Memphis, You Had Me at To-Go-Cup!

This weekend, among other things, a new funny saying was born. It's so perfect in fact that it needed a t-shirt. Thanks Dustin!

Check out the t-shirt below. It's available in my Cafe Press store, and I just ordered mine. :~)

The After Party

Alright, well The After Party went off without a hitch. It was what one might call FABULOUS.

As a matter of fact, I'll tell you a little secret... The South Main Dirty Dozen may just start to make a habit of this whole party thing over the summer... so watch for more... :~)

To fill you in on the details... we rented out the back of Earnestine & Hazel's downtown on Saturday night. Super 5 played and did a great job! Thanks guys! Last but not least, we also had a great open bar. Not bad at all.

Here are a few photos below. Also, feel free to check out other collections of photos:

Edison's: gallery.mac.com/edisonv

Victoria's: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2051708&l=0894b&id=8506572
Brian's: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=18428&l=14f50&id=855209169

Robbie's: TBD... check back. :~)

Weird Things Go Bump in the Night

This is going to sound strange, but here it is: I woke up this morning at around 4:20 AM (5:20 AM EST) to shaking. My entire apartment was shaking, just a little. I was very calm and lie thinking about the after effects of earthquakes that I used to feel when I lived in LA.

When I woke up, I wrote down the time and date of the shaking, so that I could compare notes in the morning with the Center for Earthquake Research and Information (located in Memphis!).

This morning, I checked online and learned that just before I woke up to the light shaking, there was in fact an earthquake a few hundred miles away in Illinios. So far, people have reporting feeling its after effects as far down as St. Louis, MO so, I documented Memphis too.

Let me add that for some reason, I'm pretty sensitive to this sort of shaking. When I lived in LA, I'd wake up to a tiniest earthquake, and my next door neighbor would sleep right through it. We'd have a disagreement about whether or not it had even happened, and I'd have to pull up the earthquake site to prove my point. :~)

Here's the map of the tremor that I felt last night.

As you can see, it happened early this morning and the magnitude was at a 5.2 -- pretty strong.
























Update: The Wall Street Journal has an article today detailing the quake. They say it was actually a 5.4. Check out the article here (or read it below).

Update 2: One of my neighbors also woke up to the earthquake this morning. SO glad it wasn't just me! :~)

WEST SALEM, Illinois -- An earthquake struck the U.S. state of Illinois early Friday, and it appeared to rival the strongest temblor ever recorded in the country's Midwest region.

The quake jolted residents in several nearby states as well, but no injuries or significant property damage were immediately reported.

The quake, measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale, hit just before 4:37 a.m. local time (1037 GMT) and was centered six miles from West Salem, Illinois.

"It shook our house where it woke me up," said David Behm of Philo, Illinois. "Windows were rattling, and you could hear it. The house was shaking inches. For people in central Illinois, this is a big deal. It's not like California."

The jolts were felt in a region that included parts of the states of Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Its Web site said earthquakes seldom occur in the area, and that the largest recorded earthquake in the region -- also a magnitude 5.4 -- caused damage in southern Illinois in 1968.

Friday's quake shook buildings in central Chicago and the cities of Indianapolis, Indiana; Cincinnati, Ohio; and St. Louis, Missouri.

It's Official: NWA and Delta Merger

All I can say is, I hope Delta decides to keep the Memphis hub...

Here's an e-mail I received this morning about the merger:

As a valued Northwest Airlines customer and WorldPerks^® member, I wanted you to be among the first to hear that we have announced a merger with Delta Air Lines. Subject to regulatory review, our two airlines are joining forces to create America’s premier global airline which, upon closing of the merger, will be called Delta Air Lines.

By combining Northwest and Delta, we are building a stronger, more resilient airline that will be a leader in providing customer service and value. Our combined airline will offer unprecedented access to the world, enabling you to fly to more destinations, have more flight choices and more ways than ever to earn and redeem your WorldPerks miles.

You can be assured that your WorldPerks miles and Elite program status will be unaffected by this merger. In addition, you can continue to earn miles through use of partners like WorldPerks Visa^®. And once the new Delta Air Lines emerges you can look forward to being a part of the world’s largest frequent flyer program with expanded benefits.

The combined Delta Air Lines will serve more U.S. communities and connect to more worldwide destinations than any global airline. Our hubs – both Delta’s and Northwest’s – will be retained and enhanced. We will be the only U.S. airline to offer direct service from the United States to all of the world’s major business centers in Asia, Latin America, Europe, Africa and around North America.

Both airlines bring tremendous strengths to this new partnership. Our complementary service networks form an end-to-end system that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. This is a merger by addition, not subtraction, which means all of our hubs – both Northwest’s and Delta’s – will be retained. In addition, building on both airlines’ proud, decades-long history of serving small communities, we plan to enhance global connections to small towns and cities across the U.S.

All of these positive benefits of our combination mean that we can:

• Offer a true global network where our customers will be able to fly to more destinations, have more schedule options and more opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles in what will become the world’s best and most comprehensive frequent flyer program.
• Continue to serve our current roster of destinations and to maintain our hubs in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, Salt Lake City, Amsterdam and Tokyo.
• Improve our customers’ travel experience, through new products and services including enhanced self-service tools, better bag-tracking technology, more onboard services, including more meal options, new seats and refurbished cabins.

While we work to secure approval of our merger, which may take up to 6 to 8 months, it will be business-as-usual at both airlines. We will continue to operate as independent airlines and the people of Northwest will remain focused on providing you with the very best in safe, reliable and convenient air travel. At the same time, both airlines will be planning for a seamless integration of our two airlines, one that delivers to you the enhanced benefits that will earn – and retain – your preference.

As we work through this process, we will keep you informed at every step along the way. Thank you for your business and we look forward to serving you on your next Northwest flight.

Sincerely,

Bob Soukup
Managing Director, WorldPerks

Sad News

After a great game by Memphis, I'm sorry to report (as you already know) that they lost the Big Game to Kansas last night.

I watched the game from two different bars downtown. The energy was just amazing. Everyone was wearing blue, cheering, and finally being proud of Memphis.

Memphis could have really used a hero last night...

So sad that they started trying to run the clock out so soon... and then, that they missed their 4 free throw ops in the end... and then, for losing the ball to Kansas and not regaining in overtime...

Anyway...!!

Congratulations however for making it so far! Nobody thought Memphis would go anywhere... do well in their league... make it to the semi-finals... make it to the finals... hold their own until the end. So, good job guys! :~)

GO MEMPHIS TIGERS!!!

Memphis Wine Blog

As I mentioned recently, I've created a wine blog to track wine tastings, parties, and dinners in Memphis.

So far, you'll find both detailed information about events, and a calendar of events. It's pretty surprising just how many wine events there are in Memphis-- especially on Wednesdays. :~)

Check it out now! www.MemphisWineBlog.com.

Cheers!

Big Update

Okay- the last few weeks, if not the last few hours, have been a blurr. I've enjoyed it, but my life has swirled around me at such a rapid pace that I feel lucky to arrive anywhere on time, with my thoughts organized.

Here's a brief summary of the month:

--> visited LA (Santa Monica, Malibu, and Burbank)

--> visited Santa Barbara, California

--> visited Savannah, Georgia

--> worked a lot (end of Q1 coming up next week)

--> networked

--> spent time with friends

The past week has been extra exciting. Last Wednesday, I flew to Georgia to visit my brother and his family (thanks Robbie for dropping me off!). He is on leave for a few days from this current assignment in Baghdad. I got a chance to see my parents, brother and his wife, 4 kids, 3 dogs, 1 turtle, 1 hamster, and various friends and fish. Ha. :) It was busy! The nephew turned 8, so that was fun.

On Saturday morning, I flew back to Memphis (thanks Jessica for picking me up!). I went to see the final regularly scheduled RiverKings game in Miss. that evening. Of course, they won. :~) They're in the play-offs now.

Sunday was Easter. Unfortunately, the spa was closed, but fortunately brunch was open. I had a wonderful, music filled brunch at Boscos Squared in Midtown. Sunday night, I made ribs and watched The Waitress. :~)

Monday was very possibly one of the most random days I've had in a while. After work, I thought I would go home and have a quiet evening alone- possibly baking, or something else requiring little to no concentration. On my way home, a friend from the building called and asked me to meet him and 3 friends at the Westin for Monday night happy hour. How could I turn it down? So, I stopped by- for one hour. Determined to have a quiet night, I headed home. Before I made it into the elevator, I ran into another neighbor. He was just getting back from the airport, from a trip that had kept him out of town for over a week. He asked me to dinner and still in my suit and carrying my work bag, we took off immediately for India Palace in Midtown. Dinner was great! About midway through the meal, another neighbor called and asked to stop by and eat with us. So, he did, which was great. Almost finally back home, we get a phone call from two neighbors walking home who need a ride. We swing back around and pick them up. Before we've even made it back home, a plan has formed for cards and darts back in our building. Needless to say, my quiet night at home ended around midnight, when I finally made it home. It was great fun. Did I mention that I won at darts twice? :~)

Yesterday wasn't quite as random as Monday, but just as busy. I started off with meetings first thing in the morning at 8 AM. The meetings continued up until it was time to go home. After work, I went horseback riding in Germantown. After horseback riding, I visited a neighbor, cooked dinner, and showered. Then, I was off to a party planning meeting. Immediately following the party planning meeting, I went for drinks at Le Chardonnay in Midtown. Again, didn't get home until close to midnight. Wow!

Tonight, I absolutely must get more rest. I'm meeting a friend right after work for drinks. After that meeting, I'm going to have to go home and just lay on the couch. I'm exhausted!

Thursday, Ballet Memphis is having an open rehearsal at lunch from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM at 100 Peabody Place in Downtown Memphis. You should check it out!

Also on tap for this week:

* Wine event at the Memphis Zoo

* Happy Mexican dance club opening

* Trolley Tour

* Blake's Birthday

* The Spa...!!!

See you again soon. Hope your week is exciting...!

Teeth for Tails Event

Eddie Izzard Coming to Memphis!!!!

Oh my goodness! A show that you just should not miss is coming to Memphis—Eddie Izzard!

He’s a fabulous comedian—LOVE him! If you haven’t seen him before, you should. Look him up on Net Flix. :~)

I just bought two tickets and already quite a few are sold. Apparently, his fan club got dibs. Anyway, here’s the information about his upcoming show.

Comedian and actor EDDIE IZZARD, adored by fans and critics alike for his lightening quick wit and surreal humor is back and starting the largest comedy tour of his career.

Izzard’s new one man show fittingly titled STRIPPED will hit North America this April with performances in 34 cities.

Critics have described Izzard as everything from the "funniest man in pretty much all of the known universe," to "a human search engine," to "a surrealist maestro of historical and scientific trivia”, and "a one-man Monty Python crew."

Izzard won acclaim in the U.S. with his first one man show, DRESS TO KILL which debuted on HBO and won two Emmy Awards. His last record breaking tour, SEXIE, sold-out 15 cities, including a week at New York's City Center, and a week at The Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles.

In between tours, Izzard has earned rave reviews for his acting talent seen on television in the hit FX series, THE RICHES; on the big screen in Steven Soderbergh’s OCEANS 13; and on Broadway, where he starred in the acclaimed revival of A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG. Izzard received a Tony nomination or "Best Leading Actor in a Play" for his performance.

To purchase tickets, visit Ticketmaster.com here: http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1B00406377602E9E?artistid=851852&majorcatid=10002&minorcatid=51

Clueless in the Kitchen with Bobby Flay

I received a request today to post the following information regarding a TV show that's casting terrible cooks in Memphis. Those selected will learn to cook with Bobby Flay. I sent an e-mail back asking for more information, but for now:

CLUELESS IN THE KITCHEN? LEARN TO COOK WITH BOBBY FLAY!

Single and can't cook a meal for one? Frustrated because you don't know how
to pack a nutritious lunchbox for your kids? Forgo paying for culinary school
and learn the basics in two weeks with Bobby Flay's "Real Food Cooking
School."

Impress us with your wit and your lack of food knowledge… Bobby Flay is
ready to school you as only an Iron Chef can! You'll learn the basics of
grilling, sautéing, knife skills, how to make simple, nutritious meals from real
foods…and so much more!

If you're feisty and eager to step up your cooking skills: make us a
3-minute VHS tape or DVD telling us your worst cooking story, the most horrible
meal you ever cooked, and why you should be a part of Bobby Flay's "Real Food
Cooking School."

Worried? Don't be – you'll be having too much fun! Remember…have a family
member, best friend or spouse make an appearance on your tape – a little
testimonial, "Oh my god, she regularly burns the bottom of the sauce pan!" goes
a long way.

All applicants should live in the United States, be over the age of 18, and
be available April 15-30th for filming in New York City.

Please mail tapes by March 22nd to:
ATT: Real Food Cooking School
110
Leroy Street
New York, NY 10014

Questions? Email us at realfoodcookingschool@gmail.com

Vote for Memphis - StartUpWeekend.com!

There's a cool new entrepreneurial program that has gained national attention: Startup Weekend!

Startup Weekend chooses cities to visit for a weekend, to bring minds and ideas together to create a new business! This all happens over a 52 hour period and has had success in other cities.

Memphis has such a great entrepreneurial spirit that this program would be perfect here! In order for Startup Weekend to visit Memphis however, we've got to win the vote!

Help Memphis out! Click the following link and vote for Memphis: http://startupweekend.com/cityvote/

Thanks!

I'm Okay, Safe, and Sound.

Hi everyone,

Thank you for the many phone calls, text messages, and emails last night and today. As you may know, I was in Denver yesterday on buiness and flew back in last night.

Not long after flying in, the temperature in Memphis dropped from 75 to 45 degrees. That drop created a dangerous weather situation that generated at least 3 tornados in Memphis. One was right near my work and one came reasonbly close to where I live.

When I flew in last night, I was aware of the weather situation and drove home to work from here before the winds got up to a predicted 80 miles an hour. Horseback riding was of course canceled too.

Everything is perfectly fine. I wasn't even out in the rain, and my car was safe from the hail in my garage.

Thanks again for thinking of me. I'm safe and happy here in Memphis.

Angie

Walkin in Memphis - Activities and Events

I've been having a quiet week the past few days. It's most definitely the calm before the storm. Fortunately, the storm is all good things coming up soon.

This week, I spent a lot of time with friends. Our outings have included the Flying Saucer, the Westin Lobby Bar & The Daily Grille, and Blue Fin. Tonight, I'll either be attending a concert Downtown, or beating someone in darts. The schedule has yet to be determined.

Today, I have the good fortune of working from home. The weather was entirely too crazy today, and I'm often times more productive in my own office anyway. So far, it's been nice. I wouldn't want to do this every day (it's just too quiet!), but once in a while is great.

I've noticed that people around town are starting to get excited. I guess that the novelty of the holidays have just about worn off, but in the past few days, I've received more event invitations than I've seen in a while. Here are of a few of the events that I can share and you might want to check out:

• MacBeth - MacBeth is playing this weekend at the Hattiloo Theatre. For more information, click here.
• Down Home with the Neelys premiring on the Food Network on Saturday. Unfortunately, I'll miss it, but you should check it out. The Neely family owns Neelys Barbecue in Memphis and Nashville. This will be a reality show featuring the Neelys and their love of cooking. Congrats to the Neelys!
• Superbowl - Of course, there are tons of parties all over for Superbowl this weekend.
• Ballet Memphis - Ballet Memphis is performing at the Orpheum Theatre in Friday, February 8th. If you're a Bravo Memphis member, I believe there's a group meeting up to attend together.
• Rodeo - Although I doubt this is of interest to most, there's a bull riding event at the FedEx Forum on February 16th.
• Second City - The traveling comedy troupe, Second City, will be performing at the Germantown Performing Arts Center. I'm putting together a group to go, so send me an email if you'd like to join in.

Weekend Recap: Felicia Suzanne's, EP's, Mollie's, and more...

Well, it was another successful weekend in the Bluff City! As I do dishes and wash clothes today, I'm reflecting back on fun, friends, and good food.

My adventures on Friday started at Felicia Suzanne's on Main Street with friends. The entire bar was taken up by people who all knew one another. I had the smoked salmon deviled eggs with caviar. Both the food and the company were great! I also had a chance to stop by Hoop's Bar and EP's, where I met up with and ran into friends. I left a little early though... it was cold this weekend, and I was tired.

Saturday night, I visited Mollie Fontaine Lounge in the Victorian Village, and Earnestine & Hazel's, on South Main. Mollie's was packed to the brim with people. Word has definitely gotten out about just how good it is. And, considering how off the beaten path Mollie's is, that says a lot. On my way into E&H, I ran into Robbie, Ester, and Edison, who were clearly having a fabulous night; they were heading to Raiford's. At E&H, I ran into Lindy and her crew, who were also having a great time.

Today, my to-do list is short. I'm essentially getting ready for the week. Since tomorrow is MLK Day, I'm hoping to make it to the Grizzlie basketball game. Thursday, I'll be getting a haircut (whoo hoo!) and after that, it's anybody's guess.

Have a great Sunday!

And, the Weekend Has Arrived With A Bang: Memphis V. LA!

This weekend so far is WOW. :~) Last night was the perfect example of why I make Memphis my home.

I got home a little late from work, and started off chatting up one of my neighbors over popcorn. Then, I went home and was basking in the peace and quiet of the evening when I got a text message from a couple I'm friends with, "We're heading to EP's for a bite. Come have a drink!" So, I headed down to give it a try and the night took it from there.

First, I spent time with the couple at EP's. Then, I headed into Hoop's Bar next door, where I sat at the bar, ate dinner, and caught up with more friends. Everyone's been away for the holidays and it was the first time I'd seen most people in weeks.

After finishing the great egg rolls at Hoop's, a friend and I headed down to Club 152 where I ran into a few other friends and had a dance before we had another "change of venue."

Next on the list was Silky O'Sullivan's. Silky was there to greet us in his typical friendly way. Inside, some crazy, drunk, old man tried to chat me up while my friend stepped away for just a minute. This qualified for another COV.

Next, we headed to Double Duce! My friend was absolutely impressed that such a random place existed on Beale. If you haven't been yet, you should really stop by-- at least for a minute or two. Downstairs, they have live music. Upstairs is a techno club and outside, there's a mechanical bull- ha! It's an experience all of its own and definitely worth the trip. You never know what you'll find there. Yesterday, I found my first shot of Jager. Then, we were on to the next COV...

The next place is a little hole in the wall bar on Beale that I don't know the name of. I've been there a few times, and its always reasonably full of people. It looks a little like a hallway with a bar along one side. This time, we ended up sitting next to two guys who were in town from LA. They almost immediately started to complain about Memphis and how unexciting it is compared to LA. Since I've lived in LA, I could easily argue against this point. I asked just how long they'd been in town for (assuming it was a while if they were in so much pain), and I learned that they had just flown in that same day for a fitness conference. Haha. They must have been so tortured after 4 hours.

They were both so into La-La-Land... It was so interesting to hear them brag about LA, since actually living in LA is so emotionally challenging on just about everyone who does it. Practically everyone there struggles every day, and people constantly wonder if staying is the right idea, or not. One of my LA friends just called me 2 days ago with this exact struggle. She's not sure if she should stick it out longer, or finally give up. I told her she should check out Memphis. :~)

Anyway! Rather than explain why Memphis is so great, my friend and I decided to SHOW them! Our next COV? Raiford's! My friend called up the limo driver who promptly flew around the block to pick us up in the Raiford's limo. The two guys were clearly surprised, but hopped in with us and minutes later we arrived at the door of Raiford's Disco. After ushering us through the door, it was on! Unfortunately, our sad LA friends just couldn't hang. They didn't even make it to the dance floor before they were out the door. I guess it was just too much fun. :~) (Actually, it was probably just too late for them. Everything in LA closes around 1:30 or 2:00 AM.) Despite this setback, my friend and I were off to the races. We danced the night away in the DJ booth and in the back room. We were actually there when Raiford said goodnight and they closed down. Oh my.

Wow, what a good night! This is exactly the sort of reason that I moved back to Memphis after living in LA.

A quick recap of last week: After recovering from a NYE debacle, I came down with a cold last Friday. I stayed home Saturday and Sunday, determined to get better and by Thursday, my hard work had paid off. I was feeling better and had a lovely time Thursday night at Molly Fontaine Lounge in the Victorian Village. If you haven't been, you should go. This place is at the very top of my personal favorites. Yesterday was a fulfilling day at work-- one where you leave the week feeling like maybe you actually accomplished what you set out to do. And, that's where last night began.

Tonight, I will be accompanying a friend to an ice hockey game. In case you didn't know, ice hockey is one of my favorite sports. :~) (And speaking of that, the RPI Big Red Freakout game is coming up in just a few weeks. )

Well anyway, have a good weekend. I look forward to catching you up on more fantastic details very soon!

Friday Update

Well, it's been practically a week since I wrote an update.... so here goes nothing... I drove back to Memphis on Sunday night and the week has been a blurr since then.

It's been a week filled with happy hours and news from friends. I've hardly had any time at home and actually only because I woke up 1/2 an hour early this morning have I been able to write this blog or finally start doing laundry. Last night, I didn't get home until around 11 PM and I walked straight to my bed and went to sleep until this morning. That's been the pattern I've repeated every day.

I don't think I've even watched any TV. I did however hook up Guitar Hero, which I recommend highly! As I mentioned, I finally learned to play over the weekend and now I've been able to set up my own game.

On friend news-- One of my close friends accepted a job this week in Atlanta, so he'll be moving there. He's going to be starting an entirely new life, and I get the sense that he's really going to like it. I'm hoping that I may be able to visit! Other friends told me stories of being stranded in a foreign country with no passport...of new events...and life changing moments. All in all, it's been a good week!

Tonight, I'm going to have another go at happy hour-- and will be meeting up with friends again after work. This may turn into a Raiford's night, seeing as the Atlanta friend will be soon moving.
Tomorrow, I'm going to do my best to be up and presentable by 8 AM. The St. Jude Half Marathon is in the morning and 3 of my friends are running in it. I'm hoping to find another person who wants to watch for a few minutes and then go have breakfast. Hopefully, the bulk of the day tomorrow will be productive, but really... it seems as if when it's the most important to be productive is when the least gets done. Tomorrow night, I'll be attending a friend's birthday dinner and party.

I'm very excited about Sunday! After my last post regarding horseback riding, I found a coach! I start on Sunday afternoon.

Well, that's the summary of the week. Paul reposted a link to a great article in the Commercial Appeal about The Warehouse. This is such a cool place and right down the street from me, so I thought I'd share.

A New Site: Snappy Greetings . com

I saw a fun site today I thought I'd share: SnappyGreetings.com. It's a site where you can send funny messages to your friends' phones. Check it out.

It appears these folks are also the ones producing a video on YouTube that touches on the upcoming mayoral election in Memphis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN6U-sw_Xoc.

Raiford's New Web Site

http://www.raifordsmemphis.com/

I Have Raiford's News!!

Okay, listen up! I have news. :~)

Raiford's may be coming back-- or at least something in the Raiford's spot!

Why do I say this? Two reasons:

1. Someone has applied for a liquor license for the old Raiford's building. This is clearly an undeniable sign.

2. All of the building's outside lights are on-- including the Christmas lights that outline the Raiford's sign. This is definitely a change. I drove past Raiford's just a few days ago and noticed how dark it was with all of the windows boarded up and with the lights off.

The lights are back on! Yah!

Does anyone know if it will be Raiford's or something new? We definitely need another dance club Downtown. Raiford's has been sadly missed.

(Me & Jessica @ Raiford's -- 20's Themed Birthday Event)

Update: I saw Raiford's daughter at EP's tonight. With the nodd of her head, she told a friend that they'd be opening back up. On my way home, I got a photo of the posting outside. I'll share that soon!

Friday Morning Update

Alright, I haven't taken the time to write an update about myself in a while, so here it goes...

Yesterday was one of the longer social days I've had in a while. In fact, I may stay home tonight just to recharge.

The day started off normally with work in the morning. By lunch however, everything changed. My work had a suite reserved for us at the Redbirds game. It was nice to walk down and watch a baseball game in the middle of the day. The best part was the food-- they had tasty snacks for us.

I left the game at the beginning of the 8th inning. My attention span is just only so long and I knew that I had a long day ahead of me, so I went back to the office. When I got back, I had an exciting idea that I started to pursue... and got so involved that I almost ended up missing my next activity.

After an hour, I headed down to the Residence Inn by Marriott that's located in Downtown Memphis. They had a rooftop party set up for us-- and more snacks! I adore that hotel; it's where I stayed when I moved back to Memphis in September. I think it used to be apartments or something because each unit has such a unique feel. I like Residence Inns normally anyway, but this one is better. And, they have free food and drinks... :-)

It was incredibly HOT yesterday afternoon, especially on the roof of a building, next to a grill and in the sun. I headed home to shower and prepare for the next leg of my evening. I switched into a new dress I recently found and headed up to my rooftop to visit my neighbors before heading on.

I went down to the Memphis Arts Council reception at the new Westin hotel. I could see by the reaction of the staff that they're starting to recognize me. Ha! (I may be back tonight, but as I said... we'll see how I'm feeling.) Anyway, the Memphis Arts Council event was fabulous! I met a few new people, reconnected with old ones, and enjoyed more food and drinks. :-)

While I was at the Arts Council event, one woman stopped me to ask where I'd found my dress. I told her that I found it online. She wanted the name of the website. I actually don't even remember where it came from. I found it on one site and compared prices and bought it from the place where I could get the best deal. She thought I was lying and started to promise not to get the same dress if I'd just tell her. Wow... Anyway, here's a photo of the dress on a model from the site--

After this wrapped up, I headed over to the Peabody rooftop to check out Kevin and Bethany Paige. I met up with friends and had a great time!

Next, I headed over to Flying Fish to say hello to the friends mentioned earlier from my rooftop. They were eating french fries with hot sauce... surprise! :-)

Made a quick run through EP's Delta Kitchen and and ended up at Flying Saucer with two of my girl friends. It was a fun time. Someone high fived me for my dress, so I suppose the night worked out alright.

On the way back home, I stopped by Earnestine & Hazel's to pick up my neighbor and his date and drove us back.

And here were are at Friday... :-)

[Thanks Paul for your two recent posts highlighting a few things from my site.]

Projectionist Pans Movie, Loses Job

Wow, what an interesting past few days it's been. A friend here in Memphis, Jessie Morrison, has been fired this week from his job. Why? Because while working as a projectionist at Malco, he wrote a negative review of a movie online.

What difference does that make you may ask? Well, he wrote it about the upcoming Fantastic Four movie. What happened next is a little surprising...

Fox figured out that he wrote the entry and where he works. Fox then phoned his boss and threatened to pull their movie from Malco's entire chain of theatres.

Just after, he was fired.

It's all a little sad. The reviewer loves movies and had been writing online reviews for quite some time-- and his company new in advance that he was doing this. In addition, he didn't reveal any movie "spoilers" in his review. He simply stated his opinion.

Anyway, the whole thing is burning up the Internet today. All you have to do is search for "Memflix" on Google and you'll now find over 35,000 entries.

Here's the latest from CNN.com:

LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- A projectionist at a Memphis, Tennessee, theater chain has lost his job after writing an unauthorized early review of "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" for the Web site Ain't It Cool News.

Jesse Morrison, the projectionist, claims that the film's distributor, 20th Century Fox, was behind the decision by Malco Theatres Inc. to suspend him for an undetermined period. The studio denied the charge.

While studios and filmmakers have endured early reviews of their movies, both negative and positive, on Web sites since the early days of the Internet, the incident might mark the first time someone working in the entertainment industry has lost a job for voicing an early opinion online.

On Saturday, http://www.AintItCool.com posted a negative review by Morrison (writing under his online moniker Memflix) under the headline "Memflix crushes all hope for 'Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.' "

A 29-year-old film, video and journalism major at the University of Memphis, Morrison worked for $7 an hour at the Ridgeway Four, next door to Malco's home office. He picked up further compensation by readying movie prints for exhibitor and press screenings, which allowed him during the past year to write reviews of such movies as "Disturbia," "Vacancy" and "Spider-Man 3" for Ain't It Cool. He also wrote reviews for Malco's movie blog and a circular distributed at the theater.

On Monday, two days after his "Silver Surfer" pan appeared, Morrison was called into a meeting with Malco senior VP Jimmy Tashie and, according to Morrison, was "suspended until further notice," with the suggestion that he would not be asked to return.

Morrison said Tashie pointed out that "20th Century Fox called them that morning and threatened to take away the press and trade screenings because of this whole thing. They were upset."

Asked if Fox had any role in the suspension, Tashie said: "Absolutely none." The executive said his company received a call from Fox that said "there's somebody there working for (Malco) who is writing reviews in advance. That's all they said. No one asked us to do anything. We have been in business 95 years, and this is the first time anything like this happened. And this boy knew what he was doing was the wrong thing. ... He was in a position of trust and he violated that trust."

Drew McWeeney, known as "Moriarty" on the Ain't It Cool site, picked up Morrison's cause. Amid two positive reviews for the new movie, he championed Morrison's right to free speech and wrote: "He's written many reviews for us before, but when he wrote one for 'Fantastic Four,' Fox went into hypersensitive overdrive. They tracked him down and had him fired, threatening to pull their business from the entire chain over that review."

Sources inside Fox denied the studio's involvement, saying that the disciplinary action was beyond their reach and was the theater chain's decision.

Some entertainment companies, including film productions, do ask workers to sign confidentiality agreements, agreeing not to disclose information. Morrison said he had never been asked to sign such an agreement, though he would have if asked.

"If they had sat me down and told me that this has caused such a stink and that we would like you to sign some waiver, I probably would have signed it," Morrison said. "In my opinion, they used strong-arm tactics. I don't regret going on my Web site or Ain't It Cool at all. I just wish it hadn't come to this, but I don't really believe I did anything wrong."

Tashie said: "In the future, anybody in that position will sign something."

A number of Ain't It Cool readers have rallied to Morrison's cause, some even offering him jobs like a cameraman gig in Mexico.

Morrison said he is weighing his options. "I'm hoping to get a job as a professional movie reviewer, but I don't know what's going to happen with that. I guess you could say I'm at some kind of crossroads right now."

Memphis Most: Commercial Appeal Voting

Quick Note: Voting is on for the "Memphis Most." The Commercial Appeal has set up a site where you can vote on everything from the best martini in Memphis to the best barber.

Check it out here: http://most.commercialappeal.com/

While you're there, be sure to click here (https://commercialappeal.wufoo.com/forms/memphis-most-memphis-media/) to vote for the best Memphis blogger. I put in my vote this morning for Paul's Memphis blog (www.PaulRyburn.com/blog).