Author: paulryburn

Shen Yun comes to the Cannon Center tonight and tomorrow night. This performance celebrates 5000 years of Chinese civilization. It is a treat for the senses with elaborate costumes, a live orchestra, classical Chinese dance, and an animated backdrop. Tickets are $70-150.

It’s that time again. First Max’s crawfish boil of the season! Glaze is cooking them up at 12:30 this Saturday. Doors open at 11! pic.twitter.com/z4xmlg8KqJ

— Max’s Sports Bar (@MaxsSportsBar) February 6, 2017

The first crawfish boil of the season at Max’s Sports Bar will happen this Saturday, February 11. First pot will come off around 12:30 in the afternoon. There will also be $3.50 Bloody Marys and mimosas until 3:00. The folks who do the boils at Max’s do crawfish right. Plenty of spice, the way crawfish should be served. They usually have taters, corn and smoked sausage in the boil too.

Happy February, YOGA! Downtown Yoga is holding a special class called FireFlow on Saturday, February 18 from 7 to 8:30 PM. Instructors Alyson and Jocelyn will lead a class that is said to be groovy, hot and full of love; a class that will make you sweat and help you de-stress.

Songwriter Night returns to South Main Sounds, 550 S. Main, this Friday, February 10 from 7 to 9 PM. Rev. Neil Down and Friends will perform, with Jon Dillard, Tiffany Harmon, and Megan Carolan.

I Love Memphis has a guest post by Blake Marcum about the best new high-gravity beers brewed in Memphis. Prior to a change in the law that happened January 1, Wiseacre, the only local craft brewery with a distiller’s license, was the only brewery in town that could produce beers above 6.2% ABV. Now Memphis Made, High Cotton, Ghost River, and Boscos are catching up.

Innovate Memphis is looking to hire a Commute Options Ambassador. The Ambassador will speak to workplaces about travel options, educating workers on public transit, ride sharing, bicycling, and walking to work and school. The goal is to reduce the number of people driving alone to work.

There will be a job fair for the re-tooled Blue Suede Brigade positions next Monday and Thursday at the Central Library on Poplar.

Possibly a second post at lunchtime, so check back.

I want to say this again… I enjoy meeting my readers and talking to them. So if you see me out, don’t be afraid to approach me.

The reason I bring this up is that I ran into a former co-worker of mine from 15 years ago at the Blind Bear Saturday. He said, “I’ve seen you in here for a while, and I’ve wanted to talk to you, but I thought I might be bugging you.” I assured him he was not bugging me.

He said, “Well, I wasn’t sure. It’s like, you were busy on your phone.” And then my friend sitting on the other side said, “Yeah Paul, you do kind of look like you have the male equivalent of don’t-approach-me resting bitch-face when you’re doing stuff on your phone.” HAHAHA! Let me explain that.

Most of the time when I’m doing stuff on my phone when I’m out, I’m cultivating material for my next blog post. I’ll be on social media and I’ll see an event that I need to tell my readers about. So I’ll throw the link into Evernote and type a short description so I remember to come back and post about it later. But it’s not that important! Don’t feel like you’re interrupting me.

As for the expression on my face… the past year and a half or so has been somewhat difficult for me. Many lies have been told about me in certain parts of Downtown. Now and then a reminder of that chapter of my life will pop up on social media and I will scowl for a minute. But I promise you I’m generally not an unhappy or angry person! I’m just a person who learned about “alternative facts” a year before the rest of the country did!

With that out of the way, let’s get on to the news. The South Main Association has announced its February meeting, to be held at Art Village Gallery at 410 South Main on Tuesday, February 14. The speaker will be Meagan Nichols, lead reporter at the Memphis Business Journal. Topics will include the background of the MBJ, how the MBJ approaches reporting, commercial real estate trends and developments in the area, and a Q & A. There will be Valentine’s Day appetizers by “a secret admirer” and beverages by the SMA. 6:00 social, 6:30 program. The meeting is free for members and $10 for non-members.

For the fourth post in a row, I have another awesome event to tell you about that will be happening at Wiseacre this month. Everybody loves Oktoberfest, so why wait until October to celebrate? Febtoberfest will happen at the brewery Saturday from 1 to 10 PM. It will be a “fill your stein” party – fill your own for $7, or purchase a Wiseacre stein and fill it for $6. Costumes are encouraged, and if you don’t have traditional German garb, you can wear any costume. Polka band The Mighty Souls Brass Band will perform 6:30-9 PM and food trucks will be there serving German fare.

Sad news for movie fans today. IMDb, the repository of information about pretty much every movie ever made, is shutting down its message boards effective February 20. Trolls have ruined the message board experience, so IMDb is doing away with the boards and switching to other forms of social media. Don’tcha just hate those crazy trolls?

inferno has a list of the brand winners and losers from last night’s Super Bowl ads. Of course, brands that paid for overtime advertising were the biggest winners of all.

Front Street Deli’s future is uncertain no more. It’s going to become a Lisa’s Lunchbox and will open on Presidents Day. There will be a large picture of longtime Front Street Deli owner Lee Busby in Lisa’s Lunchbox, along with a plaque about the history of the building.

The CA’s John Beifuss was there to report on the America’s Got Talent auditions that happened this past weekend at the Cook Convention Center.

The Grizzlies host the San Antonio Spurs tonight at 8:30 at FedExForum. First 3000 fans get a National Civil Rights Museum Pride scarf. Bring a food or monetary donation to the Mid-South Food Bank and receive a voucher for a 2-for-1 ticket purchase at an upcoming Grizzlies game.

That’s it for now. Probably I will hit Bardog after work for Melissa Monday. Back tomorrow with more.

Yesterday I led off at Bardog Tavern as usual, and Bloom told me “You’ve got mail” and placed an envelope in front of me.

“I’m getting mail at the bar now?” I thought. “Maybe I really do spend too much time here.” However, when I opened it, I realized it was one of the sweetest pieces of mail I have ever received. It was a card from Aldo’s mom in New Jersey. She told me she reads my blog every day, and wanted to say she was sorry to hear about the passing of my mom. Gail, thank you. That meant a lot to me. You know, Bardog really IS family.

There’s a lot going on at Wiseacre in February, and for the third post in a row I have a special event to tell you about. Flowers and Chocolate will happen on Valentine’s Day from 7 to 10 PM. If your valentine prefers hops and barley to flowers and chocolate, this is the perfect date night. There will be a brewery tour and pairings of Wiseacre beer with Dinsthul’s chocolate. Tickets are $20.

Want to help a neighborhood grow? The Memphis Medical District Collaborative is looking to hire two program managers. One would be in charge of real estate, and the other in charge of community development.

Most likely I will watch the Super Bowl at the Blind Bear today. They are running a huge number of specials. All day long they will have chili cheese fries for $6, chili cheese dogs one for $6 or two for $8, two chili cheese dogs and chili cheese fries for $10, and pepper jack chili mac & cheese for $10. You can add cheese, sour cream, chives and bacon to the chili mac if you choose. The hot dogs are Nathan’s Famous, and the chili is Colin’s prize-winning turkey and 3-bean chili. An hour before the game until an hour afterward, there will be $3 Bud, Bud Light, and Mich Ultra 16-ounce aluminum bottles. (If you prefer the Cadillac of beers, PBR in 16-ounce cans is always $3.) They’ll have their Sunday night poker game at 6:30.

Paulette’s monthly wine dinner is Tuesday. This month’s menu sounds like a good one, with crab, short rib, venison and toasted honeycomb among the courses.

If you want a good meal without spending a lot of money in the South Main area, let me show you what I had for lunch yesterday.

For $3.50 at Max’s Sports Bar you can get a Nathan’s hot dog covered in chili, cheese, mustard and chopped onion. This is a regular menu item, not a special. You can get chips for a dollar more. If you’re hungry and in South Main and don’t want to go drop $35 at the sushi place, keep this in mind. You can add chips at Max’s for a dollar more.

And of course, look who has to jump in every cardboard container she sees. Sometimes I wonder whether I adopted a troll or a cat.

Internationally syndicated radio show Beale Street Caravan has a particularly good lineup in this week’s show. It features the music of bluesmen Bukka White, Furry Lewis, and Sleepy John Estes, each of whom enjoyed a career revival in the 1970s after rock bands began covering their music. Listen here.

That’s the news for today. I don’t really care about either team in the Super Bowl, so I will be neutral as I watch.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been doing a little spring cleaning, in the winter because when spring gets here I won’t have the time. I have identified several swag items that while are cool to say I own them, I don’t get any benefit out of them and they are cluttering up my place. So, I would like to see if any of my readers want them.

The first item, as I mentioned in this morning’s post, is a “COCKAWHAT?” T-shirt, size men’s XL, from the Cockadoos breakfast and lunch restaurant that operated on Second Street from approximately 2008 to 2012. The shirt is white with blue lettering and trim. It stayed open all night on the weekends, so maybe someone has fond memories of the place and would like a souvenir. Just thought I’d ask before throwing it away. Should definitely be washed before wearing.

The second item is a gong with the Gekkeikan sake logo on it. I won it when I came in (I think) fifth place at a Blind Bear poker league final table in 2014. It is about 15 inches in diameter, hangs on a sturdy wooden frame, and comes with a rubber mallet. It’s a nice gong that is powerful enough to get people’s attention. Total weight of gong and frame is (I’m guessing) four pounds and could be carried with one hand.

When I won it I thought “oh, that’s gonna go to BBQ Fest” but the fact is, it’s just one more thing that we’d have to haul in and out of there and worry about getting stolen. It isn’t a good fit for the Moody Ques but maybe one of the other party teams wants it, or someone else who throws parties or events and needs a unique way to command attention.

The third item is a cooler with Mexican beer logos (Dos Equis and Tecate), strong, solid wooden frame. I won this at a drawing at the Flying Saucer in 2009. It weighs about 15 pounds. It is about two feet wide by one and a half feet long by one foot deep. It would take two hands to carry. It holds (again guessing) about 18 beers. Therein lies the problem. Again I thought “this is going to BBQ Fest” but what good would it do? We’d have to haul it in and out, 18 beers would last about 3 minutes in our booth, and again it would probably get stolen. This would be a perfect conversation piece for someone with a home bar who is into Mexican beer.

The fourth item is a swag bag from the 2012 Folk Alliance convention in Memphis. It’s full of CDs and promotional materials. It’s sat on my bedroom floor for five years. I would throw this away, but I thought a music lover who is curious what happens at a folk music convention might want it.

The fifth item is three Grizzlies T-shirts that were part of a swag package they mailed to me sometime around 2010. There are two Marc Gasol shirts and one Z-bo shirt. These are all thin white cotton and I would guess they were promotional items for games that season. All are size men’s XL. The Marc ones are pretty basic, with GRIZZLIES 33 and the Sonic logo on the front and GASOL 33 on the back. The Zach shirt is pretty cool, though, with an image of him taking a shot screen-printed.

The sixth item is a Tennessee Brewery: The Revival growl towel that I picked up at the brewery the last Saturday of April 2015. The towel is a standard sized growl towel, blue with yellow lettering. If you’ve seen my profile pic on here, the giveaway towel is exactly the same as the one I was holding. The brewery had a watch party for a Grizzlies playoff game and gave a towel to everyone who attended. I asked if I could have an extra towel for someone who was out of town that weekend for death by PowerPoint for work. However, I never got the chance to give it to them.

Okay, if you want any of these items, here are the rules:

If I agree to give you the item, you must contact me and make arrangements to meet me where I am to pick it up. And I’m usually at bars – Melissa Monday at Bardog on Mondays, Jessica’s bar at Silly Goose Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11 AM brunch at Bardog on Saturdays (Farmers Market off-season), D-RANKS with B-RAD at Blind Bear at 11 AM on Sundays. So most likely you will be meeting me at a bar to pick up your item. You can contact me at paul@paulryburn.com or on Facebook. I forget to check my Twitter DMs so that’s a less reliable way to get a hold of me.

No I won’t drive across the city to drop items off. If you live in my building or within 3 blocks or so of my building, perhaps we can make arrangements for a drop-off.

No I won’t box up the stuff and take it to the post office. That sounds too much like physical labor. If you need confirmation that I am not a fan of physical labor, I can supply references.

When you contact me, you must tell me why you want the item and what you plan on doing with it. I don’t want to give this stuff away and then see it listed on eBay a day later. I want these items to be appreciated and enjoyed by local Memphians.

It’s not whoever asks for it first. I will sit back and see what comes in for a few days before deciding who gets what. These items have been crapping up my apartment for years. Another few days or a week or a month won’t kill me.

In the case of the T-shirts and growl towel, priority will be given to 1) people who I personally know are huge Grizzlies fans; 2) people who would not otherwise be able to afford a Grizzlies-themed item. In the case of the towel, those with special memories of the brewery will be given preference.

Thanks for reading, folks. If you want any of this stuff, hit me up.

The finals of the International Blues Challenge happen today at the Orpheum at noon, with doors opening at 11:30. An IBC pass or single finals ticket is required for entry.

If you want the blues to continue once the finals are over, there will be a Generation Blues Benefit Showcase hosted by the Andy T Band at the Hard Rock tonight at 9. A gathering of guest artists will keep the music going. Suggested $10 donation at the door.

Down the street at Rum Boogie Cafe, the VizzTone 10th Anniversary Blues Party on Beale starts at 10:30 tonight and continues into the late hours. Artists who will play the party include VizzTone and BratGirlmedia artists Kenny Neal, Little Boys Blue, Tas Cru, Long Tall Deb & Colin John, Jonn Del Toro Richardson, Amanda Fish Band, Amy Hart, Brad Stivers, Little G Weevil, Erin Harpe & the Delta Swingers, Tim Gartland, Jimmy Carpenter, Timo Arthur, and Richard Rosenblatt.

In other stuff going on today, the Bluff City Fire and Ice Polar Bear Plunge & Chili Cook-off happens today on Mud Island. The event benefits the Special Olympics.

Going to see Garth Brooks today? If you’re going to the 3 PM concert, FedExForum advises you to vacate your parking spaces within 30 minutes of the end of the show to avoid traffic congestion. They are also encouraging those with 7:30 tickets to not come Downtown until 6:30 or later. Of course people won’t actually do this and Downtown traffic will be a freakin’ mess from about 2:00 on.

I’ve learned of another very cool event happening at the Wiseacre brewery in April. On the 15th of that month, the brewery will host the Kaleidoscope Food Festival, a much-needed celebration of diversity in these times. Binghampton, in which Wiseacre is located, is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the city. There will be storytelling, performance, and also food by these vendors: Indra’s Dumplings (Nepal), Ibti’s Soups (North Sudan), Aroma Kitchen by Flora & CC (South Sudan, Kenya), Raffe’s (Syria) and possibly more to come. Experts will be on hand at the festival to pair Wiseacre beer with your food. This is a family- and dog-friendly event.

Tin Roof is adding a room called The Green Room which will have a “hangout” kind of vibe. The new room will have ping-pong, foosball, and two 70-inch TV screens.

NewMemphis has some jobs open, including a Communication Coordinator position.

High Ground News has a good article on an exhibit by artwork created by the homeless at a gallery at 645 Marshall. The artists create their work as part of a program at St. Mary’s Episcopal. The artworks at the gallery are for sale and the gallery takes a significantly smaller cut of each purchase than most galleries would.

Take this survey and you can influence the future of public transportation in Memphis.

Max’s Sports Bar has announced that they will have a ton of free giveaways at their Super Bowl watch party tomorrow. Watch the game there and the chances are high you will come away with some free stuff. Just last night I was down at my “home away from home on the south side.” As the weather gets warmer I plan to spend more time at Max’s.

Small businesses can apply for one of the micro-retail spots going into Edge Alley at 600 Monroe. As I reported yesterday, there will also be a cafe and coffee roaster in this location.

In a surprise to just about no one, Riverfront Grille, the restaurant inside Beale Street Landing, is bleeding money. The taxpayer-funded restaurant is closed until spring while the RDC “rethinks” the concept. My advice to RDC: Ask Prince Mongo what should be done with the building. It couldn’t be any worse than what the RDC has done.

Whole lotta adulting going on at the Ryburn household this morning. Doing laundry. Flipped the mattress. Poured a bottle of Drano Dual Force Foamer down the tub drain. After discovering recently that there’s a clothing donation box right up the street from where I work, I am bagging up all the clothes that have been sitting on my bedroom floor for a few years to take down there. I found my “COCKAWHAT?” shirt that Cockadoos gave me back when they were open. Does anyone want it? It’s a size XL, white shirt with blue neck, sleeves, and lettering. Email me at paul@paulryburn.com or hit me up on Facebook if you want it. Must arrange to meet me where I am to pick it up (and “where I am” is usually at a bar).

My troll got a new sister this week!

My friend Mark H. found her at OfficeMax and got her for me. I looked it up and learned that her name was Poppy in the movie, but I am going to give her a unique name. I haven’t fully figured it out yet, but her middle initial and last name will probably be T. Ropez because she’s a troll and a PEZ dispenser.

Time to finish bagging clothes, pour water down the drain to flush out the Drano, then I’m off to Bardog and Blind Bear for the usual Saturday festivities. Today should be an interesting people-watching day down here. Back tomorrow with more news.

The semifinal round of the International Blues Challenge happens at clubs on Beale Street tonight. Don’t have plans yet for Friday night? Come listen to some of the best blues in the world. This is a once-in-a-year opportunity in Memphis. There will be a wristband for sale on the street that will get you into all the participating clubs.

Toby Sells of the Memphis Flyer has news on three Downtown projects that will get underway in the months to come. I want to touch on each one.

I am super excited about the food hall going in at 409 S. Main. More and more this is starting to sound like the food hall where I ate at Little Rock’s River Market two days last week. It will be a hub where you and your friends can each get the type of food you want from different vendors and then sit down in a common place. This could get me to South Main more often if done well.

Also excited to see the boutique hotel in the former Memphis College of Art building. This will be the beginning of South Main becoming a tourist destination. Imagine visiting from out of town and having a one-block walk to Earnestine & Hazel’s for a Soul Burger!

A space for a cafe, coffee roaster, and micro-retailers will open at 600 Monroe next to High Cotton, bringing dining back to that neighborhood. Happy to see The Edge begin to evolve. I look forward to spending some time in Edge Alley once this space gets open!

Going to the Garth Brooks concert tonight or one of the concerts tomorrow? If you don’t want to deal with high parking prices and congested traffic around FedExForum, come park for free on the streets in the area around Main and G.E. Patterson and come to Max’s Sports Bar. A limo will shuttle you to and from the concert. If you want to pre- or post-game, Max’s has a full bar, great sandwiches, sports on 10 TVs and the PBR is always $2.50 a pint. Max’s is located in the easternmost end of the Arcade building at 115 G.E. Patterson.

Want to see an NBA D-League team come to the Mid-South in 2017? Vote with your dollars and let the NBA know! Put down your seating deposit here.

Front Street Deli is for sale. The deli at Front and Union has been owned by Carol and Lance Silkes since 2013. However, they also have a limo food tour business and Carol is an instructor at the University of Memphis, so it is all too much to handle. They’re looking for a prospective owner who loves Memphis, food, and people.

Save the date for what sounds like a very cool beer festival in the Broad Avenue district on Saturday, April 29. From 3 to 7 that day Taste the Rarity, an invitational beer fest involving 30 craft breweries, will happen in Wiseacre’s parking lot or if it rains, inside their taproom. Each attendee gets a commemorative taster class. The Mighty Souls Brass Band will provide the live music, and there will be backyard games and food trucks. For its part, Wiseacre will release UNICORNICOPIA that day. It is described as a paloma inspired Belgian Single aged in tequila barrels. Tickets will be $50 through the end of February, then will go up to $60. Buy tickets here.

This story about Heartsong Church and the Memphis Islamic Center makes me proud to be a Memphian, and an American.

Beer lovers/Grizzlies lovers: Get you a Grind City growler.

Mark your calendars on Feb 9!

Purchase a limited edition growler at @madisongrowler presented by Cash Saver.
➡️️: https://t.co/cObmMTwCzS pic.twitter.com/0c3IJqNHfU

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) February 2, 2017

In other beer news, Ghost River has three new beers fresh on the market.

From the CA: John Beifuss crawls inside the 125-year-old pipe organ at Clayborn Temple to determine if it can be saved. (photos/video)

Miss Polly’s at 154 Beale is looking to hire two new cooks. You need to be able to pass a drug screen and come to work on time. They ask that you apply in person and do not have pajamas on when you apply (seriously, somebody did that).

Back tomorrow with more news. I’ve got some good stuff in the pipeline for tomorrow’s post.

Downtown is going to be busy the next three days, as Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood come to FedExForum. Shows are tonight at 7:30, tomorrow at 7, and Saturday at 3 and again at 7:30.

The Silly Goose has started a fun new promotion on Grizzlies game nights. Most of you have probably heard of “squares,” where you put your name in one of the squares on a 10×10 square board. Right before the game starts, digits 0-9 are randomly placed at the left and top of the board. If at a certain time, the combination of the Grizzlies’ score and the opponent’s score intersects at your square, you win. The game is free to play and each customer gets four squares. If the score matches your square at the end of the first quarter, you win a $10 gift card; $25 gift card for the halftime score; $10 card for the score at the end of the third quarter; and $50 card for the final score. You must be present to win.

Here is a copy of President Trump’s Black History Month program of events. In case you missed it, Trump spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast this morning and said he wanted to pray for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Apprentice” ratings, which are lagging woefully behind those of his own. Nope, that’s definitely not narcissistic behavior or anything.

Charvey Mac will play the Blind Bear Friday night. I know a lot of my friends will be excited about a rare Charvey appearance at the Bear.

Something I learned yesterday that I didn’t know: Miss Cordelia’s gives you 25 cents off your grocery purchase for every reusable bag you use. You also have the option of donating the savings to charity.

A study has found that eating ice cream for breakfast may improve mental performance and alertness.

If you have any reason to travel to Little Rock and are a fan of craft beer, you might want to make note of this tweet:

Yes, we have 8 breweries in a 4 square mile area. Come visit. Bring comfortable shoes. @ExploreNLR @CityLittleRock pic.twitter.com/uq1Nz6dVbe

— Woo Pig Brewey! (@WooPigBrewey) February 2, 2017

The @WooPigBrewey account is a good one to follow to keep up with craft beer in Arkansas, some of which could eventually expand to the Memphis market.

Back at work today, and this is something I never thought I would say but it feels good to be sitting in this cubicle. It feels like things are getting back to normal in my life. I will continue my normal behavior with stops at the Silly Goose and Blind Bear after work. No I am not going to any of the Garth Brooks shows. Back tomorrow with more news.

The Blue Suede Brigade, the friendly folks who walk the streets of Downtown helping tourists find their way, is getting a shake-up. Their employer the Downtown Memphis Commission is going to phase out the mostly part-time positions and create 10 to 15 new full-time positions. The Brigade will have security added to its duties, will be given bicycles, and will have Sunday added to their schedule. That’s a big change and I hope it is a successful one.

The Blues Foundation will present a drumming clinic with Danny Banks tomorrow, February 2, at the Blues Hall on Beale Street 2 to 3:30. By the way, with everything going on with my mom and all, I totally forgot to mention yesterday that the International Blues Challenge has begun! Some of the best blues in the world will be right here on Beale Street through Saturday. There’s usually a wrist-ticket that will get you in all the participating clubs for one low price.

Friday night at Loflin Yard, in the barn they will re-visit the tributes they did in 2016 for David Bowie, Prince, and the Talking Heads. Show starts at 10 PM.

Protest meets art Saturday at the Marshall Arts Gallery in The Edge. Women’s March Protest Signs will be on exhibit from 4 to 6 in the afternoon. There will also be a station where you can write postcards to your representatives in Washington.

The Memphis Zoo is hiring for seasonal positions for the spring and summer. Many different types of positions are open. Apply online here.

Ghost River is kicking off a Wednesday Pub Poll in its taproom tonight from 7 to 9. What’s that? Think of a Family Feud-style contest, where you try to guess the most popular answers. Tonight’s winner gets 4 tickets to an upcoming Grizzlies game.

There will be a workshop called i.LOOM.ination at Stock & Belle at 387 S. Main, Saturday, February 11 from 11 to 3. Learn the basics of weaving and create your own custom tapestry in this 4-hour class. No prior experience is necessary. Only 10 spots are open in the class, so if you want to sign up, don’t delay.

The Hollywood Feed on Union is having a pet microchipping event on Sunday, March 5. $20 per pet, cash or card accepted. If your pet gets lost and it ends up at the shelter, they will scan for a microchip and make sure your pet is returned to you.

USA Today has an article on Jerry “The King” Lawler’s BBQ restaurant that recently opened in Cordova. He plans on franchising the business and has had interested from people as far away as Europe.

So, how am I holding up?

It’s been a week and a half since my mother passed away. A lot of people have been asking me this question, so I thought I would share with you all how I am doing.

I keep thinking back to a hymn played at her funeral called “It’s O’er Now.” It really is for both her, and for me. So many times I would hear her say “I’m so unsteady” or “I’m so nervous” and I know she’s now in a place where she won’t have to experience those feelings. During her last week, she was in constant pain for an inoperable hernia, and now that pain is over.

It’s over for me too. And that’s a relief. The hardest thing I will ever have to do in my life is now behind me. I didn’t realize it until last week, but every time the phone rang, I felt a twinge of fear that the person on the other end of the line would tell me my mother had died. I never have to feel that fear again. I’m also happy that my Christmas holidays will be spent in my own bed from now on, no hotel rooms, no retirement communities, no driving in bad weather. I’m sure I will miss her come Christmas but there was a good bit of stress involved every time I went to see her.

I grew up in the Episcopal Church but have not attended for many years. Since about 15 years ago, my ideas of what God and Heaven are have kind of diverged from what is taught in any mainstream religion. But the way this happened makes me wonder… Mama had to leave us, but she passed away early on a Saturday morning, giving me the entire weekend to be in the arms of my friends before I had to drive to Little Rock. Then I had an entire week to wrap up her affairs. I absolutely despise driving in bad weather, but was given a dry, sunny week to do the things I needed to do over there. She left us in January, at a time of the year where arranging her funeral would not tear me away from plans here in Memphis. And then there was the dread of carrying all of her stuff in from my car in the parking garage, having to make several trips… but when I pulled into the garage, the best parking space (of the un-reserved ones) was right there waiting on me. At 11 AM on a weekday. How often does that happen? It all makes me wonder… God knew he had to take her from me, but did he arrange to do it in a way that would cause me to suffer as little as possible? (By the way, I view God as gender-neutral, so feel free to substitute “she” when you read that last sentence if you prefer.)

Strangely enough, this experience has also given me a new appreciation for what I do for a living. I’ve said several times that I am happy Mama’s mind stayed sharp until the end, that she never suffered the mental decline that my grandmother did. My company supports and promotes a card game that is many people’s passion, that keeps the minds of the people who play it sharp into their 90s and even beyond. I am proud that I help support an activity that helps people’s minds stay strong so they are less likely to have to go through what my grandmother did.

Today is my last day off work following Mama’s death. I was going to spend most of the day adulting, closing out her accounts and such. However, I haven’t received her death certificates yet so there isn’t a whole lot I can do at this time. I’ll do the adulting I need to get done for me (paying my rent, paying the parking garage, going out there and putting the permanent license plate on the car) then it will be time to go play. After all, I am taking a vacation day today, might as well enjoy as much of it as I can! Back tomorrow with more news probably.

No post yesterday, but I’ve got a double helping of news this morning.

Miss Cordelia’s has announced that they are looking for local bands and musicians. They need people to play live music Mondays and Wednesdays from 5 to 8. Come by the store and ask for Eric, Emily, or Angelina if you’re interested.

Eric Hughes brings the blues to you this Saturday night at The Dirty Crow Inn. He will play from 9 to midnight.

CityCurrent has a good article about Bedrock Eats & Sweets market and cafe, which has started preparing foods that meet Whole30 guidelines. You can eat at the cafe at South Main and Vance, or pick up something from the grab & go to take home.

Useful: There’s now a Google Chrome extension that will filter the politics from your Facebook news feed.

Moody Ques news: My Deputy Director of Public Relations and I had a marketing meeting with Buddha and Ian Sunday night. It was very productive. By “productive” I mean “we drank all the Blind Bear’s Fireball.”

Want to score a bag of weed? Order your fries extra crispy at the Burger King in Epping, New Hampshire.

@kerry901 passed along three ways to resist and engage in Memphis this week. This first is tonight, at the Ghost River taproom, where there will be a fundraiser for Chattanooga mayor Andy Berke.

Secondly, they are asking people to attend the Shelby County Commission budget meeting Wednesday at 9:40 PM. The Commission is trying to defund Planned Parenthood’s successful free condoms initiative here in Memphis.

Thirdly, Clayborn Temple has been named the location for Memphis We Belong Here at 5 PM Wednesday. This is a protest against Trump’s recent immigration order.

Jerry Lawler’s Grill on Beale Street posted photos of their Royal Rumble watch party. I had never thought about it before, but that would be the perfect place for wrestling fans to watch pay-per-views.

Club Paradise where legends like B.B. King played 50 years ago, at 645 E. Georgia, has reopened as the Paradise Entertainment Center.

Do you eat at the Taco Bell on Union in Midtown? 39 years ago, The Sex Pistols performed at a ballroom at that location. Johnny Rotten blew his nose on stage without a handkerchief. Read about it in High Ground News Unmarked series.

Oh my! Ron Garrison, who seemed to be the first competent leader MATA has had in ages, has stepped down from his position following an arrest over the weekend for patronizing prostitution. It was part of a human trafficking sting and two juveniles were rescued. The prostitute Garrison allegedly patronized, however, was of age. His departure comes at a bad time as MATA pushes for more public funding.

Holly has a guide to Super Bowl 51 for Memphians. She has a list of places to watch the game, where to get wings, which places deliver, and more.

Lifehacker has an article on how many people need to come to your party to make it worthwhile to get a keg. If the average guest drinks four 12-ounce cups of beer, you will need about 40 people to kill the keg. Keep in mind when throwing a party Downtown that the people who live here are not “average” in terms of beer consumption so 15 people is probably a more reasonable estimate than 40.

The Memphis Flyer has photos and winners from Soup Sunday. Congratulations to several Downtown businesses who made it into the winners’ circle: eighty3 for Best Gumbo, the Peabody for Best Bread (cornbread), Tuscany Italian Eatery for VIP Best Presentation and VIP Soup (tomato bisque), and Rizzo’s for VIP Dessert (blueberry white chocolate bread pudding).

Loflin Yard will have The Big Game on The Big Screen Sunday. It will be preceded by live music from Electric Church (2-4) and football trivia by Cerrito Trivia.

Gotta love it that the Saucer is having a “Superb Owl” party on Sunday. Wonder if it’s the same owl who was attacking people in the High Point neighborhood several years ago and who has its own Twitter account.

When I took the extra time off after my mom died I decided that Tuesday would be a play day, so out I go. Back tomorrow (hopefully) with more news.

Today is Soup Sunday at FedExForum from 11 to 2, a fundraiser for Youth Villages. I’ll share a little insider information I have learned: Bardog Tavern, the only back-to-back winner of the people’s choice vote for best soup, has retired the Chicken Velvet soup that put them in the winner’s circle in 2015 and 2016. The only way chef John Haley would retire that soup is if he had something that he thought was even better. If I were you, I would seek out Bardog’s booth immediately upon arrival at FedExForum. Gates open at 11, and remember what I said previously: This is not an event where you want to pre-game at a bar and then arrive an hour after it gets started. The best soups will run out well before 2, and really, well before 1 even, and while they may not run out before noon that is when the lines will be the longest.

I’ll give ya another Bardog insider tip, this one not concerning Soup Sunday. Lately on Sunday nights, they have been running dinner specials that include a glass of wine. A few weeks ago, I was in there, and got a special including their spaghetti with Aldo’s grandmother’s meatballs, a salad, and a glass of Cabernet for $16.99. That is a very good value!

I am not certain they will have a wine special tonight, but they’ve been running them the past few weeks.

With football season (except for one game) being over, Max’s Sports Bar has reverted to its normal opening time of 4:30 in the afternoon. However, this year they are making an exception one day. Saturday will retain a permanent opening time of 11 AM. I think that’s a good call and I will probably get down there at least one Saturday morning next month to watch some college basketball.

Choose901 has an important post on how to get involved with refugees in Memphis. This is great information for those who feel that our president does not speak for them on the topic of immigration. By the way, just yesterday I heard a story of a naturalized U.S. citizen, a business owner who has lived here for 20 years, who went to see his family in Eastern Europe and was refused to be let back into the United States. A CITIZEN!!! I have a few readers who are naturalized U.S. citizens who were born in foreign countries. I would advise you to stay here until 2020 or Trump’s impeachment, whichever comes first.

If you come Downtown for Soup Sunday and want stay longer, Jeremy Stanfill takes the stage at Loflin Yard at 2.

Teen retailer Wet Seal has shuttered all its locations. One former teen shopper’s eulogy: “It made me feel like a piece of ham in a tube top.” Mmmm, that eulogy is making me anticipate BBQ Fest!

The Peabody will be offering two Valentine’s dinner options. On the 10th, 11th, and 14th, Chez Philippe will offer a sumptuous 4-course dinner for $95 per person, or $130 per person with wine pairings by the Peabody Sommelier. On the 10th through the 14th, Capriccio Grill will offer a 3-course Italian dinner featuring lobster or surf and turf for $70.

Interesting… oddsmakers are putting out odds on who will win the Royal Rumble tonight, WWE’s annual 30-person over-the-top battle royal with the winner receiving a shot at the Universal or World championship at WrestleMania. President Trump is 1000/1 to be a surprise entrant and win the Rumble.

The Illusionists – Live from Broadway, described as “Magic’s Cirque de Soleil,” come to the Orpheum February 10-12. These talented artists have sold out shows worldwide.

I’m charging up my phone and my external charger, so I can watch the Royal Rumble on the WWE Network tonight. I always seem to be a popular person to sit next to on PPV nights. Since bars are loud I turn on the captioning. I have a lot to do tomorrow, but I don’t have any set start time, so I may stay out a little late tonight. As for this morning, I will be leading off at D-RANKS with B-RAD at the Blind Bear at 11 as usual.