Florence Henderson to march the Peabody ducks tomorrow

Florence Henderson, who played Carol Brady aka “Mom” on the TV show The Brady Bunch, will march the Peabody ducks tomorrow afternoon. At 4:45 the hotel’s Duckmaster will present Ms. Henderson with a certificate naming her an Honorary Duckmaster and a Peabody rubber ducky. Then at 5 the two Duckmasters will march the ducks out of the fountain, down a red carpet, into an elevator, and up to the ducks’ cage on the rooftop.

The event is open to the public, and I’m sure the place will be packed, so if you want a good viewing angle, better get there by 4 and save your spot.

Oh how could I forget this… BEER RECOMMENDATION!!!

When I go out, I always stick four or five index cards in my back pocket. The reason for this is that I frequently hear good stuff to blog about, and if I don’t write it down there’s a chance I’ll forget by the next morning. Last night the index cards paid off.

Couple of years ago I was up on my building’s rooftop, and one of my neighbors handed me a beer. “Here, Paul, try this.” It was a brand called Yuengling I had never heard of. I popped it open and took a sip.

“That’s REALLY good!” I told him. “This may be one of the best beers I’ve ever tasted.” Then I paused for a moment and asked, “How come I’ve never seen this for sale before? Is it a new beer?”

“No, it’s actually made by the oldest brewery in the U.S.,” my neighbor told me. “They just don’t distribute this far west. Every time I know someone who’s traveling to the Northeast, I give them money and have them bring me a case of Yuengling back. It has a huge following among people who know about it. They call it ‘Vitamin Y.'”

“Too bad they don’t sell it here,” I said. “I’d sure like to see this beer at the Saucer!”

So, fast forward to last night. My team showed up for trivia, sitting at our usual spot on the rail. Over at the end of the bar, we noticed a garbage can filled with iced-down bottles of beer. We asked around and were told that it’s a promotion for a new beer they’re going to be selling – none other than Yuengling. In addition to the traditional lager, there’s also a light version and a black & tan. And sure enough, a few minutes later one of the bartenders climbed up on a ladder (I love it when they do that) and added the three Yuengling beers to the “Just Landed” board.

This morning I totally forgot about Yuengling when I made my “quick update” post, but a few minutes ago I walked by my kitchen counter and saw a folded index card that read “Yuengling.” See, those cards really do help.

Glad to be able to add some Vitamin Y to my diet. Here’s to good health!

At least two more posts to come today, one concerning a famous mom and the other having to do with my battle against Corporate America.

Well twist my arm

Just made my morning run to Jack’s Food Store for caffeine. On the way back I rode up the elevator with a neighbor of mine, who happens to be a member of G3, the house band at EP Delta Kitchen.

“Coming out to hear the band tomorrow night?” he asked.

Well, twist my arm. Damn it! Going out to a bar and drinking was about the farthest thing I had in mind for my Thursday night plans. But you know, it’s important to support my neighbors in their creative ventures. So you know what, I’m going to do it. I’ll go.

I’ve been staying out until 11:30 or so recently then going home to bed, but since rooftop party season ended EP’s has tended to be more of a late-night place. So, tomorrow I’ll probably get there about 11 PM and stay until about 1:30. While there I hope to get more info about “Hoop’s Place,” another reason I may be spending less time at the Saucer in the near future. More details to come soon.

Quick update: Aurora at "Bands, Beer and Bums," John Lennon glass night, Blue Monkey

There are only two more weeks left in the Wednesday night “Bands, Beer and Bums” concert series in Court Square. Progressive rockers Aurora will headline tonight’s show. Unfortunately the Center City Commission only releases the name of the band that will be playing; they don’t release the names of the bums that will be working the park, so that part of the show will have to be a surprise. The action kicks off at 5:30 and lasts for three hours. The low tonight is predicted to be a chilly 49, so you might want to bring a sweatshirt or windbreaker.

Don’t forget that a week from today, Wendy’s will be in Court Square from 10 AM to 3 PM handing out free burgers as part of a national promotional tour. Friends and I were discussing this last night at trivia – it’s obvious that Wendy’s didn’t do any advance scouting of the location, or they would’ve picked someplace else. They’re definitely going to have their hands full. I hope I don’t have any client meetings next Wednesday morning, so I can go down there at 9:45 and watch the drama that will surely unfold.

I may not make it to the “Bands, Beer and Bums” concert tonight, and if I do I won’t be there for long. It’s John Lennon glass night at the Flying Saucer. I’ve seen the glass – this year they’re going with a “WAR IS OVER if you want it” theme. Glasses go on sale at 7, but this is one of those weeks where you better be there by 6:50 and tell the waitress or bartender that you want to get one the minute they go on sale. They’ll be gone in less than 10 minutes. Since this is not a glass night sponsored by a brewery, I believe there’ll be an extra charge for the glass, usually in the $3 range. (Don’t take my word for it on that price though, I don’t work there.)

My trivia team The Rapscallions had a rare finish out of the prize money last night, due to Pete asking some really stupid questions. (Stupid questions = ones we don’t know the answer to)

Here’s a link to a Memphis Business Journal article about the Downtown Blue Monkey, which is soon to reopen. As with the old bar, they’re doing all the work themselves, in order to recreate some of the atmosphere of the old Downtown Blue Monkey that made it feel like a home away from home. Unfortunately that means the completion date has been pushed back again – I had heard October, but they’re now saying it will open around Thanksgiving.

The Monkey’s opening will shake up the lives of a lot of Downtowners. It will definitely alter the Sunday brunch crew’s schedule, and the Saucer may even lose its status as my #1 hangout.

Thaddeus Matthews has new information about the Taylor Bradford murder. He says it was more than just a robbery – a love triangle existed involving Bradford and one of the accused murderers. Once again the CA got scooped by a blogger.

In other news: Nine hot girls who I’ve never met before want me to be their MySpace friend. WOOHOO! I’m POPULAR! And they all have webcam sites they want me to visit. For a small fee, of course. I better get the credit card ready! I’ve heard some of those sites install spyware and Trojan horses on people’s computers, but these seem like really nice girls, so I’m sure there won’t be a problem. Obviously I have a lot of web surfing to do, so I better hit Publish and get busy!

Hollywood Disco (Raiford’s) update

I’ve been told that the cover charge at Hollywood Disco will drop back to $10 effective Friday, October 12, and will remain at that rate except for special occasions when it will increase to $15. AWESOME news. Even at $15 it’s definitely worth it but that would definitely put a hurtin’ on the old wallet if I plan to go every weekend. Which I do.

For $10 you can go to Raiford’s, or you can go to Alfred’s. That’s like being able to eat at Chez Philippe or Denny’s for the same price.

I’ve also been told they’re installing an ATM, so that their customers who run out of cash don’t have to (heaven forbid) quit drinking. (Edit: I’ve been told this won’t happen for about 2 more weeks, so bring plenty of cash if you go in the meantime)

Wonder how much the nearby Green Beetle has seen their business increase since the Disco reopened. Dancing at Raiford’s followed by a very late-night burger at the Beetle… now that’s a winning combination.

I plan on going one night this weekend. Right now I’m leaning toward Saturday. Friday I have a private party to go to from 6 to 10 where there’s free beer… I have a feeling by the time the time comes to go to Raiford’s, I’ll be too pooped to party. So it looks like Saturday’s the day.

Tuesday update

Extending my pseudo-vacation in honor of Columbus Day, I spent yesterday afternoon exactly the way I like it – sitting in the window of the Flying Saucer, drinking Dos Equis Special Lager with friends. We were watching traffic on Second Street, and before long we were wondering… which would we see more of, cars turning the wrong way onto one-way Second Street, or bums? As it turned out it wasn’t even a close contest. We counted 4 wrong-way cars and 11 bums during our stay there.

At 7:30 several of us closed our tab. “Where are you going?” asked the waitress.

“EP’s,” I told her. “They have a free food buffet for Monday Night Football. Free hot wings, meatballs, and chili dogs. Beer specials too.”

“Oh really?” she said with excitement in her eyes. “Will you bring me a to-go plate?” Yeah, restaurants that put out free appetizer buffets just love it when you ask for a to-go plate. And they really love it when you ask for a to-go plate for someone who isn’t even there, and therefore not paying for drinks or anything.

“Yeah! I’ll bring you one!” I said, trying to match her level of excitement and putting on my best lying voice.

So we headed down to EP’s. Food buffet was once again excellent. They took my suggestion of not putting the hot dog buns in the warmer – they had them off to the side in a basket. The chili they make to go on the chili dogs was again some of the best I’ve ever had. We grabbed a table close to the TV. People were sprawled out at the tables and couches between the bar and the TV. Everyone looked like they were watching football in their living room. It was great.

Earlier in the day it looked like my favorite blogger/MILF might meet me up there, but right before I left the Saucer I checked my e-mail on my phone and there was a message from her, saying she doubted she’d be able to make it. Oh well, that may be a good thing… our tastes in pro football teams are polar opposites. We’d probably end up wrestling on the floor of EP’s, fighting about whose team is better. Then again, if we did maybe I’d get to cop a feel.

Wonder if my favorite blogger/MILF will make it to EP’s in two weeks, when the Colts play Monday Night Football. She has Peyton Manning wallpaper on her MySpace page. I’d like to see Peyton’s face on toilet paper.

Chef Michael Patrick saw me and stopped by to say hello. “Hey Paul, I see you posted the Majestic’s wine dinner on your blog, would you mind posting ours too?” I said sure and he handed me a sheet of paper. Here are the details:

Wine dinner @ EP Delta Kitchen Tuesday, October 23 at 7 PM
Montaudon Champagne
Poached salmon wrapped in egg with smoked green tomato butter

Au Bon Clumon o5
Braised veal loin apple emulsion, and goat cheese

Qupe Los Olivos Cuvee 04
Seared lamb loin, onion fennel compote, cherry glaze

B R Cohn SryCab 04
Grilled venison, blackberry molasses reduction

Peter Brum Eiswein
Apricot Caramel Nut tarte

$50.00 per person

At halftime I decided I was ready to go back to the Saucer. I bought my first beer at the Saucer’s bar, then a few minutes later my favorite window seats opened up. I went back to the Second Street window and got the same waitress.

“Where’s my to-go plate?” she asked.

“Well,” I started, “by the time I left it was halftime and the food was picked-over and had been sitting out for a long time. So I didn’t get you a plate from the buffet.”

“Oh,” she said, disappointed.

“But,” I followed, “When the chef found out that the to-go plate was for _____ from the Saucer, he said, ‘Paul, I’ll make her an extra special plate. A duck quesadilla and a lobster pronto pup, and the first three food items for the upcoming wine tasting.'” I pulled the menu out of my pocket and showed it to her, so it all looked legit. “I told him I thought you’d be done working about 10:30, 11:00 or so, and he said he’d have it ready for you, just come by EP’s and say you’re _____ from the Saucer and he’ll give it to you, free of charge.”

“REALLY?” she said, lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Reeeeaaaaalllly,” I said with a smile that was TOO big, so that even she would be able to figure out I had been lying.

Finally she got it. “You’re mean,” she said. “You always disappoint me. Besides, I don’t think I’d like the food on that menu. So many big words that I don’t understand.” Yeah, that menu was just loaded with big, confusing words. Like “salmon,” for example. How does EP’s expect to get anyone to come to their wine dinner when they use obscure language like that?

I told her next time I’d just drive through McDonald’s and pick up a hamburger for her instead. “THAT’D BE GREAT!” she said. Mmmmkay then.

In the news this morning – Memphis Police pieced together evidence in the murder of football player Taylor Bradford, and their work eventually led to four people confessing. Great work by MPD. As a former teacher there, that murder got to me a little – if I were still there, he could have been one of my students.

Also in the news – you can own a piece of history! The former home of state senator/convicted felon John Ford and his ex-wife Tamara Mitchell Ford goes on the auction block today at 11, due to foreclosure.

All right… time to bring my self-imposed vacation to an end. That means the Saucer won’t see me until about 6 PM today. Gonna work on a few projects between now and then, maybe at a coffee shop in Midtown. The company that has been giving me consulting projects is not giving me anywhere near full-time work these days, and I’m starting to accept the sad fact that I may have to return to the rat race. So I’ll be updating my resume too and putting together a list of recruiters/headhunters in the area. The good news is, my programming/web dev skills are in high demand, so if I decide to return to the world of work I should be able to do so relatively quickly. Hopefully not TOO quickly though… Halloween is approaching and it’d be nice to have November 1 as a recovery day.

Happy Tuesday everyone. As always, if you don’t have anything to do this evening, drop by the Saucer and allow my team to kick your ass at trivia.

Quick post

Not much to post about today, just two quick notes:

– The Majestic Grille will host a wine dinner Wednesday, October 24 featuring Patrick’s cuisine and the wines of Rodney Strong Vineyards. You can go to the Majestic’s website and get their contact info if you’re interested in attending the dinner.

– The UPS Store at 99 S. Second, across from the Peabody, has gone out of business. Mailboxes have been moved to Second Street Shoppers, the convenience store next door.

Other than that, not much going on. Brunch yesterday at the Majestic was great, food was even more enjoyable without filthy cigarette smoke. The smokers not only whined about not being able to smoke, but they brought a book containing an essay by a whiney smoker. Next Sunday is the first of our two weeks at McGuinness, which has gone non-smoking as well.

Pint Nite at the Saucer from whatever time I get up there this afternoon until 7:30, then we’ll walk up to EP’s for Monday Night Football. Then either back to the Saucer for more Pint Nite or home to bed, depending on how tired I am by that point.

Saturday update

Started off last night at the Saucer to watch Mikey bless the kegs… they gave him a microphone, so to use one of his favorite phrases, we had Mikey Mike on the mikey mike. He used an old PBR pull handle to bless the kegs, which was rather ironic since the Saucer doesn’t serve PBR. His reasoning was, use the bad beer to bless the good beer. He’ll be blessing the kegs every Friday for the rest of the month at 5:30, and since they’re giving him total freedom to ad-lib his performance should get better every week.

After that, I took my friend Robert’s suggestion and went to the Flying Fish for fish tacos, which he said were the best he’s ever had. And you know what? He was right. They were REALLY good, and remember, I lived in San Diego for a while so I know a good fish taco when I taste it (fish tacos are to SD what BBQ is to Memphis). I would rank the Fish’s tacos higher than either Blue Coast Burrito or Costa Vida.

Home for a brief nap, then I was off to Raiford’s for opening night. They’ve raised the prices a little – I handed the door guy a 20 and got 5 back. Actually 4 back, since he pointed at the tip glass as he handed me my five ones. People may complain about a $15 cover but you know what? It’s freakin’ RAIFORD’S. You won’t have another experience like it anywhere in the world. If a dump like Alfred’s can charge 10 for a cover, Raiford’s can certainly get away with charging 15.

Only thing was, I was tired out from having been at the Saucer drinking beer all day… and of course, the first thing I did at Raiford’s was buy a 40. Then someone bought me a 40. I tried to dance a little after that, but was so tired I could barely stand. I went home about 1, which in the old days was about the time people started arriving at the club. Next time I’ll do better.

Raiford was back in the DJ booth, dancing to the music in his silver outfit. He played exactly the same tunes as he did back when he owned the club – Clarence Carter’s “Strokin,” Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” and “Sexual Healing,” Prince’s “Pussy Control,” Kid Rock’s “Cowboy,” and all his other usual stuff. It was great. And there were some BEAUTIFUL women in there last night… some I’d never seen before, and some I see Downtown every day who looked especially hot for the club’s grand opening.

Tonight I’ll probably go to Pearl’s Oyster House to catch Snozberry, then after that I may swing by EP’s. I heard that the new bar they’re adding on is either complete or almost complete, so I want to see what’s going on with that. Most likely I won’t make it to Raiford’s tonight… I just don’t have the energy to boogie down three days in a row.

Saturday afternoon… guess I’ll go out or something. Although, thanks to the weather I don’t really want to be outside all that bad. 90 in October for like a week straight, WTF is up with that? Guess it’s better than having a cold spell with the lows dipping into the 30s. Anyway, time to go drink a beer, see you later!

Blessing of the kegs this afternoon at the Flying Saucer

One of the widgets I have on my Google homepage is called “How To of the Day.” It’s usually been guy-centric, with lots of articles on how to build stuff and fix stuff. But it looks like they’re trying to appeal to women more – two of their recent articles were How to measure your bra size and How to just be friends with a member of the opposite sex.

I also have a “How Stuff Works” widget on my Google page, and they’ve got a bizarre article up as well – How Beijing Works. Haven’t you always wondered how the capital of China works? I know I have.

My quest to remain drunk all weekend seems to be going well. I’m now at the Saucer. I’m still in a foul mood thanks to the stupidity of Memphis voters.

Think I’ll wear the gold disco outfit to Raiford’s tonight. I need to walk down to Tater Red’s at some point this afternoon. I don’t have a pimp hat that matches the gold outfit, so someone suggested that I get a gold feather boa to wear with it instead. Tater’s would be the obvious place to find one. Last night I got accused of “peacocking” a couple of times, so now I know who else watches reality shows on VH1.

Since the Saucer has been doing a lot better about keeping the indoor room nonsmoking, I’ll give ’em a break and promote tonight’s event… Downtown legend Mikey will dress up as a monk and bless the Oktoberfest kegs this afternoon around 5:30ish. He thought he’d be handed a script, but no, they’ve given him free reign to say whatever he wants. That should be interesting indeed.

They’re doing their deal again where they’ve designated a beer for each team in the baseball playoffs, and when a team is playing you get a biggie (23 oz.) of that beer at regular price, like they do during Happy Hour. The teams and their beers:

  • Cleveland Indians – Killian’s Red
  • Chicago Cubs – Blue Moon
  • NY Yankees – Scrimshaw
  • Boston Red Sox – Sam Adams Lager
  • Colorado Rockies – Old Scratch
  • Philadephia Phillies – Anchor Liberty Ale
  • LA Angels – Sierra Nevada Brown Ale
  • AZ Diamondbacks – Shiner Bock

Based on those beer choices, GO CUBBIES!!! I need to print out their playoff schedule so I can make sure I’m at the Saucer during their games. Then again, I’m damn near always at the Saucer, so I guess it doesn’t matter.

The waitress at whom I always stick my tongue out is working. THHHHHHPPPPPTTTTTT! I did that last night and startled her and she nearly fell on her ass. It was funny.

I’m having a Naked Lion Copper Flask. Naked Lion is the company that wants to eventually build a microbrewery here in Memphis, so I’m sort of supporting the local economy. Besides, I’m quickly getting burned out on these Oktoberfests that they’ve been putting on Fire Sale. I think I’ll have a Foster’s Oil Can next.

I heard that CH Robinson blocked my blog because their employees were spending too much time reading it. Heh.

I shoulda sat on the couch. People like the window seats but the couches have the best view at the Saucer. I see London, I see France, I can see your… BUUUUUUURRRRRRRP. Drinking the Oil Can now. Heard someone say there was a major leak in the bathroom, one of the sinks. I’m going to have to take a major leak in the bathroom myself by the time I finish this Oil Can.

Can you believe this shit won Best Blog? Yeah, me neither.

I have my “I LOVE ROMANIAN GIRLS” T-shirt on today.

One of the members of Snozberry was just in here. He told me they’re playing Pearl’s Oyster House tomorrow night. So that’ll surely be a stop on the “Paul stays drunk all weekend” tour.

Battery’s almost dead. Time to post.

I did a shot at 9 AM this morning

I can’t deal with four more years of Willie. I seriously think I may just stay drunk all weekend. This morning I got up at 9 and did a shot of Tuaca. That’s a vanilla-flavored cognac that my friend Kevin turned me on to. Kevin used to be my bartender at Sleep Out Louie’s.

A couple of Downtown-related articles in today’s CA:

Food critic Fredric Koeppel reviewed The Flying Fish today. I like the Fish. I wouldn’t rate it as the best seafood restaurant Downtown – that’d be Pearl’s Oyster House – but the Fish’s food is good and I love the decor. Look for my Billy Bass on the wall if you go in (it’s on the bottom row). Glad Koeppel mentioned the fish tacos, which are one of the items I’ve been meaning to try but haven’t gotten around to yet.

I wonder if Koeppel had a ghost writer though… the Fish review seemed a lot different from his usual style. It was entertaining, witty and fun to read. After all these years he’s finally learning how to connect with his audience.

There’s also an article on the effort to clean up Uptown. Leaders are focusing on blight removal, tearing down dilapidated buildings, and helping the poor and elderly make the repairs they need so that their homes don’t become blighted.

That’s all for now… I’m going to take my laptop to the Saucer and work from there, so there may well be more blogging to come this afternoon. Good Lord I’m in a foul mood today. I think I’ll have another shot of Tuaca before I head up there.