Return to Beebology!
Stop Me If I Babylon And On And On
I don't really have a set theme for this month. Too much stuff is going on to try to sit and concentrate on one specific thing while I write this article. So, I figure I'll just jot down a few loose thoughts and kinda throw together a random collection of ideas that may or may not have popped into my head over the last month. Who knows, I might even come up with a topic after all.
My new job has me very excited. Except for the fact that the rest of the SM staff can't seem to understand that I am NOT a wood salesman!! I sell wood FLOOR. And not just any wood floor, it's acrylic impregnated and sealed using gamma radiation from cobalt 60...ok, I won't go into my sales pitch. None of you make enough money to buy it anyway!
Gammapar has already had me traveling. I flew down to Orlando about 2 weeks ago. I was quite nervous. Airport security didn't do a whole lot to help my fears. The tightest security I faced was at Roanoke. It's a podunk, hole in the wall airport, just lucky
enough to have jet service, and the security guy frisks me! But that was all. He didn't check my bag. No one checked my bag. They checked EVERY OTHER BAG. Not mine. I could've had a bomb...a gun...a fire cracker. No one would have known.
I connected in Cincinnati. Well, actually I connected in Kentucky. The airport is across the Ohio River from Cincy in the middle of a forest it seemed. There were
absolutely no signs of life at all.
Orlando was nice. The airport had big concourses and trains that took you from one side to the other. There was a HUGE Hyatt Regency Hotel IN the airport. I would say that overall the trip was an alright experience up until having to check-out of MY hotel at 3am in order to get to the airport and go through "security" in time for my flight at 5:30am. I probably could've just stayed at the hotel in the airport all weekend and not had to worry about getting back to the airport on time for my return flight.
The Atlanta airport was not what I expected. My cousin Jerry (who just became a father again...well-I mean he already was a
father...so he can't become one again...he had another...no Julie had another baby) had warned me about Atlanta's airport...so I was wondering what it would be like.
As I walked through the Atlanta airport, proudly displaying my NY Mets hat on my head, I looked out the window and spied the plane on which I would fly back to Roanoke. I wanted to cry. Puddle-jumper. 2 props. Dents in the wings. It looked like it had carried troops in WW2. The airport
maintenance man had fixed the broken latch on the refrigerator door with glue and duct tape. Needless to say I was thanking God when we landed.
Hey, looky there, I ended up with a coherent column.
Keep reading...this month we have a special Double Feature of the SM/Beebo Land Restau-Rant
SM/Beebo Land Restau-Rant
My travels last month took me to abroad and gave me opportunity to sample some local
cuisine of other areas in our great nation.
This being the case, I will review 2 establishments.
First off, Perkins. A nice down home atmosphere, reminiscent of Denny's and Shoney's. When I ate there 10 years ago with Todd and his Parents, we had a wonderful waiter from Iran named Ray. When I arrived last month, Ray was no longer employed by Perkins of Orlando, so I counted them with one strike before I even sat down. My waiter was in no way Ray-esque. Except for the fact that he too was foreign. He was rude, short (not height, but attitude), and inept. The food was as you would expect from a Shoney's wanna-be.
But a burger is a burger and God knows I love my burgers! All in all the experience was not terribly heinous. The loss of Ray has
obviously hurt the business as there were only 4 other people there. Out of a possible 5, I give them 3 forks.
Our bonus review is my favorite. International Drive in Orlando is home to many hotels and restaurants. It even has the worlds largest McDonald's (lame). But none is better, than Darryl's (name is best said with shoulders shrugged). Again, I ate here with Todd and parents 10 years ago, and I must say the experience was completely different. For example, while waiting for a table in '91, we had the opportunity to meet Tammy Faye Bakker (Messner...freak lady). Since I was by myself this year, there was no wait and I missed my opportunity to meet Tammy again. She wasn't there anyway, but if I had had to wait, you never know what would have happened. In '91, we sat upstairs in the non-smoking area, which allowed the smoke from downstairs to slowly rise up to us and collect all around us. I sat downstairs at a small table...alone. In '91, our food was brought to us via a dumb-waiter...no-not the guy himself, a pully system that brings food and dishes from one floor to another. The dumb-waiter isn't there anymore. In '91, our waiter had a cock-roach on his sleeve. This year, we were roach free. I do have to say I do not remember the food being as good in '91 as it was this year. I had the best steak I have ever had in my life, and 2 baked potatoes, loaded down with butter, sour cream, cheese, and bacon bits. Each potato was about the size of one of my feet (I wear size 12s for those of you who have never seen my feet). I LOVED the food!
Out of a possible 5, I give them 4 1/2 forks.
If you ever find yourself in Orlando, think about my remarks here. If you are daring, eat at Perkins. Maybe you'll meet Ray. But if you want some daggon good food, eat at Darryl's. |
|
Poetry Corner |
| Aloha Means Good-bye
Some people don't know what they have until it's
gone.
Some people still don't know even then.
Other people put high value on
every little thing. And others value things
now and again.
Let's all realize that you can't
take it with you.
It's not worth even giving it a try.
So hug your family and
friends and make sure they know you love
them before Aloha means Good-bye.
|
| |
| |
|