Author: paulryburn

RiverBeat Music Festival, scheduled for Tom Lee Park the first weekend in May, has announced this year’s lineup. The Red Clay Strays, Wu-Tang Clan, and Dave Matthews Band will headline the festival’s 3 nights.

The mosquitoes are biting like it’s July! Might want to spray yourself with Off before you go out.

Did you know that UT College of Dentistry, just minutes from Downtown, offers a full range of dental services at significantly reduced prices?

Coach Penny dismissed a senior from his 12-13 Tigers yesterday for repeated violations of team rules. The .480 Tigers are in Tampa for an 8 PM CST game at South Florida tonight.

Action News 5 talked to the child actors in The Sound of Music at the Orpheum this week to learn how they balance their roles with school.

There’s new reason to suspect life may have existed on Mars in the past.

A new poll revealed Americans’ favorite condiments. Peanut butter, honey, and salsa went 1-2-3. Ketchup, a child’s condiment, was 6th, with ranch 9th, mayonnaise 10th, and mustard 13th. Hoisin sauce finished last. “No condiments” (the Randy way) was not a listed option.

Wiseacre will have $1 off margs Sunday for National Margarita Day.

Back tomorrow with a Frupdate.

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The burger of the week at Momma’s is the Cowboy Burger, made with Angus beef, Applewood smoked bacon, cheddar, fried onions, house-made slaw, and BBQ sauce.

Breakfast/lunch spot By the Brewery has closed, Hoodline reports.

Amtrak is getting ready to roll out a new fleet.

Astronauts no longer have to leave their smartphones at home.

Today is National Drink Wine Day.

The Flyer’s Michael Donahue has a preview of the yummy food that Calvary Episcopal’s Waffle Shop will serve during Lent. Good history lesson, too.

The Metal Museum seeks a marketing manager.

Bass Pro seeks a part-time greeter.

BarWare will hold an adult spelling bee Thursday 7-9. $50 in bar bucks to the winner.

The ArTist Experience, a curated DJ listening experience, Bad Bunny edition will happen at The Artist Table Friday night.

Hard Times Deli celebrates 1 year Saturday with their take on a polarizing fast food sandwich.

VJ Chandler plays your music video requests 5-close at Birdie’s today.

Back tomorrow with more news.

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Today as I sat in the Union Mission watching the morning news, I thought to myself, I’ve got to get out to The Edge soon and try one of those Playa Bowls – particularly, the one with the banana base. I imagined the color, the taste, how it would feel in my mouth. I really involved all the senses. I wasn’t intending anything; just sitting there, bored, entertaining myself.

A short time later, I checked my backpack out of storage and started the trek Downtown.

On Fourth Street, a woman in a white SUV pulled up alongside me and asked if I wanted a banana. Of course, I did.

I think I manifested a banana.

Twisted Cat Outdoors Fishing Expo comes to the Renasant Convention Center this weekend.

Bass Pro is hiring part-time sales associates in women’s apparel and firearms.

Civil rights leader and presidential candidate Rev. Jesse Jackson has died. He had deep ties to Memphis.

Bleacher Report has a recap of WWE Monday Night RAW from FedExForum last night.

Back tomorrow with more news.

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Are you glad we have ice cream here in the U.S.? Thank Thomas Jefferson.

Soup Sunday, the annual fundraiser for Youth Villages, is this coming Sunday at The Kent in Uptown. Sample soups and yummy treats from the best restaurants in town.

The Downtown Neighborhood Association will hold its February meeting Wednesday the 25th at Central Station Hotel. President Jerred Price will have the latest neighborhood news and there will be free beer and wine for members.

The city is hiring an office assistant.

Hot lunch specials at Cordelia’s this week:

• Mon: Hot honey fried chicken sandwich with totchos
• Tue: Chipotle chicken spaghetti with black beans
• Wed: Ash Wednesday veggie plate – maple sweet potatoes, mac n cheese, corn pudding, green bean casserole, roll
• Thur: Pork belly BLT with fries
• Fri: Blackened catfish with broccoli and Spanish rice

The grand opening of Baron von Opperbean and The River of Time, the interactive exhibit going into the old river museum on Mud Island, has been delayed due to water damage.

A new sports bar is coming to Harbor Town.

The Sound of Music is at the Orpheum Tuesday through Sunday.

Sorry there was no post yesterday. The rain and cold weather made my Parkinson’s act up. I was shaking too bad to type.

Back tomorrow with more news.

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Flying Saucer is giving away this Flyway cooler. Ask you server for details on how to win.

The NBA All-Star 3-point contest, shooting stars challenge, and dunk contest are tonight. NBC/Peacock beginning 7 PM.

Mark P. at South Main Sounds is considering having a Punk Night once a month. DO IT DO IT DO IT

MATA is extending its free bus and trolley fares through the end of March.

Downtown Nutrition has introduced a Sweet Street Serenade drink with pineapple, peach, strawberry, and rainbow candy.

Jerry Seinfeld will do a show at the Orpheum Saturday, May 9.

Kooky Canuck seeks a server.

Lansky 126 is looking for a salesperson with an eye for customer style. Must have previous sales experience.

Penny’s 12-12 Tigers are at Utah State tonight. 7 PM CST tip. TV: CBS Sports Network

Back tomorrow with more news.

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Last night, a friend I’ll call A described an upcoming professional situation. She isn’t sure how to handle it and it’s stressing her out.

Another friend, B, pulled out his phone. “Hey, Perplexity, can you hear me?” he asked.

“I can hear you,” it replied. Perplexity is an AI chatbot like ChatGPT, Grok, and Google Gemini.

Friend B took 2-3 minutes describing Friend A’s situation. He was very conversational, and he stopped mid-sentence several times to gather his thoughts. If I hadn’t known better, I’d have believed he was talking to another human.

Then Perplexity responded, also taking 2-3 minutes. Its answer was chock full of insights and tips Friend A could put to immediate use.

Wow wow wow. That was the first time I’d witnessed how powerful modern AI can be.

If you don’t know how to use and talk to AI agents by the end of 2026, you’ll be as outdated as someone in 1999 who didn’t know how to connect to the Internet.

I installed Perplexity on my iPhone this morning. I asked it my fav question to ask AI – List several reasons why the Beatles broke up. Perplexity hit all the points I expected to see and a few I hadn’t considered.

I finally tried an Exclam!Burger at Memphis Chess Club today.

For the longest time, I avoided the Exclam!, thinking the cute name might indicate a veggie patty. But no, it’s meat and it’s good. With fries, $9.88 for a single including tax.

There will be a Mardi Gras party Tuesday at the bar inside the Moxy Memphis hotel on Court Square. $9 naans, cocktail specials all day, free king cake slices with drink purchase.

Heart-shaped pizza pies are back at Aldo’s today through Sunday. 2 toppings max, dine-in/take-out only.

More details about tonight’s Galentine’s Day celebration at Bardog: In addition to the Tito’s martini bar and the $20 Girl Dinner, there will be strawberry shortcake shots and a Ladies’ Night playlist all night long.

Next Gen Kim

Time to hit Publish and go play with AI. Back tomorrow with more news.

I gratefully accept tips: 
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It’s time to reintroduce a website I mentioned a lot in 2018 and 2019 – Tankathon, which tracks the race to the bottom of the NBA in order to get good odds in this year’s draft lottery. Currently the Memphis Grizzlies, at 20-33, have the 8th-worst record in the league, which would give them

• a 6.0% chance of getting the number-1 pick
• a 26.3% chance at a top-4 selection

Rickey Smiley and Friends will have a Valentine’s comedy show at the Orpheum Friday night.

More comedy at the Orpheum Saturday: Gary Owen: No Hard Feelings Tour

On Sunday there’ll be a soulful 1920s murder mystery at the Halloran Centre: The Rellik Casino & Hotel

Momma’s has Old Dominick Valentine’s cocktail specials through Saturday. Today:

• Ladies’ Night happy hour starting at 5
• $7 specialty cocktails all night
• Karaoke of Love starting at 8

This Friday-Saturday at Momma’s:

• Cornmeal-dusted oysters
• Seared NY strip steak au poivre
• Shrimp & sausage etouffee
• Peanut butter cookie

Memphis Chess Club has a couple of holiday cocktails. Descriptions copied from Facebook:

• The Pink Lady: This classic gin-based beauty is blush-pink, silky smooth, and just the right amount of sweet. It’s Valentine’s Day in a glass!
• The Contessa: A vibrant and sophisticated play on a Negroni. It’s light, floral, and the perfect bittersweet companion.

Cordelia’s now carries 3 varieties of Hive Bagels: everything, cinnamon raisin, and plain.

Penny’s 12-11 Tigers travel to Denton, Texas for an 8:00 game tonight at North Texas. TV: ESPN2

StyleBlueprint lists 13 spots to grab dinner at the bar. Downtown picks include Loflin Yard, Silly Goose, The Lobbyist, Green Beetle, JEM, Majestic Grille

The Memphis Flyer has the info on new menu items at Felicia Suzanne’s, Amelia Gene’s, and The Lobbyist.

Bleacher Report gives the Grizzlies’ rookie class a collective grade of A-.

Back tomorrow with a Frupdate.

I gratefully accept tips: 
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Crawfish boils return to Max’s Sports Bar this Saturday and will happen on Saturdays, weather permitting, through April. The details:

• First batch will be ready at noon
• But the place gets super packed for the first boil of the year, so come at 11
• Crawfish are $15.50 for one pound or $28 for two
• Shrimp are $20 for one pound
• Sides – corn, taters, and sausage – are included in the boxes of crawfish and shrimp but don’t count toward the weight
• They ask that you leave the kids and dogs at home

I’ll say what I say every year – during the spring months, restaurants and festivals will offer you numerous opportunities at crawfish, but you won’t find tastier ones than those boiled by Glaze Hardage @ Max’s. The spice level is perfect.

The burger of the week at Momma’s is a big one – the Momma’s Mac. Basically the same ingredients (but much better quality) as the Mac put out by a famous burger chain. It’ll make you smile… or maybe it’ll make you grimace.

The Grizzlies have an 8:00 away game tonight with Jokic and the Nuggs. TV: FanDuel Sports

Paulette’s has a Chef’s Mardi Gras menu through Fat Tuesday (17th) except on Valentine’s Day.

There’s a Mushroom Masterclass with The Mushroom Queen at The Artist Table tonight.

Play Some Skynyrd plays Flying Saucer 8-11 PM on Valentine’s.

The Cossitt Library will hold a combination celebration of Friday the 13th and Palentine’s Day Friday afternoon from 2:30 to 5:30. There will be crafts and movies. Come make a new pal.

(Palentine’s Day should not be confused with Palpatine’s Day, a holiday that leads you down a path to the Dark Side.)

The city council is hiring a budget analyst and a communications analyst.

Back tomorrow with more news.

I gratefully accept tips: 
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Yesterday I had two cheesecake-stuffed chocolate cookies from DVOUR Desserts. Absolutely delish. DVOUR is at 523 S. Main, just steps away from Earnestine & Hazel’s.

If you’ve been missing gyros since the Grecian Gourmet on South Main closed, check out Kellie’s Deli at Tennessee and G.E. Patterson.

Grind City Brewing has Singo music bingo Thursday at 6:30.

Downtown Nutrition has a Seattle Tea this week only to celebrate the Seahawks winning the Super Bowl.

Tomorrow is Wild Winter Weiner Wednesday at Wiseacre. Buy an award-winning Sky Dog beer, get a hot dog.

Today is International Cribbage Day. Folks, I downloaded a cribbage app onto my iPhone a few months ago and it is one of the most fun card games I’ve ever played.

It’s also Extraterrestrial Culture Day. Celebrate at the Flying Saucer.

Who wants to buy me a brownie at Memphis Chess Club for National “Have a Brownie” Day?

Memphis City Council seeks a legislative analyst.

Congratulations to Crazy Gander coffee shop on Madison on its recent 100 on its health inspection.

I had the pleasure of talking to some Old Dominick Distillery employees and their associates last night at E&H. The distillers’ belief is that if they produce a $30 bottle of spirits, the quality should be comparable to their nationally-distributed competitor’s $50 bottle. Sounds like a winner to me.

Bleacher Report previews the Feb. 16 WWE Monday Night RAW, to be broadcast live from FedExForum:

On tap for next week’s show: Bayley vs. Asuka vs. Nattie in a Women’s Elimination Chamber qualifier, Je’Von Evans vs. Gunther vs. Dominik Mysterio in a men’s Elimination Chamber qualifier, and AJ Lee appears live.

Back tomorrow with more news.

I gratefully accept tips: 
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NO NFL on TV for six months!!!!!

Yes, there will be other sports on TV as boring as NFL football (e.g. golf, tennis), but those sports’ fans aren’t nearly as annoying to sit next to at bars.

For me, the vacation from the NFL got started a day early… I threw my name in the hat for a Room in the Inn bed yesterday, because after 2 weeks of cold weather I’m positively SICK of staying at the Union Mission! I got picked to spend the night at one of my fav host churches, West Union Cumberland Presbyterian in Millington.

They fed us meatball sandwiches. I went back for seconds and asked for no bread, just meat and cheese. They must have loaded my plate up with 15 meatballs! For dessert there was a birthday cake someone forgot to pick up from the bakery. I got a corner piece and it was more icing than cake. To quote The Archies, ah, SUGAR, SUGAR! To quote Road Warrior Hawk, WHAT A RUSH!

Can you tell I’m in a good mood today?

BUT THEN, THE BEST PART…They couldn’t get the Super Bowl on the TV they wheeled into the gym where our cots were. The other guys were disappointed. I was elated. Ten hours quality sleep, followed by two THICK sausage & cheese biscuits, followed by a bus ride back to Downtown Memphis. THANK YOU West Union CP for a wonderful night!

Curious what a “Cumberland Presbyterian” is? Wikipedia to the rescue.

I started my Sunday at Bardog brunch, where a girl in a red beret told me I had “Resurrection energy” and held onto my hand for a looooooooong time. Her behavior reminded me of someone from my past. I was tempted to ask if she owned chihuahuas or did yoga, but I decided not to.

This week’s 11 AM-2 PM hot lunch specials at Cordelia’s Market:

• Mon: Italian meatballs with Italian grits
• Tue: Chicken cakes with rice and beans
• Wed: Pot roast
• Thur: Chicken fried chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans
• Fri: Fried cod with fries

Hot n Heavy Dogs will have their cart at Main and Union 10:30-2:30 Tuesday of this week.

Slider Inn is hiring for both locations. Apply weekdays between 11 and 5.

What Now Memphis has more info on the opening of Playa Bowls in The Edge.

Did you know it’s possible to live in a national park for free?

The Orpheum hosts dinner on stage Thursday.

Shen Yun comes to the Cannon Center Tuesday.

The Grizz play at Golden State at 9 tonight. TV: FanDuel Sports

Wayne Alexander, Curtis B. Scott, and Leah Grams Johnson play South Main Sounds this Friday 7-9.

On Saturday at South Main Sounds, there will be a Farmhouse Studio Night with Brian Hayes, Rice Drewry, and Gerry Finney. Fun Fact: My friends and I would go to Buffalo’s on Winchester to hear Gerry Mondays in ’94-’95. I have not since found a wing as good as Buffalo’s extra hot.

Over the weekend I had a dream about OTASCO. A defunct tire and auto supply store. I wonder what a psychiatrist would say about that.

When I was a kid, I thought the drugstore Osco was a subsidiary of OTASCO because OTASCO contained all of its letters in the same order.

If I don’t get rid of this janky-ass laptop soon, I’m gonna go crazy. The junk food binge I went on in the aftermath of the winter storm took a big bite out of my Chromebook savings.

Back tomorrow with more news.

I gratefully accept tips: 
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