Paul Ryburn's Journal

Not much is open today. I knew that Jack’s would be open, so I just walked there for my morning Mountain Dew. The only real activity is the homeless walking toward the Convention Center where they get free Thanksgiving dinner at 10.

Other places that are open:

Wang’s will be open today. Because nothing says “Thanksgiving” like Kung Pao Chicken.

I’m assuming Westy’s will be open, because that place almost never closes.

The Saucer will be open at 5.

And that’s ALL I know of.

Plans for today: Thanksgiving dinner at friends’ house in the afternoon. I bought a 12-pack of Miller Chill with limes to bring over there, and I’m looking forward to that as much as the turkey. I’ll leave it as an exercise to you the reader to figure out where I’ll be after 5.

Not in the mood for the usual Thursday night at EP’s and will probably skip it this week. If it’s even open. If I get bored with the Saucer, McGuinness will probably serve as Plan B. If it’s open.

Tomorrow is my favorite blogger/MILF’s birthday… looks like she’ll be Downtown, so I’ll buy her a birthday drink if I see her out. I remember vividly the day my favorite blogger/MILF was born… on that day I got in the car and drove to high school. God. I’m turning into a dirty old man.

Just hit Astrology.com to figure out whether my favorite blogger/MILF is a Scorpio or Sagittarius (she’s a Sag – she missed the best sign of the zodiac by two days), and while I was there I saw a menu option that read, “Find your passion sign.” I’ve never heard of a passion sign before, so I entered my birthday and this came up:

Your passion sign: Aquarius

You are most likely a born rebel, with or without a cause! Are people surprised by your natural instinctive behavior? Mars in Aquarius renders you highly experimental, unorthodox, and independent. You express yourself in any way you see fit, and probably are unaware of how eccentric you actually are. You have a strong desire for independence and freedom. This planetary placing has been said to produce more originality and unconventional flair than any other. You are easily bored with routine and are a bit erratic when it comes to your personal life and how to live it. After all, there are so many options, and aren’t they all worth a try? In relationships, you enjoy experimentation, and lots of spontaneous activity! You offer excitement and variety to your relationships and are happiest when you and your partner are friends as well as lovers.

Normally I don’t put much stock in astrology, but I must admit that pretty much has me nailed.

And that’s all for now. Let’s go eat some turkey!

Big news from the Majestic Grille – (Edit: Wednesday), December 5 they will be selling gift cards for 50% off from 9 AM to 6 PM. I’ve been told that there is no limit to the amount you can buy on the cards – “If you want to drop a grand, go for it,” one of the owners told me Sunday. Also, the amount on the card does not have to be used all at once, and as far as I know there are NO restrictions on what you can buy with the cards.

This is a great deal and if you eat at the Majestic regularly, you’d have to be nuts not to take advantage of it. Between Sunday brunches, Paul’s Drunkass Food and my desire to eat more of Patrick’s steaks, I’d have no problem dropping a Ben Franklin and scoring a $200 card.

This promotion is run by the Majestic itself and is completely separate for the $25-for-10 gift certificate promotion sold on this blog and other places. I hate to say it because it will cost me commissions, but the deal the Majestic offering on the 5th is much better because there are no restrictions and because you can roll the amount over multiple visits.

Just came from there as a matter of fact, picking up calamari for the office party. Of course, I couldn’t resist walking past the Saucer to see what the fire sale was (Doggie Style – second time in four days, what’s up with that?)

Time to eat! The CEO brought CHICKEN from KFC! Yay!

I’ve heard about two good positions this morning and wanted to pass them on.

I heard about a FedEx position, looking for a VB.NET/SQL Server 2000 developer with 5 years experience to oversee a new enterprise application they’re developing. This person would be involved in the entire development life cycle, from writing specs all the way through to testing, debugging, deployment, and training end users and presenting to senior management.

Also heard about a PR manager position coming open at a fun local ad agency. They’re looking for someone with 5 years experience in an agency, local media contacts, and a good personality. One of your media contacts would be me, as the old PR manager occasionally sent me stuff to blog.

If you’re interested in either of these e-mail me (paul@paulryburn.com) and I’ll get you in touch with the right people.

Yeah, I know I haven’t posted as much as usual this week. The reason is not Thanksgiving-related as you might suspect. Actually, I have been working hard on the blog – the results just aren’t visible yet. I’ve been working on my “trip down memory lane” post, a tribute to places Downtown that have come and gone in the 6 years I’ve been down here. I’ve now invested 3+ hours typing it and I do believe it will be my longest post ever. I may finish it today, but may wait until Monday to release it when everyone has returned from the Thanksgiving holiday.

The Rapscallions team swelled to more than 20 members last night and dominated trivia last night for an easy first place, bringing our total certificate stash to $60 for the next party. I hung out for a little while after trivia last night, but the Saucer was back to being a three-ring circus and I’ve decided I’m no longer interested in being one of the clowns. So I headed down the street to Hoop’s Bar, then to Big Foot for Paul’s Drunkass Wings. Usually I prefer blue cheese on my wings, but their dill ranch is reeeeeeaaaaallllyyyy good.

We’re having a pot luck at my office today – everyone is bringing an appetizer or dessert. Since I don’t cook and I’m too busy drinking after work to go to the store, I’m going to phone in to the Majestic and get an order of calamari to go.

Also, my office announced their Christmas party next month – at E&H, with unlimited soul burgers. Have I mentioned that I really like this company?

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, the musical RENT is playing at the Orpheum. I’ve been told this will be the last time the show is in town for a while.

So I’m in town for Thanksgiving for the first year ever. Tonight: Turkey of the Year glass night at the Saucer, and then a probable relocation to either McGuinness or Hoop’s for more beer.

Yeah this post sucks. After I get a hold of this week’s Flyer and find out what there is to do this weekend, I’ll post again.

For the second time in two nights I find myself munching on Sawaddii’s curry fried rice. Last night I got it with beef; tonight, chicken.

I got to hang out at the bar and talk to the chef a little while, and he told me that the curry fried rice is one of the items on a new menu he rolled out about four weeks ago. You can view the new menu on their website. There’s lots of stuff on there I want to try. The chef tried to talk me into the avocado fried rice, but I had my heart set on the curry. Other stuff on the new menu I want to try: The Chilean sea bass, the spicy basil lamb, the samosas (which are actually Indian rather than Thai), the lettuce wraps.

The Saucer was so peaceful and relaxed for Pint Nite tonight. Ahhhhhhhhhh. It was that way last Thursday and Friday too. Wish every night could be like that. Unfortunately the effects of last night began to kick in and I only made it through six Dos Equis Special Lagers, a record low for recent times.

For those of you who know Ugly Steve the bartender (formerly of EP’s and before that, Tap Room), he’s now at Sauces. He’ll be there Wed. night; stop by and say hello if you’re an Ugly fan.

I’ve been told that Hoop’s Bar will begin opening at 7 effective tomorrow night.

Sleepy time now.

(Edit: Forgot to hit Publish before going to bed. Oops. Apologies to my overnight readers.)

It’s World Toilet Day. No, I’m not making this up.

Yesterday I was hanging out with the owners of the Majestic Grille, and they told me about some fun upcoming events.

Starting this coming Sunday and continuing through December 16, the Majestic will be doing Sunday Suppers from 4 to 8 PM, family-style dinners for 4 with holiday music by local Memphis musicians – Susan Marshall, David Spenser, etc. Each week will feature a special dish that serves four people for $60. That’s only $15 per person if you have 4… or you can have 2 people and they’ll box up the leftovers for you. Here’s a look at the menu for this coming Sunday, November 25:

Braised pork loin with roasted apples & cider
Mashed root vegetables
Roasted rosemary potatoes
Salad of winter greens
Warm apple cake

They promised to e-mail me each week’s menu as the time approaches. They’re hoping to start a new holiday tradition for Downtown with these suppers. The place will fill up, so reservations are recommended and can be made on the Majestic’s website.

Also, the Majestic will unveil a new wine list next week. Sommelier Michael Hughes helped put together a list of wines, many of which are not available at local wine stores or other Downtown restaurants. They also tell me that their wine list will feature one of the biggest selection of magnums in the city, because the Majestic seems to be a popular place for big groups to come. Deni wrote me an e-mail that said, “We wanted to provide BIG, FUN wines that would also be a good value if dining with 5 or more.” Deni, honey, it takes a lot less than 5 Downtowners to polish off a magnum of wine!

They also tell me they have a big announcement coming on December 5, and they have some exciting changes to their website in store.

I love the Majestic. It’s my default place to recommend to people from out of town who ask where they should go to get a good meal. And, the Sunday brunch crew will be back there for brunch next week and the week after.

Time to pick up some lunch and head back to work. I’ll be at Pint Nite by about 5:15.

My birthday was exactly what I wanted it to be yesterday. Back in ’06 the gang threw a big party for me at EP’s, with a cake and everything. This time I told them that I just wanted business as usual – Sunday brunch with my friends – and that’s what I got. We started the day at McGuinness, then moved to the Saucer a little after 1.

About 2:30 I pretended not to see the Nuh-Uh Girl and the Nuh-Uh Sister sneak in the side door holding a pan. The Nuh-Uh Sister had baked me brownies… she put candles on them and brought them out to the pool room, where I was kicking ass and taking names. Unfortunately Mikey the Camera Nazi didn’t confiscate my camera until later in the day to start shooting pictures, so we don’t have pics of the birthday brownies.

A beer also showed up around that time – a biggie glass of Dos Equis Special Lager, with a whole lime in it. One of my running jokes with the waitresses is that they never give me enough limes to squeeze in my beer, so they overcompensated this time.

There was an employee meeting at 4, which meant all the Saucer girls were there, including annoying “buy me a shot, buy me a drink” girl. So after the meeting I turned the tables on her, and said “Buy me a beeeeeeeerrr!!!!!”

“I’m not buying you a beer, Paul,” she responded. Then she informed me that she and her little sidekick were going to Hooters. She sounded like she was bragging about it. Who the hell brags about going to Hooters? Then again, she does live in Cordova. I know she reads this blog from time to time and I have the following message for her:

Fortunately some of the other Saucer girls are much nicer. In fact, one of the waitresses bought me BOTH $30 beers! That was one of the sweetest gestures ever, but I’m not surprised because she’s one of the sweetest girls ever. Here’s a pic of me with one of the Saucer managers holding the two beers:

More birthday beers started rolling in and things started to get out of hand. Here’s a pic of me doing an Irish car bomb with one of the off-duty bartenders:

Since yesterday was also The Romanian Sensation’s birthday, I wore my “I love Romanian girls” shirt in her honor. Every time I wear that shirt I hear new and interesting stories about her.

Here’s a pic of me doing a car bomb with Air Traffic Control Mike:

Here’s a pic of me visiting the beer recycling station:

Somewhere amidst all the beers, I still managed to hold on to the thought that I needed to be a responsible person, and if I kept letting people buy me beers I’d get so wasted that I wouldn’t be able to make it to work today. So I left about 8:30, stopping by Sawaddii for take-out on the way home – curry fried rice with beef, really good. 8:30 is extremely early for me to leave the Saucer on a Sunday.

Thanks to everyone who made my birthday a great one, with special shout-outs to Melissa, Lauren, Patrick and Deni, Ken, Air Traffic Mike, and the Nuh-Uh Family. And to Mikey for coordinating the whole thing. I’m probably forgetting to thank a few people… when I got ready to leave I found out I didn’t have a tab, despite drinking over $100 worth of beer.

Here’s the photo album (65 pictures). Again, apologies for not getting the camera out earlier in the day – all the photos were taken between 6:00 and 8:30.

Coming later today – the post I’ve been promising about upcoming events at The Majestic Grille.

Tonight: Pint Nite, of course! I hope I didn’t run them completely out of Dos Equis Special Lager yesterday, because I plan on having about 10 more of them tonight.

For once I actually stuck to my plans last night. Went to the Lantana Projects art show, which was EXCELLENT. That was one of the best art exhibits I’ve been to, ever. Great collection of works, great space and good use of it by the artists, interesting people mingling, good background music. Thanks Lantana for a great time. After that the gang went to E&H, and once Nate got his bar open Otto and I went upstairs and hung out. Then I went home, changed clothes, and went on to Raiford’s. Unfortunately I timed it a little late this time – my typical Raiford’s agenda is get there an hour ahead of the crowd and down a couple of forties so I’m in the mood to dance by the time people show up. Well, last night I got there at 12:30 and it was already packed. By the time I finished my second 40 it was after 2. Oh well. At least a woman grabbed my ass last night. Wait, it was Paula, she grabs everyone’s ass.

Random quotes from drunk people I encountered last night:

———-

“Bartender, I’ll have a car bomb, please.”

“Feeling your oats tonight, are you?”

“I’ll be blowing oats later on.” … Then he paused for a few seconds and added, “By the way, Oats is my dog’s name.”

———-

“Oh my God, I can’t believe I’ve never tried a Soul Burger before. This is SO good. It’s like a burger-sized Krystal!”

———-

“They’re getting their Soul Burgers to go? Won’t that give it time for all the gunk on them to congeal and stuff?”

“Oh, they’re just taking them around the corner to their condo to eat, it’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, but they’ll have the LIGHT on in there!”

———-

“If you put Skittles in most beer, it tastes like ass. But I’ve heard that if you put Skittles in Lowenbrau, it’s really good. Skittlebrau. Look it up, I’m sure it’s on Wikipedia or Urban Dictionary.”

(Well, whaddaya know. There it is. And guess who invented Skittlebrau – none other than Homer Simpson.)

———-

It’s my birthday! Time to go get drunk! Also celebrating birthdays today: Mickey Mouse, and The Romanian Sensation. Also, Sam Cassell, point guard for the L.A. Clippers, shares not only my birthday but my birth year as well.

If you feel like making a charitable donation in honor of my birthday, buy Scratchy a Coke or a candy bar the next time you see him. Don’t give him money, I don’t think he knows what to do with it. If he asks for money, it isn’t the real Scratchy, but New, Improved Scratchy, who actually isn’t an improvement at all.

Been working on my “trip down memory lane” post, a look back at Downtown hangouts that have come and gone since I moved down here in early ’02. I’m having a lot of fun with it and it’s going to be one of my longest posts ever. I’ll be done sometime this week, so check back.

While surfing Wikipedia the other day to study for Tuesday night trivia with Chip… er, um, I mean Pete, I discovered that Joe Kennedy, patriarch of the Kennedy clan and father of JFK, Robert, and Teddy, died on the day I was born. Hmmm… for those who believe in reincarnation, I wonder if I’m the reborn spirit of Joe Kennedy?

I have no interest in creating a political dynasty like Camelot, but I am pretty proud of the social dynasty I’ve helped to create in Downtown Memphis over the past several years. Best group of friends EVER. I remember at the beginning of 2007, I thought to myself, I wonder how many awesome people we’ll add to the group this year? And there have been several. And there will be even more in 2008. Maybe if I am Joe Kennedy in a new life, I was born with a different purpose to carry out this time.

More evidence to support the reincarnation theory… my political views are pretty much in line with the Kennedy clan. And I admire JFK for hooking up with Marilyn Monroe when he was president. And I think I could’ve held my own in a drinking contest with Teddy when he was in his prime.

Just a little hung-over speculation. Someday I’m going to have to do a serious post on my views on reincarnation.

Off to the mall.