Tuesday update

The Liberty Bowl kicks off in Memphis at 5:45 this evening. The Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-5) are 9.5-point favorites, according to Caesars Sportsbook, over the Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-6).

Earnestine & Hazel’s will open early at 4 today to accommodate those who want to pre-game with a Soul Burger.

There were long lines to get tested for COVID across the county yesterday. Good news for Downtowners, though: A look at the list of Shelby County testing sites reveals that there is FINALLY a site in the 38103 zip code: Harbor Town Pharmacy on Mud Island can test you.

Due to safety protocols and staffing issues, Rizzo’s will be doing carry-out and pick-up orders for the next few days. The menu will be limited but most of your favorites will be on there.

Yup that exists: A ham bar. The restaurant in Brooklyn has a rotating menu of 10 hams.

The American Athletic Conference has updated its COVID policy for conference basketball games. If a team does not have enough players to play a game, that game will now be considered a no contest rather than a forfeit.

The Grizzlies defeated the Phoenix Suns 114-113 last night to end their road trip out West.

Memphis Magazine: Vance Lauderdale answered a question about the elevator in the D.T. Porter building at 10 N. Main, the first elevator in Memphis. It was rumored to once have been pulled by mules. Lauderdale goes on to discuss D.T. Porter himself, a well-known Memphis businessman during the Gilded Age and the period post-yellow fever when Memphis was a taxing district of the state.

Weather alert for tomorrow:

5498 new COVID cases were reported in Shelby County since last Friday. To quote the words of the great Ron Simmons, DAMN. Here’s what that does for the 7-day rolling average:

There’s currently no mask mandate in Shelby County, but I’ve started wearing my mask in my building’s elevator and when I visit Walgreens or DGX. It just seems like a considerate thing to do.

The lights on the I-40 bridge will have a special display Friday night into Saturday morning as we ring in the new year.

Yesterday there were plumbers at the Silly Goose repairing a water leak not far from where I was sitting at the bar. “Does that guy work here?” they asked the bartender at one point.

“No, he’s just a regular here, why?” she replied.

“He’s kinda nosy,” the plumbers said. LOL!!!!!

Reading a little true crime this morning thanks to a most fascinating conversation I had with a delivery driver yesterday. Later I may get out and mingle with some Texas Tech and Mississippi State fans before they head to the Liberty Bowl. Back tomorrow with more news.

Monday update

OK, folks, buckle in, it’s rumor time. I heard a really interesting one this weekend. Let’s take a moment to talk about corporate restaurant chains and how they manage risk.

Starbucks loves to open stores, lots and lots of them, in dense urban areas with considerable foot traffic. However, not every such area is an ideal fit for a Starbucks. Opening a store, having it underperform for a couple of years, then shutting it down has a negative impact on the corporate bottom line. Starbucks likes to avoid such situations.

So, what corporate does is keep an eye on local coffee shops in those dense urban areas. If a local coffee shop proves successful for a period of a few years, then corporate has the proof it needs that a Starbucks location would work in that immediate area.

That’s believed to be why we have a Starbucks at Main and Monroe. Starbucks watched a coffee shop on that block of Main for several years and its success indicated that a Starbucks would thrive in a closely nearby location.

Now, in the case of Main and Monroe, Starbucks was able to establish a win-win with a local hotel – Starbucks got a location on one of Downtown’s prime corners, and the hotel got to advertise that guests could get their morning Starbucks fix without ever stepping outside.

What if such a win-win is not possible, though?

In that case, I’m told, Starbucks looks for a business within the immediate vicinity (like, a 2-minute or shorter walk away from the local coffee shop) that is willing to sell. They buy the business, shut it down, take over its lease, and open a new Starbucks location there.

I’m told that Starbucks is impressed with another local coffee shop and is searching for a location nearby and may have identified a space.

Have you heard what I’ve been hearing? Feel free to hit me up at paul@paulryburn.com or on social media and we can discuss.

The Grizzlies ended a 3-game losing streak with a 127-102 victory at Sacramento last night. The win came despite three players – Dillon Brooks, DeAnthony Melton, and Yves Pons – entering COVID health & safety protocols. Desmond Bane came through big with 28 points and John Konchar got his first start and double-double.

The Grizzlies remain in 4th place in the West and are avoiding play-in scenarios by 4 games, that being their lead over the 7th-place L.A. Lakers. The Grizzlies travel to Phoenix tonight for an 8 PM game with the Suns.

University of Memphis athletic director Laird Veatch put an exact number this weekend on how many players on the men’s basketball team are vaccinated: 11 (out of 17 on the roster). However, some of the 11 are redshirts and players out with injuries. Unvaccinated players have to enter COVID protocols, and therefore be unavailable to play, whenever one of their teammates tests positive for the virus.

Thinking back to my teaching days at the university… Oh, man, trying to schedule make-up exams during the age of COVID would be a nightmare. My sympathies to those instructing classes during the age of COVID – especially to my fellow math teachers, because it’s near impossible to give take-home exams in math classes.

The Liberty Bowl parade is on Beale Street today at 3. REMINDER: Ask how much a beer is before you order it. Some bars on Beale are known to implement enormous upcharges on event days. Under no circumstances should you be paying double-digits for a 32 oz. cup of domestic beer.

Interesting job listing I found this morning: Intelligence analyst for the state of Tennessee. You’d be analyzing data and following leads to help find missing children. Fulfilling and stimulating work but since it’s a government job the pay is kind of crap.

If you’re a fan of Memphis wrestling, you might want to make Jerry Lawler’s Bar & Grill on Beale Street your New Year’s Eve plan. “The King” himself will be there, as will “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart.

The Moxy Hotel will host a Midnight Memories New Year’s Eve party Friday. They’ll start off with drag queen bingo at 7, followed by a performance by singer Raheem Imam. Champagne toast at midnight.

That’s it for now. I’m going to get some writing done, explore the capabilities of my new HomePod Mini, then get out around noon.

Christmas 2021 recap and a little Sunday news

For Christmas, I went out to Eads to spend the day with my wonderful friends Randy and Theresa. We met at Bardog on Christmas Eve and they drove me out there. Here are some pics from Christmas Day.

Perjorie T. Roll with a bottle of Jim Beam cream liqueur

Perjorie getting ready to do a shot of the liqueur

Zorro the papillon. This is his first real Christmas, as he spent his first 4½ years “working” on a stud farm in Mississippi.

I got a HomePod Mini for Christmas. It found my music that was on the iPod I have barely used since 2007. I connected it to my Mac and pulled up a WWE show on Peacock to test the audio. It sounds great.

The Tender Bar, a book Randy has been recommending to me for some time now.

Randy preparing to slice the beef tenderloin

Christmas dinner with a PBR, Perjorie, wine from Portugal, and even a place setting with my name on it

Peanut butter pie for dessert

Thanks to Randy and Theresa for a marvelous Christmas. I came back with See’s candies and homemade cookies, as well as a down vest which I won’t be wearing anytime soon since the coolest high in the forecast for the rest of 2021 is 63.

The DM has stories about the new sequin mural that lines the I-40 underpass on Main Street and also about Downtown’s new selfie museum.

It’s Boxing Day.

The Grizzlies play a road game against the Sacramento Kings today at 5:00. TV will be Bally Sports Southeast as usual.

From the Daily Beast: Ugly passenger brawl sours one of the lucky flights to take off on Christmas Eve. I’ll give you one guess where the plane was heading. The brawl was over mask mandates.

Memphis set a new record high of 77 yesterday, a full 25 degrees above normal.

Memphis’ 2021 Christmas high temperature was only 10 degrees cooler than its July 4 high temperature.

That’s the news for today. Back tomorrow or Tuesday.

Christmas update

Independent data analyst James Aycock posted his COVID Week-in-Review a day early, and the outlook for Shelby County is very, very bad. The 7-day rolling average of the number of new cases per day is skyrocketing, now at 559 cases per day. That works out to 60 cases/day/100K, once again above the threshold of 50 at which the CDC recommends even fully vaccinated people mask in public indoor spaces.

If it makes you feel any better, New York County, New York (Manhattan) is at an astronomical 247 cases/day/100K. So it could be worse here. Unfortunately, I’m afraid it soon will be.

Shelby County’s mass COVID testing sites will be closed today and Sunday. I mean, I get it, it’s Christmas, but wow that timing is terrible.

The Little Rock Central High basketball team got a nice surprise in their Christmas gift bags this week: tickets to the Memphis Grizzlies vs. the Chicago Bulls in the annual MLK Day game. Central High drew national attention in 1957 when it desegregated.

The Memphis Tigers have been declared 2021 Hawai’i Bowl champions by forfeit. It apparently doesn’t count as a 7th victory for the season, though.

The Brass Door is closed until 2022.

Not only is it Christmas Day, but it’s also National Pumpkin Pie Day.

Bardog will open at 5 today. Over on Beale Street, Alfred’s and B.B. King’s will also open at 5.

I’m joining friends for Christmas dinner, then I will be out this evening. I thought about not posting today but decided the link to James’ summary was important enough that it couldn’t wait a day. Y’all be careful out there, especially those of you who are not vaccinated. Merry Christmas and I’ll be back tomorrow with more news.

Friday update

1288 newly confirmed COVID cases in Shelby County today. Damn. This virus is accelerating like we’ve never seen before.

Memphis will not play in a bowl game this evening. The University of Hawaii had about 20 players test positive for COVID. As a result, they pulled out of the Hawaii Bowl. On such short notice and with such lengthy travel, the bowl will not be able to schedule a replacement. The Tigers finish the season 6-6.

Provided Texas Tech and Mississippi State remain healthy, the Liberty Bowl parade will happen on Beale Street Monday at 3, followed by a pep rally in Handy Park at 4:30.

Both Aldo’s locations are closed today and Christmas Day.

Bedrock Eats & Sweets will be open from 8 AM-2 PM today and will be closed tomorrow.

Elite Total Wellness is closed today through Sunday.

The Green Beetle will be closed today and tomorrow and will return to normal hours Sunday.

Silly Goose will be open from noon to midnight today. They will open at 7 PM Christmas Day.

Memphis Made Brewing Co. has released Group Hug, the latest beer in their Before Times series celebrating activities we took for granted before the pandemic. They tuned up their Hug recipe to produce a 10.1% ABV wheat ale with late addition hops. It’s available in 750 ml bottles in their taproom.

Food & Wine reports that Taco Bell is putting crispy chicken wings on the menu next year.

Interesting: There are smartphone apps that detect hidden cameras

Ballet Folklorio de Mexico de Amalia Hernandez comes to the Orpheum January 21.

That’s the news for today. I will probably take tomorrow off from blogging. Merry Christmas everyone.

Happy 10th birthday Blind Bear + Thursday news

Happy 10th birthday to the Blind Bear, which opened its doors to the public on December 23, 2011. The place has been my second living room ever since. Congrats to Jeannette and all the folks there on this milestone.

There’s a party tonight to celebrate! Charles and Randi will be dealing blackjack. You can play for free to win Bear Bucks, which can be exchanged at auction for prizes including golf bags, fire pits, and T-shirts. Albert King Jr.’s Final Touch Band plays 8 to midnight. Photographer Jamie Harmon will be there 8:00-11:30 to take speakeasy photos and “mug shots.” The Amurica photo booth will be on the patio.

Wow… there were 776 new cases of COVID reported today in Shelby County, bringing the 7-day rolling average of new cases to 414. That means the rolling average doubled in just 5 days – on Saturday it was 202.

Here’s a scary stat – a study by a health institute at the University of Washington predicts that 140 million in the U.S. will be infected with the Omicron variant between January 1 and March 1. That’s 40 percent of the population.

Paula & Raiford’s Disco will be closed today, Christmas Eve, and Christmas.

The DM has an article about Dreamers’ Revival, the upcoming TV show where Daryl and Ashley of Walking Pants Curiosities will help 13 entrepreneurs spruce up Downtown storefronts for their businesses.

Today is Festivus.

The MemphisWeather.net forecast has us at 63/53 today, 72/62 for Christmas Eve, and a near-record high of 75 for Christmas, with 0% chance of rain throughout. Highs are expected to remain in the 70s through December 28.

That’s the news for now. I hope to see you at the Blind Bear party tonight.

Wednesday update

Word is starting to come in about openings & closings this week and next for the holidays or out of concern over COVID. Let’s see what we’ve got so far, then we’ll get on to other news:

Atomic Rose: Drag show at 10 PM Christmas Eve with ugly sweater contest with a $100 prize; closed Christmas Day; drag brunch Sunday 12/26 at 12:30 PM

Ghost River on Beale Street: Thursday 12/23 4-9 PM with music by Kaleidoscope; closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day; Sunday 12/26 1-8 PM with music by Pam and Terry

Ghost River on Main: Wednesday 12/22 4-9 PM with trivia and The Vegan Table food truck; Thursday 12/23 4-9 PM; closed 12/24-12/28

Gray Canary is closed “out of an abundance of caution” until Wednesday, December 29.

Little Italy Downtown will be closed on the 24th and 25th. They will be open on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Max’s Sports Bar will be closed Christmas Eve and will be open 5-11 PM Christmas Day.

Sunrise Memphis will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Check back for further updates as the week goes on. Now, on to the other news:

South of Beale has a new chicken curry bowl that is quickly becoming one of the most popular dishes on the menu. Both the Downtown and East Memphis locations have the curry bowl.

Volunteer Memphis has its signup form online for corporations who want to volunteer as teams for the 2022 MLK Days of Service, January 13-17.

Yesterday President Biden signed a bill into law removing the name of former KKK member Clifford Davis from the Memphis federal building. The name of Odell Horton Sr., the first African-American judge in Tennessee to sit on the federal bench, will remain.

The DM reports that the historic Mallory-Neely House in Victorian Village will reopen for tours. It will also host a special Roaring ’20s event on March 5 called “Blind Tiger Speakeasy.” The mansion, built in the 1850s, has survived the yellow fever pandemic of 1878, the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-19, and the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2022.

President Biden announced yesterday the federal government would give away 500 million free at-home rapid COVID tests. People will be able to order them on a website and they’ll be delivered via U.S. Mail.

Biden went on to say that hospitals will overflow with the unvaccinated this winter and federal troops will be deployed to help. He stressed, however, that for those who have been fully vaccinated and boosted, COVID is not the threat now that it was in March 2020. It does not sound like the U.S. is heading for lockdowns like those being implemented in other countries.

Biden also had some rare praise for his predecessor, the Trumpster, who announced recently that he got his COVID booster.

Methodist has seen COVID hospitalizations increase 50% in its hospitals in the past week.

Independent data analyst James Aycock (@firstresponses) tweeted that we are up to a rolling average of 341 cases a day and a positivity rate of 9.0%. Things are going down the crapper fast COVID-wise. If you are unvaccinated, you are taking a big risk if you socialize this holiday season.

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

Tuesday update

I realized something this morning…thus far this fall/winter, we have not seen an entire bitterly cold day, a day when the temperatures didn’t manage to break out of the 30s. It is very unusual to get all the way to Christmas without that happening at least once. In fact, there have only been 3 days this season when the temperature failed to break 50.

  • Wednesday, November 3: high 48, low 41
  • Tuesday, December 7: high 48, low 32
  • Sunday, December 19: high 46, low 33

(Source: AccuWeather)

On the other hand, there have already been 8 days this December with highs at or above 70: the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 10th (80!), 11th, 14th, 16th, and 17th. The extended forecast has the 24th, 25th, 26th, and 27th at or above 70 as well.

The Shelby County Health Department has confirmed 31 Omicron variant cases in Shelby County. Also, independent data analyst James Aycock reports that the county is up to a 7-day rolling average of 268 cases per day and a 7.2% positivity rate. “It’s about to get bad, y’all,” James commented in a tweet.

Y’all, it could not be easier to sign up on walgreens.com for a vaccination or booster appointment. You could easily get it done on a lunch break. If you work near Walgreens, you could probably get it done on a 15-minute coffee break.

Ja Morant returned last night but the Grizzlies lost their second in two days, falling to the OKC Thunder 102-99. Let’s have a look at what that means for the standings:

  • The Grizzlies (19-13) remain in 4th place in the West
  • They’re 3 games back of 3rd-place Utah Jazz (21-9)
  • They’re 2.5 games ahead of 5th-place Denver (15-14)
  • But they’re now only 2.5 games above play-in scenarios (7th-place L.A. Lakers are 16-15)

Sad that there were haters who criticized Ja’s play. It was his first game back from an injury, and even if he wasn’t, everyone has an off-night once in a while. Welcome back, Ja. I look forward to plenty of highlights and 30+ point games from you the rest of this season.

Wednesday night could be a huge party night Downtown. Think about it… many companies give employees Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off. But since Christmas is on Saturday, a lot of employees will get Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th off work. That will turn Wednesday into effectively a weekend night.

Congratulations are in order to several Downtown restaurants that scored perfect 100s on their health inspections this month:

  • Rizzo’s by Michael Patrick (bar)
  • Slider Inn Downtown (patio bar)
  • Memphis Mary at Stop 345 (bar)
  • Curry N Jerk
  • The Nine Thai and Sushi (bar)
  • 117 Prime (bar)
  • Island Queen and Memphis Queen (riverboats that dock at 45 Riverside)

StyleBlueprint has 7 restaurants in Memphis open on Christmas, and 4 of them are Downtown: Bishop, CIMAS, Paulette’s, and the Peabody. Not surprisingly, all 4 are restaurants in hotels.

Rizzo’s is back open following a COVID outbreak. They hosted a private party last night and are open to the public tonight.

A monument celebrating women’s suffrage leaders in Memphis will be unveiled this week. It will be located behind the law school and will be visible from I-40 and Riverside Drive.

Today is National Hamburger Day and there are plenty of good spots Downtown to celebrate. It’s also Short Girl Appreciation Day, which for some reason makes me think of a holiday I mentioned in this blog a few months ago, National Kimberly Day.

HAMILTON returns to the Orpheum tonight for a run through January 2. Note that the theater is requiring masks at the show, and concessions must be consumed in the lobby.

The Downtown Neighborhood Association holds their Soup, Socks, and Scarves Giveaway at the Christmas tree at Main and Peabody Place today from 4:30-6:30 PM.

By the Brewery hosts a holiday cookie decorating class today at 2:30.

That’ll do it for today’s post. My plan is to stay home and write until about 4 then get out for a while. Back tomorrow if there’s enough news to report.

Monday update

The Peanut Shoppe has announced that its last day for in-person orders will be Christmas Eve – Friday, December 24. They are doing this because they have to be moved out of their current location by December 31. They will reopen in their new location, 3 blocks to the south, in 2022. They invite you to come by this week and take as many photos as you like.

As for phone and online orders, they will stop accepting those as of 3 PM Central Standard Time Thursday, December 23.

The first 5000 fans at the Grizzlies’ home game tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder get free Grizzlies wrapping paper. The tip-off is 7 PM.

The Memphis Tigers’ Tuesday game against Alabama State has been canceled due to two players in the Tigers program testing positive for COVID. Coach Penny’s live radio broadcast from Brookhaven Pub, scheduled for today, has also been canceled. The Tigers’ next game will now be the opening of conference play at Tulane on the 29th.

Penny did a press conference at 3 yesterday explaining why the Tigers had to cancel Saturday’s game vs. Tennessee. At 7  Saturday morning, four hours before the scheduled tip-off, Tyler Harris and Landers Nolley tested positive for COVID. According to protocols, anytime a player tests positive, all his unvaccinated teammates have to quarantine. That left Memphis with only 4 players eligible to play.

Let’s do some math here. There are 17 players on the Tigers’ roster. Take away the two who tested positive. That leaves 15. Take away the four who were fully vaccinated and therefore eligible to play. That leaves 11.

ELEVEN of seventeen players were not fully vaccinated? SIXTY-FIVE PERCENT? I know nobody can force a player to get the vaccine, but that rate indicates a real failure on Penny’s part. Isn’t he supposed to be a role model who shapes them into young men? I’m beginning to wonder if Tigers players respect Penny as little as past players respected Pastner or Tubby.

Fun game I found yesterday: GeoGuessr. It drops you into Google StreetView on a random street somewhere in the world. You take a virtual walk around the area until you’re confident enough to guess where you were dropped by placing a pin on a world map. It then awards you between 0 and 5000 points, depending on how close your pin was to the actual location. You get 20 minutes to complete 5 of these, so your maximum score is 25,000.

My closest guess when I played yesterday was 28 miles from a village in England. I earned 4800 points for that one. My worst guess was a pin I dropped on Malaysia when the city I was exploring was actually in South Africa. I only got 16 points for that one.

You only get 20 minutes a day for free on GeoGuesser, but it’s an addictive 20 minutes. Go ahead and give it a try. It’s not like you were going to get much work done this week, anyway.

A lot of people play it tough and go to work despite feeling a cold coming on – but you don’t want to do that this winter. Omicron variant symptoms that are among the first to appear include a runny nose, sore throat, headaches, and sneezing. Omicron’s symptoms tend to be more cold-like than past variants, whose symptoms were more flu-like.

Want to celebrate New Year’s Eve without paying a massive cover? Loflin Yard’s NYE party will feature DJ Bassventura and there’s a champagne toast at midnight. No cover charge.

Each member of the Memphis Tigers football team will get the following swag as a reward for playing in the Hawai’i Bowl Friday: An electronics gift suite, a pair of Oakley sunglasses and a backpack, a Kahala aloha shirt, a beach towel, and swim trunks.

Today is National Sangria Day.

Round 1 headliners have been announced for Music Fest and include Foo Fighters, Lil Wayne, Smashing Pumpkins, and Three 6 Mafia.

Still haven’t taken the kids out to see Santa? You’ll have one last chance tomorrow as Sugar Grits hosts Brunch with Santa with seatings at 9 AM, 12 PM, 3 PM, and 6 PM. The brunch comes with biscuits, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, hash brown casserole, grits, fruit, pancakes, regular or chocolate milk, orange juice, and water. Hot chocolate, coffee, and adult beverages will be available at an additional charge. Children will get to meet Santa and receive a keepsake from him. Mrs. Claus and Buddy the Elf will be there as well.

That’s the news for today. Posts may be less than daily this week, since the time around Christmas tends to be slow for news.

Saturday update

Tigers on national TV alert: Memphis plays the 18th-ranked Tennessee Vols in a neutral-court game in Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. This is a chance for Memphis to get a second win against an SEC and Top 25 team this week. The game will be broadcast at 11 AM on ESPN2.

Sad to hear of the death of Shawn Cripps, singer and guitarist of local band The Limes, this week. I knew him in the early ’00s through his ex-wife. I agree with the assessment of those interviewed by the CA that his body of work will be studied and his genius more widely recognized in the years to come.

Longshot, the shuffleboard bar in the basement of the Arrive Hotel, is offering an all-inclusive deal for New Year’s Eve. Tickets are $100 and get you

  • An open bar from 8:00 PM-12:30 AM
  • A buffet of Chef Todd’s favorite dishes
  • Two live DJs
  • A champagne toast at midnight

This is a 21 and up event. Get tickets here. Given the location outside the Downtown core and the cover charge (and the fact that it’s not a stop on a NYE pub crawl), Longshot’s party should be much less Amateur Night/Douchebag Night than a lot of parties at Downtown bars. This one I can recommend.

Rizzo’s will be closed for a couple of days due to staff with COVID. They report that the cases are mild, nothing serious. When they reopen, there may be a smaller menu in play for a few days.

Arbors of Harbor Town is hiring a leasing consultant.

Blind Bear is hiring a dishwasher and cook. They are willing to train.

Several months ago, Taco Bell removed Mexican pizza from their menu. They have now realized their mistake (one of the dumbest since classic Coke was discontinued in 1985) and Mexican pizza will return in 2022.

Memphis Made Brewing Co. is producing a series of beers called The Before Times. These beers will celebrate the things we used to do without a second thought before the pandemic. They will be high-gravity beers in 750 ml bottles, sold only in the Memphis Made taproom. Leading off the series will be Lick Everything, an American strong ale brewed with blackberries.

Long story but worth a read: How Deion Sanders turned Jackson State into the best story in college football. This story kind of makes me want to attend the 2022 Southern Heritage Classic so I can see Coach Prime do his thing in person.

The Grizzlies’ game against Sacramento almost didn’t happen last night, as the Kings had many players in COVID/safety protocols. The game did happen, though, and the Grizzlies won, 124-105. Here’s what that means for the standings:

  • The Grizzlies (19-11) hold 4th place in the Western Conference
  • They’re now only 2 games back of catching the Utah Jazz (20-8) for 3rd place
  • They’re 2½ games ahead of the 5th-place L.A. Clippers (16-13)
  • They’re avoiding play-in scenarios by 3½ games, ahead of the 7th-place Denver Nuggets by that amount

The Grizz get today off before a home back-to-back Sunday and Monday.

Tonight is the Blind Bear’s Christmas party. The tree is up and the bar is decked out with holiday decorations. Here’s what will happen starting at 8 PM:

  • Dirty Santa gift exchange – Bring a wrapped present, draw a number, and when it’s your turn you can unwrap a present or steal one that was previously unwrapped
  • Live music by the Michael Brothers
  • Blind Bear gift card prizes for funniest hat and ugliest sweater

Today is National Wear a Plunger on Your Head Day. Someone needs to do that at the Blind Bear Christmas party. Yes, I know there’s nothing Christmassy about a plunger, but still.

All right, people, listen up. I AM NOT DOING SHOTS TODAY. I have events to attend in the morning, afternoon, and evening. I will not make all of them if I have a full day of Jameson and house cinnamon whiskey and Rumple. In particular, I’ve got to make it into the evening or I’ll end up with my own Dirty Santa gift. So don’t even THINK about buying me a shot, at least until I’ve given my gift away and picked out one of my own.

I may take tomorrow off, given that I have a backlog of about 30 professional writing topics I want to get started on. Back Monday if not tomorrow.