Paul Ryburn's Journal

Last night at South Main Trolley Night, I had the pleasure of running into Doctor Harold Toboggans. Doctor Toboggans, for those of you not familiar with his work, is a genius who counsels people to overcome the urge to volunteer, to do good for others and the community. His website Mind over Memphis is a great resource to find opportunities not to volunteer.

I am one of Doctor Toboggans’ success stories. Years ago I was involved with a nonprofit called Mpact Memphis. I served on a committee to promote the city. I coordinated a dinner for Friends for Life. I organized a phonathon. Then, one day, I couldn’t take it anymore. I called Doctor Toboggans. “Please help me,” I begged him. “I’m tired of being a do-gooder. I just want to go to bars and get drunk every night.” After intense counseling, I achieved my goal and became the man I am today.

So last night, I was chatting with him at Trolley Night, and he tipped me off about a brand-new initiative: A volunteer infiltration program. “We can’t stop these do-gooders from volunteering,” he said, “So, we’re going to join them. We’ll volunteer too and infiltrate their ranks from within.”

“That’s brilliant,” I told him. “So we’ll be kind of like double agents.”

“Or triple,” Doctor Toboggans replied.

I remember seeing an example of this new program earlier this month on Facebook. There was a Clean Up Memphis day, and Doctor Toboggans was horrified that all these do-gooders were a threat to Memphis’ precious litter. So he encouraged people to show up for Clean Up Memphis to keep the do-gooders in line.

You can read more about the volunteer infiltration program here.

By the way, as far as I know Doctor Toboggans does not have a problem with Tube Top Month, even though it could be considered a program for the beautification of Memphis. So, go ahead and wear those tube tops, and if you feel the urge to volunteer please go to his website and get the help you need.

This month has truly been a celebration of life Downtown, and last night was no exception. South Main Trolley Night and a friend’s birthday party. Here are some photos.

Credit to Bad Shane for a few of the photos above. Based on the pics I didn’t post here, I have to believe that Bad Shane has a talent for taking embarrassing photos of people that rivals my own.

A very happy birthday to Joe, and many thanks for the PBR and the Fireball. A most generous host for sure. Well, you know, the party was very well guest-listed too, if you know what I mean.

Now it’s time to do it all over again. I haven’t nailed down definite plans, but there’s a lot to choose from: Friends having their plate parties at the Saucer, Sunset Symphony, rooftops, an invitation I scored to Fielder Square’s pool, day 2 of Joe’s birthday party at Rehab Disco… Time to jump in the shower, get dressed, and see where the day takes me.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

No, it’s not Christmas. It’s better than Christmas. Tube Top Month has arrived!

Six years ago, I decided to devote an entire month of my blog, the month of June, to tube tops. Tube tops, in my opinion (and many others agree), are the single greatest fashion item in the history of the world. For the entire month, every blog post mentioned tube tops or contained a tube top photo, no matter how irrelevant tube tops were to the content of the post.

The first Tube Top Month was a success and I’ve repeated it every year since. There have been tube top rooftop parties and tube top nights at clubs. In 2010, my friends Dennis and Mary Pat made an outstanding suggestion: Why not expand Tube Top Month to include Memorial Day weekend and Independence Day weekend? So I did. Therefore, Tube Top Month begins at 5 PM on May 27 this year.

Ladies, I’ll have the camera with me all month long. If you want to be on the blog, just put on a tube top and find me. Let’s make this the best Tube Top Month ever!

Tube Top Month kickoff party happens NOW, at South Main Trolley Night. Put on a tube top and get down there!

The Peabody was a prize on The Price is Right this morning. You can view the video here. This is the second time they’ve been featured as a prize.

Burly’s Burgers at 662 Madison is this weekend’s Groupon. $6 for $13 worth of food. Get it here.

Congrats to LeBonheur Health and Well-being on their move into 50 Peabody Place. Their move was overshadowed by the larger Pinnacle Airlines announcement. Downtowners, let’s give the 135 LeBonheur health outreach workers the welcome they deserve!

An awesome beer festival just keeps on getting better: Central BBQ has been announced as a sponsor of the October 15 Cooper-Young Beerfest. I’ll say it again, this is the best beer festival I’ve been to, and well worth a cab ride from Downtown.

The Center City Commission is considering renaming itself. They wonder if “Downtown Memphis” should be in the name, and are considering options like Downtown Memphis Alliance, Downtown Memphis Commission, Downtown Memphis Authority, Downtown Memphis Development Agency and Downtown Memphis Resource Center. I ran into CCC president Paul Morris last night at the Majestic, and he told me he hopes Downtown Memphis Commission wins, because then when people ask what he does, he’ll be able to tell them, “I Run DMC. And it’s tricky.”

South Main Trolley Night is tonight! Carnival entertainment and Whitney and Brittney selling Ghost River beer! Gary and Ella competing in a cook-off! Tube Top Month begins at 5 PM, so put on a tube top and come on down. I’ll be out with the camera, so if you want your pic on the blog for Tube Top Month, come find me!

’80s cover band Venus Mission plays the Peabody rooftop party this Thursday night. Doors open at 6, $10 cover to get in but it includes your first drink, ladies free until 7.

The food theme this week will be Caribbean. On the buffet (included in price of admission) will be jerk chicken sliders, Caribbean beans & rice, and tropical fruits.

You can still buy season-long VIP passes for $75. This gets you access to a private VIP area with beer tastings and a second buffet, this week consisting of coconut shrimp with pineapple dipping sauce, pork kabobs, and chips and jalapeno-mango dipping sauce.

The Peabody occasionally has pre-parties for its VIP card holders, and this week is one of them. In the Corner Bar from 5 to 6 they’ll have complimentary Michelob Ultra, chili-glazed chicken wings, calamari fritti, and an antipasto platter. Free food? Bet the Nuh-Uh Girl will make plans to leave work early. Must show your VIP card to get in.

Meanwhile, over at the Madison, Billy Gibson and his band will play. You no longer have to go to Beale Street to hear Billy… party begins at 5:30, $7 to get in, cash bar and tapas menu available. Afterward there will be a moonlight party at 10:30 with DJ (free for those who paid to get into Sunset Atop the Madison, $5 otherwise).

I know a lot of people are looking forward to June when Amy LaVere plays the Madison; her date on the rooftop has been changed from June 2 to June 16.

In other news: There’s now a Mid-South Severe Weather Drinking Game. Kerry from the I Love Memphis Blog came up with it.

I’ve heard from three different sources this week that a Trader Joe’s may be coming to Memphis. I heard those rumors last year and dismissed them because they wouldn’t be able to sell wine. However, there’s now a Trader Joe’s in Nashville that sells beer only, so maybe there is a chance Memphis will get one. I know a lot of Memphians have never shopped at a Trader Joe’s before; would it be worth it for me to write a blog post explaining why it’s such a big deal?

Looking forward to plans for tonight, but as far as posting them here, they need to remain “off the grid” (to use Foursquare lingo) for the time being. Photo album coming soon.

The full set of “food porn” photos I took last week are now online. Last Wednesday I attended Clandestino Dining’s first “underground dining” event in Memphis, combining art with a 7-course dinner. I posted about a dozen pics on my blog Saturday, but now you can view the full set of photos here.

Speaking of food: The Memphis Flyer’s Hungry Memphis Blog has a post about the cook-off at South Main Trolley Night this Friday. Defending champion Ella Bella, coming off a victory over Gloria last month, will put her title on the line against Gary Friday night. Gary is making Korean BBQ tacos; Ella is making a Bacon Explosion. I think just on the basis of menu selection, my vote is for Ella!

Mmmm… thinking back to the hot dog served at Bardog last night… you know what would be even better than a Bacon Explosion? A McSorley’s beer-battered Bacon Explosion. Someone needs to give that idea a try soon.

Need a job? The Peabody is hiring for more than a dozen positions. Check out the list here.

The Orpheum has announced the lineup for its summer movie series, and this year there are two of them. Here’s the lineup for the Summer Classic Movie Series:

7:15 p.m. Friday 6/3: Breakfast at Tiffany’s
7:15 p.m. Thursday 6/9: To Catch a Thief
7:15 p.m. Friday 6/10: The Big Lebowski
7:15 p.m. Thursday 6/23: An Affair to Remember
7:15 p.m. Thursday 8/4: Beauty Shop
7:15 p.m. Friday 8/5: Gone with the Wind
7:15 p.m. Thursday 8/18: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
7:15 p.m. Friday 8/19: The Wizard of Oz
7:15 p.m. Friday 8/26: Casablanca
8:00 p.m. Friday 9/2: Rocky Horror Picture Show

New to the Orpheum this summer is Memphis Film Fest, films that have a Memphis connection. Here’s that lineup:

7:15 p.m. Friday 7/1: Hustle and Flow
7:15 p.m. Thursday 7/7: The Firm
7:15 p.m. Friday 7/8: Last Picture Show
7:15 p.m. Thursday 7/14: The Rainmaker
7:15 p.m. Friday 7/15: The Blind Side
7:15 p.m. Thursday 7/21: Great Balls of Fire
7:15 p.m. Friday 7/22: Memphis Heat
7:15 p.m. Friday 7/29: Walk the Line

That’s all for now. Severe storms are approaching and it’s time for me to head to the storm shelter, the one with 70 beers on tap. Everyone be safe tonight.

Last night I started the evening at Bardog’s happy hour. A new menu item they’ve been doing lately is “Dog of the Day,” a gourmet hot dog. Last night the Dog of the Day was a McSorley’s beer-battered hot dog with caramelized onions, Dijon mustard and American cheese. Shame I wasn’t hungry because it looked delicious. Beer-battered anything is a winner in my book.

Today’s dog is an I (heart) NY dog, 100% beef with caramelized onions, red peppers, and cinnamon cayenne horseradish mustard. They also have Bangkok mussels and beer cheese soup. Kudos to Bardog for taking photos of the chalkboard where they post specials, and then posting the pics to Facebook.

I didn’t feel like walking all the way to Ferraro’s for their trivia night, so I decided to give the Silly Goose’s trivia night a try. I immediately felt at home, because it’s the exact same format as the old Flying Saucer trivia night when Pete the Trivia Guy had creative control. Then again, that’s not surprising because it was called by Charles, who used to call trivia at the Cordova Saucer. Five questions plus a bonus question per round, bonus questions worth 10, 20 and 30 points. Questions were challenging but not ponderous. There were a few softballs thrown in, probably to give Brick, who was playing, a chance to feel smart. Since I went there on the spur of the moment, I didn’t have a team with me. I still managed to get more than half the questions right, but not enough to place in the top three.

A few sample questions:

Where did fireworks originate? (China)

Exactly how many bytes are in a kilobyte? (1024)

Caryn Johnson is the real name of what actress and talk show host? (Whoopi Goldberg)

Next week they’re starting a new promotion. The team who has the highest cumulative score between next week and the end of August will receive a $300 bar tab. This is in addition to the weekly prizes. Pretty good deal… I may be back next week. May even revive the Rapscallions team name if there’s interest.

Fun fact I learned on Twitter this morning: Asparagus helps you avoid hangovers by doubling the rate at which you metabolize alcohol. I need to stop by City Market and pick some up. Of course, I don’t have a clue how to cook asparagus.

Speaking of City Market, they’ve started doing Indian food on Wednesdays. Today they have Vegetable Korma, Okra Masala and Cumin Rice.

The Memphis Chamber has put up video of the grand opening of the M Spot, a patio on the north side of the Falls Building (Front and Court), where up to 100 devices can connect to free Wi-Fi. Fantastic resource for those who visit Memphis with their laptops, and for locals too.

Everyone be careful this evening. Severe weather is likely for West Tennessee, and I really hope it waits until AFTER I get home. The MemphisWeather.Net blog has a summary of what will happen. No definite plans for tonight, but severe weather or not, I’ll be out somewhere.

Last night as I was walking to the bar, I looked across Second and saw a big sign outside women’s clothing store Coco & Lily. “Blowout sale,” it advertised, “everything 50% off.” Ladies, this is an excellent opportunity to stock up for Tube Top Month, which starts in only 3 days.

Actually, I prefer to see tube tops 100% off, but that has nothing to do with price…

Mud Island River Park has finally re-opened. With the flood waters receding, guests are welcome back as of 10 AM today.

RiverArtsFest, the big fall arts festival in South Main, will unveil its 2011 poster this Friday. They’ll have a poster launch party at the Memphis College of Art grad school at Main and Butler from 6 to 8 PM. Party will honor 2011 artist Dolph Smith. It’s also South Main Trolley Night, so there will be plenty else to see and do in the area… and when you’re deciding what to wear, don’t forget that Tube Top Month starts at 5 PM!

Can you tell I’m getting excited about Tube Top Month?

Memphis has been named the seventh-least-friendly pedestrian city in the US. I’d like to point out that Downtown is VERY pedestrian-friendly! I walk around in the core, to South Main, to the Pinch all the time… never any problems.

You know, the Saucer is three and a half blocks from my front door. I don’t know if there are apartments three and a half blocks to the Fox & Hound Cordova, but if there are, I’m pretty sure those people drive to the bar. Which is why Cordova sucks. Well, it’s one of the many reasons.

Brick finally got her revenge on me at poker last night. It’s well known that Brick will call my all-ins with any two cards, for the satisfaction of trying to beat me. Sooner or later she had to be dealt a real hand. Getting short stacked, I moved in with A-7, and she called with K-10 suited. Both the King and the 10 paired the board, and Brick got a victory. However, I scored a moral victory, as the name “Katie” was all but forgotten by the end of the night and the entire bar was calling her “Brick.”

What to do tonight, what to do? It’s Tuesday trivia night at Ferraro’s with Kevin Cerrito at 8 PM, and I had a good time there last week. Then on the other hand, I got a message from a bartender at the Silly Goose begging me to come up there for their new trivia night. My team the Rapscallions is pretty much done with trivia at the Saucer for the time being. Then there’s always pint night at Bardog (all pints $3 from 7 PM to 3 AM).

Beale Street ambassador Rudy Williams is still missing. Please keep him in your prayers.

Rudy Williams, the Beale Street ambassador and trumpeter who plays outside King’s Palace Cafe and The Pig on Beale, is missing. He got home from work Saturday night, went out for a walk, and has not been seen since. More info and a pic of Rudy here.

If you see Rudy, please contact River City Management or the Beale Street Merchants Association. Let’s all keep Rudy in our prayers and hope that he is okay.