out I’ll post.

Off to work then the bank. The University of Memphis FINALLY approved my VALIC withdrawal last Tuesday, so I want to see if the money has hit my account yet. Back tomorrow with more news.