A Little Sunday Steam!

 

So, I wasn’t even going to do a post, but I figure, why not? I wasn’t in the mood to cook today so I spent a little time pondering what I would eat for dinner. After contemplating many choices, I finally decided on Chinese food. I usually order from a place that’s about 12 minutes away by car, but not only was I not in the mood to cook, but I wasn’t in the mood to go pick up my food either. This is probably beginning to sound like a case of a ‘bad attitude’ but honestly, it’s not.

I placed my order at 6:15pm and asked how long it would take for the food to arrive. I was told that it should be delivered to my home in about 45 minutes. Now, let me just say that I’m a pretty patient person as far as most things go. I will wait for things a bit longer than a lot of people would. At about 7:15pm, I called the restaurant back to inquire as to the whereabouts of my order. The young lady assured me that the driver was on his way and that he had a couple other orders besides mine to deliver also. Can you say red flag? I wonder how long the other people were told their orders would take?

It got to be about 7:50pm and still no food! Seriously?! What in the world? I should have gone with my first instinct and placed the order as a pick-up order. That way I could have had my food in a timely manner,  instead of waiting almost 2 hours after ordering. I called the restaurant back again and asked if I could be compensated in some way for the ridiculous ‘wait’ time? The young lady apologized profusely and finally said that I could have another order of the exact same food, free of charge, since my order most likely was cold after taking so long to get to me. Of course, I couldn’t resist…I asked how long that order would take and was told about 25 minutes being that the restaurant was no longer that busy. What?  Another 35 minutes goes by and again, I call to see what happened. This time, a woman answered, definitely not the same young lady who originally took my order. I asked about the free order of food and when it was coming. I was told that they never compensate with free food for any reason. Furthermore, I would receive 10% off of  my order the next time! Next time?! There wasn’t going to be any next time!

Needless to say, I am no longer a customer of this place. What makes it even worse is that this has happened on at least 3 other occasions and I’m sure I’m not the only one. I gave this place chance after chance. I had even resorted to going to pick up the orders myself. But today, I figured I’d take another shot at it and see if this restaurant’s delivery service had improved. Obviously not! And on top of that, you mean to tell me  that they, as a business, don’t make any effort to make up for  tardy deliveries, yet they still expect to retain repeat customers? Unbelievable! Like I said in the beginning of this post, I wasn’t even going to share this, but it was stuck in my craw in a way that really irks me; hence a random post. Nothing like blowing off a little Sunday steam, right? I guess this is my just dessert for not going with my first instinct. Next time, I will just cook my own Sunday dinner like I normally do. LOL!

Sylvia Porter-Hall

In Good Company

 

 

Have you ever come across someone you just seem to click with? You say something first, then the other person chimes in and says that they were just thinking the exact same thing. How about when you are pondering whether or not to give a friend a call and the next thing you know, your phone is ringing and who is on the other end? That friend who was so heavy on your mind. It’s like the two of you have some kind of telepathic connection. You are kindred spirits. This kind of connection doesn’t come in droves, and that’s probably a good thing. Can you imagine having a strong link like this with many? Somehow, I don’t know if the connections would be as sacred as that with that one key person who seems to understand you no matter what is going on in your life. Please correct me if I’m wrong. The uniqueness of the bond is what helps to create that special relationship where you can commit your undivided attention.You can share your deepest thoughts with the ease of knowing that your secrets are safe with this person.

 

On Sunday June 1^st, I got an early start on the celebration of “me”. Yes, my birthday is quickly approaching…this Sunday June 8^th to be exact. I share the exact same birth date with a mutual friend of mine and my sister. Normally, we all celebrate over dinner together almost every year. However, my sister canceled due to a conflicting schedule. I thought to myself, it sure would be nice if the party could still go on. After all, it was our birthday. I didn’t want to present the idea because I just felt it might be overstepping my bounds. You see, my sister and this person were friends first. Yet, her and I have always clicked and found that we have a lot in common and think the same way about a lot of things. Nonetheless, I opted to leave the envelope where it was and not push it.

 

A couple days after my sister canceled our gathering, I got an instant message from our friend. She wanted to know how I felt about keeping the plan to get together for a pre-birthday celebration in the name of us. I quickly accepted and was pleasantly surprised that once again, we were on the same page. We met for dinner at LongHorn’s Steak House. At first, we were a little taken aback because the place was almost empty. We wondered where everyone was. We stood out in the lobby and debated where we would go next if we did leave. Finally, we decided to stay there and give the place a chance since it was where we had already agreed to go. It certainly was beautiful inside and out and had an inviting ambiance that could not be ignored, even though the place was scarce at the moment.

 

I’m thrilled to say that the evening was a huge success. But was that any surprise? Hardly. We ate great food, we laughed, we sipped lovely berry filled Sangria wine. We brought our like-minds successfully to the table….literally. We must have sat there talking for hours, but the greatest thing was that neither of us had to rush off to be some place else. We had no curfew and had no other place to be accept right there where we were, enjoying great food, outstanding service, but most importantly, we were in good company.

 

By Sylvia Porter-Hall

 

Where’s the Beef?

 

The Today Show did a short segment on the shortage of cattle in this country.  Reportedly, this is the biggest shortage since 1951. In an article written by Michael Snyder on February 3, 2014, he states that due to an extreme drought, the number of cattle in the U.S. is the smallest it has been since 1951. He also notes that there were about 154 million people living in the U.S. at that time. However, there are now well over 314 million people currently living here.

The U.S. cattle herd shrinking has been going on for 7 years consecutively which is propelling us quickly toward  a shortage of beef that is incomparable to any that the U.S. has undergone before. According to Michael Snyder, the major cause for this beef shortage is the result of a devastating drought that has imprisoned the western half of the country. He also noted that 2013 was the driest year ever for the state of California. This lack of water caused ranchers to start selling off their livestock for slaughter.

Like with everything else, what can be expected when there is a shortage of anything? If the supply is low, the demand goes up and so does the price unfortunately. So what are you to do when you love your beef and feel you must have it at least three times a week? Will you continue to buy beef as the prices continue to soar? Or will you opt to explore other options? You could always go Vegan but that’s going to require a lot of adjustment and commitment. Not that you can’t make the change, but it’s something to consider as you ponder your options. Chicken is always a tasty alternative, not to mention it can be prepared in a variety of appealing ways. But if you feel about beef like so many of us do, you will simply find a way to pinch those pennies a little harder and enjoy your burgers and steak regardless until the beef shortage eliminates this option all together. Even though you may not be feeling the affects of the cattle shortage right now, don’t be surprised if you one day find yourself asking, “where’s the beef?”

Know your Achilles’ Heel

 

 

Would it be safe to say that everyone has an Achilles’ Heel? You know, that weak spot or point of vulnerability that you may try to keep hidden as form a of self-preservation or protection. Being human, you may agree that everyone has an Achilles’ Heel. The thing is to find out what that area of weakness is for you. Some people have become very good at concealing their weaknesses, and with good reason. For example, say for instance you’re a person who just learned that  you’re diabetic. Your family is having a huge family picnic coming up this weekend. Now, you’ve only recently discovered your diagnosis, so your family is unaware. Everyone is contributing and bringing a dish to pass; all the fixins and then some. You’ve already had a private conversation with yourself and concluded that what your family doesn’t know, won’t hurt them. You carry on normally as you would have prior to your diagnosis. You don’t know much about the disease of diabetes, but you were just diagnosed, so how bad could it be? Your plan is to eat, drink and be merry.  And that’s exactly what you do!

There is tons of food, all kinds; grilled meats,baked beans,salads, an array of deserts that you cannot resist. Now, you’ve always had a voracious appetite, so taking in a hefty amount of food has never been an issue. For you, it’s no holds barred. You pile your plate high and eat everything that doesn’t eat you first! It doesn’t take long for you to notice that you suddenly aren’t feeling too well.  You try to guzzle down some soda in hopes that it might settle your stomach but that only seemed to make things worse.  You attempt to stand up but get a major head-rush and have to quickly sit back down. “What in the world is happening?” One of your family members notices you and comments on how pale you look and asks if you’re okay. You can barely respond but manage to choke out a reply saying that you feel very sick and that you think you may need to go to the “emergency” room. This is the last thing you remember!

When you realize anything, you’re in a hospital room and your doctor is standing over you. He questions you about what you were doing prior to coming to the hospital. You told him you remembered being at your family’s picnic and that you were eating at which time you started feeling ill. Your doctor then asks you what you had to eat. As you begin to run down a list of tasty but unhealthy choices, he interrupts you  before you can finish. He very firmly reminds you of your recent diagnosis. Your doctor then looks you right in the eye and warns that you have to be extremely careful about the food you intake. He further advises that you need to view sweets and starchy foods as your Achilles’ Heel and that if you continue to make these unhealthy choices, this disease will progress much more quickly and can be potentially fatal;not to mention all the complications that come along with this disease. You just look at him like he has two heads, but you hear the warning loud and clear. It is explained to you that you had an episode of hyperglycemia and that your blood sugar level was severely elevated. You assure the doctor that this only needed to happen to you once and that you would be making much better choices in the future. It’s one thing to be walking around and not know what your Achilles’ Heel is, but once you know better, you will most likely try and do better!