My wife and I recently went to one of our favorite movie theaters, that being the Columbiana Grande Stadium 14, to see Man of Steel. Columbiana Grande is a state-of-the-art theater equipped with all the modern amenities theater-goers expect nowadays, including digital projection, 3D systems, online ticketing, and just about every snack food you can think of up to and including mini corn dogs by Nathan's. (They're amazing, quite frankly - get it, corn dog, hot dog, frankfurter, frank? The jokes aren't as funny when I have to explain them.) I would go there more often than we do as I've always enjoyed the cinema, however the fact that it's about an hour's drive from where we live makes trips that frequent illogical considering the price of fuel and whatnot. Unfortunately we're not blessed with a local movie theater; there was a small, 4-screen theater in Orangeburg but it closed last year, so now our only alternative for new releases is to drive to Columbia or Lexington. Aside from the exorbitant prices for tickets and refreshments, I find that the only unpleasant (albeit sometimes entertaining) thing about going to the movies is the fact that there are other people in the theater besides just my wife and I.
Typically, we tend to wait a few weeks after they've debuted to see new movies in order to allow for the initial hubbub about the thing to die down. In the case of Man of Steel, we went after only a week's passing which wasn't so bad in all honesty. Don't get me wrong, the house was nearly packed but we arrived early enough that getting a good seat wasn't a challenge. A "good seat" for us is either a spot on the end of a row or, better yet, a loveseat row (that being a row made up of only 2 seats). There are only a few of these loveseat rows within certain theaters at Columbiana Grande, hence why early arrival is necessary if you hope to get one of them. We even have a preference when it comes to which loveseat we take. One of the loveseats is situated directly above the theater's entrance, meaning you not only get a nice, semi-private section to yourselves but you also get the added benefit of a shelf upon which you may rest your snack, beverage, cell phone or what have you. Beware, though, as this shelf can be treacherous!
Case in point, for our Man of Steel screening we both got a tray of nachos. The nachos come in a bag, which is both good and bad; good in that you get a consistent, sanitary serving but bad in that you have to get the chips into the tray yourself while sitting elbow to elbow with God only knows who. I make it sound like you're having to replicate the scene from Mission: Impossible where Tom Cruise is dangling from the ceiling like a fish on a hook even though it's about as simple as can be. I'm always cautious about bag opening, though, because I'm prone to yanking them open too forcefully and sending the contents flying in every direction. Instead of having to use my lap as a staging area for my nachos, I made good use of the shelf by carefully positioning the tray in a safe zone (i.e., far enough back from the edge so that the tray wouldn't fall over thereby dousing some unsuspecting theater patron with molten cheesy goodness), popped open the bag of nachos and arranged them in my tray. Unfortunately, I may have been too eager to get to my nachos as I sent one chip flying off the shelf - fortunately, there wasn't anyone coming into the theater at that moment, so I didn't have to go through that embarrassment.
At least my spillage was minor and didn't involve liquid...
I think everyone who's been to a movie lately realizes how big beverage servings have become. This isn't a new trend, though, seeing as how the same is true of cups you get at any fast food restaurant. I got a large soda before we went in to see Man of Steel - I don't remember how much it cost but it came with free refills which is why after the movie was over I decided to get my cup topped off. One more for the road, as it were. I didn't drink all of the refill (the cup barely fit into the holder in my truck) so when we got home I brought the cup into the house and left it on the kitchen counter. The following morning I took the top off the cup and looked down into the murky, now severely watered down and totally devoid of carbonation left-over Coke. I couldn't help but wonder how much fluid that was as I poured it down the drain. I got out one of our measuring cups (a 1 cup/8 fluid ounce measuring cup) and used water to calculate how many cups my movie theater cup would hold. Turns out this behemoth, without ice and filled to the brim, can hold 6 cups or 48 ounces of fluid. That's the equivalent of 4 cans of soda. And people wonder why things like diabetes and obesity are so prevalent nowadays.
I wrote all that to say this - two people dropped their beverages during the movie, one who was near the front of the theater and another who happened to be sitting directly behind us in a loveseat row. I didn't freak out when I heard the cup hit the floor, thereby jettisoning its contents in a deluge, even though I had a bad feeling my feet were about to get wet. I can honestly say we never felt or saw as much as a dribble of cola on our row, which I can only attribute to some sort of containment apparatus separating the upper and lower rows. There's the off chance that the folks sitting behind us may have expertly deployed whatever napkins they had to try and sop up the spill. (Hopefully the victims of the other spill were as lucky as we were.) Whatever the case, I'm just glad I didn't walk out of that theater with shoes left sticky from almost half a gallon of soda.
The topic of children and movie theaters is a touchy subject. As a theater owner/operator, you can't not allow someone who is capable of buying a ticket into your establishment (a justifiable exception being people who are under the influence or who might pose a danger to themselves and others). Doing so would be contrary to everything for which our capitalistic society stands. This is why business people and theater patrons alike have to hope that parents and their children don't do anything while watching a movie that would inspire violence. I can't tell you how many times I've had a perfectly good cinematic experience get ruined by some kid or their parental unit(s). At this point, it's almost like an understood, expected casualty of war. You know when you buy your ticket that there's a chance you're going to walk out of that theater having thought about whether or not you could justifiably gut-punch a child or otherwise wish a plague of boils upon their mom & dad for having brought them out of the house in the first place.
Personally, I think parents have to know their child before making the decision to bring them to a theater. This means realizing that kids of a certain age shouldn't be in a theater, period, specifically babies or any child so immature that they stand to have an emotional outburst during the picture. Not only is this a potential distraction to others inside the theater but what are you, as a parent, getting out of going to the movies if you have to spend 20-30 minutes in the lobby trying to satiate Junior's shivering fits? It doesn't make sense from either point of view, is what I'm getting at.
Older kids who are either undisciplined or just plain unsupervised is a different matter entirely. Babies can't help that they're babies but kids who are old enough to know better and act-out anyway should be dealt with in a way that is efficient and effective. In an ideal world, they'd get one warning then out comes the duct tape (the stuff is truly limitless in its use). In reality, we're left having to wonder why their parents aren't doing their jobs. Theater etiquette should be taught at an early age, and refresher courses should be offered to adults seeing as how there are a lot of people out there who have no idea what it means to observe courtesy towards others while watching a movie.
I'm not attempting to say that I was a perfect child or that I never did anything to disrupt the moving-going experience of someone else. Sure, I acted out as a child while at the movies and even in church. You want
to know what happened to me when I did? Grandpa's finger meeting the back
of my skull in a flicking motion that was, in all honesty, like getting
hit with a Louisville Slugger. It hurt and I didn't appreciate it at the time, but I'm a grown man and I know that if he hadn't cared enough to direct my behavior I might be in a very different position right now. My point being that children should be loved and nurtured but that they also need discipline in some form or another. How would the world be different right now if the word discipline had never become unjustifiably synonymous with abuse, we'll never know.
There's that pesky soap box again, always getting underneath me when I'm trying to write...
I just spent three paragraphs harping on why kids and movie theaters don't mix, whereas I could write a piece the size of a senior thesis as to why a lot of adults shouldn't ever be allowed to set foot inside a theater. Seeing as how the length of this blog entry is getting out of hand, instead of charging a multi-pronged assault on those theater patrons who are old enough to know but too ignorant to do so, I'll focus on one aspect of their behavior which is consistently and persistently disruptive, that being the usage of cellular phones.
Movie theater chains have done what they can, for the most part, through signage and various pre-movie public service announcement campaigns in an attempt to dissuade customers from whipping out their phone during a screening. (Not only have they made a point to state how annoying it is for someone to engage in a conversation during a movie, they've also gone so far as to tie in visibly using a phone to potential copyright infringement. Plus, they tack on the incredibly intimidating and overly emphatic seal of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, just for good measure.) The only problem with this strategy is that it trusts people to police themselves when people are, pardon my French, assholes by in large meaning they don't care about ruining the experience of someone else. They've apparently never been distracted from a pivotal scene in a movie by the veritable spotlight that blasts upwards out of someone's lap into the darkness of the theater after they've activated the screen of their phone. I see this happen all the time and I'm never sure what's going on; that could be someone checking their Twitter feed or it could be the people of Gotham City sending out a distress signal to Batman. The bottom line here, in my opinion, is that if you're so important that you can't be separated from your phone for 2 or 3 hours you probably have no business being in a theater. By all means, stay home - the world may need you at a moment's notice!
Even with my musings and complaints about how people can affect a night at the theater, I must admit there's something about the communal experience of taking in a film together as a group (or mob, as is sometimes the case). The shared reactions and emotions are quite the thing to behold. I guess you could say that it's part of the magic of the movies. All I know for sure is that I'm glad I don't have to go to the movies by myself anymore, thanks to the cute little blonde girl I call my wife being by my side. I never do get tired of how it feels when she squeezes my hand during a tense moment of a film. It reminds me that she's there, it reminds me that we're together, and it reminds me that we'll always be connected.
Showing posts with label Coca-Cola. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coca-Cola. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Friday, May 10, 2013
The Truesdales Went Down to Georgia (A Blog About Our 3rd Anniversary Weekend Get-Away)
May 1, 2013 marked 3 years since Jill and I were wed. I wasn't aware of this until here lately but the theme for gifts at the third anniversary is leather as the third year is when the marriage shows its resilience, much like leather itself. That being the case, I went to our local Goodwill store and found an old pair of work boots and gave them to my wife as an anniversary present. Seemed appropriate, so I went with it.
No, I didn't actually get her a pair of work boots. We did, however, work as a team in putting together a weekend jaunt down to Georgia in order to celebrate our anniversary. Jill had told me a while back that she wanted to visit the World of Coca-Cola, which is in Atlanta. As luck would have it, there wound up being a professional wrestling show in nearby Porterdale that I wanted to attend. Realizing we'd both have an opportunity to see something we'd enjoy along the way, the trip more or less planned itself - all we had to do was put one foot in front of the other.
THE ROAD
I do enjoy road trips and traveling in general, so much so that I've told my wife that once we're both old and retired I fully plan on selling our house and buying a recreational vehicle. Then we can spend our twilight years together on the road, seeing the country while terrorizing other motorists. Seriously, imagine me as a septuagenarian piloting a tour bus-sized RV hurtling down the highways at full speed - it's going to be awesome!
In all seriousness, I do think it's fun to get out and roam around every now and again. There was a point in time when my career didn't seem to be going anywhere that I considered going to truck driver's school. I wanted a vocation that I could earn a living at and enjoy the work as well, and that seemed like an option at the time. Fortunately, things picked up for me professionally speaking and I didn't have to take that route, but my appreciation for opportunities to hit the road hasn't diminished.
For this trip, we'd start off by taking a series of back roads through several counties in South Carolina until we hit I-20 west which would carry us the rest of the way to our temporary home of Covington, Georgia. From our home, GPS services would've had us drive to Columbia and hit I-20 there; this would've added a good many miles to the trip, which is why I plotted out an alternative course. "The scenic route", if you will.
Getting to Covington was a real breeze as the traffic going through South Carolina and Georgia happened to be somewhat sparse. I attribute this to the time of day we were traveling and the fact that it was pouring rain. Speaking of which, rain has become a running joke when we're on the road as it doesn't seem like we ever take a trip when the forecast doesn't call for precipitation. I can't remember an occasion where we've been traveling and there wasn't something wet falling from the sky. This was the case even before we were married as it was absolutely pouring rain the morning we flew out of Charlotte, North Carolina to Las Vegas. The rain would be an issue for us this entire weekend as it never really let up the entire time we were gone. Such is life for the Truesdales!
The ride into Atlanta wasn't that bad either, which was a surprise as I'd never driven there before but have always heard horror stories about how terrible an experience it can be thanks to congestion and the notion that most drivers there have an aggressive temperament. Maybe it was because we made our entrance fairly early on a Saturday or that combined with the persistent rain - whatever it was, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to get to the part of town we'd be visiting. The parking garage for the Wold of Coca-Cola was clearly marked and our GPS took us right to it without issue.
Unfortunately the trek out of Atlanta was the exact opposite. We left town in what may have been a weekend equivalent to rush hour as we encountered heavy traffic that was true to the sort of things I'd been told about driving in Atlanta. The roads were packed and the drivers were just as ornery as I'd been lead to believe they'd be. We got through it by remembering the wise teachings of a Jedi Master - "Patience, young padawan..." I feel for people who live in cities like Atlanta as I don't think I could drive through that on a daily basis, not without heavy medication anyway.
After that, it was good to have an uneventful ride home. We stopped along the way at a mall near Augusta, GA long enough to do a little shopping and to have lunch. Nothing like bourbon chicken, fried rice and an Orange Julius during a road trip to revitalize your mind, body and spirit!
THE HOTEL
I'm notorious for my frugality in general but especially so when it comes to hotels and seemingly frivolous expenses related to travel. My wife will verify this for you, should you think that I'm lying, as she's had to endure the brunt of my being a cheapskate. We have stayed in some questionable hotels during our relationship and the Travelodge in Covington, GA which we called home during our weekend get-away was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
We hit the road around 5:30 PM after we'd both gotten off work. We'd stopped at a Chili's for supper in Augusta, GA so it was around 10 PM when we arrived at our hotel. I had picked this particular Travelodge for two reasons: Price and its relative proximity to Atlanta. Staying in Atlanta was out of the question; I couldn't justify spending $150 or more per night to stay there seeing as how that would've wiped out the entire budget for this trip. Even with the extra fuel we'd be using, we would come out better by not splurging on a hotel. When we got off the interstate and entered Covington, my immediate reaction was to say that it appeared to be a pleasant area. There were several restaurants and shops nearby and it looked to be a very nice place to shack up for the next couple nights. My confidence didn't waver as we approached the hotel - I said to myself, "Hey, there's a Waffle House next door and a Taco Bell across the street, what more do you need?"
I left my truck under the overhang near the lobby then went inside to check us in. The parking lot was nearly full which wasn't surprising seeing as how a hotel like this one located right off of a major interstate stands to have plenty of business on any given night from road-wary travelers. The lobby seemed quaint enough and the staff were courteous, although I noticed that there appeared to be renovations in progress. A sign proclaiming "We're making our great hotel better!" confirmed my suspicions. Suddenly this value hotel was starting to seem a bit suspect as I didn't know how the renovations might intrude on our comfort.
After parking the truck we went to our room, which was on the second floor. The renovations were obvious by this point in time as there was a pile of furniture underneath one of the staircases and various supplies at the top of the stairs. There were some children playing outside a room near ours and I could sense that my wife's opinion of the facility had taken a nosedive based on what we'd encountered thus far. The conditions of our room didn't improve matters as it became clear we were definitely staying in a "value" hotel.
Our room had a king-size bed, which wound up being rather comfortable albeit a bit shaky, but I noticed right off the bat that there were three small, square pillows on it. We've encountered these things before when staying in hotels and I gather that they're called European pillows. Why hotels in this country are using them, I have no idea. We're not in Europe, folks - just because they're all the rage across the pond doesn't mean we should have to be subjected to them here. Remember, our forefathers fought a war over this sort of thing about 230 years ago.
When I was checking us into the hotel, the clerk at the front desk told me to call down to the lobby should we need anything once we got into our room. Since we needed more pillows, I did precisely that - problem was, our in-room phone didn't work (the hotel's WiFi was also not working). I saw the number to the hotel was printed on an information sheet attached to the phone so I attempted to call the front desk using that number and my cellular phone but there was no response - there was no ring, no "invalid number" system message, nothing but dead air. After 10 minutes of trying to do things the high tech way, I wound up walking back to the lobby and getting a few more pillows from the same clerk who'd checked us in.
Ambient noise is a consistent issue when it comes to hotels, not only the sounds created by other guests but also the pangs, rattles, and what have you of equipment like air conditioners and refrigerators. The AC in this room sounded like a diesel engine, quite frankly, and the fridge constantly made an odd pinging sound. This AC wasn't the most noisy unit we've ever encountered while traveling, though. That title belongs to an air conditioner at a hotel (I forget which chain it was) we stayed at during the last leg of our honeymoon in Saint Augustine, Florida which I do believe may have been a jet engine in another life.
Continental breakfasts offered by hotels are a real crap shoot. We've had experiences in certain hotels where you're lucky if you get milk to pour over your generic "Fruit Loops" cereal and yet we've also been to hotels where the breakfast bar was worth the price of the stay alone (case in point, the Days Inn in Asheville, North Carolina near the Biltmore Estate - phenomenal breakfast buffet and a very reasonably priced hotel). The breakfast bar at this Travelodge was kind of a mixed bag as it included your standard continental fare of pastries, confections, coffee, and juice but it also had biscuits, sausage and a waffle iron with a ready-made batter dispenser. Liability issues of having a hot waffle iron sitting out where small hands could get to it aside (I don't care if you do put a sign on it, it's still an invitation for injuries), I think the waffles are probably the best thing you can get out of a deal like this. They're fresh and hot, and here we got sausage to go with them. We could've just as well walked over to Waffle House but the hotel waffles were free and rather tasty for what they were.
I had an interesting personal experience at the breakfast bar our last morning at the hotel. My wife wanted to sleep in but I got up around 8 AM as usual. By the time I'd had my shower and gotten dressed, Jill was stirring. She asked that I bring her back a biscuit, sausage, some jelly and juice which I was glad to do for her. I fetched her breakfast, brought it back to our room, then returned to fix my breakfast. I was about to sit down at a table when a three children came in, all of them wearing pajamas. I noticed one was wearing a onesie with feet - nothing too strange there, she was a child after all. Within short order a few more arrived; they too were wearing pajamas except several of this group were grown women. And yes, they were wearing onsies with feet. I assume they may have been living out of the hotel. I hate to poke fun considering they might have been going through some sort of plight, but I have to say that I hope to get to a point in my life where I feel it's perfectly acceptable to have breakfast whilst wearing a onesie in public.
All things considered, for what we paid the room was passable. It had a bed, a TV, and a functional bathroom; nothing more than what we needed, in other words. I've promised my wife that I'll try to book better hotels in the future as after 3 years of marriage and putting up with my propensity for cheapness, I think I owe her that much.
THE WORLD OF COCA-COLA
Visiting the World of Coca-Cola was an idea my wife expressed to me a while back. I honestly had not heard of it prior to her telling me about it, which is possibly because of the fact that I'm a Pepsi fan truth be told. (There's a World of Coca-Cola in Las Vegas as well, but I guess we either missed it when we were there several years ago or just didn't think to check it out.) As such, my agreeing to go there seemed like somewhat of an invitation to be burned at the stake as a heretic more than anything. I'm glad to report that I was not assaulted in any way during our time there, regardless of my status as an infidel.
We arrived at the WC-C fairly early, I'd say around 9:15 AM. When you purchase tickets to visit the WC-C you select a time slot that you'd like to begin your tour; I assume this is done to control the flow of visitors as there are some aspects of the tour which are lead by ambassadors however most of the facility can be viewed at your own pace. The early slot we selected was a great idea as it allowed us to get in with a smaller group prior to the bulk of the visitors who'd be coming in that day (not to mention the benefit of not having to fight for a parking space in the garage).
The WC-C is an interactive museum, for lack of a better phrase, centered around the cultural phenomenon that is Coca-Cola. It's amazing to behold the collection of related artifacts this facility holds as I don't think people consider the impact a brand like Coca-Cola has had on our way of life (or at least I don't - I blame it on the Pepsi in my blood). You can find everything from paintings by Norman Rockwell to Olympic torches, from a giant bottle opener to biographical information on the inventor of Coca-Cola. What's more, the WC-C contains an exhibit called "The Vault" which they claim holds the original formula of Coca-Cola.
Suffice to say that "The Vault" is intimidating. I did find it funny, though, that visitors are instructed to stay behind a line on the floor or else a proximity alarm will be triggered (sure enough, a woman in our group got too close and an alarm did sound) yet they have that fancy hand scanner there which is basically a big, shiny red button with "TOUCH ME" printed on it.
If you make logical progress through the WC-C, the final area you come upon is the tasting room where you may sample upwards of 60 varieties of Coca-Cola products distributed throughout the world. The tasting room has a series of stations which are coordinated by continent and the beverages popular to each are available from fountains. Visitors can sample as much as they want, and that's exactly what we did! I believe we tasted all of the international offerings; some were great and some weren't exactly to our liking. Case in point, there's a drink that Coca-Cola manufactures which is popular in Italy known as Beverly. It's a pallet cleanser and it is one of the most revolting flavors I've ever experienced. It's deceptive in that it has a sweet aroma. The only way I can describe the taste is to say that it's like the bitterness from grapefruit but without any of the citrus flavor or subtle sweetness of grapefruit. I hated it and suffice to say that Jill didn't care for it either.
THE GEORGIA AQUARIUM
We hadn't originally planned to check out the Georgia Aquarium when we put together our itinerary for this trip but we wound up having more time in the area than we'd expected as it didn't take that long to go through the WC-C. Seeing as how the aquarium is literally next door to the WC-C and we had most of the afternoon to work with, we figured why not go ahead and see it while we were there.
I mentioned earlier how the weather during our trip to Atlanta wasn't that great as it rained off and on (I'd say it was more "on" than "off", though) the entire time we were on the road. That said, the people of Atlanta seemed to be focused on enjoying various indoor activities and the aquarium proved to be quite busy that afternoon. When I say "quite busy", I'm talking about a crowd that resembled some we saw last year while at the theme parks in Orlando.
This was a spur of the moment deal so we didn't have tickets in hand when we decided to tour the aquarium which meant we had to wait in line to purchase them. Trouble was, the line to buy tickets using the aquarium's automated ticketing kiosks isn't protected from the weather. There was another line which was under cover but it was absolutely massive! I'm not sure what the deal was there but we opted to stick with the kiosks as they appeared to be the faster method for ticketing. Jill had her umbrella meanwhile I had a hat; she shared her umbrella with me but I wound up being mostly exposed, and that lead to me being quite soggy as the downpour continued. I wasn't as bad off as a fellow in front of us who had no protection whatsoever - he was drenched, needless to say, but his resolve was admirable.
By the time we got near the kiosks, there were probably better than 50 people in line behind us. I'd estimate that it took maybe 20 minutes to get to the front, which in reality isn't all that long of a wait but when you're standing in the rain 20 minutes feels like an hour. Seeing as how we'd been patient enough to observe proper queue etiquette, it was rather funny to hear the reactions of patrons near us as a woman attempted to walk right by the line and go straight up to the kiosks. After she was called out for her transgression, she turned around and looked at the line as if it were a herd of purple rhinoceroses playing chess - confused and caught off guard, in other words. Her kids laughed at her, as did we, and she took her rightful place in line after the fact.
[SIDE NOTE: For my wife & I, the cost of entry to the Georgia Aquarium was almost $65. By comparison, the WC-C tickets were barely $30. I realize an operation like an aquarium has a tremendous overhead, but what are they feeding those fish, lobster and prime rib?]
The Georgia Aquarium is a truly stunning facility, both in terms of its size and in regards to the collection of animals it hosts. There are otters, frogs, dolphins (which can be viewed as part of your admission but there is an additional charge to see a performance by them), jellyfish, and even whale sharks - yes, whale sharks, living in captivity and on display for all to see and appreciate. It's amazing to think that all those critters exist in the middle of an urban jungle like Atlanta. I'm glad we took the time to experience it as it would've been a mistake not to take advantage of the opportunity.
PORTERDALE, GA & BURNIE'S BBQ
After braving the traffic outbound from Atlanta, we made our way over to Porterdale, GA for an evening of professional wrestling action from Chikara, a promotion I've been wanting to see live for years but had never had the chance to previously. It was getting on towards supper time and I wanted to have a bite to eat before the show. Porterdale is a small town, much like our own, as we noticed there weren't many eateries to be had aside from a few national chains like Subway and Burger King. I like to be adventurous when we're on the road, though, and I particularly like to try local fare as in things that you can't get everywhere. This was exactly what we found in the form of Burnie's BBQ, which wound up being directly beside the venue.
Burnie's BBQ is a small restaurant located on Main street in Porterdale. If you weren't looking for it or didn't already know where it is, you more than likely will miss it as I didn't even see it until my wife pointed it out as we drove through town (for the second time; we made a reconnaissance lap, just to see what was around). Jill was a little hesitant to try it as she wasn't sure if it would be all that great or if the food might upset us. I'm happy to report that her concerns were dashed - Burnie's was some of the best BBQ we've ever had.
BBQ is a culinary anomaly in that it means very different things depending on what part of the world you're in. In the Carolinas, it's pork and either a mustard or vinegar based sauce, whereas in Texas it's usually beef. We have several great BBQ restaurants in our part of the world, and while they & Burnie's were similar in that they serve pulled pork BBQ the difference was in the fact that Burnie's BBQ is smoked over hardwood which gives it an entirely different flavor than what we're accustomed to having (we didn't try it but Burnie's offers turkey as well as pork). The meat was tender, moist, and the sauces Burnie's had to offer as an accompaniment were fantastic. We sampled several including one that is a strawberry habanero combination which had great sweetness from the berries but a real kick in the throat thanks to the peppers!
No BBQ plate is complete without side items and for mine I chose their Brunswick stew and potato salad. I'm a sucker for homemade potato salad and Burnie's was top notch. Brunswick stew, if you're not familiar with it, is similar to a vegetable soup as it has a tomato base and includes other vegetables as well as some type of meat, be it beef, chicken or pork (some traditional recipes involve rabbit and squirrel). It had a hearty consistency and was a great item for a chilly, dreary day like this one was. I could've made a meal out of it and some oyster crackers alone.
Jill & I were both very impressed with Burnie's, not only because of their food but also because of an encounter we had with one of the owners, Nina Mae. She and her husband operate Burnie's; she's a great asset to the restaurant as she took the time to explain their sauces to us, give us some background information about the town, and made us feel incredibly welcome. That's the sort of thing you can't get at a chain restaurant anymore and that's a big reason why I like going to places like Burnie's when we're traveling. You never know what you're going to get when you walk through their door, but sometimes you discover a real gem like Burnie's.
Burnie's BBQ
2021 Main ST
Porterdale, GA 30070
http://burniesbbq.com/
CHIKARA PRESENTS "THE GHOST OF YOU CLINGS"
Everyone who knows me well knows that I'm a huge fan of professional wrestling, and not just the stuff that comes on TV every Monday or Friday night. I like the smaller companies as well, such as Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerilla as well as local federations like Premiere Wrestling Experience and Pro Wrestling Evo. These are groups that are made up of guys and girls who are still working hard to make a name for themselves in an industry that's about as difficult (if not more so) to break into as just about any legitimate professional sport. Their passion for wrestling is on display every time they get into the ring, and Chikara is home to some of the most vibrant personalities you're likely to ever see inside the squared-circle.
Chikara is hard to describe to someone who's a casual wrestling fan. Theirs is a product which incorporates aspects of high-flying, mask-wearing luchadores from Mexico, Japanese "strong-style" (matches that are choreographed but involve action made to look more like mixed-martial arts fighting), traditional American wrestling and a decent helping of comedy to boot. Pro wrestling is a form of performance art, you see, and it should involve the full range of human emotion. I don't know that any company out there gets that quite as well as Chikara does as their events will leave you totally drained from having laughed, booed, cheered, and everything in between.
Chikara's shows feature themes, and the card we attended was titled "The Ghost of You Clings". I'm not going to try and explain what that means because it would involve me dictating the history of a faction within Chikara, and this entry to my blog is getting out of hand in terms of its length as is. To make a long story short, it has to do with the aftermath of a long-time member of the Chikara roster suddenly quitting the company as a result of their management forcing him into aligning with a different group.
Here's a list of results from the show and my comments on each.
1) Tag team match featuring local talent from Platinum Championship Wrestling - The Washington Bullets (Jon & Trey) defeated Shane Marx & The Jagged Edge
There were plenty of people in the crowd who were knowledgeable regarding PCW and I take it that the group has a strong local following, which is great to hear. The pacing of the match was way too quick, although this might have been what they were aiming for in an attempt to get the crowd going; they packed in a lot of high spots and when you do that so hurriedly they wind up looking cool but have no real point. Not a bad match but nothing superlative either.
2) Shenron defeated "The Kentucky Gentleman" Chuck Taylor
I've never seen Shenron before and the people we sat near who knew PCW's product had never seen him either, so he may be a new member of Chikara's roster. Chuck Taylor gave him a stiff contest as it looked like Taylor may have been testing him at times. Good showing for both with lots of support for Shenron in the crowd.
3) The Pieces of Hate (Jigsaw & The Shard) defeated Fire Ant & assailANT
Fantastic match between these 4 as you have a genuine display here of what Chikara is all about when it comes to masked gimmicks. Fire Ant & assailANT looked strong working together but they couldn't get past the combination of Jigsaw & the Shard, who have really dialed up the intensity of their style since becoming a tag team.
4) Gran Akuma defeated Sugar Dunkerton (with Icarus) by disqualification
Interesting dynamic going into the match as Sugar Dunkerton and Icarus were the only remaining members of F.I.S.T. (Friends In Similar Tights), and Gran Akuma was at one point in time a member of the group. The match ended after Icarus was caught shoving Gran Akuma off the top rope. Afterwards Sugar confronted Icarus about his cheating ways and announced that he was officially a "free agent" and quitting F.I.S.T.
5) Amasis defeated Kobald
"The Funky Pharaoh" Amasis continues his build towards a match against his old tag team partner Ophidian, here taking on a member of the Batiri in Kobald. This wasn't the cleanest match of the night nor did the finish have that great of an impact as they went through several false moments before ending on a rolling elbow, a move that didn't have near as much impact as the earlier series' had.
6) The Colony Extreme Force (Missile Assault Ant, Arctic Rescue Ant and Orbit Adventure Ant) & deviANT defeated The Spectral Envoy (Ultramantis Black, Hallowicked and Frightmare) & Green Ant
This match was as crazy as the combination of combatants would make you believe. An 8-man tag in a building this size made for some rather tight moments, but the crowd loved every minute of it as the biggest reaction of the evening went to the Spectral Envoy & Green Ant. Lots of great action here, including an insane inside-out suplex maneuver involving 6 of the wrestlers. Ultramantis Black and his team were disqualified after Missile Assault Ant removed his mask but made it look to the referee like UB had taken it off him.
7) Saturyne defeated Tim Donst
The angle here was more about Donst's torturing of Jacob Hammermeier and developing his feud with Gavin Loudspeaker than anything. I can't say as I cared too much for this match but it was decent for an inter-gender bout. Donst's group of misfits are so odd - they don't come off as being intimidating, rather they look like the weird, medicated and socially awkward kids from high school. Donst laid out Loudspeaker after the match and cut off some of his hair before being contained by referees.
8) Eddie Kingston defeated Mark Angelosetti to retain the Chikara Grand Championship
It was getting late into the evening by this point in time and you could tell by the crowd's reactions from this point in the card forward. Kingston came to the ring hobbling and favoring his left knee, apparently selling an injury from his match the night before in Gibsonville, NC against Green Ant. That knee became the focus of the match as Angelosetti, who looks very much to me like a young Chris Jericho, attempted to take it apart throughout. Hard to imagine an old school wrestling match out of Chikara but that's exactly what this felt like and it was well done, I thought; great build, fantastic tension, and a true sense that Eddie could've been defeated. Kingston fought through it, though, and he remains the Chikara Grand Champion.
9) Best 2-out-of-3 Falls - 3.0 (Shane Matthews & Scott Parker) defeated the Batiri (Obariyon & Kodama) to retain the Campeonatos de Parejas
3.0 found themselves in a hole early on as they lost the first fall then seemed to be reduced to 1.5 as Parker suffered an injury to his back as a result of having been thrown into one of the ring posts. Matthews would somehow manage to survive against not only Obariyon & Kodama but also Ophidian and Kobald as the entirety of the Batiri made themselves known throughout the contest, scoring the next pinfall by himself after a quick roll-up. Parker would return to the match after having received medical attention, his ribs heavily taped. 3.0 retained the Campeonatos de Parejas after what became a very spirited and entertaining bout.
I had a great time at this show and I cannot say enough about the entire experience we had in Porterdale. Perhaps what impressed me the most, though, was something that happened after the show was over. As we left the building we realized that almost all of the tecnicos (good guys) on Chikara's roster had gathered around the exit to greet fans. That's something I've never seen before, quite frankly. They were standing out there in the rain to say thanks - that's how you build appreciation for a product, by showing the fans that you care about them. I'll certainly be back again when Chikara heads south, hopefully sometime soon.
CONCLUSION
My wife & I were married in Lugoff, South Carolina at Pine Grove Baptist Church on May 1, 2010. Life changed for us both that day, and I'd like to think we've been on the upstroke ever since in terms of growing as a couple in every way that two people can who are joined the way we are. Our relationship is as great as it's ever been as we still talk about everything and anything with each other (communication has always been one of our strongest points). Professionally speaking, we're both doing well as we're gainfully employed doing work that we enjoy. We have an awesome home, a fiesty little pooch named Roddy, and with any luck we'll begin to grow our family in the near future. Life is good, and it's because we have each other that we are where we are. That said, here's to many, many more anniversaries.
No, I didn't actually get her a pair of work boots. We did, however, work as a team in putting together a weekend jaunt down to Georgia in order to celebrate our anniversary. Jill had told me a while back that she wanted to visit the World of Coca-Cola, which is in Atlanta. As luck would have it, there wound up being a professional wrestling show in nearby Porterdale that I wanted to attend. Realizing we'd both have an opportunity to see something we'd enjoy along the way, the trip more or less planned itself - all we had to do was put one foot in front of the other.
THE ROAD
I do enjoy road trips and traveling in general, so much so that I've told my wife that once we're both old and retired I fully plan on selling our house and buying a recreational vehicle. Then we can spend our twilight years together on the road, seeing the country while terrorizing other motorists. Seriously, imagine me as a septuagenarian piloting a tour bus-sized RV hurtling down the highways at full speed - it's going to be awesome!
In all seriousness, I do think it's fun to get out and roam around every now and again. There was a point in time when my career didn't seem to be going anywhere that I considered going to truck driver's school. I wanted a vocation that I could earn a living at and enjoy the work as well, and that seemed like an option at the time. Fortunately, things picked up for me professionally speaking and I didn't have to take that route, but my appreciation for opportunities to hit the road hasn't diminished.
For this trip, we'd start off by taking a series of back roads through several counties in South Carolina until we hit I-20 west which would carry us the rest of the way to our temporary home of Covington, Georgia. From our home, GPS services would've had us drive to Columbia and hit I-20 there; this would've added a good many miles to the trip, which is why I plotted out an alternative course. "The scenic route", if you will.
Getting to Covington was a real breeze as the traffic going through South Carolina and Georgia happened to be somewhat sparse. I attribute this to the time of day we were traveling and the fact that it was pouring rain. Speaking of which, rain has become a running joke when we're on the road as it doesn't seem like we ever take a trip when the forecast doesn't call for precipitation. I can't remember an occasion where we've been traveling and there wasn't something wet falling from the sky. This was the case even before we were married as it was absolutely pouring rain the morning we flew out of Charlotte, North Carolina to Las Vegas. The rain would be an issue for us this entire weekend as it never really let up the entire time we were gone. Such is life for the Truesdales!
The ride into Atlanta wasn't that bad either, which was a surprise as I'd never driven there before but have always heard horror stories about how terrible an experience it can be thanks to congestion and the notion that most drivers there have an aggressive temperament. Maybe it was because we made our entrance fairly early on a Saturday or that combined with the persistent rain - whatever it was, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to get to the part of town we'd be visiting. The parking garage for the Wold of Coca-Cola was clearly marked and our GPS took us right to it without issue.
Unfortunately the trek out of Atlanta was the exact opposite. We left town in what may have been a weekend equivalent to rush hour as we encountered heavy traffic that was true to the sort of things I'd been told about driving in Atlanta. The roads were packed and the drivers were just as ornery as I'd been lead to believe they'd be. We got through it by remembering the wise teachings of a Jedi Master - "Patience, young padawan..." I feel for people who live in cities like Atlanta as I don't think I could drive through that on a daily basis, not without heavy medication anyway.
After that, it was good to have an uneventful ride home. We stopped along the way at a mall near Augusta, GA long enough to do a little shopping and to have lunch. Nothing like bourbon chicken, fried rice and an Orange Julius during a road trip to revitalize your mind, body and spirit!
THE HOTEL
I'm notorious for my frugality in general but especially so when it comes to hotels and seemingly frivolous expenses related to travel. My wife will verify this for you, should you think that I'm lying, as she's had to endure the brunt of my being a cheapskate. We have stayed in some questionable hotels during our relationship and the Travelodge in Covington, GA which we called home during our weekend get-away was memorable for all the wrong reasons.
We hit the road around 5:30 PM after we'd both gotten off work. We'd stopped at a Chili's for supper in Augusta, GA so it was around 10 PM when we arrived at our hotel. I had picked this particular Travelodge for two reasons: Price and its relative proximity to Atlanta. Staying in Atlanta was out of the question; I couldn't justify spending $150 or more per night to stay there seeing as how that would've wiped out the entire budget for this trip. Even with the extra fuel we'd be using, we would come out better by not splurging on a hotel. When we got off the interstate and entered Covington, my immediate reaction was to say that it appeared to be a pleasant area. There were several restaurants and shops nearby and it looked to be a very nice place to shack up for the next couple nights. My confidence didn't waver as we approached the hotel - I said to myself, "Hey, there's a Waffle House next door and a Taco Bell across the street, what more do you need?"
I left my truck under the overhang near the lobby then went inside to check us in. The parking lot was nearly full which wasn't surprising seeing as how a hotel like this one located right off of a major interstate stands to have plenty of business on any given night from road-wary travelers. The lobby seemed quaint enough and the staff were courteous, although I noticed that there appeared to be renovations in progress. A sign proclaiming "We're making our great hotel better!" confirmed my suspicions. Suddenly this value hotel was starting to seem a bit suspect as I didn't know how the renovations might intrude on our comfort.
After parking the truck we went to our room, which was on the second floor. The renovations were obvious by this point in time as there was a pile of furniture underneath one of the staircases and various supplies at the top of the stairs. There were some children playing outside a room near ours and I could sense that my wife's opinion of the facility had taken a nosedive based on what we'd encountered thus far. The conditions of our room didn't improve matters as it became clear we were definitely staying in a "value" hotel.
Our room had a king-size bed, which wound up being rather comfortable albeit a bit shaky, but I noticed right off the bat that there were three small, square pillows on it. We've encountered these things before when staying in hotels and I gather that they're called European pillows. Why hotels in this country are using them, I have no idea. We're not in Europe, folks - just because they're all the rage across the pond doesn't mean we should have to be subjected to them here. Remember, our forefathers fought a war over this sort of thing about 230 years ago.
When I was checking us into the hotel, the clerk at the front desk told me to call down to the lobby should we need anything once we got into our room. Since we needed more pillows, I did precisely that - problem was, our in-room phone didn't work (the hotel's WiFi was also not working). I saw the number to the hotel was printed on an information sheet attached to the phone so I attempted to call the front desk using that number and my cellular phone but there was no response - there was no ring, no "invalid number" system message, nothing but dead air. After 10 minutes of trying to do things the high tech way, I wound up walking back to the lobby and getting a few more pillows from the same clerk who'd checked us in.
Ambient noise is a consistent issue when it comes to hotels, not only the sounds created by other guests but also the pangs, rattles, and what have you of equipment like air conditioners and refrigerators. The AC in this room sounded like a diesel engine, quite frankly, and the fridge constantly made an odd pinging sound. This AC wasn't the most noisy unit we've ever encountered while traveling, though. That title belongs to an air conditioner at a hotel (I forget which chain it was) we stayed at during the last leg of our honeymoon in Saint Augustine, Florida which I do believe may have been a jet engine in another life.
Continental breakfasts offered by hotels are a real crap shoot. We've had experiences in certain hotels where you're lucky if you get milk to pour over your generic "Fruit Loops" cereal and yet we've also been to hotels where the breakfast bar was worth the price of the stay alone (case in point, the Days Inn in Asheville, North Carolina near the Biltmore Estate - phenomenal breakfast buffet and a very reasonably priced hotel). The breakfast bar at this Travelodge was kind of a mixed bag as it included your standard continental fare of pastries, confections, coffee, and juice but it also had biscuits, sausage and a waffle iron with a ready-made batter dispenser. Liability issues of having a hot waffle iron sitting out where small hands could get to it aside (I don't care if you do put a sign on it, it's still an invitation for injuries), I think the waffles are probably the best thing you can get out of a deal like this. They're fresh and hot, and here we got sausage to go with them. We could've just as well walked over to Waffle House but the hotel waffles were free and rather tasty for what they were.
I had an interesting personal experience at the breakfast bar our last morning at the hotel. My wife wanted to sleep in but I got up around 8 AM as usual. By the time I'd had my shower and gotten dressed, Jill was stirring. She asked that I bring her back a biscuit, sausage, some jelly and juice which I was glad to do for her. I fetched her breakfast, brought it back to our room, then returned to fix my breakfast. I was about to sit down at a table when a three children came in, all of them wearing pajamas. I noticed one was wearing a onesie with feet - nothing too strange there, she was a child after all. Within short order a few more arrived; they too were wearing pajamas except several of this group were grown women. And yes, they were wearing onsies with feet. I assume they may have been living out of the hotel. I hate to poke fun considering they might have been going through some sort of plight, but I have to say that I hope to get to a point in my life where I feel it's perfectly acceptable to have breakfast whilst wearing a onesie in public.
All things considered, for what we paid the room was passable. It had a bed, a TV, and a functional bathroom; nothing more than what we needed, in other words. I've promised my wife that I'll try to book better hotels in the future as after 3 years of marriage and putting up with my propensity for cheapness, I think I owe her that much.
THE WORLD OF COCA-COLA
Visiting the World of Coca-Cola was an idea my wife expressed to me a while back. I honestly had not heard of it prior to her telling me about it, which is possibly because of the fact that I'm a Pepsi fan truth be told. (There's a World of Coca-Cola in Las Vegas as well, but I guess we either missed it when we were there several years ago or just didn't think to check it out.) As such, my agreeing to go there seemed like somewhat of an invitation to be burned at the stake as a heretic more than anything. I'm glad to report that I was not assaulted in any way during our time there, regardless of my status as an infidel.
We arrived at the WC-C fairly early, I'd say around 9:15 AM. When you purchase tickets to visit the WC-C you select a time slot that you'd like to begin your tour; I assume this is done to control the flow of visitors as there are some aspects of the tour which are lead by ambassadors however most of the facility can be viewed at your own pace. The early slot we selected was a great idea as it allowed us to get in with a smaller group prior to the bulk of the visitors who'd be coming in that day (not to mention the benefit of not having to fight for a parking space in the garage).
The WC-C is an interactive museum, for lack of a better phrase, centered around the cultural phenomenon that is Coca-Cola. It's amazing to behold the collection of related artifacts this facility holds as I don't think people consider the impact a brand like Coca-Cola has had on our way of life (or at least I don't - I blame it on the Pepsi in my blood). You can find everything from paintings by Norman Rockwell to Olympic torches, from a giant bottle opener to biographical information on the inventor of Coca-Cola. What's more, the WC-C contains an exhibit called "The Vault" which they claim holds the original formula of Coca-Cola.
If you make logical progress through the WC-C, the final area you come upon is the tasting room where you may sample upwards of 60 varieties of Coca-Cola products distributed throughout the world. The tasting room has a series of stations which are coordinated by continent and the beverages popular to each are available from fountains. Visitors can sample as much as they want, and that's exactly what we did! I believe we tasted all of the international offerings; some were great and some weren't exactly to our liking. Case in point, there's a drink that Coca-Cola manufactures which is popular in Italy known as Beverly. It's a pallet cleanser and it is one of the most revolting flavors I've ever experienced. It's deceptive in that it has a sweet aroma. The only way I can describe the taste is to say that it's like the bitterness from grapefruit but without any of the citrus flavor or subtle sweetness of grapefruit. I hated it and suffice to say that Jill didn't care for it either.
We had a great time at the WC-C, though, and I would strongly encourage you to check it out should you ever visit Atlanta.
We hadn't originally planned to check out the Georgia Aquarium when we put together our itinerary for this trip but we wound up having more time in the area than we'd expected as it didn't take that long to go through the WC-C. Seeing as how the aquarium is literally next door to the WC-C and we had most of the afternoon to work with, we figured why not go ahead and see it while we were there.
I mentioned earlier how the weather during our trip to Atlanta wasn't that great as it rained off and on (I'd say it was more "on" than "off", though) the entire time we were on the road. That said, the people of Atlanta seemed to be focused on enjoying various indoor activities and the aquarium proved to be quite busy that afternoon. When I say "quite busy", I'm talking about a crowd that resembled some we saw last year while at the theme parks in Orlando.
This was a spur of the moment deal so we didn't have tickets in hand when we decided to tour the aquarium which meant we had to wait in line to purchase them. Trouble was, the line to buy tickets using the aquarium's automated ticketing kiosks isn't protected from the weather. There was another line which was under cover but it was absolutely massive! I'm not sure what the deal was there but we opted to stick with the kiosks as they appeared to be the faster method for ticketing. Jill had her umbrella meanwhile I had a hat; she shared her umbrella with me but I wound up being mostly exposed, and that lead to me being quite soggy as the downpour continued. I wasn't as bad off as a fellow in front of us who had no protection whatsoever - he was drenched, needless to say, but his resolve was admirable.
By the time we got near the kiosks, there were probably better than 50 people in line behind us. I'd estimate that it took maybe 20 minutes to get to the front, which in reality isn't all that long of a wait but when you're standing in the rain 20 minutes feels like an hour. Seeing as how we'd been patient enough to observe proper queue etiquette, it was rather funny to hear the reactions of patrons near us as a woman attempted to walk right by the line and go straight up to the kiosks. After she was called out for her transgression, she turned around and looked at the line as if it were a herd of purple rhinoceroses playing chess - confused and caught off guard, in other words. Her kids laughed at her, as did we, and she took her rightful place in line after the fact.
[SIDE NOTE: For my wife & I, the cost of entry to the Georgia Aquarium was almost $65. By comparison, the WC-C tickets were barely $30. I realize an operation like an aquarium has a tremendous overhead, but what are they feeding those fish, lobster and prime rib?]
The Georgia Aquarium is a truly stunning facility, both in terms of its size and in regards to the collection of animals it hosts. There are otters, frogs, dolphins (which can be viewed as part of your admission but there is an additional charge to see a performance by them), jellyfish, and even whale sharks - yes, whale sharks, living in captivity and on display for all to see and appreciate. It's amazing to think that all those critters exist in the middle of an urban jungle like Atlanta. I'm glad we took the time to experience it as it would've been a mistake not to take advantage of the opportunity.
After braving the traffic outbound from Atlanta, we made our way over to Porterdale, GA for an evening of professional wrestling action from Chikara, a promotion I've been wanting to see live for years but had never had the chance to previously. It was getting on towards supper time and I wanted to have a bite to eat before the show. Porterdale is a small town, much like our own, as we noticed there weren't many eateries to be had aside from a few national chains like Subway and Burger King. I like to be adventurous when we're on the road, though, and I particularly like to try local fare as in things that you can't get everywhere. This was exactly what we found in the form of Burnie's BBQ, which wound up being directly beside the venue.
Burnie's BBQ is a small restaurant located on Main street in Porterdale. If you weren't looking for it or didn't already know where it is, you more than likely will miss it as I didn't even see it until my wife pointed it out as we drove through town (for the second time; we made a reconnaissance lap, just to see what was around). Jill was a little hesitant to try it as she wasn't sure if it would be all that great or if the food might upset us. I'm happy to report that her concerns were dashed - Burnie's was some of the best BBQ we've ever had.
BBQ is a culinary anomaly in that it means very different things depending on what part of the world you're in. In the Carolinas, it's pork and either a mustard or vinegar based sauce, whereas in Texas it's usually beef. We have several great BBQ restaurants in our part of the world, and while they & Burnie's were similar in that they serve pulled pork BBQ the difference was in the fact that Burnie's BBQ is smoked over hardwood which gives it an entirely different flavor than what we're accustomed to having (we didn't try it but Burnie's offers turkey as well as pork). The meat was tender, moist, and the sauces Burnie's had to offer as an accompaniment were fantastic. We sampled several including one that is a strawberry habanero combination which had great sweetness from the berries but a real kick in the throat thanks to the peppers!
No BBQ plate is complete without side items and for mine I chose their Brunswick stew and potato salad. I'm a sucker for homemade potato salad and Burnie's was top notch. Brunswick stew, if you're not familiar with it, is similar to a vegetable soup as it has a tomato base and includes other vegetables as well as some type of meat, be it beef, chicken or pork (some traditional recipes involve rabbit and squirrel). It had a hearty consistency and was a great item for a chilly, dreary day like this one was. I could've made a meal out of it and some oyster crackers alone.
Burnie's BBQ
2021 Main ST
Porterdale, GA 30070
http://burniesbbq.com/
CHIKARA PRESENTS "THE GHOST OF YOU CLINGS"
Everyone who knows me well knows that I'm a huge fan of professional wrestling, and not just the stuff that comes on TV every Monday or Friday night. I like the smaller companies as well, such as Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerilla as well as local federations like Premiere Wrestling Experience and Pro Wrestling Evo. These are groups that are made up of guys and girls who are still working hard to make a name for themselves in an industry that's about as difficult (if not more so) to break into as just about any legitimate professional sport. Their passion for wrestling is on display every time they get into the ring, and Chikara is home to some of the most vibrant personalities you're likely to ever see inside the squared-circle.
Chikara is hard to describe to someone who's a casual wrestling fan. Theirs is a product which incorporates aspects of high-flying, mask-wearing luchadores from Mexico, Japanese "strong-style" (matches that are choreographed but involve action made to look more like mixed-martial arts fighting), traditional American wrestling and a decent helping of comedy to boot. Pro wrestling is a form of performance art, you see, and it should involve the full range of human emotion. I don't know that any company out there gets that quite as well as Chikara does as their events will leave you totally drained from having laughed, booed, cheered, and everything in between.
Chikara's shows feature themes, and the card we attended was titled "The Ghost of You Clings". I'm not going to try and explain what that means because it would involve me dictating the history of a faction within Chikara, and this entry to my blog is getting out of hand in terms of its length as is. To make a long story short, it has to do with the aftermath of a long-time member of the Chikara roster suddenly quitting the company as a result of their management forcing him into aligning with a different group.
Here's a list of results from the show and my comments on each.
There were plenty of people in the crowd who were knowledgeable regarding PCW and I take it that the group has a strong local following, which is great to hear. The pacing of the match was way too quick, although this might have been what they were aiming for in an attempt to get the crowd going; they packed in a lot of high spots and when you do that so hurriedly they wind up looking cool but have no real point. Not a bad match but nothing superlative either.
2) Shenron defeated "The Kentucky Gentleman" Chuck Taylor
I've never seen Shenron before and the people we sat near who knew PCW's product had never seen him either, so he may be a new member of Chikara's roster. Chuck Taylor gave him a stiff contest as it looked like Taylor may have been testing him at times. Good showing for both with lots of support for Shenron in the crowd.
3) The Pieces of Hate (Jigsaw & The Shard) defeated Fire Ant & assailANT
Fantastic match between these 4 as you have a genuine display here of what Chikara is all about when it comes to masked gimmicks. Fire Ant & assailANT looked strong working together but they couldn't get past the combination of Jigsaw & the Shard, who have really dialed up the intensity of their style since becoming a tag team.
4) Gran Akuma defeated Sugar Dunkerton (with Icarus) by disqualification
Interesting dynamic going into the match as Sugar Dunkerton and Icarus were the only remaining members of F.I.S.T. (Friends In Similar Tights), and Gran Akuma was at one point in time a member of the group. The match ended after Icarus was caught shoving Gran Akuma off the top rope. Afterwards Sugar confronted Icarus about his cheating ways and announced that he was officially a "free agent" and quitting F.I.S.T.
5) Amasis defeated Kobald
"The Funky Pharaoh" Amasis continues his build towards a match against his old tag team partner Ophidian, here taking on a member of the Batiri in Kobald. This wasn't the cleanest match of the night nor did the finish have that great of an impact as they went through several false moments before ending on a rolling elbow, a move that didn't have near as much impact as the earlier series' had.
6) The Colony Extreme Force (Missile Assault Ant, Arctic Rescue Ant and Orbit Adventure Ant) & deviANT defeated The Spectral Envoy (Ultramantis Black, Hallowicked and Frightmare) & Green Ant
This match was as crazy as the combination of combatants would make you believe. An 8-man tag in a building this size made for some rather tight moments, but the crowd loved every minute of it as the biggest reaction of the evening went to the Spectral Envoy & Green Ant. Lots of great action here, including an insane inside-out suplex maneuver involving 6 of the wrestlers. Ultramantis Black and his team were disqualified after Missile Assault Ant removed his mask but made it look to the referee like UB had taken it off him.
7) Saturyne defeated Tim Donst
The angle here was more about Donst's torturing of Jacob Hammermeier and developing his feud with Gavin Loudspeaker than anything. I can't say as I cared too much for this match but it was decent for an inter-gender bout. Donst's group of misfits are so odd - they don't come off as being intimidating, rather they look like the weird, medicated and socially awkward kids from high school. Donst laid out Loudspeaker after the match and cut off some of his hair before being contained by referees.
8) Eddie Kingston defeated Mark Angelosetti to retain the Chikara Grand Championship
It was getting late into the evening by this point in time and you could tell by the crowd's reactions from this point in the card forward. Kingston came to the ring hobbling and favoring his left knee, apparently selling an injury from his match the night before in Gibsonville, NC against Green Ant. That knee became the focus of the match as Angelosetti, who looks very much to me like a young Chris Jericho, attempted to take it apart throughout. Hard to imagine an old school wrestling match out of Chikara but that's exactly what this felt like and it was well done, I thought; great build, fantastic tension, and a true sense that Eddie could've been defeated. Kingston fought through it, though, and he remains the Chikara Grand Champion.
9) Best 2-out-of-3 Falls - 3.0 (Shane Matthews & Scott Parker) defeated the Batiri (Obariyon & Kodama) to retain the Campeonatos de Parejas
3.0 found themselves in a hole early on as they lost the first fall then seemed to be reduced to 1.5 as Parker suffered an injury to his back as a result of having been thrown into one of the ring posts. Matthews would somehow manage to survive against not only Obariyon & Kodama but also Ophidian and Kobald as the entirety of the Batiri made themselves known throughout the contest, scoring the next pinfall by himself after a quick roll-up. Parker would return to the match after having received medical attention, his ribs heavily taped. 3.0 retained the Campeonatos de Parejas after what became a very spirited and entertaining bout.
I had a great time at this show and I cannot say enough about the entire experience we had in Porterdale. Perhaps what impressed me the most, though, was something that happened after the show was over. As we left the building we realized that almost all of the tecnicos (good guys) on Chikara's roster had gathered around the exit to greet fans. That's something I've never seen before, quite frankly. They were standing out there in the rain to say thanks - that's how you build appreciation for a product, by showing the fans that you care about them. I'll certainly be back again when Chikara heads south, hopefully sometime soon.
CONCLUSION
My wife & I were married in Lugoff, South Carolina at Pine Grove Baptist Church on May 1, 2010. Life changed for us both that day, and I'd like to think we've been on the upstroke ever since in terms of growing as a couple in every way that two people can who are joined the way we are. Our relationship is as great as it's ever been as we still talk about everything and anything with each other (communication has always been one of our strongest points). Professionally speaking, we're both doing well as we're gainfully employed doing work that we enjoy. We have an awesome home, a fiesty little pooch named Roddy, and with any luck we'll begin to grow our family in the near future. Life is good, and it's because we have each other that we are where we are. That said, here's to many, many more anniversaries.
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