Paul Ryburn's Journal

Q: Today is National Only Child Day. How do you recommend I observe this very important holiday?

A: Great question, and if I had brothers or sisters, which I don’t, I would ask their opinion. Nevertheless, I will attempt to answer this question on my own. I find that a gift of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer is appropriate for such an occasion; it thoughtfully says, “This is your special day and I care.”

The Mid-South Korean BBQ Festival is today from noon to 6 at Grind City Brewing. It features competition in three categories: American BBQ (pork), Korean BBQ (beef), and dumplings. There are two levels of tickets, both of which allow you to sample the teams’ food: general admission for $15, and VIP for $50. VIP gets you early entry, unlimited beers, seltzers, and sours, plus a parking spot. Korean dancing from the Korean Association of Memphis.

Mid-South wrestler James Harris, born in Coldwater and raised in Senatobia, is going in the WWE Hall of Fame. Harris played the character Kamala the Ugandan Giant.

The Grizzlies punched their ticket to the Western Conference play-in tournament last night with a 117-109 loss to Denver.

St. Jude is hiring a building automation/controls technician for HVAC.

Bottles of single barrel wheat whiskey are now available for purchase at Old Dominick. 121 proof with notes of honey, butter, cinnamon, and oak.

Charcuterie, meet nachos. Nachos, meet charcuterie.

Stoners are Twinkies’ new target market.

Gotta go. Back tomorrow probably.

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Today is National Dive Bar Day. There’s your excuse to go get a Soul Burger from at Earnestine & Hazel’s.

Our neighbors to the north celebrate National Poutine Day today. You can celebrate (and avoid the Trumpster’s poutine tariff) at Kooky Canuck.

The Downtown Memphis Commission has hired a commercial strategist whose goal is to attract and retain businesses.

A play-in appearance is getting more likely for the Grizzlies. They lost to Minnesota 141-125 last night.

Grind City Brewing will host a free Easter egg hunt Saturday, April 19 at noon for kids 12 and under. 5x the eggs of last year’s event. Food trucks: Albees Tex-Mex, Diamond Dave’s Pizza, Nana’s Shaved Ice

That’s it, short post today. Back tomorrow.

This blog is free to read, but I gratefully accept tips:  
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

This week I read that Cadillac has plans for a successor to its discontinued full-sized gas-powered XTS and CT6 sedans. The new car will be electric-powered and will be called Celestiq.

That has got to be the most ghetto car name I have ever heard.

Which means it’ll probably sell really well in Memphis.

Birdie’s will open at 9 AM today and Friday for your Masters viewing pleasure. Of course they will have sim golf available too.

Downtown ALDI has its grand opening this morning.

Not today, but next Thursday, April 17, Elmwood Cemetery will keep the grounds open late for Third Thursday. Free to the public. Free audio tours. Leashed dogs are welcome.

From Action News 5: The cast of Some Like It Hot brings speakeasy swagger to the Orpheum

Apple is planning a major redesign for the iPhone’s 20th anniversary.

From Fadeaway World: Will the NBA give Ja Morant the Allen Iverson treatment if Morant doesn’t clean up his image?

Felicia Suzanne’s Restaurant reopens at 383 S. Main on April 15 and they are now taking reservations.

Hope MacGregor, Jess Ledbetter, and Matt Joyce play South Main Sounds Friday at 7.

Help paint planters in The Pinch this Saturday. Paint-by-numbers designs.

There will be egg hunts Saturday at 10 and noon for kids age 0-17 at the Fire Museum. Tickets are $10.

That’s it. Back tomorrow.

This blog is free to read, but I gratefully accept tips:  
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

On Wednesday, April 23, the Peabody will host an exclusive whiskey tasting event celebrating The Peabody’s 50th private barrel selection of Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel. It will feature tastings of Old No. 7, Gentleman Jack, Bonded Tennessee Whiskey, Sinatra Select, and Peabody Select 50, led by master distiller Chris Fletcher. Tasting at 6, family style dinner (each course infused with Jack Daniel’s Whiskey) at 7. $270 cost includes

• Limited edition, autographed bottle of Peabody Select 50
• Collector’s coin
• Taxes
• Gratuity
• Parking in the hotel garage

Reservations

Today is National Pimiento Cheese Day. I recommend celebrating at Momma’s at Crump and Kentucky. Get the Poppin’ Pimiento (formerly Cheese Wagon) burger, which is topped with pimento cheese as well as bacon, fresh jalapeno, tomato, and Momma’s Mayo. Get a can of PBR to wash it down.

Momma’s, by the way, has it on good authority from TDOT that the I-55/Crump/Riverside interchange will open Monday, April 21.

Today is also National Gin and Tonic Day. Recommendation to avoid any bar where the bartender does not know how to make this drink.

The Grizzlies got a 124-100 win over Charlotte last night but Jaylen Wells broke his wrist.

Memphis Medical District Collaborative seeks an economic development specialist.

From The Daily Helmsman: Yoga on the River brings serenity to Downtown Memphis

Memphis Flyer’s We Saw You: March South Main Trolley Night

Those of you who are just here for the news are dismissed. Those of you who like to read personal stuff about me, read on.

One of the requirements of staying at the Union Mission is that I attend chapel. I had well-formed spiritual beliefs long before I ever stayed there, so most of what I hear in chapel goes in one ear and out the other. But once in a while, I’ll pick up something interesting, something that makes me think.

“Our religion is the only one of the major world religions that invites you to have a personal relationship with God,” said a guest preacher a few weeks ago.

I thought to myself, “I’m definitely not an atheist. But why have I always had trouble developing a PERSONAL relationship with God?”

I didn’t have an answer at the time.

Then, one day about a week later, I walked into chapel after dinner. They play Christian videos before the service starts. On the big screen, Cece Winans was singing,

I’ve known you as a Father
I’ve known you as a friend
And I have lived in the goodness of God

Therein lay the answer to my question.

Growing up, I was taught to be reverent toward God. To be super respectful and humble and deferential toward him. Toward God the Father.

But how I could I develop a friendship with God if I viewed him through that lens?

So I did something radical.

I gave God a nickname.

I’m not going to tell you what it is. It’s personal. I will say that it’s not Mr. Stinky Pants or anything disrespectful like that. It’s something that honors him. What it does do is casualize God. (is that a word?) That works for me because I’m a very casual person.

Since then, I’ve been talking to him 13, 14, 15 times a day. Not all formal prayers either – sometimes I just check in to say hello.

I truly believe nicknaming God and developing such a relationship with him is a necessary step for me to get out of homelessness, although I don’t yet understand how. He will show me the way when the time is right.

So maybe Mission chapel hasn’t been a complete waste of my time.

Thanks for reading. Maybe I’ll continue this train of thought tomorrow. Maybe I won’t. But I’ll definitely be back with the news.

This blog is free to read, but I gratefully accept tips:  
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

Project Green Fork hosts Love Food, Hate Waste Friday evening from 6 to 8 at the Memphis Made taproom. It’s an opportunity to learn how to reduce food waste at home and connect with other people interested in sustainability. The first 50 get a free beer or nonalcoholic beverage. There will be a culinary demo turning kitchen scraps into delicious treats. Project Green Fork will present food waste trivia with prizes. Free and family friendly.

In other Memphis Made news, they have Opinionation, a survey-based game, every Wednesday at 7.

One more piece of Memphis Made news – Walt Phelan Band plays there Saturday at 9:30. It’s the unofficial Porchfest after-party.

The Dance Into The Summer series happens 5 to 7 every Thursday in April in Handy Park. Live music by the Stax Academy, featuring a tribute to the blues. Free admission. Bring a blanket or lawn chair.

Did you know the spiral boat dock at Beale Street Landing is a secret river gauge?

From Retrofit Magazine: Local ironworks is now Memphis fine-dining restaurant

Old Dominick has produced a 7-year-old single barrel wheat whiskey.

The Rendezvous is selling Easter hams. 6-9 pounds. Every ham comes with a bottle of TigerTail Sweet Glazed Mustard.

The dire wolf, which went extinct 12,000 years ago, is back.

Okay. Those of you who are only here for the news are dismissed;
those who take an interest in me, read on.

I went to Memphis Chess Club Saturday and Sunday morning. It’s a great place to use the Wi-Fi to write my blog.

A Coke at the Chess Club costs $2.14 including tax. I had $4.35 left on my Venmo debit card. So I had enough to “pay rent” for the table space I was taking up and the Wi-Fi both days.

But I didn’t have enough to tip.

I had a little cash in my wallet, I needed some of it to pay to get in the Union Mission both nights. I needed the rest of it to pay rent on a barstool at Bardog later in the day so I could see my friends.

“I – I – I’m SO very sorry I hit the No Tip button,” I told the cashier/barista at Chess Club. “I’m just terribly short on money right now.”

She smiled and said it was no big deal. She’s sweet.

I still felt like a dirtbag though.

I’ve got to get somewhere better in life. I’m grateful beyond words to the Union Mission for a place to lay my head for the past year. But it’s time to move on. I’ve just got to figure out how.

Maybe I’ll continue this train of thought tomorrow. Back with more news.

This blog is free to read, but I gratefully accept tips:  
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

Today is International Beaver Day. I recommend you celebrate with a Beaver Eater shot at Bardog.

Speaking of Bardog, allow me to share a few quotes from the folks sitting at the bar yesterday.

“If you have britches, slash, trousers on, you’re a solid guy.”

“What’s Putin’s last name?”

I added a couple of quotes of my own. “If your kid is born on March 15, you can name him Brutus.”

“And it’s acceptable to name your dog Adolf if he’s a German shepherd.”

Someone ordered a round of breakfast shots, with orange juice and bacon chasers. “They should open a bar inside DGX and serve a discount version of breakfast shots,” I said. “They could use Sizzlean instead of bacon.”

The Internet turns 56 today. Read RFC 1

The restaurant formally known as Wingman, on Madison across the street from the Brass Door, is now called Neon Nights Lounge. Wings still feature heavily on the menu.

A few days ago, I mentioned you could get açai bowls at Memphis Chess Club. There’s another place on Madison that has them too. That would be Downtown Nutrition next-door to Wi – er, Neon Nights Lounge.

The civil rights museum will be closed today due to flooding.

Foodees Food and Culture Festival happens this weekend in Tom Lee Park. 50 food trucks and vendors. Jewelry, arts and crafts. Free admission.

Gotta go. Back tomorrow.

This blog is free to read, but I gratefully accept tips:  
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

The Grizzlies got a W in Detroit last night, 109-103. Ja Morant did not play (illness). Des had 38, JJJ dropped in 27, and our rookie Edey had a career night with 21. This is going to add fuel to the “trade Ja, we can get along just fine without him” fire.

Grizzlies remaining regular season games:

• Tuesday 6:00 at Charlotte Hornets. TV: FanDuel Sports
• Thursday 8:30 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves. All fans in attendance will receive Memphis Sounds thunder sticks. TV: TBS, TNT, truTV
• Friday 8:00 at Denver Nuggets. TV: FanDuel Sports
• Sunday 2:30 vs. Dallas Mavericks. Fan Appreciation Night. All fans in attendance will receive a Grizzlies poster. TV: FanDuel Sports and locally on Action News 5.

Now let’s look at the standings as of Sunday morning, April 6. The Grizzlies are

• out of reach of 1st or 2nd in the Western Conference
• 1.5 games back of 3rd place Los Angeles Lakers
• 1 GB of 4th place Denver Nuggets
• 0.5 GB of 5th place Golden State Warriors
• 0 GB of 6th place Minnesota Timberwolves
• —– BEGIN PLAY-IN TEAMS —–
• 0 GB of 7th place Los Angeles Clippers
• Grizzlies are 8th
• can’t finish worse than 8th

As you can see, these last 4 games matter A LOT. Memphis needs to at least get up to 6th to avoid the play-in. Finishing 4th or higher would give the Grizz home court advantage in the playoff first round.

The Millennium Tour is tonight at FedExForum. Trey Songz, Omarion, Bow Wow, Plies, Boosie, Ying Yang Twins, RSVP (Ray J , Sammie, Bobby V, Pleasure P), Nivea, with special guest Rick Ross.

Broadway musical Some Like It Hot comes to the Orpheum this week.

It’s National Acai Bowl Day. Memphis Chess Club, where I’m typing this post, has them.

Or, if you’re not so health-conscious, it’s also National Twinkie Day. DGX is the place to celebrate.

And it’s New Beer’s Eve. Celebrate with a local draft ($5 on Sundays) at the Flying Saucer.

Podcast 99% Invisible recently interviewed Memphis historian Jimmy Ogle.

That’s all for now. I’m getting desperately short on money again, so I may not be out at my usual spots this week. Back with more news when I can be.

This blog is free to read, but I gratefully accept tips: 
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

Ron Childers of Action News 5 says the rainfall and flooding risk today will be “extreme,” with Memphis projected to receive an additional 4.1” of rain on top of the 6.8” already received since Wednesday.

I wonder how things are going in Horn Lake where I used to work. The creek down there is prone to overflowing. In 2013 my office was closed for 10 days because flood water got into the building.

I remember, as the rain started, there was one lone duck swimming in the pond next to our building. He was loving life. I wonder if ducks ever get electrocuted by lightning?

Expect an increase in panhandling Downtown in the late spring. At some future point I will reveal what makes me believe this. It’s more than the weather getting warmer.

The NBA fined Ja Morant $75,000 for his finger-gun gestures on the court in the Miami game. The league had previously warned Ja to refrain from that hand motion because it could be interpreted negatively.

Is your iPhone running out of storage? Delete attachments from your texts.

Memphis made a list of the top 50 cities in the U.S. for pizza (but just barely). Denver, Buffalo, and Boston took top-three honors.

YOGA! Downtown Yoga will host Stretch, Sculpt & Sip at the Ghost River taproom at Main and Crump Wednesday evening.

The live music lineup has been announced for SmokeSlam, the BBQ festival on the river the third weekend of May.

Almost Elton John will play the rooftop of the Hyatt Centric Saturday, April 19. Dress up as Elton for a chance to win prizes. Tickets

Due to the weather forecast, Memphis Made has rescheduled its Half Pints for Half Pints fundraiser for April 26.

The Grizzlies have a 6 PM game with the Pistons in Detroit. TV: NBAtv, FanDuel Sports Network

Back tomorrow with more news.

This blog is free to read, but I gratefully accept tips: 
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

The National Civil Rights Museum will present Remembering Dr. King: The Man. The Movement. The Moment from 5 to 7 PM today. Performances, tributes, a keynote speaker, and the changing of the balcony wreath with a moment of silence at 6:01. This hybrid event is scheduled for the museum’s courtyard and will be moved inside in case of rain.

All Memphis Public Libraries branches will be closed today for Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Day. I will say it once again: THAT IS NOT WHAT DR. KING WOULD HAVE WANTED.

NCAA men’s Final Four – Saturday on CBS

• Florida vs. Auburn 5:09
• Houston vs. Duke 7:49

News of the 409 S. Main event space ghosting a booked wedding has made it across the pond.

The former Daily News office building on Jefferson is for sale.

There are penguins in Africa. I had no idea.

Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen 50 years ago today.

Bruce Springsteen will release 7 lost albums in June.

Vintage901: The Ultimate Wine Experience on the River is this weekend.

Weather permitting, I’ll be back tomorrow.

This blog is free to read, but I gratefully accept tips: 
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com

Heavy rain is expected to continue on and off through Sunday morning. Meteorologists are calling this a “generational” rain event for Memphis. Forecasts show the city getting 12 inches of rain by the end of the day Sunday. Please be careful if you get out today.

Random thing I learned in Union Mission chapel yesterday morning: Rocker Alice Cooper is a born-again Christian. They played an interview on the big screens where he discussed balancing his faith with the character he plays on stage.

Memphis Made Brewing, you almost got me with your April Fool’s post about your new Imperial BBQ nacho stout. I had that in my notes as a news item to blog this morning.

Today is National Burrito Day. Maciel’s, of course, is my recommendation to celebrate.

The Grizzlies are on the road in Miami tonight. 6:30 tip. TV: TBS, TNT, truTV.

NBA standings: What happens in the case of ties?

The Memphis Redbirds have some great promotions going on this week, if the games don’t get rained out. The opponent all this week is the Buffalo Bison.

• Friday – first pitch 7:05 PM: first 2500 fans get a 2024 Grizzlies-Redbirds crossover jersey.
• Saturday – first pitch 3:05 PM: Sandlot Day with special jerseys and themed fun. A specialty ticket for Bark in the Park admits both you and your dog.
• Sunday – first pitch 1:05 PM: kids 12 and under get a free ice cream treat from Prairie Farms as they enter the ballpark. Specialty ticket gets you Sunday brunch in the air conditioned Coors Light Chill Zone. Fans 21 and up will have access to a Bloody Mary bar and bottomless mimosas.

Happy birthday, iPad. Apple released the tablet 15 years ago today.

Oh no… the NBA is investigating Ja Morant again. This time it concerns Morant and Golden State’s Buddy Hield allegedly making finger guns/shooting motions at each other.

Loflin Yard will have crawfish by Glaze and live music by Brimstone Jones on Sunday.

Memphis Tattoo Festival is at the Renasant Convention Center this weekend.

Songbird Jones with Alexis Jade plays South Main Sounds Friday 7-9 PM.

Opening Day for Memphis Farmers Market is Saturday. Live music, food trucks. Yoga with YogaSix 9-10. Dog adoption with the Humane Society 9-1. The Market happens 8 AM to 1 PM Saturdays April-October under the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson, behind Malco Powerhouse.

There’s a corgi meetup at Mud Island Dog Park this Sunday at noon.

Weather permitting, I’ll be back tomorrow.

This blog is free to read, but I gratefully accept tips: 
Venmo: @Paul-Ryburn (8113 if it asks for digits)
Cash App: $PaulRyburn1
Zelle: paul@paulryburn.com
Apple Pay: paul.ryburn@gmail.com