Paul Ryburn's Journal

The Memphis Tigers are on national TV this morning, playing the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the Birmingham Bowl. The game will be on ESPN and kickoff is shortly after 11 AM.

There’s a special Timeout for Fitness ticket for the January 4 Grizzlies game. It includes not only a ticket to the 7 PM game that night vs. the Brooklyn Nets, but a Pilates mat class on the main court the morning of Saturday, January 5. Grizzlies marketing department: That “7:00:00 PM CST ( Meet at 08:40 AM at the FedExForum Grand Lobby )” copy is confusing and needs to be fixed. Also, the “how can we make your ticket purchasing experience better?” pop-up when I stay on the page too long without purchasing tickets is annoying.

Whether you purchase the Pilates ticket or not, if you’re one of the first 5000 fans in the arena that night, you get a free Grizzlies fanny pack. They should have done that promotion before Christmas; it would have made a perfect Dirty Santa gift.

Tim Van Horn wins the “You Are So Memphis” tweet of the week.

Remember to turn your phone sideways when capturing those fights at the family get-togethers. Plays back in HD when the news runs the accompanying arrest story. @localMemphis @cw30memphis @FOX13Memphis @3onyourside @wmcactionnews5 @CNN @foxnews @msnbc

— Tim Van Horn (@MyTimVanHorn) December 21, 2018

I’m looking forward to dinner with wonderful friends at Texas de Brazil on Christmas Eve! If you go there on the 24th you get free dessert. Select nonalcoholic beverages are also fee that day. That’ll lower the tab from stratospheric to merely astronomical, but it is so worth it. MEAT!

Wednesday night’s food drive/showing of Elf at the Orpheum produced 4625 pounds of food. That’s enough to provide 3800 meals to families during the holidays.

The American Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament returns to FedExForum March 14-17 and tickets are now on sale.

All right. I’ll save the rest of the news for tomorrow because I need to get to the bar and get a good seat for the Birmingham Bowl. Go Tigers!

As your #1 source of news and information about The Edge District, I can see I am going to have my work cut out for me in the coming year as that neighborhood really takes off. Yesterday the Memphis Business Journal had an exclusive that Memphis Made Brewing Co. is looking at opening a second location, and it will be in The Edge, in a building at 435 Madison. They haven’t signed a lease yet but have signed a letter of intent. The new brewery would be the northern anchor for The Ravine, the urban park that will run through The Edge from Union to Madison.

Yesterday I had a discussion with a friend on Facebook on whether another brewery is needed in The Edge. I believe it absolutely is. The addition of a brewery, as well as the new cidery going in two blocks away on Union, will make The Edge a destination neighborhood – with Sun Studio, it always has been for tourists, but now it will be for locals as well. The new brewery and cidery will also make The Edge more walkable. Assuming the new Memphis Made location will have a taproom, it will be the only brewery in The Edge to bring in food trucks. It will be the closest brewery to my home and I look forward to walking down Madison for a pint of Fireside or Junt.

Continuing my conversation with my Facebook friend, I told him that I see The Edge at a tipping point as the next up-and-coming neighborhood. I see it being in its development approximately where Cooper-Young was in 1992; where South Main was in 2000; where the Broad Avenue Arts District was in 2010. I expect to spend significant time writing about The Edge in this blog in 2019.

Hey, I wonder if Bijou and Biscuit got adopted?

The Daily Memphian covers what is being done to ensure that The Ravine will live up to expectations.Funding is in place for phase 1 of the project, but what if there is a downturn in the economy similar to the Great Recession of 2008 and the philanthropy is not there to fund Phase 2? Brett Roler of the DMC stresses that by the end of Phase I, expected to be complete by May 2019, The Ravine will be a fully functional urban park.

If any breweries in The Edge have outdoor festivals in 2019, they shouldn’t plan on booking the band Zigadoo Moneyclips. The lead singer is going to federal prison for 2 years and 9 months on fraud charges.

If you’re tired of food that goes moo, or oink, or cluck, check out this Catherine & Mary’s entree. If it looks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, it’s a duck.

Tired of Christmas shopping? Buy something for yourself… like this new Duck dish 🎁 Come have dinner with us this weekend!
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Duck | parsnip, cabbage, sunchoke, pomegranate, sorghum pic.twitter.com/7SPmLhOfeb

— Catherine & Mary’s (@catherine_marys) December 20, 2018

The Hospitality Hub sent out some statistics about the people they served in 2018.

• 1591 newly homeless individuals walked through the door. 63% were men and 37% were women.
• Of the women, 23% were with children or were pregnant.
• They helped 546 people track down their birth certificates.
• They helped 417 people get a state ID.
• 1034 housing vouchers were issued, giving the people a safe place to stay the night.
• 1120 bus passes were given out.
• Their Growing Work Local program, giving the homeless a chance yo put in a day’s work for a fair wage with a lunch included, filled 2180 shifts and paid out $109,000 in wages. 87 tons of trash on 1280 miles of Memphis roads were cleaned up by individuals working as part of this program.

This is a wonderful organization that offers a hand up in life. You will be doing a lot more to help the homeless by volunteering at the Hub or donating to them that you will be if you give money to a person on the street.

Drew and Ellie Holcomb’s Neighborly Christmas comes to the Orpheum tonight.

This is very cool: Among the many things to which your Memphis library card entitles you is a digital subscription to the New York Times.

Christmas opening news: PBjaRni, a bartender at Max’s Sports Bar, posted that the bar will open on 3 Christmas Day.

Statistics site FiveThirtyEight has ranked the most absurd college football bowls. Absurdity criteria included length of name, bad teams, high scoring, frequent sponsorship changes, and sponsor industry. There were also opportunities to earn bonus points. Least absurd for 2018 were the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, the Capital One Orange Bowl, the Allstate Sugar Bowl, and the Hyundai Sun Bowl. Most absurd: The Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl.

The Peanut Shoppe on Main has announced they will be open today, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday for your holiday shopping needs. It is unusual for them to open on Sunday. Best place in Memphis to buy nuts, chocolates, candy and popcorn for your loved ones!

The Memphis Animal Shelter is looking to hire a support services specialist.

The folks at the Orpheum have realized their movie series is too popular to restrict it just to the summer. From now on there will be movies on the big screen all year. Movies including SIngin’ in the Rain and Space Jam will be coming in 2019.

Happy New Year, YOGA! Your Inner Yogi at 10 N. Second is hosting a Yoga and Visualization class on Sunday, December 30 to help you set your intentions for the new year. This class will not be about making New Year’s resolutions, which rarely stick. You will create a story board using photos keywords, and quotes to help you set out what you want your 2019 to look like. The class is 4-6 PM and the cost is $25.

Looking to volunteer over the holidays? Volunteer Odyssey has an opportunity with Room in the Inn – Memphis. This organization, which started in Nashville, helps direct the homeless to church congregations that can provide warm places to sleep during the cold winter months. They need volunteers from 4:15 to 6:00 PM to greet the homeless guests, provide coffee and conversation, and keep them company while Room in the Inn lines up a place for them to stay for the night. After the guests depart volunteers clean and prepare the space for the next day. This is a family-friendly volunteer opportunity.

All right, that’ll do it for now. Back tomorrow with more news.

 

Yum Yum, Get Sum! That’s the motto of the Rice Burner dim sum food truck where I got lunch in Court Square today. My intention was to go to the Flying Sobies food truck for another fried Cornish hen. However, the Rice Burner food truck caught my eye, with its sign that Down South Rice is back.

Down South Rice is fried rice with smoked chicken, smoked Polish sausage, and smoked ham. I love some fried rice with big chunks of ham in it. I went to the window and placed my order.

I’m eating the rice as I type this, and man, it is tasty! You can find the Rice Burner truck at the Court Square food truck rodeo every Thursday from 11:00 to 1:30.

Memphis 901 FC, the city’s new professional soccer team, has released its 2019 schedule. There will be 17 home games at AutoZone Park, and between March 9 and October 19, there will be sports (soccer or baseball) at AutoZone Park 26 Saturdays. That’s half the Saturdays of the year!

The City of Memphis has released its Memphis 3.0 plan, a master plan for the city as it enters its third century. The plan focuses on “build up, not out” and advises building around anchors in particular neighborhoods. Downtown, the Medical District, and the university district are seen as city-wide anchors. Development in these areas is advised to focus on vertical, multi-use buildings.

The Memphis Tigers tweeted an announcement for their fans yesterday. For those not going to Birmingham and who have tickets to the 2 PM men’s basketball game vs. Tennessee State, they are going to open FedExForum at 11 and show the Birmingham Bowl on the screen. Must have a ticket to the 2 PM game to come in.

I see the Negative Nancys are already out after the Tigers were tied with Little Rock at one point in last night’s game (they recovered to win 99-89). “Penny can’t coach the college level,” people protested. “He can recruit, but he can’t coach.” For heaven’s sakes, he’s coached 11, maybe 12 games and has never been an assistant coach at the college level. Give him a couple of seasons to figure things out. Penny has boosted ticket sales, stolen the #1 class of 2019 prospect from Kentucky, and let’s face it, his Tigers have a better record than they would at this point if Tubby were coaching.

My friend Rahul posted this and tagged his boo Tony: Fanny packs are making a comeback and now account for 25% of the accessory industry. My God. We as a society have truly lost our minds. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rahul buys Tony and himself matching fanny packs for Christmas.

RAWK’n Grub, now located in the gas station at 630 N. Highland, is having an ugly sweater party now through Christmas Eve. Wear your ugly sweater up there and get a free order of their famous Blue Suede Shoestring Fries, no purchase necessary.

Wine for Wishes, benefiting Make-A-Wish Mid-South, returns to the Cadre Building February 9. Wine tasting, catering by Kelly English, silent auction.

The local media has picked up on the “Yo Mama” comment City Council chair Berlin Boyd made to a protester during Tuesday’s meeting. The Commercial Appeal interviewed the protester’s mama to get her opinion of what Boyd said.

Yo mama’s City Councilman is so rude…

HOW RUDE IS HE?

That’s it, I’m outta here. Back tomorrow with more news.

Yesterday was such a newsy day that I nearly wore out my phone battery trying to keep up on Twitter. We had the death of sitcom star and film director Penny Marshall. We had a judge again delay the sentencing of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, saying he may have to consider prison even though Special Counsel Mueller recommended no time served. The judge asked DOJ officials if they’d ever considered charging Flynn with treason. We heard that the Grizzlies planned to acquire Austin Rivers off waivers, only to then have the story backtracked and say that four to five teams are interested in Rivers.

The big local news, though, was that the City Council, now down to 10 members, had another meeting. Not only did they not fill the 3 open seats, but there was a debate as to what constitutes a majority vote: 6 out of 10 currently serving Council members, or 7 out of 13 as if all the seats were full. As a citizen who has been sitting back hearing/reading about this entire process in the news, I want to offer some feedback.

To the 5 white Council members – You’re opposing a candidate who is seemingly well-qualified, and who is African-American, as a bloc. In 2018, do you not realize how racist that looks? Can’t some of you try to work across the aisle and reach a compromise?

To the 4 black Council members – The candidate you support has been endorsed by Rickey Peete, a convicted felon who has a track record of attempting to sell out his constituents for personal gain. Do you not realize how bad that looks?

To Council Chair Berlin Boyd – Last night I read on Facebook that you responded to a protester in the Council chamber with “yo mama.” I know the process is frustrating, but that response shows a lack of respect for the office you hold. Have some dignity, man.

It saddens me that in this day and age, race plays such a factor in determining in whether a candidate is qualified. This process has turned into a three-ring circus and it’s embarrassing. I’m surprised the national media hasn’t picked up on this story.

Basketball returns to FedExForum tonight as the Memphis Tigers men’s basketball teams hosts the Little Rock Trojans at 7 PM.

Holiday movie Elf will be on the big screen tonight at the Orpheum at 7 PM. Bring a canned good donation to the Mid-South Food Bank (3 items per person suggested) to get in free. Prior to the movie there will be a visit from Santa.

If you can’t make it to the Orpheum tonight, you’ll have a chance to see Elf tomorrow night as well. The movie will be shown at the Ghost River taproom at 7 PM tomorrow. Two Girls and a Whip will be there to sweeten things with their cupcakes. They like to keep it casual on movie night, so pajamas, sweats, hoodies, and fluffy socks are welcome. Come back on December 27 for a showing of It’s a Wonderful Life.

Ghost River will be opening its taproom early this Saturday for a Birmingham Bowl watch party. Memphis vs. Wake Forest will be on 3 TVs with sound. Get a dollar off pints during the game if you have Memphis gear on.

The Redbirds are said to have a new manager, and he has ties to the area. Ben Johnson, a native of Germantown, is reported by multiple sources to be the next manager of the Memphis Redbirds, although a deal has not been signed yet. Johnson spent 2018 as a coach for the Triple-A Durham Bulls, the team the Redbirds beat in the national championship game.

There will be a holiday market at Firepit Friday this Friday at River Garden in Mississippi River Park on N. Riverside Drive. About a dozen vendors will be out at the park selling their wares. There will also be craft beer served by the Tapbox, food by El Mero Taco, music by DJ Zetta, s’mores, and artisanal cocktails.

Just City has a page where you can buy a book for a kid in juvenile detention.

That’s all for now. Back tomorrow with more news.

 

The circus is back in town! Well, not really, but the City Council meets today. Close enough. One of the issues they are said to be considering is whether to allow sports betting on Beale Street. They should. Otherwise they might as well take a big pile of tax revenue dollars, put them in front of a fan aimed at Tunica, and turn the fan on High.

The Memphis Symphony Orchestra is bringing magic Downtown. Catch The Magic of Memphis at the Cannon Center Saturday or Sunday. Illusionist Lyn Dillies will perform feats of magic on stage, set to Christmas music performed by the Symphony.

St. Jude is raising its minimum wage for all employees to $15 an hour. Cheers to the children’s hospital for setting a good example and ensuring that all who work there will earn a livable wage.

Memphis Made Brewing Co. is having another board game night at its taproom 7-10 Thursday, and this time the featured game is a classic: Monopoly.

Downtown Yoga is offering a break from holiday shopping, cooking and traffic on Christmas Eve. That day they will have a Holiday Restorative Yoga class from 2 to 3:30 PM to help relieve the stress of the season. YOGA!

Cordelia’s Market over on Mud Island posted photos of some yummy looking buffalo blue cheese rotisserie chickens that they have.

FedExForum posted a time-lapse video of what it looks like when you have a Grizzlies game, a Tigers game, another Grizzlies game, and graduations over the course of a weekend.

Ever wonder what it looks like behind-the-scenes at FedExForum on a weekend when we’ve got multiple games & a graduation??

Take a look ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/HJ8ShtiqsD

— FedExForum (@FedExForum) December 17, 2018

I tip my hat to the staff who worked hard all weekend changing the floors and equipment out. You da real MVP!

Sage, the new soul food restaurant with an Asian touch at 94 S. Main, is doing a “reverse happy hour” with drink specials from 7 to 9 PM on Fridays.

Aldo’s Pizza Pies Downtown has posted its photos from Pizza with Santa last Saturday.

Got a great pie recipe? It could win you tickets to the hit musical Waitress at the Orpheum. Waitress features the story of an expert pie-maker. Submit your recipe by Friday, December 21. If you are chosen as one of the finalists, you’ll get to bake your pie for the judges on January 2. Winner receives 4 tickets to Waitress and your recipe will be included in the first 50 copies of the Waitress cookbook.

There will be a Memphis Detective Day Downtown on February 23. It’s like a real-life version of the board game Clue. Cost is $46 for teams of up to six adults.

Paula & Raiford’s Disco will be open New Year’s Eve, Monday night, December 31 for another year of disco.

The owners of the Sheraton across from the Convention Center are suing the city of Memphis over approval of funding for the construction of the new Loews convention center hotel.

There was a Stolen whiskey/rum brand ambassador at Blind Bear yesterday, and she bought me a Stolen whiskey and Coke which was really good.

My troll commented, “Paul, you should order a drink that’s the same color as my hair.” No, Perjorie, I am not ordering an appletini.

Stolen is having a special poker night at the Blind Bear this Thursday. (Click to see the image below in a larger size)

That’ll do it for now. Back tomorrow with more news.

The huge turnout at Saturday’s Tigers vs. Tennessee game was fantastic for the city of Memphis and for Tigers basketball, but it did have one drawback: Long lines at the restroom. One fan decided that the line was roo long to wait in – when you gotta go, you gotta go, you know? He was found defecating on a floor behind an concession stand, his private parts exposed. His makeshift bathroom earned him a trip to 201 on an indecent exposure charge.

24 hours of Memphis basketball: 3 losses, 1 trade fell through because of mistaken identity and a man shit on the floor behind a concession stand #MAF

— Eli Savoie (@Eli560) December 16, 2018

Bad behavior didn’t cease at the conclusion of the game either.

Beale Street is so live right now. Just saw a Tennessee fan get detained while trying to fight like 5 different people at a bar.

Swung at like 3 security guards, called them soft. Put those handcuffs on him and his first words were, “What did I do?”

— Gene Henley (@genehenley3) December 15, 2018

That is so very typical of Tennessee fans.You know, yesterday I was watching football, and I thought to myself, I don’t really have an NFL team but if I did, it would probably be the Saints because I respect what a great fan culture they have. For the same reason, I hate the Tennessee Vols. It’s not because of the school itself, or Knoxville, but rather they have the most obnoxious fan culture in college sports.

Three Downtown restaurants got mentioned in this week’s Memphis Flyer cover story, a roundup of the best soups in the city. The Blind Bear (now open for lunch at 11 AM every day) and Huey’s got recognized for their potato soups. Maciel’s got a mention for its chicken & chipotle soup.

Lime, the scooter company that came to Memphis not long ago, is chasing funding to staunch losses. Lime is one of two scooter companies operating here, the other being Bird.

AutoZone Park is getting $600,000 in improvements to prepare for Memphis 901 FC’s shared occupancy of the park with the Memphis Redbirds.There will be dedicated locker rooms for the soccer teams, some improvements to the baseball clubhouses, and expansion of offices on the third floor as the ball park increases staff.

River Garden at Mississippi River Park has stayed active its first month, and a hawk and a bobcat have taken up residence. Carol Coletta, president of the Memphis River Parks Partnership, has said that construction on Tom Lee Park will begin on June 1, as soon as the Memphis in May events end. Wonder if the construction will be done by May 2020, or if Music Fest, BBQ Fest, and 901 Fest will be moved to another location that year?

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

I watched the Tennessee-Memphis game at Blind Bear yesterday. The Tigers lost 102-92. While I hate, hate, hate losing to the Vols more than just about any team, there was a lot about this game to show that good things are to come for this team. For starters, Memphis didn’t get blown out. 92 points against a top 3 team in the country is nothing to sneeze at, and is something neither Gonzaga (#1 at the time) or Kansas (#2 at the time) was able to do.

Imagine if Tubby were still the head coach. Being a huge rivalry game, I do think FedExForum would have been full to the tune of maybe 10,000, not near the 18,500+ who attended yesterday’s game but still busy by the standards of the past few years. However, if Tubby had come back, Alex Lomax wouldn’t be here. Tyler Harris wouldn’t be here. Kyvon Davenport, who scored 31 and surely impressed the scouts of 5 NBA teams who were in the arena yesterday, would have transferred. Memphis would have lost by 45 to 50, and that would have taken the air completely out of the program’s sails. It would have been the official death of Memphis as an elite college men’s basketball program. Game attendance would have fallen to the 2000 range, and the Tigers would be lucky to draw 1000 to weeknight home games.

Instead, the team established that we really do have something special here. Yes, this is a rebuilding year, but Memphis is still one of the elite. Yesterday’s game showed that Memphis has a real chance of making some noise in the AAC and possibly earning a bid to the NCAA tournament. And even if the Tigers don’t make it this year, we’ve got help from James Wiseman, D.J. Jeffries, and Malcolm Dandridge on the way. Good game, Tigers! Well done!

I watched the end of the game with my neighbor Mac, a big Tennessee fan, and at the end of the game we said “good game” and high-fived each other. It was nice to have a reminder that there actually are some Tennessee fans out there who don’t suck. Not many of them, though.

As your #1 source of news and information about The Edge District, it is my pleasure to link to this Daily Memphian article about a new cidery, Century Tree Cider Co., coming to that neighborhood. The cidery will move into a nearly 100-year-old building at 484 Union and will have a taproom and a rooftop deck. It will be short walk away from The Ravine, the $5.7 million urban park covered in yesterday’s post.

I’ll keep reporting on Edge news as I get it, to make sure all of you stay informed… there is a news page maintained by a resident of that neighborhood, but the top story on that page (as of the time I’m typing this, about 8:30 AM December 16) is about a dog party that happened a few days after Thanksgiving.

This week’s Wednesday night British Bingo at Belle Tavern will include a tacky sweater party. In addition to six games of bingo with $100 total in prizes, there will be an extra bingo card for anyone wearing a tacky sweater, and $25 prizes for the best sweater worn by a male and a female. They’ll have mulled wine too.

There will be a Christmas candlelight service on the river tonight at Church of the River, 292 Virginia Avenue. There will be a cookie reception at 4:30, and at 5:30 there will be a traditional service with choir music, special readings, and carols by candlelight. Childcare will be available for kids 3 and under. Attendees are encouraged to bring “gifts for the baby” which will go to mothers of newborns in need.

That’s it for now. Be sure to tune into NBC around 7:20 this evening for the Cris Collinsworth Sunday Night Slide-In. Back tomorrow with more news.

Yesterday I called it an early weekend and headed out to lunch at Blind Bear about 11:45. However, I made an unexpected stop on the way.

Outside 60 S. Main at Volunteer Odyssey, a lady asked me, “Would you like to come in and volunteer? We have projects you can do in as little as 60 seconds.” Volunteer Odyssey does good work connecting folks with volunteer opportunities and writing about them. How could I say no?

I got my fortune told by Nicole, the fortune teller who would predict where I would volunteer next.

Nicole asked me a few questions about myself – my favorite hobby, whether I’m into nature, how I feel about children. Then she looked into her crystal ball and predicted my future.

“I see you helping the homeless or those in need,” Nicole told me, underlining a couple of organizations on a card. “Refuge Memphis serves the homeless with food, clothing, and shelter.” I have to admit I had not heard of them before. “The Memphis Crisis Center helps people who are struggling in life.” I had heard of the crisis center. One of my classmates volunteered there when I was in college.

“It’s not on the card, but Urban Bicycle Food Ministry might also be a good fit for you,” she continued. I told her I had heard of the food ministry and know people who volunteer for it. “You can help them in the kitchen making the burritos, or riding around down distributing the burritos to those who are hungry, or both, whatever you choose to do.” Nicole told me.

I thanked Nicole then walked to a table to perform one of three 60-second volunteer activities, and her prediction immediately came true – I did something to help the homeless. “We’re writing cards of encouragement and homeless to be given to them around Christmas,” the lady at the table told me. “You can come up with something original, use Google to find an inspirational quote, or copy what someone else wrote.” I thought for a minute and then came up with something.

They also had a virtual-reality machine where you could experience volunteering with VR, but the rain was starting to pick up and I needed to get down the street so I skipped that one. What a neat experience! They have these pop-up volunteer parties several times a year. Check one out if you get a chance. I think you’ll enjoy it.

On to the news…

Memphis 901 FC, the city’s new professional soccer team, has announced the date of its first home game at AutoZone Park. They will host the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday, March 9. Kickoff time will be determined at a later date.

An urban park costing $5.7 million is coming to The Edge District, picking up where Union Row will end on the eastern side. The park will be called The Ravine, so named because it actually will be an adaptation of an existing ravine running between Union and Madison.

The Daily Memphian reports that repair issues could bring down the curtain at the Cannon Center if they are not addressed soon. The building is still safe and no shows have been canceled, but many spotlights and stage cables have had to be taken out of service.

I saw on TV yesterday that the Cris Collinsworth Slide In is a thing now. At the beginning of Sunday Night Football, the camera starts off on Al Michaels only. After Al spends about 20 seconds setting up the situation for the week’s came, the camera pans over and Cris Collinsworth slides in.

People apparently gather in bars in large numbers, and wait for the Collinsworth Slide In to happen, and when it does they all cheer as loudly if not louder than they do for any touchdown. I would agree, the Collinsworth Slide In is something I look forward to every Sunday night. For someone like me who doesn’t have a lot of interest in pro football, it’s the best part of the NFL week.

That’ll do it for now. Off to watch the UT-Memphis game.

Yesterday I was at the Silly Goose for happy hour, and one of the other regulars came in wearing a bow tie. He told us that he posts photos of himself in bow ties to Instagram, and it’s attracted attention from tie companies. They’ve contacted him and said, “Would you like some ties?” I need to start posting photos of myself in my PBR hoodie to Instagram. Maybe I’d get free PBR.

Actually, I’ve been told you need 1000 followers on Instagram to start attracting that kind of attention from companies. As of today I have only 667. Follow me at @paulryburn and help a brother out.

Nikki’s Hot Products has another local collaboration going on. Last week I told you how they’ve teamed up with food truck New Wing Order, and you can now get their spicy dry rub on New Wing Order wings. Well, this time around, they’re teaming with a local institution, The Peanut Shoppe on Main Street, to produce Nikki’s Hot Nuts. This will be a combination of the Peanut Shoppe’s top-quality cashews, almonds, and peanuts and Nikki’s spicy Bloody Mary mix. The hot nuts are coming soon and you’ll be able to get them at 24 S. Main.

By the way, I posted this to Facebook yesterday and someone commented, “I thought that place was closed.” No, the Peanut Shoppe on Main is alive and well. It was a different peanut shop on Summer that closed.

The @memgrizz account tweeted photos of the Mike Conley Elf on a Shelf that will be given to the first 5000 fans tonight:

Want your very own @mconley11 “Elf on a Shelf”? Be one of the first 5,000 fans at tomorrow night’s game against the @MiamiHEAT!

🎟: https://t.co/1NtCZCGrS0 pic.twitter.com/Iai7u2H8mP

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) December 13, 2018

The Green Beetle is seeking a bartender/server. They’re looking for someone with a current ABC card and 4 years experience.

My neighbor Mary Ann Gross will be back with her pop-up shop from 11 to 5 tomorrow at the Center for Southern Folklore.

Mary Ann will have jewelry, mixed media, and hand-made ornaments. Other artists will have their work for sale at well. Come back to the Center at 7 this Saturday for music by Zeke and Paulette.

There’s a seasonal Partner Activation Assistant job available with the Redbirds.

Yesterday I learned of another reason to love late president George H.W. Bush. He and his wife Barbara were both wrestling fans and according to his former press secretary, they watched wrestling every Saturday. In 1992 the Bushes had to fly through Charlotte, and his staff contacted the WWF office and invited Ric Flair to fly on Air Force One with them. When Flair met them, he turned on the charm, causing H.W. to comment, “After 48 years of marriage, I think I’ve lost my wife to someone named the Nature Boy.”

That’s it for now. There may not be a post tomorrow because I’ll be under a time crunch, but I’ll be back Sunday at the latest.

 

Today I walked over to the Thursday food truck rodeo in Court Square to find some lunch. I wanted to try a new food truck, and I walked over to the Stanley’s Sweet Street Treats truck to check out their menu.

Soft shell crab BLT? That sounded like something I had to try. I went to the window and placed my order. The lady at the window said, “Would you like a side of smok’d Gouda mac & cheese to go with that?” That brought back memories of smok’d mac & cheese in the Moody Ques BBQ team booth a couple of years ago. I wasn’t about to turn that down!

Just look at that thing! That’s an entire crab, covered in aioli, on a bun with bacon, lettuce, and tomato. Fantastic! The Gouda mac was every bit as good as I anticipated. My compliments to the folks at Stanley’s truck!

For those of you thinking, “Wait, Paul… you posted a food photo without the troll in it?”, there was a reason. I told the lady at the counter I write a blog, and she left the container open when she presented it to me so I could take a photo without messing up the aioli. I didn’t bring the troll with me to Court Square. Don’t worry, though, she will appear later in this post.

The food truck rodeo happens every Thursday 11 AM to 1:30 PM in Court Square. About 15 food trucks show up (sometimes not as many if rain is expected during the lunch hour). Trucks vary from week to week, but today I saw BBQ, burgers, fried Cornish hens, Mexican food, hibachi, fried rice, Asian noodles, and a lot more.

The Blind Bear has its Christmas party this Friday at 8. Jeannette couldn’t decide upon a theme, so she’s doing a little bit of everything: Naughty Santa, funny hats, funny pants, ugly sweater, whatever you want to do. Spiked eggnog, $3 moonshine, $3 cinnamon whiskey. The band A.M. Whiskey plays at 10 PM.

The Daily Memphian is selling gift subscriptions. I am a subscriber and I can personally attest, this is worth the money. It’s people who live in Memphis and love Memphis writing for people who love Memphis. It’s not like turning on the local news and hearing, there was a shooting over here, there was a carjacking over there. The DM has stories about things going on that matter in Memphis. It’s a nonprofit business model, placing an emphasis on quality writing, rather than circulation numbers or ad revenue.

Speaking of which, here’s a Daily Memphian story. Mighty Lights, the project that lights the I-40 bridge over the Mississippi, is seeking dedications for individual lights.

Here’s a great piecce of journalism from the Daily Memphian’s Geoff Calkins: Is it possible to be a fan of both Memphis and Tennessee? NO! “You cannot be a fan of Memphis and Tennessee. If you are, you are not really a fan.” EXACTLY! In all the years I’ve been reading Calkins, this may be his finest work ever.

Dillon Brooks, doing commentary in the booth while out on injury reserve for the Grizzlies, had a sport jacket and a hoodie on last night. I think I may have to try that look. My PBR hoodie would look great with a blazer! Then again, what doesn’t look good with a PBR hoodie?

Check out this mini sampler from The Peanut Shoppe on Main Street just north of Monroe Avenue. They can take care of your chocolate, nut, and candy needs for the holidays, and they have decorative tins that look so pretty that there’s no need to gift wrap. This is a wonderful  local business and one I stopped in many times on the way to go see my mom for Christmas.

The Vault on G.E. Patterson will become The Vault Gastropub with a new menu and new branding for 2019. Some of the old favorites like the Smashburger will be retained, but there will be a lot of new dishes and new hours as well.

MakeUseOf compiled a list of the best online sites to shop for ugly Christmas sweaters. Hmmm… the other day I saw a photo of my friends Rahul and Tony at the Electric Cowboy in matching Western wear. If I could get that image on a sweater, I’d win every ugly sweater contest in town.

Our team name wasn’t good enough to win Best Team Name in trivia last night, but we came in second on the questions.

Always nice to place well in trivia and get a few beers knocked off my tab.Having Perjorie T. Roll on the bar seems to make my teammates and me smarter.

That’ll do it for this post. Back tomorrow with more news.