Paul Ryburn's Journal

Three days out, I’m going to try my hand at making an election prediction:

(Map created by the create-your-own-electoral-map generator at RealClearPolitics.com)

Romney will win swing states Florida and North Carolina.

Obama will win Ohio, Virginia, Colorado, and the other states considered to be swing states in this election.

Two states will see outcomes close enough to warrant a recount: Virginia (Obama +0.1%) and Florida (Romney +0.3%). However, neither will happen, because the best-case scenario for Romney will only get him to 248 electoral votes, short of the 270 needed to win. Romney will issue his concession speech at 9:20 AM Central time Wednesday, November 7.

Check back… I know I have stuff to write about today, just need to check my phone camera and Evernote. Probably not getting out until about 4 PM today. Apartment needs a post-Halloween cleaning and I’ve got a friend’s birthday party at 6.

The Majestic Grille has announced its annual half-off gift card sale. On Wednesday, November 28, the restaurant will open at 8 AM and begin selling its $50 gift cards for $25. You can buy as many as you want. You must buy them in person; no phone, fax, or email orders. If you can’t be there in person, find someone who can buy the cards for you. The cards can be used only on food – tax, gratuity, and alcohol must be paid for separately. The cards purchased on the 28th cannot be used until January 2, 2013.

Despite all the restrictions, this is still a great deal. I plan on sending someone down there with about $150 that morning to get me $300 worth of cards. What can you buy with the cards? Well, how about the absolutely gorgeous gorgonzola-encrusted filet pictured here? It’s $37 ($32 for the 8 oz. filet plus $5 for the crust), but I only paid $18.50 for the portion of the 2011 gift card that I used to pay for my dinner.

These cards would also make great stocking stuffers or gifts for co-workers, particularly if your office is Downtown or if your co-worker lives Downtown.

The Majestic has more holiday events on the way that I will announce on the blog soon. I’ve already covered the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation viewing party Thursday, December 20 with me as the judge for the costume and tacky sweater contests. If you want to be there, call 901-522-8555 and make reservations ASAP.

Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley has purchased 500 tickets to the season home opener on November 5. He will give the tickets away in the lobby of the FedExForum Sunday at 1:30 PM, first come first served, limit of two tickets per person. More info on the giveaway here.

The Memphis Flyer has a slideshow, First Glimpse of Beale Street Landing, this is worth taking a minute to check out.

The Commercial Appeal has endorsed Steve Cohen and I do as well. The editorial dispels myths opponent Dr. George Flinn has been spreading about Cohen’s travel and missed votes. Cohen has taken no taxpayer-funded trips in the past year. He said he missed 20 votes when his mother died, 11 to attend a friend’s funeral, nine because of scheduled elections in Tennessee and 16 because his flights were late or canceled. Congressman Cohen has done an excellent job for our district and I am proud to send him back to Washington for a fourth term.

The Downtown Memphis Commission will hold a Downtown Electronics Recycling Drive Thursday, November 15 from 3 to 6:30 PM. Acceptable items include computers, televisions, printers, cameras, cell phones, VCRs, and CD/DVD players. Find a complete list of acceptable items here. Most items can be recycled for free, but there will be a fee for a few:

• Wood console TVs, $30
• Projection TVs, $30
• Wooden speakers, $10
• TVs or computer monitors with broken glass, $10
• Bare CRT tubes, $10

All computer hard drives brought to the event will be cleaned according to Department of Defense standards. If desired, a certificate of cleansing can be made available for $10.

There is no limit to the number of items you can bring to the recycling drive.

All right, my work for the week is done. Time for beer and one last Halloween party. Saucer first, party on South Main later, stop at Max’s Sports Bar in between. Friday nights don’t get much better than that.

It seems like most years, when October fades away into November, life becomes a lot more dull. Festival season and Halloween party season are over, we fall back an hour, and the weather starts to get cold. However, this year’s first weekend in November is not boring in the least. Let’s have a look at some of the fantastic events taking place this weekend.

Guts & Glory: An Evening with Anthony Bourdain is tonight at the Orpheum at 8. Bourdain will share insights about his life in restaurant kitchens, and there will be an open Q&A session with the audience. The chef has tweeted that every dollar he makes from this performance will go to New York City storm recovery efforts. More details and ticket info here.

This isn’t a Downtown event, but it’s worth a drive out east to the Agricenter: India Fest happens this Saturday starting at 10 AM. There will be school band performances, a performance of salsa set to Indian music, and Indian dance performances. There will also be activities for the kids, a concert by the Raga Boyz at 5:30, and a cooking demo from 11:30 to 1:30. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

Tomorrow night at the Orpheum, Cedric the Entertainer & Friends will perform. That show is at 8 as well. Details and ticket info here.

Want to be among the first to check out the newly-completed Beale Street Landing? All you have to do is buy a ticket to Artafactor, which happens tomorrow night. According to the website, Artafactor “is an annual event that celebrates the best in Memphis arts – past and present – while raising funds to ensure their future and build a vibrant cultural community for everyone.” They go on to say of the event, “Rhythm ‘n’ blues to ballet and barbeque…we’ve got it all on the Mississippi! See original works, dance to old favorites, eat and drink in the arts.” Tickets are $75.

Moving on to Sunday, it will be time for the Memphis Farmers Market’s annual Harvest Celebration. The theme is “Barnyard Ball, where party animals come to make hay.” Heavy hors d’oeuvres from some of the city’s best restaurants will be served. Beer, wine. Live entertainment by the Bluff City Backsliders and Deering and Down. 4-7 PM.

As for me, I have one more Halloween party to attend tonight. It’s a private party thrown by some of my South Main friends that raises money for the Church Health Center. I’ve missed it the past two years due to conflicts with other parties. Super excited that it has its own night this year. After bar parties at the Bear, Saucer, Goose, and Mollie Fontaine’s, it will be nice to wrap things up with a super-sized house party with friends. If you missed my Jesus costume, it will be back tonight. I’m going to simplify things and wear the fake beard that came with the costume, rather than paint a beard on with brown makeup. The painted beard looked cool but it proved messy when I tried to hug people.

I think what I’m going to do is put the Jesus costume in a bag, then walk down to Max’s Sports Bar near the party and put it on once I get there. That way I don’t have people shouting at me from cars, “HEY DUMBASS, HALLOWEEN IS OVER!”

Check back this evening. I easily have enough news for a second post. One of the news items will be a much-awaited announcement of an annual gift card sale. If you’re going to the same party I am, see you on South Main tonight.

Tonight is the Justin Bieber concert at the FedExForum. It is sold out, doors open at 5:30, show is scheduled to start about 7:10 and end around 9:40. Two things to keep in mind: First of all, traffic and parking will be a headache. Whether you’re going to the concert or just coming home from work, allow yourself extra time.

The second thing is that the people-watching should be exquisite – possibly even better than it was at the Justin Timberlake concert a few years back. If you’re not going to the concert, where to go people-watch? I hate to say it, because this isn’t normally a venue I recommend, but the second-floor patio at Alfred’s is probably the best place. The window seats at the Flying Saucer would also be good bets, and unlike earlier this week it’s warm enough for them to open the garage windows.

Grantland had a great story about Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins yesterday. I’m sure new owner Robert Pera will make some changes, but I hope the head coach is not one of them. From everything I’ve read, Hollins the type of coach players respect and love to play for.

Victorian Village will have a “Tent Revival” Sunday, November 11. There will be live music by Di Anne Price, Cypress Creek Bluegrass, Adams Avenue Camerata, and the Independent Presbyterian Church Choir. The Mallory-Neely House will reopen that day, and there will be Southern catfish dinners by Trolley Stop Market. For more details see the Victorian Village website.

I’m enjoying my half day off work; I go in at 1. I had an Emergency Eggsit breakfast burrito from Elliott’s this morning. Harry saw me at the register and asked if I wanted to kick it up a bit with extra jalapenos and spicy Western seasoning. Of course I did. So good.

Fun night last night. Started at the Silly Goose for their Fireball Fear party, then hopped in a car and headed to Victorian Village for Mollie Fontaine’s Halloween party. It was a blast but it got super crowded. We decided to call a cab and head back Downtown. Once again, 577-7777 got us nowhere and 323-3333 had us a cab in 5 minutes. Hurry up and fix your dispatch system, Yellow Cab! Once Downtown we decided to skip the rest of the Halloween party madness and go to the Blind Bear instead.

I’ve noticed that the past few months the Bear has become my default go-to spot when I have no definite plan for what to do next. Odd because for years the Saucer played that role. And it’s not that the Saucer has done anything to turn me off… it’s just that the Bear is that damn good. Good atmosphere, good crowd. And they have PBR on draft.

All right, time to drive to Horn Lake and probably find 8 hours worth of work to do in my 4-hour day. Tonight I’ll park a couple of levels higher in the garage than usual thanks to The Biebs, then I’ll go out and people-watch.

Happy Halloween! This is my second post of the day. If you’re looking for info on tonight’s Halloween parties Downtown, scroll down to the previous post.

The pic included with this post may look like rubble to you, but to my eyes it is a most beautiful sight. The building at Madison and November 6th Street, whose roof collapsed in March 2011, has finally been torn down. It stood in near-collapse for a year and a half and west-bound Madison had to be blocked off for safety reasons. Madison will soon be fully reopened to traffic. I hope city leaders take steps to ensure neglectful property owners are never allowed to do this kind of thing again.

Good news for those in the 38103 zip code: Starting tomorrow, Aldo’s Pizza Pies will start delivering pizzas in this street-legal Bubble Buddy electric car.

Tomorrow is also the start of Memphis GEEK Week, spotlighting all the tech innovation that is happening in our city. Events will include a WordPress meetup, Indie Memphis Innovation Series, TechCamp Memphis, a 48 Hour Hackathon, and many more.

Church Health Center has a number of medical and dental positions open. View them here.

Next Thursday, November 8, is National Stout Day celebrating that style of dark beer. The Flying Saucer will have a very rare brew on tap that day. More details to come.

A bankruptcy judge has ruled that the city can take control of Beale Street. This is good news. It means the years-long battle between the city, Performa Entertainment, and the Beale Street Development Corporation is almost over. Now the city can move forward with phase 2 of improvements to the street.

Shelton Clothiers had so much success with October’s buy one item, get the second half off sale, that they’re extending it through November. Equal or lesser value, excludes custom, sale, or specials. It does include their beautiful new fleece Pink Pig jackets though – I know this for a fact because I took advantage of the sale!

The Grizzlies travel to Flop City tonight to open the season against the L.A. Clippers tonight. Game time is 9:30.

One more thing: I usually don’t blog about stuff that happens at work but today I’ll make an exception. The CEO bought us Wiseguys Chicago-style pizza for lunch. They have the best pizza and worst website in DeSoto County.

This morning I unwrapped a prop to go with my Jesus costume, a prop I forgot to bring with me Saturday night – “The Book of Holy Hammered.” I thought it was just a fake book designed to look like a Bible, but I pried it open and found a pleasant surprise – it conceals a flask and two glasses.

I realize my Jesus outfit and The Book of Holy Hammered will offend a certain segment of the population. Maybe I should REALLY offend them and wear an Obama sticker too.

Plan for tonight: The Mollie Fontaine and Silly Goose parties, order to be determined. I don’t have to go in to work until 1 PM tomorrow so it will be a long and fun evening out.

Happy Halloween! Although many Downtown bars and nightspots choose to throw their Halloween parties the weekend before to capture the Friday and Saturday night crowds, some prefer to wait until the actual day. I know of three such parties happening tonight.

Perhaps the biggest of the parties will be tonight at the Silly Goose. They had a party Saturday, but tonight’s is different in that it is sponsored by Fireball, the cinnamon whisky that “tastes like heaven, burns like hell.” There will be a costume contest with the “hottest” costume winning sweet Fireball swag. The local Fireball ambassador will there there handing stuff out. DJ Cody will supply the tunes in a rare Wednesday appearance.

If you made it to the Goose party Saturday night and had a good time, this is your chance to do it all over again. If you didn’t make Saturday’s party, this is your second chance. I personally think this one will be better than Saturday – just as much fun but not so ridiculously crowded. If you want my recommendation for a top pick of tonight’s Halloween parties, it would be the Goose.

Over at Bardog Tavern, tonight’s party will be “The Curse of the Hearse.” You may have noticed a 1976 Cadillac hearse parked outside the bar on Monroe. At 11:59 PM the hearse will be raffled off. You must be present to win, and if you don’t want the hearse you can have $750 cash instead. There’s still time to buy tickets, so talk to your bartender or server. Costume contest at 10:30 PM.

Over at Mollie Fontaine’s, it will be HELL HOUSE – HALLOWEEN BASH. Outside patio bar (weather permitting), no cover, large dance floor. LFORADIO will bring the full sound system, DJ Justin Hand will spin underground dance mixed with retro ’80s and ’90s, and DJ Steve Anne will mix a blend of the latest dance mixes. 8 PM to 3 AM. I’ve been told this party always fills up, so get there early.

Time to head to work. I’ll be back at noon with the regular Wednesday news.

Last night Andy Wise from Action News 5 did a story on credit card skimming. This is a topic with which everyone who hangs out Downtown needs to familiarize themselves. It starts with someone who works in a restaurant, bar, gas station, or other business in which customers are comfortable leaving their credit cards with an employee. The crooked employee then runs the cards through a skimmer, an easily-hidden device about the size of a pager, which can capture and store info for hundreds of credit cards. The skimmer is then given to someone else, who produces new credit cards with the skimmed info. The new cards are then handed off to another party, who uses the cards to run up thousands of dollars in fraudulent purchases, often at big-box retail stores like Radio Shack or Walmart. The purchases could happen the night the card is skimmed, or weeks or months later.

I couldn’t find Andy’s story online to link to it, but this news article explains how it works: Waitress rips off customers with credit card skimmer. I know two people who hang out at the bars Downtown (bars where the locals hang out, not Beale) who have recently been victims of skimming, and I have heard of two or three other cases. If you pay with credit or debit cards Downtown, check your statements daily. Also, for smaller “just one or two drinks” type of purchases, consider paying with cash to lessen your risk.

Yesterday I posted a pic of the Pumpkin Spice Martini at the Majestic Grille. Well, they’re not the only ones getting in on the fall-themed drink action. The Peabody Lobby Bar has some special concoctions for the season: Candy Apple Martini, Autumn Warmer, Hot Toddy w a Twist, Almond Joy Martini. All drinks are in the $8-10 range. Sitting at the lobby bar and people-watching is an experience everybody needs to have at least once. It’s fascinating who all you will meet there.

Want to try the turkey plate at Central BBQ I posted about last week? It’ll cost you $9.99… but not if it’s Tuesday and you’re a teacher, cop, firefighter, EMT, or are in a branch of the military. You get to eat for half-off on Tuesdays. If turkey’s not your think, try their delicious pork sandwich, ribs, or wings.

There’s a Groupon for a Downtown restaurant today: $20 for $40 worth of food at Spaghetti Warehouse. You have to spend the entire $40 promotional value in one visit, so unless you’re really hungry you better take some people with you. If you don’t have people to go with you, the $5 spaghetti and meatball deal at the Green Beetle every Tuesday might be a better way to go.

There will be a Halloween-themed trivia night at Ferraro’s Pizzeria and Pub tonight at 8 PM. $1 PBR and Rolling Rock drafts.

Anheuser-Busch has stopped making draft Michelob. The Rendezvous, which has been serving the beer on draft for 58 years, will have to find a replacement. Too bad somebody can’t get something going with that Goldcrest 51 recipe we saw at Cooper-Young Beer Fest…

Tomorrow I will be back with a big post covering the October 31 Halloween parties Downtown. Tonight I’ll be out but plan to take it very easy to rest up for tomorrow, which looks to be a very long night.

Yesterday I started the day at the Majestic Grille for brunch. Rather than my usual mimosa, I decided to try a drink the restaurant had talked about on Facebook – a seasonal cocktail, their pumpkin spice martini. It was delicious. If you want a taste of fall, give it a try. Better make it quick, though, because only a limited supply of the pumpkin liqueur used to make the martini is available.

One of the Majestic’s bartenders, Mark, seemed befuddled when he came in and saw the martini in front of me. “You drinking anything that involves stemware just doesn’t seem right,” he said. Obviously he has never seen me drink a PBRtini at the Silly Goose.

While I was sipping my martini, I got asked to once again be the judge for the Majestic’s costume contest. Every December they show National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on the big screen. They have two costume contests that night: A costume contest based on the movie, and a tacky sweater contest. It’s a lot of fun and I’m honored that they keep asking me back to be their judge. This year the big night will be Thursday, December 20. They always have a special Christmas menu (in addition to their regular menu) on that night. The Majestic gets completely booked for this event every year. If you want to go, make reservations early.

Much later in the day, I showed up at the Blind Bear for round two of Sunday Fun Day. The 6:30 poker game was wrapping up, but several people including two of the owners were sitting at another table dealing cards. I wondered what was going on. A few minutes later Jeannette came over and filled me in. “We’re learning to play Omaha,” she told me. “We’re thinking about maybe doing an Omaha night rather than Texas Hold’em one night for poker.” She and Jamie are asking for feedback from the poker players on whether that would fly. I’d be all for it. In Omaha, there’s a flop, turn, and river just like Texas Hold’em, but you get dealt four cards rather than two. You use two of your cards and three of the board cards to make your best hand.

A 4.0 earthquake happened near Memphis this morning. I was in the shower at the time and didn’t feel it, but a lot of people did. The quake was centered near Parkin, Arkansas, about 35 miles to the west.

Sports writer/radio host Gary Parrish has a good Conference USA men’s basketball preview. He picked Adonis Thomas as the conference’s top player, and 4 of his top 6 players in the conference play for the Tigers. Should be a fun year and we will finally get our first win against Top 25 competition. I hope.

Fun night last night. I added to my growing collection of photos of someone laying her head on the bar at the Blind Bear, half asleep. Maybe I’ll have Real 2 Reel Photography put the images on canvas and I can have my own art show. I’ve been saying “that girl can drink me under the table” but it looks like I was wrong.

Plans for tonight: Pint Nite at the Saucer. Pint Nite at Aldo’s Pizza Pies. Poker at Silly Goose. It may be Monday but there’s no lack of things to do.

Just waking up after a very fun Saturday night of Halloween parties. I hung out with some friends at the Saucer, then about 11:30 we migrated over to the Blind Bear where we got the side dining room. We managed to avoid the spots that have shitshow crowds on the weekends, although we had a close call as we were leaving the Saucer. In the picture shown here, I’m reminding someone that I died for her sins. I guess I should actually read the Bible and find out what all Jesus did so I can be more in character. One thing we learned last night is that Jesus is a big fan of the Flying Saucer’s $2 mystery beer tub.

If you didn’t get to see Jesus last night, he will be out at the Silly Goose’s Fireball Fear party Wednesday night. There will be plenty of sins to be forgiven there, so Jesus will be quite busy indeed. I’ll have more details on that party and the Bardog hearse giveaway on Wednesday.

If you’re a dog lover, get over to Mud Island this afternoon. The Harbor Town Dog Show happens today from noon to 4. Prizes for Most Original Costume, Terrific Pet Tricks, Most Glamorous, Best Tail Wagging, Most Mysterious Heritage, Best Costume in a Group &/or with a Float, Best Vocal Performance, Most Obedient, and Best in Show. Money raised benefits the Humane Society.

Today is the second day of RiverArtsFest, the city’s largest arts festival. It’s in the South Main district with hundreds of arts vendors, a food court, and live music. $5 admission fee after 12.

Jimmy Ogle is giving a walking tour of the Memphis-Arkansas bridge today at 2. It’s free and cameras are encouraged. Meet at Crump Park near Metal Museum Drive if you want to take the tour. As of right now the I-55 bridge is the only one of the four Memphis bridges you can legally walk over.

If you’re looking for something to do with the kids today, The Ugly Duckling and The Tortoise and the Hare will be at the Orpheum at 6. The show will feature electroluminescent puppetry. No idea what that means but it sounds pretty cool and cutting-edge.

My plans for today: Majestic at 11 for mimosas, Blind Bear after that. Undecided whether I’ll head south to RiverArtsFest or skip it altogether this year and just have a normal Sunday. Temp is 43 as I type this. That’s a little bit cold for the PBR hoodie/shorts/sandals combination but I’m going to try to make it work anyway.

This was going to be an all-Halloween party post, but I have to lead off with something else because it’s HUGE NEWS that is great for Downtown Memphis. As of yesterday, the Chisca Hotel is no longer owned by COGIC. The investor group that plans to renovate the hotel into apartments and retail is the new official owner. There will be a celebration at the Chisca at 2 PM today. CONGRATULATIONS and THANK YOU to the investors, the Downtown Memphis Commission, and everyone else involved with preserving this historic hotel where “That’s All Right Mama” was first played.

So, in a span of two days, we’ve ensured the Grizzlies will be in Memphis for the long haul and saved the Chisca. I’d say this has been a pretty good week for Downtown Memphis.

The Halloween party weekend Downtown continues tonight. Probably the biggest and best of the parties is at the Flying Saucer. They are having a Dead Rock Star Ball. The party starts at 8, and you can buy a beer from their Mystery Beer Tub for only $2. Whatever you pull out of the tub, you have to drink! At 9:30 Red Letter Day takes the stage – that’s right, for this special occasion they’re bringing live music back. For the first time I can remember, there is NO COVER for anyone. Previously, you got in free to the Saucer’s Halloween parties if you showed your U.F.O. Club card. This year, you don’t need to show anything other than an ID to the doorman, and you’re in.

You don’t have to follow the dead rock star theme, but if you do, your chances of winning a prize in their costume contest will be better. They’ll do the contests while the band is on break, and will be giving away $500 in cash and prizes. 75 beers on tap, another 125 in bottles, beer flights, beer mixers, pool, darts, the Beer Goddesses dressed up in costume. Of the parties going on tonight, the Saucer is my top pick.

The Silly Goose will have the first of two Halloween parties tonight. Their Saturday party will feature a costume contest where you can win Goose cash. DJ Cody will provide the music. There will be another Goose party on Wednesday that will be more Fireball-centric, for those who are a fan of the cinnamon whisky.

Also, I don’t know exactly what’s happening at the Brass Door, but I see they pulled a permit to have a party in the alley tonight.

If you’re hosting a house party of your own tonight or Wednesday for Halloween, here’s a video that shows you how to make a keg out of a pumpkin.

About to head to South Main to watch the Hogs play the South’s biggest embarrassment, Ole Miss. No cover at Max’s Sports Bar. Best plan is to come from the east to get in quickly. Kickoff is 11:21.