Is It Being Picky If You're Paying for It?

Last night, we went to Texas Roadhouse to celebrate my birthday. Coming home, Leah and I discussed an issue and several circumstances that have certainly been talked about before; personally, I think that everybody has their own inner "threshold" if you will, that makes the opinions differ.

Is is possible to be TOO picky at a places like a restaurant? After all, you're paying $10-15 for a steak, and most likely adding a gratuity......but where's the line between "extra butter, no lemon, with my salad dressing on the side" and "Good grief--Maybe you should stay home since nobody can really make you happy."

Leah's dad is a prime example. His salad order is usually something like "No croutons, no tomoatoes, no cheese.....extra bacon bits, extra egg, etc. And with the standard "side item plus a a salad" option that most steakhouses offer, he opts for no side and would rather have a jumbo salad in its place. He's a regular at Logan's, so they usually know his little routine.

So last night, he get his salad. It ain't big enough for him. I think it was a regular side salad, so I don't know if the server forgot, or just plain ole didn't recognize his abnormal request. Then his steak comes. He sends it back because he doesn't like the marinade. When management comes out simply to inquire about the nature of the unhappiness, his comments are something in the ballpark of, "Whatever marinade you use is nasty. I just don't like it. Awful. Can I just get one plain instead?" The restaurant had no problems meeting his request, but my thought process for the entire deal would be to ASK if they used a marinade, and find somebody who can answer to your satisfaction the contents thereof so that you can make an educated guess as to if you will like it.

I've also eaten out with plenty of people who chose to send something back because it was just a TAD overcooked or a teeny weeny bit too pink (in the case of steak) or whatever. I've waited tables before, so maybe my defensiveness comes from having been on the other side. Plenty of people have no problems saying they want cheese sauce instead of shredded, their salad dressing on the side, extra sour cream on their potato, and au jus on the side. And I'm not saying that you shouldn't get what you ask for. But in the service industry, if your expecatations are so unrealistic, and your requests are far above the average client, I'm not so sure you should be dining out in the first place. Stay at home and grill your own--that way, the happiness is guaranteed, and you have the added bonus of personal accomplishment.

Just Call Me Larry Bird

Happy Birthday to

• Julia Stiles, who turns 25
• Memphis' own Elliot Perry, who is 37
• Reba McEntire, who turns 51,
• my favorite TV housekeeper, Conchata Ferrell of Two and a Half Men, who is 63

And yours truly, who was born in the wee hours of the morning (14 minutes past midnight, if I'm not mistaken) on that fateful Wednesday 33 years ago, at the now-it's-a-pile-of-rubble Baptist Hospital on Union. Wow, my life has changed quite a bit since my last birthday. Last year, Leah was about 2 or 3 weeks pregnant, and we didn't even know it. Wow--an extra bedroom in our house is now a nursery, and 8-10 hours of sleep per night is now sometimes divided up into 2 distinct segments. Morning TV has gone from SportsCenter and ESPNews to Blue's Clues and Max & Ruby on Noggin (channel 298 on your a.m. DirecTV dial). Heck, I didn't even know there was a channel called Noggin.

Anyway, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I've got great friends, a wonderful family, an awesome church......So much to be grateful for!

Monday--Time to Rest

Well, this weekend was one of those weekends that could've been a nice, relaxing 2 days off to recharge the proverbial batteries and start the week off fully rested. But it wasn't. You know, one of those "I was off, but I worked!" type of deals.

Friday night, we met our friends Russell and Heather at Chili's to eat dinner. Chili's @ Wolfchase was, as expected, very congested, but Heather got off work a bit early at the Baptist Hospital for Women because she didn't have any patients. I think we probably had to wait 15-20 minutes or so, but all in all, it wasn't bad. Our server was this tall guy, kind of a bit odd, who spoke kinda fast and didn't really have much personality. But we all got what we ordered and I think he probably made his 15-20% from both parties involved.

Saturday, I had agreed to help my friend Regis, of Flowers and Gifts by Regis fame. I guess several brides had decided that the first Saturday of spring would be a great day to get married, because Regis had FOUR weddings to do. I asked one of his helper-people, "I know this kind of thing happens in June and stuff, but March??....Isn't this kind of.....?" "Weird?....Yeah," was the reply. Anyway, I was up at 7ish or so, and reported for duty around 8:30. I found out that there was a wedding a 2nd Baptist on Walnut Grove. Another one at Germantown Baptist, with a reception hosted by the Crescent Club (it was supposed to be outdoors, but being that the evening temps would be in the 30's and 40's, it was moved inside)--had to make an unplanned and unscheduled early trip over there due to the nazi wedding planner. Another was at Central North, with a reception at Colonial Country Club. I had never attended anything at the country club, so it was my first time seeing it. Very nice place. Being that it used to be the site of what is now the FESJC golf tourney, I couldn't help but think that I was walking the same hallways that many pro golfers used to walk. Sure, thousands of feet have probably walked over them over the years, but it was still a bit cool.

A month or so ago, Leah had asked me to set aside Saturday night as a night for us, as she was going to cook me dinner for my birthday (which is the 28th). So all afternoon, I was juggling my commitment to Regis with my word to Leah, and hoping that I wouldn't disappoint either party. I had told Regis that I could help him until about 5 or 6, and then I'd be outta there. As it turned out, I clocked out at 6:45 or so and headed home (At that point, all the wedding delivery and setup was done, and florists enter their "halftime" mode of waiting until the ceremonies and/or receptions are over to go retrieve their rental stuff (if necessary) and get the facility back to the way they found it). The timing was actually pretty good with Leah's dinner prep, and we sat down within a few minutes of my arrival home. My menu: boiled shrimp, coconut shrimp, caesar salad, sweet tea. Served up on china and via candlelight. Oh yeah, and for dessert, we went to Applebee's. I should mention that Nicholas was at his grandparents' house, so it was a truly quiet evening alone, which was nice. Haven't had one of those, in gosh, 4 months now!!!

Sunday morning, I had to be at Kroger at 10, so church wasn't a possibility. I worked til 2, and then came home and chilled out for a little while. Nicholas was back home by this time, and was being quite fussy--didn't feel good and was a bit tired, too--so we ended up having to skip the dedication service for Mike and Stacy's baby Abby (about 10 weeks Nicholas's senior), which we hated. We needed to go to SuperTarget to get new formula (thanks to Dr. Scott--details over at the Russellbaby blog), milk and OJ type stuff, etc, and grabbed a bite to eat at the new you-don't-have-to-go-to-the-mall-anymore Steak Escape. We then came back home, and put Nicholas to bed. Only to be awakened at 1:30AM for a feeding, and being forced to sleep on the couch with him because after an hour or so of rocking and such, he didn't want any part of being put back in his bed. So there I slept until about 5 or so when he wanted to eat again.

Bottom line--it was a very busy weekend, and my sleep last night was a bit interrupted and not very sound. Hopefully I can catch up in a night or two. But my catching up will have to wait until 11:00 or so tonight, when I come home from Kroger.

The Early Bird Gets the...Blog Props

Well, today is March 23, which means that 360 days have passed since my last birthday. Right around the corner, next Tuesday, Eric will be 33. Oh my gosh, how I am aging! I'm a regular George Burns!!

Anway, a couple of email wishes have already dropped into my Inbox, complete with money-saving offers and coupons from those whose loyalty list I have joined at some time or another. Let's look at the two of them, in chronological order:

3/21, 6:15AM A Birthday Gift from Texas de Brazil "We not only want to wish you a Happy Birthday, we want to join in the celebration!" Translation: We'd be honored if you came to our fine restaurant, and dropped an inordinate amount of money on our sophisticated salad bar and steroid kabobs. Actually, the deal is a pretty good one--Receive one complimentary dinner with the purchase of a full price dinner. No problem. The proverbial fine print goes on to say that a regular dinner is 40 bucks, that it's not valid on Saturdays, one certificate per table, etc etc. And one very puzzling but emphatic condition. This certificate is not a buy one, get one free (their emphasis). OK, I know it's just semantics, but uhhhhh..........aren't I getting one dinner free, but only under the condition that I purchase a dinner? So wouldn't that be kinda like....tell ya what, never mind. Most of the gauchos there that I remember were a little iffy on their english anyway.

3/21, 7:02AM A Birthday Gift from Your Neighborhood Pub Club Happy Birthday from Fox and Hound and Bailey's Neighborhood Pub Club! I guess that one time I was in Fox and Hound, having an appetizer or burger and watching a game or a WWE pay-per-view event (just kidding) and some little waitress asked if I wanted to sign up for their Pub Club and get free stuff and I didn't wanna rain on her parade. So if I print and present the email, I get a free entree, as long as I buy another entree of equal or greater value. So I guess I have to go with either a friend/relative/spouse or a healthy appetite. Geez, why not give me free pool for 2 hours, with complimentary use of a house Meucci cue, all the while being served 35 degree Bud Light draft by the cutest 2 servers in the place? You want my loyalty, then you must earn it!! Don't give me 7-dollar coupon that expires in 2 weeks! Ok, call me ungrateful.

So there ya go. Happy Birthday to Me. I'm not sure if these will actually be used, but if you're interested in accompanying me to either of the noted retail eating establishments, I'll be happy to tag along.

Let's Make a Deal....Or Not

It never ceases to amaze me how idiotic some companies must think that we are. I got an offer yesterday from Cingular, my wireless carrier. The letter begins something like, "To show our appreciation for being such a loyal/great/excellent/etc Cingular customer, we'd like to make this offer to you...."

Enclosed are pictures of a couple of slick phones--one of which is a Blackberry and the other is one of the popular models with cool features, I guess. Anyway, the letter goes on to offer me the latter phone for FREE! or a hefty discount on the Blackberry model. In return, all I have to give them is.........an additional line of service on my account and I'm guessing a 2-year contract. What a deal! Let's see--$9.99 for an additional line, plus tax, is $10.91. Times 24 months, is only $261.84, and that's not counting all those FCC charges, inter-state bridge/toll excise taxes and crap that seems to increase your bill by like 15%. But the whole tone of the letter was "Thank you for being such a loyal customer" and "Don't wait to take advantage of this great deal!."

First of all, Nicholas isn't asking for a cell phone (yet), and even if he was, this deal is a stretch at best. I'll buy on my own terms, thank you.

Just for Kix

So I'm sitting at my desk on Tuesday afternoon, and I've got my radio on KIX 106 (105.9 on your radio dial). They do this contest called "mystery voice" that's usually a line from a movie, and you have to identify the person's real name. I must say that it's usually pretty tough--it ain't exactly "I love black people!" from Jerry McGuire or anything akin to a lobbed softball. I guess if you're a huge movie fan and gold Rewards card-carrying member at Blockbuster, then they might be easier. But in my humble-but-o-so-accurate-opinion, it's usually an obscure quote that isn't immediately obvious.

So anyway, my radio wasn't turned up that much, so I didn't really hear the quote completely or clearly. But I thought it was a deep male voice, with someone of an accent, saying somthing about "....Straight ball I hit it very much." Kinda like the Pedro Cerrano character from Major League. Now, should I call and give it a try, given the fact that I really didn't hear all of the quote? Or would it be terribly embarassing if I wasn't even remotely close to being right? What the heck.....Maybe I'll go out on a limb and actually win something.

Now, the "real name" aspect is presenting problems, so I jump on the trusty computer and go to IMDB. Dennis Haysbert. Wow, that's not a common name you hear on Entertainment Tonight ever night, so I'll give it a try. I call--line busy. Again. Busy. Repeat about 3 or 4 more times. Then I hear it ringing. Either they've got a winner, or I got a chance.

"Hello, Kix 106"
"Do you have a winner?"
"No...what's your answer?"
"Is it Dennis Haysbert?"
"It IS!! Congrats, you're a winner!!......blah blah blah."

He later says that he's on 24 (which I don't watch), as well as those "I'm-standing-in-the-middle-of-the-highway-hawking-insurance" Allstate commercials. But the quote was indeed from the often watched and more often quoted Major League. My prize was two tickets to Kix106's Birthday Bash concert at Sam's Town, featuring Sugarland (one of Leah's favorites, and the lead singer Jennifer Nettles is some serious eye candy) , Trick Pony, and others. And being that it's a Sunday night, and hotel rooms are astronomically cheaper Sun-Thur than they are on Friday and Saturday, I think we're gonna make it an overnight date and take the day off on Monday. So now the quest is to find the best room, the best buffet, etc. Leah wants a good seafood spread, and we're not high rollers, so if anybody has any suggestions on where to go to eat, let me know!!!

His Luck Ran Out

I was quite saddened to hear last night about the death of former game show host Peter Tomarken of Press Your Luck fame. Bummer, dude. And to die while piloting a plane, doing volunteer work, makes it all the more tragic.

Remember growing up, when someone 'famous' would die, and you'd look to your parents with a puzzled look and say, "Who was he/she?" The response you'd get would be something like, "You're too young to remember.....He/She was on TV when I was a teenager--we'd all watch so-and-so program on Tuesday night, and everybody just loved him/her."

That's the sort of memories I have of watching Press Your Luck. It would come on every morning, somewhere between $25,000 Pyramid (with Dick Clark) and The Price is Right. During the summer, when we were out of school, I had a pretty regular TV-watching regimen, and Press Your Luck was probably one of my favorites. Peter Tomarken always seemed eager to laugh, and light-heartedly poke fun of contestants. In short, he seemed to be very well-suited for that genre of TV. I don't know how critics thought of him, or even what adults thought of him, but he had one diminutive fan that was 10 or 12 years old.

Rest in peace man......There's no whammies in heaven!!

Turning Over a New Leaf

Ouch, it has been quite a while since blogging, huh? (Simple explanation, really, I was just trying to be like Jennifer Rushing.) But I'll save you the incessant groveling and endless apologies, and try my best to do better. Two jobs, a 3-month old, oh yeah, and sleep sometimes get in the way. Either that, or Leah threatens to inflict severe bodily harm if I don't stay away from the computer (ok, slight hyperbole).

My problem is this: I'm always trying to convince myself that my dull, uneventful life is of little or no interest to anybody. Heck, I don't have super-cool job at CNN like Jeff, or I don't get to interview John Calipari or Shane Battier like Steve, and my day-to-day routine is just plain ole, well, plain! Heck, what I had to eat today or our crazy experience at McDonald's or our parking situation at the grocery store would be of no interest to blog readers anywhere, right? But then I find myself reading someone else's blog, and for some odd reason continuing to read after they tell me about a goofy experience at McDonald's or a nasty note left on a random car that finds those two painted lines designating a parking space to be a bit too restrictive.

And time is another factor. Dude, it just evaporates. Today is a little microcosm of the usual schedule for "downtime":

6:30A - Nicholas wakes up. By the transitive property of awakeness, we're up, too.
7:30A-9:00 I'm watching Nicholas b/c Leah is getting her hair cut/colored/whatever else they can do to charge women 5 X what I pay for mine.
9:00-10:30 Laundry and misc. chores around the house.
11:00 Leave the house to drop Nicholas off, and to attend an info session for Direct Buy
1:00 - Grab some lunch at Chick Fil A and then go to SuperTarget
2:00 - Drive to Arlington to check out the progress on the lot, if any. Also try alternate routes for the whole "point A to point B" thing.
3:00 - Return home and chill for 30 minutes or so
3:45 - Change clothes (into Kroger stuff); go to the Blaylocks for an early dinner
5:30 - Head to Kroger for 6P-10:30P shift.
10:45 - Arrive home. And here I sit. Oh yeah, and I have to be back at Kroger in about 9 hours.

The next few days are gonna be busy, too. Sunday, it's work til 1:30P and then wait on Scott and Jenn to get to town (and probably finish some household chores). Monday it's work, and then Kroger til 10:30. Tuesday is work, and then Grizzlies game til probably 10 or later. So my next scheduled "nothing's happening" night is Wednesday. But I'm sure something will come up between now and then.

Wanna hear something funny? I know that you'll have been wearing me out. I keep thinking, "I need to start posting again. Jeff is gonna do one of his famous "Carnival of the Jeff Links" and make some snide comment about my lack of posting. I know how disappointed I am when I don't get my blog/update fix, but yet somehow that hasn't translated into sitting down and blogging about seemingly unimportant things. So I'll try my best to make time, and make note of blogworthy thoughts and comments. But right now, a glass of tea and a bowl of ice cream are calling my name. Yes mom, I know it's not good for me this late at night, but I'm just not caring right now.

Good night, John-boy.