Against my better judgment, we have placed the official National Night Out banner thing in front of our house this evening so as to remind the neighbors of tomorrow evening's big event. It seemed pretty windy and even a threat of rain in the air.
On the off chance (thinking positive) that it does rain, the GNW Lodge will be open for all the neighborhood block parties to gather in there.
Let's hope that isn't needed.
Here in San Antonio, HEB, our grocer of record, has taken over everything, and I'm not complaining at all. Unlike many chains that come up with their own company logo'd brands, HEB has some really good quality stuff. If you don't believe me, get yourself a huge bowl of their Creamy Creations brand ice cream. I promise, if you don't like it, I'll come over and finish your allotment.
So anyway, I do enjoy cooking out on the grill from time to time and I always enjoy a good recipe to try. I am told that my grilled pork spare ribs (the recipe I stole from the husband of my wife's High School freind) are to die for. But those take time and today, I had a hankerin' for a little beef. What to do? HEB's pre-marinated beef fajitas.
Life could not be any easier than this. First, took an onion and sliced it up so I could sautée it with butter and garlic. Then, I took a pack of the HEB fajitas, and I simply opened them, followed by throwing them onto the already awesomely burning grill. Are you getting hungry yet?
As those puppies were getting their cook on, I grabbed a pack of freshly made HEB brand tortillas (still warm when I bought them) and threw a few on the grill for good measure.
Just before pulling the vittles from the outdoor cook center (the grill), I sliced up some avocado for support.
As I finish this entry, my wife is walking in the front door ready for a quick, awesome meal of fajitas, onions, avocado and tortillas.
It's true, I am the man.
I think in the grand scheme of things, flea markets take us back to the roots of our ancestors, regardless from what continent we might originate. Certainly in Europe, Asia, The Middle East and Africa, you see people doing their shopping at markets, and not just for vegetables or fish, but for stuff too.
And there is a culture of sorts for people who make the flea market a weekend commitment, the people who have the same booth each week, selling crafts or things they make with their own hands, as well as for the people who visit every weekend, hoping to find the right thing to hang on the wall in the garage. You also have family who decides to load up the contents of their attic and see if they can make a little more than had they just opened the garage door and held a yard sale.
My wife and I don't go nearly as often as we did years ago, but we still like to make several trips a year to Bussey's Flea Market on IH-35 North in Schertz. We went Saturday, just for a quick stroll around the grounds and I took a few pictures that might motivate you to visit the next time you get a chance.
Probably the most important thing you should know, and quite frankly, the thumbs up versus thumbs down on any flea market attempt is the status of cold adult beverages and whether or not they are served. In the case of Bussey's, we do have a thumbs up, and it is therefore safe to proceed.
Now I have been to flea markets where the majority of vendors are people that want to open there own version of The Dollar Store, but don't want to have to pay the price of rent in a strip mall. It helps to take a crash course in Korean when visiting these flea markets. The one on Highway 16 South, between San Antonio and Poteet is a perfect example. You will often find vendors at these locations who also double as circus freaks for other sources of income. I say this with the utmost respect to full-time employed circus freaks, who are an important part of our nations economy.
At the Highway 16 flea market, there used to be an old guy that ran a merry go round. Probably 10 years ago or more, he made the mistake of yelling at my niece for probably a valid reason, but my brother-in-law, Junior, was none to pleased with this display of rude behavior and threatened no less than to physically assault the man for cause. Since that time, including the last time we went, over a year and a half ago, Junior would see the old man at the merry go round ride and stare him down. Because our visits had become so sporadic over the years, it is very likely that this poor man had long ago lost any recollection of the reason why my brother-in-law gives him the evil eye for a minute, then calmly moves on. Ah, the pitfalls of life as a carny.
But back to more pleasant things at Bussey's. If you are looking for the latest CD's of your favorite artist, you can get them here for a reasonable price. I'm sure these are all original copies and the artists receive due compensation.
At Bussey's you will find a full range of country folk, and friendly people like this one seemingly Native American fellow who sells incense and relics and knives and secret spiritual products and stuff. 
I hope I'm not speaking out of turn, but the secret product that his incense has strangely seems to smell a bit like reefer, but I could be wrong. I'm sure the ladies visiting his booth have come for the ancient Native American cure for glaucoma.
Many of the best things to look through are what I like to call other people's junk. If you dare to brave the heat of South Central Texas, you will find tables out in the open air. This is where the good deals are found. I once bought a really nice antique chair from a lady who was selling all of her husbands stuff before the divorce papers could stop her. 
I asked her how much she wanted for the chair. She said $50.00. I turned and started to walk away as such a substantial investment might cut into my funds needed for the aforementioned cold beverages. She then stopped me and asked how much I would give her for the chair. I didn't want to offend her because the chair was clearly worth way more than the $50.00 she was asking. Her helpful best freind advised me that it was a divorce sale and she suggested I offer up $15.00. I did and the two ladies high-fived one another, convinced the soon to be ex-husband would be boiling mad over my good deal.
You can't go wrong with used books or magazines from a flea market. I mean, aside from the worries of somebody else's germs and such, why buy new? And as soon as you finish reading those old copies of Life, you can sell them at your garage sale as "collectors editions" and nobody will know you got them at Bussey's for a dime.
Ready to get back to school, or you have a bunch of ankle biters that need some Shakespeare in their lives? For fifty cents, they'll be on the street corner reciting The Bard as if they had paid attention in Alternative School.
Okay, I'm no trophy hunter, but let's be honest - it would be cool to tell everyone that you went on a big safari to Hondo or some place exotic like Cotulla. Why not spring for a few stuffed Bambi's and make your family dining room look like dinner at the Water Buffalo Lodge?
Don't tell me you didn't have a Snoopy suitcase the first time you took a trip on the aeroplane. Oh sure, they poked fun at you all the way through Basic Training, but you know your Military Training Instructor was just jealous that he didn't have one. If he had shopped at Bussey's he'd have had his own too.
My wife and I once took visiting family to a night of dancing at the club. One of her cousins was pretty enthusiastic about the fact that for 50 cents, you could get shots of various men's cologne sprayed upon your body like one of those machines at the car wash dispensing NuCar smell on a beat-up Chevy backseat. And he spared no expense trying all the available brands.
My friends, why empty your pockets of lose change one spray at a time when you can get the entire bottle (less any that Grandpa may have used during WWII) for a buck?
Finally, I ask you, where can you get fine Mexican dinnerware and a handsome Seeing Eye Dog all in one location? Of course, Bussey's Flea Market.
Do you have a flea market that I should know about? Tell me about your favorite circus freak stories.
Let me just get right to the point. My wife has gone crazy and has forced me to drive all over creation looking for fake daisies.
As such, we went to the Garden Ridge on Loop 410 in between Culebra and Ingram, then we went to the original Garden Ridge out on IH-35 near Schertz (and as you might imagine, the small town of Garden Ridge). If you aren't from San Antonio, think Michaels or Hobby Lobby, but with assloads of pottery.
We can review this daisy craziness later, but the important point of this post is that, you simply cannot go into Garden Ridge anytime after mid-August because they bust out all things Cinnamon and the smell is simply overpowering to anyone with a near-normal ability to smell. 
I don't suffer from allergies, but standing within 200 feet of the entry way to Garden Ridge after they have started putting the "Fall Holiday" and "Winter Celebration" collections out, my eyes begin to tear up and I begin having flashbacks of the first time I had to go through gas mask training in the military. No wonder women who do crafts always seem a bit crazy. I mean, just look at Christopher Lowell.
Okay, so aside from the smell, and thankfully, they were only getting ready for the big transition, there are often very interesting people who shop at these places. One time for example, we made the journey and as we shopped around, I encountered a no-kidding, certifiable crazy lady, complete with talking to herself, lashing out at others, and purchasing two shopping carts full of crazy things.
I could fill three pages of the antics that occurred during this event, but I have been trying to ween myself from writing the "F" word, I never use the "C" word to describe private female parts, the suggested sexual actions this woman proposed might be illegal in several states, and without those descriptions, the story just isn't that interesting. But take my word for it, we live among the shoppers of arts and crafts places and I for one am glad in Texas, we can carry concealed weapons, and it isn't illegal to take pictures of weird people.
Which gets me to my point. I have on occasion provided you with photographic examples of "What not to wear", and I'm not quite sure this one falls into that category. 
This is Texas, and everything in Texas is big. Including our people. Also, Cowboy boots are popular in Texas, so, giddy-up and wear them to church if you care to. Finally, with our close proximity to Mexico and the NAFTA and all that, many women including the hueras find the moo moo house dress to be a comfortable and fashionable design for a day of shopping; but in fairness, this is usually limited to Wal-Mart or perhaps the corner liquor store.
So, as we wandered through our second store in as many hours hoping to find all things Daisy, I tried to avoid looking at anything that would distract me from the main task of getting in and getting the hell out! 
Sadly, as we were approaching the front of the store in a near attempt to find a spot in line at the cash registers, we nearly bumped into a very arts and crafts oriented lady. In fact, our carts nearly collided because I was suddenly preoccupied with trying to mentally evaluate how I would discreetly get a picture of this without being so obvious as to warrant investigation by store security.
My wife is no stranger to my antics, so she immediately found cause to find the ladies' and left me to maneuver in and out of aisles of various housewares, table cloths, cloth napkins and the like, as I tried to appear as normal a shopper as one can be in one of these freak-farms, while not losing sight of the lady in the blue-Mexican moo moo and pointy shit kicker-like cowboy boots. 
The only thing that could have been better would if she was wearing a small hat. Not necessarily a cowboy hat to match the boots or a sombrero to match the dress; it could have been a fancy party hat or even a top-hat - she could not have looked any goofier to start with, but it would have really been a gem in my eyes.
So after the brief game of cat & mouse and several sets of cloth napkins that wouldn't possibly match our dining room table, I made a few valiant attempts at capturing this fine specimen on the camera, purely for instructional purposes. Just then, my wife caught up to me and said that she could not find me, what with my stealth techniques of blending in, and covert ways of seeking out three crappy pictures with my blurry, unfocused camera, so she simply looked for the oddly dressed lady in the blue moo moo, and there I was.
We did end up buying some daisies, some glasses and a bag of M&M's, and then we got out!
If they build a Red Robin even one or two miles closer to my house, I will weigh 350 pounds in about six months.
People, we have a situation here. Chilis may wish to restructure their finances, start washing cars or even fold all together. As light as I eat, I'm still good for at least 3 - 4 Chilis visits per month. This could create quite a situation for them.
So my wife had told me several times that she wanted me to go eat at Red Robin one of these days, and I always put things off. Today, there was no excuse as we were both hungry, were already over in the general area of 1604 and IH-10, and what the heck, I needed to get out of the rut of always eating Salad and Chili at Chilis everytime.
When we first walked in, it seemed pretty crowded for being almost 2PM, but then again, they are located directly outside of Fiesta Texas at the entrance of The Rim, so I imagine they are packed all the time. Not to worry, we were immediately seated and I was extremely pleased to see a huge staff of people and managers in action. When we sat down, I noticed a well stocked bar full of people and lots of imaging for the selection of beers and fufu drinks. I also noticed though that the crowd was almost exclusively families with kids, cranky from having been, no doubt forcibly ejected from Fiesta Texas.
As crowded as the place was, our waitress was to our table and taking drink orders immediately. My wife had a Raspberry Iced Tea, and I went with my standard unsweetened variety. Quite tasty and bottomless.
As we looked over the menu, I could not help but notice how the staff seemed to operate like a well tuned machine. Specifically, we noticed that not one person was standing around doing nothing at any time. If a waitress wasn't taking orders, she was helping prepare the sandwich baskets, getting drinks or taking out another table's food. I love to see a manager hit the floor and go table to table making sure people have been taken care of. The guy seemed genuine and not wanting to sit there and say something goofy. It was more like, "Have we taken care of you?" Yes you have. "Great. Thanks." And off he went to the next table.
I'm trying (not very successfully) to eat healthier these days, so I didn't order the huge stack of onion rings, but the presentation of the many orders that flew by our table was very cool. The onion rings were stacked largest to smallest, 13 high on a stand which made it look like a pine tree of rings. And they looked great.
The choices were many and the descriptions sounded all very inviting, but when we ordered, I had the 'Shroom Burger. According to the menu, it is "Loaded with fresh, plump, sautéed mushrooms, a hint of garlic Parmesan butter and topped with melted Swiss for that extra Mmmm. A mushroom lover’s dream come true." They were not kidding. The important thing to note is that this burger contained as much sauteed mushroom as it did beef. Awesome!
My wife went for the California Chicken Burger which, again, according to the menu is described as, "A tender, juicy charbroiled chicken breast topped with Monterey Jack cheese, zesty guacamole, hickory-smoked bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles & mayo. This chic combination is beautiful & flavorful!" It looked great and my small sample was incredible.
We both ordered wheat bread which they didn't bat an eyelash at, and the honey mustard we got to dip our thick steak fries in was probably the best version I've tasted in a while.
Okay, so to my amazement, they had our burgers out to us in no time at all. I mean, the people at this place were moving. My glass of tea never made it below half-full and I suck down easily 4 to 5 glasses of tea in any restaurant I go to.
Oh, at the entrance to the ladies' they have an appetizing Costanza portrait, and the restrooms are equipped with TV's, so I'd imagine this place makes a good place to come in during an evening game - not the restroom, but the restaurant itself. They did have TV's everywhere, but it wasn't obnoxious to the point of being a sports bar with TV's 
taking up every inch of space.
When the bill came due, I will tell you that it isn't McDonald's. The burgers we ordered which by the way are easily enough for two people to share, were almost $9.00 a piece. But I'm here to tell you, they were worth every penny.
On my Tasty Treat Scale, Red Robin gets top marks. Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm! (Okay, maybe I need to create a little Icon that says "Tasty Treat").
My wife and I attended the Great Northwest Community Improvement Association executive meeting tonight. The difference between this meeting and the other meetings is, no comments are allowed from the residents attending. Clearly, this was not a problem as my wife and I were the only residents in the audience, and I'm much better at the non-verbals then most people and don't require the need to make loud comments!
Okay, a bunch of boring stuff... unless you live here and want to see how a small group of people are spending your money! Seriously, I confess that I have made comments about a few people being obsessive about the association and its runnings, but now, I have to say that I'm appalled at the lack of interest. At least the people I may have prematurely labeled as obsessive were interested.
But, if you can't make it to see in person, don't worry, I'll tell you about it.
First, lots of interesting discussion with the treasurer report. I specifically want to make mention of the fact that one Director, Mr. Guy Pucci, seems to get what is what with the finances and asks really valid questions. I don't get that he is asking questions just to appear concerned, I see his probing as well thought out and germane to the the details of the financial report being discussed.
An example of this was when the discussion turned to the fact that the association uses two different computer programs to run the finances. QuickBook and Topps I believe (I have no idea if these names are correct). The problem is, there are some issues that have resulted in one system not being fully used and there has been an effort to get things on track. Mr Pucci asked how much it was costing us a month to maintain one of the programs that is apparently not being used fully. $89.95 a month comes out close to $1,000 a year, and I think Mr. Pucci was right to question the need. Ms. Sigrid Long joined in with a very valid point regarding the fact that perhaps we should see if this monthly fee covers additional training for the people using the program.
When this group of people can focus on real issues of running the organization, I think homeowners would be very proud of their efforts, but as residents, we should show our support by at least coming to one meeting every few months.
A major discussion involved getting some 30 bylaws voted on by the membership. I sat there and took notes of most of the relevant back and forth, but I'll give you my brief summation in a paragraph or less.
The association spent a lot of time and money to compile and discuss some 30 by laws. You cannot appreciate how much money it costs to mail out ballots to 5,000 homes, hire a parliamentarian to keep the fisticuffs to a minimum, and to put on special meetings. I think the number was around $25,000.00. And then, guess what, it didn't get voted on. Okay, so now, one side says we owe it to the membership to explain the proposed bylaws and discuss, then get them voted on. Another camp says, bullshit! They have been presented and discussed ad nauseam. Lets have a single meeting, recap what the bylaws to be voted on are, then vote and be done with it. The board of directors are going to consider their options then come up with a plan.
Can I suggest we avoid a lot of bickering and take advantage of YouTube? Let's have two directors give 30 second video clips on each proposed bylaw. One of the directors would take a "for" position and another director would take an "against" position. The link to these YouTube snippets would be posted on the GNW Homepage and included in the Passages. One month later at a regular meeting, if at least 10 percent of the membership show up to vote, we have a quorum and we vote. If after a month of publicizing it (for free, by word of mouth, mass e-mails and marquee adverts) we don't get 10 percent, too bad, people don't care and we can move on.
NOTE: There is one specific bylaw that must be voted on regardless, due to legal issues.
Okay, some positive things. The board is considering converting a little used hall at the Emerald Valley Pool into an office focused primarily on sports and rec. This is where you could go to sign up for soccer, renew your sticker for your pool pass etc. Also, this would make it more convenient for people in the neighborhoods closer to that pool to see staff.
Some one wrote into the Passages and asked about the possibility of putting in some exercise equipment in the lodges (or in this new office). Can I just say I'm opposed to this. Yes, I'd be all for a nice gym, but really, if the idea is to put in a treadmill and an exercise bike, to me that falls in the category of "buy your own". Now if someone said we could afford to build a nice gym facility with 4 or 5 Lifecycles, 2 or 3 professional quality treadmills, and maybe a piece of Nautilus equipment, fill the room with mirrors and a bank of TV's that can be heard by headphones (so people can enjoy different channels), I'd be for it. My point is, either do it and make it worth using, or don't do it at all just to placate one or two residents who won't use it after 6 months anyway. How do you feel about it? E-mail me. Oh, and if we do this, for God's sake, please wipe down the machines after you use them. Yeeesh.
Another positive note. The board thinking ahead and remembering that it has been raining for the past 2 months had the forethought to plan for the GNW Lodge to be opened as a back-up in case of rain on the National Night Out event, this coming Tuesday, 7 August.
Another thing positive: On 25 September, Jose Morlett will be holding a class on Deed Restrictions. A guest at the meeting will be someone from the city to confirm everything Jose says is illegal, really is illegal*! I'm going to attend just so I can see what's what.
Okay, that about does it. I'll be excited to attend the next meeting where residents can sign up to speak. I'd imagine that there will be discussion of the way to handle voting on bylaws, and this should make it ripe for lots of yelling and screaming from concerned and obsessed residents! Maybe I'll see you there.
*Thanks to Ms Sigrid for pointing out that I made no sense whatsoever when I originally posted this. I did mean to use the term "illegal", but I missed a word or two to make it coherent.
The other night, my wife picked up one of those already made rotisserie chickens from HEB - they really are good if you have never tried one - and on the way to pay, the guy came out yelling, "Hot Bread!" which naturally caused her to buy a loaf. Personally, give me a stick of butter and a loaf of that fresh hot French bread, and I could sit there and eat it all, by myself and call it dinner.
So, I'll make this quick and to the point. Though no lawsuits are planned or expected, I took about my third bite into the delightfully soft and tasty bread and for some reason, bit down on it on the right side of my mouth, only to feel a sharp pain. I stopped chewing for a moment and did that little trick where you use your tongue to inspect the contents of your mouth, and sure enough, there was a foreign object in my French bread. Before I could say the words, "One Tough Lawyer", I ejected the object from my mouth into my hand to find that it was not part of the tasty and chewy hot French bread, but rather, a sizable portion of my tooth and filling that was holding said tooth together.
Quickly dismissing any thoughts of sudden wealth via the legal system, I wrapped the tooth chunk into a small napkin for later review and continued eating, though very delicately I must report.
Tuesday morning, I was able to call my regular dentist and get a same day appointment for a little inspection of the damaged area. Long story short, my dentist tells me, "you know the drill" (no pun intended, I'm sure) "let's numb you up, get things cleaned up and put a temporary crown on it." Yes, I do know the drill having had a couple of crowns installed less than 3 months ago. Perhaps I should just buy this guy a car and we can call it even.
This morning, I got up and honestly, it feels as though six people have been pulling and pushing on my jaw. The local anesthetic is good. It makes you not realize how really painful things are at the moment, and that makes the dentist work easier without worrying about whether or not you are in pain. But he knows. Later, you'll be at home with a huge headache and ringing in your ears, but of course, he'll be sipping martinis on the veranda looking over yacht brochures.
Oh, and to top things off; I totally forgot to put the tooth under my pillow last night, so now, I'm out at least a buck or two.
How much does the Tooth Fairy give you for a tooth? Tell me about it.
Against my better judgment, we have placed the official National Night Out banner thing in front of our house this evening so as to remind the neighbors of tomorrow evening's big event. It seemed pretty windy and even a threat of rain in the air.
Here in San Antonio, HEB, our grocer of record, has taken over everything, and I'm not complaining at all. Unlike many chains that come up with their own company logo'd brands, HEB has some really good quality stuff. If you don't believe me, get yourself a huge bowl of their Creamy Creations brand ice cream. I promise, if you don't like it, I'll come over and finish your allotment.
Life could not be any easier than this. First, took an onion and sliced it up so I could sautée it with butter and garlic. Then, I took a pack of the HEB fajitas, and I simply opened them, followed by throwing them onto the already awesomely burning grill. Are you getting hungry yet?
Just before pulling the vittles from the outdoor cook center (the grill), I sliced up some avocado for support.
It's true, I am the man. 
I think in the grand scheme of things, flea markets take us back to the roots of our ancestors, regardless from what continent we might originate. Certainly in Europe, Asia, The Middle East and Africa, you see people doing their shopping at markets, and not just for vegetables or fish, but for stuff too.
My wife and I don't go nearly as often as we did years ago, but we still like to make several trips a year to Bussey's Flea Market on IH-35 North in Schertz. We went Saturday, just for a quick stroll around the grounds and I took a few pictures that might motivate you to visit the next time you get a chance.
But back to more pleasant things at Bussey's. If you are looking for the latest CD's of your favorite artist, you can get them here for a reasonable price. I'm sure these are all original copies and the artists receive due compensation.
I hope I'm not speaking out of turn, but the secret product that his incense has strangely seems to smell a bit like reefer, but I could be wrong. I'm sure the ladies visiting his booth have come for the ancient Native American cure for glaucoma.
I asked her how much she wanted for the chair. She said $50.00. I turned and started to walk away as such a substantial investment might cut into my funds needed for the aforementioned cold beverages. She then stopped me and asked how much I would give her for the chair. I didn't want to offend her because the chair was clearly worth way more than the $50.00 she was asking. Her helpful best freind advised me that it was a divorce sale and she suggested I offer up $15.00. I did and the two ladies high-fived one another, convinced the soon to be ex-husband would be boiling mad over my good deal.
You can't go wrong with used books or magazines from a flea market. I mean, aside from the worries of somebody else's germs and such, why buy new? And as soon as you finish reading those old copies of Life, you can sell them at your garage sale as "collectors editions" and nobody will know you got them at Bussey's for a dime.
Ready to get back to school, or you have a bunch of ankle biters that need some Shakespeare in their lives? For fifty cents, they'll be on the street corner reciting The Bard as if they had paid attention in Alternative School.
Okay, I'm no trophy hunter, but let's be honest - it would be cool to tell everyone that you went on a big safari to Hondo or some place exotic like Cotulla. Why not spring for a few stuffed Bambi's and make your family dining room look like dinner at the Water Buffalo Lodge?
Don't tell me you didn't have a Snoopy suitcase the first time you took a trip on the aeroplane. Oh sure, they poked fun at you all the way through Basic Training, but you know your Military Training Instructor was just jealous that he didn't have one. If he had shopped at Bussey's he'd have had his own too.
My wife and I once took visiting family to a night of dancing at the club. One of her cousins was pretty enthusiastic about the fact that for 50 cents, you could get shots of various men's cologne sprayed upon your body like one of those machines at the car wash dispensing NuCar smell on a beat-up Chevy backseat. And he spared no expense trying all the available brands.
Finally, I ask you, where can you get fine Mexican dinnerware and a handsome Seeing Eye Dog all in one location? Of course, Bussey's Flea Market.
Let me just get right to the point. My wife has gone crazy and has forced me to drive all over creation looking for fake daisies.
I don't suffer from allergies, but standing within 200 feet of the entry way to Garden Ridge after they have started putting the "Fall Holiday" and "Winter Celebration" collections out, my eyes begin to tear up and I begin having flashbacks of the first time I had to go through gas mask training in the military. No wonder women who do crafts always seem a bit crazy. I mean, just look at Christopher Lowell.
This is Texas, and everything in Texas is big. Including our people. Also, Cowboy boots are popular in Texas, so, giddy-up and wear them to church if you care to. Finally, with our close proximity to Mexico and the NAFTA and all that, many women including the hueras find the moo moo house dress to be a comfortable and fashionable design for a day of shopping; but in fairness, this is usually limited to Wal-Mart or perhaps the corner liquor store.
Sadly, as we were approaching the front of the store in a near attempt to find a spot in line at the cash registers, we nearly bumped into a very arts and crafts oriented lady. In fact, our carts nearly collided because I was suddenly preoccupied with trying to mentally evaluate how I would discreetly get a picture of this without being so obvious as to warrant investigation by store security.
The only thing that could have been better would if she was wearing a small hat. Not necessarily a cowboy hat to match the boots or a sombrero to match the dress; it could have been a fancy party hat or even a top-hat - she could not have looked any goofier to start with, but it would have really been a gem in my eyes.
So after the brief game of cat & mouse and several sets of cloth napkins that wouldn't possibly match our dining room table, I made a few valiant attempts at capturing this fine specimen on the camera, purely for instructional purposes. Just then, my wife caught up to me and said that she could not find me, what with my stealth techniques of blending in, and covert ways of seeking out three crappy pictures with my blurry, unfocused camera, so she simply looked for the oddly dressed lady in the blue moo moo, and there I was.
If they build a Red Robin even one or two miles closer to my house, I will weigh 350 pounds in about six months.
When we first walked in, it seemed pretty crowded for being almost 2PM, but then again, they are located directly outside of Fiesta Texas at the entrance of The Rim, so I imagine they are packed all the time. Not to worry, we were immediately seated and I was extremely pleased to see a huge staff of people and managers in action. When we sat down, I noticed a well stocked bar full of people and lots of imaging for the selection of beers and fufu drinks. I also noticed though that the crowd was almost exclusively families with kids, cranky from having been, no doubt forcibly ejected from Fiesta Texas.
As crowded as the place was, our waitress was to our table and taking drink orders immediately. My wife had a Raspberry Iced Tea, and I went with my standard unsweetened variety. Quite tasty and bottomless.
I'm trying (not very successfully) to eat healthier these days, so I didn't order the huge stack of onion rings, but the presentation of the many orders that flew by our table was very cool. The onion rings were stacked largest to smallest, 13 high on a stand which made it look like a pine tree of rings. And they looked great.
My wife went for the California Chicken Burger which, again, according to the menu is described as, "A tender, juicy charbroiled chicken breast topped with Monterey Jack cheese, zesty guacamole, hickory-smoked bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles & mayo. This chic combination is beautiful & flavorful!" It looked great and my small sample was incredible.
Okay, so to my amazement, they had our burgers out to us in no time at all. I mean, the people at this place were moving. My glass of tea never made it below half-full and I suck down easily 4 to 5 glasses of tea in any restaurant I go to.
taking up every inch of space.
My wife and I attended the Great Northwest Community Improvement Association executive meeting tonight. The difference between this meeting and the other meetings is, no comments are allowed from the residents attending. Clearly, this was not a problem as my wife and I were the only residents in the audience, and I'm much better at the non-verbals then most people and don't require the need to make loud comments!
The other night, my wife picked up one of those already made rotisserie chickens from HEB - they really are good if you have never tried one - and on the way to pay, the guy came out yelling, "Hot Bread!" which naturally caused her to buy a loaf. Personally, give me a stick of butter and a loaf of that fresh hot French bread, and I could sit there and eat it all, by myself and call it dinner.
Quickly dismissing any thoughts of sudden wealth via the legal system, I wrapped the tooth chunk into a small napkin for later review and continued eating, though very delicately I must report.
This morning, I got up and honestly, it feels as though six people have been pulling and pushing on my jaw. The local anesthetic is good. It makes you not realize how really painful things are at the moment, and that makes the dentist work easier without worrying about whether or not you are in pain. But he knows. Later, you'll be at home with a huge headache and ringing in your ears, but of course, he'll be sipping martinis on the veranda looking over yacht brochures.
