Paul Ryburn's Journal

Marketer Seth Godin did a blog post yesterday on what he thinks should happen regarding the impending failure of the Big Three automakers.  In my opinion he hit the nail right on the head:  Let them fail, then make it easy for new, innovative car manufacturers to go into business by removing as many regulatory roadblocks as possible.  A great post and worth forwarding to the people who represent you in Washington.  Read it here.

Last night we had a birthday party for our friend Jessica, which started at Bardog Tavern and ended at Ground Zero.  This pic from Ground Zero pretty much sums up what went on there:

It was the first time I’d been to Ground Zero at night to hear a band – previously I’d only been for happy hour.  I really enjoyed it.  Preston Shannon was playing some great blues, and the DJ spun all kinds of tunes when the band was on break.  Good-sized crowd – every table was occupied but the place was not overly packed.  If you’re looking to dance Downtown but want something a little more mature than the madness of Beale Street or the wildness of the Red Rooster, give Ground Zero a try.

By the way: I still have two “free appetizer with purchase of an entree” cards from Ground Zero to give away.  Ask me for one if you see me out.  I have them in my wallet so they’re always with me.

Party attendees:  I’ll upload pics to Facebook later today.  I’m going to have to do a lot of work on these in Picasa to see if I can salvage bad pics due to the less-than-ideal lighting.

I’ll be back later today with pics from the “Flip the Switch” Christmas lighting ceremony last night in Court Square.

Here’s a video of Alaska governor Sarah Palin pardoning a turkey and being interviewed about Thanksgiving, as turkeys are being slaughtered in the background. Just when we thought we were done watching her make a fool of herself on national TV, she’s back.

I just received more information about the big party that will be happening Thursday night at Earnestine & Hazel’s.  A $5 cover will be used to raise money that will be split between two charities, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.  Some drinks and jello shots will be provided, and there will be a DJ.  This is the 7th year they have thrown this party… I went to the 6th annual party last year, and can tell you from first-hand experience, it’s a lot of fun.

Party runs from 8:00 until ?????, so I’ll have at least three hours to soak up Saucer beer and look at Saucer skirts before heading down there.  There isn’t a whole lot that goes on in Downtown Memphis on Thanksgiving night, so this E&H party sounds like the place to be.

I have three “buy an entree, get a free appetizer” cards for Ground Zero Blues Club.  Find me tonight at the Court Square lighting event at 5 PM if you want one.  First come, first served.

Wikipedia has gained fame over the past few years as the encyclopedia that anyone can edit.  If you’re browsing a Wikipedia page and you spot what you believe to be a factual inaccuracy, you can set up an account, log in and fix it.

Downtowner Mike King did just that recently, editing the Wikipedia article on The Seven Wonders of the World to add Calhoun’s Sports Bar on G.E. Patterson to the list.  King, who has previously claimed that the beer at Calhoun’s can whiten your teeth, remove wrinkles from your skin, and raise your IQ by 18 to 23 points, was stunned to find that the bar had been omitted from the list of the Seven Wonders of the World.

“I’m sure the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were nice,” King said, “But did they have 5 flat-panel TVs where you can watch the Tiger games?  No.  And while the Lighthouse of Alexandria may have held some importance to the Hellenistic Egyptians, you couldn’t get a PBR there for a buck-fifty.”  King also pointed out that consumption of Calhoun’s lunchroom pizza makes your feces smell like lilacs for 2 to 3 days following, and that President Woodrow Wilson signed the Treaty of Versailles ending World War I at Calhoun’s.

King expects that the inclusion of Calhoun’s on the list will spark a renewed interest in the Seven Wonders.  He predicts that tourism to the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt will rise 30% next year, given the added prestige of being included on the list with Calhoun’s.  “I wouldn’t be suprised if the people who maintain the Great Pyramid start handing out magic markers and inviting people to write on the pyramid,” he commented, noting that Calhoun’s provides markers for its patrons to write on the bar.

King’s next project is to try and convince the Food Network to do a 5-hour special on Calhoun’s Cheesy Potato Bites, a dish that would “surely put Wolfgang Puck out of business if only the world knew about it.”

New Year’s Eve is supposedly the biggest party night of the year.  However, as longtime readers of this blog know, I hate New Year’s Eve.  It’s totally amateur night, when all the people who can’t come out in public without acting a fool crawl out from under their rocks.  Every bar and club is packed to the point that it isn’t any fun, and they charge 3-4 times the normal cover.  Some of them raise drink prices too. New Year’s Eve plans tend to be overly contrived, with little opportunity for spontaneous fun.

However, last year’s Thanksgiving weekend, and the agenda for Thanksgiving this year, have led me to believe that Thanksgiving weekend in Downtown Memphis has become what New Year’s should be, but isn’t.  There seems to be fun – easy-going, spontaneous, laid-back fun – everywhere you look.

Last year was the first year I remained Downtown for Thanksgiving.  I was expecting a quiet weekend.  I was wrong.  Thursday I ate dinner at a friend’s condo in Barton Flats.  Then the Saucer opened at 5 and it was one of the most fun nights I’ve ever had there.  For a while it was so slow that they were allowing waitresses to play pool on the clock.  It was more mellow than even a Sunday Fun Day.  One of the waitresses bribed me with beer to go change into my Disco Paul persona I sometimes do at Raiford’s.  People were dancing.  I was doing shots as well as beer.  I found out that Thanksgiving night tends to be a party night at Earnestine & Hazel’s, and I ended up there, dancing and smacking one of the Saucer waitresses on the ass.  Friday was the four-and-a-half-hour long football game where unranked Arkansas took down #1 LSU in three overtimes, and we were on pins and needles the entire time watching it.  Good times all around.

This year, once again, I can’t get home to Little Rock for Thanksgiving – I’d have to leave Thursday morning and turn around and go back Thursday night.  However, it looks like I’ll have plenty to keep me occupied here.  Wednesday night I have a birthday party to go to, with The Dempseys at Blues City.  Big Foot Lodge is doing a “turkey tip-off” party with $2 Super Cold 34 oz. Coors Light draft all day long – from 11 AM to 3 AM.  Hmmm, and I currently don’t have a job… yeah that could be a plan for the day Wednesday.  Another reason to celebrate at Big Foot on Wednesday is that it’s Meghan’s day off.  In addition, there’s a Thanksgiving Eve party at Bardog Tavern that night.  I’ve heard something about Buffalo Trace specials and one of the bartenders dressing in a bra and chaps.  It’s also “Turkey of the Year” glass night at the Saucer, so maybe I’ll stop by there too.

Friday looks to be the pinnacle of the party weekend, as the CCC has moved Memphis’ annual holiday parade to the day after Thanksgiving, and the location has been moved to South Main.  What a great idea!  It will expose thousands of people to all the cool shops and galleries in the area.  True, since it’s off Beale Street I won’t be able to enjoy a Call-a-Cab from Wet Willie’s, but $1.50 PBR at Calhoun’s will more than make up for it.  After the 5 PM parade, a special holiday-themed edition of the South Main Trolley Art Tour will kick off, and will surely be one of the most exciting Trolley Tours of the year.  The galleries and shops will be open 6 to 9 and many of them will be serving holiday-themed refreshments.

As for T-day itself, the Saucer opens at 5, and this year I don’t plan on being late like I was last year (didn’t get there until 5:03).  If you’ve had your fill of turkey and relatives during the day on Thanksgiving, come to the Saucer and have a beer.  Or a shot of Jager, if you’ve had a really bad day.  My plans are open-ended after I leave the Saucer… maybe I’ll end up at E&H again.

But that’s next weekend… plans for today involve a 1 PM meeting at the Second Street Branch Office, where I’ll be tutoring a guy on how to earn additional income through affiliate marketing.  At 5 I’ll head to Court Square for the “Flip the Switch” ceremony, or as I call it, “Light Up the Bums,” where Court Square’s holiday lighting will be turned on for the first time.  Not sure what I’ll do after that… may walk around and look at the holiday decoration in Downtown’s storefronts, or I may go somewhere and watch the Memphis vs. Seton Hall game in the Puerto Rico Tip-off.  Game time is 6 PM CST.

I applied for a job yesterday… I said I was taking time off from job-hunting until December 1, but this was an exceptional organization that was too good to pass up.  We’ll see what happens.

Time to get things started… I’ll possibly post again from the branch office this afternoon.

Trivia at Jillian’s is cancelled tonight… they’ve been remodeling the Tiger Den (formerly Club Atlas) and have not been through the necessary fire marshal’s inspection before reopening that part of the club.  This is not something that reflects badly on Jillian’s, just a routine process businesses have to go through when they do construction.

Every year, the Church Health Center produces a limited-edition holiday card which can be sent in honor or memory of friends, loved ones, or co-workers.  Those honored receive a personalized, hand-inscribed card acknowledging the gift (in the case of a memorial, the donor can specify who should receive the card).  A tax-deductible donation of $10 minimum per honoree is suggested.  This is one of the main yearly fundraisers for the Church Health Center, a nonprofit that provides health care to those in Memphis who would otherwise have no way to receive it.

This year’s card was designed by Danny Broadway, a University of Memphis graduate who has been designated Master Artist by PBS for the past five years.  He was also commissioned to produce the official logo of Major League Baseball’s Civil Rights Game, and his work has been featured in notable exhibits such as the Art Expo in New York.

For information on how to support the Church Health Center through their holiday cards, visit their website or call (901) 272-7170.

The Memphis Tiger basketball team plays at 3:30 PM CST this afternoon.  Normally Calhoun’s Sports Bar on GE Patterson doesn’t open until 4:30, but since it’s game day they’ll open early this afternoon.  I’ll be down there enjoying $1.50 PBR, so if you get off work early, come on down and cheer on the Tigers to victory.