Tag: HomeTown Buffet

The Golden Corral

On By Michel McDonaldIn Food, RestaurantLeave a comment

Darrin has wanted to go to Golden Corral ever since they opened their doors last year, but we just never made it.  We tried to go there a couple of times but their line was so long outside the door that we just said screw that, and then we would go to either a chinese restaurant or Hometown Buffet.

Last night as I was about to prepare dinner, I emailed Darrin asking him what he wanted.  I gave him choices, Beef Ravioli or lasagna.  He emailed me back saying neither, he wanted to go to Golden Corral.  I was a bit irritated because I knew we would be standing in line outside for at least half an hour or longer.  Fortunately there wasn’t a line at all so we only had to wait 10 or 15 minutes to get to the cashier.

We have never been to a Golden Corral so we weren’t sure how things worked.  At Hometown Buffet you pay for your dinners and drinks and then get seated and go get your drink and food.  At Golden Corral you get your drink before you even pay, then they seat you and you don’t even have to get your own drinks, your waitress does that for you.  All you need to worry about is getting your food.

The only thing that irritated me was the cashier.  They have signs posted all over the place that said that it was 2 for $20 Mon-Thurs after 4pm and then under that “the whole restaurant.”  OK when you read that, what goes through your mind?  Food, dessert, drinks etc. right?  WRONG!  They charged us for drinks,  $2 each in fact.  That is a bit misleading and so I mentioned it to Darrin and made him ask the cashier and she started laughing at us.  That put me off because I don’t like being laughed at and that was a legitimate question.  I feel that it’s false advertising because the drinks are in the restaurant, so why wouldn’t that be included in the deal?  She told us “nice try” and we shrugged it off.

The choices of food at Golden Corral were vast.  They had this long salad bar that seemed to go on forever, across from that were the cooked foods where you had to stand in line for your steaks which you have to wait to be cooked.  Their steaks were so frickin’ good too.  I mean, can we talk?  Their steaks were so good that if it were possible to have an orgasm from eating meat, we would have been screaming “OH GOD, OH GOD” at the top of our lungs while pounding on the table with our fists, that’s how good it was.  I didn’t want to stand in a long ass line to get steak, but Darrin gave me some of his.  He on the other hand kept coming back with more steak and I didn’t understand how he was getting them so fast.

My first plate was a salad and oh my goodness, the thousand island dressing was so good.  I have never had thousand island dressing that tasted like that.  I love Bob’s Big Boy thousand island, but golden corrals was even better, and that’s saying something.  Next time I want to try their ranch.

My second plate had fettuccine alfredo.  Again, orgasm.  Their alfredo sauce was so freakin’ amazing.  I also had some bourbon chicken, I don’t know the exact name but oh my goodness, it was so fantastic.  I was in awe of the flavors that were dancing with my taste buds.

I went back for another plate because I am a glutton for punishment and of course I got more bourbon chicken, macaroni and cheese and a slice of pepperoni pizza.  I just had to have all of these flavors in my mouth all at once.  I knew my stomach couldn’t handle all of the food but I was just too curious.  The pizza was better than Pizza Hut and Dominos combined.  I kid you not, it was amazing.

I was already full by the time I finished eating my three plates, but I wanted dessert.  I went to stand in line for the desserts and I noticed a machine that was supposed to squirt batter into grease to make these little mini donuts, and there were these arms that were supposed to flip the donut so it could cook on the other side too.  I didn’t actually see any donuts being made because it didn’t have any batter in it because their donut bowl was already full, but my mind was blown away.

I grabbed a slice of chocolate cake and put 2 marshmallows on a stick and dipped it in some chocolate.  Speaking of which, they didn’t have a chocolate fountain like in the commercials.  I asked the waitress about that and she told me they were missing a part so it wasn’t working.  That was disappointing, but the taste of the chocolate on 2 marshmallows that I put on a stick made up for that disappointment; it was AMAZING!

They have really put Hometown Buffet to shame.  In fact, I have noticed over the last few months when we go there that they are always empty.  I mean not empty empty, but when we go there, we don’t have to wait in a line, we just go to the counter and pay for our meal and we don’t even need to wait to be seated because there is usually plenty of seating, and now I know why.  I guess when Golden Corral opened up, everyone abandoned every other restaurant in town, and with good reason.

We went to the Golden Corral on Ming Avenue here in Bakersfield and our waitress was Denise, and she was the sweetest waitress.  When the manager told us to come back, I replied “Oh we will, you can count on that” and I meant it.

Today Is My 41st Birthday

On By Michel McDonaldIn BirthdaysLeave a comment

Doomsday must be upon us because I have turned 41 years old today.  When I was a child I couldn’t wait to grow up and now that I’m all grown up I wish I was a child again because I really hate this aging process.

Darrin wanted to take me to the mall to buy me some things so we went to Sears and he bought me 5 t-shirts with a pocket on the front left and 2 pairs of shorts and a pair of flip-flops.  Then downstairs in the bedding department for an egg crate for my bed because it’s really old and I needed the extra support.  He wanted to buy me a new bed but they cost $2500.  They have a 50% off sale with other in store discounts that brings it down to just under $1000 but we just don’t have that kind of money right now so I get to keep and suffer with a 25-30 year old bed lol.  No wonder I have back issues.

I do surveys for e-rewards and I had $50 worth in my account so I ordered a $25 gift card for Game Stop a couple of weeks ago and it came a few days ago so I used that to buy the newest Lego game “Lego Pirates of the Caribbean”.  I had an old Game Stop gift card in my wallet which still had $3.37 on it so the game in total was only $4.09.

I’m a member of the Dairy Queen blizzard fan club so I got a buy one medium blizzard and get one free coupon in my inbox this morning so while we were at the mall we both got blizzards.  That’s my favorite thing about my birthday, we get blizzards hehe.  It’s become a tradition.

I’m also a member of the Hometown Buffet e-club so every year I get a buy one get one free dinner for there too so that’s what’s for dinner.  We haven’t gone yet but we will be going pretty soon.

I have a love/hate relationship with birthdays.  I hate the getting old part but on the other hand I love the free stuff you get lol.  I didn’t get a cake but that’s because we had cake a few days ago.  Darrin had a sweet tooth so I made my birthday cake early for him.  That doesn’t sound right hehe.  Oh well, I’ll just get some when I go back for desserts at Hometown Buffet tonight.  That should make up for it.

DUI Check Point

On By Michel McDonaldIn Daily BlogLeave a comment

It’s Friday and it’s also April fool’s day so you know people are going partying tonight to celebrate… er um… pranks?  We were on our way to Hometown Buffet tonight with a family friend of ours and we happened to get trapped in a DUI check point.

There were traffic cones in front of 2 of the neighborhoods so you couldn’t turn into them to get out of the trap, you were forced to go ahead.  It wasn’t clear that it was a DUI check point right away when there was opportunity to turn into the AM PM, Taco Bell parking lot or the freeway so from a distance it just looked like there was construction.

So there was just 1 lane and then all of a sudden it turns into 2 lanes, there is a police officer with a stop sign signaling for people to go into the right lane with another stop sign or allowing them to go on past the check point.  They were using the church parking lot as their mini police department and it was full of cars too.

We were lucky to have been let go and not be checked because that definitely would have ruined our night lol.  I guess they profiled us because Darrin didn’t look young and he was wearing a dress shirt and a tie.  I think if he were wearing a regular t-shirt like I was and if he were a bit disheveled he might have been chosen to get checked.

As we were passing we could see people in handcuffs, and that was only at 6:50pm.  Imagine what may have happened later tonight.  As we were coming home we saw that people were still being arrested and they were towing cars.

It’s funny, I have never in my life gone through a DUI check point, granted I don’t drive but still, even as a passenger I’ve never been through one.  In fact, this is the first time I’ve ever seen a DUI check point.  It was a shock to see there were so many people being stopped and how many cars that were sent to the church parking lot.  You know that if you got sent to the parking lot you are in trouble.

So is this a lesson for people?  Don’t drink and drive, and that’s not an April Fool’s joke either.

A Golden Retriever Was Hit on H Street in Bakersfield

On By Michel McDonaldIn Pets2 Comments

Tonight at around 6:15pm we were driving along H Street here in Bakersfield going to Hometown Buffet (which we didn’t know is closed for renovation, we ended up going to Denny’s) and we passed the saddest thing.

Among all the speeding cars driving around 40-50mph, there was a Golden Retriever laying on the ground between 2 parked cars. He (or she, I don’t know) seemed to be alive, he was laying down but sitting there panting with his head up. There were 2 people standing by the cars and it looked like they were on the phone.

Since we didn’t pull over I don’t know the full details of what happened but I can only speculate that the dog went out into the street and got hit. I can only speculate that the person I saw on the phone may have either seen the dog get hit or they are the driver that hit him. I don’t know. They may have been calling the owner of the dog if the dog had tags on the collar or they might have been calling for help for the dog. Again, I don’t know.

What I do know is that my heart goes out to that dog tonight. I am a very sensitive person, especially when it comes to animals because they aren’t that bright sometimes. We’re always seeing dogs and cats in the street wandering around confused and lost. I don’t know if it has to do with the fact that they were sheltered in a house then suddenly kicked out into the world that they are very confused by or if they just don’t have a lot going on up there.

I know they run out when you least expect it and if you stop suddenly you could end up causing a huge accident so I understand why they end up getting hit. I just wish people would keep their dogs and cats inside the house or inside the fenced in yard. And if you can’t keep the dog then at least find them a new home so there aren’t so many strays out.

There is a house in our neighborhood on 2nd and Eye st. where the dogs have a chain link fence but the driveway gates don’t close tight so the dogs are always running around the neighborhood chasing and barking at people who walk by.  And they are little dogs which is how they were able to get through the driveway gates.  I saw one of them dead over on Chester and 2nd street in the gutter.  I hate seeing dead dogs in the street, especially when you know that dog has a home, their owners just don’t care enough about them to keep them either in the house or get the fence fixed so the dogs don’t go wandering around.

When we came home from dinner I picked up our dog Flower and hugged her and kissed her. Sometimes you don’t appreciate something (or someone) until they are gone, that doesn’t only apply to people either.

Happy Thanksgiving

On By Michel McDonaldIn Friends and Family, HolidaysLeave a comment

Today is a day that most people spend with their families, watching football, having uncomfortable conversations about their love life or gossiping about the black sheep (that’s me) who did or said what to who. Eat great food and open the button on their pants and unzip their zipper to let their stomach expand so they can breathe and it’s perfectly normal. There might be a fight, someone might come out of the closet, but at least you are with the ones you love.

I miss that.

We’re going to Hometown Buffet today with Venda then we’re gonna go see the movie Unstoppable. I have seen a commercial or 2 about it but I think it came out a long time ago so it’s probably in the little tiny theater. It’s not my choice but that’s what we’re going to see.

On Thanksgiving people usually say what they are thankful for. Well, I am thankful for my health (generic I know but it’s true) and my freedom. I am thankful that I have little drama in my life. You know us gays, always with the drama. Well, not this one. I try to keep all the drama out because what’s the point really? I am thankful that we have the cutest dog in the world who loves us. I am also very thankful that we have a home, a roof over our head with food in our pantry and fridge. And most of all I am thankful that I am in a relationship with the most wonderful person and that relationship has lasted over 16.5 years and is still going strong.

Well, it’s time to go. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful Thanksgiving day with your families wherever you are. Stay safe and don’t drink and drive!

Turkey Day Is Almost Here

On By Michel McDonaldIn Friends and Family, HolidaysLeave a comment

I can’t believe Thanksgiving is already here again. The months go by so fast. Next thing you know we will be decorating the tree. Actually, I’ll be doing that the day after tomorrow lol.

Since Darrin is working again, we’re not going out of town so we’re just gonna go to Hometown Buffet like we always do. I don’t mind going there, in fact I love that they are open because frankly I’d rather not have to cook as if we’re having 10 people over for just the 2 of us then have to do all those dishes. I’m quite content going out where all I have to do is get up, grab a plate then fill it up with good food, eat and repeat until I’m about to explode.

I do miss the traditional visit to a family members house (minus all the drama that comes with that) but I think I like it better with just the 2 of us. The holidays seem to be more for kids than they do for me. I guess that’s how you start to feel when you get older, unless of course you have a family to take care of.

As I said, the day after Thanksgiving I’m gonna be decorating the Christmas tree. It’s in the garage, it’s a pre-lit 8 foot tree. I actually have a video on YouTube of me putting it together using time-lapse photography.

Now some people might say that it’s not Christmas with a fake tree. Pahleez! It’s still Christmas to me and I don’t have to pick out a new one every year and pay the high prices that they charge at the tree lots. It’s such a rip off and I have a fear of fire so that’s another reason for me to want a fake one. Some people say they like the smell of the tree, I don’t really care for it all that much. Even if I did like the smell, I’d rather just light a Christmas tree scented candle.

I have several boxes of decorations to get from the garage and who knows, it might put me in the spirit enough to finish making that last stocking that I started earlier this year. I have 3 stockings to send to Chips nephews. Only one of them is complete, another one just needs it’s red felt back sewn on and the 3rd one needs me to finish embroidering it then put it’s felt back on. I have a little bag of bells that I’m thinking of sewing to the stockings in various places. It’s just not a stocking until it jingles.

So tomorrow morning I’ll get up and have a very light breakfast, maybe I’ll get some pop tarts then starve myself until it’s time to go to Hometown Buffet which will probably be around 1-3pm. One thing I look forward to is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade that will be on in the morning.

Oh joy, I can’t wait.

Bearded Lady Reunited with Long-Lost Son

On By Michel McDonaldIn AmplifyLeave a comment

I didn’t amplify the entire article because it is too long but go to the AOL News page to read the rest….

http://www.aolnews.com/weird-news/article/bearded-lady-vivian-wheeler-finds-her-son-after-33-years/19631453

I am posting this because I have seen her in Bakersfield. When I was riding the bus every day to the Gym over in Green Acres (no joke) I saw her just about every day on the bus. I overheard her talking about writing a book or being in a book about her life as a side show in the carnivals about being the bearded lady.

One night we (Darrin and myself) were having dinner at Hometown Buffet and they sat us at this table that was right next to another table where they sat Vivian and another man in a wheelchair. It wasn’t a booth next to their booth, it was 2 tables pushed together so it was as if we were all 4 in the same party but we were each at our respective tables. Whenever they seat us at those tables we’re pretty much quiet during our meal.

Even though we were basically sharing a meal with them, we treated it as if we were at our own table so there was no need for idle chit chat or introductions. Although I’ve wanted to meet her, I refrained out of fear that she would think that I’m only talking to her because of her beard so I basically just left it alone. Does that make sense or does that make me sound like a snob? LOL I don’t mean it to, I just mean that I was respecting her privacy.

I think her story is amazing and I wish her all the best with her newly found son.

Amplify’d from www.aolnews.com

Bearded Lady Reunites With Long-Lost Son

(Sept. 16) — Every adopted child wonders who his biological mother is. Movie star? Rock star? Maybe a big-shot CEO? For Richard Lorenc, she turned out to be the last thing he ever imagined: a sideshow bearded lady.

The 33-year-old Kansas man had always been curious about his birth parents, but with a wife and two young daughters, he was busy making a life of his own. After a recent back injury led to multiple medical exams and many questions about his family medical history, he decided it was time to start digging.

His search began this past spring, when he filed a request with the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services to find his biological parents.

Courtesy of Richard Lorenc After 33 years, Richard Lorenc has reunited with his biological mother, a bearded woman named Vivian Wheeler, in Bakersfield, Calif.

Six weeks later he received a letter from the department saying it had the identity of his mother: Vivian Wheeler, now 62.

It also informed him that both his mother and his maternal grandmother had hypertrichosis, known as werewolf syndrome. Each had facial hair, even as children. The letter further stated that his mother was born a hermaphrodite, with both male and female reproductive organs.

Wheeler’s facial fuzz had appeared at birth with an inch and a half of light hair covering her cheeks and chin. She says her mother wanted a daughter, and doctors were instructed to remove the male parts.

Wheeler claimed her father was humiliated by his bearded little girl, but it didn’t prevent him from capitalizing on her condition. She began working in sideshows at an early age, earning money to send home to her family.

See more at www.aolnews.com

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/aos7

Free Adult Buffet Meal

On By Michel McDonaldIn FoodLeave a comment

Today is my 1 year anniversary since I signed up with Hometown Buffet through their website.  When I signed up I got a free adult buffet meal and then I got another coupon via email on my birthday and now today I just got another coupon for a free adult buffet meal on my 1 year anniversary.

I just thought I would pass along the savings by giving you this link to sign up with the Hometown Buffet eclub.  That link was given to me in my coupon to email to people but I thought I would do better by posting the link here in my blog for you all instead.  I’m not sure what happens by allowing people to sign up with me as a reference but who knows, I might get more free coupons lol.

Surprise, It’s Dinner

On By Michel McDonaldIn Daily BlogLeave a comment

Darrin surprised me tonight and took me to a sit down restaurant.  Normally to me a sit down restaurant is like Denny’s or Hometown Buffet or China Town Buffet or well, anywhere that doesn’t have a drive-thru.

So we went to Los Molcajetes Restaurant over on Brundage Lane in Bakersfield, CA.  I’d never been there before but we’ve passed it maybe a thousand times since we’ve been in Bakersfield.

First of all, I’m a very picky eater.  That means Mexican food is usually one of those foods that I gotta be careful with because if I don’t ask exactly what I’m getting I’m gonna get everything I don’t want.  I absolutely detest the taste of onions, bell peppers, any kind of hot sauce, sour cream and avocado (or guacamole).  I ordered a ground beef burrito and specifically mentioned no onions, bell peppers, avocado or sour cream since those 4 ingredients were in the pictures near the burritos.  I just wanted to make sure I didn’t get those.

Darrin ordered shredded beef enchiladas.  I don’t know how his food was but as soon as I put the first bite into my mouth the first thing that I said was “wow, it’s too salty”.  I’m not very big on salt either lol.  It’s a good thing too because if I had put salt on my food I would’ve been pissed because of the salt overload.

Darrin ordered an iced tea for his drink and he was complaining that it was too weak, he even had me taste it (pre-sweetened).  I didn’t really notice.  I would’ve probably noticed more if it had been sweetened first.  I’m not a huge fan of iced tea without sugar or equal in it.  After his 2nd glass was brought to him and he sweetened it, the waiter came back and he told him how weak it was and the waiter said “oh well we have stronger” which was a lie, he brought back another glass of iced tea that looked darker but Darrin said it was the same.  He also brought a glass filled with ice lol.  Who asked for that?

Besides the salt overload and the weak tea it was a pretty decent meal.  I can’t say I will be begging to go back anytime soon though.  But I guess when someone takes you to dinner you can’t complain especially when I am broke lol.

Oh one more thing, I was so full and when we went to the cashier at the end I was being stupid and asked where the vomitorium was (because I was full, not because it wasn’t good) and the cashier gave me a blank stare.  She said what’s that?  I said “what’s a vomitorium?”  She said yeah.  I was like damn are you gonna make me explain my stupid jokes?  Gawd, I really hate it when people don’t get my humor.  I told her it was from the roman days and she asked what it was for and I said well, er um… vomiting.  She then pointed to the bathroom and said it’s there lol.  I then had to say “I was joking” and she said oh lol.  Oy vey!

Suffering Side Effects

On By Michel McDonaldIn Doctor, HealthLeave a comment

Well I’ve already started to suffer some of the side effects from these medications that the neurologist gave me for my shoulder.

I’m taking Methylprednisolone 4MG Dospack 21’s which is this pack that has all the pills that you pop out the back.  The first day is at the top and you have to take 6 pills in 1 day.  2 before breakfast, 1 after lunch and supper (I guess that drug company has never heard of dinner) and 2 at bedtime.  Then day 2 you take 5 pills at various times throughout the day.  Day 3 4 pills and so on until day 6 you are just taking 1 pill.  This one is the steroid drug.

Then the other one is Baclofen 10MG tablets that I have to take 3 times a day so like every 8 hours.  That is a muscle relaxant drug.

I read the possible side effects for both of them and some of them are similar.  The muscle relaxant doesn’t have nearly as many side effects as the steroid but I’m getting quite a bit.

1 of them isn’t even listed and I’m not going to air that dirty laundry in here but believe me, it’s painful to sit down hint hint wink wink.  The other ones are that my teeth don’t feel like they belong in my mouth lol.  They just feel strange like the dentist shot something in there to numb them.  Also I’ve got major joint aches and pains especially in my legs at the hips and well just everywhere in my legs.

Let’s see, I can’t sit, I can’t stand and my teeth don’t feel like they belong in my mouth lol.  What else can go wrong?  Oh shoot, I just jinxed myself by saying that.  One of the other side effects are that I’m hungry more which happened today, I got extra hungry, I had 2 sandwiches for lunch, not just bread but these really big rolls with 3 slices of turkey each and lettuce and mayo.  Oh and we went to Hometown Buffet and I stuffed myself silly and one of the other side effects is weight gain which I guarantee you tomorrow I will see that side effect come into place thanks to the hometown buffet but we’re just gonna say it’s a side effect from the pills ok?

UGH and my shoulders are experiencing joint pain too.  Ok, I think I need to lay down because I’m becoming too fragile to be sitting here typing.  One of my fingers might fall off and we don’t want that.