Author: paulryburn

Today is International Tiger Day. Why not celebrate by going ahead and purchasing those Memphis Tigers football or basketball season tickets you’ve had your eye on for a few years now?

Cold front, cold front, we love you: A cold front is predicted to roll through Memphis sometime Thursday or Friday. It will usher out the dangerous heat we’ve had the past several weeks. FOX 13 forecast after that:

• Fri: 87/72
• Sat: 88/71
• Sun: 89/72

D&B, techno, and more genres come to Flyway Brewing in The Edge Friday night for an event called Divergent. DJ lineup will be

• FERB (MAD Events)
• Jos.Heat (Bodywerk)
• Kurvball
• Mirdo (Exile DJs)
• Rosamii

Doors at 8. Music 9 to 2. $10.

It’s National Chicken Wing Day… seems like there are several of those a year, doesn’t it? Smoked wings at either Central BBQ or Momma’s would be my pick.

Makeda’s Cookies handed out dolphin-shaped cookies Saturday to remember and celebrate Young Dolph. Sunday would have been the rapper’s 40th birthday.

The Greater Memphis Chamber seeks a Chairman’s Circle coordinator.

Penny’s men’s basketball Memphis Tigers will play an exhibition game vs. Auburn in Atlanta on Oct. 30.

Downtown’s skyline will soon change as St. Jude adds a 16-story research center on its campus.

Last night the $6 cover charge I paid to get in the Union Mission proved to be worth it. I got a badly needed shower – goodbye greasy hair! – and Kirby Woods Baptist brought us a delicious dinner of fried chicken tenders, green beans with pork and onions, mashed potatoes, corn, and peaches. It took about 3 minutes for me to fall asleep after my head hit the pillow.

Tonight I’m gonna stay out of the Mission and go see #VoteForAllison at Earnestine & Hazel’s. By the way – on the official online voting form, Allison is listed as serving at another restaurant. Don’t worry about that. Go ahead and vote for her anyway!

Hey, how about a list?

TOP 10 THINGS I DON’T MISS ABOUT THE UNION MISSION ON NIGHTS I DON’T STAY THERE

1. People who talk to themselves – FAR AND AWAY number one!!!!!! As irritating as the other nine items on this list combined!
2. Top bunks – since I’m under 60 and don’t walk with a walker or cane, most nights I get assigned one. I swear, one of these days I’m gonna fall out.
3. People who walk around in hoodies (with the hoods up) in July – the Mission is climate controlled at about 72 degrees most of the time. There’s no need for a hood. It seems to me like the wearers are trying to hide from the world.
4. People who use a toilet (for either number one or two) and then unroll an entire roll of toilet paper and throw it in there – WHY??????
5. Individually wrapped bags of chips served at dinner – because a lot of people will pocket those chips to eat in bed later. Crinkle, crinkle, crinkle, crunch, crunch, crunch, SMACK, SMACK, SMACK as I’m trying to fall asleep. Mamas, please teach your babies to chew with their mouth closed.
6. The phrase “Like a motherfucker” as an adverb meaning “very” – e.g. “Now, Fred, he tall like a motherfucker.”
7. People who’ve been staying there for more than a year, but still ask what time dinner is multiple times a day – it’s 5 PM. It’s always 5!!!!! It doesn’t change from day to day!
8. Chapel audience members who call out, “Take your time, preacher” – DON’T ENCOURAGE THEM!!!
9. People who gulp down their dinner tray in 3 minutes – some of the folks who stay at the Mission would make great competitive eaters. Most nights the food is not bad. Why not savor it a little?
10. People who don’t watch where they’re going – they’ll make 90 or 180 degree turns on a dime without slowing down at all and run right into someone. (This can also be experienced at the Memphis Farmers Market.)

I hope you’ve enjoyed my list. Back tomorrow with more news.

I gratefully accept tips:
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

No, I’m not kidding.

From Thursday to Sunday, ESPN8: The Ocho is back on the air. It’s a celebration of the absurd and obscure in the sports world. There will be two prime-time Savannah Bananas games, combining baseball and performance art. There will be dodgeball. Pop-a-Shot. Corgi races. An auctioneers’ championship.

And the sport in which the Tennessee Vols will build a dynasty…

(It sure isn’t football…)

OUTHOUSE RACES!!!

I mean, can you think of a sport that screams, “GOOD OL’ ROCKY TOP… ROCKY TOP, TENNESSEE” more than that one? Go Vols! They can stuff some possums and raccoons in the competition outhouse for a post-race cookout.

A new site called Fanstake lets fans of college sports (legit ones, not outhouse racing) come together to craft NIL deals to get their fav prospective players to commit to their fav school. Prospect picks a different school? No problem, you  get your money back.

Where can you get a burger with both a beef patty and a fried mac & cheese patty? Flying Saucer, that’s where! Limited-time special “The Dad Bod” also comes with applewood smoked bacon, queso, arugula, and Fresno aioli.

Police Academy is coming up Wednesday night at the DNA’s free summer movie series at Slider Inn Downtown. 20% off food for card-carrying DNA members. It’ll be National Night Out and MPD will be there.

I stayed out all night Saturday and Sunday to save money, but tonight I’ll gladly pay the $6 to get in the Union Mission. You see, the fourth Monday of every month, Kirby Woods Baptist brings dinner and it’s always top-notch. Excited about a bed to sleep in and a shower too.

Back tomorrow with more news.

I gratefully accept tips:
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

There will be a screening of Grease at the Orpheum Saturday. $12.

Today is National Creme Brulee Day. Bardog has it. The ‘dog can also help you with National Chicken Finger Day (after 3 PM) and National Scotch Day.

This is the second-to-last Sunday to enjoy TV without the NFL on.

Looks like the approaching weekend may bring relief from the heat. The forecast is for 90 Friday, 89 Saturday with north winds that should drop those miserable dewpoints..

Ducks Unlimited Expo comes to the Renasant Convention Center Friday through Sunday.

Back tomorrow with more news.

I gratefully accept tips:
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

RIP Bill Morris, former mayor of Shelby County. Morris was 92. Morris was county sheriff 1964-1970 and read James Earl Ray his rights following Ray’s arrest for the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A former University of Memphis football player may have leaked Tigers defensive playbook secrets to UTSA prior to last season’s game between the two schools. Memphis found itself out of the championship race in the AAC after losing that game 44-36.

It’s World Tofu Day, a holiday I do not recommend celebrating.

Happy 250th birthday to the U.S. Postal Service.

River Inn of Harbor Town and its restaurants Terrace, Tug’s, and Paulette’s will be reimagined by Q1 2026, WhatNow reports.

Creed plays FedExForum Sunday night with opening bands Daughtry and Mammoth.

To celebrate Shark Week, Edge Motor Museum will unveil the Shark Roadster today.

Devil Train plays Slider Inn Downtown tonight at 8.

Jacob Chalk brings the comedy to Flyway Brewing tonight at 8.

Back tomorrow with more news.

I gratefully accept tips:
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

Rest in peace, brother. You were never my favorite professional wrestler, but you changed the industry forever, and that’s a fact, jack. What cha gonna do, heaven, what cha gonna do…

Meemphis wrestling icon Jerry “The King” Lawler and announcer Dave Brown reacted to Hulk Hogan’s death.

It’s Tennessee’s tax-free weekend for computers under $1500 and clothing and school supplies under $100.

GloRilla was arrested on felony marijuana possession charges in Georgia this week, but her show tonight at FedExForum will go on.

Action News 5 spoke to the cast of The Wiz on what performing in Memphis means to them. Choose901 has a complete guide to taking a Wiz in Memphis.

Today is National Wine and Cheese Day.

You can be an advocate for the homeless if you’re hired for this full-time position at Room in the Inn.

Memphis Rap Tour seeks a tour guide.

Memphis City Council seeks a legislative analyst.

There will be a dog fashion parade on Beale Street Saturday from 4 to 7.

The Flyer’s Michael Donahue has a look at the 10 rooms of Hotel Pontotoc as well as its bar The Dame. The boutique hotel is set to open mid-August.

Back sometime this weekend with more news.

I gratefully accept tips:
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

It didn’t take me long to go back to Little Petals Chinese and try the Sichuan fried rice.

Simple and elegant and mmmmm, so good. That brown stuff is pork, but it’s much closer to bacon than the pork used in Americanized Chinese restaurants.

It’s a big day for drinkers, because today is

• National Tequila Day
• National Shiraz Day
• National Refreshment Day

I recommend making your refreshment an ice cold PBR.

Saturday is art crawl day out in The Edge. From 4 to 8 PM, check out gallery exhibits and meet local artists. There will be live music in the neighborhood, and restaurants and bars will have food and drink specials. I’m going to try to make it to the last 2 or so hours of this event.

The Flying Saucer will have Disney trivia the evening of Tuesday, July 29.

The M-80s headline tonight’s Peabody rooftop party with DJ Sledro between sets. $15 gen adm, $40 VIP.

Reminder: There’s a fundraiser at Slider Inn Downtown for Texas Hill Country flood victims tonight.

There will be DJs at Handy Park tonight from 7 to 10, kicking off a new series called Spinville.

Y’all, I am just dead tired after staying out 2 nights in a row. Plus I badly need a shower. Tonight the $6 cover charge at the Union Mission is a good investment. I plan to be back with more news tomorrow.

I gratefully accept tips:
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

For months now, I’ve been wanting to try Little Petals, the Chinese restaurant on Madison next door to the First Horizon office tower. I’d heard that Little Petals – and its sibling restaurant, Petals of a Peony – feature food cooked in the style of China’s Sichuan region, making extensive use of spices. I love spicy food!

Yesterday was a day at long last when I had both the time and the money to go. Peony Chicken in a spicy sauce with red and green peppers seems to be the signature dish, so that’s what I ordered.

BEST CHINESE MEAL I HAVE EVER HAD. The spices brought out the flavor profile of the food. After eating Americanized Chinese food all my life, I felt like I had finally found the real thing. 10/10, will go back.

… And when I go back, I want to try the Sichuan fried rice. I love fried rice and measure Chinese restaurants by how well they do it.

It’s been a very weird morning. I stayed out last night, and about 7 AM I was sitting on a bench outside the Moxy Hotel, texting my friend Randy the latest gossip about our favorite bar. A man I’d seen digging through garbage cans came straight up to me.

“Hey, mane, lemme see your phone,” he said, grabbing for it.

I pulled back, keeping the phone out of his reach. “Come on, man, lemme take a look at it, don’t you know who I am?” he said, grabbing a couple more times.

“NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! GET AWAY, GET AWAY, GET AWAY!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. That backed him up and I grabbed my bag and moved far away from him.

He proceeded to go into both Walgreens and the Main Street Smoke Shop and take stuff and tear stuff up. He turned east on Monroe, where he climbed atop a white Camry and proceeded to try to cave the roof in by stomping on it.

The police were on their way last I saw of him.

Just a short time after his farewell concert, Ozzy Osbourne is dead at 76. He’s another celebrity who had Parkinson’s among his health issues.

The Showboats UFL football team is leaving Memphis. Really, who cares?

The Old Daisy Theater on Beale is on its way to becoming a historic education center.

Through 8/27, Wednesdays are Arkansas Days at Momma’s. Show your valid Arkansas ID between 7 AM and 1 AM to get

• $1 off drafts
• $1 off domestic cans
• $1 off wine
• $1 off well drinks

Easy access from Arkansas via the newly completed I-55/Crump roundabout.

Soulin’ on the River featuring Talibah Safiya happens at Fourth Bluff Friday night.

That’s all for today. Back tomorrow.

I gratefully accept tips:
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

Today is National BLT Sandwich Day. I recommend you celebrate with Kathy’s BL”FG”T at Kooky Canuck. Fried green tomatoes are what makes this sandwich special, and it also comes with bacon, house-made pimiento cheese, lettuce, and mustard remoulade on toasted white or wheat.

The University of Memphis tried to bribe the Big 12 conference $200 million to let it join. The money would come from sponsorship agreements and from the U of M refusing its share of conference media revenue for 5 years. The proposed agreement stated that if the U of M did not bring the conference sufficient prestige and positive publicity, the Big 12 could kick Memphis out after 5 years.

Sounds like the University did everything but drop the soap and bend over for the Big 12. Still, the conference rejected the offer.

I notice the conference refers to itself as “Big XII” in the media. I guess it’s trying to “elevate” its brand. Very jazzy.

From Action News 5: Unhoused population seeks shelter from the heat at the Hospitality Hub, which operates a cooling center on days heat indices are expected to climb to danger levels in the city.

The Maria Montessori School is looking to hire a teacher’s assistant.

RIP Malcolm Jamal-Warner AKA “Theo” from The Cosby Show.  He died of an accidental drowning in Costa Rica.

Midnight Sun game: In Fairbanks, Alaska from May to July you can attend a baseball game where the first pitch is at 10 PM and the field never needs to be artificially lit.

Catherine and Mary’s seeks a line cook.

Black Panther is the Downtown Neighborhood Association’s summer movie series movie of the week . It’s this Wednesday at Slider Inn at 7:30. Card-carrying DNA members get 20% off food.

DNA president Jerred Price reports that Nura autonomous cars are currently being tested on Memphis roads.

Tin Roof on Beale, a new business member of the DNA, is offering individual members 15 percent off food tabs, plus no cover.

There’s a Christian Women’s Expo at the Renasant Convention Center this weekend.

MemphisWeather.net blog: The heat is on – but how hot and for how long?

Anyone else getting a lot of AI-generated fake animal videos in their Facebook Reel feed? I got one of a crocodile with a jaguar cub in its mouth, running for the water with the mother jaguar in pursuit. It was very realistic, but the camera angle was a little too perfect.

Still so happy to be in possession of my backpack and computer. Back tomorrow.

I gratefully accept tips:
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

About 3 this morning, it looked as though this would be a very unhappy post, typed on a library computer.

I stayed out of the Union Mission last night, not wanting to pay the $6 cover charge there. I planted myself on a park bench outside the Moxy Hotel, prepared to sit there ’til morning dodging mosquitoes.

At some point I dozed off. I woke up and pulled my phone to check the time. 2:03 in the morning.

Wait a  minute, I thought… WHERE’S MY BACKPACK????? With my laptop inside. And my phone charger and cords. And my Ziploc bag of toiletry/hygiene items I use at the Mission.

All gone. Once again, I had drifted off and allowed someone to steal my stuff. Just like what happened last year. How could I be so STUPID????? Again?

Just as I was starting to rock the blog posts again. And now I’d be forced to post from library computers with their hour time limits. That would kill my joy for blogging.

I paced up and down the northern half of the Main Street Mall, looking for anyone carrying a gray Under Armour backpack. I thought I may have spotted it – with a man in a tight pink dress who seemed to be hiding what he was carrying, “Is that my bag?” I yelled out to him. He hissed at me and picked up a big stick and I decided not to pursue the matter. He took off east on Madison, at least to B.B. King.

“How much longer until the sun comes up?” I thought, reaching into my pocket for my phone. Thank God it didn’t get stolen too. Nor did my wallet, so I wouldn’t have to replace my ID.

“AirTag moved out of your vicinity,” said a notification on the phone. “Approximate location 250 N. Main.”

It totally slipped my mind that I’d put an Apple AirTag in my backpack after I’d gotten it. I pulled up a map in the Find My app and started reducing the distance between the circle representing my location and the backpack icon. That took me to a homeless encampment under I-40 on Main.

Find My told me to move around to help it find the backpack. I did, and a message popped up. “18 feet to your right.” That put me smack dab in the middle of a big pile of clothes. The owner of the clothes wasn’t there, but his next-door neighbor in the encampment, we’ll call him Harry, said he had been earlier – and he’d been bragging about finding a laptop.

I started digging through the pile of clothes. Yep, there was my backpack. And my laptop and its power cord. Harry helped me put everything back in the bag and asked if I could spot him a little money so he could buy himself a beer. I did.

Then I got the hell out of there, never coming face-to-face with the the thief. I lost some hygiene items and protein bars, but there was no damage to my laptop when I powered it up a few hours later.

God is good. And AirTags rock.

Back tomorrow with a regular news post.

I’m ponying up the $6 to stay at the Mission tonight.

I gratefully accept tips:
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

I learned something yesterday. You know the expression “God willing and the Creek don’t rise”? It doesn’t refer to a body of water. It refers to the Indian tribe.

Memphis Made Brewing Co. will celebrate one year in The Ravine on Saturday. Live music by Johnny and the Seagulls, food by the Good Groceries truck, and a Wifflestock home run derby.

I’ve been hearing good things about Guac Fresh Mex at 782 Washington. They have Tex-Mex, breakfast, and wings.

The city has clarified the paid parking situation in Tom Lee Park. The first hour is free and Sundays are free.

WREG is predicting 99/80 for Wednesday and almost that hot for the rest of the week.

The Wiz will be at the Orpheum Tuesday-Sunday.

Back tomorrow with more news.

I gratefully accept tips:
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com