Paul Ryburn's Journal

Very tired today, a result of staying out later than I expected last night. About 10:15 PM I was at the Saucer, about to pay my tab and head home, when several police cars roared down Second, blue lights flashing. About 10 minutes later I saw a swarm of teenagers – hundreds, it seemed – walking off Beale Street. Apparently some kids had been shooting fireworks on the street. The police, in no mood for shenanigans after losing one of their own Sunday, cleared Beale about 10:20.

That sent hundreds of teens, rather ticked off and some carrying fireworks, onto the streets of Downtown Memphis. I watched at the Saucer window for the next hour and a half as the cops closed off streets. They intercepted the large groups and told them to go home. MPD was not messing around. By about 11:40 the streets were clear, and it was time to get to-go food and call it a rather late night. Some of the restaurants on Second closed early because of the mobs of kids, but thankfully Bardog’s kitchen was still open. The Dog of the Day was once again my late-night snack.

Speaking of Bardog, the Salty Dogs running club that meets there every Monday is having an interesting event next week. They’ll be doing a Mud Island Planking Run, a 3-6 mile course. On the way runners will stop and find interesting places to plank. Planking, also known as the lying down game, involves lying face down, arms touching the sides of the body, feet pointed face down, in an unusual place. Photos must be taken of the planking event and posted to the Internet. The craze started in Australia earlier this year, and became a big deal at Bardog a few weeks ago. Glad to see the runners’ group has adopted planking. Meet at Bardog at 7 PM Monday, July 11. New runners are always welcome.

Thinking about making a major purchase – a computer, a refrigerator, a car? For today only, the entire Consumer Reports review archive is free to the public.

It’s Tuesday and that means trivia. Kevin Cerrito continues trivia in the party room at Ferraro’s (8:00), with $15 all-you-can-eat-and-drink pizza and PBR. The Silly Goose has trivia at 8 as well, with Charles calling questions in a style similar to the old Saucer format. Weekly prizes and points toward a cumulative $300 summer prize. I’ll be at the Goose. Will probably pre-game at either the Saucer or Bardog (I’ll decide after seeing where people are checked in on Foursquare) from about 6 to 7:30. It’s Pint Night at Bardog with all drafts $3 from 7 PM to 3 AM.

That’s it for now. About to go grab lunch, even though that will only make me more sleepy.

Well, I just had to scrap a post I had saved in Drafts.

I was going to talk about how I hadn’t spent enough time on this blog expressing my gratitude to those who have served this country. Soldiers, Marines, airmen, sailors, those in the National Guard and Coast Guard. Our police officers, firefighters and EMTs. I even had an image of a hottie in an American flag tube top dress.

But last night, we got a chilling reminder of what it means to serve. A reminder that happened all too close to home.

About 7 PM, there was a disturbance at the Doubletree Hotel at Third and Union. Officer Timothy Warren, one of the EDU (Entertainment District Unit) police officers, responded. As Officer Warren was in a stairwell, a suspect stepped out of a connecting doorway and shot him in the head. The officer was pronounced dead at the Med. He was the first MPD officer to die in the line of duty in seven years. He’d been on the force since July 2003.

My condolences and prayers to Officer Warren’s family and friends, and especially to his fellow officers. I simply cannot imagine how it must feel.

My deepest appreciation for the officers of the EDU and all the officers of the Memphis Police Department. Thank you for keeping Downtown safe, allowing me to go out and do the things I do every day.

More on the shooting can be found here.

My friend DJ David the Worm debuts his new night at Sky Grille tonight. It’s called Alternative Nation and it’s in the space formerly known as Quetzal, now Sky Grille, at the corner of Union and Marshall. Here’s what he had to say about the new night:

“Alternative/Indie/Electronic Body Music/Post-Punk/Futurepop/Nu Rave/Indietronica/Dark Wave . . . there’s only one place (SKY GRILLE), one night (SUNDAYS) and one dj (DAVID THE WORM) who brings them all together for you. Wrap up your weekend at the main room bar and dancefloor or under the stars on the rooftop patio listening to Arcade Fire, Editors, Cruxshadows, Hurts, Crystal Castles, etc. and some classics like Depeche Mode, New Order and The Cure. It all gets started at 8 pm. NO COVER!!!”

It’s a long holiday weekend, so throw on a tube top (unless you’re a guy) and come check out Alternative Nation.

Right now, though, it’s 10:24 AM, which means Sunday Fun Day is 36 minutes away. No change in plans. Majestic Grille at 11, smoke-free Flying Saucer at 12. Whiny crybaby smokers can go elsewhere if they choose, but it’s business as usual for Sunday Fun Day.

Since this blog tends to be of interest mainly to guys during Tube Top Month, I thought it would be appropriate to do a post for the ladies.

Delphinium, the boutique on G.E. Patterson in the Arcade building, is running its biggest sale since the store opened 5 years ago. The deals below run through July or while supplies last.

Bare Escentuals Eye Shadow Pots & Eye Liner Pots~Buy One, Get One FREE!

Bare Escentuals Lip Glosses~40% Off

Snoot Scents Lotions, Bath Gel, & Body Sprtiz~Buy One, Get One FREE!

Wry Baby Snap Suits~50% Off

Miss Oops!~75% Off

Napa Shaving Soap Travel Sizes~75% Off

Archipelago Milk Bath Products~50% Off

Hand Woven Fair Trade Belts~50% Off

Select Jewelry~50% Off

75% Off Accessories Sale Table

Thursday night I played poker at Max’s Sports Bar, in their regular Thursday night Buzztime hold’em tournament. Didn’t win, but I came away with a couple of pieces of news that I wanted to share.

First of all, Max’s now sells the table rub that they use on their BBQ nachos. It would be good on beef, chicken, poultry, pork, pretty much any meat. I imagine it would even be good on tofu, if you can get past the fact that tofu kinda sucks. Here’s a picture of Michele holding the table rub:

It sells for $5.50 a bottle.

In other news, Max’s is giving away a golf bag.

Wouldn’t you be proud to walk around the golf course broadcasting the message “I drink shitty beer” with this lovely bag? Get an entry to win every time you drink a Mich Ultra between now and July 30. $2.75 Mich Ultra on Mondays.

And in closing and in keeping with the month’s theme on this blog, here’s a pic of Max’s Sports Bar regular Gloria in a tube top. (pic wasn’t taken at Max’s though)

I started last night at the newly SMOKE-FREE Flying Saucer. It was wonderful. The air in the Saucer no longer resembled the sky in Los Angeles. I could BREATHE. It was so different. As for people’s claims that the Saucer would be dead now that it’s no-smoking, I arrived to find about 10 of my friends there. They’d been there all afternoon. Some had taken a half-day off; others had their laptops and were using the Saucer’s Wi-Fi to work (must be nice).

At 8:00 I moved down the street to Kooky Canuck for their Canada Day celebration. They had a poutine eating contest and my friends Joe and Jason were in it.

The day we’ve been waiting for is finally here! It’s July 1 and the Flying Saucer is SMOKE FREE! A lot of people are gathering around 7:30 to enjoy their first smoke-free beer, but I’ll be there earlier, around 6 probably. Come join the celebration!

At 8 I’ll wander down the street to Kooky Canuck, where my friend Joe will participate in their poutine eating contest. Poutine, for those who have never had it, consists of fries topped with gravy and Canadian cheese. It’s part of their Canada Day celebration. They’ll have Canadian bottles of beer for $2 all day today, and $5 34 oz. 40 Tea. They will also have a special Canadian menu of split pea soup, app’eh’tizers of perogies and poutine, entr’eh’s of Montreal steamies and tourtiere, and desserts of butter tarts and Nainamo bars. Suggested attire: a tube top with the Canadian maple leaf on it. Or any tube top really.

Yeah I didn’t know what tourtiere was either. It’s a meat pie. Here’s a link to the Wikipedia entry on tourtiere.

It’s also Hustle & Flow night at the Orpheum, 7:15 showtime but come early for a talk by Craig Brewer.

Another Downtown Groupon today: $10 for $20 worth of food at The Pig on Beale.

Buses and trolleys have reduced fares of 25 cents once again today, thanks to the ozone alert.

Time to grab a quick lunch, then start counting down the hours until I can have my first SMOKE FREE beer!!!!!

Mashable had an article about a VERY cool app this morning that I hope gets some use in Memphis. See Click Fix lets citizens report potholes, graffiti and other neighborhood problems. Officials in other cities have started paying attention to this app, and fixes/results seem to come much more quickly than through the old-fashioned method of reporting: phone calls to City Hall. I see that the Center City Commission and Memphis Public Works already monitor this app.

Speaking of Mashable, congrats to the folks behind local startup Work for Pie, which was featured on the site today.

Today’s Living Social deal is a good one: $10 for $20 worth of food at Bangkok Alley. Mmmm… haven’t been there in a while. I see some green curry and a sushi roll in my future plans.

’80s hair band cover band Aquanet plays the Peabody rooftop party tonight. I just cannot say enough about how awesome this band is. Def Leppard, Warrant, Poison, Motley Crue, etc. Food buffet (included in price of admission) will have an all-American 4th of July theme this week, with hot dogs with toppings, potato salad, corn on the cob, and watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew. The VIP section’s buffet will include burger sliders, potato skins, baked beans and potato chips. Arrive early for the chance to win a New Belgium Cruiser from Budweiser. Also, the Orpheum will be there distributing tickets and swag for its Summer Movie Series. $10 cover includes first drink, ladies free before 7. Since we’re halfway through the season, they’ve reduced the price of their VIP season passes to $50.

Over at the Madison, Grammy-nominated bluesman Preston Shannon will play tonight. Doors open at 5:30, party from 6 to 10. $7 cover. Cash bar, special rooftop terrace menu with tapas and small plates. If you’re a First Tennessee employee you get in free this week by showing your ID card.

25 cent rides on MATA buses and trolleys today, due to the ozone alert.

There’s a public meeting at BRIDGES, 477 N. Fifth, from 5:30 to 7:00 this evening. It’s the first of three meetings to plan for Uptown West, the section of Uptown between Second and the Wolf River Harbor.

Karaoke is evil, but if you insist on singing it, tonight is Downtown’s best karaoke night. Ferraro’s Pizzeria and Pub has karaoke tonight from 8 to 11, with $15 all-you-can-eat pizza and all-you-can-drink PBR. The pizzeria is located at the corner of Main and Jackson, across the street from Westy’s. Get your karaoke fix on a Thursday and you won’t have to waste a weekend night on it!

Dynaflow, well-known for their gigs in the South Main area, will make a trip to Midtown tonight to play the Buccanneer.

Smoke ’em if you got ’em: Today is your last chance to light up a cigarette at the Flying Saucer. I won’t miss the smoke at all, but I will miss the $2 Coronas at Bardog Tavern. Last day for those as well.

Plans for tonight: Haven’t made up my mind yet. I’ve really been enjoying poker at Max’s Sports Bar lately. On the other hand, I really like Aquanet, and there will be excellent tube top watching on the Peabody rooftop tonight. Who all is going? One way or another, a fun Thursday night is ahead.

Thur 7:15 AM: ARGH. I typed this yesterday after work and forgot to hit Publish. Sorry. Was freaked out by a bad wreck I saw on I-55, I guess.

I spent my lunch hour renewing my car tags, so no time for a lunchtime update, sorry. So nice to have that little red “12” sticker and be done with lines and inspections for another year.

Great Groupon today. $4 for $8 worth of frozen yogurt and toppings at Dream Berry. This is the new self-serve frozen yogurt place on Main across from Local. I tried it for the first time Saturday and it was very good.

The city’s only REAL Best of Memphis poll, the one conducted by the Memphis Flyer, will begin voting in two weeks. In advance, they are taking nominations for four categories: Best Restaurant Server, Best Bartender, Best Local Singer, and Best Local Band. Those with the most nominations will get on the ballot. Make your nominations here.

Earlier this week I blogged that Hustle & Flow will be shown at the Orpheum Friday night at 7:15, with a talk by filmmaker Craig Brewer. BB King’s and Itta Bena have deals for theater-goers that night: Show your ticket for free admission at BB’s, or show your ticket at Itta Bena for a free appetizer with the purchase of an entree.

According to the site PocketFives.com, the 9th District’s Steve Cohen is on board as an original sponsor of Rep. Joe Barton’s (R-TX) bill to legalize online poker. Very, very happy to see Steve standing up for our rights, and participating in this bipartisan effort.

In the news: There’s a movement to get Third Street added as part of the Blues Trail. Of course, Third crosses Beale, home of the blues. It also is the western boundary of Uptown Square, formerly Lauderdale Courts, where Elvis lived when he was a kid.

For those who want a good viewing spot for the July 3 fireworks (two shows – on the river and at AutoZone Park), the Peabody will have the rooftop open. No cover, and they will have a cash bar available from 8 to 11. Suggested attire: Red, white and blue tube tops. (My suggestion, not the Peabody’s.)

The Redbirds are partnering with the Lone Survivor Foundation for their Salute to Armed Forces game this Saturday, July 2. The foundation’s mission is to inspire, empower and renew hope for our wounded warriors and their families. It was founded by the only Navy SEAL to survive Operation Red Wing in Afghanistan. $5 of each ticket purchased for the July 2 game will go to the foundation.

Plans for tonight: Edit: Irrelevant since I forgot to hit Publish. Went to the Saucer, drank beer. Blah.

Bunch of linky links in this Tuesday lunchtime post.

First up: CBSSports.com posted a list of the top NBA free agents on their Eye on Basketball blog. Of the 40 free agents, who was number one on the list? The Grizzlies’ very own Marc Gasol. They cited his youth, talent, playoff run and the fact that centers are at a premium in the league. Congratulations to Marc on making the top of the list. Let’s get him signed!

Next up: The Memphis Flyer had an article about the new Thai Bistro to open on Madison. Super excited about this new restaurant. With Thai Bistro and Brass Door both scheduled to open next month, the block of Madison between Second and Third will finally rock after years of neglect.

The Flyer also had an article about Slider Inn, set to open next month at Peabody and Cooper. Bardog Tavern owner Aldo Demartino is the man behind the new restaurant. Midtowners, let me tell you, if you’ve never been to Bardog, you’re in for a treat when Slider Inn opens. Great food, and I would guess the service will be up to Bardog’s high standards.

The CA had an article about new Memphis and Shelby County Office of Sustainability administrator Paul Young, and his plans for his new job. He outlined some “low-hanging fruit” he intends to go after, and one of the items is Downtown-related. He wants more recycling containers down here. They will encourage apartment buildings and condos to adopt recycling plans. I think that is an EXCELLENT idea. He points out that tourists from other cities will come here and see that we take care of “the little things” like recycling. Very very good idea and I’ll be happy to use my blog to spread the word about future recycling efforts.

I’ll do a longer post about Thursday’s Peabody rooftop party later in the week, but for now I just want to mention that Aquanet is playing. They’re the ’80s hair band cover band that is just awesome. Lots of Motley Crue, Ratt, Poison, all the good stuff. Brings back fond memories of Kelly Bundy in a tube top. I’ve been playing poker at Max’s a lot on Thursday nights, but I may have to skip poker this week. Who all is going to the rooftop? Guess I’ll ask that question on Facebook.

The usual Tuesday night stuff happens tonight: Trivia at Ferraro’s Pizzeria with $15 all-you-can-eat pizza and all-you-can-drink PBR; pint night at Bardog from 7 to 3 with all draft pints $3; $5 half-yards of beer at Bar None; trivia at the Silly Goose, 8 PM start time. The Rapscallions team has re-formed at the Goose, and although last week we had problems getting answers in on time (totally my fault), we’re starting to dominate like we used to at the Saucer. If the new team member who joined us last week is reading this, you’ll be welcomed back if you decide to return.

Time for a quick bite. Thinking it will be a Big Mac today.