Oh come on, you didn't think all that talk about a tread mill was going to make me seek out and eat at healthy restaurants did you?
And since we had to eat anyway, we stopped into the new Freddy's Frozen Custard over on Potranco at 151, in spite of well intended warnings. Oh, and this time it was actually open for business.
We had sort of an inkling that Freddy's might be a little like a Steak 'n' Shake, and sure enough, the burgers and the fries were along the same design. The place was clean, staff was plentiful, and in spite of going in during the lunch hour, we ordered and got the vittles lickity split.
As we were sitting in there, it was pretty obvious how the owners came up with the location for this place. There were students from both Warren High School and John Paul Stevens High School which are really only a mile apart as the crow flies, with Freddy's in the middle. I predict this place will be packed with pimply faced teenagers all the time.
I ordered the #4, Freddy's Single Steakburger and a Hot Dog with regular fries. Let's talk about these fries. They are really skinny. Even if they taste good, chances are, they won't stay hot very long, just because they are so skinny. And they were way too salty. Some cook back in the kitchen is going to get high blood pressure if he eats his food anywhere close to the way he serves his fries. But I know some people like them that way.
The hot dog was okay. I liked the way that they toast the hot dog bun, and I also liked that the bun was not like the regular one you buy at HEB. It was cut short, and it was sort of square on the sides. The hot dog itself was okay, but if it was me, I would have boiled it for several minutes longer. I know, hot dogs are already cooked when you buy the package, but really, considering what they are made of, I feel a little more comfortable when they boil the animal piss, lips, gizzards and fecal matter out of them before serving. I guess I'm sort of weird like that. 
Finally, the steakburger. If you are going to a place like this or Sonic or McDonald's for a quality beef patty that you would enjoy eating without the bread and condiments, then I suppose you'd be happy with anything. I don't expect much from the burger itself, I look for what is good about the presentation and how the whole package tastes. I'd say this was as expected, very acceptable for what it is. I didn't have any complaints about the quality, size, or the condiments. But both my wife and I found ourselves repeatedly wiping our faces because it just seemed like a fog of grease was floating in the air. Maybe it was just all the high school kids.
My wife ordered the regular steakburger and got the onion rings instead of fries. We already know how I feel about the burger - take it or leave it, it is what it is. But the onion rings deserve mentioning here. I know many people do not like this particular style, where they are batter dipped rings, fried to a golden brown. Well pass me yours because this is the exact style I love. Not crunchy at all! And, they were not over salted. Kudos.
We were pretty much done with eating when my wife started to ask the question, what exactly frozen custard is. So we tried some. She got some sort of Hawaiian Delight which she was extremely pleased with. The macadamia nuts are not chopped into tiny little sawdust sized portions, but are actually full-sized nuts. I just had a cone with some chocolate custard on it. Sort of soft for my liking, but I'm not really an ice cream - or frozen custard eater. Course, I didn't want to be rude, so I ate it all.
I think the place is worth a visit. Certainly not a special trip or anything like that, but if you happen to be driving by and need an onion ring fix, why not stop in and get some? Price was reasonable, the place was clean and service was quick. Not bad at all.
Alert the press: I have taken the day off so my wife and I can get some much needed pre-Christmas actions completed. Most importantly, I need to hit the Walgreen's and purchase some Christmas presents before all of the last minute people get the good gifts.
I took our dog Gracie, to the groomers just moments ago and have a nice stream of blood coming out of my arm where she inadvertently scratched the crap out of me. I suppose it really is time to get her nails cut. Oh, and if any of you fall for that scam called PediPaws or whatever, I'll be happy to sell you ours. It has never been used, not even once. Yea, that's $30 plus shipping I'll never get back - unless one of you would like to buy it from me.
The thing is, those dogs they show on TV are apparently trained professional model dogs who have also probably been heavily sedated. The instructions actually tell you that the dog won't be happy about it (so much for the TV commercial), and they recommend you physically lay on top of the dog to restrain it. Yea, I didn't see that in the commercial either. Oh well.
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Remember the other day I posted a picture of the street closure signs for Timber Path? Okay, and remember the time a reader sent in a theory about the Pizza Hut that was being built across the street from the old one? Well my neighbor Gus has a theory about the bigger story.
We had already established that in fact, they are building a new Pizza Hut directly across the street from the old one. What we didn't know was that the old Pizza Hut will be torn down. Why wouldn't they just open a new Mexican restaurant there? Well, Gus has looked at an aerial view of the area and concluded that perhaps the new bridge being built over the low water crossing is in fact going to come out directly on top of the old Pizza Hut.
Look at the picture and tell me what you think of this theory. It works for me. Though I won't be happy unless they also move the other side of Timber Path to meet the new road.
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I didn't really want to mention it until I had gone at least a month without giving up on it, but I am back to walking on the tread mill again. I know it would be better to just go out and run a marathon or something, but my wife is afraid of me getting a few miles from the house and losing consciousness or something. When I was walking before, I had a few seriously low blood sugar incidents that warranted me calling her - slightly disoriented - to come and pick me up on some street starting with Timber. Not very helpful even if you are familiar with the area. So for now, I'm on the treadmill in the safety of our home. And I keep a donut handy in case I feel queasy. Just kidding.
Anyway, I had this bright idea of building a shelf in front of the tread mill so I could set my laptop on it and listen to podcasts of my favorite radio programs. My wife didn't like that idea at all because she had this image of me putting up some huge desk-sized shelf there. Then, she promptly moved the treadmill to the side of the room where you can either stare at pictures or look out the French doors into our front yard (or neighbors can drive by and see the fat guy walking).
So something caught my eye and I moved a few pictures over and sure enough, I can fit the laptop on top of the shelf already in place! I turned on the computer, turned on one of the podcasts I had been saving and things were good to go. Then, it hit me. The shelf was at the perfect height to where I could walk and actually look straight up into the screen. Oh sure, you can't surf the net while walking on a tread mill (well, I can't), but after my neighbor Myrl showed me something called Hulu TV, I was in like Flynn!
So there I was after work yesterday, walking on the tread mill, watching the pilot episode of Sons of Anarchy. Just how lazy are we as a society that we have to watch TV while exercising? Hey, I just call it good time management.
The downside of living in an area loaded with neighborhood on top of neighborhood for as far as the eye can see is that, if not properly planned for, you can create serious bottlenecks as people try to exit their particular 'hood and get to main lines of communication (roads).
We have a few exits depending on the direction you need to go, but one of those, Timber Path, is often subject to flash floods and when the road is closed due to high water, it is a serious choke point.
Now (and we knew it was coming sooner or later), Timber Path is going to close so they can build a bridge over the dry creek bed that floods. I'm sure given past construction projects, this won't be a quick fix.
Oh, the only other alternative for my trip to work (and about 10,000 other motorists every morning) is to get on Culebra at the Grissom/Culebra/Tezel intersection. Yea, it is also under construction. Good times.
What is your secret route for getting from The GNW to loop 410? Tell me about it.
We had been to a Panera Bread once with my parents in Brandon, but only for coffee and maybe some of the free samples of fresh pastries, and really had no idea what a great place to get lunch it was. So, today we found out. I know, for those of you already familiar with this place, feel free to say, Duh at your convenience.
Since we were in the area anyway, we stopped into the Panera in Lincoln Heights. I assure you with the assistance of my wife, I was properly attired for the visit into '09 and no residents of the area were offended by my presence. She can't take me anywhere!
I really like the set-up of the place. I guess you get the all the benefits of a Starbucks, what with the coffee, pastry and Wi-Fi hotspot, without all the obligatory not-very attractive people who sit there looking overly smart waiting to engage in conversations about, well, I don't know what they talk about. But in this place, the people sitting at booths and tables looked normal. Many on laptops or writing notes from books, and others just enjoying a conversation with a grandmother or spouse.
When we walked in, there was not a single person in front of us in line to order and of course, that sends me into an immediate panic. When confronted with a new menu, my mind simply begins to spin for fear of ordering something crappy only to look up a minute later and see exactly what I wanted. So, I did the responsible thing when another customer came in and asked them to order ahead of us. My wife on the other hand got on the phone and called our daughter (who is a Panera regular) and asked her what she should order. Right down to the lemonade and potato chips. By the time I figured out my order, an entire crowd of people came in but luckily, we were ready to go rather than have to have a flood of people rush the counter.
On the suggestion of my daughter, my wife got the Bacon Turkey Bravo on Tomato Basil Bread. Smoked turkey breast, bacon, smoked Gouda, lettuce, tomatoes and dressing. Solid choice! My wife was doing her happy dance and offering me bites of the thick sandwich before I could even start on my order. We both sort of thought that the sandwiches would come toasted (sort of like Schlotskies) but they didn't, and in fact, the soft, fresh bread was really a bonus.
I ordered up the Italian Combo on Ciabatta. It is oven-roasted beef, smoked turkey breast, ham, salami, Swiss cheese, peperoncini, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion and their special sauce. I don't know what a peperoncini is, but it had a little kick to it, and I liked it! When you order the full sandwich, as opposed to a half order, believe me, you will not leave hungry. Like any good sandwich place, they do not skimp on the meats. If I was smart, I would have had just half the sandwich and saved the other half for later. But no; it was good and I simply gorged myself, ate my bag of chips and both my pickle spear and my wife's. It's a wonder I fit through the door on the way out.
Turns out, if you purchase a $25 gift card, they will give you half a sandwich and cup of soup combo. Too bad we didn't know that before we ate. But my wife has lunch for tomorrow. And they gave my wife a cookie just for being chatty with the manager.
Oh, I think it is reasonable to see a famous person if you are in a restaurant in Lincoln Heights or Alamo Heights or any of the other fancy places where celebrities hang out. I figured, maybe we would see Tommy Lee Jones or a Spur or two. Do you remember that time we saw Rod Stewart* at Good Time Charlies? Well not to be outdone, we saw the lady who plays the wife on the TV show Still Standing, Jamie Gertz*. We didn't bother her for her autograph.
So the big question is this: Will we get a Panera Bread in the Alamo Ranch? Apparently not. According to my wife's insider source (the same guy who gave her a cookie) they plan to build several more Panera' in San Antonio, but the closest one to us will be on Bandera Road. I guess.
Great atmosphere, wonderful vittles and delicious lemonade gets Panera Bread the Tasty Treat!
*Not really. Just people who look like stars.
So we had to head over to the Alamo Quarry Market earlier today and ran into the Bath and Body Works there. 
Yea, there is one closer to our jurisdiction, but sometimes we need to get out of the hood and see how the other half lives.
Oh, here is an interesting note: Apparently, I'm the only husband who had to go into this place with my wife. And the place was packed with Alamo Heights type grandmothers, mothers and daughters, and well, my wife and I. I suggested that I go stand in line from the minute we arrived, but my wife was having none of that, so I walked around and generally looked out of place.
So my wife likes to buy all this stuff during the holiday season while they have everything on sale. Then, we don't have to go back for another year. I suppose it makes sense. Throw in a few gifts and now the bag is starting to weigh about 35 pounds. How possibly clean do we need to get?
My wife had warned me that she was going to spend a few dollars in the place, but really, when the people rang up all of our crap, I kid you not, the register said something like $245.00! For that much money, they need to send over one of the workers in black leather aprons to my house and bathe me in person!
In the end, after they added in all those supposed discounts and such, the bill was down to a much more acceptable $165, and then they threw in a box of assorted lotions. By the time we got home, my wife was sure they had overcharged us at least $10.00. Ten dollars? Is that it? I admit, I do like the feel and the smell of this vanilla hand soap we buy, but really, I think being Zestfully Clean is a whole lot cheaper.
My wife and I volunteered again to serve as judges for the annual Christmas Lighting contest held in our neighborhood each year. Please make your bribe checks out accordingly. And no, we can't help you with your desire to become a Senator.
At any rate, last night, we took a drive through three of the seven sub-divisions that make up our association looking for houses decorated enough to warrant consideration, and then began the process of taking pictures and getting the addresses and such. I am pleased to report that, while we still have a few homes in our area where the owners simply don't want anyone to know the address, for the most part, most residents have clearly marked their homes with street numbers. Perhaps they read my extreme rant last year, and got the hint.
We had made up our minds that we were not going to vote for the house with the most lights - that we wanted there to be something put into the design beyond one of these fan-driven blow-up Santa's. I won't go into all of our specific deliberations, especially since we have more homes to look at tonight and possibly tomorrow, but one house that was a winner last year was not going to be an automatic winner in our mind, if they simply repeated the design from last year. Even though we were not looking at Emerald Valley last night, we did decided to take a drive over to the home in question just to see if the family there did a repeat.
People, if you live in the GNW area or within easy driving of the Culebra/Tezel/Grissom, it is worth it to come and take a look at the home on Stone Village. No street address needed - just follow the cars.
These folks totally revamped the show with an emphasis on The Chipmunks. Pictures don't do it justice. Tune your car radio to 107.1FM, take the kids and do a short drive by. You should know that this is a cul de sac, so if a lot of folks show up, you may have to use extreme patience and care to go through. Please, watch for kids.
No, we aren't Windcrest but this year, a lot more people seem to have really gotten into the whole Christmas lighting thing. Lots of good lights to see.
And since we had to eat anyway, we stopped into the new Freddy's Frozen Custard over on Potranco at 151, in spite of well intended warnings. Oh, and this time it was actually open for business.
We had sort of an inkling that Freddy's might be a little like a Steak 'n' Shake, and sure enough, the burgers and the fries were along the same design. The place was clean, staff was plentiful, and in spite of going in during the lunch hour, we ordered and got the vittles lickity split.
As we were sitting in there, it was pretty obvious how the owners came up with the location for this place. There were students from both Warren High School and John Paul Stevens High School which are really only a mile apart as the crow flies, with Freddy's in the middle. I predict this place will be packed with pimply faced teenagers all the time.
I ordered the #4, Freddy's Single Steakburger and a Hot Dog with regular fries. Let's talk about these fries. They are really skinny. Even if they taste good, chances are, they won't stay hot very long, just because they are so skinny. And they were way too salty. Some cook back in the kitchen is going to get high blood pressure if he eats his food anywhere close to the way he serves his fries. But I know some people like them that way.
The hot dog was okay. I liked the way that they toast the hot dog bun, and I also liked that the bun was not like the regular one you buy at HEB. It was cut short, and it was sort of square on the sides. The hot dog itself was okay, but if it was me, I would have boiled it for several minutes longer. I know, hot dogs are already cooked when you buy the package, but really, considering what they are made of, I feel a little more comfortable when they boil the animal piss, lips, gizzards and fecal matter out of them before serving. I guess I'm sort of weird like that. 
Finally, the steakburger. If you are going to a place like this or Sonic or McDonald's for a quality beef patty that you would enjoy eating without the bread and condiments, then I suppose you'd be happy with anything. I don't expect much from the burger itself, I look for what is good about the presentation and how the whole package tastes. I'd say this was as expected, very acceptable for what it is. I didn't have any complaints about the quality, size, or the condiments. But both my wife and I found ourselves repeatedly wiping our faces because it just seemed like a fog of grease was floating in the air. Maybe it was just all the high school kids.
My wife ordered the regular steakburger and got the onion rings instead of fries. We already know how I feel about the burger - take it or leave it, it is what it is. But the onion rings deserve mentioning here. I know many people do not like this particular style, where they are batter dipped rings, fried to a golden brown. Well pass me yours because this is the exact style I love. Not crunchy at all! And, they were not over salted. Kudos.
We were pretty much done with eating when my wife started to ask the question, what exactly frozen custard is. So we tried some. She got some sort of Hawaiian Delight which she was extremely pleased with. The macadamia nuts are not chopped into tiny little sawdust sized portions, but are actually full-sized nuts. I just had a cone with some chocolate custard on it. Sort of soft for my liking, but I'm not really an ice cream - or frozen custard eater. Course, I didn't want to be rude, so I ate it all.
I think the place is worth a visit. Certainly not a special trip or anything like that, but if you happen to be driving by and need an onion ring fix, why not stop in and get some? Price was reasonable, the place was clean and service was quick. Not bad at all.
