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Welcome to my first post typed on my new MacBook Air! I am so happy to have it. After my old laptop’s trackpad became unreliable, I decided to return to the cult of the Mac. I got on the Amazon app on my phone and ordered a new computer. But, I have some words of caution about that.

I ordered the MacBook Air on Thursday, November 11. When I checked out, Amazon told me I had three shipping options:

• Become a Prime member and get my package Saturday, November 13
• Pay for regular shipping and get it Sunday, November 14
• Choose free Super Saver shipping and get it Tuesday, November 16

Never had I ever had a problem with Super Saver shipping. I’ve ordered using that method many times before, and my packages usually arrived in 2 days and always in 3. Since the old laptop was still working, my need for the MacBook was not urgent. So I choose Super Saver.

Boy, was that a mistake.

Tuesday, November 16 I checked the tracker. It said the carrier had the package and that it should be delivered no later than 10 PM. It also informed me the carrier was Amazon itself, rather than a third party. That’s good, I thought. My worst fear anytime I order something online is that it will be handed off to the U.S. Postal Service.

I checked my email throughout the day for notification of delivery. I never got it. I got home that evening and reloaded the tracker. “We’re sorry for the delay. Your package should arrive November 17-18.”

Wednesday, November 17 came and went. No delivery. The tracker now read, “We’re sorry for the delay. Your package should arrive November 18.”

Thursday, November 18 came and went. No delivery. Now the tracker read, “We’re sorry for the delay. Your package should arrive November 17-24.”

ARE YOU F’N KIDDING ME??? I was beginning to wonder if Amazon’s tracker was a total lie and my package hadn’t even left the warehouse yet. I was being told that my package might arrive more than a week later than my promised date. In 1972 that kind of service was acceptable. In 2021, not so much.

Here’s my theory: Since Amazon no longer uses third-party carriers, they have control of the package all the way to the destination. Therefore, they can bump Super Saver-shipped packages as much as they choose to accommodate Prime customers. I wouldn’t have a problem with that if they informed customers of that practice at the time of checkout.

I wonder if executives are hoping that I’ll come to the conclusion that I better join Prime so I’ll get expedited packages in the future. Actually, the conclusion I have come to is that I’ll shop somewhere else next time I’m in the market for a computer.

But then, this is a Mac, so I probably won’t need to go computer shopping for another 7 to 10 years.

I didn’t realize when I was placing my order that Macs come in more than one color now. So I ended up with a “Rose Gold” laptop. Had I been paying attention, I would’ve chosen differently, but I’ll learn to love it.

On to the news…

Following the shooting death of Young Dolph, Makeda’s cookies reopened its Downtown location this week. There’s a GoFundMe set up for repairs to the Airways location, which was shot up. These are wonderful local businesspeople who have had a connection to Downtown for years.

The Downtown Neighborhood Association will not have a typical meeting for the month of December. Instead, they will have a Soup, Socks, and Scarves event on Tuesday, December 21 from 4:30 to 6:30 PM at the corner of Main and Peabody Place. DNA members who can do so are asked to come and hand out those items to our Downtown neighbors. If you want to drop off socks and scarves, the location is BankTennessee at 30 N. Second (ask for Michelle). As for the soup, it will be provided by Chef Elijah Townsend, DNA president-elect.

Jennifer Biggs of the DM has a look at the empanadas and arepas at Sabor Caribe in her $10 Deals column this week. The Venezuelan restaurant is located on Madison Avenue in The Edge.

The Blind Bear will open at 6 PM Thanksgiving evening and they are definitely planning a turkey special – as a matter of fact, I was up there Sunday and they were asking my opinion on how many turkeys to order. “As many as you can get,” I told them.

Now that’s the Jaren we wanted to see! Jaren Jackson Jr. hit a three last night to give the Memphis Grizzlies a win over the Utah Jazz, 119-118.

JAREN JACKSON JR. WINS THE TAP AND DRAINS THE THREE FOR THE @memgrizz WIN! pic.twitter.com/nkPEgWaiM0

— NBA (@NBA) November 23, 2021

The Grizzlies are now tied with Portland and Denver for 6th-8th in the Western Conference. Next up: A home game vs. Toronto tomorrow night at 7.

The Peanut Shoppe’s 2-story-tall PEANUTS sign is still for sale. The owner can’t take it to the new location at 121 S. Main when he moves after the first of the year. Reminds me, I’ve got to go see Rida about some nuts to take to Thanksgiving.

Speaking of nuts, did you know that today is National Cashew Day?

That’s it for now. You know, this Rose Gold MacBook is starting to grow on me. Very Roaring Twenties. I’ve got a to-do list as long as my arm today, so I won’t be out early. Apologies for any typos – I’m still learning this keyboard. Back tomorrow with more news.

I rarely go three days without posting, and it prompted a few readers to send “you ok?” emails. Yes, totally. I’ve just been out in the world, living life and loving life.

I had a fantastic birthday on Thursday. I knew it was going to be a long day, so I needed to get a good meal in me as a base. I walked over to the food truck rodeo in Court Square.

Fried fish from Mr. Frazier’s Fish Fry sounded like the perfect choice to soak up the shots that I knew were coming. Those are crabby fries in the upper right, fries covered in lump crabmeat in two kinds of cheeses.

After lunch it was time to get the day started. I led off at the Silly Goose.

Nate (center in photo above) has a doppelganger who was walking around outside the Goose on his phone. We need to get a photo of them together. I think he works somewhere nearby.

About 3:00 the cake came out.

It was a turtle ice cream cake. I’m not sure where it came from (I think possibly Margie’s 901) but I will ask and let you know.

I told them I was limiting myself to one shot between noon and 8. Of course, that plan went completely out the window within 45 minutes of getting there. By the fifth or so shot I was looking a bit rough:

We weren’t done, though. From there, it was time for a quick trip around the corner to the Blind Bear.

(Dammit – got one more that is a GREAT group pic of us at the bar at Blind Bear, but WordPress is giving me an HTTP error when I try to upload.)

Thanks to everyone who celebrated with me and/or wished me a happy birthday. I’ll repeat what I said on Facebook – To know that I am loved by so many amazing people is the best birthday present I could ever ask for.

Got a couple more pics too:

Crickets! This was our Friday adventure at the Goose. There’s a candy store on Beale Street between Miss Polly’s Cafe and the King’s Palace patio. They sell packs of edible crickets there. Someone brought them back and all of us (except one) ate a cricket. Even Jessica, the bartender, ate one. I have pictures of that but I’m not allowed to post them.

A few people commented, “Gross,” but they’re really not. The reason I wouldn’t pick up a cricket off the street and eat it is that it could have all kinds of bacteria and diseases. Commercially-sold food crickets have been sanitized, though. They’re as safe to eat as a Dorito. They’re an excellent source of protein and in some parts of the world, they are delicacies.

Here’s a recipe for cricket tacos that is said to be popular in Mexico. I have Mexican readers – do you eat these?

Next topic: Have you ever gone to a bar and the music is turned too loud? Or turned so low that you can barely even hear it? Well, there’s an app that you can install on your phone to measure how loud it is.

I got the Decibel Meter app for my iPhone on Saturday. Decibels are a measure of loudness. Here’s a chart for decibel levels of common sounds.

I started off by establishing a baseline. I set Decibel Meter on my kitchen counter, a few feet away from a humming refrigerator in an otherwise quiet apartment. It measured 47-51 db.

Then I took the app to Bardog. There had been a request to turn the music up and it was loud, but just slightly. The app measured 77-91 db with an average in the low 80s.

I turned it on once again as one song finished playing and another had yet to start – so I was capturing the loudness of only the ambient conversation in the two-thirds-full bar, without any music. It measured 75-81 db, not much lower than when the music had been playing. That surprised me at first, but thinking about it more, you want the music to be only slightly louder than the conversation around you, so you can talk to the person next to you without going “Huh???” over and over again.

I suspect the sweet spot is the low 80s, but I need to do a little more research. When the bar is packed, I would bet the ambient conversation noise alone would be in the mid 80s, so readings inching up to 90 and above would become more appropriate.

I have yet to use the meter in a bar where the music is playing WAY TOO LOUD, so I will have to come back with an update on that measure.

Anyway, just wanted to inform you that this thing exists. If you’re a bartender who constantly gets “the music’s not loud enough” complaints, this is a tool that would allow you to establish a definitive baseline for “loud enough.”

Word on Nextdoor is that thieves are stealing license plates in Uptown. Might want to bolt yours down with anti-theft bolts if you live in that area.

Starting November 24, you will no longer have to show proof of vaccination or recent negative COVID test to attend Grizzlies games. The Grizzlies are on the road tonight to face Utah at 8:00. They will be back home Wednesday to host Toronto.

That’s the news for now. Thanksgiving is a slow news week, so I’ll be back when there’s stuff to report.

A number of people reported on Nextdoor that they felt their homes shake shortly before 10 PM last night. There was a magnitude 3.7 earthquake in southeast Missouri. I hope that’s just a small slip in a tectonic plate and not a forewarning of “The Big One.”

Yesterday was a sad and shocking day for our Memphis community. There was a murder at the Makeda’s Cookies on Airways and Ketchum, and it was confirmed to be 36-year-old Memphis-born rap artist Young Dolph.

Whoever planned the murder knew Young Dolph’s routine. He had bulletproof cars and tight security, but everyone becomes vulnerable at some point. For Dolph, this was when he stopped to indulge in his love of chocolate chip cookies and ice cream. The shooters knew this and had a clear shot.

As the story unfolded, I couldn’t help but think, “This reminds me of Albert Anastasia.”

In 1957, Anastasia was in his 6th year as boss of one of the Five Families of New York City. Vito Genovese, boss of a rival family, hated “Don Umberto” and wanted him removed as head of the Anastasia family. But Anastasia, the former head of an organization known as Murder Inc., was a dangerous and paranoid man. Like Young Dolph, he had security and bulletproof cars.

Everyone has to get haircuts, though. Genovese’s shooters learned when he’d be stopping by the barbershop and moved in for the kill. As was the case with Dolph, they got him in a rare moment of vulnerability. Genovese then arranged for Anastasia’s underboss, Carlo Gambino, who he perceived to be an ally, to be installed as head of what then became known as the Gambino family.

Y’all, please show Makeda’s Cookies some love. The murder happened at the store at Airways and Ketchum, but they had a Downtown store at 488 S. Second for years and now have a bakery and warehouse at 301 Jefferson. You can order their cookies online.

Young Dolph was well-known Downtown, having performed at Memphis Madness and at Grizzlies halftime shows. He was in town this week to visit a sick aunt and to hold a Thanksgiving turkey giveaway in the neighborhood where he grew up.

There were calls for a curfew yesterday to prevent possible retaliation, but none was implemented.

Gucci Mane, Lil Yachty, and others posted their reactions to Young Dolph’s death.

The Memphis Grizzlies, who had a rare two consecutive days off between games, lent a hand at the Mid-South Food Bank yesterday. They’re back in action tonight, hosting the L.A. Clippers at 7.

You can now drink the greatest beer in the world while looking at animals. The Memphis Zoo now has PBR on draft.

Beale Street is planning “an amazing holiday experience” Friday, December 3 and Friday, December 10 5-7 PM. There will be holiday music, free hot chocolate, and free photos with Santa.

The Board of Adjustment postponed the discussion of a new 7-story St. Jude parking garage until its December 22 meeting. Plans for the garage are opposed heavily by those who live in the surrounding neighborhoods. The delay will give St. Jude a chance to meet with residents and come up with a design that is friendly to all. Jerred Price, president of DNA, thinks traffic studies and environmental studies need to be done as well.

Speaking of DNA, don’t forget, its big year-end meeting is tonight at the Renasant Convention Center. State of Downtown address, guest speakers, election of new board members, live music, food and drink, tours of the new convention center. Social hour at 5, presentation at 6.

I got a pro tip from a cook yesterday: If you like the flamin’ hot Cheetos, sprinkle a little lemon salt on them. It’ll really bring out the flavor.

The Grizzlies are hosting a Grizz Shop Local event Saturday, November 27 from 3-6 PM in the Grand Lobby of FedExForum. Area small businesses will be on hand, and there will be exclusive promotions for those who come out and shop. Get a free order of pretzel bites at WynnBET Sports Bar with any purchase.

Downtown employees: If you have to come to work between 6:30 and 11:30 AM Saturday, December 4, the day of the St. Jude Marathon, there will be a Downtown employee parking lot (free parking) at 216 Court Ave. To get there coming from the east, take the Jefferson Ave. bridge over Danny Thomas Blvd., then turn left on N. Fourth St. The Blue Suede Brigade will staff the lot and employees will need to sign a parking log.

The following roads will be closed 6:30-11:30 AM on race day:

• Beale
• Vance
• Second
• Front
• Huling
• St. Martin
• G.E. Patterson
• E. Butler
• Danny Thomas Blvd. (closed 6:30 AM-4:30 PM)
• Union Ave. (no traffic or vehicular parking 1 PM Dec.3-6 PM Dec. 4 between B.B. King and Danny Thomas)
• B.B. King (no traffic or vehicular parking 10 PM Dec.3-noon Dec. 4 between Vance and A.W. Willis)

More info at stjude.org/marathonneighbors

Here’s a list of trucks for today’s Court Square food truck rodeo.

It’s my birthday! I’ve been ordered to eat a huge lunch so I’ll be ready for a celebration this afternoon, so I’ll probably hit the food truck rodeo at 11. Back tomorrow with more news.

 

It’s that time of year! Yesterday I took a walk down Peabody Place and saw workers assembling the Downtown Christmas tree.

The Memphis Tigers put away Saint Louis 90-74 last night at FedExForum. Next up is a home game against Western Kentucky on Friday. After that, the Tigers travel to Brooklyn for the NIT Season Tip-Off and a chance to get a pair of wins that could impress the tournament selection committee in March.

The Flyer reports that the food hall at 409 S. Main has taken on a new life, now occupied by a catering company. They will eventually open a restaurant as well. Chef de cuisine Meredith Gardner Clinton is a former sous chef at Erling Jensen.

The Pancho’s Cheese Dip brand has been sold to Minnesota food company Sabrosura Foods.

FedExForum is hiring Guest Services Hosts (part-time). They’ll hold open interviews for the positions 4-7 PM today. More information

New Orleans has announced it will extend its vaccine mandate through at least Mardi Gras 2022. If you want to get into the bars down there, you will have to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test less than 72 hours old.

Let’s have a look at this weekend’s college football games of interest to folks in the Mid-South. All games are played Saturday unless otherwise noted.

• Memphis at 24 Houston, 8:00 PM Friday, ESPN2
• 7 Michigan State at 4 Ohio State, 11:00 AM, ABC
• Arkansas State at Georgia State, 1:00 PM, ESPN3
• 21 Arkansas at 2 Alabama, 2:30 PM, CBS
• SMU at 5 Cincinnati, 2:30 PM, ESPN
• 3 Oregon at 23 Utah, 6:30 PM, ABC
• Vanderbilt at 12 Ole Miss, 6:30 PM, SEC Network
• South Alabama at Tennessee, 6:30 PM, ESPNU

Those who want to see Cincinnati in the playoff will call the Hogs and root for the Utes on Saturday. I don’t think the Michigan State-Ohio State game matters in that respect – if the Spartans win, I bet the committee jumps them over Cincinnati into 4th place.

CBS Sports has updated its college football bowl projections and the teams for the Liberty Bowl have changed. They now have good ole West Virginny and Florida slotted to play in Memphis on December 28.

I’d love to have West Virginia here again. I met some of their fans at Bardog the Saturday and Sunday before the 2014 game, and they were the nicest, most down-to-earth folks ever. I can’t say I’m that excited about Florida coming here, because their football program sucks this year and they really don’t deserve to be in a bowl game.

That’s it for today. Back tomorrow with more news.

Momma’s, the bar at Crump and Kentucky, has announced construction of a Double-Wide Deck. They’re making the patio even larger for drinking, dining, and live music.

Comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias will come to FedExForum on Saturday, February 19. Tickets will go on sale to the general public this Friday at 10.

The crispy chicken sandwich, which had been a once-a-week lunch special at Majestic Grille, became so popular that they added it to the regular lunch menu. It comes with two chicken breasts, pickled cucumber and red onion, tomato, and honey mustard on a toasted brioche bun. They’re open for lunch Wednesday-Friday and you can dine in, dine on the patio, get it to go, or have it delivered via DoorDash.

Choose901 describes what to expect when the Brooks Museum moves Downtown in 2026.

Random fact I learned yesterday: There are decibel meter apps you can install on your phone that measure how loud it is in the room. Those would settle a lot of bar debates on whether the music is turned up loud enough.

The DMC has filed a permit for construction of the Downtown Mobility Center on the block between Front, Main, Peabody Place, and Beale which is currently a parking lot.

You can now get a 9-inch Reese’s peanut butter cup just in time for Thanksgiving dessert.

The Grizzlies defeated Houston 136-102 last night to claw back to .500. They moved up to 8th place in the Western Conference.

The James Lee House, the 173-year-old mansion at 690 Adams that is a bed & breakfast, has new owners. They plan on making the house more accessible to the public. You can make reservations to stay in the house here with suites ranging from around $280 to $400 per night.

Memphis Made Brewing Co. has released a Nut Remix beer in support of their neighbors the New Ballet Ensemble. The nut brown ale has caramel, chocolate, and walnut flavors.

The Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team faces its first real challenge of the season as they host the Saint Louis Billikens tonight.

ABC 24 has a look at growing pains in Uptown and the Pinch District. The DM has a report of yesterday’s press conference opposing the planned St. Jude parking garage on A.W. Willis.

It’s Have a Party With Your Bear Day, a holiday I will most definitely celebrate this evening.

That’s it for now. Back tomorrow with more news.

Jennifer Biggs of the DM has an awesome article about the Craft Food & Wine Festival, which returns to The Columns at One Commerce Square Sunday with 3 PM and 6 PM time slots available. The festival is organized by Cristina McCarter, a local entrepreneur. You may have seen her conducting food tours at restaurants like Pontotoc Lounge and Rizzo’s. Cristina also owns Feast & Graze, creating custom, hand-delivered charcuterie boards. If you’re a foodie, I highly recommend you buy a ticket and check this out.

The festival is unique in that it features more than just restaurants – it puts the spotlight on locally-produced artisanal food products. Arbo’s cheese dip and Mane Street Provisions are two products/producers you may have heard of.

Christina and her business partner Lisa Brown also own City Tasting Box, which delivers boxes of curated Memphis artisanal products right to your door. Check out this StyleBlueprint article on City Tasting Box.

Travel website Van Life Wanderer asks, is Memphis safe?

The Grizzlies host the Houston Rockets tonight at 7.

A woman is accused of hitting and biting a police officer following an incident at the Green Room on Beale Street Saturday night. She is due in court today to be arraigned on charges of assault, resisting arrest, and public intoxication.

If you walk the Main Street Mall, be careful this time of year. When leaves cover the ground, it can be easy to miss a loose brick or a hole in the ground where there’s a tree planter.

The Memphis women’s soccer team defeated LSU 3-0 to advance in the NCAA tournament. Next up is No. 1 seed Duke, apparently as good at soccer as they are at basketball, on Friday.

I’m the password at the Blind Bear this Friday, so feel free to drop my name at the door (“Paul sent me”) to get a few bucks knocked off your cover charge that evening. They have a house band on Fridays, the Albert King Jr. Band, that plays 8-12. They do a great job setting the speakeasy mood, and from 9-11 they’re the backing band for Velvetina’s Speakeasy Burlesque.

I have to comment, Velvetina has devised a classy way of soliciting tips for herself and her dancers. She leaves envelopes – “love notes from me to you” – on the bar and on each table. If you enjoy the performance and wish to leave a tip, you simply put money in the envelope and she’ll come back at the end of the night and pick it up. She also includes a CashApp address in each love note for those who prefer to tip digitally. It’s a very elegant and non-intrusive way to handle it. So, if you’ve been avoiding the burlesque shows because you were afraid you’d have performers in your face hounding you for tips all evening long, you have nothing to fear. Come on down.

From Fox 13 News: Residents voice opposition to St. Jude parking garage

Also from Fox 13: “Memphis Jookin’: The Show” is coming soon to the Orpheum

That’s it for now. Back Tuesday if this laptop cooperates.

Yesterday was not a good day to be a Memphis Tigers football fan. The team lost to ECU on a last-minute decision by head coach Ryan Silverfield. Memphis was prepared to kick an extra point to tie the game at 30 and send it into a second overtime. But ECU called a timeout to ice the kicker, and that gave Silverfield time to change his mind and go for a two-point conversion. Memphis didn’t get it.

The DM’s Geoff Calkins made a point (subscriber-only link) I agree with completely: It’s not that Memphis went for 2 at the end of a particular game; it’s that they’re not putting 50 or 60 points on the board in every game as they were a few years ago.

So the Tigers fall to 5-5 and have two games left to get bowl-eligible.

• Friday, November 19 at Houston – ESPN FPI has Houston an 80% favorite to win
• Saturday, November 27 at Tulane – ESPN FPI has Memphis a 72.7% favorite to win. Only 72.9% despite Tulane having only 1 win and 0 conference wins this year.

It wasn’t a good day to be a Grizzlies fan either. The Grizzlies now sport a below .500 record following a loss to New Orleans last night, and they have dropped to 9th place in the NBA’s Western Conference. Next up for the Grizz: At home vs. the Houston Rockets, 7 PM Monday.

In better news for Memphis, the men’s basketball Tigers beat North Carolina Central, 90-51. Next: a home game vs. the Saint Louis Billikens, 7 PM Tuesday.

Cincinnati didn’t get the help it needed to move into the CFP top four. Georgia gave the Tennessee Vols the expected beating, and Alabama, Oregon, and Ohio State won their games.

Top 25 teams who lost: 8 Oklahoma (to 13 Baylor), 11 Texas A&M (to 15 Ole Miss), 16 NC State (to 12 Wake Forest), 17 Auburn (to Mississippi State)

Arkansas beat LSU in overtime, 16-13. The Hogs have Alabama next week. The Crimson Tide are not playing like a national championship team and if the game were in Fayetteville, I’d give Arkansas about a 20% chance. It’s on the road though.

Tug’s Casual Grill is giving away a $10 gift card with the purchase of a $50 gift card, or a $25 gift card with the purchase of a $100 gift card. Cards must be used in January 2022.

Redbird Rants advises fans to keep an eye on a pitcher named Andre Pallante, considered the most underrated prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals system. He spent much of last season at Double-A Springfield, and could be on the Redbirds’ roster on Opening Day.

Chris Gales plays the Memphis Clover Club inside Hotel Indigo Thursday night.

COVID Act Now has the reproduction rate of the virus in Shelby County at 1.11. That is not good. Greater than 1 indicates exponential spread. We had been below 1 for a couple of months and were at 0.74 just weeks ago. James Aycock took a well-deserved week off from his COVID Week-in-Review summaries, so I don’t have a link for that today.

Today is National Pickle Day. For the best possible celebration, get them on a Soul Burger at Earnestine & Hazel’s.

Want to shop local for your Thanksgiving dinner? Next Saturday, the Memphis Farmers Market will hold a special Turkey Day Market under the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson. They’ll have all the proteins and veggies you need for your Thanksgiving dinner as well as arts and crafts vendors. The Market will open at 9 AM (not the usual opening time of 8 AM) and will run until 1 PM.

Project Green Fork hosts a dinner called Reharvest Memphis at Comeback Coffee Tuesday evening. Featured chefs will include

• Dory’s Dave Krog and Brandon Burke
• Good Fortune Co.’s Sarah Cai and Arturo Leighton
• Farm & Fig’s Dino Grisanti and Mark Henley
• Salt & Soy’s Brad McCarley

The chefs will serve one-of-a-kind hors d’oeuvres created from surplus food, in order to get people thinking about the connection between sustainability and food. There will also be local beers at the event, as well as cocktails from Old Dominick. Guests will be required to show proof of COVID vaccination or a negative test less than 72 hours old.

Jimmy James Band performs live at the Blues Hall on Beale 7-11 PM Sunday through Thursday of this week.

NutRemix, presented by New Ballet Ensemble and School, comes to the Cannon Center this Saturday. This is a modern remix of The Nutcracker, set on Beale Street.

The next-to-last event of the year at South Main Sounds, Southwriter Night, happens this Friday, November 19. Sarah Spain, Alexis Jade, Adria Hyde, and Laura Lang will provide the live music. Join them, won’t you?

Wow the first half of this work week looks gorgeous. WeatherBug has us at 63 tomorrow, only dropping to a low of 54 tomorrow night. Then we hit 74 Tuesday and 75 Wednesday before rain and cold weather move back in late Wednesday night. Looks like I’ll put the shorts back on tomorrow!

The Office @ Uptown at 594 N. Second Street reopens tomorrow for coffee and connection with your neighbors, and at 8:45 tomorrow morning they will host a Parks Not Parking press conference. They’ll share feedback gathered from the community about St. Jude’s planned 7-story parking garage at the corner of A.W. Willis and Third.

Carolina Watershed hosts a holiday Full Moon Market Friday night. Free entry and in addition to the vendors, there will be fire spinners, an art competition, and live music.

The Peabody hosts a conference for 4-H professionals Tuesday-Thursday of this week.

Have I mentioned lately that I hate my laptop’s trackpad? I’ll have a replacement computer in here Friday. Can’t wait.

Today is the start of my birthday week, and I plan for it to be a fantastic one. Not sure yet what my plan is for the actual day, which is Thursday. There’s a DNA meeting that night, but I see myself starting the celebration well before 5 PM so I might not be in a proper state of mind to mingle with Downtown dignitaries. I have 4 days to figure it out. I’ll be starting off the week with brunch at the Blind Bear today at 11. Posts may be hit-or-miss this week because of this stupid laptop, but hopefully, I’ll be back tomorrow with more news.

 

T… I… G… E… R… S… Both the Memphis Tigers football team and men’s basketball team have home games today. The football Tigers host East Carolina at the Liberty Bowl at 11 AM, and the basketball Tigers host North Carolina Central at FedExForum at 6 PM. ESPN+ is your TV outlet for both games.

The Grizzlies dropped to 6-6, and sole possession of 8th place in the Western Conference, with a home loss to the Phoenix Suns last night. Tonight the Grizzlies hit the road for a 6 PM game at New Orleans. Bally Sports SE will be your TV outlet.

Governor Lee allowed bills to become law yesterday that have several important implications for Shelby County:

• Power is consolidated under the governor during states of emergency. The six local health departments that operate independently of the state are mostly stripped of their autonomy. That means it’ll be harder for the Shelby County Health Department to impose stupid restaurant restrictions like no bar seating and food requirement when purchasing alcohol.
• Governments are banned from imposing mask mandates, except during times of extremely high community transmission. According to the CA, “extremely high” is defined as 1000 new cases per day per 100K. (The highest we saw during our most extreme surge thus far was about 125 new cases per day per 100K. At 1000 cases/day/100K, the wait times to get into a hospital would be a matter of weeks.)
• Private businesses are still allowed to mandate masks. The governor/legislature wanted to ban this too, but eased off on the advice of the business community.
• Governments and private businesses are banned from issuing vaccine mandates for employees and customers. So I guess this will be the end of the CLEAR Health Pass at FedExForum.

Ugh. I mostly don’t like the new rules. The inability to issue a mask mandate could make a fifth surge, if there is one, to spiral out of control. The CDC recommends even fully vaccinated people mask up when there are more than 50 new cases/day/100K in the community, and most likely I will keep an eye on that number and act accordingly. COVID Act Now has us at only 11.1 cases/day/100K this morning, so it’s safe for fully vaccinated people not to mask.

I’m a lot less likely to attend a Grizzlies or Tigers game this season without the protection of the CLEAR Health Pass. It’s a shame because the Grizzlies are a fantastic organization that did everything they could to protect their fans.

For those in the service and hospitality industry: Ben Yay’s has a deal for you on Thursday nights. From 10 PM to 1 AM, you can get $7 green tea shots, $5 Jameson, Jager, and Rumple Minze, and $2 off drafts, wines, and well drinks.

There will be a free Zumba class in the lot next to the Edge Motor Museum today at 1. David Quarles will lead the class. Registration is required and the first 30 registrants get an Edge-themed gift.

There will be a free rumba dance class in Fourth Bluff Park tonight from 6 to 7. It’s part of the Fall Back Dance Series presented by Cat’s Ballroom.

All right. I’ve had all I can stand of this laptop’s trackpad for one morning. Back tomorrow.

The Memphis Grizzlies host the Phoenix Suns tonight at 7 at FedExForum. First 5000 fans in attendance get a Brandon Clarke mini-hoop.

The Arkansas Department of Transportation released its report on its investigation of why a catastrophic crack in the I-40 bridge went unreported by inspectors for years. Two senior engineers were forced into retirement as a result of the findings.

There were 211 new COVID cases reported yesterday. Shelby County had been averaging more like 80-85 per day. Again, still not enough data to make the call for sure, but we need to be on the watch for a fifth surge.

There will be a Texas A&M Yell Practice at Handy Park tonight at 10 PM. The Aggies travel to Oxford to play Ole Miss tomorrow.

The Downtown Neighborhood Association has announced the list of guest speakers for its year-end meeting at the Renasant Convention Center on Thursday, November 18 (my birthday!):

• State Senator Raumesh Akbari
• State Senator Sara Kyle
• Judge Betty Thomas-Moore
• County Commissioner Mickell Lowery
• County Commissioner Van Turner
• Shelby County Trustee Regina Morrison-Newman
• City Councilman J.B. Smiley, Jr.
• Paul Young who runs DMC

There will also be a “State of Downtown” address, some awards will be handed out, and members will elect the 2022-24 board of directors. Social hour starts at 5 PM with a live band, then the meeting and presentation will begin at 6. If you haven’t seen the renovated Renasant Convention Center yet, this is your chance. The event is free for DNA members and $20 for non-members. Join DNA here

Uptown and Greenlaw residents are being asked to attend the BOA meeting on Wednesday, November 17 at 2 PM, 125 N. Main Street, to show their opposition to the planned St. Jude 7-story parking garage between North Third and North Fourth Streets on A.W. Willis.

Has anyone else who frequents the same places I do – meaning, the (adjective) (animal) bars in the Downtown core – had the chip on their debit card stop working? My debit card is only about 2 months old. I know one other person has had this problem and his card is fairly new too. Beginning to wonder if card reading equipment at one of those places is damaging the chips. My card still works, but you have to have it fail to read the chip 3 times and then it’ll allow you to swipe it.

A Memphis mom is in jail because she allegedly fired shots at two teenagers who know her son as they walked down Pontotoc Ave. Downtown.

The CA has a list of where to get Thanksgiving food to-go in Memphis. Among the Downtown options: Cordelia’s Market, Felicia Suzanne’s, LUNCHBOXeats, Memphis Soul, The Peabody Hotel.

Today is Happy Hour Day. My top recommendation for celebrating that day would be Silly Goose, which has happy hour Monday-Friday noon to 7:30, with $2 domestics (including PBR), $5 wells, and $5 house wines.

A truck loaded with grapes overturned at the I-40/I-240 interchange in Midtown this morning. Eastbound traffic was closed at the Danny Thomas exit.

Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis has vowed not to just cite individuals whose reckless driving endangers others, but take their cars away as well. She mentioned a focus on Downtown and the interstates.

The Magic Basement, featuring magic from the 1860s to the 1950s, happens tonight at the Woodruff-Fontaine House. You’ll be so close to the magic that you’ll practically be able to touch it. Tickets are $40 and face coverings are required.

Don’t forget that there’s a pop-up concert featuring Louise Page in The Edge District today at lunchtime.

Broke Tall Folk play The Vault tonight at 8.

Alexis White DJs the Rumba Room tonight at 9.

This laptop trackpad is driving me nuts but I managed to get this post done. Back tomorrow (probably) with more news.

 

 

Programming note: My laptop’s trackpad is clearly going out. Once I finish this post, I’m going to have to get on Amazon and order a new computer. If you don’t hear from me on this blog for a few days, that’s what’s going on.

Never, ever, ever buy an HP laptop. They are trash.

From the CA: 7-story parking garage will hinder essence of Uptown and Greenlaw neighborhoods, written by residents of those neighborhoods. St. Jude is proposing to build a 7-story parking garage on the block of A.W. Willis between North Third and North Fourth, a block residents consider the heart of their community. The plan for Uptown indicates that a park would be desirable in that location. Residents point out that St. Jude owns plenty of land in The Pinch, a more urban area in which a 7-story parking garage would be a better fit.

Holly has started her annual What’s open on Thanksgiving? post on the I Love Memphis blog.

From Food & Wine: Arby’s is releasing two vodkas. One tastes like curly fries, the other like crinkle fries.

Also from Food & Wine: A Mariah Carey menu hits McDonald’s next month with 12 days of free food. From December 13 to 24, the menu gives customers a free item with a minimum $1 purchase through the McDonald’s app. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

All right. This laptop is driving me nuts. I’m gonna call it a day. Back… sometime… with another post.