How much do you tip for a drink?

For those of us who enjoy a cocktail or two from time to time, there’s good chance that we may be a “regular” at a local bar or pub whose atmosphere we enjoy.  Regulars always get treated special.  Maybe the get their cold, draft beer topped off at no charge.  At the least, they don’t have to wait long to order when the bar is busy.  But to get that special status, you have to treat your bartender right.  Here are a few unwritten tips and guidelines to help keep your bartender happy, staight from the mouth of a veteran bartender… 

• Start a tab. If I swipe your card five times this evening, that’s five times as much paperwork I have to do at 4 a.m.
• If your tipping guideline is still “a buck a drink,” listen closely: That doesn’t fly if you order a $12 cocktail. Tip at least 15 percent.

Do you have a favorite spot of your own around here?  If you’re looking for a great bar in Memphis that’s not to far from Hunters Trace Apartments, check out one of these spots.  Both got great reviews on Yelp.com! 

Doc Watson’s
1817 Kirby Pkwy
Germantown, TN 38138
(901) 755-2481Â
www.docwatsonsmemphis.com

TJ Mulligans
6635 Quince Rd
Memphis, TN 38119Â
(901) 753-8056Â
www.tjmulligans.com/quince

(Photo Credit: jlastras)

Born a god, raised a man…

Clash of the Titans

Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus is helpless to save his family from Hades, vengeful god of the underworld. With nothing to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus and unleash hell on earth. Battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts, Perseus and his warriors will only survive if Perseus accepts his power as a god, defies fate and creates his own destiny. Rated PG-13.

The closest Redbox kiosks to Hunter’s Trace are at Kroger (6660 Poplar Ave) and Walgreens (6310 Poplar Ave).

Save money on your renter’s insurance with EFT

Do you currently carry renter’s insurance?  Hunters Trace Apartments strongly advises their residents to get a policy.  It’s really not as expensive as you may think.  In fact, you can save money on your policy in quite a few ways.  Here is one in an article I found about saving money on renter’s insurance.  Check out this video too.

EFT Payments: Many companies are now charging up to $5.00 or more for mail payments, but sometimes nothing if you choose to have payments automatically deducted. And sometimes the deductions can come from your credit card, so you don’t have to worry if the money will be in your bank account when payment time comes.

Take it easy on the soap!

 Did you know that the consensus among appliance experts is that the #1 mistake people make with both their washing machines and dishwashers is that they add too much soap? 

According to veteran repairman Vernon Schmidt in a March 2010 New York Times article, “Nobody thinks they use too much soap.  Most people use 10 to 15 times the amount of soap they need, and they’re pouring money down the drain.” 

The fact of the matter is that later model washing machines and dishwashers, such as the models available at Hunters Trace Apartments in Memphis, have been designed to uses a lot less water than older machines and as a result, use a lot less soap. 

Repairman Schmidt even came up with a reliable test to determine if you’re using too much soap in your laundry… 

1. Take four to six clean bath towels, put them in your front-loading washing machine, or one towel for a top loader.
2. Don’t add any detergent or fabric softener. Switch to the hot water setting and medium wash and run it for about five minutes.
3. Check for soap suds. If you don’t see any suds right away, turn off the machine and see if there is any soapy residue. If you see suds or residue, it is soap coming out of your clothes from the last wash.

If you think that advice was helpful, check out more of his advice and tips at refrigdoc.com! 

(Photo Credit: jcapaldi)

“Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” showtimes in Memphis

Scott Pilgrim was living a charmed slacker life — he’s 23, he’s the bassist for a rock band, and he is blissfully unemployed. Then he meets the literal girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers, and his life is turned upside down. In order to win her heart, Scott needs to defeat a nefarious league of her ex-boyfriends in combat. Will true love win out, or is it game over for Scott? (Movies section at Yahoo.com)

Check out the trailer below.  Also, here are movie times for Memphis theaters near Hunter’s Trace: Malco Paradiso, Malco Cordova and Malco Forest Hill Cinema 8.

If you go see Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, stop back and tell the community what you think!

Bottoms up…at the Memphis Zoo

Memphis beer lovers, rejoice!  The Memphis Zoo’s “Zoo Brew” is right around the corner on Friday, September 3.  Lager Lovers will be able to sample a slew of local favorites, microbrews and international beers from as far away as Italy, Thailand and the Netherlands.

This year promises to be the biggest Zoo Brew yet, with over 100 different beers to sample, live music, food and wine.  It pretty much sounds like a party waiting to happen.  Tickets are going for $30 now.  If you’re a member of the Memphis Zoo, you will receive a $5 discount.  Last year, tickets sold out early so you may not want to wait to long before you get yours.  You can purchase them either online or at the zoo.  Proceeds from Zoo Brew will go to support animal care and zoo programs.

And just so you know, the animals won’t be invited to the party.  That’s too bad.  It would have been fun to have a beer with an elephant.  There’s something you don’t do everyday.

(Photo Credit: admlcrunch)

In the mood for Mexican food

If you polled a thousand Americans on what their top three types of international cuisine are, I’d wager that almost everyone would choose Mexican food.  Who doesn’t love Mexican?  Cheese, beans, onions, tomatos…all delicious ingredients to cook with.

If you agree (and I know that you do), then you will appreciate my recipe here for Chicken Enchiladas.  For the onions, green onions and chile peppers, you may be able to pick them up at the Germantown Farmers’ Market.  That way you can buy locally.  It’s important to do that when you can.  The market, located at 2083 S. Germantown Road (near the intersection of Germantown Road and Poplar) is open on Saturdays from 7:00 a.m. to noon.  Enjoy!

Have you seen “Green Zone” yet?

Green Zone

Academy Award® nominees Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum) reteam in this action-packed thriller. Damon stars as Roy Miller, a rogue U.S. Army officer who must hunt through covert and faulty intelligence hidden on foreign soil before war escalates in an unstable region. Also starring Academy Award® nominees Greg Kinnear and Amy Ryan.  Rated R.

The closest Redbox kiosks to Hunter’s Trace are at Kroger (6660 Poplar Ave) and Walgreens (6310 Poplar Ave).

Sheryl Crow: 100 Miles from Memphis

Who from Hunter’s Trace is planning on going to the Sheryl Crow concert next month?  In case you didn’t know, the nine-time Grammy-award winner is coming to the Mud Island Amphitheater (125 North Front Street, downtown Memphis) on Friday, August 20, with special guest Colbie Caillat.

Crow just released her seventh studio album titled 100 Miles from Memphis (a reference to her hometown of Kennett, Missouri), so I guess it’s fitting that Memphis is one of the first stops on her 41-date tour across North America, the U.K. and Europe.

Has anyone listened to the new album yet?  What do you think?  According to a Deseret News article, Crow says that “it’s an emotionally freer album” than 2008’s Detours, which made it to No. 2 on Billboard’s album chart and sold about 405,000 copies (Nielsen SoundScan).

Her intent was to capture the sexy, sweaty, horn-spiked flavor of the classic soul music of her youth, woven by such heroes as Al Green, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye.

She adds, “soul music is typically about sensuality, vulnerability and desire, so I kind of let the music guide me in the writing (of the lyrics).”

Tickets are still available for about 70 bucks at Ticketmaster, however if you’re interested in purchasing, don’t forget to check online sites like Craigslist for good deals.  Also, the Memphis Flyer is giving you a chance to win a pair by entering your name in a drawing!  They’re giving away a pair each week until the concert, so you might as well give it a shot.  Drawing dates are July 30, August 6, August 13 and August 17.  Winners will be notified by e-mail on the morning of the drawings.

(Photo Credit: Memphis Flyer)

Ramona and Beezus in theatres this weekend

If you’re thinking about taking the little ones to go see Ramona and Beezus this weekend, you might recognize actor John Corbett who plays Ramona’s father. He also starred in the Sex and the City sequel this summer as Aidan, Carrie Bradshaw’s ex-fiance.

Here’s an interesting fact about Corbett: when he first came to California, he worked as a steel laborerfor nearly six years.  While on leave from work for a back injury, he took some acting classes at a local college and was subsequently “discovered.”  Yep, mind is filled with useless information. LOL.

Anyway, here’s a trailer for the movie.  Check it out.  And if you need showtimes for theatres in east Memphis and Germantown, here you go: Malco Paradiso, Malco Cordova and Malco Forest Hill Cinema 8.

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