So, I decided to use my day off to visit the zoo and have lunch somewhere. I wanted to see the zoo since it was listed as a tourist spot in all the local guides (actually tagged as the largest zoo in Indiana if I remember correctly). I wanted to eat at a restaurant for two reasons. One, I had been eating packaged meals and soup/chili all week. And two, I had seen many billboards on the way from Louisville for "Homestyle, Real Amish cooking" restaurants.

The zoo was ok. Ok, who am I kidding. It was actually kind of depressing. The animals all looked bored beyond belief and it seemed to be contagious. I walked from cage to cage and noted how all the exhibits seemed to be on the small size and lacking much of what one would think was the animal's natural habitat. I guess I had been spoiled by going to all the zoo's in my past. From Los Angeles to San Diego to Pittsburgh, even the Santa Ana zoo seemed more festive, for lack of a better word. There is probably more animals in the Santa Ana zoo, but in a smaller total area. To top off the visit to the zoo, it seemed that it was field trip day at the zoo. There were tens of groups of elementary age kids with an adult chaperone. They all had a list of questions regarding animals that they were insistent on completing. This multiplied their total disregard for other guests (which seemed to be only me) and led to them sprinting from animal to animal, only reading the wooden placard in front of the cage in search of their all important answers. I felt that if you even asked most of them what color the animal was in the cage they just left, they would have had no idea. Oh well, I bet I would have been sprinting ahead of all of them if I were that age again. Or had gotten a question sheet that day.

The restaurant was another experience. I saw the coupon above in a tourist map/guide. It was so enticing with its cute headline of "take that itty bitty drive" and claim of "homemade Amish cooking" below a picture of a horse drawn carriage. Ok, I'll cut to the chaise, the coupon for 10% off sold me. I really wanted to go to an Amish place after seeing all the billboards, but the final decision of which was made after finding the coupon. So I embarked on the "itty bitty" drive. It was a good description, as the drive turned out to be not too far, but not really close. As I pulled in the parking lot, I already was having sinking feelings. It looked like a normal Denny's or similar restaurant building. I was expecting something like a barn or hand built house with no electricty. I parked and went in, and instantly realized I had been bamboozled. Off to the right was the gift shop with your candles, windchimes and wall decorations. There was also all kinds of jams, jellies and sauces. Mixed in were a few "handmade" crafts from "real" Amish communities. I'm not calling anyone a liar, but all the crafts looked mighty professionally and mass produced. Then I peered into the dining area and might as well have looked into the Senior Living cafeteria. Well, I was here, so I went ahead, got seated, then took my plate to the rows of fried foods and carb loaded sides. I guess this could be "real" Amish cooking, as they could have just taken the recipe for boiling water from a Amish woman, then used it to boil all their food. The buffet was really lacking in variety and taste. I guess that might be the Amish part. The only thing I really enjoyed was the fried pork chops. I actually had three of those, as they were on the small side. Well, lesson learned. Actually not. I feel like if I see another billboard, I'll have the desire to try another "real Amish" cooking restaurant. I've always been a sucker for advertising. I think it stems from my love of reading. I read everything I see, which in this day and age, is usually ads. Oh, and by the way, I didn't even use the coupon, because I was picturing these poor Amish people without any electricity or modern conviences, slaving away in a hot kitchen and I couldn't even bring myself to bring the coupon in. Like I said, I got bamboozled.

I learned a new, valuable trick today. The bathrooms in the building where I'm working have auto flush sensors. The sensors have hair triggers and flush way too easily. Whenever I would put a paper seat cover down, by the time I would turn around, it would start flushing and pull the cover in. Then, if I tried to put another one on quick, the moving water would pull that one in too. So, I was left with trying to hold the seat cover up to my rear-end, turning around quickly and sitting all in one motion. This technique would work half the time, and even when it did, would end up with the seat cover being crooked or half off the seat altogether. Well, the solution just came to me tonight. I pulled out about five or six sheets of toilet paper, laid it over the pipe and sensor structure so it was covered, and went about my business with all the time in the world. It worked perfectly. It's the small victories that are the best.