Dear Old Dad

So, Sunday is Father's Day, and it's always a challenge coming up with a suitable gift for my father, because, to not sugarcoat it, he's kind of a grumpy old guy who doesn't have likes or interests like an ordinary person. (And some of you have met him, so you know what I'm talking about.) He isn't into gadgets, he doesn't use a computer, has all the tools he needs (a few years ago I got him one of those laser levels, and he later admitted that he'd returned it), doesn't care about clothes (I know, I know!), isn't interested in movies or books, and generally makes any attempt at gift-giving extremely difficult.

But the man's gotta eat. For Christmas, I hit on the idea of getting him an assortment from Omaha Steaks, and he seemed to genuinely appreciate it. I was going to just do the same thing again for Father's Day, but it kind of crept up on me, so this evening we drove up to one of the stores. After looking over the various packaged items in the freezer cases, I decided to get him a gift card, since there is a store fairly close to where he lives. I'm hoping he will make the effort to go there and choose some stuff.

I also popped into L.L. Bean, which is in the same shopping center, hoping to get a look at some of the Signature line, but unfortunately they aren't carrying any of it (at least not yet). The store never seems to lack for customers, but after looking around I have to say that Bean's regular stuff is looking really boring, and bringing in some Signature merchandise would definitely perk things up.

After that, we had to drive to where the Mrs. works, because she'd left her cell phone in her office. We also needed to eat, and she mentioned that we were going to pass a Sonic, where I guess she's been going for slushy-fruit drinks on her way home from work, or something. I didn't realize that Sonic operates like an old-fashioned drive-in, with carhops on roller skates and everything. Of course, this being 2010, there are male carhops too. There's also a drive-through window, but no inside counter service.

I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich with bacon and ranch dressing. The first sandwich the carhop brought me was breaded chicken, with lettuce and mayonnaise. When I told her it wasn't what I'd ordered she was extremely polite and said she'd get me the correct sandwich. The second sandwich she brought me was grilled chicken, and there were a couple of tomato slices, but still no bacon. I didn't bother trying to get it fixed again, because I was hungry. But I have to say, the shake I had with it was excellent.