Author: paulryburn

It’s June, and that means it’s time once again for Tube Top Month.  All month long, every blog post will either mention tube tops or contain a photo of someone in a tube top.  This is the fourth year for Tube Top Month here on the blog, and it tends to be a whole lot of fun, so check back often.

This does not mean tube tops will be the only topic blogged about during the month of June.  Rather, it simply means that every post will refer to tube tops in some way, no matter how irrelevant they are to the rest of the subject matter.

Tube Top Month is a public service of this blog.  We here at paulryburn.com/blog feel that the tube top is one of the greatest fashion items of all time, and it certainly deserves a month in its honor.  (Some people have suggested I dedicate the entire summer to tube tops, but that might be taking things a bit far.)  We want to do whatever we can to promote the purchasing and wearing of tube tops here in Memphis and around the world.  Just our way of helping to beautify our surroundings.

So show your support… head out to your favorite clothing store, or visit the Tube Top Boutique online, and pick up a few tube tops.  Don’t forget, if you see me out and you have a tube top on, ask me to take your picture (I always carry the camera with me) and you can be famous in the blog.

Happy Tube Top Month everyone!

On my Google homepage I have a widget called “Today’s reason to drink.”  Here’s what it says for today:

“Show your IT professional you care by buying him or her a drink. It’s IT Day!”

Have I ever mentioned that I work in IT?

Been out at Otherlands most of the afternoon, cussing up a storm as I tried unsuccessfully to add an Amazon.com search box to the right sidebar.  Their stupid “widgets” (different from Google’s widgets) won’t let me do it.  Sorry, I tried to make the blog more useful, but today just wasn’t my day.  I also made some changes to another site that I’ll wait ’til tomorrow to tell you about.

While out there, I perused the flyers that people had dropped off… one item of interest was that Memphis Roller Derby has moved locations.  They are now holding their matches at the fairgrounds’ youth building at 940 Early Maxwell.  So if you want to catch the ladies of roller derby in action, you no longer have to drive all the way to East Bumblefuck to do it.  That’s precisely the reason I haven’t gotten out to see them… glad they found a venue closer to home base.  Their next showdown is Saturday, June 7, Hustlin’ Rockers vs. Rockin’ Renegades, 7 PM, doors at 6, $10 to get in, kids $5.

Gonna do some more website work, then hit the Saucer at 9:30 for Aquanet.

So, last night I went to South Main Trolley Tour, where the South Main Association had a members-only party with free burgers and beer.  I thought to myself, “You know, it’s time I joined.”  The few SMA meetings I’ve been to have been great sources of information for the blog, and technically I do live on South Main (although just barely – I can walk from my building’s front door to North Main in about 20 seconds).  So I ponied up 25 bucks and became a member.

The meetings are once a month on Tuesday nights.  From now on, that means I’m going to be showing up late for trivia once a month so I can go to SMA.  It’s just too valuable an opportunity to get the latest news and to network.  The team will be fine without me, considering on a slow week we have 10 people show up to play.

The next SMA meeting will be Tuesday, June 10 at the Downtown Condo Connection in the 420 South Front building (suite 107).  The Center City Commission will speak on plans for Downtown redevelopment and the CCC’s new plan for retail, and will include presentations by Andy Kitsinger, Vice President of Planning and Development, and Lisa Brumleve, Manager of Business Recruitment and Retention.  With recent talks of re-opening the Main Street Mall to vehicle traffic, this should be a very informative meeting, as well as a chance for residents to talk with the CCC representatives and voice their opinions.  6:00 social, 6:30 meeting.  Also, the 420 South Front building is one of the finest condo redevelopments in South Main, with tons of character.  I have a couple of friends who live there, and if you haven’t seen it, you really should check it out.

More info on the meeting and upcoming events on the SMA website.

After Trolley Tour I hit Itta Bena for their Sex and the City party.  Details to come on that… I took some pics, but after reviewing the content of a couple of the photos, I decided it would be more appropriate to wait until tomorrow to post them.

I’ll be laptopping all afternoon, so possibly more posts to come today.  May also add some stuff to the left and right sidebars of the blog.

Thursday after work the crew and I decided to check out Ground Zero for their happy hour.  Domestic drafts on tap for 2 bucks 4-7 PM, 7 days a week.  Not bad at all.  I also had their “Dixie” chili cheeseburger with sweet potato fries, which was really good.

While there, I took out my new camera and snapped a few pics of the place, for the benefit of those of you who haven’t been by yet.  The place was relatively empty for happy hour, but it got busy by the time I left at 7:15.  The camera appears nearsighted in these shots – sharp up close, blurry far away.  Looks like I’ll have to figure out which of the 20 or so different picture modes on the camera is best for interior shots like these.  It was brand new so I just shot on “auto” mode for the initial round of photos.  A little blurry, but you can at least get an idea what the place looks like:

They did a good job of the place, making it feel like a nice restaurant while at the same time giving it the feel of an authentic juke joint.  Like Huey’s, you can write on the walls with markers.  Large, open dance floor right in front of the stage.  I had a good time there and bartender Angie took good care of us.  I doubt I’ll be there for happy hour every day, but it’s an alternative for days when the Saucer puts something nasty on Fire Sale.

More pics and posts to come today.  I have some stuff I need to get done on my laptop, so I’m considering getting in the car and driving out to a Wi-Fi coffee shop in Midtown, maybe Otherlands.

Okay, talked to my friend at Itta Bena and she e-mailed me the details of tonight’s Sex and the City party:

“The party is actually being sponsored by skyy vodka. Starts at 5pm and goes till we close! We have all kinda of cool trinkets.  And a  special Sex in the City drink menu, featuring the OH-SO-Famous Cosmo of course, and a Bunch of drinks named after all the characters in the show/movie. And the staff will be decked out in pink. should be fun… Sex in the City parties mean lots of ladies, which means  if your single and your looking or if you’re just looking’  its prob. a good ides to show up… :-)”

Itta Bena is located on the 3rd floor of BB King’s, entrance off Second St. (look for the valet parking stand).

I’ll probably do the South Main Trolley Tour then hit Itta Bena afterward.

Gotta go, extremely busy day at work.

… Details to come.  I have to call one of the servers there and get details, but service industry people’s morning doesn’t start at the same time as 8-to-5 people’s morning, so it won’t be for a few hours.

In the meantime, read this.  Article about a new office furnishings store on South Main that will have its grand opening tonight at Trolley Tour.

Actually, you should read the Flyer even after you read this summary… it’s full of good stuff.  But, here are some high points from this week’s issue:

– The Grizzlies are holding dance team tryouts Saturday, June 14 at 9 AM at the FedExForum.  If you plan on trying out, it’s strongly recommended that you take their jazz workshop tonight at 7 PM at Mid-South Dance Academy, 7014 E. Shelby Drive, as well as two pre-audition classes Thursday, June 5 and 12, at the Methodist Healthcare Practice Facility at the FedExForum, both 7 PM.  Classes/workshops are recommended but not required and cost $25 per dancer.  Must be at least 18 or a high school grad.

– Congrats to my friend Kris Kourdouvelis, who throws some awesome private parties at his warehouse on G.E. Patterson.  He attended a recent auction of Isaac Hayes’ restaurant’s inventory.  He had the winning bids on a baby grand piano, drink mixing equipment, and four semi-circular booths, including the restaurant’s owner’s booth.  Those will make fun additions to his next warehouse party.

– Rep. Steve Cohen’s re-election headquarters open this Saturday, May 31, at noon at 1803 Union Avenue.  Steve has done a great job in Congress during his first term and I look forward to sending him back for another two years (and hopefully many more after that).  More info at cohenforcongress.com.

– There’s a “Salvation Healing Revival” with evangelist David Terrell today through June 7 at the fairgrounds.  According to the ad, “Jesus” is healing all manner of sickness and all manner of diseases.  Why did they put “Jesus” in quotes?  Is that his nickname or something?  Is his name really Murray “Jesus” Christ and it’s just that none of us knew because we don’t have a direct hotline to Heaven like this evangelist does?

– There will be a vintage car show – a funky, funky vintage car show – Sunday, June 1 at 345 Madison at 2 PM.  Vintage cars, motorcycles, and travel trailers.  Awards ceremony at 4.

– This week’s Red Rooster ad says “Kamakaze Karaoke, Cornhole, & Tricycle Races” for Sunday.  Sounds interesting.

– Ground Zero’s ad mentions their “Hot blues, cool beer” happy hour – $2 domestic draft 4-7 PM, 7 days a week.  I plan on giving their happy hour a try this afternoon, now that I’ve learned that the Saucer has put yet another mediocre beer on Fire Sale today (Killian’s Red).

Ground Zero’s ad also mentions that they have food by Mac Edwards, founder of McEwen’s.  It mentions a fried green tomato BLT, Mississippi caviar, Big Muddy chicken, and sweet potato fries.

– The Zodiac Ball, the annual fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society, is Saturday night at the Peabody.  Looks like they’re doing a ’60s theme with tribute band Fun Fun Fun.  More info on the event here.

– If anyone is looking for a service industry job Downtown, it looks like the Madison Hotel, Quetzal, and Encore are hiring.

– There’s a loft apartment for rent at 66 S. Front (available 6/15).  Check the “Downtown Apt” section of the Flyer classifieds for details.  It’s rare to find apartments in the Downtown core, and the price ($850) is pretty reasonable for a 1 BR/1 BA in the area.

That’s all for now.  Sitting here watching a computer program process 2,400,000 records and then write them to a database.  Very very exciting.  Can’t wait ’til happy hour.  I plan on being at Ground Zero about 5:15-5:30ish.

Here’s a list of what’s going on tonight:

• Italian Fest at Marquette Park, corner of Park/Mt. Moriah in East Memphis
• Route South on the Peabody Rooftop, 6-10 PM, $5 cover, ladies free until 8
• Daddy Mack Blues Band on the Madison rooftop, 5:30-10:30 PM
• Shoe Happy Hour at Tyiese Scarpa boutique at 515 S. Main, 6-8 PM.  Free wine, cocktails, hors d’ouevres.
• Q107.5 patio party with Garry Goin and G3 at EP Delta Kitchen
• Super 5 at the Red Rooster.  Ladies get in free, balloon drop, win a trip to the Bahamas.
• ’80s for the Ladies Night at Hollywood Disco (Raiford’s).  Opens 9 PM, serving mixed drinks and quarts of Bud Light.
• Eric Hughes Blues Band at Ground Zero
• The Sauce Boss at Blues City Cafe.  At the end of the show, everyone eats gumbo!
• Trivia night at TJ Mulligan’s Pinch
• Ladies’ Night at Tug’s at the River Inn of Harbor Town.  Half price drinks for ladies.

Coming later today or early tomorrow: Notes and commentary on this week’s Memphis Flyer.

Calhoun’s will boil 100 pounds of crawfish on their back deck Sunday afternoon.  Bar will open at 3:30, crawfish will be served starting at 4.  You can get them for $3.50 a pound until they run out.

Whew… Sunday’s looking like a full day for me… brunch at the Monkey… crawfish at Calhoun’s… the Dempseys at Huey’s.

Last night, I walked to the Saucer, but upon seeing the NASTY beer they had put on Fire Sale (Turbo Dog) I kept right on walking all the way to the Blue Monkey, where I enjoyed bottles of PBR at happy hour prices.  Then at 7 I moved on to Calhoun’s for dollar Old Style as there was a Cubs game on.  Hung out there ’til 9:30 or so, then stopped by the Saucer for one Dos Equis Lager, then hit Itta Bena for Caroline’s bon voyage party.  Fun night.  Got home to find that my new camera had arrived.  Yay.  The battery is charging now.  I brought the manual to work with me… running a file-processing program that takes an hour to process the current batch I’m working on, so during the wait time I’ll learn how to use the camera.

The Saucer removed some popular beers recently causing a lot of protest, but I learned there was a good reason for it… gas prices.  Shipping costs have gotten high for some of those beers that they’d have to charge in the neighborhood of 7 bucks a pint to break even.  Even though I drive the car once a month, gas prices are still affecting my life.

Heard Ground Zero has a good happy hour… may check it out today, depending on whether or not the Saucer has a good Fire Sale beer.

Back later today with the Thursday “what’s going on” post.

If you missed out on the Ques Brothers’ 3rd place World Championship pork shoulder at BBQ Fest, I have good news and bad news.  The good news is, it’s one of the few instances where you can buy the winning product.   The bad news is, you’ll have to drive a little ways to get it… to Chicago.

Our head cook, Willie Wagner (or “Willie Wonka” as some of us call him), owns Honky Tonk Barbeque in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago (1213 W. 18th St.).  He’s updated his website, not only mentioning our 3rd place win in the Shoulder competition, but also two other strong finishes at BBQ Fest I was not even aware of… in the “other” category, the team placed 13th out of 101 for sweet, spicy wings, and 5th out of 65 for our turducken (a chicken inside a duck inside a turkey).  Congrats to Willie and our cooking team on strong showings in all three of those categories.

Willie has a page on his site about the team’s victory, with a scan of the Commercial Appeal article quoting team member Mike King, and a photo of the team onstage accepting the trophy.  So if you’re ever in Chicago (or if you’re one of this blog’s Chicago readers), stop by Honky Tonk BBQ.  Or, if you need a party catered in the Chicagoland area, Honky Tonk can do that too.  Not only can they supply championship shoulder, but also beef brisket, lamb, chicken, ribs, bratwurst, hamburgers and cheeseburgers, or even the whole hog.  Their mobile kitchen can handle parties of 25 to 1200.  “We come prepared,” says their site.

Hmmm I haven’t been to Chicago since 1997… once I accumulate some more days off, I may have to make a trip that way later this summer.