Highlands Grill

I drove up Busbee to the Highlands Grill. The parking lot sits just across from Town Center Mall, with a traffic light at the entrance, and that was a good thing. Upon entering, I saw that this was a sports bar in the old sense. The dining area was wide open , with booths along the walls and tables encircling the centerpiece bar. The room was all dark wood, and had high ceilings, also dark. It was after two pm, so the place was quiet.

The sign said seat yourself, so I chose a booth away from everything, and started taking advantage of the free WiFi.

Brian, the manager on duty, brought me a menu. I quickly saw that most everything was $7.50 or less. I ordered a coke, and read the menu. When Brian returned, I ordered a steak and cheese with fries.

Going to a restaurant in the middle of the afternoon is great, because you get undivided attention. There were only two other patrons, so service was quick. Brian soon returned with my sandwich and fries (there were a ton of fries on the plate, and they were good). Brian never let my coke glass go empty. I'd like to see how quick the service is when the place is busy. Brian tells me it doesn't usually get very busy until late, after other restaurants close. I'm not much of a late eater, but I am sure that the late night business has less to do with the food than the bar.

Overall, the food was good, the service excellent, and the atmosphere a musty old school sports bar feel. I'll be giving Highlands another visit, next time during a busier shift.

The Gift is in the Giving

Early Christmas week, my daughter Bethany and I drove up the interstate to deliver presents to John (Jamie's son). About halfway there, we stopped to meet Donna, an old friend and wonderful person, who had baked cookies for us to take.

Beth and I drove the rest of the way talking about giving. We had seen some things this Christmas that reminded us of how we should act EVERY day. We hear so much about the few bad apples that the beauty of the season and the positive emotions that it brings to most people gets overshadowed.

I can tell you that my friends touched my heart. One co-worker slipped her cash in my hand when she saw me shopping for John. Another young cashier had heard what was going on as she was headed home. A half hour later she returned with a great present. A woman who saw the transaction asked what was going on, and offered up her prayers as she would not be able to get back to me before I left for Jamie's house. A local person who had read my blog contacted me to let me know that she too had a gift for us to deliver. And it goes on.

When we arrived, Jamie met us at the door. John was right behind him. Jamie invited us in, and as we handed him the gifts, John asked "Are those for us?!?" , and Jamie told him that we had brought him presents. We watched John put the presents under the tree while Jamie told us about their trip to Kentucky to visit his wife's parents. I can't begin to imagine how hard that was.

Jamie asked if we'd like to watch John open his gifts. I said no. We'd rather he opened them on Christmas morning. Jamie's eyes welled up as Beth and I headed out the door.

Years ago, my grandmother had taught me that the gift is in the giving.

If she could have seen the look on Jamie's face and the excitement and love that John expressed, she would have cried and said, "see?".

Thank you, Jamie, for allowing us to receive this gift. May your New Year be blessed with peace.

Help. This child's circumstances hurt my heart.

This morning I had the opportunity to meet Jamie. He had come to our store (I am in retail mgmnt) when we opened, and came back later (he lives about an hour's drive away) when there was a problem with his product.

Jamie told me he was trying to make this a good Christmas for his 5 year old son (John S). He looked like he wanted to tell me something. I asked if he was okay. He looked at me, paused, and said "Last month, my wife died. She died on the 8th, our anniversary was the 18th, then Thanksgiving, now Christmas. I've had better days.".

I have no idea of Jamie's financial status. I do know that my heart broke. I intend to deliver some toys to Jamie's son John. It has to be hard for Jamie to concentrate. If I can do something small to make his son have a good day, I want to.

Jamie said he'd seen better days, but I am sure he will have even harder days ahead.

I am not asking for anything but prayer. If any of my friends feel the urge to help, wonderful (you can e-mail me at johncbickford@gmail.com).

Merry Christmas to you all - John

Christmas future is far away, Christmas past is past, Christmas present is here today, bringing joy that may last...

What a great attitude adjustment song! This is Carpe Diem with a Dickensian twist! Through traditions, we can emulate prior Christmases, but we cannot relive them. Through planning, we can prepare for Christmases to come, but a lot can happen between now and then.

I have figured out for myself that I don't have to overdo. I don't have to overspend. I simply have to make an attempt to make our Christmas happy. That needs to be my focus.

THIS MOMENT, THIS CHRISTMAS, slow down and make someone happy. You will find that by making someone's Christmas merry, yours stands that much better a chance of turning out merry as well.

Merry Christmas, from my family to yours!

Winding Down at Taco Mac

What a hectic day yesterday was! I got in to work at eight am, to find I had twenty one pallets of rugs to put away and no help. Resourceful as I am, I called in my trusty sidekick, Andrew. Hassan came in at nine, and as soon as he was done with his stuff, I grabbed him too. We latched on to a few others as they trickled in to work, and by day's end had seven pallets left.

Tired, sore and satisfied, after helping a customer with a dead battery start her car, I headed off to Taco Mac to meet my wife and daughter for Friday night dinner.

The stranded customer allowed Phyllis to beat me to the restaurant. I told her to put our name on the list for a table, but I knew she wouldn't, she's just that way. That was my job. Other people came in after her and went up to put their name on the list. Kudos to the hostesses, because they had seen Phyllis come in, and one of them walked over to give Phyllis one of those Close Encounter lightshow vibrating coasters. The young lady told Phyllis that she was ahead of all those people who walked in after her.

When I walked in the door, Phyllis started telling me what the hostess had done, and the vibrating lightshow coaster went off.

As we made our way to our table, I took in the room. I saw only part of the restaurant, and counted twenty-five televisions, tuned to a variety of sports events. The place was busy, packed and full of laughter. Just what I needed after a tough day. A slow, quiet place would have put me to sleep.

There were some large parties, some smaller like ours, and at least a few parties with gray hairs, and one I saw with kids. The majority of people were in their twenties or thirties. Everyone seemed to be having fun, and it was contagious.

We sat in a booth with a large table and very high seat backs, which gave us some privacy without taking us out of the party atmosphere. There were a lot of staff people hustling back and forth. Our waitress, Amber, came and took our order. Beth got a club sandwich (it was huge, and came with fries), and Phyllis and I shared twenty wings. The wings were good, but I've had better.

Two tables away, a family or two with elementary age boys sat laughing and telling stories. Next to us, a party of mid twenty year olds were eating dinner and drinking beer. A cute college coed pranced by us with her look what I got smile on as she towed by the hand a young man with a happily emasculated grin. The table over my shoulder housed an older group of people. Aside from their hair color and a few wrinkles, they were identical to the table of twenty year olds.

Lots of people, lots of laughter, plenty of talk, and none of it angry.

Just what I needed after my day at work.

Wicked Good

My new friend Jillian recently moved to Kennesaw from Maine. She is a graduate student at Kennesaw State University. We met one day when she was buying furniture, and I offered to help her mom load the car. Their accents made me feel homesick and comfortable at the same time.

I saw Jillian from a few tables away at Panera in Kennesaw just a few days ago. She was working on a project with some classmates, so I didn't interrupt. I sent her a note on Facebook later to let her know I had seen her, and to say hello.

It was the second time that I had been to Panera. The food there is very good, but it is one of those places where the regulars make you feel foolish because you haven't learned how to eat there. It was pretty simple really, but with no direction and no real flow of traffic, I ended up guessing my way through the process.

The worst of it was this is another of those places that doesn't seem to want to let patrons order a la carte. Everything is a combo, whether you like it or not. Well, not everything, but the things I wanted. I ended up with nearly two full meals because I wanted a whole sandwich with my soup. Live and learn. Half sandwich next time.

Not that I'd desire a half sandwich, mind you. That tuna sandwich was wicked good. There is your tribute, Jillian and all my friends from Maine. Wicked good is the ultimate compliment for food or anything else in Northern New England. The word wicked in context means most extreme.

By the way, a lot of my friends have been singing the praises of this Panera. They tell me that all of the dishes are good and the WiFi is free (they do turn off their outlets between 11:30 and 2:30 though). The first time through might be a bit confusing, but I will be back. The food is a bit pricey but the odds of seeing friends there are wicked good.

Alabama wins! So does Sidelines!

Last Saturday was hectic. Working at a home decor store during the pre-holiday season is more demanding than I expected it to be. The Christmas decorations were flying out the door. Trying to serve many people at one time mad my meal break extremely beneficial.

I timed my lunch so that I could drive to the Sidelines on Chastain Road (not the same one I wrote of in an earlier entry) in time to see the last half of the Alabama/LSU football game. I really wanted to see part of that game, and this was wonderfully convenient.

That particular Sidelines has a no smoking section, which is where I headed. I asked to sit in the corner booth where I could see the big screen that showed my game. The back seat of the booth was a long bench that connected three other tables, two of which had been pulled together to seat four adults and a seeming multitude of kids, one of which was quick to show me that he had a french fry. I now had 48 minutes.

My waitress, Michelle, appeared quickly. She asked me what I would like to drink, and I asked for a coke. I looked her in the eye as I answered, but was quickly distracted by a good play in the football game.

Michelle then asked if I needed a minute, and my phone rang. I rudely answered as I nodded yes. It was Phyllis, excitedly asking me if I was where I could watch the game. I said yes and that I had to go. Michelle had gone on her way to another table. I now knew that I wanted chicken noodle soup and a salad. 45 minutes left.

At the next table, the kids were getting restless. They were loud, but the game was muted, so I didn't care. I love kids, so I was doubly entertained.

Michelle was running from table to table, getting more exercise than Richard Simmons at a fat camp. It was eventually my turn to order (my fault entirely for answering my phone when I knew what I wanted), and she took my order and disappeared into that place all waitresses disappear into. 38 minutes left.

Michelle reappeared with a fantastic looking bowl of soup and a decent salad. The soup had thick noodles and one inch squared pieces of chicken breast. It was thick enough to eat with a fork. I ate my soup first, then my salad.

Michelle came back with another coke, and asked the questions required of all waitresses. I had already witnessed the fact that she was the only waitress working this room, and she did so quickly. What surprised me more was the smile on her face and the feeling she evoked, making me feel like I was her only patron. The game progressed, tied, not tied, tied again. 10 minutes left.

My boss called my cell. Business had not slowed. When would I be back? I had to leave with the game tied. Michelle heard me say I was on my way as soon as I paid my bill. She stepped over quickly and I gave her my money - keep the change - and a card telling her to read my review. Her face changed to one who thought she was being tested. I tried to put on my best reassurance face, and asked her again to read my review.

Everybody in the room was happy, my food was great and I returned to work with 5 minutes left in my lunch hour.

Michelle, I would say you were great....