In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.

What an adventure today was. Just not my day.

JamesRKJamesRK Member Posts: 25,670 ✭✭✭
edited September 2011 in General Discussion
My wife is scheduled for surgery on her ear at 3:30 tomorrow afternoon. They wanted her to go to Danville Regional Medical Center at 1:30 this afternoon to "pre-register". She got a call this morning from Danville Regional wanting to "pre-register" her for the "pre-registration" this afternoon. They grilled her for about half an hour, then she either couldn't answer the questions or just got tired of talking to them and passed the phone to me.

After that inquisition I was hoping she would say that was the "pre-registration" and we wouldn't have to go to Danville. But NOoooo.

I had her standing tall at Danville about fifteen minutes early for her 1:30 appointment. She was in the hospital for about forty-five minutes and came back out. I was thinking that was quick.

She told me she couldn't "pre-register" until after she went to see her surgeon (again). We went over there and I sat and waited for a little over an hour. Then back to the hospital.

When she finally finished at the hospital, she told me she has to be there at 6:15 in the morning for a 3:30 afternoon surgery.

When the wife gets tired and frustrated, she has a tendency to take it out on me. She said she wanted to eat at Olive Garden. I was hoping that would ease her frustrations.

We got to Olive Garden and the parking lot was almost empty. I thought that was a good sign. We went inside and were told to wait for the hostess to seat us. We weren't the only somebody in the place, but they easily had twice as many employees as customers. Most tables and booths were empty. After about ten minutes I told the wife we would wait two more minutes and I was out of there. When the cashier heard that she rounded up the hostess who seated us. She told us the waitress would be with us shortly. About half past shortly I told the wife that so far I was pretty disappointed with Olive Garden. She said "yeah, me too, you want to leave?"

When I looked in the rearview mirror to back out of my parking place I saw a waitress taking my tag number. I expect to be accused of skipping out on a bill, but we didn't even get to order.

As far as I know that was my first trip to Olive Garden. I won't say I'll never return, but on a scale of one to ten, ten being likely to return, I'll give it a one.

We wound up at Applebee's. We each got a hamburger. I thought the wife was going to have a stroke when the bill was twenty dollars. In defense of Applebee's though, they make a pretty good hamburger, at least two or three times better than the competition, and probably over twice as big.

I expect I'll go to bed shortly. I have a feeling today was just a warm-up for tomorrow.
The road to hell is paved with COMPROMISE.

Comments

  • bigoutsidebigoutside Member Posts: 19,443
    edited November -1
    You made it through. Not as rough as it could have been, you're sleeping in your own bed.

    Thinking good thoughts for your wife for the surgery tomorrow!
  • mateomasfeomateomasfeo Member Posts: 27,143
    edited November -1
    Hope tomorrow is a better day!

    Pass along my best to your wife.
  • tomh.tomh. Member Posts: 3,845 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Hope everything goes well with your wife, James.
    But....honestly I enjoyed your story. It eased the ordinariness of my day-to-day life. And I look forward to tomorrow's episode. [:)]
  • Mr. PerfectMr. Perfect Member, Moderator Posts: 66,404 ******
    edited November -1
    What Olive Garden lacks in service, they make up for with the taste and quantity of food/$. At least IME. I would give it another shot, maybe make a reservation.
    Some will die in hot pursuit
    And fiery auto crashes
    Some will die in hot pursuit
    While sifting through my ashes
    Some will fall in love with life
    And drink it from a fountain
    That is pouring like an avalanche
    Coming down the mountain
  • spasmcreekspasmcreek Member Posts: 37,717 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    could have recharged with a HAPPY MEAL !!!!............not.....
  • buschmasterbuschmaster Member Posts: 14,229 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    wait til you get to the part with the TSA agents

    [:o)]
  • A J ChristA J Christ Member Posts: 7,534
    edited November -1
    Send the hospital a bill for your time they wasted.

    I'm sure your and your wife's time is every bit as valuable to you as theirs is to them.

    Hope the surgery goes well.
  • CS8161CS8161 Member Posts: 13,596 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Contact the corporate office Olive Garden in writing and voice your displeasure with the service. They will probably comp you a meal for your troubles!
    Here is a link:
    https://www.olivegarden.com/About-Us/Contact-Us/
  • JamesRKJamesRK Member Posts: 25,670 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by A J Christ
    Send the hospital a bill for your time they wasted.

    I'm sure your and your wife's time is every bit as valuable to you as theirs is to them.

    Hope the surgery goes well.
    The irritating thing was they didn't do a thing which couldn't have been done in five minutes over the phone.
    The road to hell is paved with COMPROMISE.
  • footlongfootlong Member Posts: 8,009
    edited November -1
    Eyeballz--Marriots/Applebees sure beats N O SAINTS stadium/MREs.

    FEMA pay the Marriot bill [?][?][?]
  • Alan RushingAlan Rushing Member Posts: 8,805 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Seems that you both had a mighty trying day and you both maintained.

    Perhaps you folks went through all the major chit today and tomorrow will be smooth sailing.

    I will hope that tomorrow ends will be straight forward and uncomplicated.

    Will have your wife and you in my thoughts.

    Best
  • MudderChuckMudderChuck Member Posts: 4,105
    edited November -1
    Sometimes your the dog, sometimes your the tree.
  • john wjohn w Member Posts: 4,104
    edited November -1
    God bless you and the wife James. It will be smooth sailing from here on. Prayers said for the both of you.
  • savage170savage170 Member Posts: 37,539 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Good luck to your wife on her surgery
  • moonshinemoonshine Member Posts: 8,471
    edited November -1
    quote:

    I my have you beat. When Katrina hit New Orleans,my mother, two boxers, and I headed north. We ended up in Monroe, Louisiana, at 1:30a.m. Mariot Courtyards could not have been nicer. However, across the parking lot was an Applebee's. We took my mother's car, so she decided that it was not going anywhere in a strange town. Respecting her wishes, I eat every night at Applebee's for seven (7) weeks. I don't think I will ever eat there again.
    The bonus was I just walked across the parking lot. Therefore, DWI was out...so I enjoyed their adult beverages, until I returned and had to walk two boxers until they both went. Then I regreted the booze, but I repeated the process for all seven weeks.



    you a GOOD boy...
  • Colonel PlinkColonel Plink Member Posts: 16,460
    edited November -1
    Thinking of you and your wife, James.
  • dongizmodongizmo Member Posts: 14,477 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Colonel Plink
    Thinking of you and your wife, James.

    +++++
    Don
    The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly, is to fill the world with fools.
  • River RatRiver Rat Member Posts: 9,022
    edited November -1
    Your story is fairly typical. The entire U.S. medical industry is on the verge of collapse due to bureaucracy and over-regulation. And arrogance. Most of it is intentional, on the part of the federal government. The rest is due to hospitals' greed and self-importance.

    Who loses? The American people, and small doctor's offices and clinics.

    Who wins? Big government, and neo-socialists.
  • armilitearmilite Member Posts: 35,490 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by JamesRK
    My wife is scheduled for surgery on her ear at 3:30 tomorrow afternoon. They wanted her to go to Danville Regional Medical Center at 1:30 this afternoon to "pre-register". She got a call this morning from Danville Regional wanting to "pre-register" her for the "pre-registration" this afternoon. They grilled her for about half an hour, then she either couldn't answer the questions or just got tired of talking to them and passed the phone to me.

    After that inquisition I was hoping she would say that was the "pre-registration" and we wouldn't have to go to Danville. But NOoooo.

    I had her standing tall at Danville about fifteen minutes early for her 1:30 appointment. She was in the hospital for about forty-five minutes and came back out. I was thinking that was quick.

    She told me she couldn't "pre-register" until after she went to see her surgeon (again). We went over there and I sat and waited for a little over an hour. Then back to the hospital.

    When she finally finished at the hospital, she told me she has to be there at 6:15 in the morning for a 3:30 afternoon surgery.

    When the wife gets tired and frustrated, she has a tendency to take it out on me. She said she wanted to eat at Olive Garden. I was hoping that would ease her frustrations.

    We got to Olive Garden and the parking lot was almost empty. I thought that was a good sign. We went inside and were told to wait for the hostess to seat us. We weren't the only somebody in the place, but they easily had twice as many employees as customers. Most tables and booths were empty. After about ten minutes I told the wife we would wait two more minutes and I was out of there. When the cashier heard that she rounded up the hostess who seated us. She told us the waitress would be with us shortly. About half past shortly I told the wife that so far I was pretty disappointed with Olive Garden. She said "yeah, me too, you want to leave?"

    When I looked in the rearview mirror to back out of my parking place I saw a waitress taking my tag number. I expect to be accused of skipping out on a bill, but we didn't even get to order.

    As far as I know that was my first trip to Olive Garden. I won't say I'll never return, but on a scale of one to ten, ten being likely to return, I'll give it a one.

    We wound up at Applebee's. We each got a hamburger. I thought the wife was going to have a stroke when the bill was twenty dollars. In defense of Applebee's though, they make a pretty good hamburger, at least two or three times better than the competition, and probably over twice as big.

    I expect I'll go to bed shortly. I have a feeling today was just a warm-up for tomorrow.



    I've been to Olive Garden 3 or 4 times and I never had less then a 30 minute wait.
  • JamesRKJamesRK Member Posts: 25,670 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    All things considered today went much better than yesterday. It turned out they were just funning me about doing the surgery at 3:30 this afternoon. They were finished with it by 10:00 this morning.

    I'll skip the details of the hospital routine. Them that's been through it already know and them that ain't probably don't care.

    The surgeon told me they didn't have to knock her all the way out, but the narcotic they gave her is some fairly strong stuff so I needed to keep an eye on her and not let her do anything stupid, like drive a car. So I've had a drunk on my hands all day. Keeping my wife from doing anything stupid is no easy task under the best of circumstances.

    The hospital had "free" Starbucks coffee. I got her a cup after the procedure was over and she was still drinking it when we left. We got a few miles from the hospital and she decided she had to have another cup of that coffee. I asked if I couldn't just buy her a cup someplace. Oh, HELL NO. It had to be hospital coffee.

    I asked if she knew what she was asking. I had to drive back to the hospital, find a parking space, walk over a mile (no exaggeration) to the hospital, go topside and maybe they would still have coffee, then return. She said she fully understood that, but she had to have another cup of that special coffee.

    When I finally found a parking space she decided she didn't want any coffee after all. I just thanked the Lord for small favors and we left again.

    Somewhere in the dark recesses of her mind she decided I wanted or needed a Hardee's sausage biscuit. She must have asked me two dozen times if I wanted a Hardee's sausage biscuit. Each time I thanked her for asking, but I didn't want one.

    She wanted me to stop at McDonald's. She wanted some hash browns. I stopped. It was too late, they didn't have any. She said that was OK, just stop at Hardee's.

    When she came out of Hardee's I saw she had a bag that was too big to be hash browns, so I asked what she bought. She said she got me a sausage biscuit and each of us an apple pie.

    Even with the heavy narcotic she hasn't done anything out of character yet.

    I'm about beat right now, and don't really feel like going to Church tonight, but I don't think I'm man enough to keep her from going so I guess I'll be there.
    The road to hell is paved with COMPROMISE.
  • mateomasfeomateomasfeo Member Posts: 27,143
    edited November -1
    She may be a intoxicated pain in the *, but she's YOUR intoxicated pain in the *!

    Sounds like a good day!
  • A J ChristA J Christ Member Posts: 7,534
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by JamesRK
    quote:Originally posted by A J Christ
    Send the hospital a bill for your time they wasted.

    I'm sure your and your wife's time is every bit as valuable to you as theirs is to them.

    Hope the surgery goes well.
    The irritating thing was they didn't do a thing which couldn't have been done in five minutes over the phone.



    My point exactly!
  • retroxler58retroxler58 Member Posts: 32,693 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    James...
    You sir have a heart of Gold and the patience of Job...

    As I read your comments from today... to Ozma...
    She said... AND I Quote...

    "See there... HE did all that for his wife... "

    Thanks James... Now I have an even higher bar to hurdle... [;)]
  • retroxler58retroxler58 Member Posts: 32,693 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I think I need to quit reading out load... [8D]
  • Ox190Ox190 Member Posts: 2,782 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I would have turned around and asked that waitress just what in the hell she thought she was doing.
  • thunderboltthunderbolt Member Posts: 6,041 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
  • JamesRKJamesRK Member Posts: 25,670 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Olive Garden in Kingsport, Tennessee
    Wiley Vaughn, Yahoo! Contributor Network

    As all my regular readers know by now, I'm not a fancy guy. Look at my photo! I like my food to taste like Mom made it: good, hot and with meat and potatoes like it was payday! Now to be fair, someone has to review the food at the pasta places and I prefer it to be anyone else besides me. Occasionally, however, my beloved Pamela will request a reprieve from cooking, usually under the guise of "Its my birthday," "Its our anniversary" or "Get me out of this house before I shoot you" or some other sentimental female excuse. Truthfully, our anniversary was the reason, other than this review, for my latest visit to Olive Garden at 1919 N Eastman Road in Kingsport, TN. I'd tell you which anniversary, but my dear wife does have a loaded gun available and no references to age or weight are allowed in my home!

    I tend to think of Italian restaurants as pasta hut ripoffs. After all, I can cook all the spaghetti I want at home and throw in a gallon of ice cream (sans snooty atmosphere)for less than what one plate of noodles costs at the typical Italian eatery. Yes, I'm cheap, but I haven't seen pasta yet that was was worth $12 a plate. Still, when the darling one demands, I do what I can.

    As much as any good meat and potatoes guy could, I hid my hatred of expensive noodles and bid my beloved order whatever cream of goo pasta her little heart desired. Desperate to find anything I could eat, my bargain hunting eyes spotted the pizza, soup, salad and breadsticks portion of the menu. I was saved! I ordered a pepperoni pizza and the pasta e fagioli, so no matter what surprises the night held, by jingo I would have some meat in my belly!


    As it turned out, the pasta e fagioli was far better to my untamed appetite than even the tasty pizza! Made from red and white beans (I like my beans!) ground beef (Can you say hamburger?) and tomatoes and pasta, the first bowl wasn't at all bad. Neither was the second. I would have had a third, but I'd lost count of the breadsticks I'd eaten and I didn't want to embarass my wife by eating until closing time. I could have though, because the refills of soup and breadsticks were free. I had to take the rest of the pizza home though, because I was full. That says a lot about the quality of the pasta right there.

    There were no strolling violin players but there were lots of happy customers filling their faces with pasta. You might call 423-245-0344 and check to see if they can fit you in, but even if it takes a few minutes to get a seat, it will be worth the wait, especially if you like soup!

    DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION:
    The Contributor has no connection to nor was paid by the brand or product described in this content.
    This guy went in knowing he didn't like Italian food and was surprised to find out how good it was. I didn't go in with any negative preconceptions. I'm sure the food is great.

    What I didn't like about the place was the "phone company attitude" ("We're the phone company, we don't care") and their reluctance to seat us and take our order.

    If I have to wait because the place is full and they are busy, I'll take my place in line with the best of them, but if they want me to wait simply to establish the superiority of the hostess and wait staff, they can impress somebody else.

    We have to go back to Danville next week to get her stitches out. Maybe we'll give it another shot. Maybe not.
    The road to hell is paved with COMPROMISE.
Sign In or Register to comment.