In case you weren’t aware, I have a somewhat odd history with fast food establishments. I had almost forgotten about the aforementioned experiences until last night, when I had the long-awaited third installment of “Yes, I’d like fries with that.” It happened in a small city on the outskirts of Griffin, GA, at a Burger King. Without further adieu, here you go:

Employee (through the drive-thru speaker): “Burger King.”
Me (pausing for just a second): “Hi – I’d like a chicken sandwich value meal, large size with a Sprite to drink.”
Her: “5.75 drive around.”

I drove to the window. Thus far, nothing during this altercation signified to me that I was about to have my mind blown by the sheer “what the heck is going on” aspect of what was about to happen. I waited about 2 minutes before she finally came to the window.

Her: “We ain’t got no buns for da chicken sannwich. You want a whopper bun?”
Me: “Um, uh, (quick decision time) sure.”

She hands me a medium Sprite.

Me: “Oh, I’m sorry – I wanted it large sized.”
Her: “You didn’t say nothing.”
Me: “Um, well, could you make it large size?”

She then gave me this stare that looked like she wanted to yell at me, but she couldn’t – like when you stump your toe and you’re in a place where you can’t yell. So, she hands me the large Sprite, and the situation progresses.

After about 5 minutes (seriously), she comes back to the window, where I’ve put the car in park.

Her: “We ain’t got no chicken sandwiches. You want something else?”
Me: (sigh) “Um, no, I’ll just go somewhere else.”
Her: “OK den – you can keep da drank.”
Me: “Thanks.”

I never gave her any form of payment, by the way.

So I left, frustrated, eagerly searching for another reputable fast-food chain. I thought, “well, at least I can quench my thirst with this behemoth of a fountain drink.” That’s when I noticed that while the drink was free, she neglected to provide me with a straw. So here I am trying to pop the top on this gargantuan while navigating the back roads of central Georgia. I finally get the top off of the cup, and take a much-needed swig. That’s when I realized the reason she let me keep it. It was nothing but seltzer water.

Luckily, I found a Wendy’s about 20 miles down the road, and it was worth the wait. I hope that Burger King eventually gets some chicken sandwiches again. That, my friends, is a travesty.

So in reading through some tweets and Facebook updates tonight during the USA vs. Canada hockey game, I find it amazing that all of a sudden everyone likes hockey. Now, I’m actually a bit bitter about this. Hockey is easily the most underrated professional sport in existence. I like the hard-hitting, high-impact, energetic atmosphere. I like that it’s a tough game to grasp, and that those guys are incredibly talented to do all that they do while wearing ice skates. If you think about it, it really requires a lot of coordination. However, professional hockey teams also have really low salary caps, and it’s the only professional sport ever to cancel its season due to a labor strike.

I think it’s great that folks have jumped on the bandwagon, though. I’m glad the Olympics have opened the eyes of a lot of folks as to how awesome of a sport hockey truly is. But listen – if you watch it more regularly, you’ll see these awesome guys playing more, and you’ll get to see them play in games where there are hardcore rivalries, and everyone in the league is vying for one thing: the Stanley Cup. Folks like Crosby, Malkin, Staal (and other Penguins players), Ovechkin, Brodeur, and many many more talented guys hit the ice 3-4 times per week – and each game is awesome.

So I’ll leave you with this thought. I can’t remember a basketball team, a tennis match, a Bowl game, a baseball game, or any other sporting event, for that matter, ultimately giving hope to an entire nation in despair, as one specific hockey team. I leave you with, the “Miracle on Ice.” Enjoy, and in the words of Penguins commentator Mike Lang, “Get in the fast lane, Grandma – the bingo game’s ready to roll!