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I’ve been wanting a netbook for a couple of weeks now.  A couple of days ago there was one on woot.com, but by the time I saw it, it had sold out.  Well, last night I came home and saw a tweet from Otto that the netbook had reappeared on sellout.woot.com.  I logged on and grabbed one.  1 GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive for $224.  Not bad.  Only downside is that the battery on this model sucks, but I can replace it or use an external battery.  I just wanted something I can carry around for blogging and playing poker online more easily than my full-sized laptop.

Speaking of poker… I cashed in a HUGE tournament yesterday.  I had the laptop at the Saucer – was there to watch the first leg of the Downtown Olympics bar relay.  So, right before 1:00 the contestants came in, Chief Official Bicycle Bobby gave the signal, and then they all rushed out the door to the next stop.  They were to end up at Calhoun’s and four more events were to be held – Big Wheel race, synchronized drinking, Soul Burger eating, and cornhole.  Synchronized drinking sounded like the most fun of the events, so I planned to head south to check that one out.

With a couple of hours to kill, I logged on to PokerStars.  The “Daily Thirty Grand” tournament was about to start.  For a $10 buy-in plus a $1 entry fee, players had a chance at a prize pool of at least $30,000.  That sounded good to me, so I registered and started playing.  As it turned out, the prize pool was much larger than expected – 5585 people registered, so there was $55,850 in prize money.  The top 810 finishers would win money, with the top 7 winning more than $1,000 each and the first place winner taking home over $7,000.

Shortly before the 2:55 break, I thought, “I need to get out of here and go see synchronized drinking.”  At that point I had a smaller than average stack size, so I thought, “Let’s get it over with.”  So I went all-in with pocket 7s, and amazingly they held up and won the hand.  Then I got dealt AJ and the board came up K-10-2.  I pushed all my chips in again, which on a draw to an inside straight is not really a smart move.  Three other players called me, and a Q came up on the river.  I hit my straight, and suddenly I found that I had a huge stack of chips.  I checked to see how many players were left – 1600.  There was no doubt in my mind I’d make it to the payoff if I stuck around.

About 45 minutes later play stopped for a moment.  “We are now in hand-to-hand play,” we were informed in the chat box.  That meant we were on the bubble – 811 players left and 810 positions to pay out.  A few minutes later it announced, “We are now back to normal play,” and the player count read 799.  I was in the money!  I still had a larger-than-average stack, so I continued to play aggressively.  When I had crummy hands, I folded them and checked Facebook.  By then people were posting pics of sync drinking.  Hated to miss it, but not as much as I hated to miss a chance at a $7,000 payoff.

I finally lost just before 5 PM… I had AA and the flop was complete garbage, something like 2-6-10.  I bet the size of the pot and a player who’d been bluffing a lot raised me.  I decided to punish him by re-raising all-in.  Just in case this was a bad raise, I watched the player count.  The next level of prize money started at 315 players, and the count was currently at 316.  So I took my sweet time putting in my reraise, allowing two players at other tables to drop out.  Unfortunately I picked the wrong time to go after the bluffer… he flipped over pocket 10s.  Turn and river were no help and I was out in 314th place.  A moment later I received an e-mail from PokerStars Support informing me that winnings of $38.90 had been deposited to my account.  Better than losing, I suppose, but I’m still irritated at myself for getting too attached to my Aces… if I’d played more conservatively I’d have made it through another few prize levels at least and walked away with upward of $100.

In the news:  Josh Pastner is turning down all opportunities to appear in ads. He wants to focus on the basketball program, and says for the first year at least it needs to be all about the school and not him.  He’s turning down income to do the right thing.  I respect this man more and more every day.  The FedExForum filled to capacity for Memphis Madness Friday night and they had to turn people away.  That’s how much this town supports our Tigers.  Wonderful to see so much team spirit.

In football:  The Hogs lost to #1 Florida yesterday, but once again they proved that they can hang with the best teams in the nation.  Arkansas led for most of the game, but a missed field goal gave the Gators the opportunity to drive down the field and kick a field goal of their own for the win.  A lot of people are blaming the officiating, due to a couple of questionable calls, but the fact is, missed touchdown passes and field goals cost Arkansas more than the officiating did.  They’re getting good, but still have more work to do.  It will be interesting to see whether the Hogs get votes for the Top 25 with a 3-3 record.  It will also be interesting to see what the line is on Saturday’s game at Ole Miss.  At the beginning of the season Ole Miss was Top 5 and the Hogs were nobodies, but now I’d have to believe Arkansas will be the favorite.

Oh, a quick DTO/Nuh-Uh Girl story – she was not one of the team members who participated in the Soul Burger Eating competition.  However, after it ended she noticed that there were some soul burgers left over.  She went over to Chief Official Bicycle Bobby and asked, “Can I have one?”  She’s a food panhandler.

Got one more post this morning before I head to brunch… trying to help a doggie find a home.  Check back, will post again as soon as I buy my morning Mountain Dew and grab some pics off Facebook.

Here’s a look at what’s going on Saturday.

First up, bring your bike to Memphis Farmers Market at 9 AM for a historic bike tour of Downtown. There will also be kids’ activities at MFM this week, including pumpkin decorating and health fun. More info here.

Now, let’s have a look at College Football Saturday.

11 AM: Oklahoma vs. Texas on ABC. BOOMER SOONER! Hopefully Texas will get handed a big, fat loss. Arkansas fans hate Texas, and Oklahoma fans hate Texas. The enemy of an enemy is a friend.

2:30 PM: Arkansas at #1 Florida, on CBS. Go Hogs! We have a recent history of knocking #1 teams off their perch. I hope Mallett’s throwing arm is ready. We’re top 25 next week for sure if we upset the Gators.

6 PM: UAB at Ole Miss, on ESPN360.com. Go Blazers! What a feather in the cap of Conference USA if UAB becomes the next team to hand Ole Miss a loss. I wouldn’t bet money on a UAB win, but still, one can hope.

Hey I have an idea for Ole Miss haters. Someone take a camera down to the Grove, and find one of those guys dressed up in argyle pants and a white belt. Find a skank in a sundress for him to pose with, then submit the photo to the Hot Chicks with Douchebags website. We need some Ole Miss ‘bag tags!

6 PM: Memphis at Southern Miss. Not on any major TV network, which is not a big surprise, because let’s face it, nobody cares about this game. Go Tigers, and basketball season hurry up and get here.

6:45: South Carolina at Alabama, on ESPN. I don’t have a favorite in this game, but it makes regular blog reader Moody happy to see me write about Bama. Should be a good game. I think South Carolina and Arkansas may be the two most underrated teams in the nation right now.

On to other events: Downtown Olympics happens Saturday. There will be five events: a bar relay, Big Wheel races, synchronized drinking, Soul Burger eating, and cornhole. Following the games there will be a street party with Dynaflow. Most of the events take place in the block of GE Patterson between Earnestine & Hazel’s and Calhoun’s.

In the evening, Mpact Memphis is having a late-night party at Bangkok Alley. It starts at 8, but things really kick off at 10, and Mpact members, here’s why you want to make this your late night hangout – Mpact gets a percentage of the revenue generated, and the later you stay, the more they get. Not a bad place to be on a Saturday night… MPACTinis and tasty tapas. Hmmm a food-related event… wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up. Wonder if Susie will try to get me to fill out a million zillion surveys.

Meanwhile, over at Republic Nightclub there will be a cancer benefit and fashion show Saturday night. They’re encouraging guests to wear pink to show support of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. A percentage of the door will go toward their search for a cure. By wearing pink you’ll get in free before 11, and will be entered to win great prizes including a NASCAR driving package, Republic gift certificates, and clothing gift certificates. There will also be a fashion show featuring Baer’s Den and PrettyMinded.

Arkansas/Florida and the Mpact party are definitely on my agenda for tomorrow. I guess I’ll stop by DTO for a little while too. Too bad the weather made an abrupt switch to November, but it will be a fun weekend nonetheless.

Several pics of the amazing sushi at Bangkok Alley were posted recently to the Downtown Download blog.  If you’re going to Bangkok Alley for the Mpact Memphis party tomorrow night, or just sometime this weekend to have dinner, you definitely ought to check out their sushi menu.

And you definitely ought to bookmark the Downtown Download.  They have several bloggers writing and taking pictures, so you get the perspectives of multiple Downtowners.  Very cool.

This “Rebecca S” blogger, whoever she is, sure likes to eat.

I saw an announcement on Twitter this morning that the Memphis holiday parade will be Saturday, December 5 this year. Darn, I’d kinda hoped they’d keep it on the Friday after Thanksgiving, but I guess too many people had to miss it last year because they were out of town. At least they’re still keeping it in the South Main Arts District, which I think is a much more family-friendly location than Beale Street.

Unusual event happening from 2-5 before the event: Rock’n’Romp in the former Jay Etkin gallery, with Snowglobe performing. Here’s why it’s unusual – adults must have a child with them to get in. $5 donation suggested to cover free beer. Free beer? Does anyone have a kid I can borrow for a few hours?

More info on the holiday parade here.

Application to be in the parade here.

Check back – I have one more post in Drafts, summarizing all the stuff that’s happening Downtown tomorrow.

I’ve had a request to post the Halloween parties Downtown that are open to the public, so here goes.  Disclaimer: I think these dates are right, but you may want to call the bars to confirm.

Attn my friend group:  I’m not including private parties on here.  E-mail me for those.

Thursday 10/22:  Paula & Raiford’s Disco

Thursday 10/29:  Kooky Canuck.  It looks like they’re doing tickets this year, so you may want to stop by beforehand and get them.

Friday 10/30:  Amazingly, nothing at this point.

Saturday 10/31:  Bardog Tavern, Flying Saucer, South of Beale, Republic Nightclub, Hollywood Disco

I kinda don’t like it when Halloween falls on a weekend, because everyone tries to do their party the night of, rather than spacing the parties out over the entire weekend.  It spreads everyone too thin.  The best party I know about is a private party in the South Main area, but if I go to it then I’m missing everything in the core.  Eh.  Guess I’ll play it by ear and decide on Halloween night what to do.

For weeks as the Tiger football team has stumbled and bumbled through an embarrassing season, I’ve been saying over and over, “basketball season hurry up and get here.” Tomorrow night, Friday, October 16, I get my wish. The Tigers will kick off the season with Memphis Madness at the FedExForum.

Things will kick off on the forum’s plaza at 6 PM, and the doors will open at 7 for an autograph session. The night’s program will start at 7:45.

More info on GoTigersGo.com. Come be a part of Team Pastner!

Just got home from work, and Dos Equis Lager is the Fire Sale, so you know where I’m going.  I’ll try to stop by the block party at Main and Peabody Place at some point before 7:30.  Ladies, don’t forget there’s a “Pick Your Purse” party at Kooky Canuck from 8 to 10.

For those of you who enjoy the convenience of the post office location at Peabody Place, don’t get too used to it. The facility may not be there much longer. According to this CA article, it’s one of four Memphis post offices being considered for closure.

About to head to Southaven on my lunch break to buy supplies for my Halloween costume.  After weeks, the right idea finally popped into my head Tuesday night.

Block party tonight on the Main Street Mall just north of Peabody Place.  Food & drink specials by area restaurants, music by Two Way Radio and Oracle & the Mountain, and a cruise giveaway.  Details on the flyer below (click it for a larger image).

There’s a new book out, Sputnik, Masked Men, and Midgets: The Early Days of Memphis Wrestling.  It’s published by Shangri-La Projects, the same folks who put out several great books about Memphis Music.  They were nice enough to send me a media copy, so here’s a review.

The book opens with a photo gallery of early Memphis wrestling in the 1940s and 1950s. There are pics of Gorgeous George, who revolutionized wrestling during that era playing the role of the cocky, obnoxious heel. Muhammad Ali based his interview style on Gorgeous George. Then there’s Johnny Valentine, also a cocky heel who cheated to win. There’s Farmer Jones, popular with the rural fans because he brought his pig to the ring with him. Perhaps the scariest individual of all, though, was a bald wrestler named The Swedish Angel… just one look from him would be enough to make most people run.

Then there’s a chapter on foreigners and fake foreigners. German Nazis, evil Japanese like Tojo Yamamoto (until he turned babyface in the 1970s, he was evil), Russians, Mongolians. Pics of an Italian wrestler named Joe Scarpa who had a mediocre career until he reinvented himself as Chief Jay Strongbow.

Next up the book takes a look at Memphis wrestling in the ’60s. Sputnik Monroe was the biggest name during this era, and he was an important figure in Memphis race relations… he refused to perform in Ellis Auditorium until his African-American fans were allowed to sit up front with the whites. There’s a news clipping about him being arrested for disorderly conduct for being in what was then a blacks-only bar on Beale Street. Jackie Fargo and Tojo Yamamoto, the other big names of the ’60s, were featured heavily in this section as well, as was Lou Thesz, the NWA world champion from 1963 to 1966.

Next up are chapters on women wrestlers and midget wrestlers, and a section on music recordings made by Memphis wrestlers. The book contains a bonus music CD.

Next up are the “brown bombers,” African-American wrestlers who were popular in the ’50s through ’70s. Bobo Brazil is heralded as one of the first black wrestlers to appeal to all races. Sailor Art Thomas was popular in Memphis too. In the early ’70s Sputnik Monroe formed one of the first mixed-race tag teams in wrestling with Norvell Austin. Austin would later form another famous tag team, the PYTs, with Koko Ware. There were also pics of “Soul Man” Rocky Johnson, who was very popular in the ’70s and received many regional and world title shots… he’d go on to further fame as WWF Tag Team champion, and he’s the father of one of the most famous wrestlers of this century, The Rock.

The last, and largest chapter, covers Memphis wrestling in the 1970s. When the decade started, the two top names were Jackie Fargo and Jerry Jarrett (father of Jeff Jarrett with whom he co-founded TNA, the major competitor to WWE today). However, not long into the ’70s Memphis wrestling had a new King… Jerry Lawler. There are dozens of photos of Lawler’s matches, as well as news clippings about his memorable feuds. “Superstar” Bill Dundee and Tommy “Wildfire” Rich are also profiled, as is “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant (who didn’t get his “Boogie Woogie Man” nickname until the 1980s). Lawler’s manager Sam Bass, who died in a car wreck in 1976, appears in several photos. The legendary TV announcing team of Lance Russell and Dave Brown is profiled as well.

Here’s something for you to hunt for if you own the book: The man who would later put on a mask and become the legendary Mr. Wrestling II is pictured, not as II but rather under his own name in a circa 1970 picture. Can you find him?

Definitely a book worth having if you’re into the rich history of Memphis wrestling.  Available from Shangri-La Projects, or at various locations around town (I saw it on sale at Valle’s Italian Rebel where I ate lunch today).  You can also order it from Amazon.

On Sunday the 18th from 1 to 4 PM, the following historic churches of Downtown Memphis will open their doors for a free public tour: St. Mary’s Catholic, First Presbyterian, First United Methodist, Trinity Lutheran, St. Peter Catholic, Calvary Episcopal, St. Mary’s Episcopal, Collins Chapel, Church On The River, Holy Community United Methodist, St. Patrick’s Catholic, St. John Baptist and Mississippi Boulevard Christian. You’ll get to learn about the history of these churches and view their sanctuaries, altars, and stained glass windows.  Cameras are encouraged.

Just got make from lunch at Valle’s Italian Rebel on Winchester… very very good, and the only place I can find in Whitehaven that has the Memphis Flyer.