Paul Ryburn's Journal

In case you missed my post last night, Downtown locals’ bar Sleep Out Louie’s will be closing permanently in two weeks. Sleep Out’s, of course, is the Sunday brunch meeting spot for a lot of the locals, and now we’re going to have to find a new place.

The owners of the Majestic Grille told me a few days ago that they have a new brunch menu, and so this morning I e-mailed Deni and asked for the details. Here’s her reply:

(Ok this is Paul again…) This looks like a great menu… to me the Majestic seems to be the best option to continue brunch AFTER SLEEP OUT’S CLOSES (I’m not abandoning the place until the doors are shut for the last time). Let’s see, the Majestic

• has a brunch that goes on until a decent hour in the afternoon
• has a brunch that is reasonably priced
• is a place where you can dress casually, because no one wants to dress up on Sunday morning
• has wireless Internet, which is good for those who want to work while they eat and socialize
• is located in the Downtown core
• is locally owned by people who care about the neighborhood

We have a couple of weeks to decide, but to me The Majestic looks like the clear front-runner to replace Sleep Out’s for Sunday brunch after it’s gone.

In other news:

– Today is not only Valentine’s Day, but also Ballantine’s Day. Celebrated in Norway, this is a holiday buy bottles of Ballantine’s scotch whiskey, as as they consume them they discuss what a stupid holiday Valentine’s Day is.

– Congrats to the Memphis Grizzlies, who no longer have the worst record in the NBA, thanks to the Boston Celtics who have lost 18 in a row. The Grizz are currently 14-39 (.264) while the Celtics are 12-38 (.240).

– Congrats to The Rapscallions, who took third place in trivia last night, bringing the gift certificate stash to $335. Team members have received an e-mail letting them know when the party is. The Saucer decided to tune their TVs to American Idol and play the show over the PA last night, and I hope they don’t continue to subject us to that shit every week. The people who want to see Idol have DVRs, Tivos, and VCRs, so they can watch it after they get home. I guess I’m going to have to start bringing earplugs to the Saucer on Tuesdays.

– No big V-Day plans tonight… just getting my hair cut, renewing my lease, and then heading to the Saucer where two of my favorite waitresses will be working. As a V-Day present to myself, I’m going to give myself the night off from the laptop… just want to drink, socialize, and have fun for a low-key evening. Hope you have a good night, whatever your plans.

Thaddeus Matthews reported last night that there is an investor group in Las Vegas that is seriously interested in buying the Grizzlies franchise. According to Thad’s post, NBA commissioner David Stern flew into Las Vegas yesterday to meet with the mayor about the possibility of acquiring the Grizz.

However, I have to disagree with the tone of Thad’s post – I give a damn if the Grizzlies leave, and so do a lot of other people. I hope the rumor turns out to be wrong.

Got some sad news from a trusted source tonight… Sleep Out Louie’s will indeed close for renovations in two weeks, as we had heard. However, it will stay closed for three months and then reopen as a steakhouse under a different name. The three manager/bartenders will be transferred to other restaurants (King’s Palace/Tap Room, Rum Boogie Cafe) owned by the same management company. Not sure about the servers.

Needless to say this comes as quite a shock. I can’t blame Sleep Out’s parent company for wanting to do what is best for business, but still, it’s devastating to think that our neighborhood bar will be gone by the end of February. Also odd to note that while many downtown restaurants (EP’s, Majestic Grille, Sauces, BB King’s) are making an effort to reach out to locals, Sleep Out’s management is taking that restaurant in the opposite direction.

The Sunday brunch crew is discussing what to do… we’ll be at Sleep Out’s until it closes and in the meantime we’ll weigh our options… the Majestic Grille is a possibility… McGuinness would be, but they stop serving brunch at noon, which is WAY too early. I know some of the bar owners/managers read this… there’s several hundred dollars in regular weekly business, generous tippers and regular mention in a blog for whoever we decide on.

I’m still in shock.

(Edited to add: I just learned that student rush is only tonight and tomorrow – Tue and Wed.)

One of my regular blog readers sent the following, of interest to students/teachers who are interested in seeing Monty Python’s Spamalot at the Orpheum, which is playing today through Sunday:

You might want to let your blog readers know that there will be student
rush tickets available for Spamalot. I think they go on sale 20-30
minutes prior to the show’s start. Go to the box office and show a
student or teacher ID. I believe the price is $20 for two tickets.

Thanks for passing along the info.

Those of you who’ve seen me around town lately have probably been wondering to yourselves, “Is Paul EVER going to get a haircut? His hair’s been looking mighty scraggly lately.”

The answer is yes. This week. I’m going to a new stylist at City House Salon in the South Main district. And yes, I know my hair looks scraggly. It hasn’t been cut since November 2. For those of you who really have NOTHING better to do than read this blog, here’s a recap of my hair in 2006:

For most of the past year, I gave the stylist I’ve been going to carte blanche to do whatever he wanted with my hair. Generally this is what he has done:

The pic above was taken in mid-April, at the downtown crawfish festival. I won’t even venture a guess how many beers I had consumed by the time this pic was taken. I sure like to wear that shirt a lot, don’t I?

Anyway, that’s the way he cut it for most of the past year. I got my hair cut in May, then again on July 6 (I know that date because it’s the day after the Romanians returned to Memphis), let it grow for about eight weeks which is typical between haircuts, then made an appointment in early September.

“All right,” said the stylist. “This time we’re going to cut it a little bit shorter. Not SHORT, because I know you like hair, but shortER.”

I vetoed his idea. “Not this time,” I told him. “Halloween is not far away, and I need my hair to be long enough to wear in pigtails for my costume, as a Flying Saucer waitress.”

He thought it over for a minute. “All right, but JUST THIS ONE TIME,” he said. I assured him that after Halloween he could do whatever he wanted. So he trimmed my hair up but didn’t take any length off.

By late October, this is what my hair looked like:

Yes, I know what a complete doofus I look like there. I was posing a question to my blog readers, asking why Asians often make the V-sign when they pose for photographs. Anyway, by this point it was long enough to put in pigtails, I dressed up as a Saucer waitress and made $29 in tips, and after Halloween was over I made an appointment to get a haircut, on November 2.

Reaction to the new haircut was mixed. A lot of people said, “Great haircut, Paul, it looks MUCH better.” But there were also a lot of people who said, “NO! You cut your hair? WHY??? It looked so good long!”

Five days later, my friends and I decided to try EP Delta Kitchen, which had just opened. We took some pics and when I downloaded them, this is what I saw:

As I looked at that pic, I thought to myself, “You know, I’m starting to agree with the people who liked my hair better the way it was before.” The haircut I got on November 2 was a very good haircut… for someone else. It just doesn’t fit my personality, I think.

Around that time, I picked up a copy of the Downtowner magazine and flipped through it. There was an ad for City House Salon, which had recently opened, and I recognized one of the stylists’ names – I had met her in 1995 while at Club Six-1-Six for their Sunday disco night. The next day was the start of Spring semester classes, and her sister turned up as one of my algebra students at the U of M. I’ve been friends with both sisters ever since, even though I only bump into them around town occasionally.

So, I made a decision to give the sister who is a City House stylist a try next time around. But I needed to get my hair to grow back out long enough for her to have something to work with. So I resolved not to get another haircut until at least February 1st, and I’ve beaten that resolution by more than a week. I called City House and made an appointment for Wednesday – “bring chocolates,” the girl on the phone said. She could tell I was confused and added, “Just kidding… Wednesday is Valentine’s Day, you know.”

The good thing about the modern era is that I can construct visual aids using my computer. So, since she’s never cut my hair before, I’m printing out some photos. I have the April and November haircut photos shown above with “too short” next to them. Then I have the following photos:

These are listed as “minimum length from now on.” The first photo was taken for the RSDM website, and was taken about 7 weeks after I had gone in for a haircut. The second photo was taken about 7 weeks after the next haircut. I’ll have to be clear that in the second photo, I’m referring to MY hair as the minimum length, and not my buddy Chad’s. It was his plate party that night. I was about as wasted that night as I was at the crawfish fest.

I also included one which I labeled “maximum length”:

That’s how my my hair looked in early 2001, right after I moved back to Memphis from San Diego. It’s about as long as I’d ever want my hair to get again. No plans to grow the goatee back.

When I was home in Little Rock for Christmas I told my mother of my plans to grow my hair longer again in 2007. “Some people like it short, others liked it better when it was long,” I explained. “But the important thing is, I have to like it.”

“Well,” replied my mother, “The important thing is that your employer likes it.” This is one of these issues on which my mother and I are about 10,000,000 light years apart. In my world, if my employer disapproves of my hair, then it’s time to get a new employer, not a new hairstyle. Fortunately it’s not an issue with my current job, or anyplace I’ve worked in the last decade.

So by the end of this week you’ll see me with shorter hair. SLIGHTLY shorter. At least, hair that doesn’t look like it’s just been through a tornado.

– I have yet another new post on my other blog, A Better, Bigger Deal. I’m really committed to posting Deals at least every 48 hours, so keep your eye on that one.

– Don’t forget, tomorrow – Tuesday – which is likely today by the time most of you read this – is opening night for SPAMALOT, the Monty Python musical at the Orpheum, a takeoff on the Holy Grail movie. It will be at the Orpheum until Sunday the 18th. Need tickets? Get them here.

– Pulse, the Pink Floyd tribute band, will be back at Neil’s this Saturday, February 17th. My co-worker Louis, the band’s drummer, tells me that the show has gotten so popular that Neil has hired a light crew to back them – Neil PAID for this – that should tell you how good these guys are. Cover has gone up two bucks to $7, because these guys are worth it. Come out and hear them. Show starts at 9.

– I’m considering a road trip to East Bumblefuck on Saturday the 24th… The Dempseys are playing TJ Mulligan’s Sixty-Four (Houston Levee at US 64) that night, and for some reason I’m kinda curious what goes on in East B.F. and may show up. If anyone from that part of town (or my part of town) is interested in joining me, let me know. I’ll have to take it EXTREMELY easy on the alcohol (two drinks and that’s it) because TJ’s 64 is about a 20-mile drive from where I live.

– That’s all for now… Saucer waitress Earring Girl kept bringing me beer (why does she DO that?) this evening, so I’m finding it hard to type right now. More to come later…

Before we get started: Thanks to my regular bartender Josh I’ve updated my post on my other blog, A Better, Bigger Deal. 30 GB iPod Videos for $219.

These are a few of the very impressive organizations that had booths at the Mpact Memphis/Volunteer Memphis Non-Profit Expo last month. All of them, of course, do a lot of good for the community, but I picked out the several listed below as my favorites.

Door of Hope in Midtown, helps the homeless take the first steps back to a normal life. “The purpose,” their brochure explains, “is not to give overnight shelter or feed the hungry.” Other organizations in town fill those needs. Rather, it says, “Door of Hope’s purpose is to offer friendships – one-to-one relationships that are transformative for both participants.” Their mission is “to provide a welcoming place where people living on the streets may come to learn healthy living skills and to build positive relationships with other people.” Having followed The Homeless Guy’s blog for several years, I’ve learned that this is something the homeless need much more than a free meal or a dollar.

What does the Door of Hope request from volunteers? “Make a friend. Play a game of Scrabble.” Share a meal, a conversation, a laugh with the homeless who come in. That’s all. I know a lot of downtowners who read this blog often wonder what they can do that’s positive and constructive to address the homeless problem: This looks like a good place to start. They don’t seem to have a website so I’ll list their phone number (901-725-1140) that you can call for more information. (Hope that’s OK with Door of Hope – if you don’t want your number online let me know and I’ll remove it.)

Kids-N-Technology is a place where kids build their own computers and take them home. It gives kids 8-17 the chance to design, build, configure, upgrade, troubleshoot and repair personal computers, and they get to keep the computers. They also have a program that allows kids to earn certifications in computer technology and participate in a summer internship program. Their mission, stated in their literature, is to “provide an exceptional opportunity for underprivileged children to experience a prestigious pre-college technology program that provides an unparalleled learning experience that will last a lifetime.”

You can volunteer by donating money, volunteering to work with the kids, sponsoring a child, or coming on board as a business partner. Check out their website at www.kidsntechnology.net to get more info or to volunteer.

COMEC, the Commission on Missing and Exploited Children notes that 1.5 million children per year disappear from their homes for various lengths of time. 1 million of these are runaways, and 85% of the children who are sexually or otherwise exploited are missing from home at the time they are victimized. COMEC fights back with educational programs to prevent children from becoming victims, assistance in the location and identification of missing children, and the production of free photo IDs for parents that can be used to assist the police in the event of a search.

For more information and volunteer opportunities, visit their website at www.comec.org. Their literature says they have a Speaker’s Bureau that speaks to public, private and civic groups and PTAs about child abuse, child neglect, parental kidnapping, missing and exploited children, and teen substance abuse, so this might be a really good match for people with speaking and presentation skills.

The man at the South Memphis Alliance table really impressed me with his enthusiasm. He told me about their mission, to build an information network of community organizations to promote better services, education, and civic engagement. He stressed that there has been too much greed and corruption in the city and it’s time for a grass-roots movement to take Memphis back. Programs include a youth intervention project, youth wellness academy, family services, a SafePlace project for youths in crisis, a financial education assistance program, a neighborhood association development program, and a program to help low-to-moderate income people get every dollar of tax relief to which they’re entitled.

If these sound like programs you’d like to work on, the Alliance would be eager to work with you, whether or not you live in South Memphis. Contact them through their website at www.SMAweb.org.

The last organization, the only one I’ve previously mentioned on this blog, is New Path Memphis. New Path encourages young leaders to step forward and become part of the Memphis political scene. A non-partisan group, they support both Democrats and Republicans who believe as they do that “leaders should keep foremost in their minds the needs of their constituents and their role as servants to the people.” They provide services to these candidates including strategic planning, research, marketing, image development, fundraising and campaign management. I remember this organization from its start a few years ago, when they helped a dynamic young woman named Tomeka Hart win a seat on the city school board, ousting a 17-year incumbent who seemed to me to be more interested in his personal aggrandizement than the good of the children.

Within the organization they’re looking for volunteers to do event planning, fundraising, graphic design, member and volunteer recruitment, and technology/website management. On particular campaigns they’re looking for people to do database development/management, door-to-door canvassing, phone canvassing, work at poll locations, and people who will put a yard sign in their yard. Their website is www.newpathmemphis.org.

Yesterday I was surfing the Memphis Flyer’s site and noticed an article saying that former Shelby County mayor Bill Morris may be running for mayor of Memphis. That really surprised me. “Isn’t Bill Morris retired?” I thought to myself. “He hasn’t been involved in politics for 12 years. And I thought he and Mayor Herenton are friends – why would he run against the mayor?”

Well, after reading Thaddeus Matthews this morning, it makes more sense. Thad speculates that Morris is in the race at the invitation of King Willie, in an attempt to split the opposition vote enough ways to allow Willie to retain his mayor’s office. It’s speculation but it makes a lot of sense to me. Morris is well-liked and respected and would take a lot of votes away from Carol Chumney, Herman Morris and the other candidates.

I haven’t figured out who I’ll support for mayor… but it won’t be King Willie and it won’t be Bill Morris. Willie has done a lot for downtown but lately it seems like he’s more interested in doing for himself and his friends. It’s time for him to go.

Couple of things before we get to the main topic:

1. There’s a new post on my other blog, A Better, Bigger Deal. Today’s topic: How to find iPods below the manufacturer’s suggested retail price.

2. Correction to a previous post where I said that NTN Trivia is gone from Sleep Out Louie’s: It’s not gone, just suspended. They plan to close for renovations for a little while at some point in the next few months, and when they reopen NTN will be back. Glad to hear it, although I still have to question whether SOL is making a good move closing for renovations right as two other locals’ bars, Bar Dogs and the downtown Blue Monkey, open for business.

Okay, let’s get down to business.

As I continued to flip through this week’s Memphis Flyer, I noticed something new and different in the ad for TJ Mulligan’s Pinch: On Mondays they’re doing Team Pictionary. Pictionary, in case you haven’t heard of it, is a game kind of like charades, except you draw pictures rather than use gestures. It’s very popular with groups of friends who do “game night.”

I gotta applaud Mulligan’s for trying this, because it really shows they’re thinking outside the box. There are people who wouldn’t go to a bar to watch a football game or hear a band, but they would go to socialize with friends over a fun game. So Mulligan’s will be creating a new set of regulars, and as the people nearby (who live in Uptown or Mud Island) come on Mondays and get used to the place, they may start coming other nights of the week as well. That’s how you build yourself up as a neighborhood bar.

Me personally, I doubt I’ll be showing up for Team Pictionary night, not when my beautiful waitresses at the Saucer are serving $2.50 pints that night. But, I think it’s a brilliant move, and if you enjoy game nights with friends, this sounds like it would be worth checking out.

(Edited to add: Don’t forget that today’s the last day you can buy $25 gift certificates on sale for $5, or $10 for $1.50, and get a bonus $10 certificate free, redeemable at some of Memphis’ most well-known restaurants – Big Foot, Stella, Cafe Ole, Blue Plate Cafe, McEwen’s, Bhan Thai, Dan McGuinness downtown, and over 60 more. Here’s the link:

Save 50% on Dining Certificates and get a $10 certificate FREE! Use code SWEETHEART at checkout. Offer valid through 2/10/07.

Note: The main subject of today’s post, The Happy Mexican, is NOT on the list of restaurants accepting these certificates.

Edited again to add: Just noticed that the original Gus’s Fried Chicken, in Oakland, TN, accepts these certificates. Didn’t see the downtown one on the list though.)

A couple of months ago I reported on a rumor that I had heard, that Las Margaritas in the Artisan Hotel in Midtown was looking to take over The Happy Mexican, the Mexican restaurant at 385 South Second, a few blocks south of Beale.

Well, as I flipped through the Memphis Flyer today I found an ad for the Happy Mexican, and at the top it read, “Your amigos at Las Margaritas have now moved to The Happy Mexican – new menu!” So it looks like the rumor was true. The ad also listed their specials, a very impressive list. Here’s what they’ve got going on:

• On Mondays, 2-for-1 small lime margaritas
• On Tuesdays, 2-for-1 domestic bottles
• On Wednesdays, 2-for-1 import bottles
• On Thursdays, 2-for-1 pitchers
• On Fridays, jumbo Top Shelf margaritas for $7.99
• On Saturdays, Ultimate and Presidente jumbo margaritas for $7.99
• Lime margarita happy hour 3-7 PM Tuesday-Sunday

Those are the specials, but you should still grab a print copy of the Flyer and look for the ad (page 12 of the special dining section in the middle), because there’s a coupon for a free appetizer with the purchase of two entrees.

The dining section also has a coupon for a free appetizer (looks like there are no strings attached) for Cafe Toscana out east on page 13. And on page 11 they have a picture of the “Shirley Burger” at the Lamplighter in Midtown, and it looks like Shirley makes a fine burger indeed. In all the years I’ve been in Memphis I’ve never been to the Lamplighter – guess I’ll have to add it to my growing to-do list of places to eat.