Paul Ryburn's Journal

Just got back from my morning Mountain Dew run to Jack’s.  As I walked back I noticed a new sign on the Lincoln-American Tower/Court Square Center:

Something called Ceriello is going in the space that used to be occupied by the Yellow Rose Cafe.  Anyone have any idea what this place is?  My guess would be either a clothing boutique or an Italian restaurant.  Hmmm, could Downtown handle another Italian place?  We already three good Italian restaurants in the 38103 zip code – Roma (for take-out), Pa Pa Pia’s (for sit-down dining), and Capriccio (Italian steakhouse).  Clothing boutiques, on the other hand, are something we can always use more of.  What’s the scoop on this place?  I know the developers of Court Square Center read this blog.

Last night someone handed me a flyer about Earnestine & Hazel’s new lunch hours.  Looks like lunch will be a permanent fixture there, rather than just for the home show.  Here’s a copy of the flyer:

Slaw dog???  Whoa!  Earnestine & Hazel’s menu just DOUBLED IN SIZE!!!

When I was at Itta Bena Wednesday night, one of the bartenders showed up drinking a new energy drink called Cocaine.  No kidding, that was its name.  It’s supposed to give you some of the same sensations as the real thing.  People who tried it said it made their teeth feel numb, which apparently one of the things cocaine the drug does.

Wonder if bars will start selling it… that could cause problems.  If you walked into a bar that doesn’t carry the drink and asked, “Can I get some Cocaine?”, you might find yourself in handcuffs.  Or you might get more than you bargained for and get a tiny bag of white powder.  There’s a bar on Beale Street that has to post “No illegal drugs allowed” signs because they got in trouble for that in the past.

There’s a convention for the blind going on Downtown this weekend.  That’s why, if you walk around down here, you’ll notice a lot of people with white canes.

The last semester I taught, I had a blind student with a seeing eye dog.  It was a Computer Literacy class and for her web page project, she built a page explaining how to interact with a person, how to interact with the dog, etc.  It was probably the best project out of all my 250 students.  One of my other students built a porn site.

Thanks to those of you who e-mailed with birthday gift suggestions for my BFF.  I now have a pretty good idea what I’m going to get her… the winning idea started with the VP of Marketing at work, who is my BFF’s former boss, and was improved upon by the Nuh-Uh Girl.  I’ll go purchase it today.

I also had a few people respond, “Wait, I thought you were going to kick your BFF to the curb.”  I nearly did.  When I polled my readers on the matter a couple of weeks ago, about 90% thought I should kick her, and I actually started a post announcing my intention to kick her, but never finished it.  She’s been a little nicer since I threatened to kick her, but that’s not the main reason I decided against it.  I watch people, observe them, observe the energy they give off.  So for a while I watched not her, but her friends.  And without exception they seemed to be really cool, interesting, unique people (although her mini-me can be a pain in the ass at times).  Usually when you see a person with a large number of cool friends, it’s a sign that there has to be something about them worth knowing.  So I decided to give her a second chance.  She’s still on probation, though.

Last night when I was at the Saucer for my plate party, one of the managers told me that Friday, May 9 will be a special day there.  It’s the Saucer’s 11th birthday, and they’re going to have a “Pajama Jam-a-Thon” to celebrate.  More details to come.  So the waitresses are going to have pajamas on?  I’m liking this idea already!

Still thinking I’m going to hit Raiford’s tonight, but I’m going to do it a little bit differently than usual.  The last time I went to Raiford’s, I did it the way going to Raiford’s is traditionally done:  I was at another bar (in this case, Hoop’s Bar) about 2 in the morning, ran into three people I knew, and we all decided, “Hey, let’s go to Raiford’s!” and we called King and the limo took us there.

Every now and then, however, I like to experience Raiford’s from a different angle.  I get there about 10:30 PM, which is only 30 minutes after opening and is normally considered WAY too early to go there.  But that allows me to watch the story of the night unfold.  I get to watch people come in who have never been to Raiford’s before, and I get to see that “oh my God” look on their faces.  It gives me time to just relax for a while and think how lucky I am to be one of the few people who lives close enough to walk to the greatest nightclub on the planet.  It gives me time to talk to the owners, get my butt grabbed by Paula, and drink a 40 or two without being bumped by dozens of people.  It may not be “cool” to get there at that hour, but I do what makes me happy, not what’s “cool.”

Planning to go there in advance will also allow me to step into my “Disco Paul” persona tonight, a persona that hasn’t been seen since a very drunken Thanksgiving night at Earnestine & Hazel’s.  I ended up slapping the Saucer waitress who called me “Paulie Pocket” on the ass multiple times on the dance floor.  It was great.

And just because I get there early does not mean I’ll be leaving early.  I intend to be there until closing time or very close to it.  Yeah I’ve said that in the past and haven’t made it.  But this time I went and purchased an insurance policy:

They sell those little “5-hour energy” bottles at Jack’s and I’ve always wanted to try one.  I have friends who swear by them.  Whatever’s in there, it’s not cheap.  Usually I buy 2 one-liter Mountain Dews at Jack’s and my total is $3.22.  Today I added the 5-hour energy drink and my total was $7.55.  I paid over four bucks for a 2-ounce bottle.  This stuff better work.

That’s all for now… later today I’ll get the plate party pics out of the camera and run them through Picasa and put them online.

So, Tuesday I filled out the paperwork for my second plate party at the Downtown Flying Saucer, which happened tonight.  For “date” I put down the date of tonight’s party, 4/18/08.  We had the big plate unveiling tonight.  Here it is:

Anyone else notice something wrong?  I would have protested but it’s so typical Saucer that I decided to leave it.  Remember, this is the place that posted signs that Daylight Savings Time begins the first week in November.

Oh, and also, I love Romanian girls.

Photo album coming tomorrow.  I was out ’til 3 Thursday night, so this is my night to recover sleep.  Got Paul’s Drunkass Wings to go from Big Foot (my BFF was working), came home.  Still thinking Raiford’s tomorrow night.  Crawfish Fest on Sunday.

Last night, I had the privilege of attending the Majestic Grille’s private party to celebrate the unveiling of their big screen, and the opening of their new art gallery.  It was quite the event indeed – their special guest was a guy who had his picture on the wall at the Majestic, a pic of him in the building as a child in 1933.  His father owned the building when it was a movie theater.  Wish I had caught his name.  They did the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon, and then silent movies from the Charlie Chaplin 1915-1917 era appeared on the screen.

There was free beer and wine and free appetizers, which the servers were carrying around on platters.  “I bet when the Nuh-Uh Girl gets here, she starts chasing those servers around to get food,” I told a couple of members of the Sunday brunch crew.  Sure enough, she did.

At the event, I ran into “Glo” and “Flo,” two friends who are supposed to be contributing guest blog posts to give this blog a female perspective.  Except that it’s now been over 6 weeks since they agreed to do it, and they haven’t handed in anything yet.  “We’ve been busy,” they told me.  I see.  I’ve found time to post 90 times in the past month, and they haven’t managed to get even one post up.

So I decided to throw out topics to try and nudge Glo and Flo into action.  “Okay, here’s something I need female perspective on,” I told them.  “Yesterday I posted that I need to get my BFF a present for her BFFirthday.  I have no idea what to get her.  Give me ideas.”

Glo responded first.  “You should get her a gift certificate for a Sasquatch burger,” she said.  The Sasquatch, of course, is the 4 lb. burger Big Foot sells, that is free if you eat it in under an hour.  Counting bun and condiments, it’s about 7 1/2 pounds total.  If you were a girl, wouldn’t you be delighted to receive such a gift?  And let’s not forget that my BFF WORKS AT BIG FOOT!  If she actually wanted the Sasquatch, she could probably get one for free, or at least 50% off.  “This has got to be the stupidest gift idea I will ever hear,” I thought.

Before I knew it, though, Flo chimed in with a gift suggestion that matched Glo’s in stupidity:  Lottery tickets.  “I’d love to get lottery tickets for my birthday!” Flo said.  These girls are really weird.  I guess Flo’s strategy was, “let’s come up with the most impersonal gift on planet Earth.”  And besides, if my BFF won with the lottery tickets I bought her, I’d be furious that she won the money and I didn’t.  And you know she wouldn’t give me any of it.  She’d probably buy me a Fire Sale at the Saucer.

Then Otto came along and delivered much better birthday gift suggestions than either Glo or Flo could.  Keep in mind that my BFF does not know the Java programming language, nor has she ever run the Apache web server, nor has she written bug fixes to improve the WordPress 2.5 code base; nevertheless, Otto managed to come up with good gift ideas for her.  Otto is capable of thinking outside the box.  Glo and Flo aren’t.  It seriously makes me worry that if they do hand in blog entries, they’re going to suck.

After the Majestic party, I went with Glo and Flo to Itta Bena.  There was a girl in a tube top at the end of the bar.  Itta Bena draws such a lovely crowd.  After that we moved to the Saucer, where Glo and Flo disappeared, and I found new people to hang out with and continued on to the Rooster.  Hung out there for about an hour, then went to (Glo and Flo are going to love this) Big Foot.  (No, Glo and Flo, it was not to see my BFF.  She wasn’t even working.  Other people I was with wanted to go there.)  Came within about 15 minutes of closing Big Foot.

Thanks to the combination of Mountain Dew and Claritin-D, which is a mixture that affects the human body much in the same way crack does, I’m surprisingly alert at work today.  Learned that some of our vice-presidents read my blog and are excited about being able to get Soul Burgers for lunch.  However, a South Main resident who reads the blog writes that the lunchtime Soul Burgers may only last for the duration of the Home Tour that’s going on in the area.

Time to run home and take a shower.  Got up too late to have time to do it before work.

This morning there was some discussion on my brunch crew/trivia team’s private e-mail list about Sunday’s Rajun Cajun Crawfish Fest, and the Nuh-Uh Girl raised a good point that I want to mention here:  GET THERE EARLY.  It starts at noon, and unless you enjoy standing in very, very long lines you better get there not long after the festival starts.  Last year I counted 93 people in line for crawfish about 1:15 PM.  The line stretched nearly a city block.

My plan is to get there right at noon, get a bucket of crawfish, and find the best people-watching spot I can find on the grass and sit there and eat.  A lot of my gang heads up to the rooftop of Barton Flats to eat, and that’s definitely a great plan but I have to be right in the middle of the action to be happy.  At events like Rajun Cajun I tend to go into “festival mode” and bounce around from group to group talking to people all day.

Walked down to CityHouse at noon to get my hair cut… while down there I confirmed that Earnestine & Hazel’s is indeed serving Soul Burgers for lunch from 11 to 2.  I wanted one very badly, but didn’t have time to eat after the haircut, and besides the event I’m attending after work will have very good hors d’ouevres, so I want to be hungry for that.

I also peeked in the door of the new Blue Monkey and it sure looks like it’s very, very close to completion.  I didn’t get a thorough look, but what I saw reminded me a little more of the Midtown Monkey than the original Downtown Monkey did.

Still trying to figure out how I’ll rearrange my evening tonight.  Grrr… I have to admit I’m a little annoyed with EP’s for putting “April 17 – the Dempseys” in their ad in the Flyer.  If it’s a private party, details of it should not appear in a public ad.  Also, the entertainment page on their site contains listings for March 2008.  I’ll probably hang out a little longer than planned at the private party I’m attending after work, then hit the Saucer.  May wander over to the Peabody for their rooftop party, or may just go sit at their lobby bar and people-watch.  Red Rooster is still on the agenda for later.

I haven’t been to Raiford’s in two months… hmmm maybe Saturday.  That means I’ll stay out late and be tired for Crawfish Fest the next day, but I’ll deal with it.  No brunch for me this week on Sunday.  It’s Majestic week 2 in the rotation for those who plan on going.

Oh speaking of Crawfish Fest… current forecast is high 77.  Suggested attire:  TUBE TOPS.  Obviously suggested only for women, though.  If you want to be famous on the blog, wear a tube top and find me (I’ll try to remember to wear the T-shirt I have on in my profile pic, so I’ll be easy to spot) and I’ll take your picture and post it sometime during the month of June, which is Tube Top Month.  Actually, I’ll extend that offer not just to Crawfish Fest, but any time you see me.  I carry the camera with me everywhere I go.

My BFF’s birthday is next week.  I guess I should buy her a present but have no clue what to get her.  Her mini-me quit the Saucer so I can’t ask her advice, and her friend Brittney’s only advice was, “don’t be a cheap-ass like you were when you bought my birthday present.”  If you have suggestions as to what I should get my BFF, e-mail them to paul@paulryburn.com.  Quick profile of her for those who haven’t met her:  About to turn 22; hobbies include flipping people off, cussing people out, and getting really wasted.  What else… um, I don’t know, I think I saw her do a crossword puzzle one time.  My BFF and I had discussed putting on our matching shirts (with pic of her flipping me off) and going out drinking sometime; I could pay her tab all evening in lieu of a present, but that could set a dangerous precedent, as she’d start expecting me to pay for everything every time we hang out.

Or maybe I just won’t get her anything.

Here’s a link to a Commercial Appeal article about Mpact Memphis’ Civics 101 and Advocacy series.  The first event of the Civics 101 series is next Tuesday 5:00-7:30 PM at the Hope and Healing Center.  Three speakers will discuss how to get involved in Memphis politics without ever running for office, how to serve on government boards and committees, how to get involved in local politics and issues from the ground up, and they will present on a step-by-step guide on how to have an impact on an issue that is important to you.

Back later (possibly tomorrow) with info on a very unusual performer appearing at the Rooster this weekend.

Just got an e-mail from EP’s that the Dempseys show tonight is a private party for Morgan Keegan.  Sorry for getting everyone excited about it.  The Dempseys were listed in their ad in this week’s Memphis Flyer, so I had every reason to believe it was open to the public.

Still plenty of other good options.  I’m going to have to figure out how this will rearrange my schedule.

Country Grammar at the Peabody rooftop, 6-10 PM.  $5, ladies free before 8

Brian “Breeze” Cayole at the Madison rooftop, 5:30-10:30 PM

(EDIT:  Just found out the Dempseys at EP’s tonight is a private party.  Sorry.  It was in EP’s ad in the Flyer so I assumed it was public.)

White Noise Theory at the Flying Saucer, 9:30 PM

“Rock Out With Your Cock Out” night at the Red Rooster all evening, extremely cheap beer specials.  Their website does not list a band playing tonight so I assume there will be a DJ.

Whatever the hell goes on at Atlas.  Do they have a website listing bands for each week?  If so I can’t find it.  Oh well, the place sucks anyway.

If I’m missing anything let me know and I’ll edit.

An article on the Memphis Business Journal’s site this morning reveals that the Majestic Grille is adding not only a movie screen, as previously reported here, but also an art gallery.

They are converting their private dining room into an art gallery and event space.  The art of photographer Gary Kessel is currently on display there.

The movie screen will show shorts, silent movies and other movies from the early era of film, the era in which the building was a movie theater.

The restaurant will also host events for various arts organizations around town.

For more info check out the MBJ article here.

Glad my plans changed and I got to attend Downtown Night at Itta Bena, because when I got there I found out it was the last one where they will give away free appetizers.  There will still be a Downtown Night next week at Itta Bena, but it will be different.  Plans are still being made, but there will likely be discounts on the appetizers on the regular menu.  That’s a good thing because if you find something you like, you can come back and have it again, whereas up ’til now the free appetizers were created at the chef’s whim and were not part of the regular menu.  They’re also discussing $5 wine specials (one red, one white each week) and weekly beer specials (tonight they were selling leftover stock of Xingu for $2).  When I get complete details I’ll blog them.

The owners of Calhoun’s e-mailed to tell me they have a new deck under construction out back.  It will seat 20 and work on it will begin Monday.  They claim it will be done in a week.  Is that a real deadline or a Blue Monkey deadline?  Hope it actually happens, so Calhoun’s patrons can have a view of the night sky and South Main bum J.J.

I received an e-mail from a reader who works in South Main and reports that there’s a sign outside E&H about Soul Burgers for lunch.  Previously they didn’t open until 5 PM.  Can anyone confirm this?

After my stop at Itta Bena tonight, I went to (can you guess?) the Flying Saucer.  Had 6 Fire Sales (Woodchuck Granny Smith).  One of the other regulars asked me to complain on the blog that there are NEVER paper towels in the men’s room, to see if anything gets done about it.  Valid point.  I’d estimate there are paper towels maybe 40% of the time.

Plans for tomorrow:  Private party at a restaurant in the Downtown core, then a move to the Saucer for a brief visit, then on to EP’s to see the Dempseys (EDIT 4/17:  Just found out this is a private party, never mind), and if I’m still awake after that it’s on to the Red Rooster for “Rock Out With Your Cock Out” night.

Busy day at work in the morning so don’t expect 5-6 posts in one day.  If I have time I’ll post all the bands for the rooftop and related Thur parties.

Got a copy of the Memphis Flyer and flipped through it at lunchtime.  A few items of interest to Downtowners:

– The Memphis Farmers Market opens on Saturday.  It’s in the parking lot next to Central Station, on G.E. Patterson between Front and Main.  All kinds of good fresh vegetables, meats, jams, and arts and crafts on sale.  They usually open the first week in May, but this year they’re opening early so you can get strawberries, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, and other spring fruits and veggies.  It runs from 7 AM to 1 PM.  If you’re serious about getting the best stuff, you better show up at 7 because a lot of the restaurants go there and clean the farmers out within the first hour.

– The Montessori school on Mud Island is having its annual rubber duck race Saturday.  There will be other events from 10 to 5 including a boat race of boats constructed of cardboard and rubber tape, and canoe and kayak races.  I’ve never been to this but have heard from many people that it’s a fun event.

– If you want to do something to make your community more beautiful, there will be a Wolf River Harbor cleanup from 12:30 to 3:00 Saturday.  Meet under the Auction Avenue bridge.  The Sierra Club will provide gloves and trash bags.

– April 27, a week from this Sunday, will be the date for the 3rd annual Dishes for Wishes dinner to benefit Make-A-Wish.  It will be held at Felicia Suzanne’s from 5 to 8, and will feature food from not only Felicia’s, but also from Automatic Slim’s, the Blue Monkey, the Butcher Shop, EP Delta Kitchen, Grill 83, the Majestic Grille, McEwen’s on Monroe, the Rendezvous, and Stella.  If you’re new to Downtown dining and want exposure to the cuisine of a lot of the neighborhood’s best restaurants, this is your chance.  Call 692-9508 for more info.  This is the same day as Wine Race so I’ll probably have to skip this one.  Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl is going; this is her type of event.  If she goes, someone please take a camera and get pics of her eating.

I can’t believe they didn’t list Rajun Cajun Crawfish Fest as one of their recommended events in the “Steppin’ Out/We Recommend” section.  That’s got to be the biggest mistake the Flyer has made this year.  Wait, no it isn’t.  Second biggest.

Still more news and rants and stuff to come.

Here’s a good website where you have one-click access to just about anything you need to find on the web.  Would make a good homepage.

www.allmyfaves.com

Back with more later today.  Lots of news to report.