Author: paulryburn

I received an e-mail from one of the Memphis Grizzlies Grannies and Grandpas Dance Team, who dance during breaks at Grizzlies home games. She informed me that it’s actually a 50 and over dance group. Their next appearance is at the November 18 home game, so come check them out. Don’t forget to become a fan of theirs on Facebook.

Speaking of which, be REAL careful on Facebook. A variant of the KoobFace worm is back, and it’s hijacking Facebook groups and posting stuff to people’s Walls. Click on the wrong link and you could get malware installed on your computer. Even be careful clicking on links posted by friends, or links to photos where friends are tagged, because their account or a group they belong to may have been hijacked. For more info see this PCWorld article.

I’ve learned of a new restaurant Downtown (haven’t been there myself yet though). It’s called Salad Expressions and is located at 120 W. Willis (formerly Auction) Avenue. I didn’t know that Auction Avenue had been renamed, but I’m pleased to see that they went with Todd Bridges’ character on Diff’rent Strokes as the choice for the new name. Auction needed to be renamed anyway, because of what it represented (slaves were once auctioned at the foot of the avenue). WEST Willis Avenue? Would that be on Mud Island then? If anyone tries this new salad place out, shoot me an e-mail at paul@paulryburn.com and let me know what you think.

Downtown Dining Week continues. The Nuh-Uh Girl had TWO dinners last night, one at Sole and one at Felicia Suzanne’s. Last time I checked her Twitter account, her last 14 tweets were about eating.

A few Downtown-related articles in the CA this morning. First of all, an article on how Midtown Yoga was convinced to come Downtown because of a unique profit-sharing arrangement.

More condos will be up for auction soon. This time there will be 15 units in the River Tower (655 Riverside) going on the block. Right across from Riverside BP… that’s a winner, the BP has an awesome deli.

News on a proposed shuttle that would connect Midtown and Downtown, and would be available late into the night on Thursday and weekend nights. Please make this happen! I would love to make occasional appearances in Midtown on the weekends, but it ain’t gonna happen until I have an option that does not involve driving (and MATA’s Madison Avenue line is an absolute joke and not an option).

Last night I took my new netbook to the Saucer, and fired up PokerStars while I drank beer. One thing I discovered – the 6-max poker tables are much looser than the 9-max poker tables I usually frequent, at least at the level I play (10c SB/25c BB). There was a horrible, horrible player on the first table I joined, who was raising with any two cards. However, for a while he was winning big, because he had most of the table intimidated. At one point he had a stack of $81, at a table with a $25 maximum buy-in. I just sat back and waited. Once good cards came, I started to punish him. Within an hour I was up $26. Other players were beating him up too, and when his $81 stack had been reduced to $7.60, he left the table. I made a note of his username, so I can search for him in the future.

However, I also learned another lesson, or rather, remembered one I already knew, and remembered it the hard way – don’t play poker drunk. After about 4 beers at the Saucer I decided it was too crowded, so I tabbed out and moved to the Silly Goose. I should have left the netbook turned off once I got there. I got involved in a scary hand with a good player. I was dealt something like J-10 and the flop came 7-8-9, giving me a straight. I decided to slowplay it and another player bet aggressively, and I called. Turn was an 8, and I failed to realize what a bad card that was for me – the board had paired, and he had a set of three nines, giving him a full house which beat my straight. I ended up losing big on that hand, and after being up $26 at one point, I finished the evening down about $10. If I hadn’t been drinking beer I would have folded that hand as soon as the board paired. Nevertheless, I can’t wait to play 6-max again – I think there’s a lot more potential profit there than 9-max, because 6-max tables attract more inexperienced players. Also, with fewer people in the hand, it’s possible to play more of a “small ball” style like Daniel Negreanu does. You have to be real careful post-flop though.

While at the Silly Goose, the bartender ordered one of the new entrees for his dinner – beef brisket with mashed potatoes, and they had the brisket wrapped around the potatoes volcano-style. Looked fantastic. I’m definitely going to give that a try next time I’m in the Goose.

That’s it for today’s lunchtime post. No plans for after work, except getting my hair cut at Rachel’s Salon at 5. Maybe I’ll take the netbook out again, but I’ll be much more careful mixing poker and beer.

In these tough economic times, it’s important to take every opportunity to earn money that you can, and Republic Nightclub is offering up opportunity. Every Friday night they will have a Jello wrestling tournament for cash and prizes, leading up to a monthly Winner’s Tournament with a huge cash prize. Hmmm… I don’t have any set plans for this weekend… perhaps I’ll have to check this out, because as you know, I’m all about supporting cultural events like this one in Downtown Memphis. Wonder if ArtsMemphis has this listed on their iPhone app?

Republic will also have a College Night on Thursdays, with 18+ to get in and 21+ to drink. There are very few venues around town that do anything for the 18-20 age range, so this should draw a good turnout.

If you’ve been to a Grizzlies game, you may have seen the Memphis Grizzlies Grandmas and Grandpas Dance Team, a group of sixtysomethings (and older) that do dance routines at breaks in the game. It gives them aerobic exercise to keep fit, and the team is very, very good. They now have a fan page on Facebook – just search for “Memphis Grizzlies Grandmas and Grandpas Dance Team” and fan them.

South of Beale will host a Speed Dating event Saturday, November 21 at 3 PM. Suggested age range is men 25-26, and women 21-35. (As opposed to the Italian restaurant down the street, where the age range is men 21-35 and women 45+.) $10 to participate. To register, e-mail name, number, gender, and contact e-mail to southofbeale@gmail.com. If you have questions about the event, e-mail them to the attention of Ed at that address.

All right, going to cut this lunchtime post short, because I also have to make a Walgreens run on my lunch break. Not sure what I’ll do tonight… I feel like playing PokerStars, but with my new netbook with 7 1/2 hour battery there’s no reason I have to do that at home. Perhaps I’ll be out somewhere.

Here are the notes I took from this month’s SMA meeting at Itta Bena.  Note that it’s 11:30 PM as I type this and I’m kinda drunk, so please excuse spelling/typos/comments that have nothing to do with the meeting.

2009 president Brandon Herrington called 2010 president-elect Carol Lott up, and she presented the proposed board for 2010.  Passed unanimously, or at least if there were any “nays” I didn’t hear them.

Joe from the Blues Foundation came up.  Fri 11/27 after Trolley Tour, they will have their annual fundraiser at the Warehouse at Front and GE Patterson.  Food by Majestic, beer by Boscos, Joe and some other guy playing blues, $10 at the door.

Marcy came up.  On Sunday, 11/22 she will have an open house at her place, 514 S. Main.  It’s called “The Power of Protein,” a fund and food raiser for the Food Bank.  Bring anything protein:  canned chicken, tuna, ham, or salmon, dried beans (1 lb bags preferred), peanut butter.  Most importantly, bring a check for $20 made out to the Mid-South Food Bank.  Do this and you’ll enjoy Marci’s hospitality, with food, beer, and wine.  For more info, contant Marcy at 830-7526.  Every $1 donated = $4.76 purchasing power for the Food Bank.  Goal is $3000 in donations this year.

Janet from Clean Memphis came up.  Help clean up Downtown – meet Sat 11/4 at Jefferson Davis Park 8:45 AM to check in.  You’ll be shuttled to cleanup sites, then back Downtown at noon.  300 people have signed up so far including corporate teams – Autozone, Baker-Donelson, etc. but individuals are welcome too.  Post-cleanup, there will be a party at the park.  South Main is cooking, Ghost River Beer, Jason D. Williams providing the entertainment.  janet@cleanmemphis.org to RSVP.

David from the Symphony came up.  They’ll have Beethoven’s Fifth at the Cannon Center on the 21st and a Home for the Holidays sing-along with kids 10 and under free on 12/5.

The Memphis Holiday Parade will be 12/5.  No SMA float this year, but a group of South Main residents will be walking in the parade.

December Trolley Tour has been moved to 12/18 since 12/25 is Christmas.

Ken Neill, founder of Contemporary Media, Inc. came up.  (Memphis Flyer/Memphis magazine/Memphis Parent/Memphis Business Quarterly)  Their offices have been at 460 Tennessee since 1981.  MBQ is going to 6 times a year in Feb 10.

Then he explained the origin of the Memphis Flyer’s name.  There used to be a train called the Dixie Flyer that went from Dallas to Nashville.  In the ’70s there was a Highland Strip paper called the Dixie Flyer after the train.  The name The Memphis Flyer was done in homage to that paper.

20th anniversary Flyer issue out tomorrow.  Actual 20th anniversary was in February, but they delayed because non one felt like celebrating due to the economy.  CMI is the largest locally owned media company in Memphis.  96% of their free papers are picked up.

Then he discussed changes in the media.  Most Memphians do not get their breaking news from newspapers anymore.  They go online.  This shift of eyeballs is the #1 trend in the media.

Is print dead? Not exactly.
Is print media going to be the same as it’s always been? Absolutely not.
Some papers will make it, some won’t.

Two trends regarding the Internet.

1) Let a hundred flowers bloom.  Yeah there’s something of a quality control issue, but overall this is a Golden Age of media.

2) Print media has relied on advertising.  Now more ads are online.  That’s where the hundred flowers are a problem.  “The Web converts media dollars to media dimes.”  Many dailies have operated as monopolies for decades.  Now they’re not, where ad dollars are concerned, and are struggling to adjust.

However, Ken feels the franchises the dailies have are more valuable than ever, because of trust and the strength of existing brands.  “If you want to know the Grizzlies score before you go to bed, you know you can find it on the CA’s site.”  The power of well branded web/media combinations will enhance the power of the dailies.

The Flyer (although a weekly not a daily) has transformed itself into such a hybrid, with fresh blogs going up almost hourly.  The Wed. print Flyer is a snapshot of what’s going on at the time.  But, “it’s easier to take a printed product to the bedroom, the bar, the beach, and the bathroom.”

In response to an audience question, Ken said that everyone in the room needs to learn basic Web and graphic design skills if they don’t have them already.  You won’t be able to get by without them in 5 years’ time.

After the meeting ended, Deni from the Majestic Grille pulled me aside.  She told me they’re doing an art opening Wed 11/18 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM.  Sophoran McRae, a photo designer, will be exhibiting.  “She does graphic design without using a computer, and it’s very beautiful.”  Booze, food, the usual.  Free food?  Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.  The artist’s husband is the Main Street Hot Dogs guy.

Speaking of which:  Nuh-Uh Girl report:  She was just about the first person to get a plate of food.  After that she hid for a while, catching the servers as they were bringing food out and picking what she wanted off their trays.  Shortly before the presentation started, she went back for a second plate.  After the presentation, she went back for a third.  I left at that point, and was told that she had one or possibly two more plates after I left.  So, somewhere between 4 and 5 1/2 plates total.  She told me she’s going to Felicia Suzanne’s for Downtown Dining Week tomorrow.

About 7:30 I changed venue to the Saucer, where John D was captaining the remains of the trivia team.  We put in a valiant effort but missed third place by 5 points.  While standing at the bar, I heard a tourist ask Brittney for beer recommendations.  “Which 3 beers do you like best?”  The first beer Brittney recommended was Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan.  Oh, the irony.

Now I’m home.  Going to go to sleep and dream about what a great airport we have.  See you tomorrow, or actually, the clock is past midnight since I started typing, so see you later today.

After realizing I already own the rest of the outfit I plan to wear that night, I just placed an order for a Snuggie to wear to the 1st Annual Memphis Snuggie(tm) Pub Crawl.  The pub crawl based on the blanket with sleeves will be Saturday, November 28, with tentative stops at the Tap Room, Silky’s, Kooky Canuck, and Club Chill.  That’s right, I’m actually going to set foot in Club Chill for the first time ever.  Something different to do, and it’s for a good cause.

For more info, go to Facebook and search for the pub crawl under Events.  So far 239 people have responded “attending,” so this thing may reach Stumbling Santa proportions.  How are they ever going to fit 239 people in the Tap Room?

Heading to the SMA meeting in a few minutes.  I’m still annoyed with my non-working camera.  Maybe someone else can take pics and send a few to me.

Just a reminder that the South Main Association will meet tonight at Itta Bena.  There will be a speech from the head of Contemporary Media, Inc. on the future of media, and I believe is also the night when they vote on a slate of officers for 2010.  Hors d’oeuvres compliments of Itta Bena, cash bar.

I’ll be there taking notes, but unfortunately I won’t be taking pictures – having problems getting my camera’s battery to keep a charge.  Oh well, I’ve posted pics of Itta Bena before, so you know what it looks like.  Social at 6 PM, program starts around 6:30.  Will probably do a post summarizing the meeting late tonight or tomorrow at lunchtime.

…that I ordered a West Coast Burger to go from Huey’s tonight and had them make it as a turkey burger.

Before that… I played the 7:30 poker game at the Silly Goose and finished second.  I wanted so badly to make the 11:30 game but it just wasn’t in the cards (no pun intended).  $6 pitchers of PBR on Mondays at the Goose?  Will probably be back next week.

No, I’m not suggesting you go get drunk Saturday morning, although I am suggesting it for Saturday night.  Rather, I’m suggesting that you meet your neighbors in the Pyramid parking lot at 8:30 AM Saturday, November 14, and register to help clean up Downtown.  At 9 you’ll be shuttled to sites around the area, then at noon you’ll come back for a party in Jefferson Park (do they mean Jefferson Davis Park?) where participants will enjoy music, beer, and food.  Free food?  Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.  Check cleanmemphis.org for more details.

Sorry for the lack of updates, again been busy.  Yesterday was Crazy Hat Day at the Saucer, when a lot of the gang put on all sorts of wild hats to celebrate the hats of COGIC.  In some cases, crazy hat participants ran outside, flagged down COGIC cars, and got photos taken with participants.  You know, I’ve got to admit, the COGIC people were real good sports about the whole thing.  Glad they’re getting to leave on a high note.  After the Saucer I went to eat at Bangkok Alley (pics in a previous post), then back to the Saucer for “Lazy Sunday Nights with Brittney,” where I found there are TWO free Service Bell apps for the iPhone that I can use to drive her nuts.

Attn Air Traffic Mike:  When you gonna return to Memphis?  I’m at beer number 199 and am waiting to know when you’ll be back so I can schedule my 3rd plate party.  I’m actually gonna get this plate done before Stephanie.

Speaking of beer, time to go out.

If you’re a fan of live poker – not the online stuff I play at PokerStars, or the Buzztime Poker I play at Calhoun’s, but real, live poker with felt tables and chips – come on down to the Silly Goose tonight and play.  They’ll have two sessions going, first at 7:30, second at 11:30.  Free to play, no buy-in, and you might win a prize.

Hmmm I may have to make an early exit from Pint Nite next door and check this out… or a late exit from Pint Nite, if I decide to do the 11:30.

I ate at Bangkok Alley tonight for Downtown Dining Week.  Here are pics:

Larb

Strip steak with panang sauce

Fried bananas with vanilla ice cream

More DDW pics to come this week.

If Sunday brunch isn’t your thing, here’s an alternative. I just walked down Union and noticed a sign in Bangkok Alley’s window advertising Dim Sum Sunday tomorrow from noon to 3. There were about a dozen different varieties, mostly priced between $3.25 and $4.25. I believe I saw a couple of stir frys as well in the $11 range.

At the Saucer, blogging from my iPhone. Just got done with a $5.50 buy-in, 45 person PokerStars tournament. Top 7 positions paid. I finished 7th and won $7.37. Yay, $2.37 profit for 2 hours work!