"Penguin Point is Gonna Put a Smile on Your Face....

at Penguin Point the people-pleasing place. Yeah!"

40+ years later, I can still sing that tv jingle (and 40+ years later, it's still an annoying ear worm!). Penguin Point is a regional fast-food chain that I'd actually thought was out of business until I saw one last year* when I took an alternate route home from visiting an aunt who moved to Elkhart. I figured that was the remaining one but when I looked it up, I found there are still a few around, including one in Syracuse, Indiana.

Irish and I took a drive over to Syracuse on Sunday to try out an ice cream stand that my sister recommended (good, but not as good as The Chief in Goshen or Oink's Dutch Treat in New Buffalo, Michigan). We knew the ice cream place only sells ice cream (no hotdogs or hamburgers) so figured we'd end up getting something from Burger King or McDonald's for lunch - then when we drove into town, there it was, on the left side of the main drag - Penguin Point. We decided to pick up lunch there. Irish got a couple pork tenderloins and I got a double cheeseburger. It was actually a pretty good cheeseburger - I'd have another if I'm ever near a Penguin Point again. The restaurant isn't so great that I feel the need to seek one out but I wouldn't reject the suggestion if someone else made it. It was a fun bit of nostalgia though. Except now that stupid jingle is stuck in my head and even singing it out loud isn't helping. I'll be kind and not find a YouTube video of it to post here. :-) (I wonder if ozma914 remembers it.)

*ETA: And now I'm laughing at myself because that wasn't last year - it was this year, in February or March. People are right - 2020 is never-ending. (Though I still love working from home and wish they'd let me do it permanently. The whole word processing team wishes it but the firm has said no.)

That September Meme - 7-18

I did get behind! Here are some more entries for that September Meme:

8. Have you ever talked to yourself out loud in public?
Of course! Sometimes it's the only way to figure something out.

9. Are you a worrier? What’s something you’re worried about right now? Can you do something constructive about the situation?
I try not to worry. It's bad for my mental, physical, and spiritual health. That doesn't mean I don't worry but when I do, I try to channel it into prayer. I'm not particularly worried about anything right now. I'm concerned about Trump being re-elected but worry won't make a difference. I pray and I'm registered to vote.

10. Would you sign up to be a colonist on another planet if it meant you would never be able to return to earth?
Probably not - though if Earth had turned into a complete pit and I had the chance to escape, I'd probably do it.

11. Do you like having your picture taken? Why or why not?
Not particularly. I'm not very photogenic - my photos are more disappointing to me than not.

12. Do you experiment with your hairstyle often, or do you have a classic style you stick with?
It's usually long - never shorter than shoulder length) sometimes layered (not now as I haven't had a haircut in nearly a year), and usually up because though I don't like short hair on me, I also don't like it all in my face. Sometimes I have bangs.

13. What’s your favorite childhood story or fairy tale?
I have a very difficult time choosing favorites of any kind. I've always loved Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen. Also his Little Mermaid and The Red Shoes (which is a really creepy story to read to a child!).

14. What are your Top Ten favorite books?
I don't know. I have more than ten and their position in the queue changes all the time. Here are some, in no particular order: The Bible. Greensleeves by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. A Walk Out of the World by Ruth Nichols. Ishmael by Barbara Hambly. The Little Prince by Antoine de St. Exupery. A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis. The Small Rain by Madeleine L'Engle. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Emily's Quest by L. M. Montgomery. House of Many Shadows by Barbara Michaels. Such an incomplete list!

15. Do you plan, or are you flying by the seat of your pants?
I like flying by the seat of my pants sometimes - like Sunday drives - and always like the idea of just jumping in the car and heading north or something, but the reality is I tend to plan. I wouldn't be able to get to work on time (even working from home) if I didn't plan my morning to some degree. Too easily distracted by a good book!

16. How did you make a difference for someone else today?
I don't know. I work in a word processing department and I'm a homebody - I don't think I make a lot of difference in anyone's life on the whole. Someone I revised a document for today said it looks amazing (and she hadn't been able to fix it herself) so there's that.

17. If you were given $1M, with the stipulation that you must spend it on yourself within one year, how would you spend it?
I'd get entirely out of debt and buy a house near Lake Michigan. Not on Lake Michigan because I'd want to pay cash for it and property on the Lake is crazy expensive. Probably in Holland. Travel some - I want to see all the countries of the UK, Ireland, Iceland. Pitcairn Island! There are so many places in Michigan alone that I want to see as well, not to mention the 23 states I haven't been to. If it makes me happy to buy things for others or help them out of debt (anonymously) does that count as spending it on myself?

18. What do you daydream about?
All kinds of things. Conversations with the original Star Trek crew. Conversations with C. S. Lewis. Living in a house on Lake Michigan or moving to another country. Sometimes I daydream stories but I rarely write them down anymore.