Announcing my newest site: College Logo Cornhole

I’ve been selling cornhole games on Mid-South Alcoholic Supply for a while, and they’ve become one of the most popular items.  Cornhole is a game that is usually played outdoors, with two tilted boards or platforms, and eight bags filled with corn.  The object is to toss the bags so that they land on the platform and ideally go through the hole in the platform.  They’re a perfect game for any outdoor activity – cookouts, tailgating, yard parties, BBQ Fest.  The cornhole boards were selling so well that I decided they deserved to have their own site, which I’ve named College Logo Cornhole.

College Logo Cornhole is a storefront that sells cornhole boards imprinted with the logo of your favorite college team.  It also sells generic cornhole boards, extra corn bags, cornhole scoreboards, and drink holders for cornhole players.  Secure checkout and delivery is handled by Amazon.com. I get a report of what was sold, but I never see your name or credit card information. In exchange for referring the sales, I get commission from Amazon, which is on a sliding scale, but will probably end up being 7.5% or 8% per item sold this month.

Unfortunately, this means I’m limited to inventory that Amazon carries, and they don’t carry any Memphis Tigers cornhole items, which I think is a shame.  There are items for most other regional teams (Arkansas, Ole Miss, Vandy, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia).

All right… with the new store announced, it’s time to brush my teeth, shave, and head to the Saucer.  I don’t feel like washing my hair, so I guess it will be a Santa hat day.

Saturday recap: Wedding, personal finance software, Hoop’s new place

Last night my friends Clay and Jessica got married in St. Peter’s Catholic church on Adams.  I’d never been inside the church before, and it was absolutely beautiful… probably one of the most gorgeous church interiors in town.  I liked the service too… being a Catholic church, I expected a long service full of ritual, but it was only 30 minutes long.  The priest told the couple a story he had personally picked out for them, after getting to know them and their families earlier in the week.  Then they said their vows, exchanged rings, and lit a unity candle.  Earlier in the service they had lit a candle in memory of Clay’s dad, who unfortunately passed away before he had a chance to meet Jessica.  I’m sure his spirit was there though.

The priest introduced the newly married couple, and then it was off to the Majestic Grille for the reception.  What a reception it was… there was a large buffet, an open bar, and servers walking around handing out crab balls and other goodies.  There was also an enormous dessert table.  It just seemed like too special an occasion to order PBR at the bar, so I went with white wine as my drink of choice for the evening.  There were toasts by the bride’s father, the best man, and maid of honor, and the couple had their first dance.  Just a tremendous celebration with good friends.  Best wishes to Clay and Jess for a happy life together.  They leave for their honeymoon today.

The wedding was not the only reason Saturday was an eventful day for me.  Some of you know that about five years ago, I programmed a piece of personal finance software, an entirely new paradigm in personal finance invented by a guy who took a Computer Literacy course from me at the U of M in the late ’90s.  Although it’s been a long time since I finished programming it, we couldn’t do much with it because we were waiting on a patent.  We couldn’t risk someone stealing our idea.  In September of this year we finally received the patent.  So yesterday the inventor came to Memphis (he lives in Nashville now) and we met at the Flying Saucer to discuss what to do next.  “Paul, it’s a whole new world out there,” he told me.  “People need this program more than ever.”  So we’re going to market it.  The program will be available very soon, and it will be very affordable.  If you’re unsure what to do in this time of financial crisis, this will be a tool that can help.  Look for more info soon.

I’ve learned that the downstairs bar at Orleans on Front (formerly Cayenne Moon) is Hoop’s new place – Hoop, who ran the extremely successful Hoop’s Bar on the second floor of EP’s.  I’ve also been told it will be open until 3 every morning.  Hmmm interesting.  I still need to get the important question answered – do they have PBR, and if so, how much does it cost?  I need to run by there this week and get the info.

Skipping another brunch this morning because my latest website is very close to being done.  Expect a post about that within the next hour or so.  I’ll be at the Saucer about 1 for the usual Sunday Fun Day festivities.

Sat update: Special for military at the Orpheum, Majestic Grille news, and more

News of the day to come in a moment, but first of all, congratulations to my friends Clay and Jessica who are getting married today.  Here are a few pics from their engagement party back in February, when Clay was telling us the story of how he proposed:

So I have a wedding to go to tonight… no Stumbling Santa for me this year.  I’ll be glad to get it over with, because I’m tired of hearing the girls in the group discuss to death what they’ll be wearing.  Wonder how much food the Nuh-Uh Girl will eat at the reception tonight?

In case there are any last-minute inquiries about Stumbling Santa, here’s what you need to know:  Show up at 7 PM at Earnestine & Hazel’s, with a toy to donate to a child, dressed as Santa, Mrs. Claus, an elf, a reindeer, a Christmas tree, or some other Christmas icon.  From there you’ll be given directions what to do.  You can buy costumes at Party City at Poplar and Highland.  Bring cash to pay your tabs, because there won’t be time for everyone to run credit cards.

The Orpheum is giving military personnel an early Christmas present.  In appreciation for their service to our country, the Orpheum is inviting military personnel and their families to attend their upcoming Broadway show The Pajama Game (Tuesday, December 9 through Sunday, December 14), and purchase tickets for any seat in the house for only $25.  They did a similar promotion earlier this year, and over 200 people in uniform and their families took advantage of the offer.

If you missed the Majestic Grille’s half-price discount gift card sale, I’ve got good news for you – they’re doing it for a second day.  On Tuesday, December 16, you can buy $50 gift cards for $25 from 9 AM until they run out or 6 PM, whichever comes later.  They can’t be used until January 2 and can’t be used for alcohol, but they still provide a heck of a bargain on Patrick’s fantastic filet, their whole roasted chicken, their famous grilled cheese (with BACON!!!), the “John D Breakfast” at Sunday brunch, or any of their other fabulous food items.

They’ve also informed me that they will once again be doing their same deal for New Year’s Eve – their regular menu at regular prices, no upcharges because it’s a big party night, no cover at the door or any of that other BS.  Just good food and good times.  Patrick always comes up with a few special appetizers and entrees to add to the menu for the evening.  I speak from experience (two years of it) when I tell you, NYE at the Majestic is a good time.

Annabelle, the 5-year-old girl with spina bfida whose wheelchair was stolen last month, has a new wheelchair thanks to donations from the community.  Just in time too… she’s going to be a princess at a gala event at the Peabody tonight, and she needed her “legs” in order to be able to dance.

Sitting here drinking my morning Mountain Dew as I type this… my health guru AL still thinks I need to give up Mountain Dew.  I’d be more willing to do so if the product shown below actually existed:

Congratulations to the Grizzlies on their win over the L.A. Clippers last night.  Got a question.  Looking at my tracker, I see that I have a few blog readers from Los Angeles.  Does anyone out there care about the Clippers?  I mean, in New York you have Yankees fans and Mets fans.  In Chicago there are people who like the Cubs and people who like the White Sox.  But when I think of basketball in Los Angeles, it seems like there’s the Lakers and “oh yeah, that other team.”  Do the Clippers actually have fans?

I watched the game at the Saucer last night.  I was there for a friend’s plate party.  They finished the tab and left to go to Hooters for $1 draft beer… I contemplated joining them, but came to the conclusion that Hooters just absolutely sucks no matter how cheap the beer is.  After the game let out, the Grizzlies crowd packed the Saucer, and I got bored and moved to Bardog.  As usual, I ran into people I hadn’t seen in months and had a great time chatting.  Bardog is damn near perfect.

Reminds me… I ran into former BFF Lauren at Bardog night before last, and she told me that she’s going to start working at the downstairs bar at Orleans on Front (formerly Cayenne Moon) in a couple of weeks.  I have a feeling that may turn into a very cool little locals’ spot.  I need to stop by and get the details.  In particular, I need to get an answer to the first question Downtowners ask when a new bar opens – “Do they have PBR, and if so, how much is it?”

All right.  Got a business meeting at the Saucer at 2:30 and then the wedding, which starts at 7.  What’s proper etiquette for time to show up to a wedding?  Half hour before it starts?  Wow, I just realized, this’ll be the first time I’ve seen the inside of a church since 1999.  Outta here for now, going to work on my newest website between now and 2:30.

Friday update

A blog reader who is on a BBQ Fest team e-mailed me today.  He received a letter from Memphis in May telling his team that the only change in setup for 2009 is that some of the larger lots will be reduced in size.  It doesn’t appear there will be a change in fees.  So it looks like the rumor that entry fees will go way up next year is not true.

Last night I went to Court Square Center’s holiday party and open house, and some friends and I got to tour some of the upper-floor units.  They are really neat… extremely high ceilings, some units with loft bedrooms accessible by ladder and with a separate entrance the next floor up.  Wood paneling on the windows, great-looking kitchens… they did a great job, and it’s good to have new apartments on the market in the Downtown core.  Check out their website for more info, and also info on the Lowenstein and CA2 buildings.

Big Foot Lodge has settled a lawsuit regarding similarities in its name and concept to two restaurants in California.  With that behind them, according to this Commercial Appeal article, the restaurant is now looking to expand to a second location.  The article notes that despite the slow economy, sales at the Downtown location have been extremely strong.    Glad to see them looking to the future… with their fun menu and creative desserts, I think it’s a concept that would work really well in the suburbs.

Stopped by the Saucer last night for a beer… they have signs up that their leftover John McCain glasses are now on sale for $2.50.  “Christmas gifts for your Republican friends!” the sign reads.  “Sure to be a collector’s item!”  Hmmm… the Saucer wasn’t around in 1984, but if it had been, I kinda doubt that Walter Mondale glasses would be “collector’s items” today.  Every time I see those leftover glasses I think, “who would be dumb enough to buy one,” but then I remember that the Saucer has a location in Cordova.

Restaurant.com is running a new promotion: Enter code LIST at checkout for 60% off through Sunday, December 7.  That means you can buy $25 face-value gift certificates to some of Memphis’ most popular restaurants for $4 instead of the usual price of $10.  You can also give someone a membership to their Dinner of the Month Club and save 60% on the purchase through Sunday.

Happy birthday a day late to my friend Clay… his very-soon-to-be wife Jessica organized a surprise party for him at Itta Bena last night, although he totally had it figured out beforehand.  Good to be at the bar at Itta Bena again, haven’t been there in a couple of months.

Don’t forget that there’s a Downtown group meeting outside the Arcade restaurant at 7:30 AM tomorrow to cheer on the marathon runners.

Time to get busy… gotta troubleshoot a WordPress installation, then work on my latest website idea.  So far my only plans for tonight include a friend’s plate party at the Saucer.

Open house at Court Square Center complex tonight, new menu items at Bardog

There’s an open house at Court Square Center tonight.  That’s the complex on Main between Court Square and Jefferson, consisting of the Lincoln-American Tower, an apartment building that opened several months ago; the Lowenstein Building at Main and Jefferson, still under construction and coming along nicely; and the yet-to-be-built CA2 building that will replace the Court Annex building that burned down.

Although I’m not looking to move – I still love Number 10 – I’ve heard the apartments there are very nice, and I want to get details about Court Square Center to pass along to friends and blog readers who are considering moving Downtown.  Also, when I saw the event on Facebook, there was one phrase that was particularly intriguing – “free wine, beer, and food.”  Free food – I wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up?  There will also be drawings for two plaza-level tickets to the upcoming Grizzlies-Lakers game, and other prizes.

Hmmm I kind of feel in the mood to dress holiday festive for this one… unusual that I actually feel like dressing up.  I have to get dressed up again Saturday for a wedding at St. Peter’s.  That’s the night of Stumbling Santa, and I’ve had people ask if I’m going to wear a Santa suit to the wedding.  No, not wearing a Santa suit, although I can think of things even more ridiculous to wear (e.g. a tie).

I did happy hour and beyond at Bardog Tavern last night.  They recently added three new items to their menu.  There’s an Italian sub, which is the sandwich version of their antipasto salad.  There’s a chicken quesadilla, which I took home last night.  And finally, there’s a fisherman’s stew (it’s called some Italian word I can’t remember on the menu, starts with a C), a stew full of seafood.

Slow news day… probably won’t be 6-7 posts a day like I did earlier this week, unless I hear about more stuff.  Outta here for now…

Wed update: Carb specials for Friday, Girls’ Night Out at the Rooster, tribute to Isaac Hayes and more

The Downtown Memphis Core group on Facebook is working exactly the way I’d hoped.  It’s grown to 70 members, and people are discussing things on the Wall and in the group’s forum.  I like it, because it’s a great way to disseminate information to Downtowners without it all having to be sent to me and posted on my blog.

It’s also a great resource for stuff to post to my blog, I’m finding… for example, a member posted this list of all restaurants offering “carb up” specials Friday, December 5 in preparation for Saturday’s marathon.  You have to show a race number to get the discounts.

The Red Rooster is doing a Girls’ Night Out party next Thursday, December 11.

Management has told me that only females will be admitted from 6 to 9, so you can bring all your gal pals and do whatever it is y’all do on Girls’ Night, heck if I know.  They’re hoping to get a lot of groups of girls in there to meet each other and network and have fun.  There will be food, drinks, and prizes.  At 9, guys will be admitted, and the usual Thursday night Rooster party will begin.  I guess this is one Thursday when there definitely won’t be anyone there to “rock out with their cock out,” at least not before 9 PM.

Don’t forget, Big Foot Lodge is on the Travel Channel tonight at 9 (did I mis-post it as Food Network earlier?  If I did I was wrong) on the Man vs. Food Show.  I got wings to go night before last – decided to torture myself with the Holy Smokes wings, which when I got them home seemed to have been turned down a notch to what would be right around “extra hot” in most wing restaurants, as opposed to the “suicide” level that they were before.  Good, extra hot is perfect for me.

The students of the Stax Academy will present “Go Down, Moses,” a tribute to Isaac Hayes, Thursday, December 18 at the Germantown Performing Arts Centre.

Normally I don’t mention Germantown events, but this is an exception because the students are participants in the SNAP! After School program at Stax Academy just southeast of Downtown.  This is a program that mentors Memphis high school students through music education and unique performance opportunities.  A lot of kids from disadvantaged neighborhoods receive the chance to play musical instruments they could never otherwise afford through this program.  Some of them will go on to become professional musicians; all of them will come out of the program with a sense of accomplishment that will benefit them in future endeavors.  Tickets are $10, sold exclusively at the Stax Academy.  901-946-2535 x334 or go to StaxMusicAcademy.org for more details.

Busy day… got a freelance gig that’s finally coming together, and I also have to buy Majestic Grille gift cards, go grocery shopping, and get a haircut.  Not sure what I’ll do this evening… probably Bardog unless the Fire Sale at the Saucer is particularly good.

The waiting game

Building websites that make money can be frustrating.  Over the past two months, I’ve built 10 websites that I know will sell a considerable amount of items through Amazon in the future, producing big commissions for me, possibly enough to replace a full-time income.  However, I’m not yet seeing that money.

Why not?  Two main reasons.  First of all, although I link to all my sites from my blog, in the long run most of my sites’ hits will come from Google search traffic.  Problem is, it takes Google a while to trust a new site and reward it in the search rankings.  Google wants to see new sites stay around for a number of months, so it’s sure they aren’t fly-by-night scam sites.  It also takes several months for other bloggers/webmasters to see new sites and link to them – the more incoming links Google sees to a site, the better that site gets ranked.

Tube Top Boutique has been up a year and a half now, and has had time to build Google trust.  As a result, it now has a PageRank of 4 (same as the Commercial Appeal’s home page), and gets 400-500 hits a day, not bad considering December is hardly tube top season.  As recently as last month it was running as high as 800 a day.  My newer sites, however – especially those less than 3 months old – have not had time to build that Google trust, and are lucky if they get 20-30 hits a day with a PageRank of 0.

The second reason that it takes a long time to see money from these sites is Amazon’s payment schedule.  Commissions earned during a particular month are not paid out until the end of the second month afterward.  That means that if you go to Mid-South Alcoholic Supply today and buy a cocktail shaker or electric drink mixer, I will earn a certain amount of commission from its sale (probably 7.5% this month), but I won’t get that money until the end of February.  So I can see myself earning money when I check my reports on a daily basis, but I don’t have access to that money.  Meanwhile, I doubt my apartment building’s manager will be too happy if I tell her I plan on paying my December rent on February 25.

I’m not complaining about these things… I’m just saying, they are facts of life if you do business on the Web.  I’m hoping that writing about my experiences will be useful to people just getting into website affiliate marketing.  Don’t put all your eggs in one basket and hope for a big payday within a month or two.  Sorry, but it probably won’t happen.  There are exceptions, like that “I can has cheezburger” site where you caption pictures of cats that went to a million hits within a month’s time, but those are one-in-a-million sites.

You know what I think will be a big business in the future?  Payday loan companies for Amazon Associates.  People who have pending commissions a month or two out will be able to go to these places and get advances on their commissions at a massive interest rate, much as paper paycheck loan companies do nowadays.  There’s a business idea for anyone willing to take it on.  You don’t have to give me any royalties for the idea, but if you want to stick something in the Buy-Paul-a-Beer.net account, that’d be cool.

When my 10 new stores attain the same level of Google trust that Tube Top Boutique has, they’ll start getting lots of hits and generating big commissions.  In the meantime, though, I just have to wait it out.  And look for office jobs.  Sigh.  I guess it’s time to contact the recruiters and let them know I’m ready to start hunting.  Probably tomorrow I’ll do that.

Trivia tonight at the Saucer at Bardog at 7.  Immediately after trivia I’ll pay my tab and head to Bardog for Pint Night.  If anyone wants to join me there, please feel free, I’ll be there about 9:15.

Second Tue update: Majestic gift card sale tomorrow, Circa’s Sun/Mon; Circa starts Sunday brunch

The Majestic Grille’s gift card sale starts tomorrow at 9 AM.  You can buy $50 gift cards for $25, good for food purchases.  This is a great deal!  Don’t miss it!

Circa is getting in on the gift card action too – they’ll be selling gift cards at $100 face value for only $50 on Sunday and Monday, December 7 and 8.

In both cases, the cards can’t be redeemed until after the first of 2009, and can’t be used to buy alcohol.  Still, these are both great deals at the two restaurants I recommend most Downtown.

More big news from Circa:  They’re starting a Sunday brunch.  Here’s a quick summary of the menu:

Booze: Mimosas (bottle of champagne + OJ) $14; cocktails (bloody mary, ice pick, kir royale) $6; French press coffee (serves 2) $6

Starters: Basket of fresh baked breads $6; New Orleans beignets $6; smoked salmon plate $14; seafood and sausage gumbo $8

Entrees, served with choice of side: Poached salmon $13; petite filet of beef $15; maple glazed pork tenderloin $14; English breakfast (toast, bacon, fried egg, grilled tomatoes and mushrooms) $12

Signature egg dishes: Eggs Victor $16; Eggs Benedict $13; Beef Tenderloin Benedict $18; Circa omelets (you choose up to 4 ingredients) $14

Crepes: Nutella and vanilla ice cream $9; ham and gruyere cheese $11; chevre and raspberry $11

Sides: Bacon or sausage $5; 3-cheese grits souffle $6; home-style fried potatoes $5; potatoes au gratin $5; oatmeal $5; two eggs, any style $5; wheatberry toast $3

Desserts: Grand Marnier Creme Brulee $7; Chocolate pot de creme $7; assorted sorbets $7

Guys, if you get lucky and bring a girl home from one of the bars Saturday night, taking her to brunch at Circa the next morning would be a great way to show her that you really like her and want to keep her around.  On the other hand, if a one-night stand was all you wanted, give her a coupon for a free Egg McMuffin and send her on her way.

Circa is also doing a “reverse happy hour” after 10 PM Friday and Saturdays now.

How to read the Commercial Appeal without seeing those massively annoying pop-up ads on the homepage

Wish you could read the Commercial Appeal online without having to deal with those incredibly annoying pop-up ads on the home page?  You can – RSS to the rescue.  Go to reader.google.com (or your favorite RSS reader, if you have a different one) and subscribe to whichever you choose of the feeds below:

News

Local

Sports

Business

Lifestyle

Opinion

Videos

GoMemphis: Events

GoMemphis: Music

GoMemphis: Dining

GoMemphis: Movies

GoMemphis: Arts

GoMemphis: Nightlife

Now you’ll be able to use Google Reader to bypass the home page and see the headlines in a much more straightforward format, and when you see a story that interests you, you’ll be able to click through and read it on the CA’s site.  Goodbye pop-up ads!

I guess in today’s economy, the CA has to make money where it can, but it seems like rule number one ought to be, “thou shalt not irritate the reader.”  I wonder if that’s why the CA’s homepage has a lower Google PageRank than any other major Memphis media outlet’s homepage.

Please send info: New Year’s Eve events

I’m starting to get people sending me New Year’s Eve events to post, and I’m starting to get “what should I do New Year’s Eve?” queries.  If you are hosting or know of a NYE event Downtown, e-mail it to paul@paulryburn.com.  I’m going to compile a list.  Since different people like have different ideas of how to celebrate the New Year, I’ll make a post listing each event, and my best guess as to who would enjoy each.

Even if your restaurant or bar is not doing anything special but will be open – “just good times with good friends, that’s all we need to ring in the New Year” – I’d like to know that too.  A lot of people (myself included) prefer that type of thing on NYE.