i am overcome by my harry potter obsession at inexplicable times

Last night I was minding my own business on Pinterest.  Okay, that's a lie.  The whole point of Pinterest is that you're minding everyone else's business--but mostly people want their Pinterest business minded, so it's not a bad thing to do.  And someone pinned some piece of HP information that drew me to an their entire board of Potter deliciousness.  And then I lost an hour of my life.

Then I got to thinking about Wordle and how I've never made a beautiful wordle thing, and how my office would never be complete until I had a Harry Potter themed Wordle gracing its walls.  So I worked on it and worked on it and worked some more (and lost hours more of my life), and I think if I can get it to print the way that I want, I'll have something spectacular to show for it eventually.  Here's what it's going to look like maybe unless I change it again.

 

(I hope that doesn't publish as tiny as it looks in this composing screen.  Sorry if it is.)

gcabh round 1: frostop

The experience:
I was running late.  I nearly always am these days, but I thought I'd still be able to beat CST1BF to the restaurant.  Our destination was quite near home, so my plan was to swing by the house, change clothes, and pick up Jess.  Work had other plans.  Mac was at the place before I ever left work, so I called and made Jess meet me there.

When I finally arrived, it seemed like CST1BF might have been waiting longer than twenty minutes I thought had elapsed.  He was like Norm from Cheers.  Everyone in the place was involved in his conversation.  It turns out that the owner of Frostop also owns the rug store next door, the very same rug store where Mac will tell you he didn't buy a rug four times.  Apparently not buying a rug from this dude is a bonding experience.

We stood at the counter contemplating orders and were loud and chatty and obnoxious.  Those people. But CST1BF had obviously talked us up because Jess and I (and later Shane) were greeted with the same warm, effusive manner that had embraced CST1BF.  We have not established a lot of elaborate rules for our hunt, but it turns out, one must actually order a burger to participate, so I put off trying the gyro for another day.  They serve a giant pounder called the Big Daddy, but I stuck with the single, adding bacon and cheese.  Given a choice, I almost always choose bacon.  CST1BF also added mushrooms, Jess had a regular cheeseburger, and Shane ordered the double.  There was a tot option that I took over the fries because fries are unreliable but tots are always as expected.  It turned out once the orders arrived that their fries were really excellent, so I'm sorry I didn't take a chance on them.  I'll know for next time.

My three companions also went for the root beer, served in a frosty mug, naturally.  As a staunch root beer hater, I abstained.  They do have lovely crushed ice at this place, for the ice enthusiasts among my imaginary readers.

It seemed like our burgers arrived speedily and did not disappoint.

If that ridiculous face isn't a ringing endorsement, I don't know what is.

Here are the official comments from our panel of judges:
From CST1BF (who takes this hunt seriously):
"Pros:
1. Size - even the single was a sizable burger
2. Options - mushrooms, fried egg, and other unusual options were available along with more traditional toppings.
3. Wasn't too dry or dense and wasn't too greasy.
4. Sides - fries were good, and I liked the tots option

Cons:
1. I'm a mustard connoisseur, and I wish that I'd had the option of dijon or spicy brown mustard.  There was a little too much mustard on my burger which got in the way of some of the other tastes.
2. No pickle spear.  I think that a pickle spear is a great side item with a burger, and I was sad not to get one.

Overall score: 8.5/10  A very good burger

On the whole, I was very impressed.  I liked the eccentric atmosphere (americana decor and home-made baklava in the same place).  I liked the friendliness of the staff.  Mr. Joe is a super nice fella even if his trinitarian theology leaves something to be desired."

From Shane:  

"This is a tasty burger"--an initial response that sparked a string of Pulp Fiction quotes from the guy at the next table.  (A word of caution about the linked clip:  there's some shooting and dropping of the f-bomb if you watch the whole thing.)

When I tried to pin Shane down on a rating out of 10 (which is our agreed-upon standard), he couldn't commit.  I suspect that three to four weeks after our hunt has ended, Shane will be prepared to rank all burgers in order, but I doubt I get a single number out of him until then.

From Jess:  

8/10 with no additional comments.  Her plate cleaning shall speak for itself.

The final word from your fearless blogger:

Great fries, great ice, lovely dining experience.  I was the first to vocalize the excess mustard, but aside from that, the burger was a triumph.  As I once famously said in reference to Chris Hemsworth, "there is nothing wrong with that."  I'll give the burger itself an 8/10 also.

Stay tuned for our next riveting adventure in Burgerland, appearing sometime before next Wednesday.

the great central arkansas burger hunt

CST#1BF doesn't get to hang out with me as much as he'd like, so this fall he's manufactured a handy excuse to drive to the Rock weekly to teach our Wednesday night class at PV just so he can see me.  I know it sounds desperate, but my appeal is just that strong.

Since we're going to be hanging out every week, he's created a little adventure for us to undertake:  to find the best burger in the greater Little Rock area.  We've got at least five eateries on our list so far, and for all you Central Arkies out there, this is your chance to be part of something so much bigger than yourselves:  you can post your suggestions for good burger spots in the comments here, and we may try to add your suggestions to our quest.

We actually sampled our first contestant last night, but I'm still tabulating the results, so I don't want to tell you about it yet.  I guess you'll have to tune in later.  I will post the official verdict no later than Tuesday night and also maybe announce the location of our second stop on the Burgertown Express.

things about which i'm not blogging (a list)

• stress-induced eyebrow twitching--it's like hiccups for your eye
• graduate school--doing homework is just as unpleasant as I remembered, but I might be secretly good at this whole library school business
• at least three interesting and blog-worthy recent craft projects
• my internet-crush on Pinterest which led to the aforementioned recent craftiness
• staving off illness through sheer force of will--because I certainly haven't been taking good enough care of myself to have had only the tiniest brush with that cold
• Harry Potter haikus--the most recent addition to my "things I wish I hadn't quit" blogging list
• work insanity (because if I let myself start, I'll never stop)
• 6 a.m. womens' bible study at PV--because I love Jesus enough to iron my clothes at night and wake up before dawn
• getting to see my moma all the time (or every two weeks) and it still not being enough
• manufactured drama that might have made you laugh

and a brief list of things about which I shall blog (or die trying):

• a Holy Grail-style quest to find the best burger in Central Arkansas starring many of your favorite blog characters (and CST#1BF)

the rob-bob has a birthday

I think I mentioned last year around this time, that it's a busy birthday time in my family.  My sister-in-law's birthday (which thus far remains unblogged--maybe next year, Susan) was last weekend.  Yesterday we shared in the glory of Shane's birthday, today we celebrate my cousin Robyn (although we actually had her parties on Saturday and Sunday, today's her actual birthday), and on Thursday my moma and MacMac turn another year older.  Thursday would also have been my Gramps's eighty-sixth birthday.  We do a lot of celebrating at this time of year.  Shane and Robyn's birthdays especially get smashed up around here, but thanks to my commitment to quality journalism, I will not be smashing up my favorite things about them, giving them each their very own, high coveted post here at the opinions.  You're welcome.

Robyn is almost a year and a half older than me, but for as long as I can remember, that age difference has been completely insignificant (at least until I began to get some enjoyment from reminding her of her comparatively advanced age).  We're both in the younger half of the grandkids and one of the natural pairs that seem to have materialized among us due to similarities in age and temperament.  As kids we were usually not mature enough to play with the big girls, not willing to get beat up on enough to play with the big boys, and older and bossy enough to bend the little boys to our bidding.  In my memory, it was a fairly perfect arrangement for us.  As we've all aged, the big girls have come to accept us, the big boys stopped hitting, and the little boys are huge--but still bossable from time to time, and Robyn and I are still a natural pair, now more due to thirty years' experience being cousin-friends.

(in her natural habitat)

So to celebrate what is perhaps my longest-standing friendship, here are my five favorite things about Rob-Bob:

5.  She keeps getting better with age.  Probably most people do, but there aren't all that many people who I've watched do so across the span of their lives.  Robyn is one that I have.  I loved her and was her friend when she was younger and more selfish and more competitive and more rigid, and if she hadn't changed in those areas for the past twenty years, it wouldn't matter to me, so the fact that she keeps getting better and better is just a bonus.  But it's also an often-inspiring lesson as I see her give generously and selflessly of her time and attention, as I see her devote herself to taking care of those she loves, as I see her heart grow.  Robyn's always had a lot of strong opinions and ideas and words, and as she's become her grown-up self, she is the person I think of first when I think about people who live up to their talk.  It's the thing that makes me want to be Robyn when I grow up.

4. Robyn loves our babies.  From the time that the oldest great-grandchild was born thirteen years ago, she's been devoted to cuddling and playing and cherishing the little people in our family.  And now that many of them are not-so-little anymore, she's still focused on knowing and loving and caring for them. If you quizzed her on the likes and dislikes and basic facts of their lives, she would ace it because she listens and cares about what they're saying to her.  She has such a heart for our kids and the other kiddos she encounters in her life, and it's why they all love Rob-Bob. (And it's why nearly every picture of her I have also has a kid or two in it.)

3. Robyn speaks my language.  It has been noted by people who encounter the two of us together that we can a bit difficult to understand.  Part of that is the speed with which we communicate, a portion is the fact that we use a fair amount of obscure quotations from movies, books, and our shared history, but there's also a dash of the fact that we don't necessarily have to finish sentences or thoughts.  Our family has its own short-hand of stories and oft-repeated phrases, and I have the same with most of my friends.  Robyn is in that lucky overlapping category that she has both, which means that anything I might say to her (or she to me) is soaked in deeper meaning and memory and usually a healthy amount of hilarity.  It makes for rich communication that is completely effortless, and it's awesome.

2. She makes me laugh. Have I ever mentioned the value I place on humor, imaginary readers?  It's kind of a big deal with me.  And Robyn and I have been laughing at the same things for the past thirty years.  She can remember everything that's ever been funny in our lives together and brings out those references at just the right moment.  Her storytelling rhythm is designed to maximize my laughter (and since she has a story for everything, there are lots of laughing opportunities).  Last year when I included her (and CST#1F) as my second favorite things about MacMac, she commented that I would have to not be so serious if I ever wrote about her.  We do funny.  It's our default setting, and though I can't think of any humorous references to make here to actually fulfill her wish, I hope I'm adequately communicating the fact that Robyn and laughter and me are so tied up together.  She may not know everything (there was a muffin, after all), but she knows just how to make me fall apart laughing.

(On her wedding day--and no, she didn't get married in flannel.)

1. I'm actually a little nervous that she's going to be unhappy that I didn't end on the funny thing, but I've got one more absolute favorite that's going to take the top spot.  The adjective fierce could probably be applied to a few aspects of Robyn's personality.  She's intense in several ways, but when I try to think of a defining characteristic, it is her fierce loyalty that comes to mind.  She cherishes her friends and family, enveloping them in protectiveness and support and love.  She makes time for people and knows the value of intentionally spending time them.  She will take your side against outsiders, maybe even when you're wrong.  She loves with all her heart and manages to show it in all the nicest ways.  She's the best kind of friend and way better than I deserve.

Happy Birthday, Robyn!  So glad you're mine.