[not so super]sonic

for years, cable channels have been teasing us with commercials for yummy-looking drinks and shakes and smoothies from sonic. well, we don't have sonic in our neck o'the woods - at least, not locally. there used to be one not too far away, but it closed ages ago, and the only other ones i knew of were out in BFE and down in the OC. hmph.

and then, several months ago, i noticed that one of my favorite mexican quickie joints was gone. like, it wasn't just closed - that shit had been razed and it'd been obliterated from the face of the planet. sheesh. i mourned its loss for a few minutes before i drove a little further and noticed a sign posted nearby announcing what was to take its place. yup, you guessed it - a sonic.

whee! i was totally excited, and the teen, who'd been to the BFE location before, said "ooh, they have really good drinks, mom. the food kinda sucks, though." this sentiment was echoed by others who live in areas where sonic is much easier to find. but whatever, i looked forward to trying something new anyway.

when it finally opened a few weeks ago, the teen and i stopped off on our way home from our dine l.a. brunch. and it was super crowded, which they'd been prepared for - we had to drive across the street to this "staging area," where we had to wait in line for our turn to head over and either get in the drive-thru lane or park in one of the stalls.

as we pulled in and followed the signs around to the rear of the building, we were amused by the sight of the disneyland-like maze of cones to wind through.

look at the line of folks who were waiting for a stall! sheesh. and no one waiting for the drive-thru. it was a no-brainer.

our oh-so-official staging pass, which we were to present to the attendant guarding the entrance to the drive-thru. i don't make this shit up, people.

and to further streamline our sonic experience, we were handed a menu to peruse so that we could choose what to order before we got there.

we only waited for a few minutes before getting the go-ahead signal from the attendant to truck our happy asses across the street and take our place in the next line. heh. and then we laughed like crazy at this poor sucker, dressed in this stupid sonic smoothie costume and waving at all the passersby. he took a liking to the teen, who played along at first and then was totally over it and rolled her eyes and then her window up.

the stalls are served by "carhops" on roller skates. it was totally cheesy, but i guess it sets them apart from other fast food places, right?

as the teen took this picture and then looked at it later, she realized that the guys in the station wagon were totally watching and even posing for her. ha!

mmmm, watermelon slushy.

i opted for a lime creamslush, which was their limeade blended with vanilla soft serve ice cream. it was really good, but the kind of thing that's scrumptious for the first five-ish sips and then you're totally over it.

i'd also ordered some tater tots - because y'all know how much i love my tots - and was super bummed to open the bag and find an order of plain ol' boring fries instead. i was so bitter. and the other stuff i ordered was just meh. we haven't been back since.

and, on a whole 'nother tangent, i love me some ryan seacrest. i listen to his radio show every morning on my way to work, and then turn it on once i get into the office. he's so stinking cute, and i like to listen to his on-air banter with everyone from his producer to his security guard to celebs who stop by or call in.

he does a birthday game every morning where he chooses a month and then takes a call from a listener whose birthday is in that month. that person wins an automatic $102, and then if he happens to choose their exact birthday, the prize is $10K. yesterday was september, and so i picked up the phone as i sat in traffic and dialed a few times. after about three tries, i actually got through and was waiting on hold. he was taking the first caller, though, so i kind of figured i was shit outta luck, and was proven right when i got the busy signal a minute later. bummer.

and when he took the call and then said "is your birthday on...september...18?" i literally threw my phone on the floor and growled angrily. hell, i could use ten grand. gah! "missed it by THAT much."

bonus points if you know who uttered that classic line, and a cookie if you know what tv show it's from.

another totally unrelated picture of the bean, who was clowning around with her sister during our banzai trip to joann's for sewing crap:

the dress is coming along - i spent yesterday afternoon sewing the bodice and lining together. i'm a little confused at how to finish the shoulders, though, as the instructions are rather vague, but i'll figure it out. after that's done, i just have to do the waistband, sew up the skirt, add the zipper, and put it all together. i'm hoping to finish it tonight and am rather anxious as to how it's going to come out. i've set aside my typical impatience and kept the machine set to the lowest speed so that i keep my seams nice and straight. i'm being extra careful with it in the hopes that it'll be perfect and the teen will actually wear the damn thing.

we'll see how it turns out. with any luck, i'll be able to post it tomorrow!