Hard work and spontaneous fun

Looking back, yesterday was really a great day.  I realized I worked almost 10 hours on my websites yesterday, from 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM, minus time I spent taking a shower and relocating to Bardog Tavern and then the Saucer.  Wow.  I really got a lot done.  On Sunday too.

Then I put the laptop up and headed to Huey’s for the Dempseys.  Ended up hanging out with a bunch of people from Calhoun’s (owners/bartenders/regulars).  Max had never seen the Dempseys before and it’s always interesting to see the shock on people’s faces that a band can really be that good.  We stayed through all three of their sets, and they wrapped up around midnight.  At that point I had planned to go home, get 7 hours or so sleep, and then wake up for a full day of website development and freelance work.  But then Lauren asked, “Where are we going next?” and I thought to myself, you know, I’m no longer imprisoned by cubicles and schedules, and I did just work a 10-hour day, and I was having a great time… why the hell wouldn’t I keep going?  So I suggested the traditional Downtown end to Sunday night – FreeWorld at Blues City.  We stayed there for about an hour, then wrapped up the evening at the Black Diamond.  I got home about 2:30 I think.

You know, I hate this cliche, but I’m going to use it anyway… yesterday I worked hard, and I played hard.  Recently, I had someone suggest to me, having read Seth Godin’s book Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us, that I start a tribe of my own, that I lead a movement to encourage more people to think outside the cubicle and the 8-to-5 schedule to earn a living.  It’s not a bad idea.  I may do it.

In other news… early voting hours have been extended.  You can early vote at any voting location between the hours of 9 AM and 6 PM.  Early voting ends Thursday, October 30, though, so you better hurry.

Plans for tonight… Pint Nite Pint Nite Pint Nite.  If Jack’s Pumpkin Ale, recently installed on tap, is available at the Pint Nite Price (I think it is, but don’t take my word for it), I may have to take a week’s vacation from my usual favorite Dos Equis Lager.  Still thinking I may hit Big Foot as well, for Monday Night Football.  $2 34 oz. Super Cold beer sounds real easy on the wallet, plus Meghan will probably say something to piss me off and I’ll end up tipping 5% rather than my usual 30%, saving even more money.

First, though, gotta get some work done.  I’ll be at Pint Nite around 5 probably.

Good news and bad news: BFF, work

It’s 2 AM and I just got home.  I have good news and bad news.  The good news is that I’ve decided to do the BFF of the Month announcement for November even earlier than I blogged, and it’s effective immediately.

The new BFF for the remaining days of October and all of November is Lauren.  As if there was ever any doubt.  Her birthday is this week, and she wanted to be the BFF on her birthday, and let’s face it, October BFFs Michelle and Jenny haven’t done a very good job.  So Lauren gets 30+several days as BFF.  Hung out with her tonight to see the Dempseys at Huey’s, then we took Max from Calhoun’s to experience FreeWorld at Blues City on a Sunday night.

The bad news is, I just found out I’ve been scheduled to work the 4 PM shift at the Flying Saucer Friday.  I tried explaining to Ollie that I have Halloween parties to go to that night, and his response was, “Suck it up.”  Asshole.  So it looks like I’ll be waiting tables late afternoon/early evening Friday before I head to the parties.  They’re supposed to have “beer specials all day,” which means people’s tabs will be less than usual and I won’t even get tipped well.  This sucks.

Sunday update

Meh.  Boring night last night.  Stood around at the Saucer and watched Tennessee get their ass handed to them by Alabama.  Went to Bardog and had a few beers.  Then home to bed.

Gonna work on websites today, then head to Huey’s at 8:30 to catch The Dempseys.  My hiatus from Sunday brunch continues.  Sunday is just too valuable a day to work on websites… apologies to the gang for not being around so much lately.  Yesterday I did some analysis of my websites’ search engine traffic, and I’m seeing trends that indicate that all my hard work is about to pay off.  Once that happens, I’ll be back out more.

Thinking about going to Big Foot Lodge tomorrow night… tomorrow is “If we turn on Monday Night Football on our 6 TVs, and run specials on $2 34 oz. Super Cold Coors Light, $3 blue kamikazes, $4 100 proof tequila shots, and 24 wings for $9.99 during the game, maybe we can convince SOMEBODY to come sit at the bar when Meghan is working” night.  I’ll probably hit the Saucer for Pint Nite then wander down there about 7:30… if anyone wants to join me feel free.

Oooo… I just realized… MNF this week is the undefeated Titans vs. the Indianapolis Colts.  So I’ll get to cheer against washed-up Peyton Manning.  Seems like his games are clinics on how to throw interceptions lately… for once I’m actually enjoying having Peyton on my TV.  Too bad I can’t convince my favorite blogger/MILF to come Downtown and watch the game with me, to see “her Peyton” go down in flames.

Does anyone else think Halloween is going to be a complete clusterf**k this year, given that it’s on a Friday and so nearly EVERYONE is throwing their parties the day of, rather than spacing them out over several days?  I’ve been invited to the usual party in my building, a party about a mile to the east, and a party almost a mile to the south.  Don’t know how I’m going to hit them all, given that driving is not an option.  I’m honestly not as excited about Halloween as I have been the past 3 years.  Although, checking the weather, it looks like we’re going to have above average temperatures for the first time since 2004, which is good news for females who want to dress up in skimpy costumes.

Big Foot may have done the smart thing, scheduling their party a day early on Thursday, October 30 when they can have the entire crowd to themselves.  Attn consulting clients and business associates:  I’m taking the 31st as a “vacation day” and won’t be available for meetings or to do work.

Halloween is the one day a year when “be yourself” is worthwhile advice for Big Foot bartender Meghan.

Man I’m in a snarky mood today.

I just realized something:  Given that the first of the month falls in the middle of a busy Halloween/RiverArtsFest weekend, I’m going to need to do my November BFF of the Month announcement early.  I’ll do it the morning of Thursday, October 30.  Unless I stay out late drinking the night of Wednesday the 29th, in which case I’ll sleep all morning and make the announcement Thursday afternoon.  There’s really very little doubt about who will win this month anyway.

All right… gonna take a shower and then build some websites.  See you at Huey’s tonight if you’re a Dempseys fan.

Get paid time off to vote – in TN, your employer has to give it to you

There was a good post on LifeHacker this morning about state laws that require employers to give employees paid time off to vote.  I followed the link to discover the rules for Tennessee:  Unless you start work 3 hours after the polls open, or finish work 3 hours before the polls close, your employer is required to give you “reasonable time” to vote, not to exceed 3 hours, the day of the election.  Your employer has to pay you for this time.

The voting hours are 7 AM to 7 PM in Shelby County, so unless you start work after 10 or leave by 4, you have a right to ask for paid time off to vote on November 4.

According to the law, you have to submit your request by noon November 3, and your employer has the right to choose which hours to give you.

You can find a complete state-by-state breakdown here.

Recap of last night

After a couple of happy hour PBRs at Bardog with Mikey and John D, I headed to the Saucer at 7 for their Oktoberfest celebration.  Ghost River Brewing was there with their specially-brewed keg of Black Magic, a black beer.  I tried a couple of glasses and it was really good.  Black beers are not like porters and stouts in that they’re not heavy; they’re easily drinkable.  Sam Adams Black and Xingu are other well-known black beers.

While I was there, I learned that Ghost River donates a portion of the proceeds from every keg they sell to the Wolf River Conservancy.  Memphis’ exceptionally clean drinking water is a key ingredient in their beers, so they have every reason to want to preserve its quality.

Then I moved on to Orleans on Front at 8, where they were giving away free food in their “voodoo room” downstairs.  The chef had e-mailed me and described the room as “the speakeasy Downtown Memphis has always needed.”  It has lattice-covered low ceilings and a stage for bands, with plenty of table seating and a bar in the back.  It has a New Orleans theme, of course, but friends who were there with me commented that it reminded them of downstairs/basement bars they had been to in New York.

They put out red beans and rice, shrimp, chicken fingers, and fried green tomatoes for their guests.  Here’s a pic of the Nuh-Uh Girl loading up her plate:

After that I headed back to the Saucer for a little while.  I would have liked to go to the Orpheum party at the Warehouse (and was actually offered a free ticket, twice) but was just too tired to make the trip down there.  Was home in bed by 11.

Nothing definite on the agenda for the rest of the weekend, except for The Dempseys at Huey’s tomorrow night.  Guess I’ll be in front of the laptop today, possibly writing WordPress plugins, and maybe some new articles for my consumer review site.

Fri update: Spanish wine dinner, Barbara Blue in the kitchen, Jillian’s trivia, special beer at Oktoberfest tonight

Finally being productive today… got another Saving Consumers Time article written, although this one probably won’t be of much use to Memphians because it’s about snow throwers.

The Majestic Grille is having a “Unique Spanish Wines & Dinner with guest chef Reinaldo Alfonso” next Wednesday, October 29.  Here are the details:

Join Chef Patrick Reilly as he creates a meal to remember
with friend & guest Chef Reinaldo ‘ Reny’ Alfonso of Chez Philippe. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED.

Tapas
Manzanilla Olives
Patatas con alioli. Potatoes with alioli
Roasted Clams with chorizo and sherry
A selection of home cured meats and sausage by Chef Reinaldo Alfonso

Second Course
Fall Greens with roasted Beets, walnuts, Bonnie Blue goatcheese & tangerine dressing

Third Course
Braised pork Shank with tomatillos, fall vegetables, guajillo peppers

Desert
Crema catalana. Caramelized vanilla cream with almond cookies.

Wines
Casa de la Ermita, Rosado, Jumilla, Spain 2007
Casa de la Ermita – Jumilla Spain Crianza 2006
Mas Igneus Priorat FA 206, Priorat, Spain 2006
Albet I Noya Cava Reserva Brut, Penedes, Spain NV
$55 per person plus tx & grat.

Call 522-8555 or go to majesticgrille.com to make reservations.  Also, I learned yesterday that the Majestic Grille is no longer part of the Restaurant.com discount gift certificate program. That’s okay, there are still over a dozen other restaurants Downtown that participate. The 60% off sale is still going on – through Sunday, you can enter coupon code SAVOR at checkout and save 60%. The Majestic Grille will run its own, independent 50% off gift card sale on Wednesday, December 3. I bought $250 worth of Majestic meals for $125 when they did this last year, and it was one of the best investments I ever made.

Did you know that singer Barbara Blue, who performs at Silky’s several nights a week, can cook?  She’s the guest chef Sunday night for a wine dinner at Encore at 6:30 PM.  527-3621 to make reservations.

Last night was trivia night at Jillian’s with Mikey and Pete the Trivia Guy, and the contest was won by… you guessed it… the Rapscallions.  Jillian’s went out of their way to show their appreciation for people who supported the trivia night in only its second week, upping the prizes to $80/$40/$20 for one week only, and putting out free munchies for trivia players.  Trivia team The Sissy Bitches, who stopped playing Saucer trivia after repeated losses to the Rapscallions a couple of years ago, showed up at Jillian’s and lost to us again.

Heading to Oktoberfest at the Saucer in a little while.  I found out that they will have a special beer, Boscos Black Magic, a stout of which only two kegs were brewed, one for the Downtown Saucer and one for the East Bumblefuck Saucer.  Not a big stout drinker but I’ll give anything Boscos brews a try.  Don’t forget about the free food and beer at Orleans on Front from 8 to 9!

Late start

Just getting up… was out at Bardog until the wee hours.

Quick update to remind everyone of today’s events.  It’s Oktoberfest at the Flying Saucer tonight, with a blessing of the kegs, a $10 beer tasting, and a bratwurst eating competition.  Orleans on Front will give away free food and *drinks from 8 to 9 tonight as part of their grand opening.  At the Warehouse on GE Patterson, there will be a “rock & roll, brews and Q” fundraiser for the Orpheum – $25 gets you Corky’s BBQ til 9 and free beer all night.

Polls now show Obama in the lead in Indiana and Montana.  It’s starting to look like a landslide.

I’ll be back later today with a longer post.  In the meantime, if you want to read more of my stuff, I added two new articles to Saving Consumers Time yesterday:  One on portable breathalyzers, and one on computer privacy screen filters.

Chefs’ dinner to benefit Downtown safety patrol

Chefs Clint Boutwell and Michael Patrick are throwing a chefs’ tasting fundraiser to benefit the Downtown safety patrol on Wednesday, November 5 at Orleans on Front.  The patrol, which has been on the streets since April 1, consists of bicycle safety officers who ride around Downtown and protect people from aggressive panhandling, parking scams and other threats to their safety.  They patrol from 8 AM to 9 PM Sunday-Wednesday and 8 PM to 11 PM Thursday-Saturday.  You can call them at 281-9146 if you need them, and they can be anywhere in the area bounded by Front, Second, Adams, and Linden within minutes.  Their presence has made a big difference – based on my observations walking around Downtown, I’d say panhandling is down 80% compared to what it was a year ago.  No tax money is used to fund the patrol, so it’s important for businesses and individuals who benefit from their presence to contribute to keep them out on the streets.

The menu for the fundraiser will consist of panko encrusted grouper cheeks, fig stuffed pork loin, and praline creme brulee.  If you want to attend the event, you’ll need to call 522-1475 and make reservations.

I talked to Michael Patrick a couple of weeks ago, and I knew this was in the works… I’m glad to see it’s now officially on the calendar.  Glad to see these two chefs supporting the effort to keep our Downtown community safe.

How to be a VIP

I took an hour off from website work this morning to catch up on blogs, and while doing so I discovered a great post on how to become a VIP at hot restaurants.  Several points are ones I definitely agree with – start at the bar, tip 25%, be forgiving of occasional inattentive service when it’s busy, let them know you’ll refer a lot of business their way if you’re treated well.  There are also some ideas I hadn’t considered before, such as asking the chef what he/she thinks everyone should order but hardly anyone does.  I definitely learned a few things from this post.

If you eat out a lot, this one’s worth a bookmark.

Thur update: Blues book, rock climbing, Dr. Booze, men’s clothing, more bad news for McCain, trivia with cheap beer and drinks

Blake Billings, a writer and photographer from Memphis, has produced a coffee table book for Memphians who love the blues.  It’s full of high-quality photos taken with his Leica cameras.  Check out book.memphisbluessociety.com to learn how the book was composed.  If you live in the Memphis area and order this book, Blake will personally deliver a signed copy to you.  How often do you find a book that is hand-delivered by the author?

BRIDGES at Fourth and Auction will have a rock-climbing wall from 6 to 9 PM Thursday, October 30.  It will feature 1400 square feet of climbing on a 35-foot wall.  The wall was designed by experts and there will be a variety of routes.  Cost is $15 for adults, and $10 for those under 18.  Under 18 must have a waiver signed by a parent or guardian before they will be allowed to climb.  Not many opportunities to rock-climb in Memphis, so if you’re a fan of the sport, come on out.

Dr. Booze has been asked to do an interview for an Internet radio show… more details to come.  He took a few days off this week, but he told me that new posts will start appearing today.

Divine Rags at Main and Pontotoc has added men’s clothing to their store.  So guys now have an additional place Downtown to shop.

On RealClearPolitics’ electoral map, Ohio has now moved to the “leaning Obama” column.  He now has 306 electoral votes in his column according to the polls (259 solid + 47 leaning), with 270 needed to win.  Things continue to get worse for John McCain.

Trivia tonight at Jillian’s at 7 PM with Mikey and Pete the Trivia Guy.  There was a conflict on Wednesdays, so they’re doing Thursdays from now on.  $2 Bud and Bud Light, $3 Jager bombs, cherry bombs, and grape bombs.  This won’t become an every-week thing for me like Tuesday at the Saucer is, but I’ll be there tonight.