Paul Ryburn's Journal

For those of you surfing the web at home while you wait for the Tiger game to tip off at 9, surf on over to Woot.com.  There’s a Woot-off going on today.

Sorry for not posting that info earlier in the day.  Didn’t find out myself until about 4 PM.

Tonight’s the night we’ve been waiting for… Memphis vs. #1 Kansas. Yes, we’ll probably lose, but we’ll get to see what this year’s team can do against elite competition. Go Tigers, and go Coach Pastner and congratulations on an amazing 2010 recruiting class.

For those of you who do trivia at the Saucer, Mikey the Other Trivia Guy has told me he’s going to do whatever he needs to do to get trivia done by 9 sharp, so that the big screen will be available for the game. They will have the sound on in the main room. Perfect… since the team tends to sit on one of the rails when we play, I’ll end up with one of the best seats in the house for big-screen viewing.

If you’re more in the mood to eat than to play trivia, it’s steak night tonight at the Silly Goose. A strip and garlic butter mashed potatoes for $9.99. Pretty good deal.

From the Memphis Flyer: The Rumba Room on South Main is now open for lunch. Cuban food!

I received info this morning about the Thanksgiving night party at Earnestine & Hazel’s. It starts at 8 PM and benefits CASA Memphis (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children). The organizers of the party will provide 2 DJs and some beverages. I’ve been to this party the past two years and it is a blast. I absolutely recommend attending if you find yourself in town on Turkey Day. I’ll likely start Thanksgiving with a few warm-up beers at the Saucer, which opens at 5, and then head on down to E&H. Party at E&H starts at 8 I believe.

Don’t forget that tomorrow, November 18, is the reception at the Majestic Grille for Sophorn McRae, who is showing her design photography in the Majestic’s back room/art gallery. Free admission, complimentary hors d’oeuvres. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

4.5 more hours of work, then trivia, then Tiger basketball watching for me tonight.

I played poker at the Silly Goose tonight, and ordered the beef brisket, pictured above with mashed potatoes.  Oh sweet mother of God this was good.  I don’t expect this from bar food.  And only eight dollars.  This is a value in terms of food what Kooky Canuck’s 34 oz. mugs are in terms of beer.  Very high recommendation to check this out if you’re a carnivore.  If you’re not a carnivore, very high recommendation to become one.

Went out early in poker though.  Went all in on 77 shorthanded, figuring a made pair was good.  Crystal flipped over KK and knocked me out.

Not much to talk about today… in recovery mode from last night… ended up at the Silly Goose where I stayed until a little after midnight.  I really like the Goose… going there after the Saucer kind of reminds me of the old days when I’d go to McGuinness after the Saucer.

The Leonid meteor shower is tonight. Peak will be about 3 AM, although there will be plenty to see as early as midnight. If you live Downtown, you may have trouble viewing due to the city lights though. More info here.

The Church Health Center is now taking orders for holiday honorarium and memorial cards. This year’s card features a print by native Memphian Jimpsie Ayers. To send cards to the people on your list and support the work of the Church Health Center, call (901) 272-7170 or visit www.churchhealthcenter.org.

That’s all I’ve got. Debating whether or not I’m going to do poker tonight at the Silly Goose… I’m worn out and have a feeling I wouldn’t play very well. It’s a fun time though, if you’re looking for some live action.

Time to go put gas in the car.  Exciting day.

Before I get to the main point of this post, I’m going to say something that will shock you.

Get ready, because if you know me, this will come as a complete surprise.

Brittney is not so bad.

Sitting here at the Saucer typing on my netbook… over the past year, I have had a big time making fun of Brittney on my blog, calling her “Old Lazy Ass” among other names.  But you know what?  People have told me over the years that they respect my blog because I’m honest.  And in the interest of honesty, I finally have to admit, she’s gotten better.  There have been times when the “lazy” label I’ve hung on her has been well deserved, but in recent weeks/months, she’s actually been pretty good.  And I feel I have to recognize that in the interest of fairness.

Okay. Let’s get to the main point of this post.

I’ve posted about the 1st annual Memphis Snuggie (TM) pub crawl on Saturday, November 28.  I have mentioned that it’s for a charity called Amelia’s Voice.  Well, there’s now a website for Amelia’s Voice.  I would summarize the condition Amelia suffers from, but there are a lot of big words that are hard to spell, and I’m drunk.  Just click this link to read about Amelia.  Then get on the Facebook page and learn how to participate in the Snuggie (TM) pub crawl.

I love my netbook.  Took it to the Saucer, where the gang pulled up 10 minutes worth of video.  By the time they were done watching it the battery was all the way down to 96%.  Took it on a field trip to Calhoun’s and played poker all afternoon and now I’m back at home at the Saucer and the battery is still at 34%, or 3:05 hours.  I’ve been discharging it/recharging it to “exercise” the battery and apparently it’s paid off.

All right… I’ve finally caught up on my posting “to do” list… somebody e-mail me something to talk about in my lunchtime post tomorrow.

Found a good Facebook fan page this week… A&R Bar-b-Que at Third and Court.  I learned a lot of things I didn’t know about the restaurant on their fan page.  First of all, they’re open later than I thought – until 9 PM Monday through Thursday, and 11 PM Friday and Saturday.  They’re also open 11 AM to 5 PM on Sunday.

I also learned that Monday Night Football is a big night for them.  They have 3 flat screen TVs for your viewing pleasure, plus 75 cent smoked BBQ wings from 6 to close, and 2 for beers (both domestic and imported).  Hmmm this sounds like a really good deal…  lately I’ve been doing Pint Nite at the Saucer, then moving to the Goose at 7:30 for poker, but I’d definitely like to check out A&R one Monday night.  Has anyone given this a try?

They also have a website where you can find coupons, although it looks like all the current ones have expired already.

Skipping brunch this morning to get in a little time on the .1/.25 6-max tables on PokerStars… it’s been a morning of up-and-down swings, although I’m currently up about $8… oops, make that $6, my effort to represent a pair of Aces didn’t work that time.  Letting the netbook charge up… I’ll probably join the gang for Sunday Fun Day at the Saucer, but oddly enough, I’m kind of in the mood to go to Calhoun’s.  Maybe I’ll take the netbook down there and play some poker and watch NFL games.  Lauren says I never come see her on Sundays.  Then again, if the Fire Sale is good I may just stay at the Saucer.  We shall see…

Woohoo!  Pocket Jacks in the small blind!  Just made that $2 back.  Time to log off, play a little more poker, and get ready to go out.

The Peabody’s alter-ego on Facebook, “Drake Peabody” (get it? a drake is a male duck), has announced a day-long program the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, November 27, to celebrate the lighting of its holiday tree.  Here’s the schedule:

10:50 – 11:05
Ducks Parade

11:05 – 11:45
Overton CAPA Chamber Singers

11:45 – 12:30
Overton CAPA String Quartet

12:30 – 1:15
Overton CAPA Chamber Singers

1:15 – 2:00
Overton Strings Quartet

2:00 – 2:30
Ballet Memphis Nutcracker

2:30 – 3:00
Manor Lake Elementary Chorus

3:00 – 3:30
Ballet Memphis Nutcracker

3:30 – 4:00
Central Church Children’s Choir

4:00 – 4:30
Manor Lake Elementary Choir

4:30 – 5:00
Central Children’s Choir

5:00 – 5:15
Ducks Parade, Santa Claus Arrive, Christmas Tree Lighting

5:15 – 6:15
Faithful Fiddlers perform with Jazz Accompaniment

Should be a fun, family-friendly event, and there’s booze at the lobby bar (their Brandy Alexanders are a delicious holiday drink).  If you have the day off and have nothing to do, come on down to the Peabody and celebrate.

Jack’s Food Store, the little grocery on the Main Street Mall, has extended its nighttime hours.  It now stays open until 11 PM Monday through Saturday, and 10 PM on Sunday.

Kudos to Jack’s for making this move.  It’s nice to know there’s a place you can run to if you need a Coke or a roll of toilet paper or some detergent late at night.  Stores staying open later will mean more foot traffic on the street, which is good for the entire neighborhood.

In the news this morning:  Judd Grisanti, who has been associated with Downtown restaurant Spindini most recently, has announced a deal to open a restaurant in Chickasaw Gardens in the old Ronnie Grisanti & Sons location.  I’ve been hearing rumors about this for the past few months and now it’s official.  I wonder if Judd will try to re-capture the ambiance of Spindini, which won “Best Cougar Bar” in 2008 and 2009, in the new location.  More details here.

Sitting at the Saucer watching the Tennessee-Ole Miss game. In case you’re wondering, I’m rooting for Tennessee. Ole Miss represents everything I hate about college football. I’d probably even root for Texas against Ole Miss.

If it were basketball, however, I’d be for Ole Miss. No way I could ever support a team coached by Bruce “Douchebag” Pearl.

Anyway, I just had a look at the Saucer’s menu, and there are a few new items.

There’s a “River Rocket” sandwich with Alaskan smoked salmon, jalapeño pesto cream cheese, red onion, lettuce, tomatoes, capers and Swiss on toasted marble rye. It’s $8.99.

Vegetarians now have a new pizza option – a margherita pizza slice with spicy tomato sauce, garlic, sliced tomatoes, Italian cheese blend and fresh basil for $5.99.

There’s also a new cheese on their build your own snack plate option. It’s a whiskey cheddar, a semi-soft tangy cheddar with a hint of Irish whiskey.

Those are the new food choices… Guess I’ll get back to watching the game. Wonder where the gang is today? Calhoun’s probably. Given the good Fire Sale, though, I’m definitely staying put.