Paul Ryburn's Journal

When I go out on weekdays, the charge on my now 11-month-old iPhone 4S usually holds up just fine. I can Facebook, tweet, Foursquare, Evernote, Instagram, and play Zynga Poker to my heart’s content, and I usually come home at night with 25-50% of the battery left.

Weekends, however, can be a problem. Take today, for example. Saturday day shift has an all-star lineup behind the Downtown bars, with Panda Manda at Bardog, Ciara and Ranee at Max’s Sports Bar, and Christina at the Saucer. I plan on visiting all three between 11 and 5 today. Then I’ll go grab dinner somewhere and begin my evening rotation of Saucer/Bear/Saucer/Bear/Saucer/Bear. My phone battery will not hold up through all of that. On a typical Saturday, if I go out at 11, my phone is in the red zone (less than 20% left) by 6 PM. Not good, since I’m rarely done at 6. Sunday Fun Day, same thing. I start at the Majestic at 11 AM, and am usually out until 9 or 10 (or 12:30 AM, thanks to a certain bad influence last week). The phone will not make it without being charged.

So, I used to take a charger cord with me on the weekends. I’d plug it in next to the smoke eater at the Saucer; by the back rail at Max’s; in the plug next to Jezebel’s Couch at the Blind Bear. That worked, but it was far from ideal. For one thing, my phone was many feet away from me, so I couldn’t play with Facebook for the 20 minutes or so it took to charge 10%. Another issue was that, this being Memphis, I had to keep constant watch to make sure my phone wasn’t being stolen. If at any time my line of sight was blocked, I went over and unplugged it. And at the Saucer, you have to deal with kids. If kids got within 10 feet of my phone, I unplugged it.

A couple of months ago, I saw a solution. I was at Max’s when my friend Otto pulled out a PowerGen Juice Box, pictured at the top of this post. He plugged it in and had full access to his phone, while it charged – and it charged super quick. The next week my friend Mikey showed up with one. The following week my friend Katie Mac pulled one out at the Goose – and she got the deluxe version, which holds 4 iPhone charges instead of the one pictured here which holds 2. Two is more than enough, so I ordered the standard juice box a week after I saw Katie’s.

I love it. A few Saturdays ago, I hit all the day bars then decided to stop in the Majestic for dinner about 6:00. My phone was at 27% at the time. I hooked it up to the juice box. By the time I finished my roasted half-chicken with garlic mash 40 minutes later, the battery was up to 75%. That was enough to make it through the rest of the evening, and if it hadn’t been, three-fourths of the juice box’s power remained.

The one drawback to getting one of these is that you become “the guy who has a phone charger.” My popularity at the Saucer soared once the girls found out I had the PowerGen box with me. They all wanted to borrow it. Now I’m starting to see the servers with juice boxes of their own.

The juice box charges most Android devices, iPhones 4S and earlier, and iPads (although possibly not the new Mini rumored to debut this week). No idea if it charges CrapBerries. It will charge my Kindle Fire, and my Kindle Fire’s power cord will charge the juice box, so that works well. It comes with 8 different adapters to be able to handle most phones.

Easily $30 well spent. When I ordered it, it was estimated to ship in 4 days. It showed up in 2. That’s pretty typical Amazon. If you’re having trouble keeping your phone battery charged all day, this is a most worthwhile investment.

Last night I received reports from two different sources that the Cordova Flying Saucer received a case of Fireball to sell. Fireball is a cinnamon whisky which “tastes like heaven, burns like hell.” It is relatively inexpensive compared to most shots, and has become one of the most popular liquors Downtown. Now Cordova can get in on the fun. My recommendation to Cordovans is that you keep drinking Fireball until you forget you’re in a neighborhood that SUCKS. Enjoy the view of Germantown Parkway and the strip malls as you drink!

I hope this means that the Fireball at the Memphis Flying Saucer will happen soon. One argument I heard for not carrying Fireball is “why should we carry it, we already have Jager.” That makes no sense. On a weekend night when I don’t have to get up and go to work the next day, I could easily do four or five shots of Fireball. There is absolutely no way I would do four or five shots of Jager in one night. Besides, women love Fireball, and wouldn’t it be a good thing to get more women to hang out at the Downtown Saucer? If you’d like to see Fireball, be sure to mention it to the managers next time you go in.

“Like” FIREBALL WHISKY Memphis on Facebook to get information on Fireball promotions around town and chances to win cool Fireball gear.

In the past few months, I’ve really stepped up my use of Evernote, the cloud-based note-taking tool. I can make a new note on any device on which I have Evernote installed, or any device through which I can access Evernote via web browser. The note is then synced among all the other devices on which I have Evernote installed – MacBook, netbook, work computer, iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire. Because one or more of those devices is always with me, I have round-the-clock access to my notes, and round-the-clock ability to add new notes. Lately I’ve been thinking of new ways to use Evernote to keep my life in order. Here are some of the notes that have helped me:

Names – I am horrible at remembering names, and I feel bad when I’m out somewhere and someone goes “Hey, Paul,” and I’m like, “Uh…… yeah, hi.” So I’ve started a note to take down names of people I’ve just met. Next to each name I’ll put a brief physical description, where we met, as well as any other info that seems relevant (where they work, mutual friends, etc.) I’m still not batting 1.000 on people’s names but this has sure helped.

Convo topics – Sometimes I’ll be out and I’ll bump into someone I only see every two or three weeks. I’ll sit there at the bar and stare at the TV with them for an hour or two, and then when I’m home I’ll think, “Oh, damn! I meant to ask them about ______.” Evernote helps me remember these kinds of things, although now I sometimes find myself thinking, “Oh, damn! I forgot to pull up Evernote on my phone.”

Work ideas thought of outside of work – Almost none of my really good work ideas come to me while I’m sitting in a cubicle. Rather, I’ll be in the shower, or driving home from work, or walking around Downtown… and I’ll think of a PHP script that would solve an issue, a WordPress plugin I want to try, a third-party tool that might be useful, a quicker way of getting a lengthy web update done. I make a note of it. Checking this note is now part of my “first thing in the morning” routine when I get to work.

Non-work ideas thought of at work – The opposite of the previous note. So, let’s say I’m sitting at my desk, and I think to myself, “Hmm, I’m playing poker tonight at Max’s Sports Bar. I need to ask around if anyone wants to split a cab to the beer festival in Midtown this weekend.” I’ll pull up Evernote and make a quick note.

To blog – When I see things I need to write about on Facebook, Twitter, one of my iGoogle widgets, or the various other sources I use, I can clip the info to Evernote so I have quick access to it later. The real value in this note, however, comes when I’m out and about. Now and then people will tell me something which is a particularly juicy tidbit for the blog. Before Evernote, there was about a 50% chance that I’d forget what they told me before the next post. Now a lot more of that information sees the light of day.

Evernote has some other capabilities that help with the blog. For example, Double J posted info to Facebook about its parking lot party tomorrow… but the info was in the form of an image. No problem, I clipped the image to Evernote and there it was, ready to blog. Evernote also has a voice-note feature you can use with mobile devices. It saves the voice notes in Quicktime format to be played back. That feature is not one I personally have found useful, but others may like it.

Staff meetings – At work, I use a whiteboard to keep up with my current projects. For our Friday morning staff meetings, I’ll pull up Evernote on my work computer and take notes on what’s on the whiteboard. Then I’ll take my iPad to the meeting and voila – the note is there.

This wonderful, free note-taking tool has made me more productive at work, on the blog, and in my personal life. If you need help organizing and remembering things, you should consider giving it a try.

Set your DVRs, foodies: Memphis will be featured on another food-related TV show Tuesday, October 23. Chuck’s Eat the Street on the Cooking Channel focuses on streets that are not in the tourist districts, but that have restaurants that capture the essence of the city. For their Memphis episode, they have chosen my street: Main Street. The Peanut Shoppe, Felicia Suzanne’s, Grawemeyer’s, Rock’n’Dough Pizza, and the Rendezvous are the spots the show will hit. Not sure why Rendezvous made it, since it’s not on Main. The Daily News has more details here.

I am extremely pleased to see The Peanut Shoppe getting some much-deserved recognition. The people there are SO nice and they sell much more than just nuts – popcorn, candy, chocolates, gift tins. If you’re working Downtown today, why not stop at the Peanut Shoppe in your lunch hour (on Main between Madison and Monroe) and pick up a treat to take home to your kids?

Central BBQ tweeted this morning that they are now pouring cold beers at their Downtown location. Previously it had been BYOB while they got their license straightened out.

Want a free Grizzlies hat? Memphis-area C-spire stores are giving them away today, while they last.

Elmwood Cemetery is having a “Spirits with the Spirits” Halloween party tomorrow night that sounds really cool. Details here.

Like fresh pecans? “Pe-can” is the theme of the Memphis Farmers Market tomorrow. 7 AM to 1 PM at the Central Station Pavilion, Front at G.E. Patterson.

Tube top news: Miley Cyrus wore a tube top and gave her audience quite an eyeful recently.

Stuff going on tonight: Sandlot screening at AutoZone Park, gates at 6, movie at 7:30; South Main Haunts, a self-guided spooky history tour of South Main, 6:30-8:30.

Last night I started the evening at the Flying Saucer as usual, but didn’t stay long. It became clear that if any of my friends came in, I wouldn’t be able to talk to them without someone hovering around and repeatedly interrupting our conversation. So I moved to the Blind Bear. Glad I did.

At the Bear I ran into a couple of people from Memphis Segway Tours. After a brief training session, you roll around Downtown on a Segway while a tour guide tells you about the Peabody, Beale, the river, the Civil Rights Museum, Cotton Row, and many more attractions. They told me that for people new to Downtown, it’s a great way to see everything quickly, and then you can pick and choose what you want to go back and spend more time seeing.

The Segways are said to be a lot of fun to ride. You control them with your body, and it’s easy once you get the hang of it. This being Downtown, someone asked, “can you bring alcohol on the tour?” Unfortunately you can’t.

One of my Facebook friends is posting that she’s all excited about the Hernando Water Tower Festival tonight. Makes me think… how many of you know what The Pineapple is? It’s a plant in a planter on Main and Union that looks like (but is not) a pineapple. It has become a popular Foursquare checkin venue for people who walk by. Maybe The Pineapple needs its own festival. We could do a Hawaiian theme and get Don Ho to perform… (checks Wikipedia) Oh damn, he’s dead. We’ll have to come up with a Plan B then.

My plan for tonight is to check in at The Pineapple, then decide between South Main Haunts and Flying Saucer Beer. I guess there’s time to do both…

Today’s post starts with Sunday Fun Day news: Double J Smokehouse and Saloon has scheduled the first of many parking lot parties to come for this Sunday, October 21. There will be live music by the Southern Edition Band and Jeff Ivy. There will also be a cornhole tournament for two-person teams, starting at 3 PM with two $25 gift certificates to the winners. At 6 PM there will be a BBQ slider eating competition, winner take all with a $50 gift certificate to the winner. Bring in your already-carved pumpkin for public judging 3-6 PM, with the owner of the winning pumpkin getting a $25 certificate. Inside, NFL Sunday Ticket will have all the games on in the Double J and upstairs in the Loft Bar, and there will be (ugh) karaoke on the Front Porch Stage at 7 PM. $1 from every beer sold will benefit the Streetdog Foundation. Should be a lot of fun. The Double J is at 124 East G.E. Patterson Avenue, about a block east of South Main Street.

Too bad my buddy Duck Finkley is on the boat right now… I bet he’d be all over that BBQ slider eating contest.

The Hungry Memphis blog has information about this Saturday’s Harbor Town Beer Festival. There are going to be SEVENTEEN beer/food pairings. Seventeen.

Need a new pair of sunglasses? SEE Memphis on the Main Street Mall will have an Oakley trunk show tonight from 5 to 7:30. For every pair sold, $20 will be donated to Young Survivors’ Coalition of Breast Cancer, and $2 to the American Cancer Society. There will be music, wine, and snacks. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

Rizzo’s Diner has a new website. Check it out here.

Joe Guyton will play the Cavern tomorrow night, Friday October 19, at the Brass Door. Doors open at 8 and the cover is $5.

The Better Business Bureau’s Secure Your Identity Day is this Saturday in the Commercial Appeal’s parking lot. If you have documents you don’t need anymore, bring them and shred them for free. You can also bring used cell phones, AC adapters, and batteries for recycling. The CA is on Union Avenue just east of Danny Thomas. Hours are 9 AM to noon.

How-to of the day: How to make a Tiramisu Martini.

That’s all I’ve got for now… I’ll be out at the usual places in the Downtown core around sixish.

The Memphis Farmers Market wraps up in a couple of weeks, and they will have a Harvest Celebration to mark the end of the season on Sunday, November 4 from 4 to 7 PM. It will be at the Central Station Pavilion near Front and G.E. Patterson, the same location where they hold their weekly markets.

The centerpiece of the celebration will be a heavy hors d’oeuvres station described as the best in the city. Just look at this lineup of participating restaurants!

• Alchemy
• Amerigo
• Bleu
• Bluff City Coffee
• Cheffie’s Cafe
• Green Beetle
• Elegant Farmer
• Felicia Suzanne’s
• Interim
• Mosa
• Napa Cafe
• Rizzo’s Diner
• Sweet Magnolia Ice Cream
• Trolley Stop Market

Also, the cost of your ticket includes Ghost River beer and wine by Athens Distributors and Blackstone Winery.

The theme for the celebration will be “Barnyard Ball.” They will have music by Bluff City Backsliders and Deering & Down. There will be square dancing and clogging performances, and also a “Boots & Buckles” contest. Requested attire is “Barnyard Chic.” I have absolutely no idea what that means. Next time I see my friend who has a Downtown residence but hangs out in Hernando every weekend, I’ll ask. She’ll surely know.

The event is a fundraiser for the Farmers Market, so come on out and support this great Downtown institution. Tickets are $35 in advance, or $45 at the door. You can get them in advance on the Memphis Farmers Market website. Tickets will also be sold at the market the next two Saturdays.

Severe weather is headed into the Mid-South this evening. The best Memphis weather site, MemphisWeather.net, reports that a squall line will approach the Mississippi River in the 7-10 PM time frame and move quickly east, bringing the possibility of straight-line winds. The threat is severe enough that you should prepare for the possibility of power outages and trees down. Yikes. Not good. At least it won’t move through during rush hour. Tornadoes and large hail are also possible.

Max’s Sports Bar will open at 2:30 today for the Cardinals game. They will have $3 drafts and $1 hot dogs until 7.

Last night I saw one of those things that made me glad to be a Downtowner. There was a kid on the patio of the Majestic Grille with a sign reading “It’s my B-Day.” Every time a trolley would roll by, he’d hold up his sign and the trolley would toot its whistle to wish him a happy birthday.

WWE Smackdown was filmed last night at the FedExForum. If you can’t wait for the TV show on Friday, you can read spoilers of the match results here and read about Jerry “The King” Lawler’s appearance here.

The first 25 inductees into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame have been announced. Find out who they are here. I’ll go ahead and spoil 4% of the surprise and tell you that one of them is Elvis.

Broadway musical Catch Me if You Can runs at the Orpheum this week. Find info and tickets about the performance here. Attn Sunday brunch crew: I’ll be skipping the Majestic this Sunday because it always gets super-packed with Orpheum crowds prior to the 1:30 performance.

Early voting for the November election starts today. Visit the Shelby County Election Commission website for a list of early voting locations. You can vote early at any location; if you vote the day of the election, you must vote at your precinct.

The Green Beetle is hiring servers and delivery drivers. Come by in person between 2 and 4 PM to apply.

There are two Sunset Happy Hour events remaining at the Peabody this year. You can come up to the rooftop and enjoy a relaxing cocktail while watching the sun set over the river. Events last from 4:30 to 8:30 PM and are Friday, October 19 and Wednesday, October 31 (Halloween).

Plans for tonight: Nothing unusual for a Wednesday. Beers at the Saucer, then trivia night at the Blind Bear at 8. Weather could make the 1-block walk from Saucer to Bear rather unpleasant, but I’ll deal with it.

The big event Downtown tonight is WWE Smackdown at the FedExForum. Friday’s TV show will be taped tonight. The main event is Sheamus defending his world title in a Triple Threat match with Alberto Del Rio and the Big Show. Also, Jerry “The King” Lawler will make his return after recovering from a heart attack last month. Other names to appear include Daniel Bryan, Kane, Cody Rhodes, and Sin Cara.

I don’t know why but I really hate Sin Cara. Remember several years ago, when Mr. McMahon beat up Eric Bischoff and threw him in the back of a garbage truck? I wish someone would do that to Sin Cara.

Kerry posted the Downtown Dining Week menus to her I Love Memphis blog yesterday. About half the restaurants are still listed as “menu coming soon,” but for those posted, I have a few comments:

1) Aldo’s Pizza Pies: Any appetizer with any 18 inch pizza for $20.12 is an incredible value. Some of the 18 inch pizzas run in the $25 range by themselves.

2) Bardog Tavern: The roasted chicken poblano chowder is an appetizer choice. GET IT. One of my very favorite specials. Many Saturdays I have eaten this delicious chowder while hanging out at Panda Manda’s bar with my “dawg” John D.

3) South of Beale: Duck fried rice. GET IT.

In other food news, the Memphis Flyer’s Hungry Memphis blog has pics of the new Central BBQ Downtown location. Food looks fantastic. I really want some of those handmade chips with blue cheese.

If you’re in the mood for a road trip, the World Cheese Dip Championship will be decided this weekend over in Little Rock. The event is at the Clinton Presidential Center and tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door.

I wonder if Little Rock restaurant Mexico Chiquito will be competing? Their cheese dip is probably the best I’ve ever had.

I found a cool Mashable article about a New York restaurant that is using Instagram to enhance its menus. I wonder if that will catch on and be the next big thing with restaurants.

Tonight is the second presidential debate, and lots of debate drinking games are springing up. The president of the Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol-Free Foundation says “It is most disrespectful to the democratic process and just another immature excuse for excessive drinking.” Whatever, lady. Lighten up.

Bardog will be showing the debate in the Underdog Room, if you’re looking for a place to watch.

Fun night last night. I started at the Blind Bear, where one of my drinking buddies bragged about how much cooler she is than her mom and sister. About 9 I got a text from someone at the bar at Aldo’s Pizza Pies: “Maddison is asking why you’re not here.” You know you spend too much time in bars when that kind of thing starts happening. Anyway, we went over there, and Maddison proved that bald is beautiful as she served me a $3 Pint Nite Pacifico with extra limes. Next stop was the Silly Goose. I hate it that I haven’t played Muruako’s poker game the past couple of weeks, but there’s just so much else happening on Mondays. Next up I got my 110th consecutive day checked in at the Saucer out of the way, then took home a Senor Huey prepared as a turkey burger. Muy bueno. Excellent Monday night.

I absolutely must get to bed early and catch up on sleep, so no poker for me at the Blind Bear tonight. I’ll hit the Saucer for a few beers about 6, then that will probably be it.

Good news for fans of food trucks: There will be a food truck rodeo this Friday, October 19, at the Commercial Appeal at 495 Union. It will last from 11 AM to 1:30 PM and they will have trucks from Fuel, Central BBQ, MarksGrill, Rock’n’ Dough, and Kona Ice. CA food writer Jennifer Biggs will be there, and they hope to have some of the panelists (chefs, foodies, etc.) from their new Southern Tastes food section. The rodeo will benefit the United Way of the Mid-South.

Thursday, November 1 is going to be a good day. Justin Bieber will be at the FedExForum at 7 PM. Now, it may surprise you to see me write that, and indeed, I’m not a fan of The Biebs at all. But, do you remember when Justin Timberlake played the FedExForum? Downtown was crawling with hot women in sexy outfits. I suspect the same thing will happen on the 1st. Best people-watching day of the year.

There will be a dog show on Mud Island on Sunday, October 28. It will be at Nursery Park. 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, Least Obedient, and Best in Show will be awarded. Search Facebook for “10th Annual Harbor Town Dog Show presented by Downtown Animal Hospital” for more information. All dogs living on Mud Island and the staff of Downtown Hooters are invited to compete.

Looooong day yesterday. Majestic for mimosas, then some PBRs at Blind Bear, then a couple of Dos Equis Lagers at Flying Saucer. At that point I realized I needed a break, so I got a classic Chinese dish, kung pao chicken, from Yao’s. I took it home to eat. After that I was back out to Aldo’s Pizza Pies to see Kyla on her last day, then on to the Blind Bear for a second visit. The Nuh-Uh Girl showed up for poker in a really ugly UT hat. Last stop was Silly Goose, where I pushed it past midnight. Sunday Fun Day, done like a pro!

Of course, not everyone celebrates Sunday Fun Day the same way. As I was getting ready to go to the Majestic, one of my Foursquare friends checked in at Chuck E. Cheese in Horn Lake. “The transition from Downtown diva to suburban soccer mom is complete,” I commented. Her best friend added, “Yep. No more tube tops. It’s sweat pants and minivans from now on.”

While at the Majestic, another of my Foursquare friends checked in at the Flying Saucer in Charlotte. He posted a pic of the free brunch they had for UFO Club members. Then he commented that they had TWELVE beers on Fire Sale for $3, but he was drinking a PBR, which was cheaper than any of the Fire Sales. Um… Memphis Saucer, are you taking notes?

Forecast for tonight is beer with a high probability of drunk pics showing up on Facebook. I’ll be out about 6:30.

Tonight is Kyla’s last shift. If you’re a Kyla fan, get by and see her one last time at the bar tonight. She starts at 5 and the restaurant closes at 11.

Downtown’s loss is Midtown’s gain, though. She’ll be the new happy hour bartender at Slider Inn from 3 to 8 Monday through Friday. Kyla is a great bartender, and, as you can see, she wears a lot of tube tops. I’m sure she will build up a good happy hour clientele. If you’re in Midtown, get by and see her after work.