Paul Ryburn's Journal

Before we get to the usual news, it’s time to take care of business. Well, not business, but Grizzness. Blake Griffin, you can get in your Kia Optima with Chris Paul and his “twin brother” Cliff and take yo ass back to L.A., because you have been ELIMINATED! The Grizzlies got the job done at home yesterday, 118-105. It was a physical game with a heaping serving of technical fouls. The Grizzlies play the Oklahoma City Thunder at noon on Sunday in the first game of the second round. Game will be in OKC and broadcast on ABC. Even without Russell Westbrook, the Grizz should not take the Thunder lightly. Still, though, with the momentum we have, I would not be surprised at all if we get a Game 1 win on the road to take command of the series.

Any bars opening early for the game tomorrow? If so, shoot me an email at paul@paulryburn.com, or hit me up on Facebook or Twitter or whatever and I’ll post tomorrow before gametime.

Memphis in February continues today. MemphisWeather.net reported that we had a low of 36 this morning, breaking the all-time record low for May by 2 degrees. That is not the kind of record I am not happy about breaking. The high today is expected to be 55. If I remember correctly, 55/36 is normal weather in Memphis right around December 5 and February 15. This is putting a damper on my “Let’s see those tube tops ladies ALL ABOUT THE TUBE TOPS giddyup” messages that I post to Facebook this time of year, and I am not happy about it.

Are people starting to develop better taste in beer? As usual, my first stop after work was the Flying Saucer. I watched random people in town for Memphis in May come to the bar and order, and it seemed like most of them were ordering craft beer! I only saw one person order Bud Light. As recently as last year it was almost all Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Lite. Drew who is opening the brewery on South Cooper was bartending last night. Next time I see him I need to ask if he noticed this too, or if I just happened to be standing next to people who like good beer.

Speaking of beer: 26 drinks that prove that mixing beer is a good idea. The Saucer sells several of these, including Black Velvet, Snakebite, and Black and Tan. For the others, you can run to a grocery store that sells a lot of good beer (I recommend the Cash Saver on Madison) and pick up the ingredients. Beer and banana juice? Wouldn’t have thought of that, but with a good hefeweizen it would work. Or that dunkelweizen the Saucer used to sell… can’t remember the brewery.

One thing that happens every Sunday post-brunch is that my friends Otto and John D show each other funny videos that they found on their phones. If you show lots of photos and videos to people on your phone, you might be interested in Dabkick. It’s an app that changes how you share those media. Both of you see the same content on your phones at the same time.

It’s Free Comic Book Day. View a list of Memphis locations here that are participating and giving away free comic books. Free comic books? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up… probably not, you can’t eat a comic book.

I know there are a few vegans who read this blog, so I’ll post a link to a vegan Groupon deal going on right now in case they haven’t seen it.

If you have to get your basketball fix, the Chicago Bulls play the Brooklyn Nets tonight on TNT. It’s an all-important Game 7 to determine which team will eventually lose to Miami.

Plans for today: I’ll start off at Panda’s bar at Bardog as usual, 11 AM. After that: Walk around and people-watch the Music Fest attendees. I want to try The Mad Earl at some point this weekend too. I’ve been there once, but it was right when it opened and it wasn’t totally done yet. One thing’s for sure: I will NOT be at Tom Lee Park. PBR hoodie and shorts weather for hopefully the last time this year.

This weekend is Memphis in May Beale Street Music Fest, the speed bump on the road en route to BBQ Fest. Music Fest weather strikes again. The Weather Channel has a low of 37 predicted for tonight. The all-time record low for the month of May for Memphis? 38.

Could be worse though. I follow Arkansas head football coach Bret Bielema on Twitter. This morning he posted a pic of snow in his yard.

If you live Downtown, it would be a very good idea to ask if you can leave work early this afternoon. Between Music Fest and people pre-gaming for the Grizzlies, parking Downtown is going to be an absolute zoo by about 5 PM.

Bluefin is offering 10% off tonight for people who show their Music Fest or Grizzlies tickets.

I want to remind everyone to stay safe tonight. Keep your purses and other valuables in your sight at all times. Don’t turn your back on your valuables to talk to a friend. Don’t leave your purse partly open where a thief could reach in and grab your phone without you realizing it. Whether you’re going to Music Fest, the Grizzlies game, or a bar or club, this advice should be heeded. Also, don’t leave any valuables in sight in your cars. Downtown is the safest area of Memphis, but this is still a large urban environment and thieves see opportunity this weekend.

It’s Grizz Night and Chris Paul is going to be flopping around the FedExForum like a horse stepped on his foot and knocked him unconscious. I hope the Grizzlies that played in games 3, 4, and 5 show up tonight. If they do, we’re headed to the second round.

On Her Game Sports is looking for two part-time Memphis Grizzlies bloggers. These are unpaid internship positions. The site covers sports from a female perspective. Bloggers would cover the Grizzlies in traditional blogging format or video blogs.

Fun quiz which seems appropriate for this weekend: Guess who’s more stupid, drunk people or kids.

Off to a quick early lunch so I can attend a training at 1… will be back Downtown by 4:45 before most of the madness starts.

Got a couple of pieces of burger news to kick off this Thursday post. First of all, the burger that won the 2012 Best Memphis Burger Fest is now a permanent fixture on Kooky Canuck’s menu. It’s topped with a fried egg, avocado, BBQ onions, and herb garlic mayonnaise.

Huey’s is having a Design Your Own Burger contest. See the poster below for details (click it to view in a larger size).

More food news: The Flying Fish posted last night that they have added mahi to their menu.

Bon Ton Cafe is now delivering during lunch. Delivery area boundaries are Fourth to the river, Beale to Jefferson. A delivery charge will be included in the final total.

Riverside Drive is closed between Union Ave. and Georgia Ave. for Music Fest.

Motel Mirrors, a side project of Amy LaVere, John Paul Keith, and Shawn Zorn, will perform tonight at the Blind Bear at 10 PM.

If you want to hear some good music Friday night without traipsing through rain and mud, Eric Hughes and Guy Venable play the Flying Saucer at 9 PM. I heard Eric at a wedding reception I attended last year, and thought to myself, “I knew he was good, but I had forgotten he was THAT good.” Highly recommended.

Tim Tebow will be at the FedExForum June 15. His appearance will be part of Agape Child & Family Services’ HeartLight event.

That’s it for now. Quick bowl of chili then back to work. Six and a half business days left until my BBQ Fest vacation.

The daily update post is a little late today. Normally I do it at lunchtime, but we had a company picnic, so I was away from my desk.

MIFA is hiring for two positions: Graphic Designer, and Development Officer in charge of Direct Mail and Individual Giving. Check out the job opportunities here if you’re interested in working for one of the city’s top nonprofits.

Memphis in May has updated its phone app for 2013. The Music Fest portion of the app is really well done. You can create your own schedule, view artist info, follow artists on social media, etc.

However, as someone who cares more about BBQ Fest than Music Fest, the BBQ portion of the app needs work. The teams are listed, but if you click on a team all it does is take you to a generic point on the park map which may be somewhat near the team booth. Or not. The booths are numbered in groups rather than individually. You can’t click on a team and find out their booth number. I hope the app designers issue an update to fix some of these things.

Great post on WKNO’s site about Stan “The Man” Bronson. Stan has been the Memphis Tigers’ baseball team’s bat boy longer than the Rolling Stones have been together.

Ron “Metta World Peace” Artest has never been my favorite player, but he has interesting analysis of the Grizzlies here.

And finally, the Orpheum released its Summer Movie Series schedule today:

1920’s
Friday Classic, June 7 at 7:00 PM: The Cameraman

1930’s
Friday Classic, June 14 at 7:00 PM: Gone with the Wind

1940’s
Thursday Chick Flick, June 20 at 7:00 PM: The Philadelphia Story
Friday Classic, June 21 at 7:00 PM: Casablanca

1950’s
Thursday Chick Flick, June 27 at 7:00 PM: Pillow Talk
Friday Classic, June 28 at 7:00 PM: The Searchers

1960’s
Thursday Chick Flick, July 11 at 7:00 PM: Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Friday Classic, July 12 at 7:00 PM: Sound of Music Singalong

1970’s
Thursday Chick Flick, July 18 at 7:00 PM: Grease Singalong
Friday Classic, July 19 at 8:00 PM: Rocky Horror Picture Show

1980’s
Thursday Chick Flick, July 25 at 7:00 PM: Dirty Dancing
Friday Classic, July 26 at 7:00 PM: Fright Night Double Feature with Ghost Busters and Poltergeist

1990’s
Thursday Chick Flick, August 1 at 7:00 PM: Pretty Woman
Friday Classic, August 2 at 7:00 PM: The Big Lebowski

2000’s
Thursday Chick Flick, August 8 at 7:00 PM: Mean Girls
Friday Classic, August 9 at 7:00 PM: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Family Matinees
Friday, June 28 at 1:30 PM: The Parent Trap (1961)
Friday, August 2 at 1:30 PM: Anastasia

Company picnic was supposed to end at 3, but the CEO told us that when we finished eating, we could leave for the day. I can deal with that! Headed to Flying Saucer, with Bardog as a possible backup depending on who’s bartending Saucer. It won’t be happy hour for a while yet but I’m already happy!

Attention artists: The Center for Southern Folklore is hosting its first-ever Memphis Music and Heritage Festival Design Competition. The winning artist’s work will be featured on all posters, T-shirts, and promotional materials. The festival happens Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend and showcases the best regional music, art, and cooking.

Know a lot about your hometown? There will be two Memphis trivia nights happening Downtown this week. The first will be tonight at Ferraro’s Pizzeria and Pub at N. Main and Jackson. 8 PM start time, $1 PBR, and they will show the Grizzlies game and stay open late. On Thursday, there will be a game at the Green Beetle, also at 8 PM, with a special of $10 buckets of 16-ounce Miller Lite. Both games will feature six rounds of questions about Memphis movies, music, sports, history, and more.

The Flyer’s Hungry Memphis blog reports on Grizzlies-themed food and drink. There are a couple of Downtown options including Go Grizz! lemon macarons at the Corked Carrot, and blue Grizz shots at South of Beale.

Big news in the battle to make online poker legal: The first legal online poker room has opened in Nevada today. You have to be 21 or older and physically within the state of Nevada to play (note that I didn’t say you have to be a resident of Nevada). You can deposit funds via Mastercard, check, wire transfer, or in person at affiliated casinos.

Maybe this will wake the Tennessee legislature up to the fact that this is a source of revenue. Why would they want to continue to let Memphis-area residents go to Tunica or Southland to play poker, when they could play in the comfort of their own home? Also, online poker cash games can operate at lower levels than casino games can. If you’re learning to play, it’s far less expensive to sit down at a 1-cent/2-cent Hold’em game with a stack of $2 than it is to sit down at a $1/$2 casino table with a stack of $200. It’s less expensive to enter a $2 online multi-table tournament when you’re learning the game than to enter a $35 tournament at a casino.

Little Rock’s Peabody ducks will make their last march this week. The hotel is being converted into a Marriott.

Google Now is now available for iPhone users. It’s part of the Google Search app. I just gave it a try and it told me the temperature is 79 and recommended a nearby barbecue restaurant. I guess this thing has the potential to be useful.

Start time for Friday’s home game against the Clippers will be 8:30 PM.

Plans for tonight: I’ll start at the Flying Saucer as usual, although I may deviate from my usual Dos Equis Lager order and drink a Flying Horse instead. After that, over to Blind Bear for the official Grizzlies watch party. Let’s pick one up on the road this evening, and force the Clippers to face elimination in front of a rowdy Grizzlies crowd Friday night!

The annual day of debauchery took place on Beale Street Sunday, with a parade, Queen of the Vine pageant, grape stomp, and wine relay. (I was starving and left before the relay, so not many pics of that, sorry.) Here’s a look.

Full album (224 photos) here.

The Grizzlies beat Flop City Saturday night to tie the series vs. the Clippers at 2-2. The first round playoffs have a 2-2-1-1-1 format for home games, which means Tuesday’s Game 5 is in Los Angeles, and Friday’s Game 6 is in the FedExForum. Since we now know at least 6 games will be needed to determine a winner, tickets for Friday’s game are now on sale.

ALERT if you plan on coming Downtown Friday evening: Friday is the first day of Music Fest, a playoff game for the Grizzlies, and a home game for the Redbirds. Downtown is going to be absolutely PACKED. Allow extra time to get where you’re going, and realize that you may not be able to park as close to your destination as you would like. Also, if you’re going to the Grizzlies game, you also need to allow extra time for NBA-mandated security scans at the front door.

The Grizzlies have also announced official watch parties for Tuesday night’s 9:30 game. There will be two Downtown locations: Blind Bear Speakeasy and Hooters. So you can watch the game at a place where the three managing partners are locals and three of the biggest Grizzlies fans you’ll ever meet, or you can watch at a chain restaurant that has the nerve to charge you for ranch when you order hot wings. Your choice. Parties in other parts of the city include Bayou Bar & Grill, Buffalo Wild Wings on Hacks Cross, and Skimo’s. If you’ve never been to an official watch party before, the Grizzlies’ Claw Crew will be there passing out car flags, headbands, and other goodies. Parties start a half hour before game time, which means 9 PM for Tuesday.

Look for a pop-up golf game tomorrow at lunch on Main Street. The FedEx Golfer will be “playing” golf on the street from 11:30 to 1 tomorrow, along with his caddie and standard-bearer. The first person who comes up to him and says “Come Play 2013” will receive a pair of one-day passes to the FedEx St.Jude Classic. People who come up to him will also receive FESJC swag and information on how to win a 2013 Ford Explorer from Landers Ford. “Like” the FESJC on Facebook here or follow the event on Twitter at @FESJCMemphis for more information. They just announced the Michelob Ultra Tent for Saturday-Sunday, June 8-9. For a $10 entry (tournament ticket must be purchased also) you get access to $1 beers.

Second and Beale, Inc., operators of Blues City Cafe, have pulled out of a plan to open a restaurant in Beale Street Landing. Sad to hear that, but the Second and Beale folks are experienced businessmen and I don’t blame them for their decision if there were red flags in their minds.

Memphis in May honored country Sweden has been ranked as the most socially advanced country in the world. It ranked high in personal safety; air, water, and sanitation; nutrition and basic medical care; and opportunity. Its only slip was a 37 rank in Ecosystem Sustainability. Love the pic of the Swedish hotties using their country’s flag as a makeshift tube top dress!

If you missed Memphis Brewfest on Saturday, FuzzyBrew has a recap.

I will have a Wine Race recap post up this week. I attended the parade, Queen of the Vine, and grape stomp, and I was upstairs briefly for the wine relay before I decided it was imperative that I go eat. So I ran to City Market (oops, might have stopped for a beer as I walked though, Flying Saucer is on the way you know) and by the time I was done eating, Wine Race was over. I took 262 photos, which I whittled down to 202 after removing bad photos and photos where my camera aim was off. I only had to remove one photo this year due to accidentally exposed body parts during Queen of the Vine (and it wasn’t a tube top malfunction. It was worse).

Apologies to the folks at Southern Hot Wing Fest for not making it by yesterday, and particularly to Seth of the Best Memphis Burger blog, who extended me a personal invitation to come try his team’s wings. It’s really hard to have two festivals in one day. I need to do a post about the narrow spring and fall festival windows given Memphis weather.

I had several people ask why the BBQ team I’m on didn’t enter the BBQ competition at Southaven Springfest this weekend. I went and looked at the festival’s website. I clicked on the “What Not to Bring” link and the first thing listed was “Alcohol.” Yeah I feel pretty confident saying we will never enter this event.

Plans for tonight: I didn’t make the final table for Bluff City Poker’s poker league, but many of the people who are my friends did so I am going to go watch. It’s at the Silly Goose at 8 PM. Prior to that I’ll probably hit the Flying Saucer and knock out some Pint Nite beers.

If you were planning on buying a ticket to Memphis Brewfest at the gate, you’re out of luck. They announced on Facebook this morning that they had sold out. I decided to take a year off from Brewfest, because I wanted to see the Grizzlies game and because I didn’t feel like being so drunk/tired by 7:30 PM that I’d have to go home and crash. I hope the rain stays away, and I hope those who are attending have a wonderful time and drink lots of delicious beer.

With Brewfest off the agenda, I have to figure out where to watch the Grizzlies play at 3:30. The Blind Bear has announced that they will open early at 2 PM for the game. On Sunday, they will open early at noon for Wine Race.

Random pro wrestling video of the day: UWF’s first TV show, March 1986. Mid-South Wrestling rebranded as UWF. On this show, company president “Cowboy” Bill Watts got his revenge against North American champion/Mid-South TV champion “Dirty” Dick Slater. Slater had thrown the TV championship medallion in the Arkansas River. Watts ordered him to pay to have a new championship belt created, and to have his buddy “Mad Dog” Buzz Sawyer defend the title on Slater’s behalf, against an opponent of Watts’ choice. I saw a comment that said, “screw WWE and TNA, this is what wrestling really is.” I agree and this is a must-watch if you’re a pro wrestling fan.

I ordered a WordPress 10th anniversary shirt yesterday. I’ll wear it to BBQ Fest one day a couple of weeks from now. WordPress, which powers this blog and 20% of all websites around the world, is our BBQ team’s main sponsor. Proud to display their logo at BBQ Fest.

All right, gonna hit Publish so I can start typing a poker post. Will be at Panda’s bar at Bardog at 11.

The Great Beale Street Wine Race is Sunday. Servers and bartenders from restaurants all over town blow off steam before the busy Memphis in May season, while competing for their restaurants in several categories:

1) There is a parade where the teams enter Handy Park on floats.

2) Next is Queen of the Vine. Beauties from area restaurants compete. (In a few cases, I’m using the term “beauties” very, very loosely.)

3) Next up is a grape-stomping competition, where teams see who can stomp the most grape juice with their feet in a certain time limit.

4) Last up is the wine relay, where four-member teams race to see who can open bottles of wine the quickest and then run them on a tray, with glasses, to the other end of the course where they hand the tray off to the next team member.

It’s free and a lot of fun to watch. Action kicks off around 1 PM. PRO TIP: If you’re not driving, get a Call-a-Cab daiquiri from Wet Willie’s to drink while you watch. More than one Call-a-Cab falls into the “don’t try this at home” category, so be careful.

This Wine Race presents a bit of a dilemma for me, because I’m “mayor” of two bars that are participating in the event: Blind Bear and Silly Goose. They’ve both contacted me about wearing their shirt to Wine Race. Trying to figure out how to maintain neutrality. (The third bar of which I’m “mayor,” Flying Saucer, doesn’t participate in Wine Race, although for a while it was considered.)

What should YOU wear to Wine Race? Well, Sunday looks to be the one day this weekend free from rain, and temps will warm back up. For females who will be attending, may I suggest a tube top?

Hope to see you down on Beale for Debauchery Day, er, I mean Wine Race!

There’s a launch party for the Chisca Hotel redevelopment outside the hotel today at 4:30. Free to the public. DJ spinning ’50s music and a special appearance by the star of Memphis the musical.

The Memphis Kings scooter club holds its annual rally, Dead Elvis: Six Feet Under, today through Sunday. Two scooters will be given away, and there will be several rides, including a Mississippi River trail, a visit to some of Memphis’ famous landmarks, and in keeping with the Dead Elvis theme a visit to Elvis’ original resting place. Over 90 scooter enthusiasts have registered.

It’s South Main Trolley Tour night with many of the shops and galleries open in the South Main district open late. Many of them will have special performances, discounts, and/or appetizers and beverages. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

The LUVGLO night race is tonight. Even if you aren’t running, you can come watch. There will be music and food trucks. Party kicks off at the old Tennessee Brewery on Tennessee Street at 8 PM, and the first group of runners take off at 9:30. $5 donation requested from those who are not running to enter the warehouse, glow party, and epic finish line. Money raised benefits Habitat for Hope.

Last night I was talking with a friend of mine, who complimented the Green Beetle’s new breakfast and I wanted to pass the compliments on. He’d been frustrated when a place a few blocks down the street took an hour and 20 minutes to serve him breakfast, and he didn’t even get all the items he ordered. So he tried the Beetle. The food was very good, he said, big portions, they get it out to you fast, and it’s reasonably priced. He said they had steak and eggs for $9.95 and it’s a very good steak. The Beetle opens at 9 AM for breakfast.

Flight restaurant will begin offering a late-night menu from 10-11 PM Monday-Wednesday and 10 PM-midnight Thursday-Saturday. The menu is the creation of executive chef Scott Perkins and includes the following:

The menu will also feature a selection of imported charcuterie paired with fresh cheeses such as baked brie, apricot Stilton and St. Andre triple cream in addition to Mediterranean-spiced Georgia pecans and an assortment of Rivera mixed olives. Flight is at the corner of Main and Monroe Downtown.

We’re close enough to May now that the Weather Channel has a forecast for the first few days. I took a peek. For Friday, May 3, the first day of Music Fest, the forecast is high 65, low 47. That’s 12-13 degrees below normal. Why can’t we EVER have nice weather for Music Fest?

Plans for tonight: After kicking it off with a few beers in the core, I think I’m going to wander south and check out this LUVGLO thing. I hope the rain holds off until tomorrow.