There's A New King In Town

And it's called The Royal Peasant (kind of an oxymoron, but oh well.) In case you haven't heard, there's a new place to eat in town (well, in Athens anyway.) It's called The Royal Peasant, and it's located in Five Points, where The Mean Bean Mexican restaurant used to be.

I found out about it today, when one of the waitresses came into OfficeMax and handed me 25 menus to laminate as quickly as possible. I asked her if it was a Medieval themed place, and she informed me that it was "more like an English pub." I told her that I was FROM England, and that I'd have to come see just how "English" it really was! lol

The menu is kind of sparse, but they only officially opened yesterday, and there's only 1 guy who does all the cooking (but apparently he used to own or work at some fairly well-known restaurant, and he's an amazing chef.) The prices range from about $4 to $12 (for a 2 person serving of fish 'n chips), with the majority of items coming in at $8. All the prices are even dollar amounts (no change), and apparently they don't charge sales tax (or at least they didn't today.)

I had planned on checking the place out sometime in the next couple of weeks, but when Monica and I were heading to Wal-Mart tonight, to pick up a few needed items, I was apparently in a daze and on autopilot (thinking about my 10 days without a break work schedule), and drove right past Wal-Mart. Monica was talking on the phone with one of the receptionists at the place she has to go to tomorrow for an ultrasound, and we just sailed right on by Wal-Mart.

As we were passing Lowe's, and I realized I'd gone past Wal-Mart already, I also realized that I had no idea where I was going. I was just sort of driving. As we were both hungry, and I had told Monica about the new restaurant, we decided that we go check it out. So we headed over to Five Points, parked in the Hodgeson's parking lot (they're moving, by the way, after YEARS in that location!), and walked along the edge of some utility construction (that has part of South Lumpkin shut down down) to the restaurant which is just up the street.

We sat outside on the patio, and were waited on by the same lady who'd brought the menus in to be laminated (she seems to be one of the only waitresses working there at the moment.) She didn't recognize me because I was "incognito", having on sunglasses and a hat, but I decided not to mess with her too much, since she looked pretty busy.

She informed us that the bottled beers were still a little warm, and that they were just coming down to the right drinking temperature, and let us know that they were out of several items on the menu (which was a real bummer, because there weren't that many to start with. We were going to get fish 'n chips (which looked delicious), but they were out of fries, and were having to sub homemade crisps (potato chips) instead. You can't have fish 'n chips without large, yummy fries, so we opted not to get that this time. They were also out of their Rum Navy Pie, which we were also going to get, so that was another bit of a let down. They still had some delicious sounding items though, so we made alternate choices.

Monica and I both had the "Royale With Cheese" bacon cheeseburgers, and we shared a small cup of Lamb Stew (which case with a slice of nice crusty bread.) The stew was DELICIOUS, if possibly a bit salty, with lots of carrots and potatoes and big chunks of tender meat (I really want that recipe!) And the burger was one of the best burgers I've had in a long time!

So even though we couldn't get exactly what we wanted, we still had a wonderfully delicious meal! The restaurant/pub also has a nice selection of beers, ales, Guinness, a cider or two, and various other interesting sounding drinks, and these seemed to be one of the main crowd draws (this is a college town after all!)

At any rate, the food was delicious, and reasonably priced, and we will definitely be returning sometime in the near future to have a go at the fish 'n chips, to see just how close they come to the real thing! So if you planning on checking this restaurant out, let me know. Monica and I would love to join you! Hail to the King! :)

A Plethora Of Playthings

Well, we found Shadow's kittens. They're next door at the neighbor's house. As far as we know, there are 4 of them, 3 solid black ones, and one gray one (the odd one out of both litters.) We tried to get them from the back of the house, but they're not used to people yet, and ran for cover then hissed and spat at us from their hiding places (the gray one especially.)

The neighbors (at least the parents; we're not sure about the son yet), are going on vacation for 2 weeks (starting today I think), so we're going to try and coax the kittens over to our house to join their cousins.

What all of this means though, is that we now have at least 9 kittens (and probably 2 cats) to find homes for. The Humane Society is starting to look like the best idea, but I really don't want to do that. if I can avoid it. So if you want a kitten, just let me know! They're cute! :)

It's Official

I guess posting to FaceBook made it official (or something. That's kind of sad to say that. lol) The rumors are true though - Monica is pregnant, and we're going to have our first child sometime around the end of this year/early next year, if all goes well! This will truly be a miracle baby, because the doctors have told Monica for years that there was basically a one in a million chance that she'd ever get pregnant. But I guess we beat the odds (and it only took 7+ years! lol)

Please keep us in your prayers, because there's no telling how this pregnancy will go. We're just thankful for the chance to be parents-to-be. :) With a little luck, and a lot of prayer, this little Sea Monkey will spend the next 8 or 9 months growing into a strong, healthy little baby.

We're both leaning towards it being a girl, even though Monica's only about 10 weeks pregnant (according to the doctor yesterday), and she doesn't go for her ultrasound until Thursday. It's still too early for them to tell (I believe, but I'm new to this stuff, so who knows), but we think that it will be a little girl (or twins or something. lol)

I've been 100% correct so far in predicting the sex of every baby that's been born to a family member or friend, so we'll see how well I do when it's mine. It's still a bit early to say for sure, but it "feels" like a girl. We'll have to wait and see though. :)

Anyway, I have set up a new blog (yes, ANOTHER one) to track my journey towards first time fatherhood, and to chart Monica's progress throughout the pregnancy. It's still fairly rudimentary at the moment, but nothing much has happened yet, so there's not much to add. As we get sonogram pictures, more detailed information, due dates, etc., I'll update the blog more and more. In the meantime, if you'd like to bookmark it, and follow along, here is the URL:

http://springstreetmiracle.blogspot.com/

Thanks for all the support everyone has shown us, and please continue to keep us in your prayers throughout the remainder of this year. I'll post more details as they become available.

Peace.

The Final Three

These are the last of the pictures I tried to post from Memorial Day. My computer crashed before I could upload them, and this is the first chance I've had. :)

 

 

 

One More After This

 

 

 

 

Almost Finished

 

 

 

 

The Pictures Continue

 

 

 

 

And More

 

 

 

 

More Clare, MB, & The Kids

 

 

 

 

Clare, MB, & The Kids

 

 

 

 

What's For Dinner?

We had planned on having roast chicken for dinner tonight, but it stayed in the refrigerator a day or so too long (it was a "reduced for quick sale" buy to start with), and now it smells like eggs; and I'm NOT eating a chicken that smells like eggs, even if that's where eggs come from!

So now I have decide on something different for dinner. [This is one of those "pointless" blogs, in case you were wondering.] If the weather is nice tomorrow (and hopefully it will be), I was planning on grilling out, and cooking brats, hot dogs, etc. We also have lots of other meat we could cook, but the majority of it is frozen. I'm talking to Monica right this very moment though, trying to decide what we're going to eat tonight. She definitely does NOT want pasta again tonight! lol

Anyway, this blog isn't helping me in anyway; I just felt like writing. So thanks for reading, and have a great rest of the weekend! :)

Did I Mention FREE KITTENS?!?

We still have 5 (maybe 4 if we decide to keep Milk Man) cute and lovable kittens that need a good home! They're amusing little bundles of fur, 2 black, 3 white. They're getting more and more adventurous (some of them anyway), and I don't want anything to happen to them.

If necessary I'll take them to the Humane Center, and try and get them adopted through the pet store next to where I work, but I'd rather someone took them for free, because you'd have to pay for them it I go that route.

So if any of my readers would like a free kitten (or 4), or know of someone who does, PLEASE let me know as soon as possible! We have a couple nice cats if they want those too... *grin*

Thanks, and have a safe and happy Memorial Day.

Pulled Pork & A General Update

I've got a pork shoulder cooking in the crock pot right now, destined to become a few day's worth of pulled pork. I haven't made any in awhile, and it's different each time I make it (although I have a particular way I LIKE to make it, if I can.) With these unusually cool nights and windy days, it will be a delicious change in table fare for us. And if it comes out well, I'd be glad to share, if anyone would like some. :)

Monica is at work late tonight, because she switched shifts with a co-worker in order to go with Kate to the doctor to see if they were having a girl or a boy this time. I was right again; it's a girl. I'm batting a thousand on the predictions so far! *g*

I've been off for the past 3 days, but they've hardly been inactive. Yesterday, for example, we spent the day driving to the doctor's office, and then to the hospital. And then we spent about 6 hours there, which was fun. It was worth Monica's peace of mind though, so it's all good.

Now I'm about to start a run of opening shifts at work, tomorrow (Wednesday) through Saturday. I received a call from one of MY co-workers earlier this evening, and he informed me that a job we took in on Monday (that I knew about, and knew it was going to be a PITA) was giving them problems, and that it was being just that, a PITA. He was apparently busy this evening, something which is kind of rare, but he had spent a couple hours trying to get that job out, but he had to leave it to get a "big" job finished for tonight. So I know what I'M going to be doing tomorrow...trying to finish off the PITA job. We may end up having to call the customer and say that the job can't be finished, because too much of his paper stock is going to be damaged in the process; something which is happening from what I've heard. I didn't really want to take the job in the first place, because I knew it was going to be difficult, if not impossible, but I hate to disappoint a customer so we took it, and I quoted him a lower price than what Kinko's was going to charge him. The sad thing is, he may have to take the job BACK to Kinko's if our machines don't cooperate tomorrow. They just don't like printing on small pages! At any rate, the customer is aware of the situation, more or less, so hopefully he won't take it TOO badly if I have to tell him we can't finish the job. *fingers crossed*

I guess that's about it for now. I have yet ANOTHER new blog that I've started, but this one is different (and special.) You'll be hearing more about it soon, if you haven't found it already! ;)

Take care everyone, and enjoy the rest of your week. Peace.

Free Kittens!

Okay, it's about that time. The kittens (featured in the various pictures below) need good, loving homes. The 2 "pairs" will go first (hopefully IN pairs, but individually is fine too.) The last one to go, if we decide to give it up, will be the runt of the litter (the smallest white one.) We really like that one (even though it's a bit noisy), and we MAY keep it (it's the one we've dubbed "Milk Man" or "Milky"; also "Pinky", for various reasons.)

Anyway...the kittens are getting more and more explorative, and that could get them into trouble (i.e. - run over by a car, killed by one of the many local dogs, etc.) We would like to find them good homes before that happens. So if any of my blog readers are interested in a free kitten (or 2), or know someone who is, please contact me and let me know. All kittens will be given away on a first come first served basis (whomever contacts me first will get preference.)

Thanks in advance, and please help us find new homes for these cute bundles of fur. :-)

Feeding Time

These kittens will need good, loving homes very soon! Contact me if interested. Thanks! :-)

A Busy Day Indoors

Today was another wonderful (and cooler) spring day that I spent primarily indoors. This is not by choice, but rather out of necessity. This time of year, the more time I spend outside, the more time I spend suffering with horrible allergies which lead to bronchitis, and can end up putting me in the hospital with a dangerous case of pneumonia or something similar. This is a major nuisance for me, because I LOVE the outdoors, and like to spend as much time outside as possible. I want to be out fishing, and hiking, and taking pictures, and just enjoying the nice weather (in between all the rain we've been having lately), but if I do that, I suffer the consequences (as does Monica, because she has to listen to me snorting, coughing, sneezing and wheezing all night.)

Hence, days like today, where I spent the majority of my time sitting in front of my computer. I went outside to feed the cats, and to check the mail; and I went to put some gas in my car and spend an hour or so at Clare and Josh's place before they went to bed. Other than that, I've been inside all day. That's not to say it was a wasted day though (although I would have much rather been outside.)

I spent today exploring the many uses of Twitter, and modifying my existing Twitter account. I also set up a business networking account, and started following some social networking gurus on there. I looked into writing, editing, and reviewing copy for money, and explored various opportunities to freelance in different areas. I made my presence known on a variety of blogs and other Web sites, and I updated my job hunting blog with a new post and a Twitter updates widget for my new account. Talk about Geek Fest! hehe Hopefully all this legwork will pay off, and I will make some good business connections that I can network my way into a better paying job with.

Speaking of my job, one of my coworkers is a freelance writer, and he asked if I would be interested in an upcoming position as a submissions editor for a horror magazine that has both a print and eZine presence. It's not a paying position unfortunately, but it will get my foot in the door as an editor, I would be mentioned in the magazine as the copy editor (or whatever they call it), and I would get lots of potentially interesting short stories to read as an added bonus.

All of the submissions to the magazine are 2,000 words or less, and they are looking for someone to read the submissions, see if they are print worthy, and if so, what needs to be done to them to get them ready for inclusion in the print or Web versions of the magazine. I'd also be able to submit stories of my own if I wanted to, and possibly get them published in either the digital or print version of the magazine. I believe the print version pays for published works, but I'm not sure.

At any rate, it's something I could do from home in my spare time, and it would keep me entertained. (I'm always looking for a good read.) The position hasn't become available yet, and there's not guarantee I'd get it, but my coworker asked me about it because he and I have been talking about writing and freelancing jobs over the past week or so, and he knew I was looking for additional work. Who knows if anything will come of it, but I'll keep you all posted. :)

Well, I guess that's about it for now. I'm heading to bed shortly because I have to get up at 6:30 AM tomorrow. I open ImPress the next 2 days, then close the following 2 days. Then I have 3 days in a row off. What a wacky schedule! Oh well, it should stabilize somewhat soon.

Thanks for listening to me ramble, and have a great rest of the week everyone. Peace.

Lizard

Clare & Jack

Some Black & Whites

Just checking out a simple tutorial for converting digital color pictures to black and white pictures, without using a program to simply desaturate the image, or convert it straight to gray scale. Here are a few samples.

Milk Man

The kittens have finally emerged from under the house, more or less. There are 5 of them that survived, and 4 of them are paired off, one white one with one dark grey one. Then there's the runt of the litter, left alone because the other half of his "pair" didn't make it past the second day. So he's the odd one out. He's also the most adventurous of the bunch, and the post people friendly (the other 4 still spend most of their time under the porch, or under the house, especially if people are around.)

Monica has dubbed this little guy (at least we THINK he's a little "guy") Milk Man, or Milky for short, because we gave him a saucer of milk, and he was ALL up in it while he gulped it down! He was literally standing in the milk while he drank it, silly little thing. Anyway, both of us have a thing for "runts" or the "underdog", so we've both become attached to this little guy. He's so tiny, but he's a furry little ball of fun. Here are some pictures I took of him this evening, along with some shots of his mom, and a couple of his cowardly siblings. Enjoy. :-)