T.G.I.Fridays

When I would pass by T.G.I.Fridays I use to think I wouldn't like it, that it would be dirty, and the food just wouldn't live up to my expectations. Talk about judging a book by it's cover. It turns out I was completely wrong.
Saturday afternoon, a couple friends and I decided to go to the Joliet Louis mall. As the girls and I were walking around, going into different stores looking at the clothes and shoes, the boys were bored and wanted to go eat somewhere. Letting them decide was torture, they were worst, than women. They were like, McDonald's, no Panera Bread, no Panda Express. Finally, a friend chose T.G.I.Fridays, my first thought was I don't want to go there, but my hunger overpowered my thoughts.

Service
As we walked in, we were greeted by the hostess; there was no wait, she led us straight to our table. As we walked towards our booth I watched as the waiters and waitresses took orders, brought out the food, and checked up on their costumers. Our waitress was very nice, she told us what was good, and would check up on us. One of the boys couldn't decided between 2 burgers, he asked for the waitress' opinion, she was quick and confident in her answer. Personally, if I ask a waitress their opinion on the food and they're hesitant, I wouldn't trust their answer.

Atmosphere
There was a lot going on on the walls of the place, but it went along with the whole restaurant in general. Everyone seemed very content, the waiters and waitresses were very peppy. The place was just so chill. It was well organized, there was a lot of seating, but it didn't seem like it was too close together. It's a place were you can go with the family, but you can also go with a couple friends and it's still nice.

Cleanliness
The tables, booths, and chairs were wiped down and prepare for the next set of costumers. Bathrooms were very clean, no trash on the ground, but there weren't many stalls.

Menu
The menu had plenty of options, for each option there was a full description. It was easy to understand. There was a lot going on, just like the restaurant, I liked how it all went together. Overall, it was easy on the eyes.

Food

• We ordered an appetizer of mild, boneless Buffalo wings. Although I prefer traditional, spicy wings; mild wings were alright. They were flavorable, a little crunchy, and a soft, fluffy inside. There was 8 on the plate with 3 celery sticks and your choice of Belu cheese or ranch dressing as your sauce (we chose ranch dressing). The presentation was simple, but it looked decent because of the rectangular plate, maybe just me. The total cost was $9.79 without tax, I thought this was a bit too much to pay for 8 pieces of wings and 3 pieces of celery.  

Our food took about 15 mins. to arrive, a good amount of time in my opinion.

• Crispy chicken fingers: I order something simple because it would be would be easier to compare to other places. These chicken fingers were not the size of fingers, they were huge. There were 4 on my plate with seasoned fries. The chicken fingers were very crispy and crunchy, a little too crispy for me. The fries were salty, but not too salty where you couldn't taste the potato anymore. You also got to chose the sauce you wanted to come with your meal, I chose ranch. The presentation was simple, not much could do with chicken fingers and fries anyway. The cost was $9.99 without tax, I didn't think it was too bad for these giant chicken fingers and pile of fries I was getting.  

• Bruschetta chicken pasta: This was angel hair pasta with basil, garlic and
  
  Roma tomato marinara. It was topped with grilled chicken breast. I thought it was tasty, you could really taste the tomato and basil. The chicken was grilled to perfection, it was soft and chewable. Others thought the pasta was too plain and didn't have enough flavor, but we all agreed the chicken was delicious. The presentation was a little messy. Cost without taxes was $12.29, it was a big plate of pasta and there was chicken in there so I thought it was a good price to pay.

• Cajun shrimp and chicken pasta: This one was everyone's favorite dish. It was a plate of pasta that had chicken and shrimp that were sauteed in red bell peppers. It was all topped with spicy Cajun fettuccine Alfredo. It had a little spice to it, but it was tasty. The chicken was grilled quite nicely and the shrimp was as well. I never had anything like this before, we all had a little taste of it and we all think it's the best dish. The presentation was very appetizing, the shrimp and chicken were on top, making it so much more desirable. The cost was $14.09 without tax, seems a little pricey, but there was seafood in it and seafood is always more expensive.

• All American stacked burger: It had melted cheddar cheese, onion bacon jam, and Asiago and Parmesan spread between 2 burgers with peppered bacon. My first impression of this burger was, "that's a ball of grease". I was scared to try it, I thought I might have a heart attack from all the grease that was spilling from this burger, but I took a bite. It was very yummy, the bacon was crispy. Although it had a lot of cheese, it wasn't overwhelming. I, personally, wouldn't order this burger because the grease would spill from every part of it, I prefer less greasy foods. The presentation of this burger was nothing special, just a burger with fries. The total was $10.89 without tax, I wouldn't pay this much for a heart attack.
  
  

Overall, I had a great experience. I will be going to T.G.I.Fridays more often. I give it a 4 1/2 out of 5, just s few minor details that can be dealt with.  

Girly Girl

People describe girly girls with the following characteristics nice, pretty, petite, fragile, favorite color is pink, loves make-up, clothes, and hair. I just think of the movie Mean Girls because "the plastics" seem to fit the description quite nicely. Being that this is usually the sterotype I decided to look into what the credentials for being a girly girl are. I found this article titled How To Be a Girly Girl, there's more to being a girly girl than I thought.

This article is broken up into sections, each section gives a full description of what a girly girl must have. Here are a few graceful, stays fit, wears make up, tight fitting clothing, wears jewelry, purfume, hair is always done, and is loved by all. After reading this list and maybe you even read into the article, 98% of the population realized they aren't girly girls.
The article makes it sound as if in order to be considered a girly girl, you must be perfect. you can't be clumsy nor have "jerky movements" because girly girls are graceful when they do anything and everything.

Walking is even an issue, you can't jiggle because, again, girly girls are graceful. It's like a girl has to put on a whole act in order to be a girly girl. Personally, I can't be a girly girl, after reading this article, it feels like a whole ritual. And they remind me of "the plastics" from Mean Girls.

Why I Hate Swimming

As I walked into this gaint room with the huge pool in the center, I waved goodbye to my mother, "Lisen to what your instructor has to tell you, okay?" she warned as I began to walk away. I yelled out an excited, "Yes, mom" and kept walking towards my class.
I was psyched to begin my third lesson in swim class. My only friend and I, I was a shy 6 year old, were chit chatting about our experience in swim class, "I think I'm pretty good. My mom tells me I swim like a fish" I proudly told her as we waited for the instructor. The instructor walks in and my friend turns to me with wild eyes and says "I heard we're jumping off the diving board today". I looked at her terrified and froze for a moment, I didn't have time to answer because the instructor started talking.
As we all did our regular routine I couldn't stop thinking about the diving board, "It's only our third lesson, he's not going to make us jump from there". Suddnely, the instructor put us in a line from shortest to tallest, I was near the front. He led us to the dredded diving board. "Take your time, don't be scared," He yelled up to me when my turn arrived. I stood up there for a good 5 mins, when I decided to jump I felt my adrenaline rushing through me. I prepared for impact, held my breath and splashed into the water. I paniced, so  didn't swim up I moved around in the water trying to reach the surface. A man pulled me out, "are you okay?" I just looked at him and nodded.
My mom was outside waiting for me, as I walked out I told my mom, "I'm never coming back". Sure enough, I never did go back and I never learned how to swim.