Three Strikes and this weekend is over!

Yeah, the curmudgeon is in a horrible mood. In the rollercoaster of life, I am mid-loop. Unfortunately, its those little details that really get on my nerves right now and this weekend's adventures didn't help too much. I kind of changed up my weekend routine a little and visited some places that I haven't been to in a while and I realized why.

First off - Red Lobster - you didn't bring me my baked potato with my meal. You said they were behind and that it would come. I finished my meal, my plate was taken away, and I didn't get my baked potato or offered an alternate. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BEG FOR FOOD THAT I ORDERED. Your saving grace - those buttered biscuits.

Maloney's Rocca Bar - decent service, thats after you wait 20 minutes for the waitress to notice you have joined a table that already has drinks. Sorry, but there are too many other bars out there like you. I will not put forth the effort to make it to your establishment if your wait service can't put for a little extra effort themselves.

The Blind Parrot - Wow! Talk about a nosedive! When the Parrot first opened, it used to be a decent little place to go for a few drinks, maybe to enjoy the outside patio, maybe throw some cornhole. The crowd was a decent lot, not to old, not to young, mainly the young professional friday-after-five type. The dance floor was usually occupied with only one or two cougars (that a lady 40 and above looking for a younger male), can't say that I joined them in dancing but there was always the opportunity.

Fast forward to this weekend. I was met at the door by "Big Daddy" the bouncer demanding three dollars for a cover charge. When I got into the bar, I immediately could tell this wasn't the old blind parrot. The best way to describe the place and its clientele was like a strip joint without the nakedness. I really felt out of place having a college degree and my hat on straight. The old DJ with his computer full of mp3's pumping out the cougar enticing tunes had been replaced by a real (wannabe) DJ with his two turntables and thankfully no microphone. In addition, I guess the Fire Marshal had already gone to bed for the night because there was no way that place should have had that many people in it. Needless to say, I won't be going back anytime soon.

One shining point to the weekend was the performance of those HILLTOPPERS. Sure, they lost in the second round to Gonzaga, but they put forth one hell of an effort in both games and proved they could play with the best of them. If things had gone just a little differently, they could have been in the sweet sixteen two years in a row. We'll see you next year in the final four!