Sorry folks...it's been a while since I've blogged! I don't feel quite so bad about it, though, because it looks like a lot of people have put blogging on hold for a bit, though. I've not really had the time to blog too much lately...okay, well that's not entirely true. I have had a lot going on, but I think the fact of the matter is that I've been kinda lazy and haven't really taken the time to blog. Plus, I just haven't had too many really funny stories to share with you, and I think we're all getting burnt out on my impromptu restaurant critiques (FYI - I received a $25 gift certificate from Ruby Tuesday to apologize this week) and my rants about my ill-working car (I spent yesterday afternoon having it serviced again), so I thought I'd refrain.
Right now, I'm actually in Atlanta (you know...where the playas play and we ride on them things like everyday) for a training retreat of sorts for work. While I'm here and kinda bored, I guess I'll take a brief moment to catch you all up on my last couple of weeks and give you some sneak previews of coming attractions. :)
I'm still training for the 10k...although I'm liking running less and less, haha. My knees still hurt when I run, and the general consensus that my IT band is just really tight and needs to be stretched. I've been even more over zealous than normal in stretching my thighs and even laid off the running a bit this week. It still doesn't seem to be helping me much, though. A friend of mine recommended one of these to me. After having few results from the stretching, I bought one last night to give it a shot. Basically, you lay on top of it with whatever part of your body you're trying to work out rolling over it. (I didn't describe that very well, but I'm too tired to care.) It works like a deep tissue massage does basically. So far, it hurts like there is no tomorrow. Seriously...I was basically lying on my living room floor last night wincing and screaming in pain, lol. But, I just take that to mean the muscle is really tense and will greatly benefit from the stretching. Lets hope it clears up soon, or I'll never be able to make it 6.2 miles. Oh yeah, I'm supposed to run a St. Patrick's Day 5k Saturday morning as part of our training, but I don't think I'm going to, haha!
Two weeks ago I went up to Greenville to help a friend celebrate her 25th birthday. I had a lot of fun...but that weekend deserves it's own post, so I'll save that one for later this week.
A few posts ago, I mentioned that I had a lot on my mind and that I'd fill you in later. I guess now would be later. Among other things, I'm in the process of looking for a new job right now. When I first mentioned it to you all, I was conflicted and wasn't saying anything b/c I wasn't sure what I was going to do at that point. The problem is, I do like my current job, but unfortunately, I work for a small company that has been affected by outside items and there essentially isn't enough money for it to make sense to keep me on. My boss hadn't brought it up to me, but i was looking at where I was and knew the company wasn't making enough money for me to really be able to grow to where I need to be anytime soon. I'm the only real employee, besides the owners, and it doesn't make sense to run a company where pretty much everything we bring in has to go right back out to us to pay our bills. Plus, I don't have any benefits, and wouldn't be getting any anytime soon...and Mark wants to go to the dentist again, seriously! haha I wasn't sure whether I should just try to tough it out for a little bit longer (this was never actually a real option though), try to get a part time job to get some more money coming in (just a short term fix to a long term problem) or look elsewhere. I did bring it up to my boss and recommended I look for a new job, but continue to do the same work for them on a contract basis. That way, I get to stay out of the day-to-day crap that I hate and, when they actually have money and need a job done, they can call me, otherwise, we don't have to worry about it. B/c of other aspects of my job, I was going to remain connected with them anyway, but this seems to work out best. She agreed that this was the best solution and I think she had been realizing that something needed to change too, but also didn't want to say anything. I've sent out some resumes and have already had a second interview with one company. I should have a 3rd interview next week, and I'm pretty sure that, I'll accept that position, so that's good. A nice quick job hunt. I'm ready to move on.
I'm sure more has happened in the last couple of weeks, but at the moment, I can't think of what. In coming attractions, though, I'll have a post about Greenville, some super secret spy shots of a new car (well...maybe not all that secret if I was able to get them, but whatever), the unveiling of the birthday plans, and my super awesome birthday present (it's not really a present, but I'm counting it as one). There...now that I've put it out there, I guess I'll have to actually write them, right? If I don't...berate me in the comments until I do!! :)
Alright...I'm going to bed! Good night!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Quarterlife
In light of my current stage of life, I tried watching that new NBC show, Quarterlife last night. I hadn't actually seen any advertisements for it b/c I never watch anything on NBC at all (oh, except Earl and The Office, but those have, of course, both been on hiatus), but I had heard about it some.I kinda had thought/hoped it would be sorta a Big Shots/Cashmere Mafia/Sex in the City type show, but centered around 20-somethings just getting settled and starting their lives, rather than execs at the top of their game. Kind of one of those drama/comedy combinations that ABC has recently perfected so well. In reality, though...it was HORRIBLE!!! Did anyone else watch? What did you think? (Please comment)
The characters were these weird, inept "save the world/we can make the world a better place" overly idealistic kinda kids, that all lived in some frat house looking apartment where they played air hockey on the dining room table and like 8 people seemed to live. They had no professionalism and no clue how to handle themselves on a job, couldn't even dress properly for a job...couldn't even shave for work - or were just generally unemployed. Basically, they all looked rather immature.
Honestly, I was a little insulted that this is projected
as the image of people in their "Quarterlife" stage. Maybe I'm an anomaly, but just about everyone I know at this age has a decent enough job, good place to live--most actually own their own homes/condos--present themselves well and actually know how to function in society. Not to mention, there was like no humor in this show at all (well, maybe a little bit of strange/mildly-awkward-situation humor at best...definitely no funny humor.I actually had to give up on the show and turn it off about 30-45 minutes in. And anyone who knows me knows, I'll watch almost anything! Especially in light of the writers strike...these days basically anything that's not a rerun, I'll watch. I mean, I even sit through syndicated episodes of Reba if I'm home in the evenings! But if I hadn't been talking to people online and only half paying attention to Quarterlife, I wouldn't have even made it as far as I did. Very disappointing NBC...that's why you're the 3rd ranked (or are they lower?) network on network TV. (Well, actually...American Gladiators might have something to do with it too. And why is ER still on the air? Does anyone still watch that? It has to be in its 42nd season by now!).
PS - While writing this, I found this mention of the show and it's ratings, haha. Guess I wasn't the only one turning off halfway through. Actually, do a quick google search of the show and read any of the 100+ news articles that popped up about it. Apparently it pulled in the worst ratings for NBC in that time slot for like 20 years, haha. Soo...we probably won't have to endure too much more of that!
T-minus 1 Month
(ALMOST)
Yeah, 25, what? That's kinda old. I know many of you out there will say "Oh no, Mark...25? That's still your youth! I long to be 25 again!" Whatever! You wouldn't have wanted to hear that crap from someone older when you were 25 and I don't want to hear it know, so pfft! Of course, it doesn't help when my mom calls and says things like, "You know, Mark, you're gonna be 25 soon. That's old! What are you going to do?"Gee, thanks Mom! Always the encouraging word, haha.
To be honest, the sheer age of 25 itself doesn't scare me. In all honesty, I don't really think 25 is all that old. (I decided long ago that 26 is kind of my ideal age. Everything up to that point is just spent in preparation and everything after that point will just be building on the amazing foundations set up until then. I look forward to reaching that point...and stopping. Every birthday from then on will likely be a remake of the 26th, haha.) What concerns me more about becoming a 25 year old is the state I'm in currently. No, I don't mean physically...although I NEVER expected to be living in South Carolina at 25, that is a shock. But just in general...I don't feel like I'm where I should be at 25.
Looking back over the years, especially to my early college years, I looked to 25 as the point at which one should be fairly established and have a lot of stuff figured out. You should be more or less settled at this point. I mean, for my life, I knew that by this point I would have graduated college, have my "entry level" years of work behind me and really be beginning to enter the "adult" part of life, leaving the "young adult" part. Of course, as I said earlier, I think 26 is the epitome of all this, but at 25 you should have many ducks in a row to be well on your way to an amazing 26th year.
On the outside, I may look rather settled and grounded and matured or whatever, especially for a 24 year old, and truthfully, in many ways, I am. I mean, I do own a home, am not really reliant on my parents, have my own thing going for me, etc., but there are so many other things that definitely need to be in place before I truly have become settled.
**Side note---knowing me, I doubt I'll ever become truly settled, nor do I want to. I've always been one of those people who is constantly looking forward to the next big thing or next life stage or whatever. To ever actually be settled at a point in my life really gives me little to push for and look forward to moving on to...kinda takes my drive away, and I'm a very driven person. By saying "settled" I really am implying "settled for this stage of my life."**
Anyway, I'm not going to get into the deepness of what makes me unsettled on the blog. If you really want to know that, you'll have to IM me or something. And honestly, I expect significant progress on one such front in the next few weeks, but there are some basics that are certainly lacking. For instance, my love life has been...well...have you read about it on the blog at all? Yeah, so that sums that up. My last date was a psuedo-blind date (she had seen me at work, but I really had no recollection of her) set up by my previous gay manager at Job #2, which I hated (the job, not the manager) with a woman 8 years older than I was. During the date she referred to me as the "male version of her." While I get that she was simply commenting on the many similar views we shared, probably not the sexiest way it could have been put. Anyway, beyond that, there are some major roadblocks that I feel need to be cleared before I even actively pursue a love life.
Again though, while I'm not particularly looking forward to this big day next month, I suppose it's not the end of the world. But it had better be a busy year! I do have a lot riding on 26! haha I suppose I will be spending the next 394 working hard to get ready!! Yeah!! (I do have a big celebration planned, which is always good. I'm not going to bother posting about it now, but I'm sure in a couple weeks I'll write an entry on it.)
Currently, the main thing getting me through this is the knowledge that my car insurance rates will be dropping significantly in 29 days! hehe!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Kinda a crappy day
In stark contrast to my last post, Wednesday was overall kinda a crappy day. I wasn't feeling particularly great Wednesday morning, so I decided not to go into work. I probably could have pushed my way through physically, but mentally just wasn't really there for the day, so I just rolled over and went back to sleep. I actually ended up staying in bed pretty much all day. I got up for a little bit in the afternoon to make some calls I needed for work, then grabbed my laptop and hopped back in bed.
I kinda napped and rested for a bit longer and then got online and was checking e-mail, etc. Finally, at like 10 or 10:30pm, I decided I needed to eat something, so I wandered off to the kitchen. Tuesday I thought I'd branch out from my norm and try making some chili to eat. True to my normal amazing culinary skills (please read the extreme sarcasm in that statement...I'm laying it on pretty thick here folks), the food didn't end up all that good. Actually, I managed to burn the chili and it was all stuck to the bottom of the pot. So, I had it soaking in the sink so I could clean it.
Well, before cooking I decided to try to clean up a bit and clean out that pot. When I dumped the chili-laden water into the sink and turn on the disposal. Instead of going down the drain, however, the other half of my sink started filling up. Yeah...my drain was clogged! I tried some Drain-O, but no dice. Great! Now at 11:00 at night, I'm going to have to put on clothes, head to Wal-Mart and buy plumbing tools. I was too hungry to do that at the moment, so I microwaved some food, moved to the sofa and started chatting with some friends online.
After chatting for a while, I notice my internet isn't working. For some reason, I'm still able to talk on AIM, but can't load a web page. I rebooted the computer and now I couldn't even sign online at all! Arggh! I tried plugging my computer directly into my wireless router...nothing. Tried plugging directly into the modem...nada. Tried everything I knew and still couldn't make it work. Soooo, then I called Time Warner to see what was wrong with my modem. Fortunately, I hate them so much and have had to call them with complaints/issues so many times before that I knew their number by heart. The lovely little automated recording told me that there were "outages in my area and service was expected to be restored in 90 minutes." Lovely...guess those conversations I was in the middle of are now over!
I decided it was a good time to head to the store and begin my plumbing oddessy. So now I'm driving up to the store and I get pulled over! Well, not entirely pulled over...it would be more honest to say I had a run-in with one of the laziest and dumbest cops around. As I was driving by doing about 45 mph or so, he pulls out of a parking lot behind me and follows me into the Wal-Mart parking lot. He never turns his lights on or anything, but just stops behind my car as I pull into my parking space. As I get out of the car, he rolls a window down and says something to the effect of "Hey fast car, you need to slow down out there on [street name]." I kinda looked at him and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. What's the speed limit out there?" To which he replied "It's 35." I said, "Oh, sorry. I didn't know" and walked into the store. haha First of all...that had to be the laziest cop in the world. I mean, who makes a traffic stop without even getting out of the car? I have a hunch that had I not been a decently dressed young white guy, he might have cared more about how I was driving. Secondly, that is a very very dumb move for a cop, and I know is rather against protocol. I mean, I don't care if you are in a well lit parking lot, no cop should ever just wait for someone to get out of the car. I could've gotten out with any kind of weapon or anything and taken him out if I had other charges pending or something. What a moron! Thirdly...the speed limit on that road was, as I suspected, 40 miles an hour (I made a point to check on the way home). I knew it was either 40 or 45 so was driving somewhere in that range, so I wasn't even speeding! Who knows what his plan was, but at least I didn't get a ticket...that would've just been the icing on the cake for the night.
I got what I needed and headed back home. When I got home, I heard a steady dripping sound coming from the kitchen so I thought...great, the Drain-O has helped some and it's slowly draining now. Instead, I walked into the kitchen and stepped in a big puddle and looked to the chili-laden water dripping out of my dishwasher! Yeah, gravity pulled the bulk of the water out from my sink, through the drain line and into the dishwasher, which had become so filled with water, it was beginning to leak out. Ugh!!! I went out to the shed, grabbed some old towels and began to mop up my floor. Once that was under control, I snaked the drain and was able to loosen the clog and it drained. Of course at that point I had to re-wash all the clean dishes I had sitting in the sink, run the dishwasher to drain it, and clean up the mess left by the standing water.
Now, thanks to sleeping all day, I'm up all night, unable to sleep...so Thursday's gonna be a long one too. Add this to the stuff that's been on my mind (as I mentioned in my previous post) and it's just been interesting this week. Ugh!!!
I kinda napped and rested for a bit longer and then got online and was checking e-mail, etc. Finally, at like 10 or 10:30pm, I decided I needed to eat something, so I wandered off to the kitchen. Tuesday I thought I'd branch out from my norm and try making some chili to eat. True to my normal amazing culinary skills (please read the extreme sarcasm in that statement...I'm laying it on pretty thick here folks), the food didn't end up all that good. Actually, I managed to burn the chili and it was all stuck to the bottom of the pot. So, I had it soaking in the sink so I could clean it.
Well, before cooking I decided to try to clean up a bit and clean out that pot. When I dumped the chili-laden water into the sink and turn on the disposal. Instead of going down the drain, however, the other half of my sink started filling up. Yeah...my drain was clogged! I tried some Drain-O, but no dice. Great! Now at 11:00 at night, I'm going to have to put on clothes, head to Wal-Mart and buy plumbing tools. I was too hungry to do that at the moment, so I microwaved some food, moved to the sofa and started chatting with some friends online.
After chatting for a while, I notice my internet isn't working. For some reason, I'm still able to talk on AIM, but can't load a web page. I rebooted the computer and now I couldn't even sign online at all! Arggh! I tried plugging my computer directly into my wireless router...nothing. Tried plugging directly into the modem...nada. Tried everything I knew and still couldn't make it work. Soooo, then I called Time Warner to see what was wrong with my modem. Fortunately, I hate them so much and have had to call them with complaints/issues so many times before that I knew their number by heart. The lovely little automated recording told me that there were "outages in my area and service was expected to be restored in 90 minutes." Lovely...guess those conversations I was in the middle of are now over!
I decided it was a good time to head to the store and begin my plumbing oddessy. So now I'm driving up to the store and I get pulled over! Well, not entirely pulled over...it would be more honest to say I had a run-in with one of the laziest and dumbest cops around. As I was driving by doing about 45 mph or so, he pulls out of a parking lot behind me and follows me into the Wal-Mart parking lot. He never turns his lights on or anything, but just stops behind my car as I pull into my parking space. As I get out of the car, he rolls a window down and says something to the effect of "Hey fast car, you need to slow down out there on [street name]." I kinda looked at him and said, "Oh, I'm sorry. What's the speed limit out there?" To which he replied "It's 35." I said, "Oh, sorry. I didn't know" and walked into the store. haha First of all...that had to be the laziest cop in the world. I mean, who makes a traffic stop without even getting out of the car? I have a hunch that had I not been a decently dressed young white guy, he might have cared more about how I was driving. Secondly, that is a very very dumb move for a cop, and I know is rather against protocol. I mean, I don't care if you are in a well lit parking lot, no cop should ever just wait for someone to get out of the car. I could've gotten out with any kind of weapon or anything and taken him out if I had other charges pending or something. What a moron! Thirdly...the speed limit on that road was, as I suspected, 40 miles an hour (I made a point to check on the way home). I knew it was either 40 or 45 so was driving somewhere in that range, so I wasn't even speeding! Who knows what his plan was, but at least I didn't get a ticket...that would've just been the icing on the cake for the night.
I got what I needed and headed back home. When I got home, I heard a steady dripping sound coming from the kitchen so I thought...great, the Drain-O has helped some and it's slowly draining now. Instead, I walked into the kitchen and stepped in a big puddle and looked to the chili-laden water dripping out of my dishwasher! Yeah, gravity pulled the bulk of the water out from my sink, through the drain line and into the dishwasher, which had become so filled with water, it was beginning to leak out. Ugh!!! I went out to the shed, grabbed some old towels and began to mop up my floor. Once that was under control, I snaked the drain and was able to loosen the clog and it drained. Of course at that point I had to re-wash all the clean dishes I had sitting in the sink, run the dishwasher to drain it, and clean up the mess left by the standing water.
Now, thanks to sleeping all day, I'm up all night, unable to sleep...so Thursday's gonna be a long one too. Add this to the stuff that's been on my mind (as I mentioned in my previous post) and it's just been interesting this week. Ugh!!!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Unexpected Beautiful Day!
Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't been posting much, or at least not anything exciting, lately. I've kinda had a lot on my mind and haven't felt much like posting. Everything's good though, and I'll update you all on it hopefully over the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, I'll fill you in on my weekend I guess. Nothing particularly exciting, but it was a great weekend in my opinion. Friday night was a night spent in (as you probably noticed from my last couple of posts), but a relaxing one.
Saturday morning I woke up ridiculously early to go for a run. Remember that bridge run I'm training for? Well my running group does a run every Saturday morning...insane, I know. We meet at about 6:45 am or so, do some stretches and all, then start running just after 7...AM!!! Let me let you in on a little secret (which is painfully obvious to anyone who has ever met me)...Mark IS NOT a morning person! I'd rather stay up until 4 am doing stuff than getting up at 6 or 7 in the morning to get things accomplished any day of the week!
But yes, I was up at like 6:30 or so, grabbed a bagel and some orange juice, then drove down to the shop where we meet. We stretched and then started our run (well...to be fair, most of the people started the run, up to the loop we were going to...myself and a few other beginners drove to the loop. It seems their "warm up" running was almost two miles...then they started the run. That's a bit much for me at this stage in the game, haha.) I ended up running about 3 miles or so, and I was very pleased with that. I also ran into a couple people I knew, as there was going to be a 5k run there a bit later in the morning and I knew a few people setting up for that. After the run, I went back down to the shop, had some fruit and juice and all and we just kinda talked about what our running plan for the next week would be. At this point...I've already eaten breakfast twice and run 3 miles before 9am! Normally, I'm not even up by 9, so I was feeling pretty accomplished!
After the run, a friend of mine who runs with me joined me as we went out for breakfast. (yes, if you're counting, that would be the 3rd one of the day.) We went to a place (hmmm...apparently it's a national chain. Who knew? Still great!) up the road from me which is like THE official place to eat breakfast on my side of town. SOOOO good! There was like a 20 minute wait for a table when we got there (yea...it's that good) so we hung out for a bit and had an amazing breakfast! I had french toast with just the right amount of egg batter, good thick bacon and coffee. MMMM. Oh, I also ran into some other people I knew, so I got to catch up with them for a bit, which was nice. When we left there at about 11:30, we walked out to what was the most beautiful day!! Seriously...weather in the low 70's, blue skies, gorgeous!!!
When I got home, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to knock out some yard work I'd been avoiding, so I spent the afternoon finishing removing a piece of my fence, raking my driveway and the entire front yard, removing a couple stumps from out front and washing my car. Oh yeah, I also got to play with the new puppy my neighbor got the day before, haha. Apparently Saturday was the official day to go walk your pet/children/spouse/whatever! haha I guess the weather dragged everyone outside, but I actually got to meet and chat with several of my neighbors...which is nice, b/c I hardly get to see anyone around here...everyone seems to keep to themselves mostly. I guess that unexpected beautiful day in February just brought out the best in everyone.
Oh, I did get to meet this one old couple who have probably lived in my neighborhood for at least 30 years or so. They apparently have a little loop they like to walk around for exercise, but I thought it was really funny to see them. The old man was wearing like khaki pants and a button down shirt and the lady was in a dress and some of those old lady dress shoes. Anyway, not exactly what you'd expect to see someone out exercising in, but I guess it wasn't the most vigorous walk ever, so they were okay. I can't wait until I'm so old that I just stay dressed nice all the time. That way, I suppose you're always prepared for whatever happens! haha
Anyway, I came in Saturday night, had some dinner and did some touch up painting where I had to patch some cracks in the walls of my guest bedroom. All-in-all, a day of accomplishment. I was pleased. Sunday, I pretty much slept all day to recover, haha. It was a good weekend though and I could use a lot more like that!
Saturday morning I woke up ridiculously early to go for a run. Remember that bridge run I'm training for? Well my running group does a run every Saturday morning...insane, I know. We meet at about 6:45 am or so, do some stretches and all, then start running just after 7...AM!!! Let me let you in on a little secret (which is painfully obvious to anyone who has ever met me)...Mark IS NOT a morning person! I'd rather stay up until 4 am doing stuff than getting up at 6 or 7 in the morning to get things accomplished any day of the week!
But yes, I was up at like 6:30 or so, grabbed a bagel and some orange juice, then drove down to the shop where we meet. We stretched and then started our run (well...to be fair, most of the people started the run, up to the loop we were going to...myself and a few other beginners drove to the loop. It seems their "warm up" running was almost two miles...then they started the run. That's a bit much for me at this stage in the game, haha.) I ended up running about 3 miles or so, and I was very pleased with that. I also ran into a couple people I knew, as there was going to be a 5k run there a bit later in the morning and I knew a few people setting up for that. After the run, I went back down to the shop, had some fruit and juice and all and we just kinda talked about what our running plan for the next week would be. At this point...I've already eaten breakfast twice and run 3 miles before 9am! Normally, I'm not even up by 9, so I was feeling pretty accomplished!
After the run, a friend of mine who runs with me joined me as we went out for breakfast. (yes, if you're counting, that would be the 3rd one of the day.) We went to a place (hmmm...apparently it's a national chain. Who knew? Still great!) up the road from me which is like THE official place to eat breakfast on my side of town. SOOOO good! There was like a 20 minute wait for a table when we got there (yea...it's that good) so we hung out for a bit and had an amazing breakfast! I had french toast with just the right amount of egg batter, good thick bacon and coffee. MMMM. Oh, I also ran into some other people I knew, so I got to catch up with them for a bit, which was nice. When we left there at about 11:30, we walked out to what was the most beautiful day!! Seriously...weather in the low 70's, blue skies, gorgeous!!!
When I got home, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to knock out some yard work I'd been avoiding, so I spent the afternoon finishing removing a piece of my fence, raking my driveway and the entire front yard, removing a couple stumps from out front and washing my car. Oh yeah, I also got to play with the new puppy my neighbor got the day before, haha. Apparently Saturday was the official day to go walk your pet/children/spouse/whatever! haha I guess the weather dragged everyone outside, but I actually got to meet and chat with several of my neighbors...which is nice, b/c I hardly get to see anyone around here...everyone seems to keep to themselves mostly. I guess that unexpected beautiful day in February just brought out the best in everyone.
Oh, I did get to meet this one old couple who have probably lived in my neighborhood for at least 30 years or so. They apparently have a little loop they like to walk around for exercise, but I thought it was really funny to see them. The old man was wearing like khaki pants and a button down shirt and the lady was in a dress and some of those old lady dress shoes. Anyway, not exactly what you'd expect to see someone out exercising in, but I guess it wasn't the most vigorous walk ever, so they were okay. I can't wait until I'm so old that I just stay dressed nice all the time. That way, I suppose you're always prepared for whatever happens! hahaAnyway, I came in Saturday night, had some dinner and did some touch up painting where I had to patch some cracks in the walls of my guest bedroom. All-in-all, a day of accomplishment. I was pleased. Sunday, I pretty much slept all day to recover, haha. It was a good weekend though and I could use a lot more like that!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
In case you're not familiar with the dance...
...this should help you understand the last video better. Same guy, but about 8 years ago or so.
Still laughing! haha
Still laughing! haha
Seriously....I have not laughed so hard in a looooooong time!!
So I'm flipping through the channels tonight and I notice Showtime at the Apollo is on. Whenever I see this on TV, I usually stop to watch the amateur talent (just another random fact about Mark that you've gotta love!).
As soon as I flip on the channel, they had just introduced this guy and he's on his way out, rubs the Tree of Hope and walks up to the mic. I thought he looked a little...well...different, but you really kinda get all kinds on Showtime sometimes. Anyway...I couldn't figure out exactly what he was gonna do, but there was NO WAY I was prepared for what came next!!! As soon as I watched it, I got on YouTube to find a the video (it was a rerun from a couple of weeks ago). Seriously...check it out. You HAVE to watch this video...it has got to be the best video on YouTube and probably one of the best moments on Showtime!! Watch...
So...did you watch???
Was that not absolutely hilarious?!
I was literally laughing so hard tears were streaming down my face!! It was one of those really good laughs where I was jumping up and down in my seat, clapping and stomping the ground all at once! I was probably one glass of sweet tea away from having an accident, haha. The best thing is...he really does a pretty good job of it! I mean, he's only a sequins dress, some high heels and a wig away from Miss Tina Turner herself! I was just not prepared for that one. Fortunately I have DVR so I could record it and watch it over and over and over again! haha
PS - I just watched it again....still have tears streaming down my face! Literally ROTFL!!
As soon as I flip on the channel, they had just introduced this guy and he's on his way out, rubs the Tree of Hope and walks up to the mic. I thought he looked a little...well...different, but you really kinda get all kinds on Showtime sometimes. Anyway...I couldn't figure out exactly what he was gonna do, but there was NO WAY I was prepared for what came next!!! As soon as I watched it, I got on YouTube to find a the video (it was a rerun from a couple of weeks ago). Seriously...check it out. You HAVE to watch this video...it has got to be the best video on YouTube and probably one of the best moments on Showtime!! Watch...
So...did you watch???
Was that not absolutely hilarious?!
I was literally laughing so hard tears were streaming down my face!! It was one of those really good laughs where I was jumping up and down in my seat, clapping and stomping the ground all at once! I was probably one glass of sweet tea away from having an accident, haha. The best thing is...he really does a pretty good job of it! I mean, he's only a sequins dress, some high heels and a wig away from Miss Tina Turner herself! I was just not prepared for that one. Fortunately I have DVR so I could record it and watch it over and over and over again! haha PS - I just watched it again....still have tears streaming down my face! Literally ROTFL!!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Single much?
Whoa! I guess a lot of you folks out there are like me and didn't have Valentine's plans!! There was a huge spike in my blog hits yesterday! Yowza! (I stole that word from the hot girl I lived with one summer in Denver...also from whom I got my Nip/Tuck addiction, haha). Guess you all just spent the day of love at home alone reading blogs, haha. Seriously, though...thanks to those bloggers out there who have linked to me (some have even given me a parenthetical addendum to my link...sweet!). Also thanks to those bloggers who have befriended me and even chat with me despite their ever-so-busy lives!
As for me...pretty uneventful Valentine's day overall. Went to work, but didn't do much (I worked hard the beginning of this week and end of last week - hence the lack of posting - so I deserved it). Came home, continued trying to pull out fence posts (no injuries this time...but also no trips to Home Depot) until the sun went down, then went for a run. I actually ran 4 miles folks!!! What what??!! They were 4 very slow miles...my average was like a 10:37 mile or something ridiculous like that, but still...considering my previous best was only 2.5 miles and I felt sore for a couple days after that one, I am thrilled. Actually, I did a fartlek run (yes, it's pronounced like it sounds...hold back your giggling) tonight as part of some heart rate training. Oh yeah...I'm running in a 10K in April. A friend talked me into joining a training group for the run (although at the time, I thought the run was only a 5K, but oh well). I thought it'd be good to do it in the group b/c, although I could care less about the race, it figured it'd be good to have some structure to my runs, instead of just going for a jog when I felt like it. Plus a good place to meet new people, haha. Anyway, the group started last week, so I'll be running much more and with a much greater frequency now. Oh, and they like to do group runs early Saturday mornings...like I have to be there at 6:45 am --- and then run several miles!!!! Ugh! I knew there was something wrong with runners. Oh well...I'll let you know how that goes.
After my victory lap, (read - a lot of stretching and then passing out on my comfortable leather seats in the Maxima, haha) I decided I needed to reward myself with a good meal. After a quick shower and change of clothes, I headed out to this local bar that has the BEST hamburgers in the world!! Seriously, it's one of those places that doesn't advertise and doesn't even have a sign on the building, so a local has to take you there, but one of the times the President (as in...of the United States) was down in Columbia, they took him to eat there. Say what you want about our current commander in chief, but any place good enough for the leader of the free world has got to be decent. Anyway...I went there figuring no one would be there on Valentine's Day, so I could just pull myself up to the bar, get a burger and eat non-conspicuously...maybe even strike up a conversation with someone sitting around me. Apparently this place was like THE hangout for everyone who didn't have Valentine's day plans or something, though. Both bars in the place were full, so I ended up having to just grab a booth by myself and eat in a very conspicuous way...and not meet anyone new. Oh well...I got a big greasy burger, plate of fries and a margarita...soooo worth it. And you'll be happy to know, they didn't screw up my order at all (although, even if they had, I would've completely forgiven them for it b/c this place is too good to miss).
After dinner, I came home, relaxed on the couch, read some blogs, chatted with some bloggers and watched some Donny Deutsch (I'm a dork...I know) and took some Aleeve for the pain in my knee which seems to follow every run these days (I think I need new shoes). Tomorrow my bosses are out of town so it'll just be me in the office. I have a little bit of stuff to do, but I should knock it out pretty quickly and will start my weekend early! Yay!
Anyway...thanks for reading, don't know what caused the spike in hits, but hopefully you like the blog and will be back! Of course, with all these people reading, that may mean I need to post more frequently...and about more exciting topics. Hmmmm.....
As for me...pretty uneventful Valentine's day overall. Went to work, but didn't do much (I worked hard the beginning of this week and end of last week - hence the lack of posting - so I deserved it). Came home, continued trying to pull out fence posts (no injuries this time...but also no trips to Home Depot) until the sun went down, then went for a run. I actually ran 4 miles folks!!! What what??!! They were 4 very slow miles...my average was like a 10:37 mile or something ridiculous like that, but still...considering my previous best was only 2.5 miles and I felt sore for a couple days after that one, I am thrilled. Actually, I did a fartlek run (yes, it's pronounced like it sounds...hold back your giggling) tonight as part of some heart rate training. Oh yeah...I'm running in a 10K in April. A friend talked me into joining a training group for the run (although at the time, I thought the run was only a 5K, but oh well). I thought it'd be good to do it in the group b/c, although I could care less about the race, it figured it'd be good to have some structure to my runs, instead of just going for a jog when I felt like it. Plus a good place to meet new people, haha. Anyway, the group started last week, so I'll be running much more and with a much greater frequency now. Oh, and they like to do group runs early Saturday mornings...like I have to be there at 6:45 am --- and then run several miles!!!! Ugh! I knew there was something wrong with runners. Oh well...I'll let you know how that goes.
After my victory lap, (read - a lot of stretching and then passing out on my comfortable leather seats in the Maxima, haha) I decided I needed to reward myself with a good meal. After a quick shower and change of clothes, I headed out to this local bar that has the BEST hamburgers in the world!! Seriously, it's one of those places that doesn't advertise and doesn't even have a sign on the building, so a local has to take you there, but one of the times the President (as in...of the United States) was down in Columbia, they took him to eat there. Say what you want about our current commander in chief, but any place good enough for the leader of the free world has got to be decent. Anyway...I went there figuring no one would be there on Valentine's Day, so I could just pull myself up to the bar, get a burger and eat non-conspicuously...maybe even strike up a conversation with someone sitting around me. Apparently this place was like THE hangout for everyone who didn't have Valentine's day plans or something, though. Both bars in the place were full, so I ended up having to just grab a booth by myself and eat in a very conspicuous way...and not meet anyone new. Oh well...I got a big greasy burger, plate of fries and a margarita...soooo worth it. And you'll be happy to know, they didn't screw up my order at all (although, even if they had, I would've completely forgiven them for it b/c this place is too good to miss).
After dinner, I came home, relaxed on the couch, read some blogs, chatted with some bloggers and watched some Donny Deutsch (I'm a dork...I know) and took some Aleeve for the pain in my knee which seems to follow every run these days (I think I need new shoes). Tomorrow my bosses are out of town so it'll just be me in the office. I have a little bit of stuff to do, but I should knock it out pretty quickly and will start my weekend early! Yay!
Anyway...thanks for reading, don't know what caused the spike in hits, but hopefully you like the blog and will be back! Of course, with all these people reading, that may mean I need to post more frequently...and about more exciting topics. Hmmmm.....
Monday, February 11, 2008
Seriously...Only Mark!!
I come from a clumsy family...it's no secret. There was, for instance, the time my aunt (who is a well-educated high school principal, no less) super-glued her finger to her forehead...no lie. There are countless other stories I can't remember right now, but it's clear that I too have inherited that gene.
Yesterday I tore up my thumb a bit, basically ripping my cuticle off. In the grand scheme of things, it's not a terribly impressive injury and I doubt I'll be significantly handicapped by it, but what makes it so uniquely Mark is how it happened.
We had beautiful weather here yesterday and, for once, I actually had a completely free afternoon, so I decided it'd be a great opportunity to get out and try to rake up some leaves in my backyard. I know what you're thinking...
While raking, I decided it was also a good opportunity to try to tear down part of the ugly chain-link fence in my backyard. The fence was half falling down anyway, and will eventually get replaced with a real fence, so I figured, why keep making myself look at the eyesore. I hear you now...
Trying to remove some of the fence posts, I was having great difficulty. Not only are these things buried with cement poured around them, but a couple of them were placed right next to a large old oak tree (hence the reason I had to rake) and it seems the roots have grown all around these posts. So, I decided it was time for me to go buy that pick axe I've been meaning to get and just chop up the roots some. Thus, I headed down to the Home Depot. This is where the injury occurred.
No, my injury happened in the parking lot...before I even got into the store. How? By running into the car next to me...while walking. Yep! I was looking at something on my car while walking into the store and turned around only to find that I was a split second away from running into the truck next to me. Well, not so much the truck, as the large stack of particle board he had hanging 3 or 4 feet out of the bed of his truck. My natural reaction was to throw my hands up to protect my chest from the impact, but, in so doing, I just managed to run my thumb along the rough edge of the board and still smacked into it. So graceful!!
I got in the store and stopped at the front desk to ask for a band-aid. When I first walked in, it wasn't bleeding yet, but by the time the lady found a band-aid behind the counter it was. Rather profusely at that. Apparently when you rip off a cuticle the blood starts flowing rather well. I asked her for a tissue or something to mop up the blood and she found one of those little anti-septic 'wet naps'. After a short minute or so, that thing was pretty much saturated and she ran off to go find some more. She brought me out 2 or 3 more which also quickly turned red. haha I suggested we just go ahead and throw the band-aid on there in an effort to stop the bleeding and call it a day. Of course, once she saw how much I was bleeding she asked "Gosh, what happened?" To which I had to sheepishly look at her and admit "I walked into the car next to me in the parking lot." Actually...in an effort to save face I started to explain about the particle board hanging out of the bed, etc, but decided that didn't really help my case much, so I just hung my head low and mopped up the blood.
People get hurt everyday...but only I would do it in such a unique way...ugh!!
Yesterday I tore up my thumb a bit, basically ripping my cuticle off. In the grand scheme of things, it's not a terribly impressive injury and I doubt I'll be significantly handicapped by it, but what makes it so uniquely Mark is how it happened.
We had beautiful weather here yesterday and, for once, I actually had a completely free afternoon, so I decided it'd be a great opportunity to get out and try to rake up some leaves in my backyard. I know what you're thinking...
"Mark, did you seriously injure yourself raking leaves? I mean what's so dangerous about that...wow, you are clumsy!"But oh no, I only wish it were something as great as that...maybe a horrible incident with the prongs of the rake or a rogue stick jumping out of the leaf pile into my skin. Nope.
While raking, I decided it was also a good opportunity to try to tear down part of the ugly chain-link fence in my backyard. The fence was half falling down anyway, and will eventually get replaced with a real fence, so I figured, why keep making myself look at the eyesore. I hear you now...
"Ahh, so while taking apart the fence you cut yourself on the metal? The wrench slipped or something? That's not so bad...we've all done something like that."Oh hardly!
Trying to remove some of the fence posts, I was having great difficulty. Not only are these things buried with cement poured around them, but a couple of them were placed right next to a large old oak tree (hence the reason I had to rake) and it seems the roots have grown all around these posts. So, I decided it was time for me to go buy that pick axe I've been meaning to get and just chop up the roots some. Thus, I headed down to the Home Depot. This is where the injury occurred.
"Wow, Mark...you got injured at Home Depot? What did you do, cut yourself on a saw blade? have a light fixture come crashing out of the ceiling at you? have one of those cans of paint in the mixing machine come flying out at you at 60 miles per hour? I mean...that is kinda clumsy, hahaha!"Oh silly blog readers...you've learned nothing, have you.
No, my injury happened in the parking lot...before I even got into the store. How? By running into the car next to me...while walking. Yep! I was looking at something on my car while walking into the store and turned around only to find that I was a split second away from running into the truck next to me. Well, not so much the truck, as the large stack of particle board he had hanging 3 or 4 feet out of the bed of his truck. My natural reaction was to throw my hands up to protect my chest from the impact, but, in so doing, I just managed to run my thumb along the rough edge of the board and still smacked into it. So graceful!!
I got in the store and stopped at the front desk to ask for a band-aid. When I first walked in, it wasn't bleeding yet, but by the time the lady found a band-aid behind the counter it was. Rather profusely at that. Apparently when you rip off a cuticle the blood starts flowing rather well. I asked her for a tissue or something to mop up the blood and she found one of those little anti-septic 'wet naps'. After a short minute or so, that thing was pretty much saturated and she ran off to go find some more. She brought me out 2 or 3 more which also quickly turned red. haha I suggested we just go ahead and throw the band-aid on there in an effort to stop the bleeding and call it a day. Of course, once she saw how much I was bleeding she asked "Gosh, what happened?" To which I had to sheepishly look at her and admit "I walked into the car next to me in the parking lot." Actually...in an effort to save face I started to explain about the particle board hanging out of the bed, etc, but decided that didn't really help my case much, so I just hung my head low and mopped up the blood.
People get hurt everyday...but only I would do it in such a unique way...ugh!!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
I swear the restaurant mafia is out to get me!
I have a standing lunch date with a friend of mine for the first Tuesday of every month (except we've been lazy lately so we missed the last 3 or 4 months) and today was that day. I picked her up at her office and she asks how I feel about having breakfast for lunch, as she's been craving some good breakfast food, but her boyfriend won't go eat it with her. I didn't really care where we went so we headed over to IHOP for a little mid-day breakfast.
I should mention that this is one of those friends that I get along so great with b/c when we're together we normally just sit around and throw sarcastic comments back and forth the whole time! Plus we have one of those wonderful relationships with few boundaries that we just really speak our minds to each other all the time too. It works out well for us, but when we're together we do sometimes have a bad habit of talking about people around us (oops).
So our waitress comes up to take our order and my friend orders the Vive la French Toast. I wasn't really listening to her order, but she made some special request that something be put on the side, rather than on top of the toast. Our waitress, in her broken English, asks my friend if she wants her scrambled egg on the side too. Sarcastic Friend (we'll call her that...at least for now) kinda looks at the waitress puzzled and says "Doesn't the egg normally come on the side?" The waitress tells us "No, it comes on the French Toast." Of course, Sarcastic Friend and I exchange very confused glances and she clarifies again "So the French Toast comes with scrambled eggs as a topping?" Anyway, this went on for a little bit longer and we both were just sitting there looking really confused at the waitress, not understanding why scrambled eggs are served on toast and not as a separate item. It was truly a very odd exchange...but not the point of this post, so I'll move on.
When it comes to my turn to order, I order Strawberry Banana French Toast with a side of hash browns. The waitress brings out our orders and I'm initially overwhelmed by the amount of whipped cream and strawberries and other items on top of my entree. Sarcastic friend notes that I might need some insulin at the end of that meal. I was about to dig in to my french toast when I realize...wait...this French Toast is round...and rather flat. Much like a pancake! Yeah...the waitress definitely did not bring me what I ordered, but instead brought me a big 'ol stack of pancakes with various toppings (fortunately, no scrambled eggs as toppings, though).
Even though I had kinda got my stomach all excited about some French Toast, I decided that, in light of my previous incidences with restaurants this week that I wouldn't push my luck and would settle for the pancakes. About halfway through my pancakes, though, I realize further that these pancakes don't just have fruits and sugar on top of them, but they're actually cooked with bananas in the batter. Yeah...there little slices of banana cooked into my pancakes. Ewwww! It just wasn't very good at all. I really only made it about halfway through that meal.
Honestly, I don't know what it is about restaurants here! I seriously am going to have to eat at home until this whole thing blows over I think. Oh well...they say bad things happen in threes, right? Maybe that means I'm done now! Ugh!!
PS - I called Ruby Tuesday's Corporate office to file a complaint about the horrible service the other day. They took the message, told me they'd pass it along to the District Manager and that he'd be giving me a call to discuss the issue. On Monday afternoon I got a voicemail regarding the matter...from no other than Manager Mike!! I couldn't even listen to his voicemail I was so infuriated. I mean I gave this guy a chance to fix the problem when it happened and he didn't effectively handle the situation then, so why would I want to hash it out over the phone with him now. Not to mention...if he's the one I'm complaining about, why would his DM think it's a good idea for me to talk to him again? Doesn't it only make sense that you should talk to the supervisor of the person you're making a complaint against, not the person themselves? I called the corporate number back today and left them a voicemail informing them that I would not be calling Manager Mike back, that I was done dealing with him and requested that his supervisor contact me, not him. We'll see how this goes! Grrr!
I should mention that this is one of those friends that I get along so great with b/c when we're together we normally just sit around and throw sarcastic comments back and forth the whole time! Plus we have one of those wonderful relationships with few boundaries that we just really speak our minds to each other all the time too. It works out well for us, but when we're together we do sometimes have a bad habit of talking about people around us (oops).
So our waitress comes up to take our order and my friend orders the Vive la French Toast. I wasn't really listening to her order, but she made some special request that something be put on the side, rather than on top of the toast. Our waitress, in her broken English, asks my friend if she wants her scrambled egg on the side too. Sarcastic Friend (we'll call her that...at least for now) kinda looks at the waitress puzzled and says "Doesn't the egg normally come on the side?" The waitress tells us "No, it comes on the French Toast." Of course, Sarcastic Friend and I exchange very confused glances and she clarifies again "So the French Toast comes with scrambled eggs as a topping?" Anyway, this went on for a little bit longer and we both were just sitting there looking really confused at the waitress, not understanding why scrambled eggs are served on toast and not as a separate item. It was truly a very odd exchange...but not the point of this post, so I'll move on.When it comes to my turn to order, I order Strawberry Banana French Toast with a side of hash browns. The waitress brings out our orders and I'm initially overwhelmed by the amount of whipped cream and strawberries and other items on top of my entree. Sarcastic friend notes that I might need some insulin at the end of that meal. I was about to dig in to my french toast when I realize...wait...this French Toast is round...and rather flat. Much like a pancake! Yeah...the waitress definitely did not bring me what I ordered, but instead brought me a big 'ol stack of pancakes with various toppings (fortunately, no scrambled eggs as toppings, though).
Even though I had kinda got my stomach all excited about some French Toast, I decided that, in light of my previous incidences with restaurants this week that I wouldn't push my luck and would settle for the pancakes. About halfway through my pancakes, though, I realize further that these pancakes don't just have fruits and sugar on top of them, but they're actually cooked with bananas in the batter. Yeah...there little slices of banana cooked into my pancakes. Ewwww! It just wasn't very good at all. I really only made it about halfway through that meal.
Honestly, I don't know what it is about restaurants here! I seriously am going to have to eat at home until this whole thing blows over I think. Oh well...they say bad things happen in threes, right? Maybe that means I'm done now! Ugh!!
PS - I called Ruby Tuesday's Corporate office to file a complaint about the horrible service the other day. They took the message, told me they'd pass it along to the District Manager and that he'd be giving me a call to discuss the issue. On Monday afternoon I got a voicemail regarding the matter...from no other than Manager Mike!! I couldn't even listen to his voicemail I was so infuriated. I mean I gave this guy a chance to fix the problem when it happened and he didn't effectively handle the situation then, so why would I want to hash it out over the phone with him now. Not to mention...if he's the one I'm complaining about, why would his DM think it's a good idea for me to talk to him again? Doesn't it only make sense that you should talk to the supervisor of the person you're making a complaint against, not the person themselves? I called the corporate number back today and left them a voicemail informing them that I would not be calling Manager Mike back, that I was done dealing with him and requested that his supervisor contact me, not him. We'll see how this goes! Grrr!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Continuation on a theme...
In an effort to not sound snobby or pushy or rude or whatever, I ordinarily wouldn't write this post, but in light of my last post, it seems only appropriate.
After work tonight, I had a meeting to go to with my boss so he and I stopped for dinner on the way. We couldn't decide on anything on that side of town, so we ended up at Ruby Tuesdays. I don't ordinarily care for Ruby Tuesdays that much, but we both agreed that it's better than Applebee's, which was our next best option, so we went. I couldn't decide what I wanted, so at my boss's suggestion, I ordered the Triple Prime Cheeseburger.
I should also add, that our server was a little strange to begin with. He was one of those guys that just seemed really nervous and even a bit shy. It's fine if that's your personality, but perhaps food service isn't the best employment choice for you. I typically expect wait staff to be very personable and friendly and to really make you feel like they're happy to serve you, not like they're afraid to speak to you. Anyway...
Like I always do with beef products, I ordered my burger medium rare. Say what you want, but cooking meat anything beyond medium just sucks all the flavor right out of it! When the burgers come, my boss and I both comment on the lack of condiments they bring us. For an entire plate of fries and a burger we were each given half a ramekin of ketchup and there was about a drop of mayonnaise on each burger (I know, too bad I didn't have any of that taco sauce with me, but that's not the point), so we sent him off into the kitchen to get us more.
While he was gone, I took a big bite into my burger and noticed it tasted a little funny. In actuality, it tasted...mushy. My first thought was that the bread must have absorbed some of the grease/juices from the meat and got soggy. I lifted the bun off, however, and looked at my bite to see a very bright pink burger. I kinda pulled the burger apart and saw that the whole thing was completely raw inside!!! I immediately announced "Oh my gosh...this is raw!!" (and not very quietly at that) When I said this, another server happened to be walking by and she just kinda ignored me and kept walking. I kept looking at the kitchen door waiting for our server to come back with the ketchup so I could complain to him, but he was taking too long. There was another guy walking by (I think he was a host or bus boy or something) so I grabbed him and said, "Excuse me, you need to get a manager over here please." (haha, you'll all remember my short temperament for poor service.)
He told me "Sure, is there a problem?" So I showed him my burger and told him that it was uncooked, so he took the plate off to his manager. A minute or so later, some guy comes walking around the corner with my plate in hand and introduces himself. It went something like this:{Skip to 8 minutes later}
So now I eat my burger in a big hurry b/c we're late for our meeting (which I knew we were going to be a little late to anyway, but now we're really late) and it really wasn't all that good. In truth, half of the burger was still slightly undercooked, but it didn't seem to have quite the same e. coli risk, so I ate it anyway. When our server brought the bill out, I looked to see what the "discount" was that they so graciously gave me. All they did was apply the employee discount (40%) to my burger. Not to the entire check, not even to my sweet tea....just the burger. Grrrrr!!!
At this point I was so annoyed it wasn't even funny. If I didn't have to run out of there to get to my meeting, I really would've hung around and at least insisted that the meal be free, but I didn't have the time or energy to throw down right then. I'll just call corporate in the morning, hahaha.
Please don't misunderstand me here either...while I was annoyed that I took a bite out of raw meat, I do understand that mistakes can happen, especially in a kitchen. Honestly, I probably would have been okay with the whole thing if the manager came out and profusely apologized, offered me the discount or comped the meal or whatever, and if the server had apologized. I know neither of them was anywhere near the grill at the time, but in a service atmosphere, that's your role. But neither of them seemed to care...in fact the manager seemed annoyed that he had to come out of his office and speak to one of the 7 customers who were in the restaurant at the time (heaven forbid!). I gave the waiter a 10% tip for that one...and those of you who currently or previously worked in food service...don't yell at me! I'm normally at least a 20% tipper and only if the service is particularly bad do I give a 15%. I NEVER give below that. But tonight, I was so annoyed that he didn't even at least pretend to apologize there was no way I could give 15%. A simple "I'm so sorry about that" at any point in the evening would have at least earned him that much.
Anyway, like I said, in light of my last post, I thought I'd just add this one on as a part two. It looks like I'm running out of places to go eat around here. Maybe one of these days I'm gonna have to learn how to cook! Ack! Nevermind...I'll just get a girlfriend who likes to cook...or hire a personal chef...or both :)
After work tonight, I had a meeting to go to with my boss so he and I stopped for dinner on the way. We couldn't decide on anything on that side of town, so we ended up at Ruby Tuesdays. I don't ordinarily care for Ruby Tuesdays that much, but we both agreed that it's better than Applebee's, which was our next best option, so we went. I couldn't decide what I wanted, so at my boss's suggestion, I ordered the Triple Prime Cheeseburger.
I should also add, that our server was a little strange to begin with. He was one of those guys that just seemed really nervous and even a bit shy. It's fine if that's your personality, but perhaps food service isn't the best employment choice for you. I typically expect wait staff to be very personable and friendly and to really make you feel like they're happy to serve you, not like they're afraid to speak to you. Anyway...
Like I always do with beef products, I ordered my burger medium rare. Say what you want, but cooking meat anything beyond medium just sucks all the flavor right out of it! When the burgers come, my boss and I both comment on the lack of condiments they bring us. For an entire plate of fries and a burger we were each given half a ramekin of ketchup and there was about a drop of mayonnaise on each burger (I know, too bad I didn't have any of that taco sauce with me, but that's not the point), so we sent him off into the kitchen to get us more.
While he was gone, I took a big bite into my burger and noticed it tasted a little funny. In actuality, it tasted...mushy. My first thought was that the bread must have absorbed some of the grease/juices from the meat and got soggy. I lifted the bun off, however, and looked at my bite to see a very bright pink burger. I kinda pulled the burger apart and saw that the whole thing was completely raw inside!!! I immediately announced "Oh my gosh...this is raw!!" (and not very quietly at that) When I said this, another server happened to be walking by and she just kinda ignored me and kept walking. I kept looking at the kitchen door waiting for our server to come back with the ketchup so I could complain to him, but he was taking too long. There was another guy walking by (I think he was a host or bus boy or something) so I grabbed him and said, "Excuse me, you need to get a manager over here please." (haha, you'll all remember my short temperament for poor service.)He told me "Sure, is there a problem?" So I showed him my burger and told him that it was uncooked, so he took the plate off to his manager. A minute or so later, some guy comes walking around the corner with my plate in hand and introduces himself. It went something like this:
Mgr. Mike: Hi, my name is Mike and I'm the manager here. How are you gentlemen doing tonight?
Me: Uhhhh....well.... (looking down at the empty table in front of me and the raw meat in his hand)
Mgr. Mike: Ok, well how did you request this to be cooked. (before this statement there's a very slight chance he may have thrown out a flippant apology, but I'm not entirely sure because his tone and actions were anything but apologetic)Me: Medium Rare (thinking..."If you dare try to tell me that that is medium rare or that anything cooked below medium will in fact come out a bit pink, assuming that's normal, I swear I'll go all Madea (video here) up in here!") (PS--That's for you, K!)
Mgr. Mike: Alright, well I'll take this back and have them make you a new one. [Starts to walk away]
Me: (Looking at the time on my phone) Well excuse me, I have to be somewhere in 15 minutes, I don't think I have time to just sit here and wait for you to cook a whole new meal.
Mgr. Mike: (With a strong amount of attitude) Well...do you want me to have them make you something else?
Me: (Looking around to see if there was a menu anywhere, since one was very clearly not offered.) Uhhh, welll...I guess not. I guess I'll have to have another one of those, but they'd better make it fast, I can't sit here all night.
Mgr. Mike: I'll have them make you another.
Me: Make sure it's fast!
Server comes out and awkwardly sets a new plate down in front of me and nervously stands there without saying a word. I kinda picked at a piece of the meat to see if it was edible.Please note that through this entire exchange, no one once offered an apology for the mistake or has acted apologetically at all!! They really seemed more annoyed that I requested my meat to be cooked!
Server: (Sheepishly) So, ummm...Is this one okay for you?
Me: Hmm, well, yes, I think this will be fine.
Server: Okay. (slowly walks away)
Me: So, are you going to comp this meal for me or what?
Server: (Still sheepish) Oh, umm, he said he'd give you a discount on it.
Me: Fine.
So now I eat my burger in a big hurry b/c we're late for our meeting (which I knew we were going to be a little late to anyway, but now we're really late) and it really wasn't all that good. In truth, half of the burger was still slightly undercooked, but it didn't seem to have quite the same e. coli risk, so I ate it anyway. When our server brought the bill out, I looked to see what the "discount" was that they so graciously gave me. All they did was apply the employee discount (40%) to my burger. Not to the entire check, not even to my sweet tea....just the burger. Grrrrr!!!
At this point I was so annoyed it wasn't even funny. If I didn't have to run out of there to get to my meeting, I really would've hung around and at least insisted that the meal be free, but I didn't have the time or energy to throw down right then. I'll just call corporate in the morning, hahaha.
Please don't misunderstand me here either...while I was annoyed that I took a bite out of raw meat, I do understand that mistakes can happen, especially in a kitchen. Honestly, I probably would have been okay with the whole thing if the manager came out and profusely apologized, offered me the discount or comped the meal or whatever, and if the server had apologized. I know neither of them was anywhere near the grill at the time, but in a service atmosphere, that's your role. But neither of them seemed to care...in fact the manager seemed annoyed that he had to come out of his office and speak to one of the 7 customers who were in the restaurant at the time (heaven forbid!). I gave the waiter a 10% tip for that one...and those of you who currently or previously worked in food service...don't yell at me! I'm normally at least a 20% tipper and only if the service is particularly bad do I give a 15%. I NEVER give below that. But tonight, I was so annoyed that he didn't even at least pretend to apologize there was no way I could give 15%. A simple "I'm so sorry about that" at any point in the evening would have at least earned him that much.
Anyway, like I said, in light of my last post, I thought I'd just add this one on as a part two. It looks like I'm running out of places to go eat around here. Maybe one of these days I'm gonna have to learn how to cook! Ack! Nevermind...I'll just get a girlfriend who likes to cook...or hire a personal chef...or both :)
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Wasteful
Busy day at work today. I spent all afternoon getting ready for something I had to do with work tonight. So, in all my rushing around, I ran through the Taco Bell Drive Thru (I recognize that's not the proper spelling of that word, but that's what the sign calls it...don't blame me!) to grab a quick dinner. In my bag, I found that I received no fewer than 31 packets of sauce for my 3 (three) soft tacos!Seriously?!? Did that guy think there was anyway possible that I could even try to use 10 packets of sauce per taco? Little wasteful things like this (due to the laziness/lackadaisical attitudes of people) really annoys me for some reason. I mean, is it really that much effort to care about little things?! Arrgh!
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