Wed update: CA Groupon, Aldo’s hiring, Kill the Keg, crawfish, book on entrepreneurship, Memphis made glass night, Grizzlies

There’s a really good Groupon for a Commercial Appeal digital subscription happening right now. For $26 you get one year of digital content, a $239.88 value, and you have the option of adding the Sunday print edition. 50 cents a week is not bad at all.

Looking for a job? Aldo’s Pizza Pies is doing open interviews from 3 to 5 this afternoon. They are looking for happy, smiley hard workers.

Tamp & Tap will have a Kill the Keg party Friday starting at 4 PM, featuring local Ghost River, Wiseacre, High Cotton, and Memphis Made beers. There will be live entertainment from Christian Seay and Jamison Puckett from 6 to 9.

The Flying Fish has announced that crawfish have arrived for the 2014 spring season.

Congratulations to Start Co.’s Eric Mathews on the publication of his first book, From Garage to Greatness: Succinct First Steps for Early Stage Entrepreneurs. Appropriately, he published the book on a Memphis startup, Screwpulp. You can send any ScrewPulp book to Kindle if that’s your preferred method of reading, including Kindle apps for iOS and Android.

You can support another startup business, Memphis Made Brewing Co., by purchasing a Memphis Made glass tonight at the Flying Saucer. Glasses go on sale at 7 PM.

Also at 7 PM tonight, the Grizzlies host the L.A. Lakers at FedExForum. I bet the “MARC > PAU” T-shirts will be out in force tonight.

Three people have been indicted for the shooting death of Methodist Le Bonheur nurse David Santucci. The murder happened last year on South Main. The two men who were participants in the actual shooting face a maximum of life in prison, and I hope that’s what they get.

I ordered the WWE Network last night. It was easy to pay using PayPal (you can use a card if you prefer that) and within minutes I was browsing the entire library of WWE, WCW, and ECW pay-per-views. I watched a few minutes of ECW’s 1997 Barely Legal show on my iPad. I see there are some videos of a couple of 1970s Madison Square Garden events going up today. Those would be interesting to watch. Most of all, I want to see NXT Arrival tomorrow night.

That’ll do it for the news for now. See you tomorrow, or sooner maybe.

Sports news: Grizzlies Groupon, Z-bo helps those in need, Redbirds 4-pack, UT to re-hire douchebag coach?

Lots of sports-related news to report today. First up is a Grizzlies Groupon that is currently ongoing. It’s a $92.29 value that you can purchase for $30.

Still on the subject of the Grizzlies, Zach Randolph is once again helping people keep their lights on. For the fourth time, he has donated $20,000 to MIFA to help people who are in danger of having their power cut off. He has also set up a community assistance fund.

The Memphis Redbirds have introduced a 4-game Grand Slam pack. Buy it and you’ll get to see the Redbirds play March 28 against the St. Louis Cardinals (exhibition), April 12 against the Iowa Cubs, May 25 against the Oklahoma City RedHawks, and August 22 against the Sacramento River Cats. There are three seating options, including $110 for a Club Level seat, $95 for Dugout, and $75 for a Field Box ticket. For more information or to order, call (901) 722-0299 or visit www.memphisredbirds.com.

UT sports writer Gregg Doyel writes that UT should hire Bruce Pearl back. Fine with me. That school deserves an utter douchebag as head coach and that way I won’t have to look at him every time I turn on basketball on ESPN. Cuonzo is too nice. The Bruchebag perfectly fits the culture of the university, which is a compliment neither to UT nor to Pearl.

Home from work. Heading to the Goose to console a friend who had a bad day, then on to poker at the Blind Bear at 8.

Chili cheeseburger news

So tonight I stopped by the Blind Bear and a discussion broke out about the chili cheeseburger I had at Green Beetle yesterday. I compared it to the one at Westy’s, with favorable comments about both.

“Have you had the chili at Dyer’s?” I was asked. Indeed I have. It’s damn good chili. In fact, one night I was there with a group and the Nuh-Uh Girl finagled a free bowl of chili and gave me a bite, which I guess makes me a mooch squared. Anyway, I got some awesome advice tonight about the burger at Dyer’s. “Order the double-double without the bun,” he said. The double-double is two meat patties, two slices of cheese. “Have them put it on top of the fries and then cover it with chili.”

This may be the best food recommendation for Downtown I have ever received. Thank you. Will try it soon.

Mon update: David Scott Walker to open new restaurant, Soup Sunday winners, Monday Night Raw coming to FedExForum

David Scott Walker, the chef who is the pitmaster of our Moody Ques BBQ team, made a major announcement today. He and his family are opening a German restaurant in Overton Square, at 2110 Madison in the space formerly occupied by Paulette’s. The restaurant will be called Schweinehaus and will open in late summer. Read more about it here. Congrats Chef and I guess I will have to make some field trips to Midtown later this year.

Youth Villages has announced the Soup Sunday winners. Congratulations to Downtown restaurant eighty3 on taking the Best Bread award with its jalapeno cornbread.

WWE Monday night Raw will be at the FedExForum two weeks from today, Monday, March 10. The main event will be a six-man tag of John Cena, Daniel Bryan, and Batista vs. Kane, Alberto Del Rio, and Bray Wyatt. More info here.

That’ll do it for this Monday. Home from work, heading out to have a few PBRs at Bardog.

Sat update: Ducks, At the River I Stand, Grizzlies giveaways, vegetarian menu at Paulette’s, coffee and beer sampling

Harbor Town is having a problem with ducks. Muscovy ducks have made themselves at home on Mud Island. Although ducks can be fun to watch, they are multiplying at a rapid rate. They are getting into people’s yards and eating their plants. If it continues, steps may have to be taken to remove the ducks.

I wasn’t familiar with Muscovy ducks so I looked up the species on Wikipedia. Man, those ducks are kind of ugly. Here’s a video of crocodile vs. Muscovy duck from the Florida Everglades. As you can guess, this didn’t go very well for the duck.

There’s a showing of At the River I Stand today Downtown. It will be at the Martin Luther King Labor Center at 485 Beale at 4 PM, and it is a benefit for the locked-out striking workers at Kellogg. The movie is a documentary of the 1968 sanitation strike that brought Dr. King to Memphis.

From ESPN’s YouTube channel: James Johnson dunks after an alley-oop to himself off the glass in last night’s victory over the L.A. Clippers.

Following the Johnson-inspired fake necktoo giveaway last night, the MBJ reports that the Grizzlies are getting back to more traditional giveaways for the rest of the season. Fans have basketballs, sunglasses, and Super Grizz capes and masks to look forward to between now and April. With the entire starting lineup back in place, I’m hoping to see a growl towel giveaway sometime around May 1.

The Flyer’s Hungry Memphis blog reports that Paulette’s has introduced a vegetarian menu.

There will be samplings of Reverb coffee and Memphis Made Reverberation beer at Cash Saver on Madison tomorrow from 10 AM to noon. Brewers from both businesses will be on hand to discuss their products. Reverberation beer is made with Reverb coffee. They’ll have snacks as well as beer samples. Free snacks? Wonder if the Nuh-Girl will show up.

Watching curling (not from the Olympics, on YouTube) this morning. It’s really an interesting game once you understand the rules, and is more of a mental game than it is physical. Also, I like it that ethics and sportsmanship are an integral part of the game, just as they are for the mind sport that has kept me employed for the past five years.

I’ll be at Bardog at 11 for some much-needed PBR and Fireball then will figure out the rest of the weekend from there.

Fri update: Parking scammer, Soup Sunday, Lionel Richie Groupon, neck tattoo, Tenors cancelled

I want to alert everyone to a fake parking attendant scammer who has been very active this week. His name is Joe and he is about 50, bald head, about 6’4″, thin. He’s been wearing a green jacket with a hood recently. Several locals caught him scamming a tourist yesterday and chased him down the Main Street Mall and got the tourist’s money back. Later in the evening a bartender told me he tried to scam her as well. If you park on a lot and an attendant asks you for money, ask the attendant for proof that he works on the lot. Any attendant who is legit will understand why you are asking.

Youth Villages’ Soup Sunday is this Sunday from 11 AM to 2 PM at the FedExForum. I’ll give my usual advice: If you’re going, get there at 11. Lines will get long by 11:20, so get a head start. Also, in the years I’ve been the most popular restaurants start to run out of soup around 12:30, so figure out what restaurants’ food you really want to try and go to their booths first.

If you’re thinking about going to the Lionel Richie concert at the FedExForum, today would be a good day to buy a ticket. There’s a Groupon for the concert going on right now, for a $61.69-value ticket for $30.

If you’re going to see the Grizzlies play the Clippers tonight, get to FedExForum early. First 5000 people get a free Grizzlies neck tattoo. As an added bonus, Tony Allen returns to the team tonight after a month being sidelined by injury.

Sunday night’s performance of The Tenors at the Orpheum has been cancelled. Refund information here.

That’ll wrap it up for now. The end of the work week is near and I am ready for some PBR.

Wed update: Volunteer Expo, airport on Twitter, more Blind Bear menu changes, Panda returns, new menu items coming to Aldo’s soon

If you’ve thought about volunteering in Memphis but are not sure where to get started, there’s an event for you next Tuesday. The annual Volunteer Expo will be held next Tuesday, February 25, at the Oak Court Mall. Many nonprofits will be on hand, all in one place, so can communiuty members can learn how to get involved. It’s organized and sponsored by Volunteer Mid-South. More info here. The event is free to the public.

Memphis International Airport is now on Twitter at @flymemphis. This is a very encouraging sign that airport management is more open to feedback from the public than they have been in the past.

The Blind Bear has tweaked its menu once again. The turkey burger, the BBQ baloney sandwich, and the fried egg bacon cheese sandwich from the original menu are back. The crawfish pepper jack mac & cheese and the poutine from the most recent menu were popular and are sticking around. “If there was anything from any of the old menus you’d like back on, let me know in the next couple of days,” Jeannette told me. “We’re finalizing the menu this week and not changing it again for 2 years.”

If you’re a fan of Bardog bartender Panda, she is back at work. Come see her during happy hour Tuesday through Friday.

Aldo’s Pizza Pies has announced that new small plates, brunch items, and cocktails will be coming to the menu soon.

I’ll close this post with a hearty CONGRATULATIONS to my friends Colin and Whitney who got married in Las Vegas this afternoon. They bought the webcast of the wedding, and I took a few minutes away from programming to watch. Beautiful service and I wish them a lifetime of happiness.

Outta here for now, home from work, time for beer.

Tue update: Cafe Keough Commerce Club, Music Fest lineup released Thursday, The Tenors, Brewfest needs volunteers, give input on MATA’s next CEO

Cafe Keough has announced its new Commerce Club. When you drink 60 different eligible beverages at the cafe (limit 2/day), you’ll be immortalized with a shadow box on the wall. You can put anything you want in the box, but keep it PG-13 because the cafe does allow kids. You also get a $25 tab the day of your box’s unveiling. There are other bonuses for the completion of more boxes, including a top hat when you complete your tenth box. If interested in signing up, go in the cafe and ask a manager for details.

Music lovers, keep your eyes on the news Thursday. That will be the day Memphis in May announces the lineup for Beale Street Music Fest.

The Tenors, as seen on PBS, will perform at the Orpheum on Sunday at 7:30. More info here.

Memphis Brewfest, the annual April beer festival in AutoZone Park, is looking for volunteers. Find out how to volunteer here.

Your input is needed. Help MATA find its next CEO by filling out this survey.

From the MBJ: Tennessee has the highest taxes on beer in the U.S. BOOOOOOOOOO

Home from work. I’m leading off at Bardog tonight because PANDA IS BACK! Couple of beers at her bar, one at the Saucer, then on to the Blind Bear for total domination at poker.

Forty Irish car bombs

As a friend of mine is fond of saying, “Well, this day sure took a left turn in a hurry.” That would describe yesterday pretty well.

About 4:00 I found myself at the bar at the Silly Goose. I hadn’t even meant to be there; until a few minutes before I had been down the street at the Flying Saucer. However, three of us decided it was time for a venue change after an unwanted guest attempted to join our conversation. We told him we were going to the Beale Street Tap Room, then walked to the Goose.

I noticed that Dusty, the bartender, was lining up pint glasses along the bar. Then he lined up a shot glass next to each pint glass. “What’s going on?” I wondered.

I soon had my answer. We have friends getting married in Las Vegas this week, and the groom was in the house. It was his last full day in Memphis as a single man. In his honor, someone had purchased forty Irish car bombs – a round for the entire bar. Needless to say, the Goose turned into one giant shitshow not long after the car bombs. (It could be argued that it was a shitshow even before the shots were passed out.) There were high-fives being passed around, more shots, and that Giant Jenga game falling over again and again. It’s the kind of spontaneous fun that is known to break out in Downtown Memphis on a Sunday afternoon.

Somehow I managed to make it to the 6:30 poker game at the Blind Bear. While we were playing, I snapped this pic of the Nuh-Uh Girl eating.

Photo Feb 16, 6 50 59 PM

As for news to report, well, there really isn’t a lot. Wicked ended its run at the Orpheum yesterday. Hopefully I will be back tomorrow with some Downtown news to report. I’ll be out after work, leading off at happy hour with Melissa at Bardog.