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Correction to the last post: I think my Twitter handle is @firesale, not @whatsthefiresale. Shows how much interest I have in Twitter, that I don’t even know my own username. Anyway, you can follow me there if you want to keep up with what beer is on $2.75 Fire Sale at the Saucer.

Yesterday the Memphis Business Journal reported that a new business will open at 6 S. Main – a cigar store. That’s right between Winfield’s clothing/shoe store and my building, Number 10 Main. Hmmm we already have a cigar store that’s an institution Downtown – the Tobacco Bowl – and it’s a block and a half away. I wonder if both will be successful given the close proximity. I’d like to see them both succeed but the Tobacco Bowl has been a fixture Downtown for many years, and if I smoked I’d likely continue to shop there. The Tobacco Bowl also has a coffee bar and free Wi-Fi.

The Commercial Appeal reports that Crye-Leike is opening a new full-service real estate office at 8 S. Third, and is inheriting several brokers and condo projects from Henry Turley Co.

Also in the CA today, a museum focusing on the work of photographer Ernest Withers is planned for 333 Beale.

Shelton Clothiers is doing a 20% off the entire store sale for the month of May. They sell suits, casual wear, and other fine men’s clothing and accessories and are located on the Main Street Mall just north of Peabody Place.

There will be a contest to find Memphis’ #1 pork fan at BBQ Fest from 3 to 5 PM Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16. The “Pork: The Other White Meat” Tour invites you to show your passion about pork, whether you do a rap, a jingle, a song, or whatever suits you. For every entry the tour will donate 10 pounds of pork to a local Memphis food bank, so you’re helping others by participating. The winner will receive a $500 gift card to Sam’s Club. You can also sample pork loin, take home recipes, and enter to win an oil-less fryer and other prizes. For more info go to TheOtherWhiteMeat.com.

In other BBQ Fest news, if you’re on a team, Memphis in May has canceled Saturday load-in because the park is too muddy.  Teams will have to get it all done Sunday.

Quick recap of last night: On my way out to the bar, I ran into the Filipina girl who had a problem with my “I LOVE ROMANIAN GIRLS” shirt last week. Ended up having a couple of beers with her at the Saucer window. She left to go meet up with her parents, and I moved inside for the first half of trivia, then walked over to the Silly Goose to observe their burrito eating contest.

When I saw the burritos I was real glad I had refused to enter. I was expecting homemade burritos made with the same meat they put in their $2 Tuesday tacos; but, no, the burritos were the 48-cent frozen bean and cheese Jose Ole variety that you buy at the convenience store. GROSS! I’d recommend keeping a 10-foot distance today from anyone who was in the contest last night. The winners were 1) the guy from Club 152 whose name I forgot; 2) Paula Raiford; and 3) “The” Sam from the Red Rooster. All the skinny people won. The 152 guy put down five and a half burritos in 5 minutes. I still think the Nuh-Uh Girl could have taken him. After the contest there were leftover burritos on the table and she picked one up and ate it.

Then I went to Huey’s with my friend Nick. “My personal trainer is going to make me pay for this,” he said as a munched a Texas Toast burger. He told me that she tries to work her clients so hard that they puke, especially when they’ve been bad the day before and eaten forbidden food. Wow this personal trainer thing sounds like a really bad idea.

I’m having a Double with cheese from Wendy’s as I type this.  No personal trainer to get mad at me.

I’m getting snowed under with communication from e-mail, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, etc. I think it’s time to do a post on the best ways to communicate with me.

The best way to communicate with me is e-mail. My main address is paul@paulryburn.com. You may have seen e-mail from paul.ryburn@gmail.com as well… it all goes to the same place, so use either one.

You are more than welcome to send me stuff to mention in the blog, or sites you want me to look at… however, please understand that it’s on an “as I get to it” basis. I started a full-time job on March 23, so I have 40 hours a week less free time than I used to. It’s also outdoor festival season, and I’ve been super busy and have had very little time to catch up on e-mail and stuff has slipped through the cracks. If I don’t respond within a reasonable time, send it again.

Facebook

I use Facebook regularly. If you’re a reader of this blog, you’re welcome to friend me on Facebook. However, if I won’t immediately know who you are when I see your name/profile pic, you might want to include a message with your friend request saying who you are (just “hey, I’m a regular reader of your blog” is a good start). I tend to ignore requests where I don’t immediately recognize the requester, there’s no message, and I don’t see that we have friends in common.

You’re welcome to communicate with me via Facebook messages (both Wall and private messages), but if it’s important and if it’s not something related to other material on Facebook, your best bet is to send it to my regular e-mail. That will funnel it to my Gmail, where I can put a star next to your message so I’ll be reminded to respond when I get a chance.

I do look at the Facebook Events quite often, and use them as material for my blog, so if you send me an event invitation to a public event, there’s a good chance I’ll see it and post about it.

MySpace

MySpace sucks. Plain and simple. I don’t know why I haven’t bothered deleting my account yet. If you’ve sent me a friend request on MySpace within the past 2 months, I’ve probably ignored it. Same goes for messages. Nothing personal against you if you have – it’s just that I don’t see the point in having a MySpace account anymore. Try contacting me using one of the other methods.

LinkedIn

I have a LinkedIn account. As with Facebook, you’re welcome to add me as a professional contact if you’re a regular blog reader. Again, if we don’t know each other well personally, you may want to leave a note telling me who you are.

You can message me on LinkedIn, but you’re more likely to get a response if you use e-mail instead.

I have good relationships with recruiters here in town and get LinkedIn messages about jobs all the time. I post some of these to my blog to help my recruiter friends out. You’re welcome to respond if you’re job hunting. However, if the post is more than 3 days old, I’ve likely forgotten about it and will have no idea what you’re referring to when you respond. In this case it’s best to say “the position you mentioned in your Monday Update post from April 20.” That way I can go look up the post and what job you’re referring to.

Twitter

I’m @whatsthefiresale on Twitter.  I use it to broadcast the $2.75 Fire Sales the Flying Saucer runs Tuesday through Sunday.  They don’t pay me for this – it’s just a service to my fellow beer drinkers.  Although, now that I’m working it’s sometimes 6 PM or later before I get the Fire Sale up.  If you see it before I do and have my phone number, text it to me and I’ll text it to Twitter.  I only broadcast Fire Sales, not personal tweets.  I just started following other people and believe Twitter will be a source of blog material in the months to come.

And that will wrap it up… the best ways to get in touch with me in this era of communication overload. Maybe one day this blog will produce a full-time income and I’ll have ample time to follow up on everything that hits my Inbox and all the social media sites, but I’m not there yet.

I’m skipping trivia tonight… actually, I may stop by for a Happy Hour beer or two, but I plan on leaving the Saucer around 7 for Cinco de Mayo parties. The Silly Goose (celebrity burrito eating contest, 8:30) looks like it’ll be a stop on my route, and possibly Bardog (air guitar competition, 8:00) and Kooky Canuck ($2 34 oz. margaritas all day) as well.

Odd fact I discovered tonight while surfing Wikipedia… I share a birthday (but not a birth year) with the oldest player currently active in Major League Baseball.  Jamie Moyer was born November 18, 1962 and is a pitcher for the Phillies.

Taking a night off from the bars tonight.  With Music Fest weekend just finished and Cinco de Mayo tomorrow, I figured a day of rest would be an excellent idea.  Let’s catch up on the news I didn’t have time to post over Music Fest… going to have to go back several days in my Inbox to see what’s there…

The Metal Museum now has an online store.

I’ve been asked to mention Natalee’s Haircuts in the Falls Building… a reader of mine who goes to her describes her as a “hidden gem.”  She cuts men’s hair only, and charges only $14 which is less than the $25 average you find in most salons these days for a men’s haircut.  Cost is comparable to Supercuts but I’m told she does a better job and there’s less wait time (because she takes appointments, which Supercuts doesn’t).  If you work Downtown and need a haircut at lunch or after work, perhaps you should check her out.  Her shop fronts the alley that runs along the south side of the Falls Building.

The Memphis Business Journal ran an article on the new Bangkok Alley, which will open in the former Sawaddii space by the end of the month.  They intend to expand the bar area, to make it more of a lounge atmosphere.  That’s a great idea.  When it was Sawaddii, the bar never really seemed like anything but a place to sit while waiting on to-go food.  Hopefully the new place will be more of a place where you can linger and enjoy drinks after you get done with your food.

The South Main Association monthly meeting will be Tuesday, May 12 at Hollywood Disco at Vance and Mulberry.  Pierre Landaiche, general manager of the Cook Convention Center, will speak.  The club will provide hors d’ouevres, and there will be a cash bar for beer and wine.  Hmmm I wonder if there’s ever been an SMA meeting with beer served in quart bottles before.  Scheduling the meeting at the Disco increases the chance that I will attend by about 200%.

I don’t usually mention Midtown events, but I asked asked, so okay… The Eclectic Eye on Cooper will announce the first winner of their “What’s with those Glasses?” online contest on Thursday, May 7 at a “red carpet-worthy” event.  Refreshments will be served, and Kristi Bauer’s art exhibit “From My Patio to the Pacific Rim” will be on display.  You can still vote on their website for your pick for the person most in need of a glasses makeover.

’80s band The Venus Mission plays the Peabody rooftop Thursday.

If you enjoyed Three Six Mafia at Music Fest on Sunday, you might enjoy Wednesday nights at the Hard Rock Cafe, where Project Pat will be hosting a “live music experience like no other,” sharing the stage with DJ Crumbz from Q107.5 and some of Memphis’ best bands.  This Wednesday, Finding Jimmy Hoffa will be the band.  $5 to enter, 18 and up, doors open at 9.

Whew… okay, I think now I’m mostly caught up on stuff to blog.  I have a few pics from yesterday that I need to get out of the camera, but I’ll save that for later.  Early bedtime sounds good tonight.

If you work Downtown or have reason to be Downtown at lunchtime, here are a list of free events you can attend during the month of May (click for a larger image):

This really makes me miss being Downtown at lunchtime.  All events are free and generally happen between 11:45 AM and 1 PM.  My personal picks:  All of historian Jimmy Ogle’s Tuesday tours, Memphis Roller Derby on the 6th, the Navy rock band on the 21st, the Hattiloo Theatre presentation on the 28th, and the Dead Resident’s Day in Court Square on the 29th.

Still thinking I’m going to start the day at the Silly Goose’s Bloody Mary bar… hopefully I’ll get to spend at least some time outside after that, although Music Fest is not in my plans.

Got out of the house about 2 PM… walked to the Saucer, thinking to myself, “I’ll have one beer, then head to Beale for some prime people watching.”  However, nature had other plans… by the end of the beer it was raining pretty hard, so there wasn’t much point going to Beale.  So I stayed at the Saucer through the running of the Kentucky Derby, hanging out with Lee and Bicycle Bobby and former waitress Adrienne, and knocking some of the most boring beers off my quest for my 3rd plate (Bud, Miller Lite, MGD – all bottles).  By the time the Derby had been run, I was ready for a venue change, so I headed next door to the Silly Goose.

A few more contestants have been added to the Goose’s celebrity burrito-eating contest Tuesday night.  Here’s the updated list:

The owners gave me permission to text the Nuh-Uh Girl and invite her to participate, but she wouldn’t do it… too bad, because I think it would be an easy victory for her.

It was still raining as I left the Goose, and I was getting hungry.  “You know, I go to the Voodoo Room in the downstairs of Orleans on Front all the time to see Hoop,” I thought.  “But I never actually go to Orleans to eat.”  So I decided it was time to correct that problem.  I walked over there and got the blackened catfish with red beans and rice.

Clint also brought me a sample of shrimp and grits to try, in an attempt to get me over grits-o-phobia I’ve had since childhood.  I must admit, it was pretty good.

They have some good people working there as well… Kenneth who used to work at EP’s is there, as is my friend Brooks who also works at Sauces, and Colin splits his time between Orleans and Voodoo Room.  You know, up until this point Orleans’ bar has never been on my radar as a happy hour destination, but now that I realize I know so many people there, it may have to be.  Besides, they have a lot of good $4 specials on their happy hour menu.

Bardog Tavern is moving their Cinco de Mayo air guitar contest from 6:30 PM to 8 PM on Tuesday the 5th, because Commercial Appeal TV wants to stop by and film it.  Contestants will rock out atop the bar with their best air guitar moves.  There will be specials on Cabo Wabo silver tequila, Mezcal, Corona beers, and margaritas.

Time to get some sleep and get ready to do it all over again in the morning.  The usual routine of Majestic/Saucer just doesn’t feel right for Music Fest weekend… I think I’ll kick the day off with the Bloody Mary bar at the Silly Goose, and play it by ear after that.  Off to bed… hope the people who attended Music Fest today heard enough good music to make up for getting soaked.

The Red Rooster is having their Cinco de Mayo celebration tomorrow, Sunday, May 3, from 5 PM ’til.  There will be drink specials, sombreros, mustaches, and more.

Also, if you’ve never seen the totally awesome hair band cover band Aquanet, they’re playing the Rooster tonight.  Motley Crue, Ratt, Poison, Winger, and all your ’80s hair metal favorites.

Didn’t go to Music Fest last night… people watching is more fun than the festival itself.  Started off at the Saucer, but the high point of the early evening was definitely standing on the Silly Goose patio with Air Traffic Mike.  Tracy was selling hot dogs on the patio.  Here’s a pic of Air Traffic Mike eating a hot dog:

Air Traffic Mike said the hot dogs Tracy was serving were really good, but I didn’t buy one because the weiners looked slightly off color.  Tracy’s buns looked fantastic though.

While there, I got a look at the celebrity lineup for the Goose’s Cinco de Mayo burrito-eating contest at 8:30 PM on Tuesday, May 5.  Here it is:

John Bragg, Michael Patrick, Paula Raiford and Hoop are among the names.  I think they should invite the Nuh-Uh Girl to enter… she’s a celebrity too (thanks to this blog) and can out-eat anyone on this list.

A little after 10 I headed south to the South Main Dirty Dozen party at the Happy Mexican Club.  Yes, club.  Did you know that, south of the restaurant entrance, there’s a nightclub?  A really nice nightclub, too, with a big dance floor and a good bar.  Great location for the party!  Hung out there for a couple of hours, then I said to my friend Nick, who’s new to Memphis, “You’ve seen Paula & Raiford’s Disco, now do you want to see the other one, Hollywood Disco?”  So we made the short walk to Vance.

We hung out there for a while, then decided we were hungry, and headed over to the Green Beetle to eat, taking a new friend with us.  Ate, then went back to the Disco – they’ve changed the rule, and allowed re-entry there – nice.  After another beer it was time to call it a night… walked outside, and it was pouring rain.  Home was 7 1/2 blocks away.  “This is going to suck,” I thought.  Then the Disco’s limo driver said, “hop in, I’ll give you a ride,” and I got home nice and dry.  I really like the Disco and the only reason I don’t go there more is the distance from home compared to the other one.  They are great people and I really hope Downtown is big enough for two discos.

Attn new friend:  You have my number.  You said you’d call today.  Call me.

Hmmm let’s see what my Facebook friends have been up to… “Amanda has a big hat and is ready for the Kentucky Derby party.”  Confirmation that Amanda is indeed a big dork.  I bet Ptolemy Kat is going to that party too – it sounds like the kind of thing she’d get excited about.  Just checked Kat’s blog for the first time in a couple of months, and the first post mentions the “U-Club.”  It figures.

And Rochelle changed her profile pic to one where she’s wearing a tube top… nice.  Although, I’ve never understood her obsession of taking pics of her feet, and other people’s feet.

The final tally for April – number of times I visited Downtown bars last month:

• Flying Saucer – 40
• Silly Goose – 16
• Bardog Tavern – 10
• Paula & Raiford’s Disco – 4
• Voodoo Room @ Orleans – 4
• Majestic Grille – 4
• Red Rooster – 1
• Kooky Canuck – 1
• Flight – 1

59 and raining as I type this… yep it’s Music Fest weekend.  I’m about 50/50 whether I’ll go today.  The thing is, if I go, I can get in the Memphis Flyer tent and have free beer all day, and get a guest in too (have not yet selected a guest).  The downside is that I still have to pay for a ticket to get in the park, and get soaked by the rain, and tromp around in the mud, and deal with the idiots in the crowd.  Don’t know… if I don’t go to the fest itself I’ll hang out on Beale Street most of the day, with occasional trips to the Saucer.  Time to get Saturday started… outta here for now.

Never made it to the Peabody’s rooftop party last night, which I’m assuming got moved indoors due to the rain.  Started at the Saucer (Saucer visit number 39 for the month of April), where Woodchuck Pear Cider was the Fire Sale.  Nice!  Had a few of those, then wandered over to the Goose, where I discussed BBQ Fest with the team captain and watched the NBA finals and drank PBR.  By then it was 9:30, and I wondered if the crowd was starting to leave the rooftop and hit the bars, so I walked back over to the Saucer (visit 40) for another Woodchuck Pear.  Saucer was pretty boring though, so I hit Bardog for a beer, then decided to pop in next door at Flight.  Turned out to be a good decision.

“Do I look good enough to come in?” I asked the owner.  I had a T-shirt and shorts and sandals on.  He assured me that I was welcomed, and I took a seat at the bar.  By that time it was past 10, so their late-night menu was in effect.

On the late-night menu:  A cheeseburger, crawfish dip, bacon and bleu cheese fries, a jerked chicken quesadilla, a barbecue pork pizza, a charcuterie (might have misspelled that) plate which is basically a sausage and cheese plate, and conch fritters.  I had the crawfish dip and it was delicious.

I talked with the people who run the place as I ate, and they told me about some of their liquor flights:  They have scotch flights, tequila flights, whiskey flights (Tennessee vs. Kentucky vs. Canadian), vodka flights, gin flights, rum flights, and cordial flights.  They have dessert flights too.

A good first experience there.  I want to go back sometime and try their dinner menu… their fresh fish flight sounds particularly tempting.

Plans for tonight:  I won’t be traipsing through the mud at Music Fest, but I do plan on getting Dirty.  And maybe a little bit sweaty… Mexican sweat.  And I’ll be so thirsty that I may drink a Dozen beers.  Those in the know understand what I’m talking about.

Seen on a T-shirt tonight at the Saucer:

“It’s God’s job to forgive Osama bin Laden
AND IT’S OUR JOB TO ARRANGE THE MEETING!!!
United States Marine Corps”

If you have questions about Music Fest, e.g. Can I bring cameras?, Can I bring umbrellas?, etc., most of the answers can be found on the official Memphis in May stuff you need to know page.

I’ll add a few more things to the list:

1. Absolutely, positively DO NOT by tickets from scalpers. DON’T DO IT. It’s easy these days to buy tickets online from Ticketmaster and print them on your home or work printer. However, scalpers do this too and print many copies of the same ticket and sell the copies. Each ticket has a bar code, so it will only work once, no matter how many times it is printed. Only buy tickets from Ticketmaster, or at the gate, or from people you know and trust.

2. Get Downtown as early as possible for the best parking. A few years ago I had a friend meet me on Music Fest Saturday. She didn’t get Downtown until 5 PM and the closest parking she could find was on Poplar. That’s almost a mile from Tom Lee Park.

3. On the other hand, it may benefit you to park on the outskirts of Downtown, because it will help you avoid the traffic jams in the core around the park as you leave. Personally, if I were coming Downtown, I’d park as close to Danny Thomas Blvd. as possible, with my car facing Danny Thomas so I could just turn onto it and use it as my escape route.

4. If someone charges you to park, make sure that they are a real attendant. They should either have on a uniform, or show you photo ID upon request. If you have any doubt, call 545-COPS. There will be lots of bums out this weekend running parking scams.

5. Buy a pocket-sized rain poncho and carry it in. Gift shops on Beale sell these.

6. Expect whatever shoes you wear this weekend to be completely ruined. Stop by Target or Family Dollar and buy a pair of cheap flip-flops to wear to the park. They don’t call the event “Memphis in Mud” for nothing.

As for tonight:  The Peabody rooftop party sure looks like it will be moved inside due to rain.  Undecided whether I’ll go if it moves inside, or stick to some combination of Saucer, Goose, Rooster, Bardog.