Tag: Reviews

Uncategorised

Food Zombies

We got up early this morning to take Summer to work at the Conway location. Autumn wanted to tag along for some shopping as well. I had to run home to clean up, then pick up my trial contacts, and finally picked up the girls for a drive to Conway. We dropped Summer off, then went to Target for a slow walk around the store.

We picked up a couple very small things, but nothing of much consequence. Autumn got pretty hungry, so we left there and went to Golden Corral for lunch. The buffet was pretty disappointing, with several duplicated dishes and only hamburgers made with rolls instead of buns from the grill. I still filled up, but I left super unsatisfied.

From there, we went back to Kohl’s to try and find some clearance. Autumn actually did a good job thumbing through the racks and picked up a pair of pants. Still, I didn’t find a whole lot that interested me, so we eventually moved on to Best Buy. We were both feeling super exhausted after a big lunch, and just wanted to nap. Best Buy was really just a time killer for an hour before we could fetch Summer from work.

On the way, I grabbed an iced coffee from McDonald’s that really helped to pep me up. When we got to Summer, she was in the pit training their manager. She wanted to do another oil change with her down there, so she had me pull around and get mine done a bit prematurely. I couldn’t complain, and the oil was still black anyway.

When they finished up, the three of us ran to Sam’s to pick up a few things. I tried to do a bit more deal scouting, but came up dry. We headed home as the sun came down, stopping once in Morrilton for some a-a-a-a-a-a-alcohol. Autumn wanted to make tacos for dinner, so we let her run into Walmart for a couple missing ingredients once we got back into town.

The tacos were simple but tasty enough. Everyone turned in super early after we finished eating. I was exhausted, but had a bunch of email to catch up on before going to bed myself.

This is starting to feel like work.

Uncategorised

Sorta Sitting

Summer got up this morning for a hair appointment that kept her out all day, so I was left alone in a house full of teenage girls. They make that sound way more exciting in the short films I watch, but in reality it was me playing video games in bed all day, waiting for Summer to get back. On the bright side, Stadia has been pretty great, even handling buffering issues pretty well when all the girls started streaming other things across the network. Latency isn’t much of an issue in a turn-based game like Into the Breach, but it was still pretty impressive.

That pretty well burned the whole day, so when Summer returned and then left to take the girls home, I went home to shower. Then she came over and we went to Mulan’s for dinner to show off her fancy new hairdo. When we got back home, it was pretty much straight to bed again.

My only regret was that I didn’t have more of that lychee/longan/rambutan flavored jello.

Uncategorised

#UnexpectedCrucifix

I went by the shop this morning to pick up a couple TVs for Athletics, and dropped them off at their office. After that, I stayed quietly busy in my office for most of the day. Allen invited me out to lunch, so we decided to try The Gunslingin’ Burger.

The staff was friendly, and the menu was quaint. They had a TV up with a special Murder Burger that looked pretty good, so I just got that without even bothering to look at anything else. Loaded Beer Cheese Fries on the side brought my total to just under $15, which set the bar pretty high.

After we ordered, we noticed the rest of the decor, which consisted of a giant, life-sized, floor-standing cross, and a jail cell. We took a photo op with the more interesting of the two, and then were relatively quickly served our meals. I was more than a little put off by the overall presentation, but it was cool that Allen could get a side of chili with his. My fries were pretty good, and the burger was tasty, but the price was all I could think about. The burgers were disappointingly flat, at about half the thickness of the photo. More vegetables would have given it the thickness I craved, but the sliced celery was an interesting addition that I enjoyed.

The cook came out a couple times, once to check on another couple of guys that were there, and again to check on us. The approach was a little bit awkward, but I could appreciate his desire to connect with his patrons. I hadn’t fully made up my mind by the time he came to us, so we just responded that everything tasted good, which wasn’t a lie. It just wasn’t worth $15.

I actually left hungry, so I ran home and cut up another peach for my afternoon at work. I did a bit of running around, had a sit down political conversation in the library, and then left work to meet up at Summer’s for dinner. She grilled a bunch of meats to eat for the whole week, so tonight was rice, chicken, broccoli, and cheese. I threw all of mine into a bowl and just sort of mixed it up, and it was great. She didn’t take the girls to karate, and Autumn decided she didn’t need to go to the high school for whatever band fitting they were having, so I ended up leaving them there for the night so I could come back home.

I wanted to clean up a bit more, but most of my evening was spent getting distracted by different problems everywhere, and I was never satisfied with any fixes. My new WEMO switch still isn’t working, my WiFi is a mess because of it, and I’m overall just super frustrated with the whole process.

And for some reason, I’m still freakin’ hungry.

Uncategorised

What Pandemic?

We planned a trip to Magic Springs today, so I got cleaned up and waited for Summer to bring all three kids over. As soon as they got here, I remembered the souvenir cups were at her house, so she and Autumn ran to get them while we waited for Dad to get here. Then we hit the road.

It was a pretty good drive down, in spite of getting stuck behind every Jeep. Seriously, if you drive a Jeep down Highway 7, screw you, buddy. When we got to Hot Springs, Summer and I decided to go back to Rolando’s for lunch. The strip was absolutely packed though, and we made it all the way to the top of the parking garage without finding a space. Luckily there was a lot of foot traffic back to the garage, and we found two people leaving just as we turned around at the top.

It was a pretty good, brisk walk to Rolando’s. I was surprised they weren’t completely packed, but we got right in and sat in the 1920s-30s speakeasy themed floor. The rest of the visit was pretty disappointing, unfortunately. The food looked great, but it was all just barely warm. It didn’t take much time to come out, so I don’t know if it just wasn’t cooked fresh, or what. Evidently they also didn’t serve chips and salsa for lunch unless you ordered it as an appetizer. Then the salsa didn’t taste as good as any of us remembered. Overall it was super disappointing compared to the incredible experience we had on their rooftop deck last time.

From there, we made our way to Magic Springs, and wandered through to a few rides. They were pretty busy too, with really long lines for the roller coasters when we first got there. We split up a little bit to get some rides done, and then all ended up back at the Gauntlet, where the line had diminished to almost nothing. We all rode it twice, and then everyone but Summer and Autumn rode it a third time since there was hardly a wait.

We wanted to get some funnel cakes on the way out, but we got really lucky and missed out, because they stopped making them over half an hour before they would close. Instead, we went back downtown and walked all the way to the end of the strip to a place called Kringles and Kones. Kyle, the sole person there, was an amazing and friendly host. It was a bit weird to be so Santa-themed, but the Santa’s Way danish and ice cream was incredible.

After that, we walked back to the car and filled up some water bottles while Dad checked on some tickets to see Maxwell Blade’s show. It was a packed theater, but he got us tickets in the back corner, and it really wasn’t that bad. It was a great show, and Dad got to visit with him for a bit after it was over. Everyone was exhausted by that time, but it was a great way to end the day.

I had to hit the brakes pretty hard on the way home to avoid hitting a deer, and that lead to about a gallon of spilled spring water in the back of the car, so when we got home I had to sponge a big pool of it out from under the spare tire. Of course it’s all in the carpet and everything too, and it won’t evaporate very well in the cold weather. I’ll just have to deal with it tomorrow. Along with replacing my car battery.

And I won’t take “no” for an answer.

Uncategorised

What a Wreck

Autumn got up this morning ahead of everyone else, and actually wanted to take the others out to do something. Once everyone else was up, we sent the three of them to get breakfast from Burger King. When they got back, Eaddie said she had slipped in some gravel and had a little wreck, breaking the bottle holder off of her bike. Fortunately I had about a dozen more, so I had her fixed up with a replacement in no time.

They took off again to go exploring on their bikes, so Summer went to the gym while I took a shower and started some laundry. She and the kids all got back home around the same time, and they came in to rest while I went outside with Summer so she could practice riding the Grom around the neighborhood.

I was in and out with laundry since she seemed to be doing really well. That’s when I heard someone beating on the door. The neighbor came over and said he thought someone hit her in the road. I ran outside, and she was standing on the sidewalk at the end of the road with a couple stopped cars and a bunch of people.

Luckly she hadn’t actually been hit, but she had a low-speed crash after what I guessed was a failed downshift in the middle of turning onto our street. As far as crashes go, it couldn’t have happened in a more convenient place. She was able to walk to the house, and I got the Grom started up and rode it home. It wasn’t until we got there that I realized how bad the gash in her chin was.

We dropped Noah off at work, then tried to go by MedExpress. They came out to check on her, then politely suggested the emergency room just in case it was something more serious. We really should have insisted on getting stitches there, because it took over four hours at Saint Mary’s to get three stitches in her chin. The staff there was overall much less friendly and helpful, and I’m sure it’ll be more expensive. We were running with an abundance of caution though, and didn’t have the gift of hindsight.

Julie was nice enough to pick up Noah from work while we were stuck at the hospital. When we did finally make it back to the house, I had Noah take her home while I finished up my laundry. Then I ran to get her a Baconator for dinner before Wendy’s closed, since we never did eat after breakfast. I picked the girls up from my house, then headed up to theirs for the evening. Summer was obviously exhausted after an afternoon of road rash, a laceration on her chin, and at least one chipped tooth, but didn’t seem as defeated as she had been the rest of the evening. She made it up into bed for some of her kids baking show until she fell asleep. I struggled to get my laptop running long enough to get this blog post up, and then crashed myself.

See what I did there?

Uncategorised

Maybe It Wasn’t Jason

We had to meet at the shop this morning for a brief training meeting and then project work. The project work ended up being mostly already done though, so there was just a touch panel install in the afternoon. I ended up sticking around the shop all day anyway, so Ben and I could tinker with some of Impero’s broken features.

A group of us went to Fat Daddy’s in London for lunch, and it was some of the worst barbecue I’d ever had from them. I decided to get the brisket sandwich, and they forgot my slaw on the sandwich. I didn’t bother going back up, but then the brisket itself was dry and tough. Maybe I’m just spoiled now, or maybe the quality of the beef suffered due to the pandemic. I think I’m spoiled.

We stopped by the Ridgewood Brothers on the way back into town and chatted with Robert and Felix for a little bit just to complain on the way back to work. I wish they would hurry up and start service on Fridays so we could get some decent barbecue for group lunches.

The afternoon went by pretty quickly. I still mingled around the shop, partly waiting for our project at the end of the school day. Melinda had me go upstairs with her to fetch a couple stacks of boxes, and Josh called wondering where I was. He had the truck and trailer all loaded up and ready for the job, and I was making him late.

Evidently Zach and Greg were already there, but we didn’t realize they brought everything for the job already. Everything Josh brought was just extra, and they already had the old SMART touch panel down and the Newline up. We finished the wiring and tidied up a bit, and then we were out of there.

I wrapped up the day chatting with Ben for a while, then headed home just long enough to change before getting Autumn from therapy and taking her home. I cleaned up some leftovers there while we waited for Summer to get home from the gym. Then Noah called and needed a ride up. I didn’t even realize he was coming over this weekend, but everyone got along pretty well all night, so it really was a treat.

We got gas on the way back to my house, and then Summer pretty well passed out as soon as we got there. We tried setting up something for the kids to do, but nobody could settle on anything. I got Slender running for a bit and played through a round of it. Autumn went to bed before he got me, and afterward I crashed and left Noah and Eaddie up for some late night television.

Maybe we’re just bad at projects.

Uncategorised

The Time Honored Tradition of Hating the New Guy

It rained a bit last night, but today was cool, clear, and beautiful out. My morning went by pretty quickly, though I didn’t accomplish a whole lot. I did decide to take a lunch though, and went home to make myself a couple burritos. I should have stopped at one, but I was afraid I’d still be hungry with the work I would be doing in the afternoon.

I took the Grom back to work after lunch. I spent just a little while at the high school, then had to meet some guys at the shop to help with a couple touch panel installs at Dwight. Zach, Greg, and Kyle were loading up Greg’s truck, and then I rode with Kyle to the school. We got there with plenty of time to spare before school let out, but the teachers let us in anyway.

The first install went relatively quickly, but Zach kept making eyes about how Kyle was doing a lot of standing and watching. In his defense, he’s shy anyway, so being new and timid seems completely normal to me. He’s fully capable of doing what you ask him to do, but it was like the other two just expected him to figure it all out. I’m sure he’ll get to where he can lead a project eventually.

We ended up having to re-run some cables in both rooms, so we didn’t finish up until right at quitting time. We unloaded at the shop, and then I went by Summer’s shop to see her for a bit. She was just about ready to leave though, so I headed home for a little while before going up to her house for dinner.

I thought we were just cleaning up leftovers, but she actually made some fresh chicken for the girls. I wasn’t really very hungry, but I just shoveled a bunch of really old food down my gullet to get rid of it. It was pretty dissatisfying.

After dinner, we came back to my house and moved the couch so we could watch a movie. Autumn really wanted to watch a Disney princess movie, which seemed to mostly annoy everyone else as usual. I had a trick up my sleeves though, because I knew we had the new Mulan on Disney Plus.

I thought the movie was alright, but lacked the punch you would expect from someone as large as the Walt Disney Company. In fact, I guess from that frame of reference it was pretty disappointing. There were a few groany parts, but overall it was entertaining and different enough from the original cartoon that it didn’t feel like a super lazy reproduction.

No, there is not at least some singing.

Uncategorised

Something Screwy

We had more “training” today, which was really just going over expectations with the new folks. At the end of it, I was voted into the Classified Personnel Policy Committee, essentially by default as the most tenured, sensible person in the department. Afterward I ended up hanging out at the shop all day long, which is nice to do occasionally. Most days I never leave the high school, so it’s cool getting to hang out and actually learn something with someone else for a while.

Zach really wanted CJ’s for lunch, so a big group of us went there. It’s going to be pretty bad for the district if anyone comes down with symptoms over the weekend. When we got back to the shop, Gary and I sat down and came up with a plausible cause for the flash drives wiping themselves out. It’ll take a little testing, but I think we’re in the clear, and it was way more simple than I originally figured.

I went home for a little while, then met Summer at the shop so they could inspect my rear right tire for a puncture after it leaked a few pounds overnight. Sure enough, I had a screw right in the middle of it. It wasn’t very long, but it was plenty to do the job. They got me patched up while Summer took Autumn home.

The girls were going to go out for dinner with their father, so I went home to clean up a bit before taking Summer out. She was tired and not very hungry, but she needed to eat before Conquer the Gauntlet tomorrow. I took her to Mulan’s after Allen announced earlier in the day that they had re-opened for dine-in. I expected an odd experience, but it really wasn’t too bad. They just had everyone use single-use gloves, and tried to enforce traffic flow in a single direction. It didn’t really help a whole lot, since people still bounced back and forth between bars, but it was a good experience.

When we got back home, Eaddie sat down with us to start season five of Glee. Then Summer passed out, and I stayed up too late on the computer. Tomorrow morning is going to be a real treat.

I almost forgot what it was like to eat this much.

Uncategorised

The Best Laid Schemes

Summer took the girls home this morning so she could get her nails done. I made plans to pick up some Ridgewood Brothers BBQ for lunch with my parents, then made it across town early enough to be the first person in line. They hooked me up with some incredible banana pudding, but I forgot to tell them what sides I wanted with my Hog Trough, and ended up having to go back for them later in the afternoon.

Uncle Giao came down with Erica to help move Nova into a dorm at Tech, so my parents ended up bailing on lunch with us and went to Linh instead. Summer brought the girls back and we ate a super late lunch at my house.

I knew Robert had quite a bit of trouble with green wood yesterday, but I didn’t expect to taste the difference in the meat. The smokiness just wasn’t there the way it usually is, and all the meats seemed a bit drier and less flavorful than we’d ever had before. We did finally get some burnt ends though, and they were super rich, fatty, and juicy. Honestly, I think I would actually prefer them left on the brisket, but that may not make sense when you’re serving by the slice. Overall, I hate to say it was SubparBQ, but the expectations at this point are so impossibly high, and everyone deserves an off-day. They’re still my number one pick hands-down, and I’m not even playing favorites.

After we ate, Summer left for her hair appointment. Eventually I got the girls loaded up and we went to my parents’ house to swim for a while. Summer took forever to meet us there, but her highlights looked great. We sat around for a while talking to Mom about cars, then eventually made it back to my house for the evening.

Eaddie and I stopped along the way to get some Dairy Queen for everyone, then they watched some TV for a bit before getting up and exploring the house a bit to make plans for The Great Cleanout. There’s a lot to do, but everyone seemed genuinely excited about it, which felt pretty good. I dug out my box of greenman suits, and Eaddie danced around the living room for a bit. I got some intense stomach cramps from all the laughing.

Autumn was the first to crash as usual. Then Summer went to bed while Eaddie watched some TV and I poked around the internet until the yawning took control.

Nothing can stop it cause you’ve just gotta ride ride ride ride ride!

Uncategorised

Logan’s Roadkill

Summer and I decided to run to Conway today instead of going all the way to Hot Springs. I was hoping to score a deal on some Nest cameras, among other things. She went to the gym while I got ready at home. I accidentally spilled a bunch of water in the kitchen and had to clean it up first, so I took a frustration break in Overwatch before we headed out.

Our first stop was Logan’s Roadhouse for a late lunch because we were both super hungry. It was the absolute worst food I’ve ever had from a Logan’s. I let them talk me into a choice sirloin that I could barely even cut with a serrated knife, much less chew. Worse yet, the steak didn’t even have any flavor. It was truly awful. Even the potato was bad, with Summer feeling like they were overcooked and dry, and me thinking the opposite that they were undercooked. The service was great, but I wasn’t going to send the food back. I just cut my steak into tiny little pieces, mixed it up with the potato and A1, and swallowed it whole.

Our next stop was Home Depot to see if they had my Nest cameras. We wandered around the store for a bit and ultimately ended up at a register with a piece of paper off of a tear-off calendar-like display. I went to talk to the manager as she got into the locker to look for the goods, and she was the polar opposite of helpful. She didn’t seem to understand a word I was saying, and just had a completely garbage attitude. Maybe it was the masks, because I know I was sick of mine just from our first store visit.

Next up was Kohl’s to burn a $5 reward, bringing a blouse for Summer down to just over a buck. This was our first win of the day, but the mask was really wearing on me by this point. Our next stop was Sam’s, where we just picked up a couple small things and left. On our way out of the shopping center, we decided to stop at Rita’s Italian Ice. This was our second win of the day, because the custard and Italian ice were both amazing.

On the way home, I remembered wanting to get a carwash, so we stopped by Splash and got a quick detail. They were pretty dead, so they had the job done faster than I could pepper my lunch potato.

Summer didn’t feel great most of the afternoon, so when we got home, I put on Fun with Dick and Jane until she was ready to go to bed. Then I played some iMessage games with Eaddie to end the night.

Now all I can think about is an actually-tasty steak.