Five star rating*****
The Chicken Shack 4 stars
Hey. I decided to take myself out to lunch yesterday and was glad I did. I've been driving past The Chicken Shack Restaurant on Hwy 96 west in Murfreesboro for several months now and finally decided to stop. One of the women I work with said she had them on speed dial so I knew it had to be good.
It is a small, cozy place with a few booths and tables. Not much on atmosphere but who needs it when the food is so good. If you don't eat fried foods, there isn't going to be a big variety for you. However, I didn't think it was that greasy.
I decided to go all out and order the shrimp and wing platter, 5 large shrimp, six good sized wings, and fries. I went safe with the cajun spicey, but they offer hot and Iron Mike as hotter flavors. They also have regular, lemon pepper, and maybe another, I don't remember. The cajun spicey maintained wonderful flavor while giving you that sweet sting of heat. I can't imagine getting much hotter.
Everything on my plate was excellent and it was plenty of food. I do wish that with the platter price, you had the choice of more than one side because the turnip greens looked really good.
The prices were a bit high in my opinion, especially for lunch. I paid $10.95, no drink, for a to go order. Most of the platters were this price or lower. They do have a luch special, 3 pieces of dark meat with two sides. They also serve burgers and chicken sandwiches and I would imagine it is all wonderful.
They have 2 locations. One on Rutherford Blvd., and the other Hwy 96.
Jump in the car and go!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Review and Ramblings--Holiday World
Five star rating system *****
Holiday World 4.5 stars
A couple of Saturdays ago, my family and some of the youth from church took a trip to Santa Claus, Indiana to visit Holiday World theme park. We started in Tennessee around 6:00 am and took the easy three and a half hour trip up I-65 to Bowling Green, Kentucky, then got on the William Natcher Parkway all the way to Owensboro, Kentucky. Once in Owensboro (and not before), we got on U.S. 231 north, which took us into Indiana. Just south of Chrisney, we turned right (east) onto Highway 70. After approximately 7 miles, we turned left (north) onto Highway 245, which took us into Santa Claus and to Holiday World's parking lots. The final stretch of Highway 70 is chock-full of small hills and risers which are really fun to speed over. But caution should be taken as signs are posted all along that stretch, "Excessive speeding: $1000.00 fine".
If you are from Tennessee and remember Opryland, you will quicly remember what made that theme park so much fun. Small size, great rides, friendly people, affordable prices. Plus, there's a waterpark smack dab in the middle.
We began the day by going straight to the waterpark and renting lockers for our swimming duds, then hit the theme park. Our first ride was:
Paul Revere's Midnight Ride--This “spinny” ride really surprised my wife and I. We thought it was the kids warm up for the bigger rides but were greatly mistaken. Not only does the ride itself spin, but each individual car can spin and does freely. They say you can control it by leaning but we never had enough control of ourselves to lean in the appropriate direction. Great fun but don't ride right after eating.
Raging Rapids--This four-minute family ride was great fun on the 100 degree day. It starts off in a subterranean tunnel, then floats along before hitting the rapids. Then you will then pass through Boulder Canyon, a flooded Western town. Your journey will end by going through the town’s saloon and the possibility of getting soaked by a water curtain. Wet. Wet. Wet.
Congo River--A relaxing break floating on inner-tubes. A soft current glides you around the area. Occasional squirts and waterfalls occupy the course. Very crowded. It's more fun later in the day when the crowds have gotten smaller.
Watubee--Watubee is a big green water slide. To “Do the Watubee,” you walk to the top of the ride’s tower, climb into a large raft which holds up to four people, and launch onto a watery adventure featuring non-stop twists and turns. Great ride. Not scary at all for younger riders.
Wildebeest--This has to be on of the most awesome rides I've ever been on. After a two hour wait, my wife and I climbed aboard the four man raft with two college age guys. It began with a conveyor ride up the water coaster’s lifthill. Following the four-story drop at a 45-degree angle, the rafts are propelled up seven additional hills, through two underground tunnels (with water cannons at the beginning of each), and around a helix. The top speed is 36 feet per second. The tallest elevation is 64 feet higher than its lowest drop; the conveyor-style lifthill replaces any slide-tower stairs, making the water coaster accessible to riders who might have difficulty walking up stairs. One of the college guys screamed (rather high pitched) for the entire ride. He was embarrassed but lucklily he rode with us old folks and lost no credibility with his female peers.
Plymouth Rock Café--We ate lunch here and were very pleased with the selection and quality of the food. I personaly had the chicken and dumplings with mac and cheese, sauteed green beans and fried apples. Very yummy. They also offer turkey, both legs an breasts, ham, chicken, and a number of sides and desserts. Approximately $8.00 per adult portion but they do offer a child's portion for around $5.00 which would fill up most people.
Kringle's Kafé--We had dinner here. Pizza, hamburgers, fries, and one Black Bean Chipotle Veggie Burger. Food was excellent, filling, and very affordable.
The kids rode other rides and sang praises for The Voyage, The Raven,
and The Legend.
The free soft drinks, coffee, tea, and suntan lotion were great but lines were really long for the drinks due to the heat of the day. Bathrooms weren't as well maintained as Disney but hey, prices were so much better.
We bought souvenirs, hats, glass dragon from the glass blowing shop, played skeeball, and ate ice cream, Excluding ticket prices, we got a group rate of $28.95, we spent around $130.00 for four people.
We arrived at the park 9:34 am and left at 8:45 pm and at the end of the day, we wished we had more time to do some of the things we had missed.
We will definitely return for more Holiday World fun!
Holiday World 4.5 stars
A couple of Saturdays ago, my family and some of the youth from church took a trip to Santa Claus, Indiana to visit Holiday World theme park. We started in Tennessee around 6:00 am and took the easy three and a half hour trip up I-65 to Bowling Green, Kentucky, then got on the William Natcher Parkway all the way to Owensboro, Kentucky. Once in Owensboro (and not before), we got on U.S. 231 north, which took us into Indiana. Just south of Chrisney, we turned right (east) onto Highway 70. After approximately 7 miles, we turned left (north) onto Highway 245, which took us into Santa Claus and to Holiday World's parking lots. The final stretch of Highway 70 is chock-full of small hills and risers which are really fun to speed over. But caution should be taken as signs are posted all along that stretch, "Excessive speeding: $1000.00 fine".
If you are from Tennessee and remember Opryland, you will quicly remember what made that theme park so much fun. Small size, great rides, friendly people, affordable prices. Plus, there's a waterpark smack dab in the middle.
We began the day by going straight to the waterpark and renting lockers for our swimming duds, then hit the theme park. Our first ride was:
Paul Revere's Midnight Ride--This “spinny” ride really surprised my wife and I. We thought it was the kids warm up for the bigger rides but were greatly mistaken. Not only does the ride itself spin, but each individual car can spin and does freely. They say you can control it by leaning but we never had enough control of ourselves to lean in the appropriate direction. Great fun but don't ride right after eating.
Raging Rapids--This four-minute family ride was great fun on the 100 degree day. It starts off in a subterranean tunnel, then floats along before hitting the rapids. Then you will then pass through Boulder Canyon, a flooded Western town. Your journey will end by going through the town’s saloon and the possibility of getting soaked by a water curtain. Wet. Wet. Wet.
Congo River--A relaxing break floating on inner-tubes. A soft current glides you around the area. Occasional squirts and waterfalls occupy the course. Very crowded. It's more fun later in the day when the crowds have gotten smaller.
Watubee--Watubee is a big green water slide. To “Do the Watubee,” you walk to the top of the ride’s tower, climb into a large raft which holds up to four people, and launch onto a watery adventure featuring non-stop twists and turns. Great ride. Not scary at all for younger riders.
Wildebeest--This has to be on of the most awesome rides I've ever been on. After a two hour wait, my wife and I climbed aboard the four man raft with two college age guys. It began with a conveyor ride up the water coaster’s lifthill. Following the four-story drop at a 45-degree angle, the rafts are propelled up seven additional hills, through two underground tunnels (with water cannons at the beginning of each), and around a helix. The top speed is 36 feet per second. The tallest elevation is 64 feet higher than its lowest drop; the conveyor-style lifthill replaces any slide-tower stairs, making the water coaster accessible to riders who might have difficulty walking up stairs. One of the college guys screamed (rather high pitched) for the entire ride. He was embarrassed but lucklily he rode with us old folks and lost no credibility with his female peers.
Plymouth Rock Café--We ate lunch here and were very pleased with the selection and quality of the food. I personaly had the chicken and dumplings with mac and cheese, sauteed green beans and fried apples. Very yummy. They also offer turkey, both legs an breasts, ham, chicken, and a number of sides and desserts. Approximately $8.00 per adult portion but they do offer a child's portion for around $5.00 which would fill up most people.
Kringle's Kafé--We had dinner here. Pizza, hamburgers, fries, and one Black Bean Chipotle Veggie Burger. Food was excellent, filling, and very affordable.
The kids rode other rides and sang praises for The Voyage, The Raven,
and The Legend.
The free soft drinks, coffee, tea, and suntan lotion were great but lines were really long for the drinks due to the heat of the day. Bathrooms weren't as well maintained as Disney but hey, prices were so much better.
We bought souvenirs, hats, glass dragon from the glass blowing shop, played skeeball, and ate ice cream, Excluding ticket prices, we got a group rate of $28.95, we spent around $130.00 for four people.
We arrived at the park 9:34 am and left at 8:45 pm and at the end of the day, we wished we had more time to do some of the things we had missed.
We will definitely return for more Holiday World fun!
Reviews and ramblings
Five star rating system *****
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 2.5 stars
I wish to start by apologizing to the late Stieg Larsson's family because this isn't a great review. Would someone please explain the popularity of this book. Almost everyone I've talked to has raved about this story saying, "Once you start you won't be able to stop." Honestly? Once I started, it was hard for me to continue. It took almost 200 pages for me to get into the story. The only reason I kept reading was to be able to tell my clients who had recommended it that I had finished. Plus, I thought it might redeem itself and make me read the next two. It didn't.
Okay, the premise is good.
Mikael Blomkvist is a disgraced financial journalist sentenced to jail for libeling a supposedly corrupt businessman. He is suspended by the magazine he writes for then hired by industrialist Henrik Vanger who wants to find out the secret of his beloved great-niece's disappearance before he dies and promises wealth and damaging info on said shady businessman.
Through Mikael's research, he comes in contact with a number of odd and eccentric characters, most notably the pierced and tattooed Lisbeth Salander, an uncultivated but vulnerable computer hacker. The two of them uncover a hornet's nest of family corruption, and Mikael discovers some of the shocking events that have left Salander scarred.
Sounds great, right? Not really. This part of the story-line is good but it's the other two-hundred pages of non-plot related signifigance that takes away from the book. This is one of those rare times that I think the movie will be better than the book. Reason? Because time restrictions will hopefully guarantee that the story keeps on plot and doesn't wander off in all directions.
As far as casting goes:
Mikael--Pierce Brosnan, Richard Gere, Gabriel Byrne
Lisbeth--Kiera Knightly or Mila Kunis
That's my opinion, for what it's worth.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 2.5 stars
I wish to start by apologizing to the late Stieg Larsson's family because this isn't a great review. Would someone please explain the popularity of this book. Almost everyone I've talked to has raved about this story saying, "Once you start you won't be able to stop." Honestly? Once I started, it was hard for me to continue. It took almost 200 pages for me to get into the story. The only reason I kept reading was to be able to tell my clients who had recommended it that I had finished. Plus, I thought it might redeem itself and make me read the next two. It didn't.
Okay, the premise is good.
Mikael Blomkvist is a disgraced financial journalist sentenced to jail for libeling a supposedly corrupt businessman. He is suspended by the magazine he writes for then hired by industrialist Henrik Vanger who wants to find out the secret of his beloved great-niece's disappearance before he dies and promises wealth and damaging info on said shady businessman.
Through Mikael's research, he comes in contact with a number of odd and eccentric characters, most notably the pierced and tattooed Lisbeth Salander, an uncultivated but vulnerable computer hacker. The two of them uncover a hornet's nest of family corruption, and Mikael discovers some of the shocking events that have left Salander scarred.
Sounds great, right? Not really. This part of the story-line is good but it's the other two-hundred pages of non-plot related signifigance that takes away from the book. This is one of those rare times that I think the movie will be better than the book. Reason? Because time restrictions will hopefully guarantee that the story keeps on plot and doesn't wander off in all directions.
As far as casting goes:
Mikael--Pierce Brosnan, Richard Gere, Gabriel Byrne
Lisbeth--Kiera Knightly or Mila Kunis
That's my opinion, for what it's worth.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Reviews and ramblings
DVD's: Five star rating system
The Book of Eli receives: 3 stars ***
The Book of Eli (2010 Hughes Brothers)starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, and Jennifer Beals is sure to please some, confuse others. Visually, the movie is stunning but I wanted more. I wanted more dialogue. I wanted more plot-line. I didn't want to have to draw my own conclusions.
The premise is a good one. Nuclear War has occurred. 30 years have passed and people are trying to continue life, even though life seems hardly worth living. Eli is on a quest to travel west, attempting to avoid contact with anyone of the many crazies occupying the world. His continuous mantra is: "Stay the course, it's not your concern." He comes to a town and confronts Gary Oldman who is the leader of this community through his brutality and control of the water. However, he is not satisfied with just control of this town. He wants to expand and feels he can only do so by obtaining the "Book," and has road crews traveling everywhere trying to find a copy of this book. Through a series of events, he discovers Eli has this book and after offering Eli pretty much anything for it, Eli says no and the action begins.
There are quite a few twists and turns along the way, enough to keep you watching. I will admit that I watched it twice, hoping that the second time might reveal storyline that I missed but it didn't. Afterwards I asked my wife what she thought of it and she shared my opinion, "It was good but it could have explained a lot more."
I am sure if I read the graphic novel many of my questions would be answered but I'm not a fan of graphic novels so there you go. I am glad I rented this instead of paying the price at the theater. This movie will probably appeal to the younger crown such as teens or college age, but for those of you who are Denzel Fans, this isn't his usual type movie. There is a certain spirituality and religious overtone that will intrigue some, but not quite enough to make this as spiritual as M. Night Shyamalan's Signs or The Lady in the Water.
Denzel gives his usual solid performance. Even without much dialogue, his facial expressions say enough.
Gary Oldman looked almost as old as he did as Dracula so many years ago. His performance was good but I'll admit I like him most now as Inspector Gordon of Batman, and Sirius Black in Harry Potter.
It was good to see Jennifer Beals. She still looks wonderful and it made me want to watch Flashdance.
Mila Kunis was the surprise. It is still hard not to see her as Jackie from the 70's show but she turns in a pretty good performance as Jennifer Beals daughter.
To sum up:
A pretty good summer movie, but you don't like dark and violent this is not a movie you will enjoy.
To be reviewed later:
Movies:
Valentine's Day
Books:
South of Broad--Pat Conroy
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo--Stieg Larsson
Travel:
A trip to Holiday World in Santa Claus Indiana.
The Book of Eli receives: 3 stars ***
The Book of Eli (2010 Hughes Brothers)starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, and Jennifer Beals is sure to please some, confuse others. Visually, the movie is stunning but I wanted more. I wanted more dialogue. I wanted more plot-line. I didn't want to have to draw my own conclusions.
The premise is a good one. Nuclear War has occurred. 30 years have passed and people are trying to continue life, even though life seems hardly worth living. Eli is on a quest to travel west, attempting to avoid contact with anyone of the many crazies occupying the world. His continuous mantra is: "Stay the course, it's not your concern." He comes to a town and confronts Gary Oldman who is the leader of this community through his brutality and control of the water. However, he is not satisfied with just control of this town. He wants to expand and feels he can only do so by obtaining the "Book," and has road crews traveling everywhere trying to find a copy of this book. Through a series of events, he discovers Eli has this book and after offering Eli pretty much anything for it, Eli says no and the action begins.
There are quite a few twists and turns along the way, enough to keep you watching. I will admit that I watched it twice, hoping that the second time might reveal storyline that I missed but it didn't. Afterwards I asked my wife what she thought of it and she shared my opinion, "It was good but it could have explained a lot more."
I am sure if I read the graphic novel many of my questions would be answered but I'm not a fan of graphic novels so there you go. I am glad I rented this instead of paying the price at the theater. This movie will probably appeal to the younger crown such as teens or college age, but for those of you who are Denzel Fans, this isn't his usual type movie. There is a certain spirituality and religious overtone that will intrigue some, but not quite enough to make this as spiritual as M. Night Shyamalan's Signs or The Lady in the Water.
Denzel gives his usual solid performance. Even without much dialogue, his facial expressions say enough.
Gary Oldman looked almost as old as he did as Dracula so many years ago. His performance was good but I'll admit I like him most now as Inspector Gordon of Batman, and Sirius Black in Harry Potter.
It was good to see Jennifer Beals. She still looks wonderful and it made me want to watch Flashdance.
Mila Kunis was the surprise. It is still hard not to see her as Jackie from the 70's show but she turns in a pretty good performance as Jennifer Beals daughter.
To sum up:
A pretty good summer movie, but you don't like dark and violent this is not a movie you will enjoy.
To be reviewed later:
Movies:
Valentine's Day
Books:
South of Broad--Pat Conroy
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo--Stieg Larsson
Travel:
A trip to Holiday World in Santa Claus Indiana.
An Introduction
Hey. My name is Scott and this is my first blog. Who is Scott? you might ask.
A brief history:
I have been a hairstylist for 28 years and own a salon in Franklin, Tn.
I have been wiriting for approximately 18 years and have had numerous short stories and poems published in various literary reviews.
I have also had 2 books published: One a compilation of short strories and poems titled:
Random Stories
available on Amazon.com
The other a novel titled: Remembering the Summer of the Pink Flamingoes
available at Publishamerica.com
I am currently working oin a new novel titled:
Absence of Faith
I have written movie and music reviews over the years and hope to contiue that on this site. I will also include book reviews and random insight on everyday happenings.
I love getting people's feedback and input so let me hear from you.
Emjoy!
Scott
A brief history:
I have been a hairstylist for 28 years and own a salon in Franklin, Tn.
I have been wiriting for approximately 18 years and have had numerous short stories and poems published in various literary reviews.
I have also had 2 books published: One a compilation of short strories and poems titled:
Random Stories
available on Amazon.com
The other a novel titled: Remembering the Summer of the Pink Flamingoes
available at Publishamerica.com
I am currently working oin a new novel titled:
Absence of Faith
I have written movie and music reviews over the years and hope to contiue that on this site. I will also include book reviews and random insight on everyday happenings.
I love getting people's feedback and input so let me hear from you.
Emjoy!
Scott
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