Paul Ryburn's Journal

Most of you know that I’m a big fan of Mountain Dew, an even bigger fan of Mountain Dew Throwback, and a big fan of Mountain Dew energy drink Kickstart, particularly the orange, black cherry, and lemon-lime flavors. It’s almost impossible to find the lemon-lime anymore though. I think they discontinued it. So when I saw the rollout of Mountain Dew Ice, a lemon-lime drink with a hint of Dew, I thought, maybe that’s the second coming of Mountain Dew Kickstart.

It’s not. It tastes like Sprite with four times the sugar. I made it through half a bottle and threw the rest away. Don’t bother with Dew Ice.

Time for “where’s Paul eating on his lunch hour in Germantown.”. Yesterday’s trip was to Garibaldi’s Pizza out in Saddle Creek for a Versuvian Steak sandwich.

This is their special recipe hamburger steak prepared with parmesan and onions cooked ’til piping hot, topped with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and mustard. They asked if I wanted cheese, which seemed like sacrilege since I never ordered the Versuvian steak with cheese at the Walker location when I was a graduate student. However, yesterday I decided to experiment. Verdict: Get the cheese. A side of tater tots rounded out my lunch nicely.

I also learned something valuable: There are ZERO traffic lights on Poplar Pike between Kirby Parkway, where my office is located, and West Street where I turn to go to Garibaldi’s. I am going to use Poplar Pike from now on to get to the heart of Germantown for lunch, even when the restaurant I am going to is on Poplar Avenue.

On Saturday, April 14 there will be a Downtown Lifestyle Tour presented by the Downtown Memphis Commission, a tour of 10 homes in the Downtown core and the north part of Downtown. It will be from 1 to 6 in the afternoon and ticket holders can tour the homes in any order, and the DMC will have a free shuttle service for those who choose to use it. The tour also includes a walk through a model home that is going to become one of America’s first homes to be AIA2030 Challenge, Zero Net Energy [ZNE] and LEED Platinum certified. Tickets are $10 in advance, $20 at the door.

If you’re impatient and can’t wait for the new Hattie B’s location to open on Cooper, head to Wiseacre Saturday night for your Nashville hot chicken fix. The Hattie B’s food truck will be on site 3-9 PM or until they sell out. Crystal Shrine will open for JEFF the Brotherhood from Nashville at 7:30.

Starting today The Dirty Crow Inn will have smoked bacon wrapped shrimp.

Read about Rebecca Dull, the new executive director of the Memphis Farmers Market. Two more Saturdays and the Farmers Market will be back! At the request of their vendors, their hours this year will be 8 AM to 1 PM.

The Memphis Tigers baseball team hosts #5 Arkansas at AutoZone Park this evening.

The SneakFest Sneaker Expo comes to FedExForum this Saturday.

Job news: Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Advisors is looking to hire a Marketing Coordinator/Graphic Designer.

Some of you heard fireworks last night and wondered what was the occasion. It appears that it was for a private party on the terrace of Bass Pro.

Dress as a bunny on Easter Sunday at Loflin Yard and you’ll get an extra card for Cerrito Bingo.

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

MLK50, the 50th anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is right around the corner and a lot of big events are being planned. The National Civil Rights Museum will have extended hours March 30-April 6 and will have several special events. Read about the plans here.

Clayborn Temple, the site where the “I AM A MAN” signs were distributed in the 1968 sanitation workers’ strike that brought Dr. King to Memphis, will have a program of MLK50 events as well.

Also check out the City of Memphis MLK50 website for more information.

South Main Trolley Night celebrates Easter this Friday, with most of the shops in the area staying open until 9 or later. There will be Songwriter Night at South Main Sounds (starts 7 PM), the Earnestine & Hazel’s House Band will perform (starts 7 PM), and Merit Koch and Todd Nations play The Vault on G.E. Patterson (8:30 PM). There will be aerialists and fire dancers, and weather permitting there will be additional live music along the street. South Main Association will have a private area with complimentary food and beverages next to Bluff City Coffee.

Drink & Draw returns to Ghost River Friday, April 13 from 7 to 9. This is part game show, part art class, and all fun. Artists and non-artists alike are welcome, and there will be prizes for Best Drawing, Worst Drawing, and more. $5 includes all the supplies you will need.

Modest Mouse has announced a show at the Orpheum for Saturday, July 14. Tickets will go on sale this Friday.

Congratulations to my friend and longtime reader Ptolemy Kat, who was crowned Queen of the Ptolemy Carnival krewe this past weekend.

Carol Coletta has been named the new president and CEO of Riverfront Development Corporation, replacing Benny Lendermon. Excellent choice.

CBS has Stormy Daniels’ interview that aired on 60 Minutes last night.

That’s it for now, time to go grab lunch. Back tomorrow with more news.

Yesterday the Moody Ques had our Meat & Greet on the rooftop of Jamie and Aaron’s condo at 648 Riverside. This was a chance for team members to get to know one another before BBQ Fest, and for members to get information on what’s going on with the team this year.

First of all, meet our pitmaster, Kris May, on the right in the photo above with the baseball cap and glasses. Kris has been part of a team called Memphis Squeal that has competed in regionals for years, winning many trophies and beating some of the biggest names in BBQ. Now we are partnering with them to compete in BBQ Fest under the Moody Ques name, combining their expertise in the kitchen with our knowledge of how to throw the best damn party in Tom Lee Park.

Kris cooked three butts  for us to try. He gave a 5-minute presentation on preparation of the meat and demonstrated how the bone came apart cleanly and without a struggle. I recorded Kris’ presentation on my iPhone. It does contain some secrets that we don’t want to share with other teams, so I am going to get the video to vice-president Jamie for editing. Eventually I hope to post a condensed version on the team website, with the full video being made available to team sponsors.

Oh… speaking of sponsors, we announced two new ones yesterday!

DSV is a leader in the industry of global transport and logistics. Whether you need to transport cargo by air, land, or road, they can do it, and they cover customs brokerage as well. We are pleased to announced that DSV has signed on board as the main sponsor for the Moody Ques this year.

Envision Memphis, the gym on the top floor of the Cadre Building at Second and Monroe, has also signed on as a sponsor. They can help you forge a lifestyle of first-class fitness and well-being. Mark Akin of Envision is a friend of many on the team.

We know how to party in style with great locally brewed beer. We had Ghost River Golden and Ghost River Grindhouse Cream Ale on tap for our members and guests.

There were plenty of mixed drinks too.

Our Moody Ques West Virginia contingent: Mike, and our vegetarian from West Virginia, Aaron. That dip on the table there was outstanding.

After Kris’s presentation, it was time to dig in. Kris brought his signature rub and a selection of sauces for us to try.

One of Kris’s sauces was an Alabama white BBQ sauce. I have heard about this for years but never got to try it until yesterday. It was REALLY good, so good that I went back for seconds because I wanted more of it.

Josh who prints our team T-shirts and vice-president Jamie. Go see Josh at Winfield’s at 2 S. Main, across Madison from Walgreens, if you need team shirts printed. He does quality work at a very reasonable price.

After dinner we all gathered on the rooftop deck for team announcements, led by team vice-president Jamie. Even if you were not at yesterday’s team event, it is not too late to join the Moody Ques. Membership goes up by $5o on April 1, but for now it is $390 individual/$580 couple (must be an established, real-life couple). You can pay your dues on the team website (right sidebar on a monitor, bottom of the page on a mobile device). Here’s what your membership gets you:

• A park wristband that gets you into BBQ Fest without having to pay at the gate Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The wristband gets you access to Tom Lee Park during public park hours: 5:30-10:30 Wednesday, 11 AM-midnight Thursday and Friday, and 10 AM-10 PM Saturday. Some team members will have different wristbands with 24- hour access. These are for the cooks as well as people who stay late and arrive early to clean and carry out other duties.
• A rubber wristband that identifies you as a team member. That ensures quick entry into the booth during peak hours (7 PM-midnight Thursday and Friday) when we have an off-duty MPD officer working the door. You can also show the rubber wristband to the bartender, giving you priority service. Team members aren’t expected to tip the bartender but we hope that guests will.
• A team T-shirt. Read on, because I have VERY EXCITING NEWS about this. Closer to BBQ time we will put up a form where you can let us know your T-shirt size.
• Four paper wristbands each for Thursday and Friday nights, that you can give to guests to give them access to the booth during peak hours. We don’t require wristbands for booth entry Wednesday and Saturday and during non-peak hours Thursday and Friday (open until 7 PM). Again, read on, because I have more to say about this as well. We are changing the door policy for the better.

The booth

Since forming our team in 2012, we have finished in the top three in Best Booth five times, including two first-place finishes. This is great publicity for us because it gives us visibility. People come to see what a winning booth looks like, and of course that is a prime opportunity to get their eyes on our sponsors.

We are gunning for another first in Best Booth. Knowing that dignitaries from honored country the Czech Republic will be in attendance, we have an idea for a booth facade that will be immediately recognizable, and which will be a salute to their history and heritage.

We will have a double-decker structure again this year, so we will have a river view from the upper level even though our booth location is not on the riverside. The configuration of the structure will change this year, because our cook team has a 30-foot air-conditioned kitchen trailer and rig. We have upgraded to a larger space this year so there will be plenty of room for eating, socializing, getting to know our sponsors, and dancing.

Are we still a party team?

Yes.

The past few years, we have had an emphasis on improvement as a cooking team, one that competes strongly in Shoulder and is in contention for trophies in both our main category and in ancillaries.

However, the cooking/party team thing is not an either/or. It’s an “and.” There will be plenty of dancing. There will be plenty of Jello shots. There will be plenty of spiked gummy worms. And who knows what other creations our team members will come up with… didn’t we have a spiked watermelon one year?

The T-shirts

I mentioned recently that we have a retired professional illustrator doing the design for our team shirt this year, and if you’ve watched any TV in the past 30 years, you’ve seen this person’s work.

Let’s just say we hit a “Homer” when we connected with this illustrator.

How many people can say they own a custom-designed T-shirt by someone who worked as an illustrator for the longest-running TV sitcom in history… The Simpsons? You’ll be able to say that if you’re a member of the Moody Ques.

Cooking

During his speech yesterday, Kris said he is very open to anyone who would like to help out in the kitchen, and if you have ideas for ancillary competitions, he would love to hear them. Ancillaries are Beef, Poultry, Seafood, Exotic, Tomato Sauce, Mustard Sauce, Vinegar Sauce, and Hot Wings. If you have ideas email us at moodyques@gmail.com and we’ll get you in touch with Kris.

I have said for years we should cook a hippopotamus and enter it in Exotic, but no one ever listens to me.

Door/guest entry policy

We have an off-duty MPD officer who works security at the door during peak times, from 7 to midnight Thursday and Friday of BBQ Fest. He does a great job and the booth runs much more smoothly because he is there. Every year we give him guidelines on who should be allowed into the booth and who should not. It’s necessary to have a door policy for several reasons.

• The fire marshal enforces a capacity on number of people allowed in the booth, and comes by to check. We can be cited if we are above capacity.
• Furthermore, we need to stay enough below capacity so that team members and sponsors are never denied entry.
• Every year we have problems with moochers – people who obviously don’t know any team members, but who want to come in and eat and drink for free.

So the past several years, we have told our security officer that people must have a rubber team wristband or a paper guest wristband for that night to be allowed into our booth, during peak hours of 7-midnight Thursday-Friday. That policy, while better than not having one at all, has proved to be less than optimal.

Last year, I witnessed a situation where approximately 30 people were standing outside our booth, begging to be let in. These were people who clearly knew many people on the Moody Ques, who just wanted to come in and stay for maybe 15-20 minutes and see the booth. However, no one could be found who had a guest wristband for them (all of mine were either already given or were spoken for). So they remained on the outside looking in.

This would have made sense if we were near capacity. However, we weren’t. The booth was at maybe – at most – 20% of capacity at the time. The booth looked empty and it was empty. It seemed preposterous to me that we weren’t letting those people in. Number one, many of them would have left money in the tip jar. Number two, we want our booth to look like the place to be in Tom Lee Park, and an empty booth doesn’t do that. And number three and most importantly, we were pissing people off when there just wasn’t any need to do so.

The door is where you get your first impression of the Moody Ques. If it’s a negative one, that hurts our team brand and makes it harder to recruit members and sponsors in future years. It’s a public relations problem. And I’m director of public relations. So I’ve decided to exert influence over the door policy.

Yesterday at the team meeting, I proposed the following amendment to the rule: If the booth is less than 60% capacity, even during peak hours, we won’t require a guest wristband to come in. The team member can just meet their guest at the door and bring them in. So although you get 4 guest wristbands a night, you may be able to get more than 4 people in (just be reasonable about it; don’t invite 30 guests who all plan to come at the same time). When over 60% capacity, yes, enforce the guest wristband rule, to maintain enough space for members and sponsors to be able to get in.

In short, I want to cast a positive vibe at the door, and for our default answer to be “yes” rather than “no.” I am going to keep an eye on the door and if any team member is casting an overly negative vibe, I will ask them to move away.

I know there are people who wanted to join, but would not until this issue was addressed. I hope I have done that adequately. If there are concerns that keep you from paying dues and being part of the team, please talk to me.

More pictures!

Side note: I am banging my head against the wall for not taking my digital camera down there, and instead relying on my iPhone camera. Moving a video from an iPhone to a Windows laptop is like watching paint dry. I started the upload at 7:15 AM. It’s now 9:24 and it’s still only about three-fourths done.

Plans for today: Well, let’s just say that for the second time in 6 days, a new chapter begins. Of course, some things never change: I’ll be drinking PBR all afternoon. Back tomorrow with more news.

I’ve been thinking about the Indian lunch buffet where I ate Thursday. I made myself a gorgeous plate of food that I was quite happy with, but looking back I don’t think I used the optimal strategy for attacking the buffet. Here’s the strategy I’m going to use the next time I go. Before this week I hadn’t been to an Indian buffet in years, so I welcome feedback if you see any ways I can improve.

First, get a plate and lay down a bed of rice on the whole plate. The first thing you will see after you get your rice are the vegetarian curries. This is a trap. Do not get these. YET. The danger is, these all look so good that there’s a temptation to fill up most of your plate with veggie curries before you get to the meat curries. (Food costs for the veggie curries are generally lower. It’s no accident you get to them first.) Wait for the people in front of you to file past the veggie curries, then when you get to the chicken and lamb curries, load up.

Now go back and get in line a second time. This time, get your choice of vegetarian curries on the space remaining on your plate. Don’t get me wrong, you should leave space for a veggie curry or two. They are outstanding. The spinach curry, the mushroom curry, the lentil curries… all delicious. It’s just that you don’t want them dominating your plate and leaving insufficient room for meat.

Third, go put your plate on the table. Then go get a second plate and get back in line. This second plate is for non-curry items – a piece or two of tandoori chicken, a couple of spinach pakoras, naan, chutneys and chimichurris and other dipping sauces. (If you’re a big dipper you can put the sauces in soup bowls.)

NOTE: Some of you are probably thinking, “Oh my gosh, Paul, what will people think of me if they see me with two plates?” If you’re a “what will people think of me” person you shouldn’t be going to all-you-can-eat lunch buffets. You are not there to leave a good impression. You are there to pig out. Remember, if you order a soft drink and leave a 20% tip you are going to be out 17 bucks for this dining adventure. Might as well get your money’s worth!

Fourth, eat your food. It helps to plan ahead. I recommend not eating dinner the night before or breakfast on the day you go. If you have comfort-waist pants, they would be a good choice. A belt that can be loosened a notch is good too. For inspiration, I recommend making the photo below the wallpaper on your phone and looking at it frequently while you eat.

Fifth, get another plate and go back for dessert. In particular you want to get the gulab jamun. These are soft milky balls covered in rose scented syrup. Actually, cancel the plate and get a soup bowl for these instead. Keeps the syrup in a more confined area. I don’t care how full you are, make room for these. As my friend Tony likes to say, you haven’t lived until you’ve had Indian balls in your mouth.

Again, feedback welcome if you see any ways I can further optimize my Indian buffet strategy. I started a thread on Facebook last Sunday about good spots to eat within a 10-minute driving distance of my office at Poplar and Kirby Parkway, and many people responded. Thank you all – you helped me discover some places I otherwise would not have known about. My top three priorities for next week:

• Garibaldi’s Pizza – Versuvian Steak Sandwich! When I was in grad school and living near the U of M, this was one of my very favorite things to eat. The location on Yates and the location on Queens Court seem about equal distance from work. Guess I’ll try them both and see which is the easier drive. Wish I could re-live old memories on the Walker Avenue location but it’s out of driving range on a lunch hour.
• Noodles Asian Bistro – I discovered this one the day of our team lunch next door at Rock ‘n Dough. Never been here but one of my friends on Swarm by Foursquare checks in here a lot. Looking over the menu, I have my eyes on the Korean Spicy Seafood Noodles for my first visit.
• Cafe Med – they have various types of food but I will be going there for the gyros. Can’t decide whether I’ll get the original gyro or the Jerusalem on my first visit. The Aleppo and the Spartan are on my radar too. This is very convenient for me, right across Kirby in the strip mall next to Bougie Kroger.

As for the new job, I am really enjoying it. It is very much a family type environment and there is zero stress. The project I will be working on is basically a giant math problem, perfect since I am a former math teacher. I can tell I am going to be very happy there. Getting laid off in January is starting to seem like a blessing in disguise.

On to the news…

It’s Family Fun Day at AutoZone Park today from noon to 2. There will be inflatables, games, and activities in the Plaza. Catch and wiffle ball on the field and kids run the bases, chances to win prizes, ticket specials, and ballpark tours. The Cardinals spring training game will be shown on the video board. At the end of the day there will be a candy drop from a helicopter.

Come down to Tom Lee Park tomorrow, Sunday, March 25, for the quarterfinals of the Memphis Riverfront Soccer Cup. Eight adult co-ed teams will be competing in 7-on-7 matches. Action starts at 1 PM.

Cupcakes and Craft Beers returns to Ghost River this Thursday, March 29. Two Girls and a Whip will host their third dinner at the brewery, this one with a Mexican theme. There will be three savory cupcakes and one sweet one, each expertly paired with a beer by the Ghost River brewmaster. The cupcakes:

Street corn cupcake: roasted corn and jalapeño cornbread cake with chipotle cream cheese topped with roasted corn and cotija cheese crumbles

Chicken fajita cupcake: flour tortilla cup filled with marinated chicken, sautéed green peppers and onions, topped with sour cream and fresh pico

Taco pie cupcake: ground beef and refried beans topped with Monterey Jack cheese, a taco sauce and sour cream drizzle, diced tomatoes and cilantro

Mexican hot chocolate cupcake: cinnamon chocolate cake with cinnamon chocolate icing, hot fudge drizzle, topped with a sopapilla

Dinner time is 6 PM, cost is $32, and seats must be reserved in advance. Call 901-472-CAKE to reserve your spot.

Our Yoga Downtown, a free weekly all-levels yoga class, will kick off Tuesday, April 3 in Memphis Park. Charlie Baxter Graham of Downtown Yoga will teach this series on Tuesdays 6-7 PM. The yoga surface is on a grassy area, so bring a mat. Sunscreen and water are also advisable.

But wait, there’s more. There will be another free weekly yoga class at lunchtime, on Thursdays at 11:45 AM, starting Thursday, April 5 in Health Sciences Park. This class will be taught by Bridget Sisney of Downtown Yoga and is also all-levels. YOGA!

There will also be free lunchtime Tai Chi classes in Health Sciences Park on Mondays at 11:45 AM beginning April 2. Downtown Yoga’s Milan Vigil will teach this class, which is suitable even for beginners with no prior experience in this meditational practice.

The Grizzlies game at the New Orleans Pelicans, scheduled for an 8:30 tip-off on ESPN on April 4, has been moved to a 7:00 tip-off and will no longer be broadcast nationally. Apparently NBA teams that lose by 61 points aren’t good for TV ratings.

Live music at brunch at Sunrise Memphis: The Ghost River Band will play there at 11 today, and The Second Line Band at 11 tomorrow.

Innovate Memphis is hiring a project management specialist and a part-time bookkeeper. They also have an RFP out for a consultant to act as a Mobility Manager.

Busy day today. Deputy Director of Public Relations Perjorie T. Roll and I are meeting with BBQ team president John D at 11 at Bardog. Deputy Director Roll has some big ideas that she wants to share. Then at 2 we have the team Meat & Greet down at the south end of Downtown. I’ve got a couple of possible ideas for the team to bring up, and I want to hear about this new sponsor and find out what I can do to promote them.

Back tomorrow with a recap of the Meat & Greet and any Downtown news I have to share.

Yesterday, for the first time in 8 years, I was able to get Indian food on a work lunch hour. Horn Lake did not have any Indian restaurants (although it does have a Golden Corral) and there are none Downtown, so I have rarely been able to satisfy my hunger for one of my favorite types of ethnic food. Yesterday, though, I had an easy 2 mile drive from my office at Poplar and Kirby Parkway to the buffet at Mayuri Indian Cuisine on Quince. Look at this gorgeous plate of food!

The only downside is that after adding a Coke, tax and tip, I was out $17.09. I love exploring my new lunch spots but I don’t want to be spending that much every day!

Retailers: Open on Main returns May through October of this year. This is your opportunity to have a pop-up retail shop at a highly visible location in the Downtown core. The locations are 100 Peabody Place Suite 175 (I believe that would be the old Life Is Good location) and 147 S. Main (which I believe is the former Shelton Clothiers). If selected, you get a rent-free lease on one of the locations, large storefront windows, a location near a trolley stop, and access to employee bathrooms.

The speaker lineup has been announced for Ignite Memphis Food at Playhouse on the Square on April 12. Speakers will have 5 minutes each to speak on topics they are passionate about, with slides auto-advancing every 15 seconds. Tickets include beer and lots of food samples.

Felicia Suzanne Restaurant is celebrating its 16th anniversary with complimentary dessert bites for all guests who dine there this weekend.

Major, major respect to Shelby County Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson. This week he announced a minimum $15/hour salary for all SCS employees. Then he announced that no SCS student or employee will be punished for a planned April 20 orderly walkout to protest gun violence.

Loflin Yard will host Easter Hoppy Hours on Saturday, March 31, the day before Easter. From 11:30 to 8 there will be an Adult Easter Egg Hunt. The eggs will be filled with candy and some will have drink cards. From 3 to 6 there will be an Easter Bunny dog costume contest.

Max’s Sports Bar will have another crawfish cook by Glaze tomorrow with the first batch coming out about noon or 12:30. Crawfish are sold by the pound and come with sides of corn, taters, sausage and mushrooms.

The river has receded enough that the Arkansas side of Big River Crossing is being re-opened today. Watch out for damage to trails across the bridge, though.

A third Maciel’s is coming to the Broad Avenue district but this one won’t be exactly like the other two. It will be a coffee shop/bodega kind of place with Wi-Fi and items like breakfast burritos.

Big weekend coming up for the BBQ team! We have our team Meat & Greet tomorrow, a chance for teammates to get to know one another, sample a competition shoulder, drink some Ghost River beer, and get their questions answered prior to BBQ Fest. We will also have news about a new sponsor, news I will be posting in several locations next week.

You know, it’s interesting talking to other BBQ teams about how they run various aspects of the team. I recently talked to members of two teams who hire professional bartenders to work the busy nights, Thursday and Friday of BBQ Fest.

Team A: “We don’t pay our bartenders anything. They’re there because they want to party with us. They get to eat and drink for free. If we have a really good night we might give ’em 100 out of the tip jar at the end of the night.”

Team B: “We pay our bartender 600 a night.”

Wow. That’s a wide range. However, both of the people I spoke to agree (and I do too) about the concept of the “courtesy 20.” If you’re on a team, and you go and visit another team, even if you only stay long enough to have a plate of food and one beer, you drop a 20 in their tip jar.

Apologies if I am slow to answer emails and texts this weekend from non-BBQ team members.

We have breakfast in the office on Friday mornings, so I’m not hungry enough for a big lunch today. Going to go get a few of those stuffed peppers from the olive bar at Bougie Kroger and that should be enough. Back tomorrow with more news.

I visited the olive bar at Bougie Kroger across the street from where I work (Poplar/Kirby Pkwy) yesterday. One of my readers informed me that it was more than just olives – there are cheeses, items associated with antipasti, etc. as well. So I went over and took a look. Put it this way – if you like the salad bar at Texas de Brazil, you’ll probably like the olive bar at Bougie Kroger.

Dolmas, stuffed grape leaves (couldn’t figure out what the stuffing was); and a cherry pepper stuffed with salami (or some kind of Italian meat) and cheese. The stuffed cherry pepper was the best thing on the bar and I wished I’d got more than one.

Mozzarella, tomatoes, and mini olives and cheese cubes

The olive bar was $8.99 a pound. The food shown here cost $6.59. I’m liking Germantown better than I thought I would. I wouldn’t live there because of the dependency on cars to get everywhere, but it’s a nice place to visit.

On to the news… I don’t know if I have any vegetarians who have been reading this blog regularly for years, but in case I do, I have good news for you. The New Wing Order food truck launching in September will have something you can eat. They’ll have vegan-friendly avocado tacos on a flour tortilla with shaved red cabbage, pico de gallo, fresh pineapple, cilantro, and spicy bang bang sauce.

Tickets are now on sale at Jerry Lawler’s Bar and Grill for an April 16 Meet & Greet with WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley. It starts at 6 PM and your $20 ticket includes an 8×10 autographed by Foley and a Monday Night Raw watch party. Foley will be inducted into the Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame by Lawler. Foley played the characters Mankind, Cactus Jack, and Dude Love. He is a best-selling author. He is also the creator of Mr. Socko

The Memphis Hustle have their final home game of the season Friday night at the Landers Center. Rumor has it that some of the L.A. Lakers will be in attendance. They are in town to play the Grizzlies on Saturday.

Here’s what you missed if you didn’t go to St. Pat’s at the Brass Door:

This spitfire danced at The Door to our delight on Paddy’s Day. She’s headed to Glasgow for the World Championships in Irish Dance! Best of luck Emmie! #memphistoglasgow #irishdance #irishdanceworldchampionships #gogettememmie #inisaclairishdance pic.twitter.com/iCNB1tk0a1

— The Brass Door (@TheBrassDoor1) March 21, 2018

There will be a Yappy Hour, the off-leash dog park in The Edge at Madison and N. Orleans, tonight from 6 to 7:30. Bring your dog, or if you don’t have a dog, bring yourself and meet your neighbors.

Did you know there’s a compliance test that NCAA men’s basketball head coaches must pass? Penny Hardaway passed it. Take a practice test.

I played Diamond Dave’s British Bingo at Belle Tavern last night.

Each colored box is a separate game. There are 90 numbers total on the card, and 15 of them appear on each game. Diamond Dave calls a number every 7 seconds, and the first person to get a “full house,” meaning you get all 15 of your numbers for that game, gets a bingo. Dave uses British rhyming slang as he calls the numbers. “23, Thee and Me,” “62, Tickety Boo.” Fun way to spend a Wednesday evening, and they had cans of PBR. This was my card at the end:

As you can see, I didn’t win, although I came very close in the second game.

Two months after giving up Fireball for good, I’m discovering another benefit this week… I don’t hate driving anymore! In fact, I actually kind of enjoy the drive to and from work. That nasty rotgut candy-flavored liquor made me so nervous and jittery that every tailgater, every person who cut me off, every traffic jam, every person going 45 in a 55 freaked me out and ticked me off. Now I’m like, yeah those things are just part of being on the road.

Twitter has been abuzz with conversation about whether Stormy Daniels can get out of the non-disclosure agreement Donald Trump made her sign. @TeaPainUSA wins Twitter with this comment: “What we really need to see is the non-disclosure agreement Putin made Trump sign.”

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

99 Cent Soul Food near Main and Huling will host Soulful Music Soul Food Sunday this Sunday, March 25 from 3 to 6 PM. Their full menu will be available, and there will be performances by Wyndie Oh!, and Nicky Parrish and The Underground.

Elmwood Cemetery is bringing back its Scandals & Scoundrels public tour on Saturday, April 28. The 75,000 buried at Elmwood include mayors and madams, sinners and saints, the famous and the infamous. Come learn about the notorious side of Memphis history.

From Lifehacker: How to make the most of airport bars. Several good pieces of advice, but most importantly: Order a double.

The Redbirds will become the Memphis Musica for a season-long series by Minor League Baseball called “Copa de la Diversion” (Fun Cup) embracing the culture and values most important to Hispanic and Latino communities. They will play as the Musica June 6 and August 3 and 26, and will have new jerseys and hats as well as culturally-relevant promotions.

Too bad I didn’t stay unemployed a couple more days… Bardog had 1 cent PBRs yesterday from 4 to 5 PM to celebrate Penny Hardaway’s return to Memphis as men’s basketball head coach.

We got the beat… we got the beat, we got the beat… YOGA! Downtown Yoga presents Drumyasa Vinyasa and Live Drumming Wednesday, April 11 from 5:30-7:30. This will be a vinyasa flow led by Amy to the beats of percussionist Brad Ellsworth of Druminyasa. The class is $20 for members and $25 for non-members.

As of yesterday Memphis had gone 18 days without a homicide. That’s cause for celebration ’round these parts, absurd though that may be.

WMC Action News 5 has tips to avoid telemarketers. One I didn’t know about: Forward text spam to 7726 to block it.

Zebra Cakes! I had one of those a couple of days ago. Here’s a recipe to make your own giant Zebra Cakes.

Good news: Penny Hardaway’s hiring is expected to boost Downtown businesses. Very true. 15,000 people attending a Tigers game as opposed to 3000 means approximately 5 times more people will go eat dinner at a nearby restaurant before the game.

Here’s a great New York Times article explaining how Cambridge Analytica was formed (and why it was formed and who was interested in forming it) and how it got its data.

Really starting to enjoy my new work neighborhood. Monday we went out to Rock & Dough Pizza for a team lunch. It was so good that I went back by myself yesterday and had a USA! USA! calzone – mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers. The one thing I would suggest to Rock ‘n Dough is that they create a new calzone honoring our president, which could be called Russia! Russia! All kidding aside, I will keep all of you updated on my Germantown lunchtime adventures, and I appreciate those of you who have given me suggestions where to eat. In case you’re wondering, no, I don’t bring the troll to work, so there won’t be photos of her with my food.

I’m finding that the optimal routes to work and home are different. 240 to Nonconnah to Kirby seems best in the morning. Kirby to Humphreys to Walnut Grove to 240 is best in the evening. Both around a 30 minute drive if there are no wrecks.

I’m also noticing a stark difference in gas prices. There’s a BP at Quince and Kirby that has gas for $2.17, and the Mapco next to Bougie Kroger charges $2.18. The gas stations on Poplar, though, some only a couple of blocks away, are charging $2.59.

I’ve been told the olive bar at Bougie Kroger has more than just olives and I really should give it a chance, so I’m heading over there. Back tomorrow with more news.

Some quick news items then I want to share a story that may be helpful to some of my readers.

The Brass Door is doing Oyster Monday today on Tuesday, because they were closed yesterday. Dollar oysters, raw or their chargrilled recipe of the week, your choice. 3 PM until they run out and they have $4 Guinness while oysters are being sold.

If you have kids and you’re going to the Grizzlies game Saturday, you’ll want to get there early. Free lunchbox to the first 5000 fans to celebrate Grizz’s birthday.

The Redbirds will be celebrating the hiring of Penny Hardaway’s hiring as the Memphis Tigers men’s basketball coach by offering tickets to opening night on April 10 for a penny for a limited time.

Sunrise Memphis has 1 cent coffee today to celebrate Penny.

Memphis Made Brewing Co. will host a World Water Day celebration this Thursday from 5 to 8 with all proceeds benefiting the Wolf River Conservancy.

And now, the story…

Blindsided

Now that I’m gainfully employed again, I want to share an interview experience I had (not with the company that hired me). In my field of web development, it’s common to do a technical interview, in which the applicant is asked to solve problems or plan projects. I want to discuss a technical interview that went off the rails and a couple of things I learned from it. My experience may be helpful, especially to my IT-centric readers.

I interviewed first with the company’s CIO. I had visited the company website and downloaded their app, and was able to speak about how my past experiences related to the company’s mission. He complimented me, saying I asked him excellent questions that most IT people wouldn’t have thought to ask. I pointed out that the development platform the company was using was one I last worked with in 2008. I asked if he was OK with that. He said that no one can know every IT platform and the ability and motivation to learn is what’s important. I assured him I had that.

“Now I’m going to have you talk to our technical lead,” he said. “He’ll talk with you for a bit and then administer a skills test. Don’t worry, it’s not pass-fail, just do the best you can.” The technical lead started throwing around acronyms, but again, I had done my homework. The recruiter had sent a list of questions he had asked other candidates and I was able to keep up with him. I was beginning to think this job was in the bag.

Then he handed me the skills test. He wanted me to write a project plan using a framework I had never even heard of, much less worked with. He wanted me to use a design pattern I had never heard of, and there was an acronym I had never heard of and had to ask the meaning. “I don’t even know where to start,” I told the tech lead. “You saw my resume. You know I don’t have these things in my background. How can you expect me to build a project plan using things I have never worked with?”

“Just do the best you can,” he said, and reminded me it’s not pass-fail. After a few minutes of utter frustration, he said, “If you want, you can take it home with you, and email me the plan.” I elected to do that, although I still had no idea how I’d even get started.

I drove home, feeling like I had been blindsided, like I had been ambushed. I knew I could learn the technologies needed for the job. But how could he test me on them, when he knew I didn’t have them in my background at the time? This seems like a great job, I thought, and now I’m going to miss out on it because of this totally unfair test.

I didn’t get the job but I learned two things from this experience.

1) After I got home I posted on Facebook about what had happened. (Of course, I did not name the company.) A few of my IT friends had valuable feedback. They said they had actually seen skills tests like that before, where applicants were quizzed about technologies they couldn’t be expected to know. The idea is that in IT, you’re exposed to new technologies all the time, and they want to see how well you will adapt. (As a result of their advice, I researched the technologies I didn’t know, and emailed a project plan the next day.)

2) When a company interviews you, you’re interviewing them as well. They’re showing you what working there will be like. What was my first impression? One of being blindsided. One of being put on the spot. One of being made to feel like I don’t know enough. How do I know that’s not what the job itself is going to be like? Really, if I had received an offer I don’t know if I would have taken it. One of the lessons I learned at my former job is that everything a company does is marketing, and the skills test failed to market the company I interviewed with well to potential new hires.

Anyway, I don’t have to worry about technical interviews anymore. Enjoying my time working in Germantown so far. My co-workers took me out to lunch at Rock ‘n Dough Pizza yesterday and the calzone I had was so good that I’m going back for another one. Found a way to get home in only 27 minutes yesterday too. And in response to my reader who emailed, I have a feeling I will learn to love Bougie Kroger and will go there quite frequently. That’s it for now, back tomorrow with more news.

For animal lovers who read this blog, here’s a worthy organization to support: Lucky Farms Animal Rescue. They rescue dogs, specializing in large breeds, and work on finding them foster and forever homes. You can view their adoptables. A friend of mine lost his senior companion that he adopted from Lucky Farms yesterday, and I wanted to honor her loss by mentioning this great animal rescue.

FAIL: King’s Palace Tap Room had ONE bartender working yesterday, on a sunny 78 degree day when there was a parade going on outside. It was taking people up to 45 minutes to get beers. Not the bartender’s fault at all by the way – she couldn’t have been working any harder. It’s just that they needed at least three more people back there.

I left about 15 minutes into the parade. Just too damn crowded and I wasn’t in a position where I was going to catch any beads.

Later in the day I walked up to the Brass Door for their St. Pat’s celebration. I got to try the Pabst APA.

This was one of the better pale ales I have tried, and given that I have 8 plates at the Flying Saucer I have tried quite a few. Maybe one day in the future Pabst products other than Blue Ribbon will become common in the Memphis area.

With St. Pat’s and the NCAA tournament going on, it’s easy to go a day or two without watching the news. President Trump was counting on that to hope a couple of items fly under the public radar. FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe was set to retire today, his 50th birthday. Trump fired him Friday, two days before his planned retirement. That will cost McCabe his pension. What a petty, spiteful, vindictive man our president is.

Trump has also strongly hinted that he wants deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein to bring an end to the Russia investigation being conducted by Special Counsel Mueller. Sealed indictments will come flying open if that happens. This investigation is too far along to be derailed now.

All right… time to send out a BBQ team email and then it will be Sunday Fun Day. Determined to get to sleep by 8 PM tonight so I am well rested for my first day at work tomorrow. Back sometime between tomorrow and Wednesday with more news.

I may take a couple days break from this blog early next week. I will get back in the habit of posting at lunchtime, but I need time to explore my new work neighborhood and get all my questions answered – where’s the nearest Target, where’s the nearest Walgreens, where’s an ATM I can use for free, that kind of thing. As with my old job, there is a Kroger across the street. Comparing my new Kroger to the one in Horn Lake is an exercise in seeing how Kroger customizes each store to the neighborhood. The one in Germantown has a hot bar as the one in Horn Lake did, but it also has a sushi bar and – get this – an olive bar. Never in my life have I thought, “I wish I could go shopping at an olive bar.” Does everyone in Germantown drink martinis?

Comment from my friend JBell: “An olive bar? That’s some EXTRA white people shit.”

I hereby dub my new Kroger “Bougie Kroger.”

So I named Bougie Kroger and I know the guy who named the Grindhouse. You wanna exchange tickets? I’ll get you tickets to the Olive Bar if you get me Grizzlies tickets.

Wait, what’s that? Kroger doesn’t sell tickets? Oh, okay, didn’t realize. Can I still get Grizzlies tickets?

Yesterday reminded why I love March Madness. 16 seed the UMBC Retrievers became the first ever 16 seed to take down a 1, throttling the Virginia Cavaliers by 20 points. It was a joy to watch. The Retrievers said “Nope, we’re not letting you back in” every time Virginia started to go on a run.

FiveThirtyEight has added draft lottery probabilities to its 2018 NBA predictions. As of today, the Grizzlies have a 21% chance of getting the #1 pick and a 57% chance of getting a top three pick. The Grizz can increase those chances with a 20th consecutive loss tonight to Denver at FedExForum. 7 PM tip time. First 5000 fans get a Grizz Girls poster.

Angus McEachran, the longtime editor of the Commercial Appeal, passed away earlier this month. The CA memorialized him by misspelling his name in a headline.

I found an interesting article on Twitter about the smartest birds: ravens, crows, and African grey parrots. Despite having a brain the size of a nut, these birds have shown the ability to use tools, plan ahead, and solve puzzles that apes cannot.

I have details of the Moody Ques rooftop party happening next Saturday on the team website. We’ll have a competition shoulder. We’ll show you the booth design – we’re going for first in Best Booth again. We also have a SUPER cool family connection for T-shirt design that we will tell you about. Let’s just say that if you’ve watched TV in the past 30 years, you’ve probably seen the designer’s work. There will also be a Q&A. I am going to propose a change to our door policy to make it less rigid and easier to get guests in.

St. Patrick’s Day! I will be doing the parade at 3 on Beale Street then going over to the Brass Door celebration. I’ll be in front of the King’s Palace Tap Room for the parade. Back tomorrow with more news.