Comment Card Responses Part 1

I'm going through the comment cards at work and I really wish that I could respond to these people to make them realize how insane they are.  Allow me to share...(But I'm not going to write what the actual comment was, just the snarky responses I wish I could give.)

*Oh, really?  Because it's all about you?  There are 2 things you can choose from on the menu, and if you don't like it you can come for show only and sit in the back.

*Did you ask if you could move?  Oh, you just wrote it on the card for us to read later and not help you.

*Did you ask for butter?

*You are the only person who likes that kind of dressing.  We aren't going to cater just to you.

*Oh, I totally agree with you on that one.  I'd like us to bring it back as well!

*Did you ask for split checks?  Because we can totally do that if you ask.  And if you ask us, we can tell you the approximate cost of your meal, so you can figure out your tip.  You just have to ASK.

*Wow...did you come for the mushrooms or for the show?  (And guess what!  The mushrooms are back!  And you were so mad you won't return and find out that they are back!)

*You weren't charged per cup of coffee.  And you should get season tickets.  Then coffee is included.

*Try going out to dinner separately and then going to see a touring show.  You will pay WAY more than you paid for your ticket tonight.

*We have all kinds of wine.  If you don't like what we have, drink at home.

*Did you look around?  Was it busy?  Did you flag someone down?  Be proactive!!!  And if it's super busy, give us the benefit of the doubt!!!  Sheesh!

*Those are starters.  If you eat a lot of it, you won't eat your dinner.  Therefore, the portions are small.  Duh.   And if you want more, you can always ask.


This is just a small percentage of the crazy comments we get.  And 99 times out of 100, they haven't mentioned any of this to their server.  We can fix it, if we know about it.  But leaving it on the comment card and leaving is not going to help YOU.  And it's all about YOU, right?

Christmas Eve "Minute to Win It" -- Milligan Family Style!

Here are some pictures from our hilarious game of "Minute to Win It" on Christmas Eve:

Moving a Grand Piano: A Story in Pictures

Here at the Candlelight, we have had a special event over the last 2 days.  Debby Boone was here and did 2 concerts, both of which were really great!  We had to move our grand piano out of the pit and onto the stage for this, so last night we had to move it back down in preparation for the remaining performances of "Scrooge".  Here are some pictures I took while they were doing this:

 If you would like to know any specifics about what it is they actually did, talk to Shauna or Neal.  I was just the photographer.

Golden Globes Nominations!!

I have been living so much in "Scrooge"-land, that I was completely unaware that they were going to announce the Golden Globe Nominations!!!!  There are a bunch of movies I have wanted to watch this year and haven't made it.  But I've seen enough, I think.  I guess we'll see.  Here are some instant reactions to this year's nominations:

Best Motion Picture-Drama:  "THE HELP"!!!!!  I LOVED that movie!  (And the book is even better!)  I REALLY want to see "War Horse."

Best Motion Picture-Comedy/Musical:  I haven't seen any of those, but I REALLY want to see "The Artist".  I've heard some really great things about it.

Best Motion Picture-Animated:  I've only seen "Cars 2" and I was great!

Best Lead Actress-Drama:  Viola Davis absolutely deserves that.  She was AMAZING in "The Help"!!!

Best Supporting Actress:  Both Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain for "The Help"?  Gah!!!  Who to choose?

Best TV Comedy/Musical:  Glee is up for it.  I haven't watched Glee in several weeks.  I've kind of fallen off the Glee train this year.

--

Well, I see that there's not a lot that I care about this year with the GGs, but I'll watch anyway.  Hello!  Ricky Gervais is hosting again.  He's HILARIOUS!!!!

The Sad Saga of Winnifred the Saturn

Oh, what a sad story.  I am having to say farewell to the car that has been so good to me for the past 7 years.  Winnifred the Saturn has been a great car...until now.

But first, here is a picture of Fred when I first got her:

So she really has been great all this time.  A few minor repairs here and there.  Last year was a little bad, what with the new radiator and timing belt.  But she kept running, so I didn't replace her.  Well, last week she almost overheated as I was driving from the theater to my parents' house.  She almost overheated again while driving to my house.  So I took her into the mechanic and got the bad news a few days later.  She needs a new head gasket.  It's a very expensive repair, and one that I don't want to pay for.  Especially, because the transmission will probably be the next thing to go.

So I needed to find a new car.  But I am INSANELY busy at the moment with "Scrooge".  Not to mention that I don't have the money for a new car.  So I borrowed my parents' car for a few days, but they needed it back on Friday.  So I got to borrow Craig's car for a few days, but he needed it back on Wednesday.  I just needed to find the time...make the time...to go car shopping.

I took the day off on Tuesday so that Dad and I could go out looking for cars.  I had looked online, but nothing had really jumped out at me.  I drive by a few car dealerships occasionally, so there were a few I wanted to go to, just because I thought I had seen some cars that might work.  I had some parameters set.....4 doors, smaller, lesser miles and newer than my current car.  Those were all negotiable.  My price range was not negotiable.  I knew I'd really like another Saturn, but I was open to other makes and models.

So we set out around noon.  We started out at Keck Auto Sales on N. Garfield, across from Runza.  They had several Saturns on their lot.  The first car I saw was a 2005 Saturn Ion.  The price was just under my price cap.  They also had a 1999 Saturn SL2.  (Fred is a 99 Saturn SL1.)  We didn't talk to anybody, just looked around.  But I really liked the Ion.  So we wrote down the information and then left.

Next we went to The Car Guys on the corner of Lincoln and 12th St.  They didn't have a lot, but they did have a 3 door Saturn that they had just gotten in and was going to be fixed up.  The guy we talked to there was really nice.  I knew that car wasn't going to work, so we moved on.

We went to Warner's Auto, but they didn't have anything that would work.  Then we went back up to Finish Line Auto, on the corner of Monroe and Eisenhower.  They didn't have anything that would work, but we did see a gold Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo that was in my price range.  We joked that I should buy it so that Shauna and Neal and I would all have the same cars, just different colors.  As much as I would like 4 wheel drive, I know I couldn't afford that gas for that car.

Next we went up the street to Auto Integrity.  The guy there was really nice.  I test drove a 1999 Dodge Stratus.  It was a nice car, with actually really low mileage for a car that old.  And the price was right, but it just didn't feel right.  I couldn't stop thinking about the Saturn Ion back at Keck.  We told the guy we'd call if we were coming back.

We stopped by the dealership at the corner of Washington and Eisenhower.  They had some Volkswagons.  I drooled over the black Jetta and laughed at the '98 Beetle that was red with some weird yellow stripe.  I joked that if I got that car, I would name it "Ronald".  As in...Ronald McDonald.

We headed back to Keck and the note on the door said he would be back at 2:30.  It was 2:25, so we walked around and waited.  At 2:35, he wasn't back yet, so we went back to the car and were going to head up north.  But I made a phone call first, following up on a lead (which didn't pan out) and while I was on the phone, the guy came back.  So we talked about the Saturns with him.  I found out that the '99 had a practically new engine and 89K miles on.  (Another car with surprisingly low mileage for a 12 year old car!  Crazy!)  The Ion had 78K miles on it and was about $1000 more than the Dodge Stratus I'd driven earlier.  Similar mileage, $1000 more, 6 years newer.  And with the SL2, sure everything was pretty much new under the hood, but the rest of the car is still 12 years old.  I voted in favor of the Ion.  I took it for a test drive.  It's really quite nice!  Similar to Fred.

The only thing now was what to do with Fred.  With the need of a new engine, I wasn't expecting a lot for the trade.  But the tires are practically brand new!  I just bought them in August!  But he needed to see it before he could tell me how much he could give me for it.  (Oh, and I couldn't switch the tires.  Wrong size.)  We don't want to drive it too much, because it overheats, so he came over to take a look.  She really is a great looking car.  No body damage, since I've never been in an accident.  He thought the engine sounded okay.  So I am going to get $500 for the trade, which is about what I expected.

I decided that I definitely wanted the Ion, but I really needed my mechanic to check it out for me first.  But he couldn't get it in until Wednesday morning.  The dealership gave me the key on Tuesday and said I could come pick it up early and take it over.  So I did and got it Mark by 9 am.  But he couldn't look at it right away, so I called Dad and had him come pick me up.  I didn't know how long it was going to be, so I just stayed at their house for awhile.  After awhile, it was getting really close to when I needed to go to work.  So we got it all worked out so I could go get Craig's car and then come back over when the car was ready, but then Mark called just as we were about to leave.  So Shauna took me to get the Ion and Dad drove Fred over to the dealership.

It didn't take long to fill out the paperwork and what not, so I am now the proud owner of a 2005 Saturn Ion.  Here's a picture:

I'm still debating on a name.  I like to name my cars after iconic musical or movie characters.  Rosebud...Winnifred.  I have a couple of ideas for this car, but I'll have to wait and see.  The name needs to be earned.  Emily said that should name it Fred.  I told her I wasn't giving this car the same name as the old car!!

I'm a lot poorer now, much more in debt than I would like.  But I have wheels.  I don't have to walk to work.  I still think it's funny that I bought the first car that I saw.  Literally, the first car I looked at.  But I looked at so many other cars before I came back to that one!  That way I was sure!

Merry Christmas to me!

Follow up:  I named the car Adelaide.  I couldn't decide between Adelaide and Penelope, so her full name is Adelaide Penelope.

To Wish or Not to Wish...

It's annoying, but it's true.  It has virtually becoming completely politically incorrect to wish someone a Merry Christmas.  You never know anymore who celebrates it or not.  People get soooooooo offended these days.  I don't know if you celebrate Christmas or not.  Wear a sign or something if you don't want me to say it.  Sheesh!

However, I have discovered that I have no problem at all wishing patrons leaving our production of "Scrooge: The Musical" a Merry Christmas.  It's a fairly safe assumption that if they have paid to come see a musical based on Dicken's A Christmas Carol, then they probably celebrate Christmas.  I'm guessing that if someone has season tickets and they didn't want to see it, they gave their tickets away to someone else who wants to see it.  So I say "Merry Christmas!" not "Happy Holidays!"

So.....MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You Know You're from Colorado if...

• You eat ice cream in the winter.
• It snows 5 inches and you don't expect school to be cancelled.
• You live above 5,000 feet.
• You'll wear flip flops every day of the year-regardless of temperature.
• You have no accent at all, but can hear other people's. And then you make fun of them.
• "Humid" is over 25%.
• Your sense of direction is: Toward the mountains and Away from the mountains.
• You say "the interstate" and everybody knows which one.
• You think that May is a totally normal month for a blizzard.
• You buy your flowers to set out on Mother's day, but try and hold off planting them until just before Father's day.
• You grew up planning your Halloween costumes around your coat.
• You know what the Continental Divide is.
• You went to Casa Bonita as a kid, AND as an adult.
• You've gone off-roading in a vehicle that was never intended for such activities.
• You always know the elevation of where you are.
• You wake up to a beautiful, 80 degree day and you wonder if it's gonna snow later.
• You don't care that some company renamed it, the Broncos still play at Mile High Stadium!!!
• Every movie theater has military and student discounts.
• You actually know that South Park is a real place, not just a show on TV.
• You know what a 'trust fund hippy' is, and you know its natural habitat is Boulder, Aspen, Crested Butte, Paonia, and Telluride.
• You know you're talking to a fellow Coloradan when they call it "Elitches," not "Six Flags.
• A bear on your front porch doesn't bother you.
• Your two favorite teams are the Broncos and whoever is beating the crap out of the Raiders.
• When people back East tell you they have mountains in their state too, you just laugh.
• You go anywhere else on the planet and the air feels "sticky" and you notice the sky is no longer blue.

Repost if you're PROUD of being a Coloradan.