Stop #56: New Castle (#619)

After our stop in Richmond, Splenda and I left scary-close-to-Ohio territory and made our way to the next stop, and the stop that really motivated Splenda to join me on my trip for the day.

That's right: We went to New Castle.

New Castle, home of many a Butler Basketball player, all of whom Splenda appreciates greatly due to them playing basketball for Butler.

I, too, am a fan, because they shoot many ...

s!

That is, they shoot a lot of 3-pointers, and 3 is my second favorite number. 3 is also the highway you take to get to New Castle, which is where, as I've already mentioned, many Butler players are from.

Once we got there, with basketball on my mind, I got excited by the Steak 'n Shake measuring stick by the door, 'cause according to it, height is measured in Steak 'n Shake characters. I am apparently Goldie Fries tall.

Most Butler basketball players are Milkshake tall, or taller, apparently.

Since we had had lunch in Richmond (close enough to Ohio to warrant worrying about being poisoned, I might add), Splenda and I decided we only needed milkshakes this time around.

Splenda was glad to finally get the chance to try the Nutter Butter milkshake.

 Meanwhile, I was glad to get the chance to have the brownie bits milkshake.

 Sad to say, this is my before face. The shake itself was a bit of a disappointment. If you go to Steak 'n Shake and you're craving both brownie and ice cream, please, don't waste your time on this milkshake.

Get the glorious, wondrous brownie sundae. For reals:

 

 Someone about to take on a delicious, delicious combination of ice cream and brownie.

 Someone about to take on a not-so-delicious combination of ice cream and brownie.

After we finished our shakes, Splenda and I decided to do our group shot with Darnell Archey, Zach Hahn, and Chase Stigall, the very boys who had motivated us to stop by that Steak 'n Shake that day.

Stop #44: Michigan City (#236)

On Black Friday (I know, this is a vastly delayed post), I decided to knock out the rest of the Steak n' Shakes in the Region.

Starting with Michigan City.


Jen and I had to work on Black Friday because, well, it was Black Friday and we work in retail. Once our shifts were over, we packed up to head northwards, where we met up with Liz.

Because it was Black Friday, we decided to show our appreciation for our server, whoever she may be, for working on what can be such a hectic shopping day.

Behold, as Jen displays the gift!


The luxurious floral print bag came with the full-size ritual in the Paris Amour fragrance as well as a pocketbac and clip, and floral print nail file. (insert *Ooooohhh!" and "Aaaaaahhh!" here)

We even had a thank you card for our server.


And once seated, we had a chance to write our thanks to Alejandra.


We got pretty excited too, before leaving, when we noticed something that made us think Alejandra would really appreciate the gift.

Of course, we had to be sneaky in getting pictures to prove it. So Liz and I posed while Jen framed.


You see that? That is a pair of ladies getting excited about something in a Bath & Body Works bag. And while you can't see it in the picture, what was especially exciting for us was that the product in the bag was in the Paris Amour fragrance. Jen spied it as they pulled it out of the bag, which happened to not happen when we were taking the picture but does not negate the fact that it was indeed the very fragrance we brought as gift. Score!

Also "Score!" was my meal for the night. Chicken tenders with honey mustard, and fries with honey mustard.


And, most notably, water with lemon.


Which allows me to do spectacular things to ensure I get my fruit quota for the day.

First, you take the lemon.


Then, you add a sugar packet.


Then, enjoy!

This particular lemon was almost as enjoyable as my last lemon, which came from a lemon bouquet I enjoyed with my favorite Jaydeth a few years ago.

Jaydeth, myself, and a lemon bouquet.
Circa 2008.

Mmm. Lemon.

After we finished dinner, we decided to get back on the road, to accomplish yet one more goal for the night, and another Steak n' Shake stop.

And so we settled down to take the requisite group photo.


When Jen pointed out that she thought I should be in the middle. You know, given the sign and all.




Thank ya kindly, Michigan City and Alejandra!

Stop #43: South East St, Indianapolis (#25)

Stop #43 took me to not-so-far-away, here in Indy, just after I went to a theater to see the new "Twilight" movie.

Before you scorn me for my tastes, or think horrible thoughts about me, or wish I was dead, in my defense:


THIS is why I went. THIS is why I've gone to see all of the movies, why I've read the books, why I cut myself when the world is just too much.

Okay, that last bit, I don't really do. Getting inside Bella's head is pain enough for a lifetime over.

And in case you're wondering about that bizarre belly button on my shirt, my "Twilight: Because I'm a masochist" shirt was actually made for the release of "Eclipse" last year, which is why I tried to fabric-paint on, well, an eclipse.


You might be thinking that you really don't want to hear my thoughts on this movie. You might be here for the Steak n' Shake of it all, or for the anagrams, or for the Catch Caragher. But today, I feel like talking about this movie. And, as Robbie Hart once said in a movie I love dearly, "Well I have a microphone, and you don't, so you will listen to every damn word I have to say!" Yeah, that's how this "review" is gonna go.

Of course, by microphone, I mean blog.

So how was "Breaking Dawn: Part 1"? I've got to say, in my opinion, it's been the best of the series so far. Now, don't mistake that for me saying that the movie is good. That logic would be similar to saying that Mussolini was a good guy 'cause he wasn't as horrible a dude as Stalin or Hitler. "Breaking Dawn Part 1" is no Hitler ("New Moon" for the shirtless shot of "RPatz") or Stalin ("Eclipse" for the OH GOD ALL OF IT), but that doesn't mean we should give it an Oscar, or a Nobel prize.

The first ... solid third? of the movie is basically the wedding you wish you weren't invited to, followed by the world's most lame honeymoon videos by that couple you wish didn't know you because OH GOD IS RPATZ REMOVING HIS SHIRT AGAIN MAKE IT STOP. KStew's walk down the aisle had to have been four miles long for all the long, meaningful, intense facial shots between her and RPATZ THANK GOD YOU'VE GOT A SHIRT ON THIS TIME. Thankfully, there wasn't too much dialogue in that chunk of the movie, meaning our stars should have been able to better focus on their actual acting skills.

Oh, wait. Nope, no side benefit of that, after all.

I also think something should be said for some inconsistency when it comes to this part of the series. Inconsistency as in, "Dear Bill Condon, Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion!" Inconsistency as in, there were shots from that honeymoon that should only exist in your worst nightmare in which Edward was wandering around in the sunlight, yet failed to sparkle. Now, don't misunderstand me -- I do not prefer my vampires sparkly, and there's too much of the slow-mo sparkle-action in all the other movies as it is. But if you've established that vampires in your world sparkle in the sunlight, you can't abandon that trait just because it got boring. And Bill Condon, by agreeing to direct Stephanie Meyers' wet dream (seriously, the whole story started from a dream she had, so I'm going to make my assumptions from there because sometimes my mind is in the gutter and clearly sometimes hers is too), you are agreeing to adapt to the vampires in her world, irritating though they may be.

My final big complaint is the finesse with which wolf telepathy was conveyed. This movie takes what is basically my favorite part of any of the books -- the part where we abandon Bella and her vapid and pointless existence and go hang out with some characters who are actually interesting for a change -- and destroys it with a nearly incoherent mass of confusion that just sounds atrocious. After that, who wants to hang out with the wolf pack anymore? It's almost as painful as DEAR GOD RPATZ PUT YOUR SHIRT BACK ON.

So now that I've made clear that you maybe don't want to go see "Breaking Dawn Part 1" and, hell, maybe don't want to read "Twilight" in the first place, what might you want to do instead?*

Let me recommend some books that actually might have value! Or, at the very least, entertainment that doesn't make you want the main character to die!

1. The Pact, Jodi Picoult
I'm just tossing this in 'cause it's my favorite book from this author, but you can't go wrong with most of her stuff. Most of her stuff revolves around a court drama and a hidden piece of evidence or fact that changes everything at the last minute. This one, specifically, involves the suicide pact of two teenagers gone wrong, in which only one teenager actually dies, leaving the other to look like a suspect in her murder. A fun romp for any interested reader!

2. The Dark Half, Stephen King
Stephen King has some decent stuff out there, but The Dark Half has been my favorite, and was the book I managed to squeeze in two and a half times during a three-week trip to Australia and New Zealand back when I was in 7th grade. (Hey, in the days before e-readers, you had to make do with the total number of books you could actually fit in your suitcase, which was, in my case, two.) Plot centers on a writer who has written under both his real name (one genre) and a pseudonym (a completely different genre). When he tries to "kill off" the pseudonym and come clean to the public, the pseudonym decides it doesn't really want to be dead. Fun fact, apparently there was a sort of old-school computer game based on this book, too.

3. Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort-of History of the United States
Dave Barry cracks me up. He will probably crack you up, too. If he doesn't, it's because you have no soul. Slept Here is my favorite Barry book, as it's basically turning history on its head and I apparently find that amusing.

4. Invisible Monsters, Chuck Palahniuk
This book made me want to have Chuck Palahniuk's babies. From the same author that brought you Fight Club is this story about a girl who used to be super-pretty but who had her mouth shot off in an accident and now she travels around the country with a pair of people who are as f-ed up in head as she is to look at. Then again, she may also be as f-ed up in the head. There are three instances of plot twist in this book that made my jaw drop. My only regret with this book is that I can't go back and read it for the first time all over again, getting all those surprises fresh again.

*Read the fine print: I'm all in favor of reading at large, so if you read "Twilight" because the alternative is, well, not reading at all, then I appreciate the attempt. I just also hope that you do someday graduate to something else, even if it is only Harlequin Romance or something.

These are the things you could do instead of reading (or watching) "Twilight" if you are unlike me. Then again, if you are a masochist as well, "Twilight"! Have at it!

Speaking of acts of masochism, on this particular Quest Stop, I finally got around to trying the FritoBurger.


I know. It's scary to look at. Imagine how it felt to eat it.

And if you can't imagine it, enjoy this pseudo-film strip!





And of course, the aftermath:

I actually cut it in half so that Husband could "enjoy" it with me. He has a more varied ... palate ... than I do, meaning it might not actually be the worst thing in the world, and I wouldn't necessarily know it.

And he did imply it was not the worst thing in the world. However, I don't think either of us will be ordering it again.

Fortunately, I anticipated the above, and got real food too: my favorite standby and reward for being brave, a Guacamole Steakburger and french fries.

In the end, it turned out to be a pretty good day: "Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1" followed by a Fritoburger.

Then again, let me remind you:


Though I think no one else suffered quite as much as I did, as only two of us went to see the movie, and only two of us (one of us being different from the former pair of two of us) actually tried the Frito Burger.

The rest escaped unscathed.

Stop #28: 135 & Main, Greenwood (#243)

Stop #28 took me to a Greenwood location on July 22, the date of my brother's birthday.


I went with my soon-to-be cousin-in-law, Emily, who was last seen on the quest when she rescued me and Fiancé from Avon and a broken motorcycle named Sasha (okay, the motorcycle wasn't really named Sasha).


Fiancé and his cousin (Emily's husband) were on a camping trip because I apparently infect Fiancé's life with too much estrogen. With them out of town, we decided to do some slightly girly errands in the south part of town: pick up a bridesmaid dress, check out some fabric at JoAnn's, find some paper for a wedding guest book at Michaels ....

And, of course, hit up a Steak 'n' Shake.


I had a super cute gift card from my birthday, and decided to use it to try a new sandwich: the Wisconsin Buttery Steakburger.

That's right, the very same that Tara had on her first Steak 'n' Shake trip. And, of course, the fries. With cheese.

I was really craving meat. My current work schedule is pretty terrible for any regular and consistent schedule of actual meals: noon to eight, with no opportunity for a break after 3, at best. (Days like today, I think if I'd taken a real break, it'd have had to have been at 1 p.m., which just isn't cool, so I didn't.) So I tend to have a bowl of cereal when I wake up, skip lunch as I leave my apartment to get to work by 11:20 a.m. or so, and eat a no-prep dinner of yogurt and blueberries at around 5 or 6 p.m.

Which means my body is usually crying for meat no matter how unhealthy the form at every opportunity, and I was seriously ready to make out with the Wisconsin Butter-Burger.


Seriously. I'm pretty sure Emily felt like a third wheel at this dinner. And, as I already pointed out, Fiancé was no where near in the vicinity. He may, in fact, need to get jealous, as this burger is the only person(?) other than him to have been on the receiving end of such a look.

Or maybe he doesn't really care, because it is just a burger, so it's not like I can have a relationship with it. No matter how much I may want it at any given time. The Wisconsin Buttery Steakburger simply cannot reciprocate my feelings.

Okay, moving out of the land where my burger has been personified: I'm pretty sure Fiancé would like the Butter Burger because, after all, it's got a whole lot of butter, and this is the Fiancé whose daughter once took the butter dish from a steak house and just scooped the butter with her bare hands as a significant chunk of her dinner.

See that? That's genetic. Though I've never seen Fiancé eat butter straight, I can't say I'd put it past him.

The butter burger was pretty tasty. Which is surprising, considering the state for which it is named does not actually have any Steak 'n' Shakes of its own in which it could perfect such a steakburger. But it passes my standards -- though they are admittedly low with my recent diet of cereal-and-yogurt.

Unfortunately, with this post ends my tradition of a "group shot," as Emily and I took off without getting one. And so I leave you with another shot of the two of us:

I would like to enter this image as evidence that I
do not exist entirely on Steak 'n' Shake food,
nor do I exist entirely on food I have not prepared.
See? I have some skill with food preparation.
No thank to McDonald's, which back in high school
banished me to "back cash" and never, no never, not
once over the course of three-and-a-half years,
taught me grill.

Stop #24: Merrillville, Indiana (#340)

The weekend of the Fourth of July brought great progress in the quest, when I went to not one, not two, but three Steak 'n' Shakes on the list. And four total. Within a 24-hour period.

And no, I did not get sick. Woo-hoo!

The reason I squeezed so many in within that short period was that I decided to visit my friend Kathy, who has been wanting me to see the house she bought in Chicago for ... well, ever since she bought it. Which was not that recently. Which means I'm a terrible friend. But I finally made it!

And, on the way, I stopped at some Steak 'n' Shakes. No reason not to make progress by hitting up some stops in the Region, right?

As for the delay in posting these adventures, there is reason, and it will be revealed as I detail stop #24.


Stop #24 was in Merrilville. It was, in fact, not the first time I'd been to this particular Steak 'n' Shake.

Once upon a time, I went to a concert in Hammond with my friend Splenda.

For the record, her name isn't really Splenda. It's a nickname that sprung out of the familial connection we had in the band service fraternity and sorority in college. And Splenda she remains.

The concert was a good one, featuring my two favorite bands:

Safetysuit ...

... and Seether!

And this was back when Seether still had Troy McLawhorn, which meant I got to swoon not only when Doug sang as Safetysuit took stage, but also when Seether performed. Win!

Meet beautiful beautiful Troy. Circa November 2008.
Photo courtesy my friend Jaydeth Czys-zle who
accompanied me to a Seether concert or two.

At the time, I had a rule that if either of these bands was performing within a four-hour drive of wherever I was (exception being Ohio -- 'cause nothing is worth that), I would go. This rule is no longer in place because sometimes I am broke, and gas is expensive, and concerts are expensive, and my souvenirs from said concerts are expensive.

Anyway. Both Splenda and I had to travel to get to this show -- at the time, Splenda lived in Fort Wayne, and I was still trapped in Indianapolis -- so we decided to stop at the Steak 'n' Shake in Merrillville on the way.

Splenda & me, circa 2009

This time, I went with my friend Liz, another person I know from my years at Butler involved with the band service sorority. She lives in the area, and so was looking forward to joining me on the quest there. And getting a milkshake and cheese fries.


I, on the other hand, realized that, wedding coming up and all, I probably should start eating better, even if I'm at Steak 'n' Shake.

It made me a little sad, 'cause I ended up getting a grilled chicken salad.


Then I got happy, 'cause Liz used a "buy one get one" coupon for the milkshake.


And diet be damned, a coupon is a coupon, and I was craving a vanilla milkshake, made all the more awesome by its freeness.

While we hung out at the Merrillville Steak 'n' Shake, Liz and I decided to create something to send to a friend.


Sent via snailmail. Which is why this post was delayed a bit. That, and wedding planning eats my life sometimes.

After hanging out and chatting for a couple of hours, I realized I had to be on my way. And thus ended Stop #24 in the quest, and began my 24-hour SnS Spree.