If You Could Yelp Me Please

I think we have all used the Yelp app at one time or another, if only to see how good or bad a company is at what they do. Recently, on a 2 day trip, and using Yelp and Reddit to help me find good places to eat along my trip, I noticed a trend that is a little disturbing to me. I ate at a little diner just off the highway that only had a 3 star review. I figured 3 stars was enough that the food would taste decent while also not resulting in food poisoning. By the time I was done with my meal, I was very pleasantly surprised at how good the food actually was. The wait staff was very kind and serviceable and the check was not outrageous. As I let my copilot drive, I began to deep dive into the comments of this restaurant on Yelp and most of them were only lower because the décor was dated and the menu was limited. To me, that is part and parcel of what a side of the road diner should be. Very dated décor, classic painted veneer tabletops, a menu of a few sandwiches and smaller plates, and most importantly a damn fine cup of coffee to quote Twin Peaks. It was frustrating to me that a place is probably losing business because people do not know what to expect when going to an establishment such as this. Anyway, along with the 25% tip I left them, I tried to update their Yelp review with a 5 star post. I also will suggest them to any of my friends that are heading on the same path I happened to be on that day. In fact, I may very well go out of my way to go back there just for a quality meal at a decent price because, for the uninitiated, this is what a diner serves and should continue to serve. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

Costume Nuance

Spooky season is upon us again. That means it is time to go get a costume, whether that be making it yourself or shelling out a chunk of money for a mass produced one. Either way, let’s all agree to do a little fortune telling for the night of our apparel. What I mean is, it is perfectly okay to wear your piece of lingerie as a costume, but only if it is an adult’s only occasion. Every year, inevitably, I will see someone that did not understand the word “sexy” on their costume they bought, wearing it to some school function or a family Halloween party. I am not trying to be a prude here. In fact, if I am honest, I like to look at the costume and everything it holds, but my wondering eye does not need to be able to do that at the yearly office gathering. I am sure the spouse of said persons is overjoyed at the prospect of their partner wearing something so revealing. However, everyone else should not have the opportunity. Although, I cannot only blame the people who cannot read a 4 letter word. I also have to cast shade on the industry of costume making. The “sexy” section of costumes has gotten larger and larger while the fabric contained within that cellophane package has gotten smaller and smaller. Amazon is full of different costumes made sexy. I personally would not give that much money for such a small costume, no matter what it would eventually be used for. This year, let’s all agree to kill two birds with one stone. We will make our own costumes, forcing the costume industry to bleed a little, while also making sure that our costumes are fit for any occasion so we are not literally caught with our pants down. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

Cartoons Teach Lessons

 I am a full-grown adult. As such, I bet it is not on anyone’s bingo card for me that I enjoy cartoons. If they still showed them on local networks, my Saturday mornings would probably still be full of cereal and animated fun. However, as an adult, I also see things in reruns of cartoons and even some newer cartoons that I did not care about as a child. It is the fact that cartoons can be a learning device, not just random colorful television shows. They show us friendship, sharing, perseverance, strength, and even history, science, and general knowledge lessons. I am not just talking about children’s cartoons designed to do this. I personally learned what a didgeridoo was by watching Spongebob. I mean don’t get me wrong, I am not saying every cartoon, or even every episode of every cartoon, is this type of entertainment, but there are many episodes of many cartoons that fit this bill. One would be very surprised at how much we can learn from the names of the Pokemon, silly as some of them may sound. However, this is the point. It is not that we should never enjoy something just because. It is also not the case where just because something is nonsensical that it should be avoided because kids will not gain anything from it but a little mindless brainrot. Instead, we should take every opportunity to learn from anything we see, even if it is an odd television program about a walking, talking kitchen sponge and all of his friends. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.