It's not uncommon to find a Chinese restaurant in a strip mall (at least, not in Charlotte), but it is reasonably uncommon to find a decent Chinese restaurant in a strip mall. This particular restaurant has been in this location next to the Food Lion for quite a while, for good reason - it typically has a solid flow of traffic moving in and out through the doors.
After last week's debacle in the nation's capitol, where the Carolina Panthers were supposed to whip up on a Washington Redskins team that frankly hasn't done that well, and came out with their collective tail between their legs, everyone was calling for the head of quarterback Jake Delhomme. Frankly, it wasn't a bad idea, but Delhomme wasn't the only player to stink up the place. The loss could be placed on just about anyone. It was that bad. Then the Panthers went to Philadelphia, where they played the Philadelphia Eagles, who were having troubles of their own, including starting a quarterback (Jeff Garcia) who hadn't seen considerable playing time in this decade. Guess what? They lost again, but this time the loss could squarely be placed on Delhomme's shoulders.
I have to say that Thanksgiving is, hands down, becoming my favorite holiday. Yes, this is at least partially because I like to eat. But it's also because there is very little work involved. And no, this does not mean that I don't do any work for Thanksgiving. But every other holiday requires a reasonable amount of effort - at least for the amount of enjoyment that I receive. Not Thanksgiving.
I will also admit that when I was younger, I received a decent amount of enjoyment from Halloween. But as I grow older, Halloween has lost some of its luster. I suppose you could chalk this up to maturity, but let's face it. Would you put me and maturity in the same sentence? I didn't think so. It simply must be something else.
As the years go by, I simply find myself enjoying the other holidays less and less. They involve so much more work and there is less to get back out of them. Perhaps I'm getting selfish in my old age. But not Thanksgiving. Sure, there is some cooking involved. But once that is done, it's all about sitting back and enjoying the feast with family. Unfortunately this year, even Thanksgiving was a bit of a disaster.
Read "The Great Thanksgiving Food Poisoning Virus From Hell" »
Remember, remember, the third of November, when the Patriots came back to make the Bulldogs surrender.
So read the banner under the grandstand on the Independence side of the bleachers at Memorial Stadium on Saturday night, and it seemed that the entire Independence crowd was drawing their inspiration from V for Vendetta, for they were out for blood this time around.
Almost exactly a month ago, the Butler Bulldogs had built a 21-0 halftime lead in what will surely go down as one of the classic football games of all time. In that game, the Independence Patriots came out of the locker room after halftime ready to play. They tied the game and went to overtime. Each team scored a field goal, and they went into a second overtime. The Big I recovered a fumble and won it in the second.
There would be no such drama this time around.
As the story goes, in 1999 (or thereabouts), three guys from New York wanted a slice of pizza and couldn't find one. So they stopped at an old gas station on Central Avenue in the Plaza Midwood area and created a "hand crafted" slice, with real mozzarella, rich tomato sauce and fresh ingredients.
