Day 10: Zombies

"Zombies" is the prompt today, Day 10 of "30 Minus 2 Days of Writing" at "We Work for Cheese" -- do check out some of the other writers who are participating.  But first...read (and listen to) this:

I'm watching the Olympics...so, I'm going to spare you all with a made up zombie story.  Please know that had I done one, it would have been awesome.  

I'll just post a song up by Philadelphia band, "The Hooters".  Yes, their name pre-dates the restaurant chain "Hooters" - in case you were thinking they called their band that just to get more notoriety.  They didn't.  They did, however, probably name it after a euphemism for "boobies" -- because who doesn't like boobies?   But I don't know this for certain and I'm not gonna Google.

 

Below is their song, "All You Zombies" which I remember from time to time (not to be confused with "Time After Time" - see below) and it always brings back happy memories of my youth. They were a fantastic group and I loved them.  Philadelphia radio station, WMMR, also loved them, and would play their stuff all the time back in the '80s (along with Peter Gabriel, whom I love the best, who disc jokey, Pierre Robert, nicknamed "The Patron Saint of Rock & Roll").  Yeah, I loved this radio station growing up. 

"The Hooters" were even the opening act in Philadelphia for the US portion of the "Live Aid" concert...which was a rather big event in 1985...and I still have my T-shirt to prove it (yes, I just dug through all my stuff and threw it on for this photo, again sans make-up).  This, by the way, is as close to a "hooters" shot as I'll ever have on the Internet (I hope).

 

But why "The Hooters" never got more famous than they did is beyond me.  Group member Rob Hyman also won a Grammy for co-writing "Time After Time" with Cyndi Lauper, whose version of that song is probably best remembered.

Here they are singing "All You Zombies".  I hope you enjoy it...and let me know if you ever heard of them (as I'm curious); they had quite a few songs which MTV would play "back in the day".

 

Anyway...back to watching the Olympics for me...until my Ambien kicks in and then I really turn into a zombie. 

 

"Hooters' Hole" Update

If the above title makes you go "hmmmm" and you haven't a clue what I'm talking about, please read my initial "Hooters' Hole" blog first: http://mariannsimms.blogspot.com/2009/08/hooters-hole.html

I had written a blog on August 16th about the ever-expanding Hooters' Hole and, taking the advice of a couple people who suggested it, I emailed the blog to the Mayor of Montgomery (and someone in the "Montgomery Road Department" as well).

Well, lo and behold, I'm driving by today and I notice the hole has been fixed! I would, naturally, like to take full credit for this - so if you know otherwise...please keep it to yourself. I feel...as my friend said...like such a public advocate now. :)

By the way...it's not THE best job in the world fixing it - but it has been patched...the part which was swallowing up the public road at least. I'm sure that's all the city is allowed to fix...it certainly is an improvement, that's for certain.

Chalk one up for good old-fashioned motivation and intervention...maybe ONE person can tackle the "big guys" and do something after all.

Before:

Ta-da! The long-awaited "after" photo:

Hooters' Hole

Sobriety checks, red light cameras, and designated drivers. They are all deterrents to driving drunk...but I think I've found something MUCH better.

Behold, the "Hooters' Hole":

A few of these strategically placed things around Montgomery and it will be like a worm on a hook, a bit of cheese in a mousetrap, or a moth to a flame.

Those of you who have seen it in the daytime pulling out of the Twin Oaks Shopping Center (aka the Hooters/TJMaxx/Fresh Market) parking lot might have had to swerve a bit or drive into the oncoming lane when making a right turn. Those of you who are unfamiliar that it's there...especially at nite...well, good luck to you. It's a force to be reckoned...or at least negotiated around...with.

Then it got me thinking, "Just how many people, perhaps a little over the .08 legal limit, have gotten behind the wheel of their car only to find themselves calling for a tow truck?" Hey, I've clipped that thing with my back right wheel in the daytime with no alcohol in me - and I know it's there! Imagine being a little impaired in the dark...and you've got the perfect DUI trap.

So, I called up Hooters tonite (Sunday) and spoke with the manager (who was extremely nice and tolerated my line of wacky questioning) to ask her if she knew of anyone who stomped back inside after getting swallowed up by the hole. You can't really tell by the photo - but that thing's gotta have a three foot sudden drop-off...and it's not confined to only being IN the parking lot. The perimeter of this baby is huge...slowly swallowing up the street...kinda like some alien blob. In fact, the manager herself said she damaged the underside of her car the other day turning a bit too sharply. I disagree. You don't HAVE to turn sharply to end up in this hole...all you have to do is turn into your lane...the sheer placement of the thing will do the rest. As I said earlier, you basically have to drive into the oncoming lane in order to avoid that thing - especially if you have a long car...or a van like I do.

While she didn't know of anyone who got stuck or drove into this hole, it could just be they managed to get out of it before the police showed up. Face it, if you damage your car driving into a hole on the side of the street leaving a bar after you've had a couple drinks...you just might not want to alert the authorities or have them alerted by some tow truck's flashing lights. You're going to make as little a scene as possible.

And speaking of scenes...this scary thing has been on the scene being seen by me for years. What is up with the county not doing something about it? Does someone have to get badly injured before anyone takes the initiative to come out there and fix the thing? There's a couple more mini-holes growing each day in that same parking lot that will soon progress to "wok hole" status (it's too large to be classified as a plain old pot hole) if they aren't attended to in the near future.

So, to borrow and tweak Mark Bullock's signature "Clean up!" phrase he so eloquently trumpets when admonishing restaurants with failing Montgomery County Health Department scores in WSFA News' "Food For Thought" segment...all I can say to ALDOT about this hole is...

"Fill up!"


I apologize to those of you out there who were expecting to read this blogumn replete with countless "Hooters' boobies" puns and references...as I refrained. But if you ask me very nicely in an email...I'm sure I could accommodate you. ;)