Paul Ryburn's Journal

I happened upon this blog post from something called The Star Scene in Beirut, Lebanon.  The writer of this post has a big problem with women who wear bras with clear straps underneath tube tops.  I couldn’t agree more.  The preferred way to wear a tube top is sans bra.

Only 7 months and 1 week until it’s Tube Top Month again!

Details on a couple more parties happening Halloween night:

The Silly Goose is having “Dead Goose Halloween.” Costume contest with prizes, overall winner gets $300. Sexiest costume winner gets a $100 gift certificate to Crystal’s adult store. Most humorous costume gets a $100 bar tab and a hug from Jason the bartender.

Republic Nightclub will have a Halloween party hosted by Playmate of the Year Kara Monaco and Playmate Tiffany Selby. Contest for Best Guy, Best Girl, and Sexiest Costume.

Halloween is still a week away though… this Saturday the 24th, Republic Will have an official Elite Model Search contest. Judges from Elite Model Management, $1000 in cash and prizes and the chance to win a national modeling contract.

In the news: The CCC is fighting to keep the Peabody Place post office open.

Grill 83 will have a Trefethen Wine Dinner Wednesday night, October 28. 4-course dinner paired with wines from Trefethen Winery. Menu by Executive Chef Chris Windsor, and John Harrington from the winery will be on hand to answer questions. Go here to take a look at the menu. $60 per person plus tax and gratuity.

Oh… I forgot… one more Halloween party… if you couldn’t make it out to “Thriller Nights” at Paula & Raiford’s Disco, they’re doing another party on the 31st. What a fun night last night. Paula was dressed up as Wonder Woman. I drank several quarts and danced with the sexiest Hermione from Harry Potter ever. Finally about 1:15 I had to call it a night. They hadn’t done the costume contests when I left, so not sure who won.

Plans for tonight:  No idea.  Will probably play poker online for a few hours and see if I can build on last night’s success, then go out somewhere around 9 or 10.

Wednesday night I went to the annual membership meeting of MPACT Memphis at their headquarters at 506 S. Main. Although I was very active in the organization at one point, including serving on their board in 2004-05, I haven’t done much with them lately. So I wanted to attend and find out what what’s going on with them these days, and I was very very impressed. Here’s a quick report.

Outgoing chair Jenny Sharpe gave a farewell speech. She commented that there’s a lot going on in Memphis, but sometimes that isn’t obvious on the surface. MPACT, she said, is an organization that puts young professionals in touch with all that’s going on in the city. She also praised MPACT because “it’s easy to point a finger and so many in Memphis do it… but MPACT lifts a finger.”

Next up, executive director Gwyn Fisher gave her report. A year ago, MPACT had 248 members. As of Wednesday, there are more than 650 members. If I’m doing the math right, that’s a 162% increase in one year. Very cool.

She then listed some of the year’s accomplishments. Next American City Magazine contacted MPACT, praising it on being a model young professionals’ organization. “You guys are the face of civic engagement,” they said. Together the magazine hosted an URBANEXUS event on The New Face of Civic Engagement in Memphis, attended by over 150 people.

Their Volunteer Expo, where nonprofits can get the word out about opportunities to volunteer, became so popular that MPACT had to move it to Oak Court Mall this year. There were 120 exhibitors. Wow. Back when I was active in ’04-’05 there were something like 36 exhibitors, so that’s a huge increase. As for number of visitors, “we stopped counting at 2,000,” said Gwyn.

This Thursday, 10/29, they’re holding Creative Conversations at Memphis College of Art. It will inspire attendees with ideas of creative projects that are helping communities progress, and it will provide an opportunity to work with creative leaders to develop your own ideas. Keynote speakers are Helen Johnson, founder of CreateHere which is creative organization in Chattanooga; and Christopher Reyes, founder of Live from Memphis.

Gwyn then noted several members who serve on community or nonprofit boards, or who are active in volunteering in the community.

Next Gwyn talked about MPACT’s Race for the Cure team. This was a member-driven project: Someone who moved here said, “Hey, this was my cause in my former city, I’d like to get something going here.” MPACT’s team is now #4 in citywide funds raised.

They have “I (heart) MEMPHIS” stickers. “Take one and stick it somewhere,” said Gwyn.

Then Gwyn unveiled the new tagline, “Connect. Discover. Contribute.”

In previous blogs, I’ve teased active Mpact member Susie about bugging me to take a million zillion surveys. Well, those surveys are very important… they will be used to compile a Voice of MPACT, a study of where young, involved citizens want to see their community go. Local elected officials are already asking, “When is this going to be done?” and it will be used nationally as well. Go to MPACT’s home page and you’ll see links to the surveys. “Link to these surveys on Facebook and Twitter,” Gwyn said. “Feel free to annoy people into taking them.”

Next up, the new board members were introduced and approved by the members. Incoming chair Shante Avant gave a speech. Congratulations to Shante.

Next up was the treasurer’s report. He laid out MPACT’s financials in a nutshell – both where the money comes from, and where it goes. I really appreciated the transparency there. When I was on the board we had access to those figures, of course, but it’s nice to see the data being presented to the membership itself. They also raised more funds than were raised when I was on the board 4-5 years ago, a good sign. The MemphisED partnership was noted as a major funder. MPACT has met or exceeded all the goals that MemphisED set for it.

Then the treasurer pointed at piggy banks placed around the room and said, “FEED OUR PIGS!” Heh. Haven’t heard that phrase since BBQ Fest. You’d be surprised, Gywn commented, how much money an organization can take in from “feed the pig.”

Next up was a report from the Community Service committee. They have monthly events where they volunteer for organizations like Habitat for Humanity and the Ronald McDonald House. They also try to get members connected with external volunteer opportunities for great organizations like MIFA.

The Civic Engagement report was next. They host events such as issue forums, meet and greets, and lunches with local elected officials. They commented that MPACT’s civic programs are among the best attended of all MPACT events.

Next up was the Member Connections report. Wow, Paul Sciubba skipped poker night at Bardog to be there, that’s dedication from a board member if you know Paul. Anyway, they host monthly happy hours and restaurant tours. They also host special events – for example, they’re doing a Grizzlies Night next week on the 28th ($85 seats for $25), and they’re planning a holiday party.

(Not sure if this would fall under Member Connections but I can’t resist making a comment here. MPACT is a much stronger organization in almost every way than when I was on the board, but there was one thing we did better – when I was on the board, there was BEER at the annual membership meeting.)

The Member Connections committee plans the entire next calendar year in December, so if you have ideas, now would be a great time to join and give your input. They’re also looking to start a series of seminars that will be open to members only, where a member who is an expert in a particular field (e.g. finance, personal training) will give a presentation.

Next up was the MPACTive program, in which groups participate in healthy events like running 5Ks or mountain biking. They have 18 runners in the Race for the Cure. Suggestions for new projets are welcome.

MPACT Toastmasters was next. Toastmasters is an international organization that helps members improve their communication skills. Members do speeches (prepared or impromptu) at meetings, working toward a goal of Competent Communication. If you want to improve your skills in that area, a new group starts November 10 at the Mpact office on South Main.

Personal development projects: MPACT partnered with the Leadership Academy on their 1 year Fellows program. MPACT also partnered with Leadership Memphis on their 3 month Fast Track program – “that’s what got me where I am today,” commented Gwyn. MPACT members receive special consideration when applying for these programs, because membership is evidence that applicants are already involved in their community. Mpact also partnered with LaunchMemphis, an entrepreneurial organization that hosts great events like Startup Memphis, in which 5 new businesses got launched within 48 hours. “And we mean entirely launched,” Gwyn said. “Business plan, marketing plan, website, everything.”

MPACT’s annual fundraiser will be Saturday, February 27. It will be a “Soul of the City” gala and the Mpact Maker awards and the Voice of MPACT results will be presented.

Stuff coming up soon: Restaurant tour at Owen Brennan’s tonight; RiverArtsFest Saturday-Sunday (MPACT office will be open); the aforementioned Grizzlies Night 10/28, with $85 tickets for $25; Creative Conversations 10/29; Trolley Night 10/30 with Mpact’s office open and free Ghost River beer. BEER!

It’s 7:37 PM and I’m at home right now… a good evening so far.  I got on PokerStars and sat down at a 10c/25c game with $20, and got up an hour later with $44.95.  Yay.  Then I put on makeup for my Disco Zombie Halloween costume that I’m wearing to the “Thriller Nights” Halloween party at Paula & Raiford’s Disco tonight.  Watching The Ultimate Fighter and the first hour of TNA Wrestling, then heading over there.

If you participated in the King Diamond Dash this Sunday but didn’t walk away with the ring, it can still be yours.  The winners are selling it on Craigslist.

The crew that officiated the Arkansas-Florida game last Saturday has been suspended. The SEC reviewed a personal foul that was called against Arkansas late in the fourth quarter, and the video evidence showed the call to be unwarranted. The same crew also made an unsportsmanlike conduct call a few weeks earlier in the LSU-Georgia game that the SEC deemed unwarranted after reviewing the video. Good to see the SEC doing the right thing… those late fourth quarter calls against Arkansas were pretty ridiculous. More info here.

I’ve learned of yet another party to happen Downtown on Halloween night. This one is at the Hard Rock Cafe. Live music by Marstin and the Revelators, and a costume contest. $5 cover, and the band starts at 10.

A week earlier, on Saturday the 24th, Hard Rock will have its Pinktober party with Garry Goin and G3. $5 cover, with 100% of the proceeds going to Memphis Mid-South Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Pink drink specials all night too. Doors open at 9, band at 10.

This next one isn’t a Downtown event, but it’s a good cause and several Downtown chefs are participating. The March of Dimes is hosting the Signature Chefs Auction, set for Sunday, November 15 at 5:30 p.m. at The Racquet Club of Memphis, 5111 Sanderlin Avenue. Downtown chefs/restaurateurs participating include Andreas Kisler, Felicia Willett, Jimmy Ishi, John Bragg, David Johnson/Bert Smythe, Shawn Mitchell, and Jay Uiberal. In addition to dinner, there will be a wine tasting and wine auction, along with silent and live auctions. Individual tickets are $150 per person, and table host sponsorships are $2,500. Call 901-385-8580 or email Barbara Farmer, BFarmer@marchofdimes.com to order tickets.

About to head out to Walgreens to buy Halloween makeup. My 2009 Halloween costume is not ready yet, so I’m going to do some kind of disco zombie thing for the party at Paula & Raiford’s Disco tonight.

Congrats to Mpact Memphis on a great annual membership meeting last night. I am so proud of the progress Mpact has made. I took detailed notes and will type up a report before I go out this evening.

Sorry for not posting this earlier… it completely slipped off my radar somehow.  Join the Flyer at South of Beale tonight from 5 to 7 for discounted food and drinks.  Also, the Flyer’s Style Sessions crew will be searching for fashionable folks.

… I’m not gonna get it.  I figured, after two days of being out at RiverArtsFest this weekend, it would be nice to have Sunday evening to just wind down and relax at home.

But that ain’t gonna happen, because The Dempseys play Huey’s Sunday night.

Come see Memphis’ best band (as voted by the readers of the Memphis Flyer).  Huey’s is a great place to see them because everyone is close to the stage and there’s plenty of interaction between band and crowd.  Also, you never know who might show up – guest singers, guest drummers, and on one occasion an Elvis line dancing group from France.  You can’t say you’re a true Downtowner until you’ve seen this band at least once.  Show starts at 8:30, and they usually play three sets wrapping up about 12:30.  Be there or be square… because this ain’t Muskogee, the place where even squares can have a ball.

I discovered a couple of good iPhone apps and wanted to pass along the info.

First of all Nlog Free Synth is a really sophisticated free synthesizer for the iPhone. There are dozens of options to customize the sound to get it exactly the way you want it. Hard to believe this app is free. I bet we’re soon going to see bands whose instruments are all iPhones.

Secondly, I have a game recommendation. Drunk Sniper. I’m not going to say any more about it. Just trust me, you need this game. Guys will have a built-in advantage over girls playing this game, although a female told me about it. There’s a free version that is 2 levels only, and that is good enough. You will bust out laughing when you see this and then show it to all your friends.

In other news – the trivia team only managed a third place finish last night, adding $10 to our winnings. Mikey the Other Trivia Guy made the questions, including this one: “What illustrated magazine, founded in 1954, didn’t do well at first, covering events like yacht races?” What is this, giving away half the answer (Sports Illustrated) within the question? Is he trying to dumb down trivia to Cordova Saucer levels? Then again, he asked another question that stumped everybody – which car was the first to have air conditioning (1939 Packard). We only got half the final question right because our server Graycen knew the answer but wouldn’t tell us. Hmmph.

The Peabody Ducks visited New York City to catch the premiere of Memphis the musical. Photos here.

Putting together my Halloween costume this week… I’m thinking I probably won’t wear it to Paula & Raiford’s Halloween party tomorrow night, though, because I don’t want to unveil it that early. I guess I’ll go with some variation of my Disco Paul persona tomorrow, even though I don’t really consider that a costume.

Tonight: MPACT Memphis general membership meeting at 6 PM, at their office at 506 S. Main. My membership lapsed a few days ago, so I guess I better bring my checkbook. Wonder if Susie will bug me to fill out a million billion quadrillion octillion surveys. Hmmm maybe I should switch days and wear the Disco Paul outfit to MPACT and dress as a “young professional” for Paula & Raiford’s tomorrow. “Young professional” is more of a costume for me than “Disco Paul” is. Also, there will be free food at the MPACT meeting, wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up?

The list of Halloween parties Downtown continues to grow… I learned of another one and wanted to pass on the info. Friends for Life, the nonprofit which provides hope and healing for those affected by HIV/AIDS, is having their 4th annual “Under the Big Top” party on Halloween night. It will be at BRIDGES at the corner of Fifth and Auction in Uptown.

There will be circus-themed decor and hors d’oeuvres, and DJ Steve Anne will spin the tunes. Costumes are encouraged but not required. There will be a costume contest with cash prize.

Tickets are $35 at the door, or $25 in advance. You can purchase advance tickets on the Friends for Life website.

Later this week I’ll try to update the complete list of Halloween parties Downtown that are open to the public. If you know of any I should add to the list, e-mail me at paul@paulryburn.com.