Paul Ryburn's Journal

The Phoenix Club has set the date for their annual Mardi Gras party. It will be Saturday, February 11 at the Cadre Building at Second and Monroe. A $40 ticket gets you beer, wine and specialty cocktails from Silly Goose, Dan McGuinness, and other sponsors, as well as entertainment by The Covers and DJ Mario. They’ll have a full casino sponsored by Harrah’s, where you can buy Phoenix Bucks to gamble at blackjack, craps and roulette tables. At the end of the night you can use your Phoenix Bucks to enter raffles for prizes provided by Harrah’s, Oak Hall, the Redbirds, and others.

They’ll also have a VIP section for $35 more. It will be on the Cadre’s mezzanine, and there will be a premium stocked bar, wine, appetizers, beer and gaming tables. Budweiser has agreed to unveil new products in the VIP section before they’re released anywhere else in Memphis.

The Phoenix Club does a lot of good work supporting the Boys & Girls Club of Memphis, and so proceeds from your ticket price will be put to good use. You can buy tickets here.

Sorry for the late notification about this, but I just found out myself. Tonight is Max’s Sports Bar’s 4th anniversary party. There will be live music inside at 10 PM, and $2 Bud and Bud Light bottles.

If I remember correctly, they opened New Year’s Eve 1997, but why quibble about a couple of weeks’ difference? Cheap beer.

I’d like to ask a favor of all my readers. If you’ve heard of a bill in Congress called SOPA, but you don’t know exactly what it is, please click this link and read about SOPA now.

Up until today, I’d heard that it was something that a lot of people opposed, including big tech companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Twitter, and that I should oppose it too. Now that I’ve read about SOPA, I realize how much it could limit people’s freedom on the Internet. Honestly, if someone showed me this proposed law and asked me to guess which country was trying to put it into effect, I would guess China, Syria, or Iran. Please take the time to read about SOPA and make up your own mind, but to me it seems like it would send social media into the Dark Ages.

Okay, on with the news. Grace Askew plays an acoustic set at the Blind Bear from 8-11 PM tonight. Should be a good show and I plan on being there.

Congratulations to the Union Mission. Their expansion was approved by the Land Use Control Board yesterday, so they’ll soon have more space to serve those in need.

I’ve posted this once before, but in case you missed it, @RealTimeWWII is a great Twitter account to follow. It’s tweeting the Second World War day by day from 1939 to 1945. Today it’s tweeting wartime news as if it were January 13, 1940. Things are starting to heat up: Belgium is mobilizing its forces at the German border in preparation for an invasion, and Jews in Poland are being sent to labor camps. Berliners are required to get an ID card for their half-pint daily ration of skim milk. The account lets you learn about the war in a way not possible with history books. There are often links to photos or historical documents in the tweets.

This is really cool: Amazon now provides software to make documents available to Kindle devices. The documents are converted to PDF and then sent to Kindle. Over the past three years, I’ve typed up a lot of notes on poker books I’ve read. I’d love to have those notes on my Kindle Fire and iPhone Kindle App. The downside: I’m going to have to fire up my rarely-used netbook to get the files transferred, because the transfer tool is not yet offered for Mac OS.

All right, time for lunch. I’ll be at the Bear for Grace Askew’s show. Plans before and after TBD.

The Land Use Control Board has approved a proposal to rename Linden between the river and Danny Thomas as Dr. Martin Luther King Avenue. Most cities already have a thoroughfare honoring the civil rights leader, and it’s fitting that Memphis now has one too, 44 years after he was shot at the Lorraine Motel. Why Linden? It’s a high-traffic area because of Beale and the FedExForum, and it’s near the Clayborn Temple where Dr. King rallied sanitation workers.

The Memphis Daily News has a great article called Preserving the Magic about A.Schwab’s, the “dry goods” store that has been on Beale since 1876. The new owners want to hang on to what made the store one of a kind, while adding new things like live music and possibly a coffee and soda bar. “What does the street need A. Schwab to be? That’s what we’re trying to respond to,” said one of the new owners.

Are you fluent in a foreign language? A recruiter I stay in touch with needs bilingual help desk analysts. It helps if you have a background in IT, but more than anything she’s looking for bright, motivated people with excellent communication skills. It’s a 6 month contract to hire gig. Email me at paul@paulryburn.com if you’re interested, and I’ll put you in touch with her.

Fried chicken lovers: WKNO’s show Local Color will discuss the best places in Memphis to get fried chicken. The show airs tonight at 6:30.

This next link, Worst use of social media in 2012 by Scott Stratten, the author of UNmarketing, should be required reading for anyone who owns or manages a restaurant, or a retail business for that matter. The owner of a restauant in Atlanta called Boner’s BBQ reacted VERY badly to a negative customer review on Yelp. He posted her pic to the restaurant’s Facebook Wall, publicly insulted her, and generated a ton of negative publicity. When he finally realized he needed to apologize to curb the public’s anger, he did so in such an insincere way that he made an already-terrible situation even worse. Business owners: If you tend to react with anger when a customer posts a negative review, you need to hire a marketing consultant to run your social media presence so you don’t do something as stupid as Boner’s BBQ’s owner did.

AutoZone Park will install a new video board in right field before the start of the Redbirds’ season. At 60×60 feet with 1,440,000 pixels, it will be the largest HD display in minor league baseball. It will show field action replays, stadium promotions, fan cameras shots and sponsor recognition. Daktronics, a video display maker, will install the board. It’s said to be a larger display than ones Daktronics has installed in several NFL stadiums.

All right, time to go out in the snow and get lunch. They say this crap won’t stick to the roads. It better not. This snow has failed to meet my definition of a “good snow,” which happens overnight and comes in massive enough amounts to close the office (but not the bars).

If you’ve made it a goal to attend one Grizzlies game this season, but you haven’t picked which one yet, may I offer a suggestion… how about the Wednesday, February 29 game? That night the Grizzlies will partner with MIFA, with proceeds going to their Plus-1 program that helps families in need pay their utility bills. The Grizzlies host the Dallas Mavericks that night, and it’s possible that Z-Bo could be back by then. To buy tickets:

1. Click here to visit the Ticketmaster purchasing page
2. Click “find tickets”
3. Type MEMPHIS into the “special offer code” box, and click “verify”
4. Create an account or login if you already have one
5. Select your seats, complete your purchase, and your tickets will be emailed to you

Nothing like watching a little NBA basketball while helping Memphis families keep the lights on. Nice to see the Grizzlies forming these kinds of community partnerships.

In other FedExForum news: The Red Hot Chili Peppers concert, scheduled for February, has been rescheduled for April 12, according to Fox 13 reporter Lauren Lee. Frontman Anthony Kiedis is taking some time off to recover from foot surgery.

A&R Bar-b-Que has a special going on today and tomorrow, January 11 and 12. Purchase any BBQ sandwich and receive a free side item and fountain soda. Follow their Twitter account at @arbbq to keep up with specials.

Memphis Farmers Market is seeking a Market Manager. View this PDF for details. This appears to be a paid position. Really awesome opportunity for someone with business management skills who wants to make a difference with one of Memphis’ finest nonprofits.

In the news: Gwin Scott is resigning as the president of EmergeMemphis, the small business incubator on Tennessee Street. He’ll stay on approximately four more months while the board finds a new president.

Usual Wednesday night stuff going on tonight: Poker at Bardog (7:30), trivia at Blind Bear (8:00), Jeremy Stanfill plays the Silly Goose (9:30), Glass Night at the Saucer (7:00), Pint Night at South of Beale. Tigers host Southern Miss at FedExForum at 6:00. I’ll be out somewhere, plans as of yet TBD.

Wired Magazine posted an article today that I want to recommend to all my female readers, particularly those who hang out in Memphis’ nightclub scene: Check Your Drink for Roofies.

In my 10 years Downtown, I’ve known two women personally who believe they had been “roofied,” and have heard of a third case. To “roofie” someone means to add a drug to their drink, causing them to lose decision-making abilities and often consciousness within a short period of time. Victims also experience a sense of amnesia upon awakening. The most common drugs of this type include Rohypnol, GHB and ketamine. They are collectively known as the “date rape drugs” because they are used by predators to sexually assault victims. I highly recommend you click through and read the entire article, but here are a few key points:

– Since 1999, an ingredient has been added to Rohypnol to turn blue any liquid to which it is added. However, it can still be disguised in blue drinks. Therefore, be wary if a total stranger tries to buy you a Walk-Me-Down or a drink of similar color.

– The best way to avoid being roofied is to make it impossible for someone to slip substances in your drink. The article lists several “toppers” for cups and bottles.

– There are also items sold that you can use to test for the presence of date-rape drugs. These are in forms such as coasters, straws, and lipstick that can be kept in your purse and pulled out without arousing suspicion.

Fortunately my two friends who had this unpleasant experience were taken care of by friends and got home safely. I hope this article helps keep you safe too.

One final note: I hope those reading won’t take this as a sign that Downtown Memphis is unsafe. Any large city with a vibrant nightlife scene is going to have this happen from time to time. I’d be willing to bet that it happens a lot less frequently here than, say, New Orleans, Atlanta, or Miami.

Be safe everyone. Feel free to forward to anyone whom you think this would help.

South Main is getting a new smokehouse and saloon. The Daily News reports that Beignet Cafe on G.E. Patterson has closed, and a new restaurant called Double J Smokehouse and Saloon will open in its place. The owner of Beignet was unable to continue with his restaurant for personal reasons, so the space is being renovated into a smokehouse. They hope to open February 4 and will have a variety of ribs and steaks. More details here. I just hope customers don’t get hit over the head with a guitar… wait, that’s a different Double J, never mind.

(Hey, now and then we have to have a pro wrestling reference on the blog)

One of the best Memphis Twitterers, Mike Mathews, is active again. You may remember him as the “Watchdog on 3.” He’s moved to ABC 24, where he is now known as the “Bulldog on 24.” You can follow him at @bulldogonabc24. The new station appears to realize that his Twitter personality is much more of an asset than it is a liability. That fact alone makes me want to flip over to 24 rather than channel 3 when I want to watch the news.

Lanksy at the Peabody and Lansky 126 are having a sale. They sent me details, pasted below.

40% OFF : Select Clothing and Shoes from these brands at Lansky at The Peabody: Robert Graham, Nat Nast, Tailor Vintage, Donald J. Pliner Shoes, Bod & Christensen Leather Jackets, Thomas Dean Shirts,Stone Rose Shirts, Tommy Bahama Reversible Sweaters, Tallia Orange Sportcoats…

30-60% OFF: Select Shirts, Dresses, Jackets, Shoes and Denim at Lansky 126.

A preview link to the sale can be found here, although they will have more items for sale in-store than on the website. If you want to ask questions, their phone numbers are 901-529-9070 (Lansky at the Peabody) and 901-405-7625 (Lansky 126). As the owner of several Robert Graham shirts, I can tell you that 40% off represents significant savings.

Quote of the day that I saw on Facebook: “Alcohol preserves many things. DIGNITY is not one of them!” That fact was definitely demonstrated a couple of times last weekend.

News app The Daily is no longer iPad-exclusive. Mashable reports that The Daily is coming to some Android tablets.

Congrats to my friend Moody and all my other friends who are Bama fans on their 21-0 victory over LSU last night. No doubt they’re the national champions. One of my friends who is an LSU fan texted me, “After last night I’m rooting for Arkansas.” THERE YA GO!!! Congrats as well to my Hogs on their top-five finish in the season-end poll. Three of the top five from the SEC West!

Plans for tonight: Going to hit the Saucer about 6 for happy hour. I have a feeling LSU fan Lil’ Kim won’t be in the best mood tonight. At 8 I’ll walk over to the Blind Bear for poker with Jamie. In other words, just a normal Tuesday.

Look at the photo below.

You’re like, “who cares,” right? or “why the hell is he posting that?”

I’m posting it to make a point. Every summer a lot of my hot female friends travel to the beach. They oil themselves up and put on skimpy little bikinis. And then they take photos of themselves.

Of their FEET, specifically. Usually facing the ocean.

We don’t give a damn about your feet. Post a boob shot. An ass shot. Anything. Just not feet. We don’t care about feet. I’m trying to post this in the month farthest removed from summer vacation, so it won’t appear directed at any one person in particular. Because it’s not. But a lot of you need to do better in 2012.

I took the pic above tonight at the Silly Goose, after I lost at poker. I finished 5th I believe. I sat in that back corner in the lounge area and put my feet up. Damn it’s the first time I’ve done that and now I’m starting to understand why my friends hang out in lounges. That was friggin’ comfortable. I brought home Paul’s Drunkass Nachos. Moody is there screaming at the TV in a game I assume Bama is going to win. They have real poker tables. Hang on, let’s post a pic.

You know what I like about the Goose nachos? There’s none of that refried beans shit like you find at Taco Bell on their nachos. Just ground beef and cheese. And jalapenos and onions. The Enchirito is pretty good, if they make it right and load it up with cheese and sauce. Just to clarify, Taco Bell has the Enchirito. Not the Goose. Although, that would be pretty cool if the Goose had it.

I’d watch the rest of the game but I’ve been forgetting to pick up one of those boxes that Comcast has been telling me to get since last February. And yet I’m still paying the bill for cable. Yay me. Going to bed now.

If you’re pregnant and live in the 38103 ZIP code, there may be good news ahead for you. One of the members of our wacky state legislature has introduced a bill that would authorize a $50 payment to expectant mothers every time they visit their physician. The bill would target three ZIP codes where infant mortality is high, one of them being the ‘103. More details on Action News 5’s site.

The Daily News had a really good article today about Rizzo’s Diner chef Michael Patrick. Delicious food there – no less an authority on food than the Nuh-Uh Girl has proclaimed the Chef’s brunch to be amazing.

In the news: Saggy pants got a man kicked off Beale Street last weekend. His butt was hanging out, so the police asked him to leave the street. He got belligerent and started arguing, earning himself a trip to 201.

People who read this blog know that I’m a big fan of bacon, as are many of my friends. But, you gotta have something to eat with the bacon. Therefore, here’s a link to a WikiHow article on how to make deep fried eggs.

All right, about to head out for a little Monday night drinking. Bars still TBD.

Deering and Down’s new music video will premiere this Friday night at the Warehouse (36 E. G.E. Patterson). Doors open at 7, the video will be screened at 8, and at 8:30 Deering and Down will take the stage live. $5 cover, to help pay for the costs of making the video.

The January South Main Association meeting will be tomorrow night, Tuesday, January 10. On the agenda is the 2012 Board of Officers Election and…

Wait, wasn’t the election part of the December agenda?

Wait, wasn’t the election part of the November agenda?

WTH is going on with the SMA? Who knows. Anyway, this will be a good meeting, because Downtown Memphis Commission president Paul Morris will give the annual “State of Downtown” speech. Social at 6:00, election at 6:30 (and probably 6:30 again next month, the way things are going), Paul Morris at 6:45. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and beverages provided by the SMA. Only members in good standing can vote, so bring money to get your dues current. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

Tonight is the BCS title game. #1 vs. #2… LSU/Alabama, the rematch. Where to watch Downtown? My top recommendation would be Max’s Sports Bar, with 10 TVs. Get there about an hour early if you want a seat. If you want to go somewhere that is smoke-free, the Saucer will show the game on both big screens and their 5 other TVs (I’m assuming they will turn on the sound). Kooky Canuck is having specials for the game: $3 34 oz. Bud Light, $11.99 for 24 wings.

My plans for tonight: Pint Nite at the Saucer, although I don’t know how long I’ll stay. Saucer usually gets busy on the night of the BCS title game, and the guy/girl ratio tends to be even worse than normal. Maybe I’ll watch the game at the Blind Bear or Bardog. Or maybe I’ll just ignore the game (already knowing an SEC team is going to win) and play poker at the 7:30 game at the Silly Goose (second game at 10).