The Trip That Finally Made My Wife Haul Off And Slug Me In The Face (COMPLETED 10/2)

[Captain_Oblivious]

I don't care for Coke (I know, I live in the wrong town...trying to fix that) and have never been there. For $100 a pop (pardon the pun), not going to either.

I did think that was really steep for a giant Coke commercial.

Yep, you were...about 10 minutes away. I wish I knew what was going on with notifications on the dis...I haven't gotten any notifications on this thread until you quoted my username. Grrrr.

That is weird. Wish I could help you! I keep forgetting to check in on your thread, too!

Yes I saw it and enjoyed it.

Yeah, I didn't get to that part. I was on a plane and fell asleep, it just couldn't keep my interest.

Can't blame you there. What a weird movie.

 

[pkondz]

But that pesky budget got in the way again.

I fully believe that the DIS should fully fund our trips since we so faithfully report on them here, don't you think?

I’d been looking at visiting both the Georgia Aquarium (supposedly one of the largest and best in the world)

Still pretty high on my bucket list.

Except when we were finally ready to visit Atlanta, Coke had unceremoniously dumped the rewards program, not bothered to send me a notification, and when I went to cash in the points they were all expired.

Nice. Gee... thanks. How about refunding all the money spent?

I know you’re supposed to be refreshing, but that was decidedly uncool, Coke.

Decidedly.

So.... switching to Pepsi? Or some generic no-name brand?

So, now if we were going to visit, we’d have to fork over $100+ for what is essentially a giant Coca-Cola commercial.

Ouch. Nope.

Please do not point out my hypocrisy by detailing the amount of money I will be spending on Walt Disney Co. propaganda this summer.

Not at all the same. I suppose you could say that Disney is a commercial for itself, but.... there is a purpose. You go there to ride, to enjoy, to see, to experience.

This left a morning to fill in the agenda as we traveled from Chattanooga down to Atlanta. What to do?

Set a spell? Put your feet up?

Right around 9:15 a.m., we pulled into the parking lot of the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Georgia.

Cool looking place. I can see the attraction.
No... really. I can see it. You took a photo.

We paid our admission (note: AAA discount available!)

Good to know. It works for me too, then. (CAA member for decades.)

Those of you with kids (especially little boys), have you ever had one who was able to resist these toy train tables? Me neither.

Two girls... and neither one could resist those either.

The highlight for the boys was a train simulator, where you could take the controls of an engine and “drive” it on the screen in front of you.

Okay... now that's just cool.

Dave got his train up to 90 mph, which as you can see is way, way too fast.

I'm thinking it's because you were out there that he got it up to that speed.

a telegraph to send messages across the room (Sarah is using it in this photo).

Cool! We had one in our Children's Museum... but it didn't go anywhere. You could just make the noises.

You might know it as The Great Locomotive Chase, which was the title of an obscure 1956 Disney movie starring Fess Parker

Hmmmm... not sure.... I might have heard of it?

The museum itself had a movie which told the story in odd fashion—they’d hired their own (terrible) actors to describe the chase while editing in train footage from the Disney film. So we kept watching lousy actors mixed in with exciting chase footage from another, better movie.

They should've just put the Buster Keaton one on a loop. It's only an hour long.

Anyway, the story itself is a great one, and probably deserves a modern Hollywood remake.

Maybe? Tough when the heroes all get killed (or most of them.)

Would that make a great movie, or what?

See above. But... thanks for sharing all that. I had no idea, of course.
But.... How much did that change the outcome of the war? A lot? A little? Not at all?

Sadly, I must now return from that better, much more vastly entertaining story back to the boring story of my vacation.

You don't have to.

Here we are in front of the General herself:

Is that the actual engine? Or a recreation?

every horror story you’ve ever heard about Atlanta traffic is true.

Yep. Took a wrong turn there once.

Oy.

No one exactly knows who first came up with the idea of serving chicken & waffles together, but Atlanta has laid claim to specializing in the dish (with a strong challenge from Roscoe’s in Los Angeles).

Interesting that they're on opposite coasts yet still make the claim. Huh.

And some seem to have no problem bouncing in between, depending on what mood strikes.

That'd be me.

I’ve learned that there are some with particularly refined tastes (for simplification, let’s just call them “weirdos”)

They also have stated definitively that they do not like chicken and waffles. These people are, of course, wrong.

You are going to be in sooooooo much trouble.

“peach cobbler french toast”,

Hello!!!

I'm sure you posted that as a gag, but.... I really like it. If it was just a bit more in focus (probably exceeded the camera's minimum focusing distance) and better still... zoomed in or cropped... I'd really, really like it.

Oh my gosh....

Hmmm.... 23 hour drive....

Might be worth it?

we all eat chocolate-covered pretzels, right?

Nope. Love chocolate covered lots of things (especially almonds) but that one... I prefer my pretzels with just salt.


Loooooots of salt.

Huh! That's not at all like what we had. More like a sandwich.

And that made for our third Drooling Homer Award for Excellence in Unpretentious Dining in a row.

23 hour drive.... hmmm.....

Coming Up Next: Finally, the aquarium.

Yuss!!!!!!!!

Followed by another wholesome, nutritious meal.

But of course... no.... wait........ if it's lunch, it has to be PB&J.

For $100 a pop (pardon the pun),

 

[Steppesister]

See above. But... thanks for sharing all that. I had no idea, of course.
But.... How much did that change the outcome of the war? A lot? A little? Not at all?

From my understanding of the account, not at all. It ran out of fuel and the mission, while a valiant effort, sucked, because it ran out of fuel. ??

I'm sure you posted that as a gag, but.... I really like it. If it was just a bit more in focus (probably exceeded the camera's minimum focusing distance) and better still... zoomed in or cropped... I'd really, really like it.

I was going to say the same thing. Unintentional, but nice from a photographer's point of view.

But that pesky budget got in the way again.

It always does, doesn't it?

but that was decidedly uncool, Coke.

Very.

Please do not point out my hypocrisy by detailing the amount of money I will be spending on Walt Disney Co. propaganda this summer.

I'm glad you pointed it out, so I don't have to.

It was fellow DIS Dad Rob (@GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes ) who reminded me of an attraction I’d had interest in visiting but had originally decided against when looking at spending the day in Atlanta. With the morning now open, it became the perfect stop along the way.

This. This is why we read TRs and make friends. It's about way more than trips to Disney.

Those of you with kids (especially little boys), have you ever had one who was able to resist these toy train tables? Me neither.

Nope. I can't even count the hundreds of dollars we invested in Brios. Added to the original purchase costs, we paid hundreds of extra $$ to cart them to and from Central Asia a few times. Totally worth it.

Dave got his train up to 90 mph, which as you can see is way, way too fast.

You might know it as The Great Locomotive Chase, which was the title of an obscure 1956 Disney movie starring Fess Parker (better known to Disney fans as Davy Crockett).

Huh! One I wouldn't mind seeing!

In 1862, with the South enjoying victory after victory in the war and marching further and further north towards Washington, a civilian named James J. Andrews approached Union forces with an idea for a daring mission. Posing as civilians, he would lead a group of Union soldiers behind enemy lines into Georgia, steal a locomotive, and ride it back to Chattanooga, sabotaging the railroad and telegraph lines along the way. If they could inflict enough damage, they could essentially cut off the supply lines for the Confederate Army. It wasn’t out of the question that it could have been a decisive blow in the Civil War.

So far, so good. Might I just say this is absolutely genius strategy?

Would that make a great movie, or what?

YES!

I"m curious, and the fam want to know. Was it coal-fired or wood? I know it's a wood car, but was that for display or ????

No one exactly knows who first came up with the idea of serving chicken & waffles together, but Atlanta has laid claim to specializing in the dish (with a strong challenge from Roscoe’s in Los Angeles). In any case, we were in town and wanted the local flavor.

I'll stick with Tommie's.

Now, I’ve had many discussions on the boards concerning various readers’ opinions of foods and our likes/dislikes, and it must be said that there are all sorts of tastes and palates represented here. Some swing towards fine gourmet dining. Some, like me, swing towards your standard blue-collar meat-and-potatoes-and-high-cholesterol diet. And some seem to have no problem bouncing in between, depending on what mood strikes.

I wonder where that great debate was held... ??
And being that I ate Taco Bell for lunch and Strip Steak with sauteed onions and shrooms for dinner... I'd say I fall squarely in the bouncing category.

In the course of those discussions, I’ve learned that there are some with particularly refined tastes (for simplification, let’s just call them “weirdos”) who like to ruin meat by adding mayonnaise to it. They also have stated definitively that they do not like chicken and waffles. These people are, of course, wrong. Nevertheless, I must allow that while I praise the following meal, it may not appeal to all of you.

But this is where I draw the line.
Happy as a clam to be rightly wrong.

Good Lord.

 

[franandaj]

I’d saved up Coke Rewards points for a long time. Most of the “rewards” you could get were junk, but I’d noticed that if you had a certain number of points, you could trade them in for free admission to the World Of Coca-Cola. So I’d thought to myself, “Self, if we ever go to Atlanta, we should cash in those points for free admission.” No problem!

This does not bode well.

Except when we were finally ready to visit Atlanta, Coke had unceremoniously dumped the rewards program, not bothered to send me a notification, and when I went to cash in the points they were all expired.

Dang you Coke!

So, now if we were going to visit, we’d have to fork over $100+ for what is essentially a giant Coca-Cola commercial.

No thanks. I don't even like Coke.

Right around 9:15 a.m., we pulled into the parking lot of the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Georgia.

That sounds like a pretty interesting stop!

The highlight for the boys was a train simulator, where you could take the controls of an engine and “drive” it on the screen in front of you.

I think I'd even have fun with that.

You might know it as The Great Locomotive Chase, which was the title of an obscure 1956 Disney movie starring Fess Parker (better known to Disney fans as Davy Crockett). The story also was the basis of the 1926 Buster Keaton silent film “The General”.

Nope. Never heard of either of them.

I’m pulling details from memory here, but if you’re interested in the full and complete story, I recommend Russell S. Bonds’ book Stealing the General, which is the most comprehensive account available.

Sounds like an interesting story.

Sadly, I must now return from that better, much more vastly entertaining story back to the boring story of my vacation. Here we are in front of the General herself:

I find it odd the way you use the name "The General" and then the feminine designation. i realize that many vehicles are referred to in the feminine, ie, "She's a beauty", but it still struck me as funny.

It’s only 25 miles from the museum to downtown Atlanta, but every horror story you’ve ever heard about Atlanta traffic is true. It took us about an hour to get there. We parked in the Aquarium garage and then walked across the street to get some lunch at the Atlanta Breakfast Club.

Is it worse than LA?

And some seem to have no problem bouncing in between, depending on what mood strikes.

This would be me.

I’ve learned that there are some with particularly refined tastes (for simplification, let’s just call them “weirdos”) who like to ruin meat by adding mayonnaise to it.

I thought you were talking about me here....

They also have stated definitively that they do not like chicken and waffles.

But see i like chicken & waffles!

In the meantime, somebody had the bright idea to give the camera to the kids.

Well at least you're not paying for film!

Peach cobbler French toast is basically a combination of peach pie and French toast. It’s just as heavenly as it sounds.

To me i think it strikes me more like the cronut and diminishes both in the combination. But since I read this before going to a grocery store, we are now having French Toast for breakfast tomorrow morning. I even bought special bread sliced just for making French Toast. I bet it's good for Texas Toast as well. We're having Frito Pie on Monday night, so I think a slice of homemade Texas Toast will go nicely with that instead of the storebought version!

And then there were the chicken & waffles. Love it!

Those look strange, at Roscoe's they give you real waffle and your choice of bone in fried chicken next to it. Maybe they have boneless, but I've never ordered it. Always like my fried chicken cooked on the bone. More flavor.

we all eat chocolate-covered pretzels, right?

Nope. I've had yogurt covered pretzels, but I'm not a fan of pretzels unless they're the baked kind like the Mickey ones you get in the parks served with mustard or cheese sauce.

Crispy, salty fried chicken, sweet waffles with some maple syrup…just wonderful.

Even served in that funny way, I'm sure it was still good.

OK, so I need to retract something that I told you on you last bonus Texas TR. I suggested an author Ben Rehder and his Blanco County mysteries as a book series that I thought you might enjoy. Now we started listening to this series of books on CD long before I met you. I had no idea that he had written new books until after I said that you should listen to them. We just started listening to some of the books in the series we missed quite a few years ago. While you may still enjoy them, I'm not sure how much they are up your alley. You seem to be mostly a nice sort of guy and while you enjoy fart jokes and jokes at the expense of Taco Bell and stuff, I'm not positive you would enjoy storylines based on black mail with (rhymes with corn) and folks (bad guys) using lots of drugs and other debauchery. I had forgotten that in addition to larger than life Texas characters, the books are rather edgy and there were quite a few things that (while they don't bother me so much as I'm a reckless gal raised in hippie loving California), you may not find them as run of the mill. Then again you may like the series regardless. Just don't get the audio books and listen to them with your kids in the car. There is also a lot of swearing. Not as much as Deadwood or Game of Thrones, but you have been warned.

 

[Steppesister]

Congrats, Mark! You stuck it out and were rewarded with a sweet win for your team. Fun spending the evening “watching the game” with you!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Congrats, Mark! You stuck it out and were rewarded with a sweet win for your team. Fun spending the evening “watching the game” with you!

What a game that was! Just incredibly exciting. I love this team!

Thanks for chiming in on Facebook! It was fun to hang out with so many friends around the world.

 

[pkondz]

What a game that was! Just incredibly exciting. I love this team!

Thanks for chiming in on Facebook! It was fun to hang out with so many friends around the world.

Wish I’d known. I would’ve joined in on the fun.
When’s the parade? I assume there will be one? And you’ll go?

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Wish I’d known. I would’ve joined in on the fun.
When’s the parade? I assume there will be one? And you’ll go?

Dang. Sorry we missed you. Basically, I posted something about the game just before it started and it turned into a live comment thread while the game was going on. Liesa and several of the DIS Dads as well as some of my other friends chimed in. It was a lot of fun--kind of like a virtual sports bar. One of the better uses of social media. They could watch me suffer cardiac arrest in real time!

Parade is Thursday, and...I won't be there. Part of me thinks it would be cool to say I was there, but it will be hours of gridlocked traffic, standing in a sea of humanity, barely getting a glimpse of a float as it passes by, and probably not being able to hear the speeches. I'll most likely have a much better experience watching it on TV. Oh, and they're also giving free beer to the masses, which seems like a capital idea.

 

[pkondz]

Dang. Sorry we missed you. Basically, I posted something about the game just before it started and it turned into a live comment thread while the game was going on. Liesa and several of the DIS Dads as well as some of my other friends chimed in. It was a lot of fun--kind of like a virtual sports bar. One of the better uses of social media. They could watch me suffer cardiac arrest in real time!

Well, considering I barely use facebook (that is what you mean, yes?), I can see how I missed it!

Parade is Thursday,

I just heard that on the news.

and...I won't be there. Part of me thinks it would be cool to say I was there, but it will be hours of gridlocked traffic, standing in a sea of humanity, barely getting a glimpse of a float as it passes by, and probably not being able to hear the speeches.

Hmmm......

If you hadn't said "hours" of gridlocked traffic, I would tell you to go anyways.
Wouldn't want you to regret that.

I'll most likely have a much better experience watching it on TV.

And I would agree, except..... there is something to be said for a live experience. Or to even just say "I was there".
And.... you can record it. That's what I do when I go see a race. I watch it live... then I watch the race on TV later to see what I missed.

Oh, and they're also giving free beer to the masses, which seems like a capital idea.

 

[Terra Nova guy]

Liesa and several of the DIS Dads as well as some of my other friends chimed in

And don't forget our cats! I think @pkondz has a dog who could have joined in
I must admit I wasn't that thrilled with the idea of getting a cat. I've only had her for 2 weeks now but I'm enjoying it so far.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Well, considering I barely use facebook (that is what you mean, yes?), I can see how I missed it!

Yes, it was on Facebook. And yes, given your typical absence there, I didn't expect you to be around!

Hmmm......

If you hadn't said "hours" of gridlocked traffic, I would tell you to go anyways.
Wouldn't want you to regret that.

And I would agree, except..... there is something to be said for a live experience. Or to even just say "I was there".
And.... you can record it. That's what I do when I go see a race. I watch it live... then I watch the race on TV later to see what I missed.

Eh, it's fine. I'm not a big parade guy, as you know from my opinion on Disney parades. And I really, really hate dealing with crowds. And drunks. So crowds of drunks would not be pretty. I got to see a great game with friends and family, we all went nuts together. That's plenty for me.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

And don't forget our cats! I think @pkondz has a dog who could have joined in
I must admit I wasn't that thrilled with the idea of getting a cat. I've only had her for 2 weeks now but I'm enjoying it so far.

The cat population was well-represented. Except by me--I'm allergic.

 

[pkondz]

And don't forget our cats! I think @pkondz has a dog who could have joined in
I must admit I wasn't that thrilled with the idea of getting a cat. I've only had her for 2 weeks now but I'm enjoying it so far.

Of course you are.

Yes, it was on Facebook. And yes, given your typical absence there, I didn't expect you to be around!

But coulda. If I was on Facebook more, I would’ve known to be on Facebook more.

Eh, it's fine. I'm not a big parade guy, as you know from my opinion on Disney parades. And I really, really hate dealing with crowds. And drunks. So crowds of drunks would not be pretty. I got to see a great game with friends and family, we all went nuts together. That's plenty for me.

You know yourself.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I fully believe that the DIS should fully fund our trips since we so faithfully report on them here, don't you think?

I love this idea! You've got my vote.

Still pretty high on my bucket list.

Knowing you, I bet you'll get there.

Nice. Gee... thanks. How about refunding all the money spent?

Seriously. Or at least the time spent entering those stupid codes.

Decidedly.

So.... switching to Pepsi? Or some generic no-name brand?

Nah. I still go with whatever's being served.

Ouch. Nope.

My parents were recently in Atlanta and said they enjoyed World of Coke quite a bit. Maybe I'll go back when I only have to pay for one admission or two.

Not at all the same. I suppose you could say that Disney is a commercial for itself, but.... there is a purpose. You go there to ride, to enjoy, to see, to experience.

There is a lot of cross-promotion at Disney, but the experience is unique and worth paying for.

Set a spell? Put your feet up?

Our family??

Cool looking place. I can see the attraction.
No... really. I can see it. You took a photo.

Well, there you go. We run a full-service operation here.

Good to know. It works for me too, then. (CAA member for decades.)

I always pick up my free maps before road trips.

Two girls... and neither one could resist those either.

They're like kid magnets.

Okay... now that's just cool.

Yeah, we spent quite a bit of time in there. Lots of buttons to push.

I'm thinking it's because you were out there that he got it up to that speed.

Definitely a possibility. But then who would pay for dinner?

Cool! We had one in our Children's Museum... but it didn't go anywhere. You could just make the noises.

Now I'm imagining you pushing a button and making telegraph "beep" and "boop" noises, and the other kids looking at you funny.

Hmmmm... not sure.... I might have heard of it?

You're forgiven if you haven't.

They should've just put the Buster Keaton one on a loop. It's only an hour long.

Definitely would have been better than what they showed.

Maybe? Tough when the heroes all get killed (or most of them.)

Well, only half of them were executed. The other half escaped from prison! So you still get your rousing, happy ending.

See above. But... thanks for sharing all that. I had no idea, of course.
But.... How much did that change the outcome of the war? A lot? A little? Not at all?

Not at all. The potential was there for it, but a) it takes a lot of time and work to pry up rails, b) burning the bridges would have had much more impact, but the rain killed that idea, and c) the hour delay at the one station proved to be a killer to the mission. It allowed the pursuers to catch up.

So ultimately, it's a daring spy story, with a somewhat tragic outcome.

You don't have to.

Cool, I'm out! See ya!

Is that the actual engine? Or a recreation?

It's the actual engine! With some heavy restoration work, I'm sure.

Yep. Took a wrong turn there once.

Oy.

Interesting that they're on opposite coasts yet still make the claim. Huh.

We know somebody invented it somewhere. That's about all we know.

That'd be me.

Quite a few on this thread, I think.

You are going to be in sooooooo much trouble.

I couldn't resist.

I'm sure you posted that as a gag, but.... I really like it. If it was just a bit more in focus (probably exceeded the camera's minimum focusing distance) and better still... zoomed in or cropped... I'd really, really like it.

Seems like it's a popular one! One of the kids was just fooling around, so we ended up with that completely by accident. I'm not sure on the focus. Our lens has a bad habit of somehow getting the image stabilization turned off, so occasionally we get photos we THINK are in focus only to find out later....

Oh my gosh....

Hmmm.... 23 hour drive....

Might be worth it?

Nope. Love chocolate covered lots of things (especially almonds) but that one... I prefer my pretzels with just salt.


Loooooots of salt.

Interesting. You might be the first person I've ever spoken to who doesn't care for chocolate-covered pretzels.

Huh! That's not at all like what we had. More like a sandwich.

I think that was all in the presentation. There's some maple syrup involved, so we didn't eat it like a sandwich. Still took it apart and used fork & knife.

23 hour drive.... hmmm.....

Do it!

Yuss!!!!!!!!

I guess I'd better start writing.

But of course... no.... wait........ if it's lunch, it has to be PB&J.

But this was dinner! All bets are off.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

From my understanding of the account, not at all. It ran out of fuel and the mission, while a valiant effort, sucked, because it ran out of fuel. ??

Kind of. It ended up not having an effect on the war, which continued for 2.5 years afterwards. The biggest factor in its failure was the delay in waiting at the one station for the tracks to clear. That allowed the pursuers to catch up. Otherwise...

I was going to say the same thing. Unintentional, but nice from a photographer's point of view.

Glad you liked it!

It always does, doesn't it?

I'm glad you pointed it out, so I don't have to.

Always the first thing I think about when I write something--"How are all the smart-alecks going to jump on this statment?"

This. This is why we read TRs and make friends. It's about way more than trips to Disney.

Nope. I can't even count the hundreds of dollars we invested in Brios. Added to the original purchase costs, we paid hundreds of extra $$ to cart them to and from Central Asia a few times. Totally worth it.

Fun for hours! Of course, with my kids, they'll ignore the table at our home but be drawn to them everywhere else.

Huh! One I wouldn't mind seeing!

I'd like to watch it sometime, too.

So far, so good. Might I just say this is absolutely genius strategy?

It made a lot of sense, if they could pull it off.

I"m curious, and the fam want to know. Was it coal-fired or wood? I know it's a wood car, but was that for display or ????

I tried to look it up and couldn't find it. I want to say it was wood-fired if I remember the book correctly. I think they eventually ran out of wood at the end of the chase. But it's been several years since I read it.

I'll stick with Tommie's.

I wonder where that great debate was held... ??
And being that I ate Taco Bell for lunch and Strip Steak with sauteed onions and shrooms for dinner... I'd say I fall squarely in the bouncing category.

You and Alison and pkondz...

But this is where I draw the line.
Happy as a clam to be rightly wrong.

More for me, then! You can have the snot rocks.

Good Lord.

I can't tell if this is a "Good Lord, that looks amazing!" or a "Good Lord, I want to hurl."

This does not bode well.

Nothing can go exactly as planned, right?

Dang you Coke!

No thanks. I don't even like Coke.

Cool. You can come with us to the train museum instead.

That sounds like a pretty interesting stop!

I thought it was worthy!

I think I'd even have fun with that.

Lots of buttons to push! Fun for hours!

Nope. Never heard of either of them.

I guess we have some cinema-watching to do.

Sounds like an interesting story.

I find it odd the way you use the name "The General" and then the feminine designation. i realize that many vehicles are referred to in the feminine, ie, "She's a beauty", but it still struck me as funny.

A little odd, huh? Many Navy ships are named after men (USS Nimitz, etc.) but I'm sure they're still referred to as "she".

Is it worse than LA?

Not according to the latest study. Congratulations!

This would be me.

You and Liesa and pkondz.

I thought you were talking about me here....

But see i like chicken & waffles!

I was trolling everybody with that one!

Well at least you're not paying for film!

Thank goodness! Digital really revolutionized the photography world.

To me i think it strikes me more like the cronut and diminishes both in the combination. But since I read this before going to a grocery store, we are now having French Toast for breakfast tomorrow morning. I even bought special bread sliced just for making French Toast. I bet it's good for Texas Toast as well. We're having Frito Pie on Monday night, so I think a slice of homemade Texas Toast will go nicely with that instead of the storebought version!

Julie always make the mistake of sending me shopping for food when I'm hungry. It never ends well. I really loved that peach french toast, though.

Those look strange, at Roscoe's they give you real waffle and your choice of bone in fried chicken next to it. Maybe they have boneless, but I've never ordered it. Always like my fried chicken cooked on the bone. More flavor.

This tasted awfully good to me! I'm not real picky when it comes to fried chicken.

Nope. I've had yogurt covered pretzels, but I'm not a fan of pretzels unless they're the baked kind like the Mickey ones you get in the parks served with mustard or cheese sauce.

That makes you and pkondz as the two people I've met who don't eat chocolate-covered pretzels.

Even served in that funny way, I'm sure it was still good.

OK, so I need to retract something that I told you on you last bonus Texas TR. I suggested an author Ben Rehder and his Blanco County mysteries as a book series that I thought you might enjoy. Now we started listening to this series of books on CD long before I met you. I had no idea that he had written new books until after I said that you should listen to them. We just started listening to some of the books in the series we missed quite a few years ago. While you may still enjoy them, I'm not sure how much they are up your alley. You seem to be mostly a nice sort of guy and while you enjoy fart jokes and jokes at the expense of Taco Bell and stuff, I'm not positive you would enjoy storylines based on black mail with (rhymes with corn) and folks (bad guys) using lots of drugs and other debauchery. I had forgotten that in addition to larger than life Texas characters, the books are rather edgy and there were quite a few things that (while they don't bother me so much as I'm a reckless gal raised in hippie loving California), you may not find them as run of the mill. Then again you may like the series regardless. Just don't get the audio books and listen to them with your kids in the car. There is also a lot of swearing. Not as much as Deadwood or Game of Thrones, but you have been warned.

Well, I might surprise you there. We of course try to live and preach good clean living and family values. Much of this of course derives from our faith. But unlike many of my brethren who seem to be trying to separate themselves or close themselves off from the rest of the world, I think that's a poor approach. I think the world has to be seen as it is. So while I try to conduct myself and raise my kids to be kind, generous, forgiving, etc. (and many times I fail miserably at these things), we're not going to shelter ourselves, either. Bad things happen. People act this way. Someday, you have to learn to deal with it. And people in the worst situations need to be met where they are and helped, not turned away because they're not "wholesome". I also am not perfect in my own behavior, and try as I might, there are just a few situations where a certain profane word is just the perfect word to describe them. So I'm no angel, anyway.

So, all that to say I don't really censor a lot when it comes to the entertainment and art I consume (certainly, I still censor what the kids see). I have watched Breaking Bad and Deadwood and found a lot of artistic and redeeming value in them, no matter how dark or edgy they got. Sometimes the darker, edgier stories really do reflect the world as it is, and there's value in seeing that in an honest way. I gave up on Game of Thrones because it just felt like too many characters and a lot of spinning their wheels plot-wise. And I did have to fast-forward a few scenes that were just over-the-top gratuitous. I just read a book by Don Winslow all about our War on Drugs that was about as violent and extreme as you could imagine, but it felt like a truthful account of the many failures in that war and the horrors it has led to. So the edgy content becomes journalism--you're forced to confront the evil of the world.

Where I draw the line in entertainment is when it feels like it gets to a point where the dark, edgy content is there just for shock value or becomes the only entertainment. For example, I won't watch the torture-type horror movies where they're just about creative ways to kill people using the most gory means possible. I don't see any redeeming value in that.

That was probably a much longer response than you had ever hoped for! All that to say, I wouldn't necessarily be scared off by content alone. I'll try and check Ben Rehder out sometime. And I'll avoid the audio books.

 

[pkondz]

I love this idea! You've got my vote.

So that's one.....

Knowing you, I bet you'll get there.

Sure hope so.

My parents were recently in Atlanta and said they enjoyed World of Coke quite a bit. Maybe I'll go back when I only have to pay for one admission or two.

Hmmm... Well... maybe?

Our family??

Withdrawn!

Well, there you go. We run a full-service operation here.

Haven't you had enough of operations for the time being?

I always pick up my free maps before road trips.

And haven't had to use one in forever since we have the GPS.

Definitely a possibility. But then who would pay for dinner?

Julie

Now I'm imagining you pushing a button and making telegraph "beep" and "boop" noises, and the other kids looking at you funny.

I don't need to make noises for kids to look at me funny

Not at all. The potential was there for it, but a) it takes a lot of time and work to pry up rails, b) burning the bridges would have had much more impact, but the rain killed that idea, and c) the hour delay at the one station proved to be a killer to the mission. It allowed the pursuers to catch up.

So ultimately, it's a daring spy story, with a somewhat tragic outcome.

It's definitely an interesting story.

It's the actual engine! With some heavy restoration work, I'm sure.

Good... and... Cool!

We know somebody invented it somewhere. That's about all we know.

No we don't. Maybe it just spontaneously occurred.

Interesting. You might be the first person I've ever spoken to who doesn't care for chocolate-covered pretzels.

I'm number one!

I think that was all in the presentation. There's some maple syrup involved, so we didn't eat it like a sandwich. Still took it apart and used fork & knife.

Oh, I didn't mean you ate it like one. Just that the chicken was sandwiched between the waffles.
For sure didn't think you'd pick it up.

 

[franandaj]

Cool. You can come with us to the train museum instead.

Sounds like Fun!

Not according to the latest study. Congratulations!

Yay us?

This tasted awfully good to me! I'm not real picky when it comes to fried chicken.

Believe it or not, I can be very picky about my fried chicken.

That makes you and pkondz as the two people I've met who don't eat chocolate-covered pretzels.

I'm sure there are others....

So, all that to say I don't really censor a lot when it comes to the entertainment and art I consume (certainly, I still censor what the kids see).

OK, then go ahead....

Sometimes the darker, edgier stories really do reflect the world as it is, and there's value in seeing that in an honest way.

Oh, I'm sure that this book we're listening to represents honest stories of things that may or may not have happened in Texas. Or anywhere else for that matter. Most criminals are incredibly stupid and his characters certainly are no exception. But then that's the hilarity of the story!

I'll try and check Ben Rehder out sometime. And I'll avoid the audio books.

Actually I recommend listening to his books as opposed to reading them. The narrator who reads his books has the Texas drawl down pat. And he has a different voice, twang, and timbre for each character. There was a couple from Wisconsin in the book and what he did with their voices had me totally laughing! Each book has mostly new characters but there are some that are in all the books, like the Game Warden who is the main character and the folks at the Sheriff's department that he works with. There are also two other characters that are recurring, they're sort of the comic relief and they're kind of like Dumb and Dumber. They sound just like you would imagine any Texas redneck with a subpar IQ. It's amazing how he takes dozens of little "scraps" or "patches" that seem totally random at the beginning of the book, and slowly weaves them into a tight little "blanket" by the end of the story. We have about 3 hours left in a 12 hour long book, and I want to go drive around in our sucky LA traffic, just so we can listen until the end and how it all comes together!

 

[docsoliday1]

Interesting. You might be the first person I've ever spoken to who doesn't care for chocolate-covered pretzels.

Even though it pains me to say I agree with pkondz, I'm not a chocolate covered pretzel fan. There are several things I like individually, but not together:
Chicken & waffles
Honey & mustard
Chocolate & pretzels
With regards to chicken and waffles, my problem is I don't consider chicken to be a breakfast food. Same reason I don't get chicken biscuits from chick-fil-a...I want some type of pork for breakfast (ham, sausage, bacon[mmmmm bacon] or all of the above )

I know there are others, but those are the ones I can think of.

 

[Steppesister]

Kind of. It ended up not having an effect on the war, which continued for 2.5 years afterwards. The biggest factor in its failure was the delay in waiting at the one station for the tracks to clear. That allowed the pursuers to catch up. Otherwise...

Okay, I can see that too. Delays= fuel.

Always the first thing I think about when I write something--"How are all the smart-alecks going to jump on this statment?"

You do too?! I dunno know about you, but I can sometimes predict pretty accurately various people's comments and sass, down to the last word. Kinda fun in an odd way.

Fun for hours! Of course, with my kids, they'll ignore the table at our home but be drawn to them everywhere else.

Of course!

I tried to look it up and couldn't find it. I want to say it was wood-fired if I remember the book correctly. I think they eventually ran out of wood at the end of the chase. But it's been several years since I read it.

Good! Nice to see the authenticity of the museum then!

Sorry, and chain in SoCal that is famous for their chili burgers.

More for me, then! You can have the snot rocks.

What are those?

I can't tell if this is a "Good Lord, that looks amazing!" or a "Good Lord, I want to hurl."

Heaven on a plate. I couldn't eat a lot of that, but a little for sure!

Nothing can go exactly as planned, right?

Duh.

Well, I might surprise you there. We of course try to live and preach good clean living and family values. Much of this of course derives from our faith. But unlike many of my brethren who seem to be trying to separate themselves or close themselves off from the rest of the world, I think that's a poor approach. I think the world has to be seen as it is. So while I try to conduct myself and raise my kids to be kind, generous, forgiving, etc. (and many times I fail miserably at these things), we're not going to shelter ourselves, either. Bad things happen. People act this way. Someday, you have to learn to deal with it. And people in the worst situations need to be met where they are and helped, not turned away because they're not "wholesome". I also am not perfect in my own behavior, and try as I might, there are just a few situations where a certain profane word is just the perfect word to describe them. So I'm no angel, anyway.

So, all that to say I don't really censor a lot when it comes to the entertainment and art I consume (certainly, I still censor what the kids see). I have watched Breaking Bad and Deadwood and found a lot of artistic and redeeming value in them, no matter how dark or edgy they got. Sometimes the darker, edgier stories really do reflect the world as it is, and there's value in seeing that in an honest way. I gave up on Game of Thrones because it just felt like too many characters and a lot of spinning their wheels plot-wise. And I did have to fast-forward a few scenes that were just over-the-top gratuitous. I just read a book by Don Winslow all about our War on Drugs that was about as violent and extreme as you could imagine, but it felt like a truthful account of the many failures in that war and the horrors it has led to. So the edgy content becomes journalism--you're forced to confront the evil of the world.

Where I draw the line in entertainment is when it feels like it gets to a point where the dark, edgy content is there just for shock value or becomes the only entertainment. For example, I won't watch the torture-type horror movies where they're just about creative ways to kill people using the most gory means possible. I don't see any redeeming value in that.

This is positively the best explanation my view as well. Thanks for putting it so succinctly- much better than I could have done. You can't isolate yourself and live in a cave. But, if you can understand what you are living amongst, yet, know why you must set apart, you're on track.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

So that's one.....

I can't believe more people aren't signing up for that deal.

Haven't you had enough of operations for the time being?

Plenty.

And haven't had to use one in forever since we have the GPS.

But still...maps are cool!

I don't need to make noises for kids to look at me funny

I'm sure they help, though. Pull my finger!

It's definitely an interesting story.

Too bad it didn't have more impact, but that doesn't make it any less entertaining.

Good... and... Cool!

Definitely!

No we don't. Maybe it just spontaneously occurred.

It very well could have been an accident.

I'm number one!

Looks like more are rapidly joining your ranks!

Oh, I didn't mean you ate it like one. Just that the chicken was sandwiched between the waffles.
For sure didn't think you'd pick it up.

Ah, gotcha. I misunderstood.

Sounds like Fun!

The more the merrier!

Believe it or not, I can be very picky about my fried chicken.

Oh, I totally believe that.

I'm sure there are others....

Apparently I am the only person on the DIS who likes chocolate-covered pretzels. Didn't see that one coming.

Oh, I'm sure that this book we're listening to represents honest stories of things that may or may not have happened in Texas. Or anywhere else for that matter. Most criminals are incredibly stupid and his characters certainly are no exception. But then that's the hilarity of the story!

Wait, these are funny? Now I'm really interested. I had been thinking they were all dark.

Actually I recommend listening to his books as opposed to reading them. The narrator who reads his books has the Texas drawl down pat. And he has a different voice, twang, and timbre for each character. There was a couple from Wisconsin in the book and what he did with their voices had me totally laughing! Each book has mostly new characters but there are some that are in all the books, like the Game Warden who is the main character and the folks at the Sheriff's department that he works with. There are also two other characters that are recurring, they're sort of the comic relief and they're kind of like Dumb and Dumber. They sound just like you would imagine any Texas redneck with a subpar IQ. It's amazing how he takes dozens of little "scraps" or "patches" that seem totally random at the beginning of the book, and slowly weaves them into a tight little "blanket" by the end of the story. We have about 3 hours left in a 12 hour long book, and I want to go drive around in our sucky LA traffic, just so we can listen until the end and how it all comes together!

That sounds fun! I have mostly avoided audio books. I like reading the stories myself. I think it's because as I read along, I'm casting the movie in my head, so hearing someone else's voice for the character would mess me up!

Even though it pains me to say I agree with pkondz, I'm not a chocolate covered pretzel fan. There are several things I like individually, but not together:
Chicken & waffles
Honey & mustard
Chocolate & pretzels
With regards to chicken and waffles, my problem is I don't consider chicken to be a breakfast food. Same reason I don't get chicken biscuits from chick-fil-a...I want some type of pork for breakfast (ham, sausage, bacon[mmmmm bacon] or all of the above )

I know there are others, but those are the ones I can think of.

Welp.

I love all of those things. I wasn't completely sold on chicken for breakfast until I actually tried it, and now I have no problem with hitting up Chick Fil-A in the mornings. Thank goodness you like bacon or we'd have real issues!

Okay, I can see that too. Delays= fuel.

They really needed that head start. The delay killed their advantage.

You do too?! I dunno know about you, but I can sometimes predict pretty accurately various people's comments and sass, down to the last word. Kinda fun in an odd way.

Sometimes I can predict it and successfully head it off. Other times I set myself up and get clobbered. It's all part of the fun.

Good! Nice to see the authenticity of the museum then!

Sorry, and chain in SoCal that is famous for their chili burgers.

Sounds like a worthy stop.

What are those?

Oysters, remember?

Heaven on a plate. I couldn't eat a lot of that, but a little for sure!

I can always eat way more of these things than I should.

This is positively the best explanation my view as well. Thanks for putting it so succinctly- much better than I could have done. You can't isolate yourself and live in a cave. But, if you can understand what you are living amongst, yet, know why you must set apart, you're on track.

Thank you! Living in the world, but not a part of it is a fine line to walk.

Of course, I was just trying to explain to Alison why I don't necessarily censor my entertainment and it turned into all that. I figured she was probably reading all of that and thinking, "Geez, I didn't need your life story, I just wasn't sure if you'd like the book!"