The People of the World Chicken Festival

 

Original or Extra Crispy?



5 bucks for two nickel crowns?

Let's go git some chicken!

So, by now everyone has seen "The People of Wal-Mart" e-mails and web site, right?  Well, I have a new set of amazing people to add.  I like to call it "The People of the World Chicken Festival".  The World Chicken Festival is a festival in London, Kentucky that basically celebrates Kentucky Fried Chicken and Colonel Sanders.  That's basically it.  If you'd like more information (for whatever reason) follow the link above and you can read all about it.  Being a veteran of virtually every county, state, town, village, and holler festival in the state of Kentucky I have just about seen it all when it comes to these events. 

Feathered and lovely

I've never seen people come out of the woodwork like they do for these annual shindigs.  I missed the festival last year, but had the pleasure of returning this year.  The London Women's League, of which The Boss is a member (and Secretary / Treasurer) has a booth every year, the proceeds of which make up the vast majority of their annual budget for giving back to the community.  All joking aside, something cool about the "World Chicken Festival" is that a portion of all vendor proceeds must go to some form of local charity.  It has always been that way, and after 21 years, is still this way.  So, I am dragged down there again this year to do my part in giving back.  I complain about it on here, but once I get down there, I realize how much fun these things can be.  Especially when engaging in one of my favorite pastimes - people watching.

This guy was just out of place

Holy Moses!

For the past few years, the Women's League has had a gyro's booth.  But, the guy they had used turned out to be a real sleaze and had cheated them in the past.  They changed vendors last year, but found another gyro maker to help this year.  These things are so popular thatseveral people came up to me asking where we were last year.  I never knew people in London loved gyro's - or fajitas as they are also called by many, so much.

This years celebrity - Cletus Hogg

Rand Paul ain't got nuthin on Cletus

Which brings me to my next story - me hawking the gyro's left and right.  Something I learned from my dad at an early age, is the power of persuasion in the form of yelling at people to come buy your item.  Reactions vary from stopping and staring to yelling back or simply ignoring me.  Of course, as a natural salesman, albeit an unemployed one, I found a few taglines that got some great reactions.  Also, the best are those that would correct me when I would call them "jyros" instead of the correct "heeroes".  First of all, folks, I know what they are really called.  However, if you start yelling about a "heero" the vast majority of people will think you are a pretentious a-hole, or that you have Superman in your booth slinging sandwiches.

Mammaw

Pappaw

Well I must get on with it, there are a few select pictures that I have included here that are my favorites.  I am off to Oxford, Mississippi to watch the Cats stomp the Rebels this weekend.  After I recover from the weekend I hope to have some good, clean stories about this weekend.  Enjoy the pics and GO CATS!!!

A typical Louisville fan

Happy Birthday, Daddy Nobucks!!!

What more could I wish for?



So, I've had a fairly busy end of the week and I am trying to get caught up on everything.  Let me start at the beginning of the week.  Tuesday was my 33rd birthday, and as far as birthdays go, I must admit, it was not the best of days.  All was well until about 5:15 when I  got the call that I did not get the job I had interviewed with last Friday.  So, that defintely put a damper on the rest of the day.  Up unitil then, it had been alright.  Earlier I baked my favorite cake - Gigi's Deep Dark Chocolate Cake, and the girl's even helped me . . .lick the bowl.  This cake is pretty awesome, and so rich you need a gallon of milk to wash it down. 

These women love chocolate

Second, Miss Giggles had a soccer game that evening, so I had to put on my happy face at 6 o'clock and coach my team.  Again, things started well for us, the other team only had 5 or 6 kids and we had our full complement of players.  Thinking that we could wear them down, I was substituting a lot, keeping fresh legs on the field.  Of course, at that age how can everyone's legs not be fresh, right?  Well, in the fourth quarter, this kid on the other team, just decided to take over, and scored 3, 4, or 5 goals on us in about a five minute span.  It was such a flurry that I could not keep up.  I've never seen a five year old take a team on his shoulders at the end of a game, and single-handedly beat another squad - but I never saw Pele at five either.  Needless to say, it was impressive.  So, not only did I not get a job, but my team got thumped.  Oh, and I almost forgot the best part.  Their coach was a no show, so I got out coached by some soccer mom that came out of the stands and took on the responsibility.  Is it possible for an under 6 coach to be on the hotseat?  Happy Birthday to me . . .

Along with that the World Famous Chicken Festival is this weekend.  I must admit that this is always a fun event, because I can partake in some of the best people watching to be found.  You've seen the people of Wal-Mart e-mails, wait until you see The People of the World Famous Chicken Festival.  Stay tuned.

Go Team Fury

A Chip Off the Old Block?




No, Daddy.
I will not get in that dirt.

 So, Miss Giggles started playing soccer the day / morning that we returned from Disneyworld.  Not only did she begin her soccer career, I began my coaching career.  It is quite difficult coaching your 3 year old daughter on a team of mostly under six year old boys.  She does not quite have the competitive spirit that her daddy has.  Her, "sense of urgency" is essentially nonexistent.  She really can be quite fast when she is running around the couch in our rec room or the gym at school, but when on the field, she is slowed down by all the pretty flowers and her friends running with her.  The Boss tells me to give her some time - "she's only three", she says.  My response - "at three I was scoring three a game".  Not true, but this is my blog and I can say what I want.  At least I was in on the action.  Well, I won my coaching debut by a landslide.  At this age they don't keep score, but we smoked them.  Of course, I do keep score, but it's hard to keep track of every goal when you are out there "coaching".  I've noticed that at this age, it's not really coaching but yelling "go (insert name)" and directing them on which way to kick the ball.  One of the kids came up to me last night and said "Coach, why do you yell so much?"  I did not quite know how to respond to this, and thankfully the ball came his way, so I just yelled at him to get it and the thought was lost.  This has definitely given me a new level of respect for teachers, because it is difficult to get these kids to listen.  I've found a whistle helps.  If that doesn't I've told them that I am going to tell their daddy that they are being bad.  They perk right up.  It's nice to see that some of the things that my mom said, still ring true today.  So, thanks Mom for making me scared of Dad!

What'll Ya Have?




Why did you tell me to pose like this Daddy?

  So, we arrived back from Disney late Friday night, or early Saturday morning, whichever you prefer.  We left Orlando around noon, taking some pictures and savoring every last moment of vacation before we came back to reality.  We were going to meet Jesse, a.k.a Struggler in Orlando for some lunch before we left, but our plans fell through.  You see, Struggler just had a child of his own, a baby girl that is now about one month old, I believe.  They had come up to Orlando to stay with his sister-in-law for the week while we were there.  On the way out of town, Struggler tells me that he has learned the first lesson of parenthood - all plans are tentative.  In other words, kids change everything.  He said that the baby had been up all night, his wife was exhausted and felt disheveled, and even the dogs had kept him up.  On a side note, Struggler is in the same boat as I, surrounded by women - the only difference; my dog used to have a pair, as did I.
Making our way back home, we found ourselves in Catlanta around dinner time, which calls for a quick pitstop at The Varsity.  For those of you that don't know, The Varsity is disgustingly awesome.  It's right off of I-75 across from Georgia Tech, and is a drive-in with some of the best greasy grub you can find anywhere.  We typically go inside to get the "what'll ya have" experience, and stretch our legs.  I am particularly fond of the chili cheese slaw dogs and the onion rings with a coke and a chocolate shake.  But really it's all good in the sense that you can immediately feel your heart begging you to stop.  Well, after ordering our food, I proceed up the stairs, stacked tray in hand, and Miss Giggles is running towards me yelling "Daddy, we need napkins".  Unaware of the reasoning behind this sudden napkin emergency, I continue to head toward my destination in order to place our food on the table - and then I see it.  Miss Lala has projectile vomited all over The Boss' torso, foot, and onto the floor.  In my infinite wisdom, I grab some napkins and begin wiping . . .the floor.  The Boss commands me to wipe up more important locations such as herself or our daughter.  We had thought Miss Lala was somewhat lethargic and warm when we got her out of the car, but thought nothing of it, merely due to travel and exhaustion.  As The Boss and Miss Lala went out to the car to clean up, Miss Giggles and I finished our meal rather peacefully, and as soon as they returned and ate, we were on our way again.  Probably not the first, or last time a late night drive in across from a college has seen an underage youth vomit on the floor.  Apparently hurling on your mother does wonders for a child's psyche because Miss Lala seemed to perk up shortly thereafter.  Upon our departure, I was promptly reprimanded for my lack of vomit wiping prioritization, and chastised for doing that. . .AGAIN.  Again?  I summoned my short term memory for when such a horrendous crime could have been committed prior to this one, and I had failed to recall such an event.  I was quickly reminded of a recent Coca-Cola spilling incident when I began wiping off the table instead of The Boss' pants, purse, pride, etc.  Wow, the things women remember.
Check back tomorrow for Miss Giggles 1st soccer game, and don't forget to become one of my many followers.  Trust me folks, you want to get in early on this one, cause the train is filling up!

Magical Meltdown

So, I slacked off a bit this week, but for good reason.  I had an interview yesterday morning that I had been doing some research on most of the week.  The interview went well I think, and I hope to be getting a call on Monday or Tuesday with some good news.  So, I'm going to try this again, and take my mind back to Disneyworld.  Here we go!

On Thursday, we had decided to spend our last day at the Magic Kingdom.  It was an extra magic hours day, and at night was the Electric Light Parade - two things that must be taken advantage of.  The park opened early for those staying on property at 8 A.M.  Naturally, we arrived a little late, around 8:45.  It is human nature to take a right when you enter a park or event apparently.  I have read this on many occasion, so we headed to the left - Frontierland, here we come!  It was unreal.  It was as though we had the left hand side of the park to ourselves until almost noon. Which means we also got to see some more characters - Yeahh!!!  We were able to add Woody and Jessie to our list, along with another Ariel spotting - this time with "her daddy".  Her daddy meaning Prince Eric.  This being one of the funnier quirks of Miss Giggles' - calling each princesses' prince her "daddy".  Of course, I see the adult humor in this, and it is something that continues to go uncorrected.



I don't believe what I just saw



Also, while in Frontierland Miss Giggles rode the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with me and we had the opportunity to watch the Country Bear Jamboree.  She liked the ride part of the railroad, but not the "dark part" as you make your ascent.  So, we were one and done on Big Thunder Mountain - but she rode it and that's all I can ask.  As for the Country Bear Jamboree, The Boss and I were awestruck.  I don't believe this "attraction" has changed since the Magic Kingdom first opened its doors on October 1, 1971.  It is considered a Disneyworld classic.  It's classically something alright.  With hillbilly bears singing songs such as "Blood on the Saddle", "Don't Whip Little Buford" and "All the Guys That Turn Me On Turn Me Down" I was amazed that Disney still has an attraction as un-politically correct as this one.  Don't get me wrong, I found the hilarity in this as well, because I am a HUGE fan of things that eschew political correctness.  Because of this, I would say that the Country Bear Jamboree is a can't miss - for all of the wrong reasons.



The Blind Leading the Blind?






Daddy, will you still love me during my meltdown?

After lunch we passed the throngs of people heading across the park to where we had already been.  We headed to the teacups again, one of Miss Giggles' favorites, and let her drive the car with mommy. During "Story Time with Belle" I had noticed that Miss Giggles' eyes were starting to droop a little.  If life had a musical score, I woud have heard a faint "duh nuh, duh nuh" (Jaws) creeping up on me.  After the story ended, we headed inside a store to cool off a bit, but Miss Giggles was just warming up.  She had been playing with a make your own Mr. Potato Head, and I told her it was time to find something for Miss Lala because she had already gotten a toy (baby Simba).  Well, this was apparently unacceptable.  As we began to walk away, she began kicking and screaming, lying on the floor - you know, everything involved with a tired and overheated child's nuclear meltdown.  It was brutal.  Keep in mind, this is a large store, and The Boss and Miss Lala were across the way and not witness to this spectacular event.  As I fireman carry her outside, as though I am kidnapping her, I force her into her kiddy straight jacket, a.k.a the stroller.  It was at this point that a woman walks up to me and offers her words of encouragement stating "aww, mine did that yesterday".  Only at Disney are acts such as this not only common and acceptable, but almost expected.  At that point, we went back inside to find The Boss and Miss Lala.  Apparently, Miss Giggles wasn't done.  Seeing The Boss, she wiggles out of the stroller, and begins flopping on the ground like a fish out of water.  The Boss, had not a clue what was going on.  I told her that she had already missed the first half, and this must be the second.  We immediately headed out of there as though the place was on fire, telling Miss Giggles that because of her antics we were forgoing the afternoon parade.  Secretly, I think this may have been more of a punishment to The Boss than Miss Giggles.  I have never know a grown woman with such an affinity for parades.  We laid her down in the stroller and headed back to the hotel to cool off, both physically and mentally. She was asleep in two minutes flat.

After cooling off in the pool, we hit The Wave restaurant at our hotel and went back to the Magic Kingdom for the Electric Light parade.  Before the parade came the fireworks, which as mentioned previously are not my children's favorites.  So, with everyone outside watching the fireworks, we headed inside and saw Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Belle, Tinkerbell, and two other fairies that I don't know.  Sorry, I can't know them all.  I have to save some space in my brain for sports statistics and other useless facts and figures.  With everyone outside, we almost had the run of the place, and the girls got to spend some extra long quality time with the princesses.  In fact, the crowd was so sparse, Cinderella and Belle came out front because there was no one in line.  It was like an encore, tag team appearance for Miss Giggles, and a fitting end to our character experiences at Disneyworld.



Now this is more my size!

Afterwards we watched the Electric Light Parade.  Yet another parade that Disney throws just because.  It is pretty neat, and something that Miss Giggles also enjoyed - Miss Lala passed out in the stroller shortly after it began.  This provided a fun and fitting end to our Disneyworld vacation - or so I thought.  The Boss, wanting to miss the exodus out of the parks, hatched a plan to weave through the stores on the way out.  An hour later, doors locked, cast members pointing this way and that with directions to the closest exit.  Making my way to the cash register, I am reminded of an old saying - "fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me."  Thus, providing a fitting conclusion to our Disneyworld vacation.