The folks who run Longshot, the bar in the basement of the Arrive Hotel with 5 shuffleboard tables, made an announcement yesterday: They’ll be back Wednesday, April 28. More to follow. I hear they’ve been working on a new and even more awesome menu. Cannot wait to be in there again.
The Daily Memphian’s headline article this morning discusses how restaurants are dealing with a shortage of employees. Several owners and managers make a valid point – everyone blames the government, but restaurants also compete with a booming logistics industry for employees. That industry creates a ton of part-time positions that pay quite well, and in that industry, you don’t have to deal with customers who won’t wear a mask because “it’s all a hoax.”
Also in the DM: 2021 NIT champions the Memphis Tigers will play in the 2021-2022 pre-season NIT in November. Opening rounds will be at local sites (including possibly FedExForum) with the final two rounds in Brooklyn around Thanksgiving. Xavier, Virginia Tech, and Iowa State will join the Tigers in the tournament, giving Memphis some chances to impress the NCAA tournament selection committee early in the season.
The South Main Association has their monthly South Main Social at Beck & Call, the new rooftop bar atop the Hyatt Centric, tonight at 6. Jason Wexler, president of the Memphis Grizzlies, will speak. I imagine a rep of the new hotel will speak too. Someone should ask what Carlisle corporate management is doing to work with the city to get cruising downtown, and the related shootings that sometimes break out as a result, under control.
In case you’re curious how outsiders see our city: Jacksonville, Florida magazine The Jaxson has a tour of the Memphis Riverfront.
The Masonic Lodge Building at Fourth and Court was sold last week to a local developer. The developer wants to save the building, and possible uses include law firm offices or a hotel. One issue that will have to be figured out is that the building pre-dates the automobile era, and therefore there is no parking.
Blind Bear people (and anyone else willing to do your favorite blogger a favor) – please take a moment to vote for Mary so she can be featured in Yoga Journal. You can vote once per day and there are about 3 calendar days (counting today) left to vote.
It’s National Peach Cobbler Day. Good day to travel out to The Edge for some of Chef Tam’s peach cobbler nachos, perhaps?
If you haven’t gotten vacc’d yet, tomorrow is Wide Open Wednesday at the Pipkin Building. Just show up between 7 AM and 7 PM. No appointment needed! The sooner we all get vacc’d, the sooner these stupid restrictions will go bye-bye.
The Grizz got a win over Chicago last night. However, San Antonio got a W as well, so Memphis’ hold on 8th place in the Western Conference remains at only 1 game. Next up: Memphis hosts Dallas tomorrow at 8:30. NATIONAL TV ALERT: The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
If FedExForum doesn’t host any more opening-round March Madness tournaments for years to come, you can thank the misogynistic, homophobic assholes in Nashville. Our piece of shit state legislature recently passed legislation barring transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports. The NCAA has reserved the right to hold its events in locations that are free from discrimination. I don’t blame them. Laws like this one make me embarrassed to be a Southerner.
Ya know, I don’t get into religious/spiritual beliefs much on here, but just this once, I’m gonna let it fly. I believe we are all part of God, and that we were given the same creation powers that God (him/her/it)self has. Therefore, if a person born as a man feels he’d be more comfortable living his life in a woman’s body (or vice-versa), that it would be a truer expression of who she really is, I view that as a Godly decision.
I mean, we humans in the 21st century have the ability to change another human’s gender. Where do you think that ability came from? Hint: Three letters, rhymes with “Rod” and “Todd.”
Happy Tuesday, YOGA! Free yoga tonight on the river 5:30-6:30. Bring a mat, towel, and water. If you don’t want to leave the house because you’re afraid of getting the virus, there’s an Instagram option.
Watch 25+ SXSW shorts for free
WTF is going on in Michigan??? COVID Act Now has them at 73.9 cases per 100K and a positivity rate of 15.7% currently. That’s about as bad as Memphis had it in late December/early January. The governor has asked people to avoid indoor restaurants and for schools to go virtual and cancel youth sports for two weeks. The restrictions are voluntary though. By comparison, Shelby County is at 12.4 cases per 100K and a positive test rate of 4.3%.
I don’t listen to the Shelby County COVID task force press conferences anymore, but I follow @local24brad who tweets updates in real-time.
Interesting fact I learned from Morning Brew today: You can turn any Youtube video into a GIF by placing “gif” in front of “youtube” in the URL. Here’s a GIF of Mandy Rose falling down the ramp on her entrance to Wrestlemania.
That’s it for this post. Probably going to take a few days off from going out after an unexpectedly entertaining weekend. Back tomorrow with more news.