Paul Ryburn's Journal

Yep. Raiford’s tonight. Nikki (pictured above) went out of her way to make sure everyone knew she had a tube top on. I like it.

Yeah, yeah, I know… sorry for the lack of a lunchtime post today, but I was having issue with a major company’s support site. I was just too ticked off to write anything worth reading.

In case you missed the news, eight people tried to board the trolleys and falsely claim injury after yesterday afternoon’s trolley crash. My God. Some people are just unbelievable. Way to keep it classy, there, Memphis.

Speaking of the trolleys, they’re 25 cents tomorrow due to high ozone in the atmosphere. MATA buses will be 25 cents too.

The Memphis Business Journal print edition had an article on the Krispy Krunchy Chicken going in at 51 S. Main. They’re going to knock down the back wall and use the full building, so it will be twice as large as the space was when it was Hari’s and Renee’s Sandwich Shop.

The Redbirds are having a fireworks game tonight if you’re looking for something to do (and don’t mind 99 degree heat). Game at 7:05, fireworks afterward. Breakfast at Tiffany’s plays at the Orpheum (with Little Black Dress contest), and Michael Buble is at the FedExForum.

Weird weekend… most of the crew I hang with are out of town on a canoe trip. I was invited but declined because I’m not a great swimmer. No intention of staying home alone all weekend though. I plan to get out and hit some places I haven’t been in a while, make my own fun. I’ll have the camera with me and will post a report if anything interesting happens.

Or maybe I won’t, depending on what kind of fun I get into…

Two trolleys collided yesterday in the Pinch, sending several people to the hospital. The trolley line lost power, sending one trolley crashing into the other. The Memphis Flyer has a pic here. This comes four days after a trolley caught fire outside the Majestic Sunday morning.

Suggestion for MTV: Have the fifth season of Jersey Shore here, and have the cast run MATA for their job. They couldn’t do any worse than the current MATA executives.

Fun fact I learned today: Fred Smith saved FedEx by taking its last $5,000 and gambling it into $32,000 in Vegas. Thanks to @finnious for tweeting that; he tweets a lot of interesting stuff and is a good person to follow on Twitter.

It’s rooftop party Thursday, and the weather is so hot that a tube top is pretty much mandatory attire. Almost Famous plays the Peabody rooftop tonight. Buffet (included in price of admission) has an Asian theme this week, with teriyaki chicken kabobs, vegetarian egg rolls, and pork fried rice. Buffet in VIP will consist of fried dumplings, California rolls, and chicken chow mein. Also, if you hold a VIP pass there’s a private party in Corner Bar for you from 5 to 6, with fried ravioli, crab cakes, mini Kobe burgers, and Yuengling. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

Meanwhile, over at the Madison, Brian “Breeze” Cayole will play his soulful sounds rooted in the tradition of his hometown, New Orleans. $7 cover, cash bar and tapas available.

It’s Thursday and the Redbirds have a home game, which means all-you-can-eat seats will be available. For $18 you get a seat and access to a 2-hour long buffet. All you can eat? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

Trying to decide between Peabody rooftop and poker at Max’s tonight. Both are good options. Heat may sway me in favor of Max’s though. Time to grab a lunch, outta here for now.

I regret that I have to start my Wednesday lunchtime post with some bad news. Multiple sources report that a body was found last night in the area of Elvis Presley Blvd. and Winchester. The clothing matches what Beale Street ambassador Rudy Williams had on when he was last seen, and the location is only a few blocks from where Rudy lived. I suspected the worst, and sadly it looks like I was right. As bluesman Eric Hughes said this morning, Rudy has a new gig, playing out in front of Heaven, welcoming folks.

On to better news: CNBC reports that investors from around the country will gather in Memphis tomorrow to hear pitches from six teams. These teams have been through the SeedHatchery entrepreneurial boot camp for the past 90 days, receiving $15,000 startup funds and intense mentoring. They went through 60 activities to build their skills, and now they’ve reached the point where they are ready to leave the nest. Good luck to all the teams. I follow several of them on Twitter and have been amazed by all the hard work they’ve put in since February.

One of the teams produced an iPhone app named Krikle. Krikle is an augmented-reality app that lets you write on a virtual graffiti wall at any location. The graffiti you leave is then visible to other Krikle users through their phone’s camera. Really neat idea. I downloaded the app this morning and plan to have some fun trying it out tonight.

Here’s an interesting link I saw today: How to Make Deep Fried Beer.

Bikers: If you’re going to Bikes on Beale tonight, show your keys at BB King’s and you’ll get in for free, and you’ll get specials including $2.50 PBR, half off select appetizers, and 20% off any regularly priced retail item in their store.

Other stuff going on tonight: Redbirds play Albuquerque at 7:05. Ladies, with a heat wave moving in, a tube top would make great ballpark attire. It’s also pint night at South of Beale, ladies’ night at Bar None, poker night in the Underdog Room at Bardog (7:30), and Jeremy Stanfill plays the Silly Goose (9:30). I’ll probably be out somewhere playing with Krikle on my phone!

Wanted to link to a couple of interesting articles before going out for the night:

First of all, local startup stiQRd was featured in an article on Mashable today. stiQRd is an app that produces verifiable checkins, done using QR codes, that can be used in loyalty programs for businesses. Getting a Mashable mention is a huge deal. It’s one of the most widely read social media blogs in the world. Congratulations to stiQRd, and to Memphis Daily News writer Andy Meek for getting a Mashable byline.

You know, I was thinking… what if I printed tube tops with QR codes on them, and when you scan the QR code, it takes you to my blog? That’d be pretty cool. Wonder if enough would sell to make it an idea worth pursuing.

The second big news iteam of the day is that school board member Tomeka Hart is planning a run for Congress. She’s a Democrat, so she’d be facing Rep. Steve Cohen in the 2012 primary. I was not a fan of Cohen’s prior opponents, Nikki Tinker and Willie Herenton. However, I’ve served on the board of MPACT with Tomeka, and she is one sharp lady. She’s also African-American, and while race shouldn’t matter in selecting a Congressperson, let’s face it, this is Memphis and it will. She’s going to be a formidable challenger to Cohen. I can’t think of a reason not to vote for Steve, who has done an outstanding job, but I would be perfectly happy being represented by Tomeka.

That’s the news for now. Gonna hit the last hour of happy hour at Bardog, then wander over to the Silly Goose for their 8 PM trivia.

Yesterday the Commercial Appeal had an article entitled Portion of Madison Avenue Downtown lies forsaken. Since March 26 when a building collapsed, Madison has been closed between Main and Second, impeding traffic and shutting down the trolley route. I agree with the article: It has taken far too long for this to be taken care of. CCC president Paul Morris cited a property tax loophole that encourages owners of blighted buildings to keep them as worthless as possible. That needs to be changed. I hope the owner of the building faces some kind of fine for keeping a major thoroughfare blocked for over two months. He probably won’t though.

Three trivia nights Downtown tonight: Silly Goose (8:00), Ferraro’s (8:00), and Flying Saucer (7:00). I’m going to give the Goose another try after having a good time there last week, and because it’s probably the best of the three for tube top sightings. Charles keeps it on schedule and gets done by 9:30, so it’s possible to play trivia and still get a full night’s sleep.

One of the best Memorial Day memories for me happened on Memorial Day Eve 2006, at Sleep Out Louie’s. Sleep Out’s was our Sunday brunch spot at the time, but brunch tended to last a lot longer there… sometimes we were still there at 9 or 10 PM. That was the case for the Sunday of the long weekend. We were having whipped cream fights and trying a new drink Emma the bartender had heard about, the duck fart.

According to iDrink.com, here’s how you make a duck fart:
1 oz. Coffee Liqueur
1 oz. Irish Cream
1 oz. Rye/Whiskey

Those ingredients may not sound like they’d go together, but it comes out tasting like a glass of chocolate milk. Very, very alcoholic chocolate milk.

Why not enjoy a duck fart this fine Memorial Day, and raise your glass in a toast to the men and women who have served in this country’s military? Inside tip: Coffee drinkers tell me that a duck fart makes an excellent addition to your coffee on a weekend morning.

Unlike Friday and Saturday, I don’t have a lot of photos to recap the day. Yesterday was kind of a FAIL all the way around. I should’ve eaten at the Majestic but didn’t. Plans for a pool party fell apart. I went home about 7 to take a one-hour nap, and woke up to find it had become a 6-hour nap. Then again, it wasn’t a horrible day by any means. Played pool with friends, and lost a best-2-of-3 series when my friend Dennis made an amazing bank shot in the side. Mary Pat modeled her 1970s lime green tube top. Tom Shelton brought me a Pink Pig baseball cap.

As for today, not much going on… the Redbirds have a home game at 1:05 if you feel like watching some baseball. As far as I know the regular Monday night poker game with Poker Jon and Brick is still on. And, of course, it’s Pint Nite at the Flying Saucer, with most drafts only $3. Don’t let the word “Nite” fool you: Pint Nite starts at 11 AM and lasts all day. Got an hour until the Saucer opens, so I think I’ll pop open a PBR left over from the pool party that wasn’t, and get this holiday started right.

The nice thing about being the creator of Tube Top Month is that sometimes my friends text me tube top photos. Such was the case yesterday. I was playing pool with my friends at the Saucer. Down the street, my friends Joe and Aubrey were having a drink outside B.B. King’s, and Joe texted me this photo:

A one word reply was all I needed to say. “Blogworthy.”

The celebration of life Downtown continued Saturday. Here are a few pics. I started the afternoon at the Saucer, where a double plate party was happening.

I wished I hadn’t been so drunk by the time I got to Rehab, because I only lasted an hour there. I seriously don’t know why I don’t spend more time in that place on the weekends. It’s a fun little club. If anyone ever wants to go hit me up, I’m game.

I wonder if bars and clubs suffer from a lack of revenue Saturday and Sunday nights of Memorial Day weekend, because people start drinking early in the day and are too tired to stay out late? Certainly happened in my case.

By the way: I’m noticing a disturbing trend on Facebook. Ladies are laying out by the pool, and posting a photo of their feet facing the pool. We don’t care about your stupid feet!!! We want a full-on shot of you in a bikini, front view, back view and side view. Please try to do better with this!

And now it’s Sunday. Time to go to church. Just kidding! Another day, another rooftop, another 12-pack of PBR.

Escape Alley Sundry has announced a new weekly Wednesday event: White Trash Wednesday. Bringing the best of white trash music and beer from 5 to 9 Wednesday evenings, the bar posted on Facebook: “Leave all your inhibitions to the wind, tease your hair, spray on a whole can of hairspray, put on daddy’s favorite Merl Haggard shirt and leather jacket and come get down. And ladies, don’t forget your blue eye shadow & bubble gum.” And don’t forget to stop by Wal-Mart and buy a tube top to wear! Escape Alley Sundry is located near the intersection of Monroe and Marshall, by General Washburn’s Escape Alley.

Kooky Canuck will do 99 cent Bud Light draft all day tomorrow, Sunday, May 29. Kooky usually does this promotion the day before Monday holidays, so this is a celebration of Memorial Day, but I like to think it’s a celebration of Tube Top Month too. Wear your tube tops to Kooky tomorrow and drink some super cold Bud Light for cheap!

Over in my hometown of Little Rock this weekend, it’s Riverfest, with music on multiple stages, food, cold beer, and lots of ladies in tube tops. The newest food over there is the Donut Burger. It’s two Krispy Kreme donuts, coated in chocolate, with bacon in between. Absolutely brilliant. Someone needs to bring the Donut Burger to Memphis.

By the way, for my Little Rock readers, check out my friends the Dirty White Boys, who take the stage at 3:30 this afternoon.

Stuff going on today: Redbirds play Omaha at AutoZone Park, 6:05; International Blacksmith Day at the Metal Museum; fire dancers at the Rumba Room, 7:30 ($10); and of course Sunset Symphony.

It’s 10:43 as I type this, which means the bar opens in 17 minutes. Time for me to hit Publish and get down there!