My Memphis Attorney's Life and Work

Changed to wordpress

2009-05-03T22:47:00.001-07:00

Along with the new url www.mymemphisattorney.com . All new posts will be on there. Wordpress is quite spiffy.

Ptolemics

2009-04-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

Opera Week

Started off the week Tuesday going to a Ptolemy dinner party hosted by the fabulous Johnny Kolb who greated everyone wearing a top hat and a cane. (or maybe that was the devil at faust). Fixed some of the best lamb chops I’ve encountered. Tender almost filet like, with a very light lamb flavor that complimented but did not overwhelm the senses. Accompanying were a lovely Portobello mushroom sautee reduced with wine as well as straight corn on the cob. Later for dessert a exemplary potatoe gratin was served. I found Johnny’s omitting the béchamel to be enlightened.
Went to a Bravo Memphis event at the Orpheum that featured a reception with some awfully good food and a dress rehearsal of Faust. I thought the portrayal of the Devil as a dapper pimp dressed black man showed poor cultural relations in a city like Memphis. I was also thinking my OFB would have made a much more imposing devil being taller and craftyish.
That night also featured working the door at ground zero at the on location Memphis international film festival afterparty. The film festival will be going on at Ridgeway 4 for the weekend for those still interested. Arriving ontime I found that non of the festival organizers were there. So I ordered a hamburger that was quite solid. The service everyone agreed was complacent and everything took awhile and one woman stormed out and was briefly about to castigate me for the poor service before realizing that working the door didn’t equate to working for the establishment.

Also going on that night were 2 mpact events I missed (curiously the only night with mpact stuff that week) and an exhibition at the brook.

Tried mosa again for lunch it’s a good place with generous portions especially the chicken on the chicken katsu salad.

Tried the gyro place café med. The original gyro was quite full of meat and good. The steaming of the pita created an okay tasting but quite durable shell. To be completely first rate they really would’ve had to have grilled the pita bread.

Are we done?

2009-04-18T20:16:00.001-07:00

I'm wondering if the technological innovation of the human race as reached a long term lower slop of a plateau. I remember discussions that Moore's law (a thesis about computing power) would never be violated and that's come to pass.

The one major development that may make things continue on a path of social development based on increasing per capita energy expenditure would be effective fusion technology, which seems feasibly on the long term (ie 2050+) horizon.

Other than that I think that most advances would appear to be incremental with advances in materials and computing being more a matter of degrees than really effecting social structure.

Margaritaville

2009-04-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

Everyone needs to watch the South Park Margaritaville episode. I think its a masterpiece of economic theory. The solution really is a simple " we need more money" at least to fix the current problem. Along with regulation of credit to clamp down on inflationary effect.

Pirate Week!

2009-04-16T16:34:00.000-07:00

Was reassured that the US can still take down pirates under a Democratic administration, but maybe they'll punish the troops for doing their duty.

Was thinking of starting a political career, was thinking of all the opportunities likely to open up for republicans politicians over the next several decades. Time to start establishing credentials.

Went to a consolidation conversation with Mayor AC Wharton hosted on short notice by the MPACT memphis Civic Engagement Committee and the MPACT head the lovely gwyn fisher.

Also, tried some interesting places the past couple of weeks. Tried Lou's Pie in the Sky Pizza in midtown with was awfully nice and had a great regular crust. Also tried the salad at Ubee's which was great.

Went to Petra out by Borders and had a yummy sampler platter. The pita was nice and light. The gyro meat was plentiful and the baba ganouj was a syrian version with more coarsely ground eggplant that really rocked. Overall a really good place, but beware the prices are stiff for the entrees.

Sick Week

2009-04-06T16:40:00.000-07:00

Joining the throngs of sick week fans. Last week I was pretty down most of the week.

I did manage towards the end of the week to make it to the mpact outlet at the tower room which was a really swanky business like atmosphere place. Still was a little coughy so couldn't really enjoy it to the fullest extent. Shelby farms, wolf river conservancy and other park outdoorsy organizations gave interesting little speechs.

Broke up into small groups to ask each other introductory questions which were what were your favorite breakfast questions, pet peeve, and an unusual fact about you no one would guess. The group leader was serendipitously the ice queen who picked ck's coffee shop in Germantown for be willing to display unusual health code interpretations proudly (thinking outside the box for criteria- I like it!), women who say sense of humor is what they're looking for, and that her hobby is shooting off her assault rifle collection. (Too bad my bestest buddy studly attorney is taken, taking his assault rifles and guns and going out into the country with him is a great saturday morning).

Friday did the aforementioned legal lines.

Sunday went to the celtic crossing. Was amazed at the poorness of the service on a fairly sparse sunday, when the place is packed I've always noticed how great the service is by comparison.

Finally ordered and got a steak and onion boxy which was billed as an Irish Burrito and was a very good flavor but had some of the toughest steak I've ever encountered.

Other than that seemed to have mainly just worked on taxes.

Legal Line Laughs

2009-04-04T18:40:00.000-07:00

Some Tips for the General Public that I realized aren't Common Knowledge from a 30 minute phone answering sessions to listen to people and give them the impression lawyers are caring people. (We are but the inability to work miracles makes pro bono pr necessary.)

1. Yes, you can call your state legislator and try to change a law!
2. When someone cheats you, you have to sue them to force them to give back the money.
3. That presumes they have some money to force to give back to you.
4. Expect the other side to lie in court.
5. By the way from experience judges are really really bad at spotting liars. (they really really need to move the witness to be in front of the judge. )

Things I learned-
Fake hair really hurts to take off.
Tattooing leads to complications on all sorts of levels, especially if children are involved.
People need someone to listen, but they really appreciate it when a lawyer does it!

MPACT Week

2009-03-28T16:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Mpact my social / networking calender was jam packed this week. Tuesday there was a pretty full happy hour at on the borders. Fortunately I ordered margaritas when I came in cause they took thirty minutes to arrive. It was really crowded though which shocked me given the rainy dreary outside.

We had to sit down which made it a not so happy hour and made mingling weird. Did have a nice conversation with a fedex person( they're everywhere!) and a finance professor S something from U of M. (nice lady) .

Wednesday I did something I believe. Honestly don't remember right now what it was everything is starting to meld together.

Thursday started off with a brief visit to Sole raw bar where Daily grill used to be. The Amaretto Sour was stiff and the appetizer shrimp lollipop and beef tenderloin bite were both quite good though the oysters didn't seem plump. Then went to India Palace with the Mpact Memphis dinner tour where I tried Lamb Botti which was good but the lamb was kinda tough. Afterwards went home and woke up to find everything would be going back to normal.

Next friday went to the corner bar for the mpact memphis happy hour. A really cool bar, that the ice queen goddess destroyer of dreams of mpact volunteer(but amazingly charming person based on our one conversation when she deigned to talk to me and I found myself divulging sensitive information without delay(mb she's part witch? I wonder if she'd do a dunk test)) ) commented was really good for a breakup in a very authoritative manner. The buffett bbq potato skins were quite good and when the leaving and will be missed Frank something (did stuff before my time ) cut the cakes I was very impressed with the Peabody's pastry skills with a very austrian chocolate moose cake.

Next trolley tour. Was tamer than normal but different. Beignet Cafe was sorta open!! giving out free samples in anticipation of a full opening in two weeks. The beignets needed a bit more thickness but looked like once they get some practice down we'll have a place on par with cafe du monde in Memphis. The only question will be how many of the most fabulous people in memphis will hang out there.

Also had a hot dog at the south main cookout at which everything had turned cold after this little old lady took ten minutes making herself a hamburger.

Also toured the fabulous Machine Shop Condos which are an incredible value and I wish I had gotten one instead of my place. Had really good appetizers there. If you are interested in getting a place downtown feel free to call me at 901-255-2740 to explore these and other options or visit www.mymemphisrealestateagent.com

At the end noticed these girls in the window trying out a live art project or maybe trying to sell their friend for beer money. I wasn't sure.

St. Patrick's Week

2009-03-22T19:08:00.000-07:00

Tried the Limmerick Ham sandwich lunch special at Majestic in honor of St. Patricks day. It was actually a notable ham sandwich, adding an egg spices everything up and dubliner cheese is really good stuff. Heard good things about the other specials that week. Funnily enough specials can be really good even at a restaurant that is otherwise frequently so-so.

Also had the corned beef and cabbage special at silly goose on St. Patrick's day. Was very solid. The cabbage seemed uncooked which was odd, but actually went well with the corned beef.

Went to urbannexus where they had a series of four minute presentation, perfect for my limited attention span. Hosted by Mpact memphis and the lovely Gywn Fisher (the woman in the photo) it went by quickly as all good presentations do who made a freudian slip that made everyone laugh that she made me promise not to publish it . (I'm fond of rhymes as an unrelated note). (Memphis is apparently a very inspirational place to live- lots of stuff to fix!). What followed was a really nice reception with notably good tomato and some kind of cheese puffs, cheeses, and sate chicken spears. The cookies and brownies were not that great:(.

Weekend

2009-03-16T14:12:00.000-07:00

Hmm, what did I do this weekend. Normally I try to shy away from narrative time based posts. Seems more diary like and overly personal.

However, I'm short of ideas and I feel I should give Le Chardonay 1 more review before castigating them.

Starting with Monday went to Silly Goose for their Depression era pricing happy hourw which also offers depression era cool drinks like manhattans and sidecars all for a dollar.

It was for an Mpact memphis infusion event, which was designed to get a small group of us introduced to each other at a happy hour so that when we go to an Mpact happy hour we would have a core group of people we know. Since they had separated the boys and girls for this one (much like preschool) we came up with ideas for future events like gun shooting and poker. Had spotted for one of the five guys at the Y once small world.

Later in the week I did some forgettable stuff, not entirely sure. Worked a bunch. Oh yes went to the masons twice that week which is notable cause I hadn't made it for awhile being too busy with Mpact happy hours and ptolemy social events.

Friday I went to Molly La Fontain Lounge which was a really cool place right across from juvie. Saw the food others we're ordering and looked at the menu. Closest to a true tapas place I've seen in Memphis. Had the slider which was really really good. Went to Bardog later in the night and while there's is good, Molly was better though twice as expensive so a different experience. Later went to see OmyGosh Prat or something similar practice with the Memphis symphony orchestra which was interesting though overly modern and segmented for my taste. Had very good chocolate dipped strawberries and the reception beforehand.

Rode Ptolemy's St. Patrick day float and threw out some beads some other members were thoughtful enough to bring. my candies were not well received. Memphis is definitely a cheap plastic shiny object town.

Later went out to Windjammer and saw Machine Gun Kelly a Roller derby girl who asked me if you could park in one of the spots of the adjacent businesses. I said it wasn't posted but what did I know.

Windjammer being different and overly loud I then went to Celtic and both sets of friends I met up with complained about the place being overly loud. We then mused that no place in memphis that was any good wasn't overly loud except a few patio places in the summer.

Went home and watched Employee of the Month which was a little tame.

Also call your senator on senate bill 61 for bankruptcy backed mortgage modification so I can make money!

Hopping Napa

2009-03-06T14:44:00.000-08:00

Dad was in town Tuesday night, so I took advantage of the opportunity to try out that place you never goto in the back of the Sanderlin center Napa Cafe. The place was very very busy which surprised me given the state of the economy and no one else appeared to have a restaurant.com gift certificate.

We started with the fried artichokes which were really good. Every piece was near perfect and it was the normally excess portions of fried food. In addition there were spiced pancetta and other add-ons that made it a very exciting fried artichoke.

We both next had the soup of the day which was french onion. It appeared to be a slighty sweet and sourish vegetarian broth which made it an okay but not stellar french onion.

Dad had the filet medallions with the port wine reduction and some roquefort spiked mash potatoes. I had a bit and it was near perfect and a stellar dish.

I had braised short ribs with a leek vegetable. I found it a little undercooked and not quite soft enough. The leeks and spinach were really good. The ribs needed some sort of sauce to kick it up a notch. The best short ribs I ever had were at the hilton millenium in new york which featured a crusty exterior near mushy interior and a sauce quite like the port wine reduction.

Dad and I both looked at the desert menu but nothing seemed compelling but it was a varied list so any sweet tooth should be satisfied.

The waiter asked if everything was okay and when presented with the pocket version of the above a correlation between time on the menu and quality of the item was apparent. So it might pay to ask how long they've had any item contemplated.

Little Tea Shop

2009-03-02T13:48:00.000-08:00

Much lauded place I've never tried downtown. The first time I went AC Wharton was present. Thought about asking if he wanted to be my new obf but decided against it, and after the last time I think if we try that again it will be in another city.
Had the vegetable plate which was quite good. The much lauded Turnip greens were indeed quite special. So were the sweet potatoes.
Had the peach cobbler for dessert which seemed solid.
The second time I tried the meatload, which was decent considering I'm not a meatloaf fan. The gravy lacked the typical tomato of most meatloafs which I liked as I find tomato sauce and meat to clash in many cases. The corn bread sticks were nice and crunchy as well.
The split pea soup I had before was also quite hardy. I liked how the broth was quite salty, which means it probably will be too salty for most people.

I also pondered how a lunch plate place calls itself a tea shop and wondered if it evolved from the Southern urge for faux aristocracy.

MPACT MEDIA FORUM

2009-03-02T13:32:00.001-08:00

Took some time on a Wednesday to go to an issue forum presented by MPACT memphis on how the media presents Memphis and if all Memphis suffers from is poor press which causes a vicious cycle of more poor press.

I found the panel to be very well informed, but somewhat basic. I think the panel suffered from trying to communicate on an eighth grade level most of the time, which was one of the issue mentioned by some of the question asking people.

The TV guy was surpised that TV was a powerful medium that could singlehandly form public opinion, which when he voiced wonder at this most of the audience shouted out in the affirmative it was that powerful which was if anything moderately amusing.

The memphis flyer guy was against anonymity in journalism and anywhere else and thought people should stand behind there opinions, which I personally find to be a common view nowdays but historically anachronistic from the founding father's days of anonymous editorial columns.

Personally, I think everyone should analyze things on their own merit without allowing others of a more credible stature to dictate their worldview and I find anonymous opinions to be good for that. It's a shame that people believe ad hominem attacks and other scandalous or salacious material in an anonymous missive however.

I've noticed that at most events the length of public questioning has gotten extreme. I think writing questions down might be a good panacea for the problem.

I joined MPACT last month and I really really wish I had joined the moment I moved here. It's group for young professionals to network. In addition, its one of the few ways I've found to escape the high school cliquishness that is pervasive around here. The website is www.mpactmemphis.org and they also have a good facebook page.

Exciting News

2009-03-02T11:09:00.000-08:00

As part of my integrated marketing strategies. Mymemphislawyer.blogspot.com is being rebranded www.mymemphisattorney.com to stop the confusion with my law firm website www.mymemphislawyer.com since that is overly complicated for a small percentage of my readership and requires too much explanation when I'm out drinking and telling people about my blog.

In other news I'm now a realtor with Prudential and the website which I've reserved but is not up yet is www.mymemphisrealestateagent.com (Aren't I original). I will still be practicing law (great for connections and did you know in the state of Tennessee it's ethical to date clients?!) just staying away from the ultra-complex cases. Need bankruptcies.

The Dow is Crashing

2009-02-23T11:55:00.000-08:00

I'm wondering what that means to Memphis. How much of the recent revitalization of downtown is due to the easy credit markets or the new construction out east? The counterpoint is that prices in Memphis really never got super inflated, except perhaps downtown to a certain extent.

Mb in the absence of a bubble no one would have invested here.

Went to an mpact issue forum on the negative perceptions of Memphis being related to the news media. I wondered if crime stories were alot easier to write then real journalism and also if there just isn't alot of news anymore.

More Bar Food

2009-02-11T21:50:00.000-08:00

Went to the cove. A neat bar with a nautical theme in a shady neighborhood for mpact memphis happy hour.

Had the artichoke bacon goat cheese pizza which was very good which a thin crunchy yet still tender crust. Finished with oysters which everyone was getting that honestly were a bit off. Pearls oysters on the half are much better.

Had a daiquiri which was done in the traditional way without being frozen and was a heck of a drink.

Good Golly Ms. Polly

2009-02-01T12:43:00.001-08:00

Good Golly Mrs. Polly

Stumbled into the restaurant behind one of the smoked turkey leg storefronts on Beale. Was surprised though it was just a turkey leg front. Turned out to be a soul food fried chicken and Waffle place called Mrs. Pollys.

Wasn’t eating but the people who did said it was quite good .

Went back with dad for dinner the next day. Had the trademark fried chicken which was very good , honestly I though better than Gus’s . The turnip green side was also solid. Dad enjoyed his hamsteak and eggs.

Had the skillet fried apple pie which was solid. Memo if you get it ask for the ice cream on the side so it doesn’t slide off onto the really hot skillet. Then give the pie a little time to get crispy on the skillet. It obviously was initially heated in the nuker.

binky boo

2009-01-22T15:28:00.001-08:00

Hop

Random Musings

2009-01-22T10:36:00.000-08:00

Listened today on the radio briefly to commentary on how liberals were comparing Obama to Jesus Christ and engaging in idol worship as they tried to wipe out Christianity. The only prayer I say to Obama is for bankruptcy based mortgage modification having taken out a half page ad in the yellowbook for next year. I thought this was an interesting demonstration of black and white thinking and wondered at all the empty small churches around demonstrating this crisis as they retreated to massive edifices with coffeeshops and dedicated daycare for protection against the liberals. I also wonder were all the readers have gone given the shrinking number of small bookshops.

As Obama took I office I noticed the DOW was flirting with the important 8000 level. I think this represents exactly how deep the systemic problems now run. However, unlike the great depression, our government is directly turning on massive economic stimulus before the problem gets out of hand. Many point to Japan’s malaise as evidence this doesn’t work, but Japan has a massive shrinking demographic absent here where the population is growing at a steady low rate due to immigrants performing useful functions like nurses, doctors, and salespeople, though some go to law school and become a burdensome leach on society, which is something that should only be done by unfocused WASP’s.

In fact why don’t we make all the lawyers retake the bar and make the lower ¼ go to nursing school. I’m game. I like tests.

Lavoro’s has reportedly taken my pizza comments to heart and I plan to rereview eventually. Went back to Old Venice and while the cheesesteak’s had slipped I noticed it apparently had acquired a really happening bar scene.

Speaking of bar food, the notables so far are Kudzu’s for bacon cheeseburgers, Flying Saucer for Pretzels, Young Avenue for the fries and a generally all around solid fare except for the cheese logs which while admirable attempt at bigness are simply too big to become appropriately gooey through and through.

Speaking of Memphis. I’m over my first year infatuation. While I still don’t think its quite as bad as often accused, it’s a bit of a drag. I find its somewhat insular and for some reason everyone is hanging out with their high school friends. Read on quick facts on the us census data that above 26 with bachelor’s degree is only 20% as opposed to 30% in Dallas or Nashville.

Choo Choo

2009-01-13T20:51:00.000-08:00

Reviewed the Tennessean on the Downtown Square in Collierville with a Highly Blond Associate (HBA).

After circling the square several times trying to figure out where to enter the rail cars, I started with the seared Foie Gras Appetizer which was really good, perfectly seared and retaining a consistent duckiness without being overpowering. HBA had the Benne Seed Shrimp which was excellent jumbo tempura fried shrimp with black and white sesame seeds. HBA also had the Caesar which she commented was quite nice. I had the Charleston She Crab soup which was jam packed with crabmeat and had a light creamy broth and some nice sherry on top. The thick biscuit served as the bread to start was nice and flavorful but didn't really compliment the scallops.

For Entrée I had a seared scallops in a mushroom gravy. The scallops were excellent and done perfectly . The mushrooms complimented them perfectly. The only thing missing was a bit of starch which I’m trying to avoid but seemed called for.

HBA had the duck breast fettucini which she also thoroughly enjoyed and said went well together.

HBA had the cream cheese chocolate chip brownie desert which had a burnt taste that was remedied by a lovely cream brulee that was quite solid.

On leaving we were shown the lounge car where you can book a killer private party.

Lavoro’s

2009-01-08T18:27:00.000-08:00

Lavoro’s

Found a shockingly good cheap Italian place off Sycamore view at Summer www.lavorosmemphis.com . First time I was about to head for coffee and needed some food so I went into a fast foody type building looking to be disappointed. I was pleasantly surprised which some great handbreaded cheesticks with a light breadcrumb breading that were delicious and possibly the best in Memphis. (Current cheesestick rating Old Venice and Lavoro tie, Romano's fried wedges a solid third). and a solid Italian Panini.

Leaving off for Nashville for a cle and a depo I stopped on my way out. Had the shrimp penne Napoli which was excellent. The croutons on the Caesar were a bit stale. The place was excellent and the prices a flashback to the 90’s.

Went and tried the pizza with the Grey formerly the Red and if Tolkien is followed eventually the White. Unfortunately this seems like an entrée type for dinner place. GRW commented it seemed overly sauced, a bit spicy, and light on the cheese. All comments I’m afraid I must agree with. In addition the crust was a bit soft to be a thin crust pizza which it was. Perhaps if lighter sauced or cooked longer things might have pulled together better.

Overall a great laid back dinner option.

Wow- Dow

2008-11-20T11:34:00.000-08:00

It looks like the Dow has set an under 8000 mark that's not a spike temporary low. I'm impressed, I honestly didn't think the economy was that bad or it could get that low on more than a panic basis.

I've decided to start doing bankruptcies on an unrelated note.

I get served by LI

2008-10-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

Apparently critical reviews of Calhoun's are faux pas with LI's

VIA TEXT-

LI- Did you just diss on calhoun's school house pizza? !!!:(

DS - Yeah, I did you want to do something about it punk ?

LI - Bring it... I love that pizza with $1.50 PBR, its so old school that its fresh

DS- HA, You got me

LI - And Spindini is fabulous, the pricing is appropriate for quality of food, portion size, and overall dining experience. It's great for special occasions.

I have to admit Spindini is fabulous, I am a bargain lover though. Prices in Memphis are just so overall cheap usually I'm a bit astounded at $24 shrimp pasta. (Food cost about 8 I'm guessing).

LI was a marketing major, btw.

Texas State Fair

2008-10-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

Texas State Fair

Recently attended the Texas State Fair off the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Dubious after an experience at the midsouth fair where I found funnel cakes PRE COOKED and stacked ready to go to taste bud deprived patrons, I was expecting the TX state fair to be slightly better but still not within the realms of gastronomic enlightenment. And I expected the rumors of fried concoctions to be exaggerated

I was quite surprised at the result. In an outstanding demonstration of the free market system, the TX state fair demonstrates how carnival food service should be.

First we began with a Fletchers corny dog which is not frozen and is handdipped in batter. The resulting crunchy product far exceeded the soft breaded product of which I had only a bite at the mid-south fair.

I also had a passable Philly Cheesesteak, though I found the seasoning to be a little light and short of sufficient onion. Nearby we all split up a PAPA LOCO potato stick

The fresh shucked corn was sweet and crunchy.

I also had a belgian waffle topped with strawberries and whipped cream that I settled on when my guide declared that the premier funnel cake vender had closed for the night already. It was crunchy and light and avoided the inevitable funnel cake drag. (why I limit myself to funnel cakes once every year or so).

Overall, a definite reason to go to dallas.

Tried Calhoun's the new sports bar on GE patterson for lunch Saturday. The cheesesticks seemed limp and the pizza was not satisfactory. I was expecting a gourment or kicked up version of the school lunch pizza, but it hewed true to the original.

Credit

2008-10-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

I have to give Spindini credit. I find the food solid but not the haute cuisine indicated by the pricing. I had the Elfo's special which consisted of a lightly sauced shrimp pasta dish for $24.00. The place still is always busy with a great atmosphere.

Businesses survive on credit and not just the word of mouth kind. My father's business carried over ten million in accounts receivable and inventory on credit during the 1980's and 1990's. Like many businesses which operate in high capital business, if the bank was ever paid off they'd be rich. Until then, credit kept everything afloat.

If the bank had changed the lending requirement and upped the collateral required, we would have been out on the street no matter how profitable a business model my family's business had.

It's true that when a mom and pop business fails they go out of business, but if banks fail they can take tens of thousands of mom and pop businesses with them.

I have to give the congressional leadership of both parties credit for sponsoring the bailout bill. It’s a sad day when you can't muster a majority support for a bill that could have prevented productive economic assets from being auctioned off for pennies on the dollar.

But we can at least give credit to Pearl's Oyster house for some killer char-grilled, even if no one's going to have the cash to buy some. Pearl's does take credit.