Author: paulryburn

One month ago today, on December 3, 2015, a crew dug this massive hole on Monroe between Front and Main. A month later, the hole is still here, blocking off the west-bound lane of Monroe. This is an eyesore, a nuisance, and most of all a traffic hazard. There are four restaurants on this block – Flight, the deli in Brinkley Plaza, Bardog, and The Little Tea Shop – and it’s difficult for food suppliers to make deliveries thanks to this hole.  Mayor Strickland, I don’t know if you read this blog, but if you do, can we get something done about this? In addition to traffic problems, I am told that the digging has messed up phone service in the area, costing businesses money on delivery orders.

Miss Cordelia’s, the grocery store on Mud Island, has some deli positions open both day and night shifts. Inquire within if interested.

A thief stole Nick the pug from a woman who was paid to walk him. The robbery occurred on Carolina between Riverside and Florida. They got the license plate number of the getaway car and it had been carjacked earlier that day in Hickory Hill. Later that day, a woman contacted the owners and said she had the dog. They met at Whitehaven Walmart where the owners paid ransom and got the dog back.

This is the second dog robbery I have heard of Downtown in three months. If you’re a dog owner Downtown, be careful with your pet. The robberies seem to happen on the outskirts of Downtown (the other one was on A.W. Willis), so be especially aware if you live in such an area.

I have to disagree with an item on this Foursquare list: The 7 best places to drink imported beer in Memphis. OK, don’t get me wrong. I love Earnestine & Hazel’s. It’s a great place to drink a domestic beer. It’s a great place to get a Soul Burger. It’s a great place to listen to the jukebox. It’s a great place to go upstairs and sit at Nate’s bar. The atmosphere is second to none. In my early days Downtown, the 2002-07 era when there weren’t many locals’ bars, I hung out there nearly every weekend. I made out with a 19-year-old girl from L.A. on my 35th birthday at E&H. I love the place. But it is not known for imported beers. Aldo’s Pizza Pies and the Flying Saucer would be my Downtown picks for imports. If you want to take the beer home or to your hotel, check out City Market and Jack’s Food Store.

But really, why waste your money on imported beer when you can have the Cadillac of beers, PBR, for less?

Should asking a chef to “hold the rice” at a sushi restaurant get you kicked out? Before you think “are there people who would actually do that?”, let me assure you that there are. At the sushi buffets of Germantown, there is a woman who is known for getting an extra plate. She then loads up with nigiri, detaching the rice from the fish and putting it on the plate, not eating it to leave more room in her stomach for fish. After seeing a mountain of rice on her plate, the chef came over and yelled at her and told her she had to eat the rice in the future, or she would be asked to leave. So she started getting bowls of soup from the buffet, and hiding the rice in the soup.

By now you’re probably thinking, “It’s the Nuh-Uh Girl, isn’t it?” Yes of course it is.

Congratulations to my Arkansas Razorbacks on a fine 45-23 victory over Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl yesterday. I watched the game at Max’s Sports Bar and there were a group of Kansas State fans at the table by the door. “How confident are you in your team?” they asked. I told them my confidence level was pretty high. “Not so much for us,” they said. “We’re only here because Iowa State doesn’t know how to spike a ball.”

The MacBook is almost dead so it’s time to hit Publish and put it on the charger. D-RANKS with B-RAD at the Blind Bear is first up, of course. I need to catch up with my BBQ team. We had a cook’s meeting yesterday, and as Director of PR I am supposed to attend those to gather news to report to the team. However, they scheduled the meeting at the exact time the Liberty Bowl started, so watching the Razorbacks took priority. I asked the cooks to take good notes and hopefully I will sync up with them today. Time for a memorable Sunday Fun Day to cap off this long holiday weekend.

Yesterday I led off at Bardog as indicated on my blog, but while having my first beer I learned that the Nuh-Uh Girl and BBQ team pitmaster Frank planned on watching the Outback Bowl at Max’s Sports Bar. That sounded like a plan so I paid my tab and walked south.

I walked in at the same time as Frank and Nuh-Uh and we were joined a little later by our friend Chad MO. Chad decided some food would help him wake up so he asked Max for a menu. He got the school lunchroom pizza, the same stuff you were served in elementary school; yes, they have that as Max’s. As soon as his food came out the Nuh-Uh Girl appeared by his side.

The Nuh-Uh Girl got mad at me for rooting for Northwestern. “You should root for SEC schools,” she told me. In general I do, but Tennessee and Ole Miss are just too douchey for me to even consider it. The Nuh-Uh Girl sang “Rocky Top” every time the Vols scored, and it was nice to see that she has found other uses for her mouth besides eating.

Tennessee won, which made the Nuh-Uh Girl happy.

The walk north

With the game over a little after 2, I decided it was time to walk to Beale Street to get a good spot for the Liberty Bowl parade. On the way there I made a couple of discoveries which were blogworthy.

There’s a new Little Free Library at Main and Vance. Little Free Libraries are community book exchanges where you can leave a book that you would like to share with others, or take a book if you see one that interests you (of course, it is hoped you will return it when done). This is a neat concept and I am happy to see one Downtown.

I have the sneaking suspicion, though, that at some point in the near future I am going to be approached with the following: “Hey. Sir. Sir. Sir. Hey. Hey. Big time, over here. Look here, sir. I got this book on needlepoint that I’m trying to sell. If you went to the bookstore it would be about ten dolla. I’ll give it to you for ’bout fitty two cent.”

Farther up the street, I saw this note posted on the door of the Chisca.

LYFE Kitchen, the new restaurant to open soon in the Chisca, is hiring, LYFE Kitchen is a restaurant concept that sells healthy food at about the same speed and cost as fast food. It should do well down here. KALE!

The parade

I got there at 2:30 thinking I would surely beat the crowd and get the spot I wanted. I was wrong! The street was a sea of purple. Kansas State showed up!

We got a spot next to King’s Palace Cafe’s outdoor bar, which was convenient for purchasing Big Ass Beers. Bones, Mike, Shane and Leigh, and Stevie G and Sarah were there representing Squeal Street BBQ; Frank and I were there representing the Moody Ques; and the Nuh-Uh Girl was there representing people who eat Squeal Street’s and the Moody Ques’ food.

The Nuh-Uh Girl pointed out that there are only about 4 men in Memphis who are not members of the “I touched the Nuh-Uh Girl’s boob” club. I realized I was one of them, so I touched the Nuh-Uh Girl’s boob.

I have to hand it to Kansas State… I can’t root for your team today, but you guys really impressed me. I like schools whose fans show up for the Liberty Bowl in large numbers and are polite and well-behaved but know how to have fun. A friend of mine who used to be a Fireball rep went to Manhattan, Kansas and told me it is one heck of a party town. I can believe it.

No thanks, we wouldn’t be interested in thousands of dollars in extra revenue

I just don’t get this at all.

After about 50 minutes at the parade, I got tired of shivering and looking at the back of people’s heads. I caught a strand of beads but there wasn’t much else to keep me there. I decided it was time to get some blackeyed peas and collard greens. I walked north, passing the Flying Saucer.

Note that all the chairs are up in the photo above. The Saucer was closed. I posted the pic to Facebook and was told, “We always open at 5 on New Year’s Day.” Yes. I know that. I have been a regular at the Saucer for over a decade; I know what time you open. However, this New Year’s Day was different from the previous ones. This was the first New Year’s when there were SIX THOUSAND PEOPLE A BLOCK AWAY watching a parade. Those people are going to be looking for places to pre-game and post-game the parade. And you’re right there at Second and Peabody place. They are going to see you before they see any other bars. And a bar that sells 200 different beers? That’s a pretty appealing concept. You guys would have been PACKED. I’m not saying I would have opened the place at 11, but I sure would’ve got open by 1.

When I posted about this on Facebook, Shawn from Kooky Canuck commented, “Thank you very much.” No kidding. I bet Kooky pulled in an extra two grand of revenue, and I’m probably being too conservative with that estimate, because the Saucer was closed.

Luck times two

2015 wasn’t the best year for me. January and December were good months but the rest of the year pretty much sucked. For 2016 I wasn’t taking any chances. I was definitely going to get some blackeyed peas and collards for good luck… and besides, I like blackeyed peas and collards. The Blind Bear had them, so that’s where I went.

(The thing about the Blind Bear being so dark is, it’s almost impossible to get good photos in there. I had to do some serious lightness/saturation adjustment in The GIMP to get the food looking as yummy in this photo as it looked in real life.)

Later I wandered over to Bardog, where they also had blackeyed peas and greens on special. I had a bowl there too.

As you can see, they mix the greens in with the peas at Bardog, whereas at the Bear they serve them separately. I like both and don’t have a preference for one over the other.

On to the news

If you’re going to the Liberty Bowl and don’t want to deal with the hassle of traffic and parking near the stadium, there are free shuttles running from satellite lots at locations around town. Tickets for the game have sold out.

If you’re looking for something to do with the kids, Marvel Universe Live is at the FedExForum this weekend.

Here’s an article about ’90s women’s fashion. I would like to see #7, the boob tube top, make a comeback. However, rather than pairing it with baggy cargo pants, let’s update the look and pair it with yoga pants instead.

Pregnant women: Here’s a device you can insert inside your vagina so your fetus can listen to music.

From Whiskey Riff: The 36 things that happen when you get drunk on Fireball. I’ll add number 37: Pictures of you appear on Colin’s Facebook page.

From Food & Wine: Here’s why a Bloody Bull is better than a Bloody Mary.  A Bloody Bull is a Bloody Mary enriched with beef broth. Sounds good; I will have to ask B-RAD if he’s ever made one of those.

Recommendation for WWE Network subscribers: Go to the Vault and watch the Mid-South Wrestling episode from October 27, 1982. The main event is one of the most famous matches in MSW history and one I saw when it originally aired: Mid-South Tag Team Champions the Junkyard Dog and Mr. Olympia defend against Ted DiBiase and Matt Borne in a no-disqualification match, with the person getting pinned to leave town for 90 days. The title defense was supposed to be against Ted DiBiase and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, but Duggan got detained (promoters weren’t sure why exactly) and could not be present for the match. It was a special week on MSW because the Louisiana State Fair was going on, and the carnival barker, dressed in a gorilla suit, brought a group of boys over to watch the show.

Happy birthday to the Blind Bear’s biggest drama queen, Rahul. Sorry I didn’t make it out to your sushi party last night. I will have a fruity drink with you tomorrow.

Time to wrap up this long post and get this day started. As usual I will lead off at Bardog for brunch with Bloom, then a quick trip to the Blind Bear to say hello to Mary then south to Max’s to watch the Liberty Bowl. It’s time to CALL THOSE HOGS!!!

 

The nice thing about where I live is that there is a bar that opens at 8 AM on weekdays – Bardog Tavern, on Monroe between Front and Main. It’s across from The Giant Hole in the street (you can’t miss it).

Bardog has proved to be a great place to pre-game for the Liberty Bowl parade. Last year a large group of West Virginia fans showed up and my BBQ teammate Mardoqueo and I had a blast telling them all the things to do that locals know about. This year it’s even better. MY team is here. Arkansas. The Razorbacks. The Hogs. If you are in town for the Liberty Bowl I invite you to come pre-game with me. I’ll be the guy with long hair with the Arkansas sweatshirt on and plan on being there from about 10:30 to 2:30. Come join me!

(Edited to add: They serve breakfast until 11 and then they have a great lunch menu. Try the Amazing Island Club!)

We’re less than 12 hours away from 2015 being outta here and I can’t wait. The past several years, I have taken the night off on New Year’s Eve because the bars tend to turn into Amateur Night. This year, however, I’m gonna celebrate! Most likely I will meet up with friends at the Silly Goose tonight. If you haven’t decided what to do tonight, Choose901 has a list.

Why do I always think of good ideas too late? This morning I thought, I want to get a T-shirt printed saying “I GOT ALL DRESSED UP FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE” and wear it out on New Year’s Eve. With jeans, of course. Maybe next year… I do have a guy who custom prints shirts, so I can make this happen.

I played trivia at the Blind Bear last night. My team’s name was “The chimney wasn’t the only thing Santa came down.” I can’t take credit for the name but thought it was pretty damn clever. Jeannette asked me to let everyone know that the Bear will open at 3 PM New Year’s Day and they will have bowls of blackeyed peas and collards. For those not familiar with that tradition, Southerners eat blackeyed peas and collard greens for good luck in the year to come.

Also, the Flying Fish will be open regular hours tomorrow and will serve blackeyed peas with every order.

This makes me sad: Former Arkansas basketball player Michael Qualls has been arrested on drug charges. Qualls was the shooting guard who had the put-back dunk with less than a second on the clock in 2013 in a memorable victory over Kentucky. He left the Hogs after his junior season to enter the NBA draft, but was not selected. I always felt he would have been NBA material if he’d stayed for his senior year at Arkansas.

In case anyone is traveling north this weekend, be advised that Missouri has shut down I-55 outside of St. Louis due to flooding. Also, the U.S. 51 bridge in Kentucky over the Ohio River has been closed.

From Thrillist: Memphis’ best new bars and restaurants for 2015. Not at all surprised to see Maciel’s for Best Mexican. I cannot tell you enough how good this place is.

For those of you new to Memphis, there’s a game called “fireworks or gunshots?” that we play tonight and also on July 4. If you aren’t sure what I mean, just go outside around midnight and you will soon understand.

There’s a Digital Communications Coordinator position open at Youth Villages.

The CA’s Michael Donahue recommends the BBQ Benedict at Silky O’ Sullivan’s

Good seeing B-RAD and meeting his nephew at the Silly Goose last night. It is always a treat to be on the same side of the bar as Brad.

My WordPress dashboard tells me that “tube top pull down” is a top search term that leads people to this blog. Heh.

Work lets us out at 3 today, so I’ll do happy hour at the Goose at 4 (or the Bear if the Goose is not open). See you in 2016. Be safe tonight everybody and don’t drive drunk!

The Liberty Bowl parade happens on New Year’s Day on Beale Street. If you haven’t seen this parade, I recommend going. It is a bit different from the St. Pat’s and Christmas parades in that it isn’t organized by the locals; it’s organized by the Liberty Bowl and AutoZone. It lasts longer than the other parades, there are more marching bands, and of course the participating schools, this year Arkansas and Kansas State, are represented. There will be plenty of Hogs and K-State fans around and it will be a festive time. The parade starts at 3, starting at Fourth Street and rolling down Beale to Second, but I recommend you get there around 2:40 to stake out your spot.

If you’re not driving and you can handle a cold drink on a cold day, go to Wet Willie’s and get a Call-a-Cab. It’s a punch-flavored daiquiri that is very high in alcohol content. Don’t get more than one unless you want to be in bed by 7 PM.

Good news: Effective Friday, Tennessee driver licenses will be good for 8 years instead of 5 as was the case previously. Fewer trips to the DMV = happier Tennesseans.

Bill Cosby faces his first criminal charges over his conduct with women. The charge is 3 counts of aggravated indecent assault. I hope Cos lives to be 110 so he can enjoy a full 30 years in jail, and even that isn’t enough to pay for the emotional turmoil so many women have experienced thanks to his actions. They got the charge in two days before the statute of limitations would have expired.

Arkansas and Kansas State fans, if you’re already in town and want to catch some good live music, I recommend checking out my friend Brad Birkedahl and his band at Blues City Cafe’s Band Box. Rockabilly and lots of Elvis. Good stuff. Show time is 9:30.

Cricket protein bars could save the planet. Yuck. Remember when they sold cricket snacks by the register at the Flying Fish? I swear I am not making this up. Somebody I know (Bones I think?) bought a package and offered me a cricket. I turned down the offer.

Geoff Calkins reports that the following team sent scouts for Paxton Lynch’s final game as a Tiger: Jets, Rams, Texans (two), Giants, Bears, Cardinals, and the Cowboys.

This map shows the drunkest states during the December holidays. Tennessee did well! My home state of Arkansas did well too.

There will probably be a second post before I go after work, so check back. Happy hour plan for me tonight is to lead off at Silly Goose, then over to the Flying Saucer for a friend’s final shift. Time to run errands then back to work.

It’s 10:30 PM Tuesday December 29 as I type this, so realize when I say tomorrow I mean Wednesday the 30th. Sorry for any misunderstanding but I’m home from the bars and there’s so much news that I have to do a post before bed. Also sorry for any typos. Eating the black bean chili from City Market’s grab & go. After I get this up I may go to Silly Goose where Charvey is playing right now.

Local will open at 10:00 tomorrow for the Memphis-Auburn game and will have $1 beer, including the good stuff (local and premium) until the first team scores. Root for a low scoring game if you plan on attending!

Come see Big Red, the Arkansas Razorbacks mascot, tomorrow at Kooky Canuck from 12 to 1 in the afternoon. Big Red is doing the 25lb Humonga Kookamonga Challenge and needs help.

Trolley Stop Market is having its first ever New Year’s Eve Kids Party on Dec. 31 from 7 to 9. Complimentary cookies, popcorn, and cupcakes for the kiddos (no Nuh-Uh Girl this does not mean you) and the movie Minions will be showing. Pizza specials for the movie. 901-526-1361 to reserve your table today.

Miss Cordelia’s is ringing in the new year with $9 growler fills at the growler station through the 1st. Also $5 off your purchase at the station if you purchase 3 or more growlers will fill-ups.

James Rogers, outgoing head of Memphis Animal Services, offered this quote about his legacy: “I leave a legacy that’s really great, I think.” Hey James, here’s a quote from me about your legacy: FUCK YOU. I would not even hire you to water plants on the Main Street Mall. You’d probably put Ortho in the tanks.

This Mississippi River is expected to crest at 43.5 feet January 9. Not quite enough to flood Riverside Drive as happened in 2011.

For my fellow Led Zeppelin fans: List of 20 sessions Jimmy Page played, not as part of a band. Notable and surprising: Petula Clark’s 1964 hit “Downtown”

Wisconsin Man throws beer bottle at bartender who changes radio station from Black Sabbath to Christmas music. Seems reasonable.

Cafe Pontotoc has announced it will be closed Dec. 31 to Jan. 7 and to expect “big things” when it re-opens on the 8th.

Off to bed. Or the Goose. Damn this chili sure is good.

Just a few days ago I was commenting on my surprise that Motorhead frontman Lemmy had turned 70. Unfortunately Lemmy barely got past 70. A form of very aggressive cancer was discovered in him December 26, and he passed away yesterday. RIP and rock on, Lemmy.

The second annual Russell George memorial benefit for the Church Health Center is this Saturday at 6:00 at Earnestine & Hazel’s. Russell was the man who, in the early 1990s, bought E&H and transformed it into the dive bar known for Soul Burgers and a great jukebox that we know and love today. The E&H house band will perform and the Grizzlies game will be on. Suggested donation $10 at the door.

There will be a really neat event called Chef + Farmer + Maker Friday, February 5 at 6:30 PM at 387 Pantry. This is a tough event to describe in a sentence or two, so I will just paste in the first paragraph from Facebook.

Friday, February 5th, 2016 at 6:30 PM, The 387 Pantry will host a roundtable discussion on the current state and the role of our local food culture in building Memphis as a capital of culinary innovation and exploration. If cities are judged by their food, how is our gritty little city by the river being represented? The conversation will feature the voices of a selection of local culinary figures spanning several roles in the food world. We have invited two chefs, two farmers, and two culinary craftspeople to participate. These players, the farmers who grow and tend to the ingredients, the makers who preserve and believe in a unique application of an ingredient, and the chefs, who present creative, beautiful, and thoughtful culminations of all three, will discuss the dishes that best represent our city, the missing pieces to our food culture, the changes that we have seen over the past half decade, and, Memphis’ role in the broader context of the southern food renaissance, and so on.

Only 60 tickets are available. Get them here.

Max’s Sports Bar opened at 11:30 today for Tigers basketball. They will open at 10:30 tomorrow for the Tigers in the Birmingham Bowl, 2:00 Thursday for playoff semifinals, and 11:00 Friday through Sunday.

Note for Memphians reading this blog from Birmingham: Uber starts there today at 4.

Memphis Animal Services Director James Rogers is the latest Wharton appointee to be shown the door by incoming Memphis mayor Jim Strickland. HALLELUJAH! Good riddance, dog killer!

So last night, I was at the Blind Bear watching football, when the Nuh-Uh Girl showed up! And there wasn’t even any free food!

Me, the Nuh-Uh Girl, Jeannette, Misty, and Jeremy. The Nuh-Uh Girl will be in town until Monday and is ready for people to order some food so she can eat.

Before Monday Night Football, they showed photos of cryotherapy machines twelve of the Broncos use. They get in for three minutes – their full body in the machine, standing up, only their head sticking out. They said that it can reduce recovery time from 72 hours to 24, but it involves standing in a machine at temperatures up to MINUS TWO SIXTY (at least that’s what was claimed last night). I would say I would never do that, but I guess if I were being paid five million a year I would get in that damn machine too.

Also before the game, there was an emotional interview with Peyton Manning in response to claims that he took Human Growth Hormone. The employee who had made the accusation had already recanted, but Al Jazeera reported it anyway. In the interview I recognized immediately the look of exasperation and disappointment and hurt in Peyton’s eyes, that someone had made shit up about him and others believed it without question, without even bothering to hear his side of the story.

Shout-out to all the FedExForum employees working extra hard and extra long to provide fans a great experience at today’s doubleheader. My friend who manages concessions there told me his day will start at 7:30 AM and end at 2 AM.

I’ll probably lead off at Blind Bear for happy hour. Uncertain whether I will play poker later in the evening.

Emotional car ride home. Maybe I will say something about it later but not right now. It has nothing to do with my mother’s health, by the way, so don’t worry about that. Let’s just say that I prayed for the first time since probably about age 30.

This is scary: Someone put a voter database online with 191 million records. The records contain details like names, addresses, dates of birth, party affiliation, and phone numbers. Even scarier? As of yet, nobody knows who put it online.

Tomorrow is a rare weekday doubleheader at FedExForum. The Memphis Tigers play Tulane at noon, and then the Grizzlies take on Miami at 7. At the Grizzlies game, you can get a free Ghost River “All Hops, Grit, Grind” pint glass. Simply order a Ghost River beer at either of the two stations selling it, and keep the glass.

MemphisWeather.net seeks a contract programmer for a single project.

Popular singer Charvey Mac plays the Silly Goose tomorrow night, Tuesday, December 29 from 10 to 1. That’s the weekly $2 local craft beer day so I will probably pop in for Charvey’s first hour and a craft beer or two. Or maybe I’ll forget to shop local like the last time Charvey was there and get PBR instead.

There will be a Liberty Bowl team welcome for Arkansas and Kansas State tomorrow at Bass Pro at the Pyramid at 5. Players will eat dinner and get to look around the new store. $25 if you want to attend.

MemphisWeather.net posted the forecast for the Birmingham Bowl in which Memphis plays Wednesday. Rain will be likely, especially in the morning, with 54 degrees at the 11 AM kickoff, up to 57 by 2. The Tigers practiced in the rain today which was good prep for the game.

Off to Melissa Monday at Bardog. A PBR sounds like a gift from heaven right about now (although that’s not what I prayed for either).

Before we get on with the news, I have a Pandora ’80s station rant. The worst song ever, “Tainted Love/Baby Where Did Our Love Go” by Soft Cell, plays way too much. The problem is that “Tainted Love” is considered one song, “Baby Where Did Our Love Go” another song, and “Tainted Love/Baby Where Did Our Love Go” a third song. So that crap is popping up on ’80s Pandora every half hour, it seems like. Ugh.

Matt Barnes has been suspended by the NBA for two games, according to Yahoo! Sports. Shortly after he was traded to the Grizzlies, he got in an altercation with New York Knicks coach Derek Fisher at Fisher’s house. Barnes did not appeal, so the suspension will be for the next two games.

There will be a paranormal investigation class on Saturday, January 9. Learn how to become a ghost hunter and get information about the tools of the trade in this two-hour class. $20, ages 18 and up.

Anyone know what’s going on with Sunday brunch at Texas de Brazil? A couple of people who went yesterday told me they were charging full dinner price and the salad bar did not have some of the usual Sunday brunch items – in particular the au gratin potatoes, which are the best thing about brunch there.

Looking to get some exercise tonight while having fun and hanging out with some cool people at the same time? The Salty Dogs running group depart from Bardog Tavern at 7 tonight. They will run around AutoZone Park and up the Main Street Mall on a 3-mile course. The course ends at Bardog, where they will go downstairs and enjoy food and drink specials post-run. There is no cost and no need to register in advance. All you have to do is show up!

If you want to get some exercise outside of Downtown tonight, check out arcade/video game bar/sports bar the Rec Room out on Broad Avenue tonight at 6:30. It’s the final Bendy Brewski Yoga class of 2015. $15 for an all-levels yoga class followed by some of the best beer in the city. This is a great activity for those who like yoga and tend to play games.

There was a 2.6 magnitude earthquake at Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park this morning. Not enough to do any damage or be felt, but it is a reminder that our city sits on a major fault line and one of these days “the big one” is coming.

The river is rising and will go past flood stage on New Year’s Day. However, that is still 14 feet below the flood of 2011 that moved BBQ Fest to Tiger Lane.

Speaking of BBQ Fest, VIPit tickets are now on sale for $495/$595 with parking. If you’re not on a team, this is a good way to get the full BBQ Fest experience and the cost is about the same as the average team membership. You get admission for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of BBQ Fest, with guides who know a lot about BBQ to help you get the most out of the festival. You’ll be invited to up to 6 teams for competition BBQ sampling and lots of cooking tips. You’ll also get a goodie bag and tips from an official festival judge, as well as access to light snacks, soft drinks, beer and wine in a VIP area.

From Food and Wine: The Ultimate Guide to Shower Wine

From @RazorbackFB on Twitter: All loaded up and ready to go to Memphis. Welcome, Razorbacks! If Hog fans have any questions about Memphis, shoot me an email at paul@paulryburn.com and I will do my best to answer them. Kansas State fans, your questions are welcome too!

The pajama party at the Blind Bear was a huge success. There’s a photo of me floating around Facebook with two hotties in sexy nightgowns. I’m not sure I have their permission to post it on here though, so for now I will refrain.

I’ll lead off at Bardog for Melissa Monday at happy hour tonight (won’t be running with the Salty Dogs though), then over to the Blind Bear to watch football. Time to eat and get back to my Monday at work.

Every Sunday at the Blind Bear is Hung Over Like a Bear Brunch/D-RANKS with B-RAD from 11 AM to 6 PM. This week, to celebrate the holiday season, we’re doing something extra – we’re throwing a pajama party.

Wear your PJs, wear your onesies, wear your cute bunny slippers… whatever it is you sleep in. Ladies, I realize thick wool onesies might be uncomfortable to wear on a day when the high temperature is pushing the 80 degree mark. Be assured that it is most definitely acceptable to wear lingerie to this party.

NO DRAMA QUEENS ALLOWED (except Rahul) so an enjoyable time will be had by all.

Pajamas are not required, so if you want to pre-game for the Grizzlies-Lakers game at the Bear, bring it on! Although, if you got one of those Tony Allen Jedi robes earlier this month, you should wear it for sure.

Come hang out with the Sunday brunch crew for a fun afternoon!