Paul Ryburn's Journal

While in Little Rock for the Christmas holidays, I read an article that said Bill Clinton had visited several galleries in the River Market district to buy Christmas presents. Made me think… it must suck to be Bill Clinton sometimes.

Here’s why… I wander through art galleries all the time. And 99% of the time I don’t buy anything. In some cases, it’s because I don’t have the money. In other cases, it’s because there’s nothing in the gallery that appeals to me. For whatever reason, I thank the owner and walk out empty-handed.

But, imagine if you’re Bill Clinton. You walk in a gallery, and the owner is just thrilled that a former president is in her gallery. But then, say you do what I do, and turn around and thank her for her time and leave. Now the gallery owner is hurt and disappointed that nothing she had was good enough. So if you’re Bill Clinton, you’re pretty much obligated to buy something every time you walk in an art gallery. Which means you’re likely to run up a big tab and possibly some crappy art.

So you can’t just go incognito like I do. And that’s why it must suck to be Bill Clinton sometimes.

As I mentioned in a recent post, I’m in the market for an MP3 player. Now, part of the reason I want an iPod or similar player is the reason most people do – to be able to rip all my CDs to digital format and take my music with me when I’m at work, on the road, etc.

But for me, there’s also another reason. Most MP3 players come with a microphone/recording feature. That means I can record my own voice and play it back. That opens up possibilites for what I like to think of as “human programming.” Programming myself through passive listening.

I’ll give you an example of what I’m talking about. Guys… have you ever been talking with a cute girl, and you get this sense of oh my god what do i say what do i say? And then 10 minutes after she’s gone, you think of the perfect, witty thing to tell her. Of course, at that point it’s too late.

That’s a near-universal experience for guys. (maybe women too) I’ve been keeping a personal journal (private notebooks I write in, not this blog that I write online) for over 4 years now, and I have tons of examples of this. Trouble is, I don’t have a process to systematically review what I learned, so that more and more I learn to think on my feet. I mean, what am I going to do, carry stacks of notebooks around everyplace? But with an MP3 player, I can record all this information, give it all the same album name, and then put the album on “Shuffle” and let this info sink in as I work, drive, walk, etc. That’s what I mean by passive listening.

Seems like this could be enormously valuable for people in sales as well. You’re talking with a customer, and for whatever reason, you can’t figure out how to close him and he slips away. Later on, you think of what you should have said. Now there’s an opportunity to learn. Seems like recording various ways to handle real-life objections, and then playing them back over and over, would cause the information to sink in to your subconscious. Not only would you know how to handle those objections in the future, but your subconscious would start to see patterns, and you’d find yourself handling other objections, ones you’d never heard before, on the fly as well. You could also record key learnings from the best sales-training books you’ve read over the years and play those back over and over, to cause the knowledge to really sink in. Seems like it could be a shortcut to mastery.

I also see the human programming aspect as a method to adopt new belief systems. Hope I can explain this in a way that makes at least a little sense. Bear with me. The way we act, the way we move through day-to-day life, tends to be a function of the underlying beliefs we hold. Therefore, a key part of human programming is identifying those beliefs and replacing them with better ones, so that we function better in the real world.

This is kind of a hard thing to explain. For example, I used to see people I wanted to go up and talk to, for whatever reason, but I wouldn’t because I had a belief that said, “They’re busy, I shouldn’t bother them.” By writing in my journal over a number of years, I identified that belief (that I’m “bothering” people when I go talk to them), realized it was untrue, stupid and didn’t serve me, and I got rid of it. Anyone who has known me for several years will agree that I’m MUCH more outgoing around new people than I used to be.

There are other beliefs (no need to get into what they are) that I’d like to adopt, that I logically (i.e. consciously) understand would be good to hold. But my behavior (as written in my private journals) indicates that subconsciously I haven’t fully accepted these beliefs yet. So I’d like to use the recording, playback, and shuffle MP3 player functions to see if I can program those beliefs in, if I can hard-wire them into my mind. There are various ways to do this. Affirmations are one way. There’s self-hypnosis, and there’s a branch of psychology called NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) which is sort of like conversational hypnosis. I’ve studied all these things. Or, I could simply talk to myself as though I had already adopted the new belief, and then play it back.

Who knows… maybe it will work, maybe it won’t, but it seems like a fun thing to play with. And for me personally, that is a much more compelling reason to buy an MP3 player than to be able to listen to Dave Matthews in the car.

If anyone has experimented with this kind of stuff using an iPod or similar device, I’d enjoy hearing from you. paul at paulryburn dot com is the address.

The mind is a wonderful thing to play with.

So tonight I was walking down Second Street and discovered that Big Foot Lodge was having a private Christmas party, red carpet and all. I was about to continue on to my intended destination, to the Saucer to see my waitresses, but something about Big Foot just drew me in. Perhaps it was Sean, the owner, who called out to me, “What are you doing? Get your ass in here and drink!”

So I ended up drinking $2 34 oz. Coors Light and hanging out with my friend Angie and her FedEx pilot friends. Not Angie the waitress who I posted a pic of last week, but….

… hang on, let’s post a pic of Angie.

… There ya go, that’s Angie on the left.

Anyway, I had a great time at the party, and in honor of the Big Foot Lodge, I have decided to post a downtown trivia question. I will buy the first person to e-mail me (paul at paulryburn.com; put “trivia question” in the subject) the correct answer to this question a Big Foot Beer at Big Foot Lodge. If you can’t stand Coors Light, I’ll even upgrade you to a 34 oz. Newcastle.

The question: In downtown Memphis, what is the significance of the PEA VINE RAILROAD?

(Just in case this has some other significance I don’t know about: this refers to something current, not something historical about downtown Memphis)

Recap of the Bloggers’ Bash coming soon. I also have a couple of interesting topics in the works, and I’ll be home in Little Rock for 3 days with nothing to do, so look for more posts this weekend.

There’s a Bloggers’ Bash tomorrow night, Wednesday, December 21 at Quetzal at 668 Union. Anyone who writes a blog, LiveJournal, MySpace or similar is invited.

In preparation for the event, I went out and read some of the other Memphis blogs. You know, it’s funny, they talk about actual useful stuff. Like, some of them tell you what’s going on around town, and some of them offer commentary on the news and politics. And then there’s mine, where the typical entry is something like, “Tonight I went to the Saucer, and on the way there, this bum begged me for money, and once I got there I drank some beer, and there were these Romanian waitresses, and they were hot. And then I walked to the Tap Room, and drank some more beer, and watched cartoons with the bartender, and there was a girl in a tube top, and she was hot. And now I’m home and I’m drunk and I’m posting to my blog.” And yet for some reason this crap consistently draws 30-60 visits a day. I can’t figure it out.

That reminds me, Sunday I was at the Tap Room, getting drunk… (see, here we go)… and one of the managers there is a good friend of mine. He is also friends with the publisher of the Memphis Flyer, and apparently the publisher has been asking him, “Who in the world is this Paul Ryburn guy? I’ve been getting all these e-mails, from people who are upset that we didn’t mention his blog in the Best Of Memphis edition. Is this guy somewhat of a downtown legend?”

Downtown legend? I don’t know. I’m just a guy who goes out a lot and writes about what he sees. (“I live in Memphis. I go out.” Wait, some other blogger has already laid claim to that slogan.)

Anyway, I have a feeling this party is going to be REAL interesting. I’ll take my laptop and my digital camera, and file a report.

Tonight I was driving home from work down Second Street, and as I passed the light at Madison I noticed an “OPEN” sign in the Italian restaurant, Conte’s, in the space that used to be The Cupboard Too (on Madison between Second and Third, a couple of doors down from King of Wings). So I parked the car and walked over for take-out.

I ordered lasagna and a house salad. It was excellent! I could tell the lasagna itself, and the sauce on top of it, were homemade. You may assume that would be the case with all restaurants, but I’ve been told that several restaurants in town heat up a serving of Stouffer’s, or the Sysco equivalent, when someone orders lasagna. Not Conte’s – they did it right. Really fresh and really good.

Their menu is reasonably priced. You can get one of several pastas with your choice of marinara, gravy, or olio (garlic and oil) for $7, and you can add meatballs and/or sausage for $2.50 more. They also have several varieties of ravioli for $8, same sauce and add-meat options. And, they have Italian favorites like lasagna, fettucini alfredo, and chicken parmesan. Vegetarians will have lots of options here – they have some eggplant dishes, cheese manicotti, spinach ravioli, and sun-dried tomato ravioli among the choices.

They also have hero sandwiches – will give those a try and report back. In particular, I want to try the chicken cutlet parmesan ($7) and the hot Italian beef ($6) sandwiches.

For dessert they have cheesecake, chocolate cake, tiramisu, and something called “xanga” (not sure what that is). I had the chocolate cake – huge piece, too big to finish, complemented by a couple of miniature cream puffs. The menu price is $3.50, not bad at all for what you get.

They’re open Monday-Thursday until 6, so it’s a good place to stop by after work and pick up dinner. Friday and Saturday they’re open until 9. Seems like it would be a good spot to take a date, where you could both have a fine dinner and escape for under 30 bucks. On the downside, it doesn’t appear they serve alcohol, but there are plenty of places nearby you can walk to for an after-dinner drink.

Highly recommended. We need to support downtown eateries that stay open into the dinner hour, and this is quality Italian cuisine.

During the past couple of months, I’ve gone from “why do people need portable MP3 players?” to “I want an MP3 player” to “I need an MP3 player” to “I have to have an MP3 player.” It’s not so much for listening to music, although that would be a bonus. It’s more that I’d like to use it as a learning tool. For example, I could buy a foreign language study course on CD, rip it to MP3, and load it into the player. Then I could listen over and over while at work, and eventually, after hearing the entire tape set 10, 15, 20 times I’d pick it up subliminally. Seems like a good way to learn a foreign language – maybe brush up on the Spanish I’ve forgotten since high school… or I could learn German… or Chinese… or maybe even… Romanian.

So yesterday, I was at brunch at Sleep Out’s and I began going through the ads in the Sunday paper. The Circuit City ad caught my eye. They had a Creative Labs 6 GB MP3 player for $159. That’s an incredible value… for comparison, 2 GB iPod Nanos are selling for $199 and up. Over the course of the day, I talked myself into getting the MP3 player.

So this morning at work, I hit Circuit City’s site, prepared to place an order. “Out of stock for online delivery,” the site said about the MP3 player. But, it told me, I could order it online and pick it up at a local store. That’s no problem, I thought, there’s a store a couple of miles from where I work. It had a link where I could check the availability in each store. First I looked at the Germantown Parkway store that is close to my work… out of stock. Then I checked the Winchester store… out of stock. Then I checked the Southaven store… out of stock. Even the Tupelo store is out of stock.

If an item isn’t available for immediate delivery, and most of your stores are sold out of it, why feature it in a big color ad? That annoys me.

I guess for now, my laptop will have to function as my very large portable MP3 player.

Disregard the beer recommended in the “Beer recommendation” post. The Saucer has already sold out of it.

However, I have a liquor recommendation. Yesterday I was up at the Tap Room, and one of the managers there recommended Tuaca, a brandy with vanilla and citrus flavors. So I bought a shot and it was really smooth. Normally I’m not much on straight liquor without a mixer, but I could drink this stuff all day long. Good after-dinner drink. Good way to reward yourself after a hard day at work. Give it a try, let me know what you think.

Harpoon Winter Warmer. They have it at the Saucer for 4 bucks a bottle. I was up there yesterday afternoon drinking the $2.50 Fire Sale (now that I’ve completed 200 beers and got my plate, might as well drink the cheap stuff). But this guy sitting at the bar kept raving about Winter Warmer, so I ordered a bottle. It’s an amber-colored beer with a gingerbread flavor and maybe a touch of cinnamon.

So anyway, it was a slow day up there yesterday, so I spent some time talking to the waitresses. One of them, named Angie, told me…

… hang on, let’s post a pic of Angie.

There ya go. That’s Angie, on the left. The other two are Micheal and Teresa, two of my drinking buddies from the Saucer and occasional readers of this blog.

Anyway, Angie told me that they’re shorthanded, and I guess that’s true, I’ve noticed that a couple of the waitresses aren’t there anymore. So, if you’ve ever thought about waiting tables at the Saucer, now might be a good time to fill out an application. Must look good in a miniskirt, must be willing to learn about about different types of beer, must be able to work at a place that closes at 2 in the morning or sometimes even later. ROMANIANS are especially encouraged to apply.

All right. It’s Sunday morning, so it’s time for me to head to “mass” (also known as brunch). That means I have to walk to “church” (also known as Sleep Out Louie’s), where the “priest” (also known as the bartender) will be serving “communion” (also known as mimosas and bloody marys). I’m looking forward to a day of fun and fellowship with the “congregation” (also known as the drunks). See you later!

There was a good article in the Commercial Appeal today about the plans for the Majestic, the new restaurant which will open in the space on the Main Street Mall formerly occupied by Gordon Biersch. I have a good feeling about this place… neighborhood bistro, moderately priced, good wine list. And I know it will be a quality spot if Patrick is running it. I have a feeling this will become a place where I hang out several nights a week, as I used to do at the downtown Blue Monkey.

Don’t take my word on this, but I’ve heard it will open sometime around March if everything goes according to schedule.

Because of the way the Commercial Appeal has their website set up, I can’t link to the article. But here’s how to get to it… if you’re reading this today (December 17), go to their website and it will on the front page under the Business section. If you’re reading this within the next week (before December 24), click on the Business section and scroll down to the bottom, and look for it under the “December 17” links. If you’re reading this after December 24, try searching for “meet me on south main” or “patrick reilly majestic” in the CA’s search box.

I wish Patrick and his crew the best of luck, and I look forward to being a regular at the Majestic in 2006.

I’ve talked about this before in my blog, but since readership has increased since last year (averaging just under 300 visits a week these days), I want to issue a word of caution to people making New Year’s Eve plans: Avoid the Peabody!

I went 2 years ago with a group, and it was absolutely ridiculous. The line at the lobby bar was five-deep all the way around, and the Peabody managers didn’t have enough sense to staff it with extra bartenders. There were additional bars set up in the back ballroom, where bands were playing – these were the “short” lines, with only about a 25-minute wait. If I remember correctly, domestic beer was 5 bucks, import beer was 6-7, and wine was 7. I bought three glasses of wine and slammed them within about five minutes, hoping that would do the trick – I did NOT want to stand in that line again! So, combined with my $30 entry fee (it’s $35 in advance, $40 at the door this year), I spent $51 at that miserable party. Never again.

I also remember the lines for the bathrooms being 10-15 minutes, and that’s for guys. No idea how long the women had to wait. That was another disincentive to buy their ridiculously expensive drinks – I didn’t want to stand in another line to recycle them.

Even the fact that there were a lot of young, hot girls there didn’t make the party worthwhile. (I’d guess that the average age of the attendees was 20; make of that what you will, since they’re not supposed to be letting in people under 21.)

Could’ve been a great party, but it was terribly, horribly managed, and I have absolutely no confidence that they’ve taken steps to improve it in the two years since. Strong recommendation to avoid, if you’re looking for something to do New Year’s Eve. If you want to pay too much for drinks at the Peabody, wait until April when the rooftop parties start back up.