Angie’s Drama

• If your business is now closed (Chicago Grill on Sterling & Forrest Hill) you may want to take down the big OPEN banner. I waited a few minutes at the drive thru and felt like a total idiot. Apparently the lack of cars in the parking lot didn’t get my attention.
• Why is it that whenever you’re leaving a drive thru, the slowest human being in the world decides to walk across the parking lot in front of you? It’s never while your waiting for your food, always when you’re ready to leave.
• I’ve been noticing people on motorized scooters alot lately. Some of them are crazy fast especially going down the Mac Arthur hill.
• I don’t know how I feel about the Little Ceasar’s people on the street holding the signs. Would I want to do it? I don’t know. It does get you out of the kitchen for awhile.
• Every year I get a new phone book and get excited. I really do read the phone book. How lame am I? But, I still use the phone book from 2000 to look up numbers. That makes sense…
• According to the Peoria Journal Star, the Lucky Lady and Crusen’s on Farmington Rd are coming under fire for allowing minors (19) in their establishments. They have the Class B license which means they essentially serve food. After reading the article and the owner of the Lady’s claim that they’re just like Cheddar’s and Chilli’s in that they serve food from lunch thoughout the evening till the early morning, I have to ask, as anyone EVER eaten at the Lady? One person? Crusens, yes. The Lady? I don’t think anyone has ever said to me, “Hey, you know what sounds good for lunch/dinner/late night food? The Lady!” I could be 100% wrong.
• Rob and I really need to get up to Chicago to see Mike. I still haven’t been to his bar and that’s just wrong. Hopefully, we’ll be able to take a weekend off, board the dogs and go. Or, we’ll just continue to work and be responsible.

Live at Tom Cat’s Back Alley

1301 W Pioneer Park Way, Peoria

Fri. March 31, 9pm-1am

 

Dear Mr. Jackass,

You pulled into the parking lot of The Lariat Club around 7:00pm Saturday evening in your white minivan. You turned left into the parking lane and I pulled into the lane. The car at the end of the building pulled out. You reversed at 45mph in a parking lot, nearly hitting me. I had to back up so your sorry ass could steal the spot. I hope you had to wait over an hour to be seated. Rob and I left so that we would not have to stand next to your sorry ass at the bar waiting for a table. Hopefully, the karma gods were looking out and you had to wait quite a while for a dinner you almost killed me for. Since Rob and I rarely get to have dinner together on Saturday nights, we didn’t let your selfish and ignorant behavior dampen our spirits.

PS

Dinner at the Fish House was excellent as always and there weren’t any a-holes to deal with.

Love,

Angie

I’m looking at the cover of Sports Illustrated with Bradley’s Marcellus Sommerville on the front and I have chills. It’s amazing to see and feel the energy around Peoria right now. Everywhere you go you hear people talking about The Braves. People that have never watched a game in their lives are buzzing and those of us who have stuck by The Braves for as long as we can remember are walking on clouds. My sense of pride swelled when I heard Coach Les in an interview discussing how the coaching staff impresses upon new recruits the fact that Peoria is a basketball town that embraces Bradley players. That was beyond evident by our show of support Sunday at the Peoria Airport. Thursday will be an insane day in Peoria. I can’t wait!

Why do stores with large parking lots only put cart corrals in a few of the rows? Granted, I only notice when I’m buying 100 pounds of dog food or it’s 20 below zero and hailing, but c’mon. It’s a pain to walk three rows over to return a cart. No, I’m not one of those jacks that leave the cart in the parking place so drivers pull in only to be cursed by the “Stray Cart Phantom.” The one time I left a cart-safely away from vehicles that could be damaged, my friend busted me out from five rows over. Seriously, she called me asking what the hell I was doing-shaming me. When I told her I broke my foot and my dad had just had knee surgery, she eased up. And why does each row only need one cart corral. Can we please have a few in each row? Alright, I’ll just start designing parking lots. Shouldn’t be too hard, after all, someone was actually paid to do the Target-Cub Foods-Lowes parking lot right?

March Madness is the absolute worse time to try and drive anywhere in Peoria. I’ve almost had three accidents with people that just don’t get it. I realize that our downtown streets are confusing as heck but the arrows that say one way are pretty evident. I also seem to be behind every person not wanting to pay for parking. Every time they pass a parking deck, they brake, crane their necks, then continue at a steady six miles per hour. Just remember, most of the decks are run by National Garages and some of the lots are private property so it’s not “our city” milking you for $5 a pop.

The realization that I am a complete loser hit me when my excitment levels reached elevated heights upon seeing the preview for the new Surreal Life on VH1. I’m consoling myself because who wouldn’t be excited about the new cast? It’s completely made up of all the right people to make the house combust.

1) Sherman Hemsley: Is it wrong that they’re using subtitles because no one can understand him? Everyone always knows him from The Jeffersons but why is it always listed in crossword puzzles as Sherman Hemsley series and the four letter across answer in AMEN?

2) Tawny Kitaen: Alrighty, let’s get the spousal abuse charges from her ex-husband out of the way. Let’s get the fact that she dated David Coverdale out of the way. Let’s get the fact that I sat throught the entire episode of E! True Hollywood Story based on her life. Supposedly sober now.

3) C.C. Deville: Knowing my love for all things Poison, he’s my favorite. Also newly sober. As in drove from rehab to the show newly sober. Anyone that sounds like a New York Jewish woman who smoked 14 packs a day is fun to listen to.

4) Steve Harwell:The lead singer of Smash Mouth is also newly sober. (I’m seeing a pattern here) I guess I didn’t realize the band was still together. Didn’t they sing on the Shrek soundtrack a couple years ago?

5) Andrea Lowell: Playboy model. Not sober. Enough said.

6) Alexis Arquette: The transgender female Arquette that’s not Patricia or Roseanna. Better known for his/her role in Pulp Fiction and THe Wedding Singer. Since most of the clips showing the season (I think they’re in the house like ten days) highlight Alexis screaming at the top of her lungs and rolling her head, I’m guessing she likey the drama?

I Can’t Wait!!!

I can’t be the only one who underestimates movies all the time. Really, it’s rare that I actually have a set period of time to watch a movie, let alone Rob and I going to the theatre. Uhhhhh-No. Unless it’s a Best in Show, A Mighty Wind ensemble, we’re probably not going. The last movie we saw at the theatre? Cinderella Man. That was because a bunch of Jaycees were getting together beforehand. So, I thought I’d list a few movies that I had absolutely no hopes about but ended up really liking.

• Four Brothers-Best Shoot Out-Had to replay and replay
• Batman Begins-Pretty decent storyline and Christian Bale didn’t suck
• The Constant Gardner-I loved this movie. Normally not a fan of movies that include tons of British accents but this movie was awesome.
• Crash-Hard to explain but I do love the ensembles
• Cinderella Man-the acting was phenomenal and Paul Giamatti was great

 

So, we lost Grandma Gracie on Thursday and had services and the burial over the weekend. The woman was truly a testament to fortitude and grace. In her ninety-six years, she lived life to fullest and on her own terms. She kept her own home up until end and was still painting.

Needless to say, the past nine months have sucked and all I can say is we need some good karma. And here it begins…

Colleen and Jim, our best friends, got engaged over their vacation last week. Let me be the first to say, “IT’S ABOUT FREAKING TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Of course, they only dated for five years. The fifth year anniversary is actually this Friday, St. Patty’s Day. Who knew that a morning spent drinking Bloody Mary’s at SOP’s, having pizza at Sully’s and hanging out at the Holiday Inn City Centre would have a lasting effect. I do believe there was a little jaunt to the Recovery Room and then to Crusen’s. I do believe pictures of said jaunt exist as well. And to think, Colleen almost screwed the entire evening up by telling Jim, “I guess.” when he asked for her phone number. Words to Remember, “Don’t do me any favors Sister!” Aaahhhh and look at the happy couple now.

 Grandma Gracie is in ICU and isn’t expected to make it through the day. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Dear Ma’am,

Thank you for sitting at your table for nearly five hours last night. I understand that you may not get to go out often so you want to enjoy yourself. You’re absolutely right. Enjoy yourself. Live it up. Have the time of your life. Just a little FYI, you can always hop up to the bar and continue the good times and your server could actually leave the restaurant before 1am. Your last drink was at 11:00pm.

Thanks Again,

Love and Kisses!

Ang