Paul Ryburn's Journal

GTG! The Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team has cracked the Top 10, coming in at number 9 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll.

In his weekly bulletin to the city, Mayor Strickland pointed out that nationwide, there is a shortage of drivers with commercial driver’s licenses, and an even bigger shortage of drivers with CDLs that have a passenger’s endorsement. What does this mean to Memphis? It means that MATA needs around 60 drivers. These positions pay well and offer benefits including retirement. Apply here. Re-entry candidates are encouraged to apply.

In other MATA news, free Wi-Fi is now available for riders.

The Cotton Bowl is Saturday at 11. Any bars opening early or doing specials for the Memphis-Penn State game? Hit me up at paul@paulryburn.com or on Facebook and let me know and I will build a list later this week.

This time of year, people don’t have much to do at work and some of them exercise their Photoshop skills to pass the time. Yesterday someone posted an image to Facebook of roughly 25 people bowing down to me, the one person in the entire photo who holds a trophy in the BBQ Fest pork shoulder competition. Thanks guys, I really appreciate it!

As your #1 source of news and information about The Edge District, it’s my pleasure to inform you that Chef Tam’s Underground Cafe will open at 668 Union on January 2. The new restaurant will hold 140 additional seats beyond the capacity at Tam’s recently closed Cooper-Young location. I want to try those deep fried ribs! Cheesesteak spaghetti sounds interesting as well. In the back will be Chef Tam’s Soul Food Superstore with an entrance on Marshall.

The South Main Association has volunteer openings for 2020. Email them at southmainassociation@gmail.com and tell them what you would like to do. Some of the openings include event planning, graphic design, photography, and social media.

The Silly Goose raised $1000 for Youth Villages at its Christmas fundraiser Sunday night. Daniel said this is the birth of a new partnership, so you will have more opportunities to support the charity in 2020.

In The Daily Memphian today: ‘Twas a Bluff Downtown Christmas

Rizzo’s will be open regular hours (lunch and dinner) Thursday and Friday. I’m going Thursday with my friends Otto and Nappin’ Ass Nate. Michael Patrick always has an excellent meat and three for lunch and I am going to be hungry. Gotta get that cheeseburger soup too, of course!

Donald Trump toilet paper. Yep that exists. I wish I had discovered this a few days earlier than December 24.

But then again, these days you can get any image you want on toilet paper. I have an image in mind, and I’m sure many of you know where I’m going with this. It’s an image that appeared in a booth at BBQ Fest ’18 and was also seen at Max’s Sports Bar (including glued to a troll) and Loflin Yard. Hasn’t been seen at the Silly Goose or Blind Bear recently though… wonder why…

Back to Trump Christmas gifts: There’s also a Dump a Trump pen holder, a Donald Trump toilet brush, and a Donald Trump troll. And here’s a farting Donald Trump Pull My Finger doll. Have your own WrestleMania with Donald Trump vs. Kim Jong-un action figures.

That’s it for today folks! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

 

 

 

I decided to change things up and lead off at Bardog yesterday, upon receiving insider information that the place would turn into a shitshow in its first hour of operation. Normally I have to stay up until midnight or 1 AM to see a good shitshow, so I was excited to get to see the Early Bird Special. I left the apartment at 10:50, expecting there to be a crowd of people waiting outside Bardog to get in when it opened at 11. But no, there was no one outside, and I decided to walk around the block to kill a little time. I found this on Front Street:

Looks like Santa hit the eggnog a little too hard at the Christmas party Saturday night and mistook this for a chimney. Oh well, at least Downtown’s rat population got some good presents.

I made it to Bardog right at 11, and got a seat at the bar with the other regulars, just minutes before a 30-person Christmas pub crawl came in. This leads me to make a request for one of my regular readers. Mama Aldo: Please tell your son that Bloom did an A-plus-plus-plus job behind the bar yesterday. There were way more people than usual at the bar, all ordering drinks individually and paying separately; yet Bloom made sure that her regulars never had an empty glass the entire hour the pub crawl was there. Well done, and much appreciated.

The pub crawl cleared out at noon, and one of the other regulars asked, “Were those party pedal bike riders?” and I said no (although her assumption was easily justifiable) and explained who they were. Then she suggested we get a group picture with Perjorie T. Roll.

Well, okay, Perjorie made the pic, but I didn’t! So we tried again:

There, that’s better. They wanted a solo pic of the troll as well.

I’ve been keeping Perjorie in my pocket most of the time lately. I had forgotten how popular she is at Bardog. I need to get her out more.

Long day at Bardog. I stayed there until 7:30 PM, and there were a number of shots there toward the end. I ordered a deluxe grilled cheese (which comes with ham, bacon, and tomato) to go, and asked for my tab. Having been there for 8 and a half hours, I shuddered at the thought of what the total would be…

… But apparently I have a secret Santa, because only the sandwich and one beer appeared on the tab. Some generous soul paid for all the rest of my beers and shots. Whoever it was, thank you!

All right, let’s see if I can scrounge up some news, so those of you sitting at work not doing anything and wondering “Why in the world do I have to be here today?” have something to pass the time.

From Wide Open Eats: Fireball and pineapple are a match made in whiskey heaven on the grill. I think I’ll speak to my neighbor who is a member of the BBQ cook team and see if we can try this out come May. Then again, maybe I won’t; we’ve learned from other teams what can happen when you take your focus too far off the competition meat.

Looking for a place to watch the upcoming Conor McGregor fight? Loflin Yard will show UFC 46 on Saturday, January 18 from 9 to midnight. Two huge screens and specials on Jameson and Tito’s. They call themselves “your Downtown home for everything UFC,” so it sounds like they get all the pay-per-views.

The Daily Memphian has a list of restaurants open on Christmas Day.

If you’re going to the Grizzlies game tonight (vs. San Antonio Spurs, FedExForum 7:00) and you haven’t wrapped your Christmas presents yet, you’ll want to get there early. It’s the Holiday Game and the first 5000 fans in the door get free Grizzlies wrapping paper courtesy of Mercury Printing.

Hmmm this MacBook that I’m using just made a noise I had never heard before. I closed everything down and rebooted in case that’s a “remote connection initiated” noise and I have a hacker.

From USA Today: What is Hanukkah, and when is it? (And no, it’s not the Jewish Christmas)

That’s all the news I can round up today. Not sure what my posting schedule will be this week. If there’s no incoming news, and there’s often not this time of year, then I won’t post. Then again, I have 4 extra hours each day this week, and I gotta fill the time with something (I may do an early morning Bardog day either Thursday or Friday, but I don’t want it to be an every day thing). Back sometime this week with more news and Merry Christmas in case this is my last post until after the 25th.

Yesterday morning I woke up and checked my email. One of the services I subscribe to is a content delivery service called Medium that customizes the stories to delivers to each individual’s taste. Yesterday’s email had a review of an IBM training and certification on data science and machine learning. It’s only $39 a month, and you go through the course at your own pace, paying for as many months as you need to complete it.

I’ve been interested in data science for a while. Recently, I learned how one particular application of data science has led to discoveries that otherwise would have gone unnoticed – can’t go into detail but if you’ve lived here the past 10 years you’ve heard of the project I’m talking about. It’s a sub-field of IT that doesn’t bore me, as building websites does. Plus, the final project for the course/certification requires dreaming up and designing your own data science application using the Foursquare API. Foursquare is a service that helps you discover places near you (the check-in side of which is known as Swarm). Given my love of Downtown, I’m sure I could come up with a really cool project, maybe even one I could transition into a smartphone app. The data science course uses Python, a language I recently started working with that is a lot of fun and is different from the C++/Java/PHP family of languages.

So, I went to Bardog yesterday, visions of data science dancing in my head. There were a couple of reasons I didn’t go ahead and pull the trigger and sign up for the course. For one, it’s Christmas break – I’m off all next week and want to get out and enjoy the free time. More importantly, though, I wasn’t sure the computer I’ve been using could run the software I need. It’s a MacBook I borrowed from a friend that is several years old. Great computer but it’s not a programmer’s computer. Taking a page out of my “DAWG” John D’s book, I started drunk-surfing Amazon (through no fault of my own, there were two shots of Jameson in the first 40 minutes which lubricated the process).

I found a great deal on a laptop with a 15.6″ screen, 16 GB of memory, and a 512 GB solid-state drive. Having a solid-state drive rather than a traditional hard drive means the computer will boot up in seconds rather than minutes. 16 gigs of memory will be more than enough to handle any programming project that comes to mind. The battery life is listed at up to 10 hours, allowing me to be a road warrior if I so choose on any particular day. After an hour of contemplation I hit the “Buy Now” button.

As for how I’m going to pay for this: I’ve been going out to bars 7 days a week. I know that’s not ideal, as I documented in my “Rock Bottom” post back in August; but it’s the life I know and I don’t know what else to do with myself. Having the new computer and the data science course will give me that something else. I predict the money I save from going out less will pay for the cost of the computer and the data science course within three months.

The computer is scheduled to arrive December 30-31, which is perfect because it will allow me to enjoy my Christmas break to the fullest. I’m aiming for some 3 AM nights this coming week. Made it til 1 last night. Could’ve even stayed out longer but today is going to be a big day so I wanted to get plenty of beauty rest.

Now the question is – do I leave Windows 10 on the computer when I get it, or do I wipe it and install Linux? I guess the hard drive is big enough that I could install Linux on a virtual machine on the new laptop.

I’m excited. I want this. After I got the job at the law firm, I wanted to plan my next step in life, but I didn’t know what that was until yesterday. It had to happen organically rather than me taking a step I felt I “should” take but to which I wasn’t really committed.

By the way, I want to express my gratitude to the people for whom I work for closing the office all this coming week. The time off is so very much appreciated – not that I don’t enjoy my job (I do very much) but the opportunity to stay out late is nice. I have a buddy who works in a business-to-business environment. His customers are all closed this week, so he has nothing to do – and yet, he has to be in the office every day except Wednesday, because some bullshit corporate handbook tells him he has to. Geez. Even Donald Trump gave federal employees Christmas Eve off.

I’ve had an email that I composed saved in Drafts since June 30. Today will be the day I decide to either delete it or send it.

Leading off at Bardog this morning. Back with more news soon, but can’t guarantee it will be tomorrow.

Live Music Alert! Six String Lovers play the Blind Bear tonight from 10 PM to 1 AM. I have heard Charvey Mac many times but only a couple of times have I heard him with his musical partner in crime Vanessa Sudbury. It should be a fantastic show and I am really excited! Going to be a long day!

Whenever I’m in front of a computer, I tend to keep a tab open to Google News so I can stay current on events in our nation and our world. Yesterday I learned something valuable and I want to pass it on to any readers I have who also use Google News. There’s a way to permanently boot a source off your news feed. Mouse over a story from that source, and a menu of icons will appear right below the link. Click the icon that looks like three vertical dots and when a menu pops up, click “Hide stories from (this source).” Thanks to this trick, I never have to have Fox News cluttering up my feed again. More tips for getting the most out of Google News

I try to keep my audience in mind when selecting content for my blog. For example, I know that the people who sit at the corner table at Max’s Sports Bar stalk my blog daily, if not hourly. So for them, I present the following: 27 senior discounts you didn’t know you could get. Don’t miss out on that free small drink on your next visit to KFC! How cool would it be to get a pic of that drink in a green koozie and post it on Facebook?

The James Wiseman-less Memphis Tigers host Jackson State today at FedExForum at noon. The Tigers distributed toys to children at the Davis Community Center yesterday.

It’s one of those doubleheader days that FedExForum employees love so much. A mere seven hours after the Tigers tip off, the Grizzlies host the Sacramento Kings.

All right folks. I have a knock-knock joke.

Knock-knock.

Who’s there?

Azure.

Azure who?

Azure #1 source of news and information about The Edge District, it’s my pleasure to link you to this High Ground News article about a year of wonder with Wonder / Cowork / Create, the coworking space for creatives at Monroe and Danny Thomas.

The Memphis Grizzlies will have a dachshund dash at halftime of the January 14 game vs. the Houston Rockets. Deadline to enter your dachshund is January 3. At least 6 dogs will be chosen to compete in the Dash, and their owners will receive complimentary tickets to the game.

If you’re a fan of New Wing Order’s award winning Memphis Buffalo wings, now you can have that sauce not only on wings, but on anything you want, anytime you want. New Wing Order is now selling the Memphis Buffalo sauce on its online store. The sauce combines traditional Buffalo hot flavor and a nod to Memphis’ rich BBQ tradition.

Off to Bardog, a place that will see a lot of me over the next several days. Gotta pace myself today so I’m in good shape for Six String Lovers at the Bear tonight. Back tomorrow with more news.

 

 

Yesterday after work I decided to walk over to Flava House Lounge, the new restaurant/hookah bar at 95 S. Main, and try their food for the first time. This is not the first Flava House in Memphis; there’s one on Kirby Parkway that opened about 7 months ago, from what I’ve read. Here’s a look at the Downtown location’s menu (click to view in a larger size):

A lot of the options looked good, but I decided the wings were the thing to try on my first visit. They have many different sauce and spice flavors with which to prepare the wings: seasoned, lemon pepper, sweet heat, garlic Parmesan, Grizzly gold, buffalo, jerk teriyaki, firecracker, and Blues City BBQ. Since I love spicy I leaned in the direction of “firecracker” originally, but was not sure about the heat level. If it’s the equivalent of an extra hot wing at places that use that designation, perfect. However, I was afraid “firecracker” might be on par with what other restaurants call suicide wings, so I decided not to pull the trigger on that sauce.

I have heard from others that Flava House is known for its Cajun seasonings, so I decided the seasoned wings would be my order. You get 10 of them for $12, with fries. With tax it was $13.20, and there was a line on the debit card receipt for a tip, so I tipped $2. $15.20 is a little more than I like to spend on lunch, but I figured I wouldn’t be able to eat all 10 wings so I’d have some left for a late night snack or for lunch tomorrow.

I give the customer service there high marks. The lady behind the counter couldn’t have been nicer. There were two in-house orders and a big phone order ahead of me, so she offered me a soft drink as a courtesy while I waited. When my food came out, she put two containers of blue cheese dip in the bag (they have ranch if that’s what you prefer). A lot of wing places skimp on the dressing, so I appreciated that they were generous.

I took it home and Perjorie T. Roll and I dug in.

The wings were cooked crispy. I like that because there is nothing worse than biting into a chicken wing and seeing red and realizing it hasn’t been cooked all the way through. Not a concern at Flava House, it seems. They were good, although I have trouble comparing them to other places’ wings since I usually get the hot sauce.

I hope they do well at their Main Street location. I worry, though, because their storefront is not all that noticeable from the street, being somewhat overshadowed by Local’s patio, which sticks out several feet farther onto the pedestrian mall. They need a sign that sticks out onto Main, similar to Bluefin’s Chester’s Fried Chicken sign to attract more attention that Flava House is there.

I took a photo of their hookah menu too:

Good first visit. I can envision coming back to Flava House again.

So, James Wiseman has left the University of Memphis and is going to hire an agent and prepare for the 2020 NCAA draft. Sucks for Memphis, which probably has to say goodbye to its Final Four hopes this year, but I don’t blame Wiseman one bit. The whole NCAA amateur athlete thing – and the NBA rule that draftees must be at least one year removed from high school – is such utter bullshit. Why be a cog in the machine when you can go get a shoe deal now? Good luck Big Ticket. Go get that money. You deserve it.

It’s possible that Wiseman, R.J. Hampton, and LaMelo Ball will be the top three in the 2020 draft, all having skipped out on college ball. That would be a stunning rebuke to the NCAA. “Well, that’s just how things are” wouldn’t cut it as a justification any longer.

For those of you who don’t go to movies, the plot of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is now on Wikipedia. And here’s a recipe for Baby Yoda deviled eggs.

The lineup for Memphis in May’s Beale Street Music Fest, to happen May 1-3 of next year, has been announced.

Havana’s Pilon, the Cuban restaurant on Madison just east of Second, is Jennifer Biggs’ $10 Deal this week in the Daily Memphian.

Cakery Two Girls and a Whip closed their business November 30, but one of the partners in the business, MK, wants everyone to know she is back in the business of baking cakes under her former business name, Cake Madam. She has 13 years experience and is known for making custom cakes that look like any object you can imagine. Here’s a cake she baked several years ago:

You can contact MK at Cakemdm@gmail.com or 901-502-3072 to place your orders.

The Union Mission at 383 Poplar has a request:

As you may know at this time of year we try to give each man a present on Christmas Eve. This present is in the form of a “Christmas shoe box.” This shoe box size present may have candy, socks, gloves, a scarf, pens, puzzles, etc. The show box should be wrapped, but no bow, At this time we are very short on these presents. We need your help. We are in need of at least 150 presents. They need to be here at the Mission by this coming Tuesday by noon. I know it is short notice, but could you help us with a present or two for our men?

For families, that could be a fun project this weekend and a chance to show the kids how rewarding it is to help others.

For the rest of 2019, 3rd & Court Diner is giving away free coffee with every breakfast order.

Baby Shark Live has been announced for the Orpheum Friday, April 24. He’ll bring his friend Pinkfong as a special guest.

The Holiday Market at Fourth Bluff is tonight at the park at 51 N. Front, 4:30 to 7:30. About 15 vendors will be on hand, as will the Grub food truck and the TapBox mobile craft beer unit.

Last day at work until December 30. Posts next week will probably go up later than usual, as I will stay out late and sleep late. Back tomorrow with more news.

 

Local Memphis reports there will be a change on Beale this New Year’s. The iconic guitar drop won’t happen this year; instead, a mirror ball will rise. It’s unclear whether the guitar drop is gone only for this one year or for good. Memphis Tourism is doing its darndest to still promote this as a big event, with live music on a stage spanning the street, a video screen at Fourth and Beale, and DJ Tree starting at 11.

Quench, the wine and liquor store across Second from the Peabody, has a special Christmas gift in limited numbers: Giant candy canes filled with airplane bottles of Fireball.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra comes to FedExForum tonight.

Here’s a look at the latest pizza experiment to come out of the wood-fired oven at the Silly Goose:

Calabrese, Fontina, olives, mushrooms, green onions… but what was really different about this pizza was the crust, which was made with PBR. It gave the crust a bolder taste. I don’t think they should mess with their standard crust as their main offering, but this crust would be good as a special now and then. As Jessica pointed out, the crust would also be good with a cheese dipping sauce.

Tonight’s the holiday party at Cordelia’s Market, with plenty of samples from vendors.

Last night the House voted to bring articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. NBC News makes a point I agree with: Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats should delay delivering the articles to the Senate until Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans guarantee a fair trial.

That’s it for now. Slow news day. Back tomorrow.

ESPN handed out its Herbie awards yesterday. The awards, named for analyst Kirk Herbstriet, go to his favorites of the recently-concluded college football regular season. Memphis came away with three awards due to its appearance on College GameDay the day of the SMU game. Most importantly, Memphis won Best Scene, which makes it a strong contender for a future GameDay. Memphis also won Best Hotel (Peabody) and Best Restaurant (Folk’s Folly). Congratulations to all who made Memphis such a welcoming place for the ESPN crew.

I’m not a career coach, but I have some interview advice. Ask to use the restroom, and if you see one of these, walk out. You don’t want to work there.

BREAKING NEWS: Say goodbye to comfort breaks! New downward-tilting toilets are designed to become unbearable to sit on after five minutes. They say the main benefit is to employees in improved employee productivity. pic.twitter.com/lfDbeXJdCX

— Dave Vescio (@DaveVescio) December 17, 2019

For those who can’t see Twitter embeds, pictured above is a toilet with a seat that slopes downward at a 13 degree angle, causing leg strain if you sit for more than 5 minutes. It’s just amazing, the ways companies abuse their employees in the name of “improved employee productivity.” The inventor of the cubicle is dead now, but I bet he and Satan are doing a little do-si-do at the thought of how much discomfort these toilets will cause people.

The Memphis Flyer reported some good news yesterday: The Confederate statues, removed from Memphis parks several years ago, are gone from Memphis for good and will never return. The statues have been turned over to the descendants of Nathan Bedford Forrest and the Sons of Confederate Veterans to do with as they wish – but not here.

The Grizzlies travel to Oklahoma City for a game against the Thunder tonight at 7:00. For those of you who like advertising that you drink crappy beer, Max’s Sports Bar will have a Miller Lite swag giveaway this evening during the game. Every Miller Lite you purchase increases your chance to win. Looking at the photo, I see knit caps with beanies on top and Christmas socks among the giveaways.

Bardog Tavern seeks a delivery driver to drop off piping-hot sliders, spaghetti & meatballs, and Amazing Island Clubs to folks in the 38103. Pay is competitive and there’s opportunity to advance in the company, which also includes the Slider Inns, the Aldo’s Pizzas and Momma’s. Driver needs to be of age and have a valid driver’s license. Apply between 2 and 4 PM at Bardog, 73 Monroe Ave.

The extended forecasts are showing highs in the 60s for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Nice! I’ll get to wear shorts and show off my Santa hat/beer mug Christmas socks one more time this season.

Not a terribly long post today but there’s not much news to report this time of year. To those of you who have to pretend you enjoy meeting your co-workers’ spouses and kids at a company holiday party this week, I salute you. If there’s news to report tomorrow, I will be back with it.

Want to really check out the new Central Station Hotel in style? StyleBlueprint has a Memphis Winter Staycation Giveaway currently going on. In addition to two nights at the hotel and $100 to spend in one of its restaurants, the lucky winner gets a spa package at Rachel’s Salon including two massages, two facials, and two Aveda spa pedicures. They also are throwing in a $500 gift card to Lansky at the Peabody and a $100 gift card to the Majestic. Enter by 11:59 PM Thursday. As part of the rules, you agree to receive emails from the participating businesses, all of which can be unsubscribed.

Rizzo’s by Michael Patrick has a gift card sale tomorrow, Wednesday, December 18, from 11 AM to 3 PM. Get a $50 gift card for $25 or a $100 gift card for $75. Not sure if there’s a limit of one card per person, but I suspect there may be; because, otherwise, you could buy two $50 gift cards and get $100 of spending power for $50 rather than $75.

As your #1 source of news and information about The Edge District, it is my pleasure to inform you that Trolley Stop Market will host a New Year’s Eve party for the kiddos 5:30-8:30 PM on December 31. Pizza, salad, and nonalcoholic beverage included in ticket price, and there will be face painting, crafts, door prizes, and a balloon drop at 8:30. $15 for a kids’ ticket, $20 for adults.

In even more Edge District news, Boxlot will hold a toast to 2019 Saturday from 5 to 6 PM. (The toast will be sparkling cider.) Mobius Pieces will provide the live music, you’ll get to learn about upcoming deals at Boxlot’s various stores, and there will be appetizers from Beale Street Brewing. Boxlot is the shipping container-based shopping center at 607 Monroe, just west of the old Kudzu’s. (Old-timers remember this space as the main Six-1-Six parking lot.) Free appetizers? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

Even more Edge news… well, this isn’t an event happening in The Edge, but it involves one of Boxlot’s business. This Friday from 7 to 9, there will be a Soul Apparel Pop-Up at Central Station Hotel’s bar Eight & Sand, featuring the products of Boxlot’s tenant Kickspins. There will be drinks and classic Memphis music to enjoy as you shop.

This was reported last week, but somehow escaped my attention until just now: Kevin Matthews, longtime owner of Cheesecake Corner on G.E. Patterson, is opening a new restaurant near the Tennessee Brewery called Fannie Lou’s Gourmet Chicken and Waffles. The restaurant, in a small space at 500 Tennessee in the former I Love Juice Bar location, will serve chicken & waffles as the name suggests. I wonder if they will open for Sunday brunch, a time at which chicken & waffles are in high demand at other Downtown hotspots.

Susan Ellis from the Memphis Flyer has a look at Flava House Lounge, the new restaurant and hookah bar now open on the Main Street Mall next to Local. Special seasonings and lamp chops are among the offerings that make Flava House’s menu unique to Downtown.

Couple of pieces of Flying Saucer news. First of all, legendary Memphis jam band FreeWorld will perform there Saturday night 8-11 PM. The Saucer is a great venue for FreeWorld; I’ve heard them play there many times.

The Saucer will have a New Year’s Eve Bash December 31 from 9 to 1, with drink and food specials and DJ Superman. From their Facebook page: “Reserve your seats now for our New Years Eve party 12/31. Before there all gone.” Oh, Saucer. Don’t ever change.

Want to add to your art collection? Get ready. Memphis College of Art is about to sell off 500 pieces of artwork.

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

Well, Saturday had its ups and downs. I posted that the Silly Goose would be a great place to watch the Memphis vs. UT game, away from the crowds of Beale Street. That turned out to be wrong. The Goose was a stop on The 12 Bars of Christmas pub crawl. I knew that would be happening Saturday, but I didn’t realize it started at noon. The bar filled up with randoms and mid-way through the first half, I tabbed out and was off to the Blind Bear, which thankfully wan’t a bar crawl stop.

Some of you may wonder, if I knew about the 12 Bars of Christmas crawl, why didn’t I blog about it? I don’t blog about pub crawls organized by national companies that have no real connection to the neighborhood. The crowds they draw tend to be amateurs who don’t tip the bartenders. I am always happy to support bar crawls arranged by locals.

I didn’t go to the holiday parade, but I saw a few pics one of the South Main coots snapped on Beale Street and it looked busy as always. Good news, though – those who missed Saturday’s parade don’t have to wait until 2020 for another one. The Liberty Bowl parade happens Monday, December 30 at 3 PM on Beale Street, followed by a pep rally. That should be fun – we’ll get to see the Navy marching band in person.

Signature win for Penny and his Tigers and I am so happy for them! This team has a fighting spirit and they never give up. That 51-47 victory was brutal to watch, but a win is a win. This will look good on Memphis’ resume when March rolls around. I suppose I should stop cheering against Tennessee in future games because I want Memphis’ win to remain Quadrant 1.

Saturday night was the Dirty Santa party in South Main. Great people, great times and I was so happy to be a part of it. Here’s a pic of the nuts I brought from The Peanut Shoppe:

I drew a good number in the Dirty Santa gift exchange. I was fifth from last, I think, exactly where you want to be in these kinds of events. Right before my turn, my friend David opened a really nice beer glass set. I was so tempted to steal it. I didn’t, though, because David has been a good friend to me, and because I really don’t drink beer at home. I have a cabinet full of Flying Saucer glasses that never get used; I didn’t see a need to add to the collection.

So I selected an unopened gift. It was heavy and cylindrical. Several bottles of wine had been opened already. I don’t drink a whole lot of wine but I would definitely take a free bottle. I opened it and found…

A forty of Colt 45.

The present I bought was It’s Good to Be the King… Sometimes, the autobiography of Jerry Lawler. See, I told you my gift had a Memphis connection.

Sunday I went to Brad’s bar at the Silly Goose, and our friend Kelly brought cookies for us.

Perjorie had never seen an elf before and thought that was a troll on the box. The cookies were really good! The chocolate marshmallow was my favorite. Later that evening, I think someone stole one of the cookies out of my box while I was in the restroom at the Blind Bear. Not that it’s a big deal but if they had just asked, “Hey Paul, can I have a cookie?” I would have given them one.

A fun weekend that got me in the spirit of the season, and it continues today with what is being described as “our low-key holiday celebration” at work. They have a stellar track record on office lunches, so I’m looking forward to today.

Bredrock Eats & Sweets has a holiday menu of items you can order ahead (by Thursday) and pick up Monday, December 23. The menu has everything from sliced turkey and brisket to side dishes to cookies and pecan pie and even breakfast kits.

The Silly Goose is changing up their holiday party a bit this year. Instead of a drunken Thursday night soiree where Pervert Santa tries to get women to sit on his lap, they’re doing a fundraiser for Youth Vilages next Sunday, December 22 6-9 PM. $50 gets you all the pizza you can eat, and all the beer and wine you can drink.

On Wednesday, January 15, The Broom Closet at 546 S. Main hosts a ghost hunting workshop. Stephen Guenther, founder of Historical Haunts, will give the presentation, an enhanced version of the ones he gives at conventions. $10 per person (amazingly, they didn’t call it an “energy exchange” this time).

The Broom Closet takes its show on the road Thursday, January 9, traveling to Crosstown for Taproom Tarot. Get your cards read and find out what 2020 has in store for you while drinking delicious craft beer. Readings are $15 for 15 minutes.

This Wednesday’s British Bingo at Belle Tavern will be Tacky Sweater Bingo. Wear a tacky holiday sweater and get an extra card. $100 in Belle gift cards will be handed out over six rounds. Never played British Bingo before? Don’t worry, Dave will explain how it works and it’s easy to learn.

Highly acclaimed musical Hello, Dolly! returns to the Orpheum for 8 shows tomorrow through Sunday.

The Grizzlies host the Miami Heat tonight at 7 at FedExForum.

That’s the news. Five days of work then I’m off all next week. Back tomorrow with more news.

 

No post yesterday because I just didn’t have any news to share with you! I’m struggling to find news for today too. However, I have over 3 hours to kill until Bardog opens, so maybe I’ll just ramble.

Yesterday the University of Memphis announced that interim head coach/former associate head coach Ryan Silverfield had been named the permanent head coach of the Cotton Bowl-bound Memphis Tigers football team. I wasn’t sure hiring from within was the right idea, but after reading about the hire (especially this Geoff Calkins article) I am convinced the university hired the best person for the job. Two reasons:

1. Memphis has a track record of success hiring up-and-coming coordinators or associate coaches who have never been head coaches themselves – see Justin Fuente and Mike Norvell. I believe that’s what Memphis did for the third time in a row. It’s just that this time, when they went out and found an associate coach at one of the best football programs in the country, that program happened to be Memphis.
2. Calkins points out that what matters the most to Silverfield is the relationships he has built here. He had chances to leave, but he never considered it because he loves the people here. That resonates with me – the reason I’ve never had any desire to move away from Downtown, the reason I’ve written my blog for 15 years, is because I love the people I’ve surrounded myself with.

Congratulation Coach Silverfield and best of luck. Go get us a Cotton Bowl victory to start off your head coaching career with a bang!

Now I want to talk about two of the people who make Downtown so special to me. Thursday I went to The Peanut Shoppe and told Rida I needed a nut mix for the Dirty Santa party I am attending tonight. “Can you come back in an hour?” Rida asked. ” I am about to make up a new, fresh batch so you will have the freshest nuts for your party.”

“How about I come back tomorrow?” I asked. “I work right across the street. I can come here after work.”

“Perfect,” Rida said. “I will have a fresh batch waiting on you.” He told me he had been up until 11 the night before preparing everything because he wanted his customers to have the best possible product for their holiday events.

I came back yesterday, and his daughter, Nura, was working. “I’m by myself today,” she told me. “My dad was here until 9 last night.” She helped me pick out a decorative tin and measured out the nuts. Great customer service, great shopping experience, and now I have something I’m proud to bring to a pot luck. I’m not just the guy who brings Pancho’s cheese dip and chips – not that there’s anything wrong with that, and in fact I hope somebody does in fact bring them.

I may not talk about The Peanut Shoppe as much as I do places like Bardog and the Blind Bear and the Silly Goose, but I want to make it very clear that these are very much people that have made my neighborhood my home for so many years. In fact, on the Saturday morning that I gave permission for the doctors to take my mom off life support, they were the first people I told.

If you live or work Downtown, please support them for your holiday nut and candy needs. The construction at 18 S. Main has blocked visibility of their business and that is hurting them. If you can’t make it Downtown or live outside of Memphis, you can order online through their website.

This is the decorative tin from The Peanut Shoppe. I can’t open it and show you the nuts inside because Nura shrink-wrapped it for maximum freshness. I’ll try to get a pic tonight. As for my gift for the Dirty Santa swap, obviously I can’t tell you what it is, since some of the attendees read my blog. I will say that it wasn’t made in Memphis but it has a strong Memphis connection.

Oh yeah, there are probably some of you who have never heard of a Dirty Santa party so I guess I better explain. Each person brings a wrapped gift. Everyone draws a number. Number 1 opens a gift first. Then number 2 can either open a gift, or take number 1’s opened gift and number 1 gets to open another gift. Number 3 can either open a gift or take one of the two opened ones, and so on. Often there is a limit on how many times a particular gift can be stolen. If such a limit exists, it’s most advantageous to pick middle-late; if there is no limit, of course, the person who picks last has the advantage. Also there is usually a limit on how much can be spent on a gift; for us it was $25.

So I’m still conflicted as to what to do this afternoon. Two options:

Go to the Beale Street Christmas parade at 3: If I do this, I will watch it at the King’s Palace Cafe Tap Room. They never seem to staff the place properly for parades, one overworked bartender handling both the customers at the bar and at the window. It can take as much as 20 minutes to get a beer. Last time I went there they had raised their price from $5 to $8.75 for a Big Ass PBR. That’s a Value Drinking Index of only 18, good if you’re drinking a craft beer but pretty horrible for PBR. They’ll have the game on TV but not with sound and unless the game goes into overtime, the game will end while the parade is going on.

Watch the Memphis vs. UT game (2 PM) at the Silly Goose: Unlike the Tap Room, the Goose won’t be slammed, so one bartender will be able to handle it. Plus, the bartender will be Jessica, the regular happy hour bartender Wednesday-Friday, so you know the service will be outstanding. PBR there is $3 for a 16-ounce can, a Value Drinking Index of 27 which is in the range I like to see. Jessica has told me she will put the sound on. There won’t be any old coots there, not even old coots who like to send bartenders half their age creepy text messages as well as multiple Instagram follow requests just hours apart

(For those new to my blog: Value Drinking Index = number of ounces X percent alcohol by volume / price)

Re-reading the paragraphs above, it seems like the Goose will be the easy choice, but really I’m just about 50-50. It will be a game-time decision, literally (I can hear one of the old coots saying, “Literally. Drink.” in my head). Another option is to watch the first half at the Goose, then walk over to the Tap Room during the halftime break – so if you walk in the Tap Room at 2:30 and don’t find me in there, don’t be so sure you won’t see me.

Oh, while we’re on the subject of Saturday plans, let’s look ahead to next Saturday. I WILL BE AT BARDOG next Saturday at 11; in fact, I’ll be standing outside at 10:55, waiting for them to open the door. Furthermore, I am declaring next Saturday a NO FILTER DAY. If you were around during BBQ Fest ’16, you know what my no filter days are like. I almost never drink at home but next Saturday I may start pre-gaming around 10 AM just to make sure I am in that holiday spirit.

Hey, I found an actual news item to talk about! The 2020 Roots & Blues Showcase comes to Atomic Rose Club and Grill January 29-31. This will be the weekend of the International Blues Challenge and Atomic Rose is a short walk from Beale. Click the link to see a list of who will play.

The Grizzlies lost last night, but Jaren dropped 43 while being guarded by The Greek Freak. This year is more about player development than it is contending for a playoff berth, so I’m perfectly happy with the outcome.

The Democrats need to pay close attention to what happened in the UK election this week. The Conservatives nominated Boris Johnson for prime minister. Johnson is a brash buffoon with bad hair who anyone with a pulse should be able to beat in an election. Labour, however, managed to put up one of the few people who couldn’t beat Johnson, Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn is considered farther to the left on many political issues than Bernie Sanders, he’s been wishy-washy on Brexit, and he couldn’t put down the anti-Semitic grumblings within his own party. Voters commented that Boris scared them, but Corbyn scared them more.

Of course, the Dems did the same thing in 2016. They faced a Republican opponent with no political experience, who lied on a daily basis and had all kinds of gaffes and scandals. Anyone should’ve been able to beat Donald Trump in a general election. But the Dems went and found someone who was so incredibly unlikable – Hillary – that the election tilted toward Trump (with an assist from Russia).

They need to learn from their mistakes. Yes, I want a president who will do something about climate change. Yes, I want a president who is tough on Russia. Yes, I want a president who will nominate Supreme Court justices that will protect Roe vs. Wade. Yes, I think it’s time for a woman or person of color to occupy the Oval Office. But, more so than any of that, we need a candidate who likable to the general public – not just Democrats – to ensure that Trump is booted out of the White House on January 20,2021 (and then, I bet, indictments will be unsealed).

If the Democrats nominate a candidate who gravitates hard to the far left, like Bernie or Elizabeth Warren, I fear it will cost them the election. Out of the field, I still like Kamala Harris the best, but I wonder if Joe Biden is the best chance to ensure America dumps Trump. I would especially like it if Biden promised the following:

1. If he wins the presidency, he will only serve one term;
2. If he is nominated, he will pick a vice-presidential nominee who is under 60. I was going to say Gen X or millennial, but that would disqualify Kamala Harris by a little over 2 months;
3. If he is nominated, his running mate will be a woman, or a person of color, or both.

What the Dems don’t need are factions who say “we do it my way or I’ll stay home on election day.”

That’s enough rambling for now. Back tomorrow if I find any news to report.