No Perks @ Perkins

Today my family went and had lunch at Perkins. These are the classes of people that I observed-

The Church Crowd: They just came from church in their suits and hats
The Family Frolic: These are families that came in for lunch and it seems quite apparent by their combined weight that they are not strangers to the establishment
The Greasy Gabbers: Like the family that sat at the table next to us. They looked like they hadn't bathed in a few days. I had more teeth in my mouth alone than all four of them had put together. And they smelled like they lived in an ashtray. [I have nothing against smokers...but come on, were you steaming in your car with the windows rolled up right before you came in?]

It seems like the list of acceptable restaurants in Marshalltown is getting smaller. Here is a short list of places we no longer patronize and why, and in no particular order-

Burger King: They usually get our orders wrong [even when we are the only people in the joint] and none of the workers speak English
Wendy's: My wife insists that her burgers are always cold when she gets them
Arby's: The inside of the place always seems a bit dirty and the drive thru takes longer than waiting inside
Subway: Because my wife is pregnant there is some reason, that I can't remember, as to why she can't eat cold meat sandwiches right now
KFC: Because we always get more fried batter with our food than actual chicken
Long John Silvers: Heart attack in a greased box
Perkins: For the reasons listed above that spawned this post
The Olive Garden: "Because when you're here you're like family" and apparently it's OK for your family to serve you food that is only "not bad" but "not great"

Places we do still go-
Applebee's: Feelin' good in the neighborhood
McDonalds: Not sure why but they are still OK
Pizza Ranch: Nice buffet and a fairly clean place
Hardee's: Fairly clean and fairly good
Zeno's Pizza: Kind of an old place but it still has a little bit of class
Maid Rite: It is a classic restaurant. Literally on the map as one of the best in the area
Hickory Park: Very classy and great food
Old Chicago: Because the food is awesome and we can have fun
Taco John's: 6 pack & a pound. Cheap Sunday lunches and the place is clean

Bon Appetite

Thoughts On Christmas Music

Lately I have been listening to Christmas music while at home or on the road with my family. My wife really likes it. I don't. This is not a rant about doing things that you dont' like out of your undying love for another person....this is a rant about how much I am coming to dislike Christmas music.

This post also isn't directed toward anyone else who likes the genre, but I am no longer a fan of any kind.

I have noticed two major things about Christmas music that really get under my skin. The first one is the number of people who take the time to sing about a fictitious character named Santa Claus. A big fat guy who never existed and yet still has such a hold on this commercial holiday. I've heard all kind of people sing about him- Celine Dion [who I can't stand no matter what she sings], Neil Diamond, The Beach Boys, Alvin & The Chipmunks, Karen Carpenter...the list goes on and on.

The second thing that I've noticed is that you can't just hear a song once or twice, but in a given hour you might hear it 3 or 4 times all by different artists. It just goes to show that in order to sell Christmas albums you don't have to have any creativity. You can just do the same stuff as everyone else, but just do it with your own voice or with a saxophone or something like that. I see it like recycled rice cakes; different flavours, but ultimately there is no substance as you feel "better" about filling your tummy.

I am typically not a big fan of Christmas anyways but I'll just say that I'm glad that my car has a CD player so that I can listen to whatever is on my playlist instead.

Age Discrimination At Playland

I realized today that McDonalds is guilty of ageism. 

I have read the same sign a thousand times but it didn't really sink in for me until today. The sign says that kids up to 12 can play....and parents too. But what about those from ages 13-not yet parent?

I am surprised that they have not had any law suits leveled against them for this. 

What if, say, a fifteen year old was already a parent and they were able to play in there with their child...but another fifteen year old who went with them was not yet a parent? Would they be excluded from being able to play? And by what right?

I ultimately don't care. I am personally afraid to send my kids to play in that diseased ridden excuse for a good time. They might have fun, but I'm afraid of what they are going to bring home.

I Sold My Self At This Election

The election is now over.

I was not in favour of any of the candidates that were running, but I still recognized my civic duty to vote. People who do not vote should have no say in the current state of politics or policy.

I was saddened by so many people that I knew of that decided that they were not going to vote in this election. So many of them had been duped into believing that they were somehow making a point. To me the point, though unintended, was simple- we have finally been worn down enough that we will give you what you ultimately want; for us to stop voting.

I encouraged these people to at least write someone in on the ballot. 

My cousin called me one night very concerned that I was telling people to do this. He was under the impression that if I wrote someone else in, who had a lesser chance than McCain, that I was cancelling his vote. Partially right in logistics, but morally wrong.

I am not going to get into all of the details about who I wanted or why, but I will say that I ultimately conceeded and voted for McCain, an electoral mistake that I will not make again.

I don't buy into the crap that says that you should vote for the lesser of two evils or that you should cast your vote for the guy on "your side" that is most likely to win. Voting is a matter of conscience and choice based on representation. If you, like I did, give up your one shot to make your voice be heard [regardless of how the Electoral College will negate you anyways] then you have become a political whore. You weren't bought by money, but by ideology that loses every time.

The next time around I will not be so reluctant to give up my vote to someone who has a better chance. Come hell or high water, even if my candidate has the worst shot than anyone else they will still get my vote. It's all about principle. If you have no principle, regardless of who you're voting for, then you should not be allowed to vote.

Blig Blag Blog

Many moons ago I entered my last post here. I really didn't mean for it to take so long before putting this one up but it just hasn't been as high of a priority for me lately. I even struggled putting this one up.

It's not like I don't have ideas to blog about, because I've got enough of them to choke a camel [though I don't condone the choking of any animals]. I think that it is the matter of not having an Internet connection wet-wired to my brain that is the biggest inconvenience. I really need thought recognition software of some kind that automatically opens a blog session when I have one of those "HAZAH" moments.

I'm not going to go down the roll of everything that I've been up to lately because I am just too bored to get into all that so I am going to break into dream again. I need someone out there to try and give me a meaningful interpretation of what I am dreaming about. Here goes:

Last night I had another dream. In the dream I had a few things creep back up that seem to be recurring patterns.

1. I am back at the college that I attended 10 years ago but it seems to always be in a different city
2. I never know what my class schedule is prior to the first day or school and classes having already started 20 minutes ago
3. On top of getting ready for classes there is also a very high priority for me to get my name out about the business that I run, primarily because I don't want to have a part time job working for someone else. I want to work for myself and make better money at it
4. Last night's different change up was that I had gotten a haircut. Right now it is about 2 inches past my chin in front and about 4-6 inches below my shoulders in back. In the dream I had just gotten it cut down short enough to do one of those metrosexual spike deals

Why am I always going back to school? What does that mean? And what is significant about it being a specific school?

I think I understand the job deal. I think that makes sense. It might be an affirmation that I long to be self-sufficient.

I'm not totally sure about the haircut part other than the fact that I've been tossing around the idea even while I'm conscious throughout the day. I'll probably keep it though.

So what does all this mean?