Reading Update and Eating Out

Have you gone back to a restaurant yet? Actually sat down, ordered, and ate there? We haven’t. I was going to wait and see what the numbers were like after they’ve been open for a few weeks, but what with all the protesting and people not wearing masks, I fear those numbers will be completely skewed now. And not in a good way.

So I guess I’ll just wait a little longer.

Here’s what I read since my last update:

Book #23

Dates read: May 29-June 7
Title: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Year of publication: 2020
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Hunger Games #0
# of Pages: 517
Paper or plastic: Hardback
How obtained: Purchased
Blurb from Book:. It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.
    The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined—every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute…and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.
My thoughts: I wasn’t sure what this book was going to be about when it was released, but since it had to do with the Hunger Games, I was all in to read it. It was an interesting story. There wasn’t much suspense for the character, since we all know who he is in the other books, but I became curious to see how he survived. If you enjoyed reading The Hunger Games, you will most likely enjoy this, too.  

Happy Reading!

Stacy

Happy Birthday to my Son!

First off… Whoo hoo! The patriots LOST! I’m so damn happy. Okay, now on to today’s post.

It’s been awhile since my son’s birthday has fallen on a post day, so of course I can’t let the day go by without wishing him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Would you believe this fella is now 36 years old?

And would you believe he picked the Melt Bar and Grilled for his birthday dinner because the February special he’d been waiting for since he saw a picture of it (and was thrilled it was for his birthday month) was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Cowabunga Melt?

I mean, is this a sandwich YOU would crave? Not me.

We did have a nice dinner there last Thursday (it was the only day everyone could get together and celebrate—we can never seem to celebrate birthdays ON the actual birthday!). Hubby and I split a meatball and mozzarella sticks sandwich (it was HUGE but very yummy), where most everyone else just ordered a half sandwich. And that TMNT sandwich that my son got? Yeah, he couldn’t finish it. Besides the fact he couldn’t order only a half-size (not on monthly specials), I think the green pesto sauce got to him (it certainly smelled strong!). At least he no longer craves it, because he doesn’t plan on getting it again.

Tomorrow my daughter, her friend, and I will be going to Pittsburgh to see a Penguins game. Yay! Actually, we’re going to see Fleury. He’s returning via the Vegas Golden Knights. This will probably be the only time I won’t root for the Knights, though (I have my priorities!). I’m really looking forward to the game and I’ll be wearing Hubby’s Fleury Penguins jersey. The Penguins are planning on doing some kind of welcome back thing and my daughter is sure there will be a lot of wet eyes around (hers included).

So… Do you ever get to celebrate birthdays on the actual birthday? It seems to get harder and harder to do. Especially as the family grows.

Happy Monday! And Happy Giving Birth Day to me! :)

Stacy

I’ve Had Enough!

It’s official. I’m going to stop taking my allergy medicine.

I took it Tuesday night and could barely stay awake on Wednesday. I wrote all of 110 words.

I didn’t take it that night and Thursday I felt great. Wrote 723 words. So what if I’m blowing my nose more. So what if I’m clearing my throat. It’s not bothering ME! But that nodding off during the day…? Well, that WAS bothering me.

Besides, it’s not like I need the medicine to survive. Now, if I was having trouble SLEEPING, I’ll know exactly what medicine to take. J

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Yesterday I walked a LOT. Probably too much. My feet pretty much told me to cut it out!

So how much is a lot? In the morning I walked 4.22 miles. And it was a beautiful morning, too. Low humidity, comfortable temps. Really great. But later I walked 5.22 miles (to and from dinner—we met some friends). Yeah, that one was a bit much. Maybe if I hadn’t walked in the morning I would have been okay. Maybe.

But I did it and now I know not to do it again. Next Saturday hubby and I are going to a concert (which is next door to the restaurant we went to last night) to see Peter Frampton and Cheap Trick. I thought it would be nice to walk. Yeah, that ain’t happening. Driving in the convertible will be much more fun (especially if the top is down).

As for that restaurant… We will not be going there again when a concert is scheduled (which is why we met our friends there—they were going to see Dancing With the Stars). What a mad house! First they tried to sit us outside—in the sun—after my husband specifically asked for an inside seat. Then they took forever to take our food order. And then the food came out colder than we all expected. Once the concert crowd left, the place sure quieted down (our friends had to rush through their meal so they wouldn’t be late for their event), so the place is probably okay on a non-concert night. Hubby and I decided we’ll eat someplace else next Saturday, though.

So… Do you think I’m nuts stopping my medication? Or would you have done the same thing?

Have a great weekend!

Stacy

Ranting on a Restaurant

Prior to Tuesday’s baseball game in Cincinnati, we (my hubby & I and another couple) decided to eat at one of the new restaurants that had popped up at the stadium (I remember when we had to walk into downtown to find a Wendy’s to eat; there just wasn’t a lot to choose from). The first place we stopped at had a 20-name wait list. It was one hour to game time, so we kept looking. We found Johnny Rockets. Ever hear of it?

We got seated right away. That should have been our clue to keep looking, but we ignored it.

We ordered our drinks and meals. Now, when we’ve ordered our meal and say we’re splitting the onion rings, wouldn’t you THINK the onion rings was going with the meal? Uhhh, no. We got the rings first (as an appetizer).

We ate them early (which were pretty good, but not worth six bucks) and drank our drinks (because I don’t know about you, but fried foods make me thirsty). Time for refills, right? Uhhh, no. They don’t do free refills on soda and tea.

Say what? I don’t remember seeing THAT on the menu. We ordered water and then waited and waited and waited for our food.

I can kind of understand the wait. There was an impending Reds game. It was busy. Still, wouldn’t you think they’d be prepared for that?

When our meals finally arrived, they didn’t all come at the same time. Heck, the fries our friend had ordered came way late—apparently they aren’t considered an appetizer. And it certainly wasn’t worth the high prices (nearly ten bucks for a philly cheesesteak and it doesn’t come with fries—it’s why we got the rings—and the cheesesteak seemed more like hamburger, it was chopped so finely). I've had better meals at McDonalds.

By this time, I’m thinking the waitress was going to get bare minimum tip (she really didn’t seem to care about us at all). We got the bill. They had already tacked on an 18.5% gratuity!

Say what? What incentive does the waitress have to do a good job? Apparently NONE!

I can understand if we were a large group, but there was only FOUR OF US!

If we had paid in cash (if we had enough, we might have), we would have deducted some of that tip, but we paid by credit card (I jokingly told my husband he should put a negative amount under the tip line—yep, you could pay MORE if you want, but less? Not so much).

Anyway, between the no-refills and the automatic tip, we will NOT be going back to Johnny Rockets. Their food just wasn’t worth all that.

Thank goodness the game was good (well, for us, not our friends).

So… Has anything caused you to rant about lately? You can share here!

Have a happy Friday and a wonderful weekend!

Stacy

 

Having Fun!

I'll be incommunicado for awhile. Gee...I wonder why???

Before I go, I have to tell you - because of the Saints 3:30 game yesterday, we never made it down to the French Quarter, so we went to the movies instead (yeah, we're wimps, but we saw the traffic - ugh). We saw "Skyfall", which is a pretty good. And considering I've only seen maybe one James Bond movie before (a hokey one with Roger Moore), well, I can say there wasn't any hokiness in this one! After the movie we found a great restaurant - Copelands. If you ever find yourself in New Orleans (or in my case, Kenner), you should check it out. They have really great food!

Hope you have a great week. I know I will!!!

 

 

 

Theft or Not?

If you order something off the menu that states "All You Can Eat" or "Endless", exactly what do you think that means?

Apparently, six college-aged girls thought it meant something else altogether.

At a recent visit to national chain restaurant with our friends, we watched these girls continue to order shrimp item after shrimp item and dump the contents into to-go boxes – all in front of the waiter. My husband had ordered the same "endless shrimp" entree and only asked for one "refill" because he was full.

When we paid our bill, our friend asked the waiter if my husband could get a to-go box and order four more skewers of shrimp (yes, he was joking). The waiter then asked my husband if he wanted more (no, he wasn't joking). My husband said no. Our friend then asked about those girls.

Seems the waiter is not allowed to say anything, even though it states on the menu (albeit in small print) that it's for consuming in the dining room only. He was under the impression he could lose his job if he did.

Frankly, I think the waiter was an idiot if he didn't bring it to the attention of the manager. And if he did, then the manager was an idiot not to put a stop to it.

So, is it stealing if the restaurant doesn't enforce their rule?

And would it be Karma if those girls got sick eating it later?