Wednesday update

I was a bad boy yesterday. My plan for after work yesterday was to run to the bank, get a haircut, run down to STIX for their $50-gift-card-for-$25 sale, then come home and work on my professional writing career.

I ran to the bank, got a haircut, went to STIX, then crossed over the parking lot at Second and Gayoso to get back to Main Street… well, hey, there’s the Blind Bear! I suppose it’d be rude for me to walk right by without even stopping in to say hello.

If someone knows of a course entitled “How to Say Hello in Less Than 3 ½ Hours,” let me know.

The University of Memphis men’s basketball team tips off at home tonight, hosting Arkansas State at 7. Those attending tonight’s game will want to note FedExForum changes related to COVID-19.

The Daily Memphian has great coverage of the COVID-19 task force press conference yesterday, so for the most part I will turn you over to them for complete information. Some highlights:

  • There was some confusion about parties being hosted in an enclosed tent, as happened at In Love on Winchester Saturday night. A tent is still an “enclosed space” and is not subject to the same rules as outdoor events. Apparently Health Department inspectors onsite didn’t understand this.
  • Dr. Haushalter indicated that all restaurants will follow the same rules going forward, whether they are full-service or limited-service. She never directly said it but I got the sense that the tripwire closing ONLY limited-service restaurants AKA bars if 450 new cases/day threshold may not be relevant anymore. Whether that’s a good thing or bad thing  I can’t say.
  • By the way, Dr. H’s response was to a Memphis Business Journal reporter who asked, “With hospitalizations up, how is it that bars are allowed to still operate?” If I had an MBJ subscription, I’d consider canceling it due to the tone of that question. I invite that reporter to visit Bardog or Blind Bear sometime. My friends who own bars are doing everything by the rules. Don’t blame them for the surge when the real problem is people who have symptoms but go to work anyway.

Pink Pig Apparel is back online for a limited time. The brand made famous by Shelton Clothiers more than 10 years ago is back for your holiday shopping needs, with men’s polos, baseball caps, and women’s tees.

If you did No-Shave November, you could get a free McRib for posting a photo of your clean-shaven face to social media today.

Although I’m done with web development as a career, I’m still on job email lists. Usually, I just delete the emails without ever clicking into the jobs, but this one sounded interesting: Developer/Programmer/Hacker. Sounds like you’d have to work your ass off but you’d be in on the ground floor of a startup with a great idea and would have potential to rise to Chief Technical Officer. The URL makes it appear the job is with a New Jersey company, but really, in web development during COVID times, nearly every job is remote. If you know someone in IT who would be excited about this opportunity, pass it along.

I want to give a shout-out to Larry, a new stylist at Rachel’s Salon at 10 N. Main yesterday who did a fabulous job cutting my hair while my regular stylist takes some time off. Although he has years of experience, he’s new to the salon and still building up a clientele, so go see him if you need someone new to do your hair. Conversation with him yesterday:

“Now, if we take three inches off, that’s going to hit right at your shoulder blades. Is that where you want it?”

“That’s perfect.”

My mom would roll over in her grave if she heard that conversation. Now that I think about it, Silver who cut my hair 2004-2006 would too.

Visible Music College will host a free virtual event with Christmas classics tonight beginning at 6:30. The college also plans to release an album with the songs performed tonight.

Donald Trump’s vice-president/narcissistic enabler Mike Pence will be in town tomorrow for a coronavirus discussion.

From Local Memphis: The “heart” of the Orpheum, The Mighty Wurlitzer, has returned

The Best Times, a magazine for active mature Mid-Southerners and the old coots who sit at the corner table at Max’s, has an article about the Downtown Memphis Christmas tree.

Seeing a report that Union was closed from Danny Thomas to Riverside this morning at 12:54 AM… I assume it’s back open now, but I wonder what that was about? Anybody know?

There’s a part-time server position open at The Sheraton on North Main across from the Convention Center.

Grizzly Bear Blues: Jaren Jackson Jr.’s absence at the start of the 2020-21 season will allow other young players to develop. Brandon Clarke will have the biggest opportunity to shine.

You know the Trumpster is screwed in his bid to claim election fraud when even Attorney General Bil Barr disagrees.

That’s it for today. Got several articles I’m writing for Medium in the pipeline, so it is extremely unlikely I will go out after work. Back tomorrow with more news.

Tuesday update

One more reminder: Today is buy a $50 gift card for $25 day at Stix Downtown. That is a screaming deal on some yummy fast-casual Asian food. Take a look at their menu to see what they have. I am not sure if there are any restrictions that come with these gift cards as there often are with Downtown restaurant gift card sales; might want to ask before you order. I personally am willing to put up with a few restrictions to get a Grizz Burrito or some Filet Mignon Hibachi for effectively half off.

The big story in Memphis coming out of the weekend was a party called The All Black Party thrown by Curtis Givens at his club In Love Memphis at 7144 Winchester. The good news was, the party was outside, which is safer than indoors as relates to the spread of COVID. Bad news, there were hundreds of people gathered, with no social distancing and hardly any masking. Discussions on Facebook indicate there may have been people who attended this party after having received a recent positive test for COVID.

I watched a press conference yesterday afternoon by Dr. Stephen Threlkeld, a local infectious disease expert, and he explained how this party was so dangerous because it has the potential for spread on top of spread. Meaning, two weeks from now, people who attended the party will be sick with COVID. Even worse, four weeks from now, the parents and grandparents of those who attended the party will be sick with COVID, and because of their age they will be more likely to require hospitalization, overwhelming the system.

To the people who attended the party: Look, no judgment here. I’m bored AF and I know you are too. But please, please go get tested, and if you’re positive isolate yourself, especially from the elderly people in your lives. And be aware that if you attend more events like Saturday night’s, a second Safer at Home order will be inevitable.

Hospitals are starting to cancel elective surgeries due to the surge in COVID-19. I want to say a word about this. My mom had a knee replacement around 2010. My grandmother had a hip replacement in 1988. Both of those, I believe, would technically be considered elective surgeries. But both my mom and my grandmother would have been left in pain and unable to walk for weeks had they needed those surgeries this month.

This morning’s Daily Memphian headline: Is there data to show diners get infected at local restaurants? Health Department refuses to provide it. Dr. Haushalter, head of the department, has received numerous calls from media over the past week but has not returned them, nor has city mayor Strickland. County mayor Harris says he’s “seen all kinds of data” but won’t elaborate. I bet today’s COVID-19 press conference will be a heated one. The Thanksgiving holiday allowed officials to escape accountability for over a week, but the clock is running down.

Wiseacre 2 (the Downtown location) is hiring for beer & food prep for its taproom:

South Main Sounds will stream Christy Lynn Band (Duo) online tonight at 6:30.

If you’re running in the virtual Memphis marathon this Saturday, WMC Action News 5 has tips to get the most out of the experience.

From The Guardian: Since he lost the election, Trump is losing Twitter followers while Biden is gaining them. I guess pretty soon Trump will call Twitter “the enemy of the state” and encourage his followers to delete their accounts and join him on Parler.

That’s it for today! It’s possible I will do a COVID-19 press conference recap after work, but I have a haircut appointment at 1:30 so I’m not positive I will be able to fit one in. I should be back no later than tomorrow with more news.