Author Archives: joejoe - Page 5

StarCraft Master

StarCraft Tattoo StarCraft Tattoo StarCraft TattooStarCraft Tattoo

I wanted a new tattoo and had something I wanted to cover up. I went to an artist who designed this based on some photos I showed him. This tattoo is also based on a video game in the ’90s called StarCraft. I played StarCraft for years, and I reached an expert level. I would battle people online. I beat everyone in Asia, Europe, and the U.S. in my teenage years.

Bojangles Review

This is a review of Bojangles. In the end, I will compare the following fast-food chicken restaurants: Bojangles, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Popeyes, and Church’s.

I should note that Bojangles is my default for going to get fried chicken. Because of this, it might have been a bad idea to post about Bojangles first. The other three will compete against a memory.

My order was a three-piece combo of all-white meat with a side of fries. It came with free diet Pepsi. I then ordered a small side of taters, gravy, and mac and cheese—total price: $13.07.
This was ordered at lunchtime. The drive-thru was backed up, and inside had a small line. There were plenty of people working there. They were prompt and friendly.

Shellie did this review with me. Here we go:

Shellie: Bojangles is the gold standard for chicken. I am guessing the Bojangles will be the best of all the chicken-fast-food meals we will try in this experiment.

Joejoe: The chicken was fresh, juicy, and tasted good. The breading has a mild cajun seasoning that is very tasty.
Shellie: I had chicken breast. I may prefer thighs, but I’m sticking with chicken breasts for this experiment. The skin was crispy and amazing. It was amazing. My only criticism is that the inside was slightly dry, but that goes with getting chicken breast. I ate every bite except for a few small pieces of bone.

Joejoe: The biscuit was very good. I was expecting a little crispier. It was a buttery flavor and was very fluffy.
Shellie: The biscuit was ok, but it was more “bready” and less flaky than I remember. But maybe I forgot what a Bojangles biscuit tastes like because it’s been a while. I always say Bojangles biscuits are the best, but it wasn’t amazing.

Joejoe: The fries, while a little soft, have a very nice cajun flavoring. Overall, good. They would probably be better with some extra cajun spice or hot sauce. However, for this test, I wanted to eat them as they came and not add different spices.
Shellie: The fries were a bit cold once I got to them, but they still tasted great. I liked the spice on them.

Joejoe: The mac and cheese was ok. The noodles were firm, which I like. The cheese was a little bland. This would need some hot sauce or some cajun spice.
Shellie: I’m not a fan of mac-n-cheese, but I could tell it tasted good.

Joejoe: The taters and gravy. The gravy has a small amount of meat that makes it good. It was kind of bland other than that. Good for taters and gravy, but not great.
Shellie: generally, I wouldn’t say I like mashed potatoes and gravy, but they tasted pretty good. I probably wouldn’t order them, though, of my own volition.

My ending notes. The food tasted good. While we were eating, Shellie commented that it didn’t taste healthy. I didn’t notice it then. I am full, and the food was good. But it was greasy. I am full, but I don’t feel healthy. I wonder if this will be the same at all of these fast food places. Bojangles is currently first and last place.

 

A Long Road

Mickey

Mickey tattoo. When I was a kid, six of us all had a tattoo like this on our arms. This was done with a sewing needle wrapped in thread with Indian ink, taped to a number 2 pencil.

When I got this tattoo, I weighed 65 pounds, and my arms were tiny. I have talked about getting it covered up. I’ve not found anyone who will do it.

Jesus tattoo

Jesus tattoo. This is because Jesus is watching my back. My brother dared me to get this tattoo. He said if I got it, he’d pay for it. I’ve had it for 32 years.

A Rose by Any Other Name

The bottom part of this is six years old. I went with my daughter, and she had me get it. It’s a picture of vines and a rose.

The part going up my back is newer. It’s a vine and two roses with a hummingbird on top. The hummingbird always reminds me of my granddaddy. The roses are my husband and me, and the vines are us entwined. The artist did this freehand.

Spiderman a Way Home

spiderman tattoo

Spiderman. I just got this. I hadn’t had a tattoo before. COVID was about to happen. I didn’t know if I would make it through the pandemic. I wanted to put something on my body.

Spaceman and Enouement Spaceman and Enouement

Spaceman and Enouement: The meaning of Enouement is “the bittersweetness of arriving in the future seeing what happens, and not telling your past self what happens.” It was tough for me from the beginning to the middle of 2021. I’d gone through a bad relationship — she cheated on me. I lost my job. I needed to get back on my feet. I was on the brink of suicide and drinking a lot. I got my old job back at a dealership, a team leader. I then became management.

I did not realize where I would be now—making more money than before and living life to the fullest. It’s a reminder to hope for the future and do what I can to change it.

The Legend of Zelda

Lynx tattoo

Lynx tattoo. Growing up, Legend of Zelda was the game I played with my friends. It is an excellent nostalgic memory. A buddy and I got the same tattoo.

Triforce tattoo

Triforce tattoo. Every year, my wife I would go to Wildwood, generally with her brother-in-law and his girlfriend. We were there, and this tattoo seemed like a fun way to remember our trips together.

Fierce Deity tattoo

Fierce Deity tattoo. This is one of my favorite games. I asked the tattoo artist to put his twist on it and do his own thing. I am going for a Zelda-themed leg.

Ruby tattoo

Ruby tattoo. This is also from Legend of Zelda. This has an S in it. My daughter’s name is Scarlett. Scarlett means red, so it connects to both my daughter and Legend of Zelda.

Microwavable Swedish Meatballs Taste Test

I used to love Swedish Meatballs when I was a kid. When I was in the store the other day, I grabbed a Stouffer’s Swedish Meatballs as this is what I used to eat when I was a kid. I had not bought this for a long time. After I grabbed it, I saw there were multiple Swedish Meatball options! What a great and fun taste test.

Notes: I did not eat them all the same day. I also made sure to cook them as close to the directions on the box as possible.

The first one I tried was Marie Callender’s. This one had this fascinating wine smell when cooked. It is also the only one with a compostable trey. However, the flavor was bland. The meatballs were ok. The noodles were not a bad texture. I can’t say I was satisfied when I was done eating it.

Boston Market was the second one I tried. The smell was better than Marie’s. This had more than what I think of the smell of Swedish Meatballs. The meatballs were pretty good; the noodles were ok. The sauce was a little bland. I was not as hungry when I finished it.

Stouffer’s was the third. I used to eat these when they came in the weird plastic bag. This is the Swedish Meatballs from when I was a kid. The smell was what I expected from Swedish Meatballs. The sauce was 3/4 as strong as I wanted. It was good. The meatballs were flaky, which I like. I was less hungry after I ate it.

Note: Read the directions when you make this. Part of the directions says 5 1/2 minutes and 50% power. This was how I made it.

Final judgment: Stouffer’s is the best all-around, in my opinion. If Boston Market were like half the price of Stouffer’s, I would get Boston Market as it was ok. I would not get Marie Callender’s again.

Suppose you don’t care about how food tastes. You only care about the environment. You most likely want Marie Callender’s for the compostable tray. I would guess it’s also the healthiest option.

Struggling to Imagine

Stone eagle head with tattered US flag that says "God Family Country"

Stone Eagle Head with tattered US flag that reads, “God, Family, Country.” I served in the Army for eight years. When I came back from my deployment, I wanted this tattoo. I am a Christian. Family and my country mean a lot to me. The Stone Eagle Head represents all the struggles I went through in the Army.

Wooden cube is the congreve cube from Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium

The wooden cube is the Congreve Cube from Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is the last movie I took my aunt to see before she passed away. I like the meaning it has in the film. The insecure manager gets this box. It is not until the end of the movie that she realizes that your imagination is limitless if you believe in it. The sun is supposed to be raised to show the box is special.

A path to service

Nautical stars tattoo Nautical stars tattoo Nautical stars tattoo

Nautical stars tattoos. I got these when I was 18. My mother took me. I’d always wanted a tattoo. I got the big star first. Then years ago, I was in my buddy’s kitchen and wanted to add to it. He was a practicing artist. I added the two smaller ones on the left side and right side. I always thought nautical stuff was cool; it was popular at the time.

1986 tattoo

Since 1986 tattoo: I was born in 1986. This one has the Famous Stars and Stripes and Blink-182 in it. I am a huge Blink-182 fan. My grandmother collects angels. I got a little collaborative on this one.

navy tattoo

Navy tattoo. I served in the Navy special ops for about ten years. Traditional Navy tattoo at 19 years old. I went with the boys and got a Navy tattoo.

Kanji love tattoo

Love Kanji

Kanji hate tattoo

Hate Kanji

Kanji on my shoulders. The left one says love, and the right one says hate. Love is closest to your heart. I am right-hand dominant.  You can’t have love without hate. I got these in Singapore while I was drunk.

Only God Can Judge tattoo

Only God Can Judge tattoo. This one is a coverup of a cross that was underneath. I had a drunk buddy in his house, did a cross tattoo. It can out bad. I got it covered up with the skull and hat that says, “only God can judge me.” I like skulls, so I got this tattoo.

Playing with numbers

Cleveland Indians tattoo

Cleveland Indians tattoo. I got this in 1995. I was 18 years old. This was my first tattoo. At the time, the team was looking pretty good for a world series run. This was an excellent way to commentate this time.

Barcode tattoo

Barcode tattoo. I always wanted a barcode and was not sure how to do it. I worked for Walgreens after college for about eight years; while working there, the barcode had an additional significance. I chose the digits. The first half is the same barcode as a lot of Walgreens private brand products. The second half is my birthday.

Roman numeral 8 tattoo

Roman numeral eight tattoo. My hash name is eight minutes down under. About a year after I got my name, everybody started calling me Ocho.  I decided time to get another tattoo. I was with a bunch of people getting tattoos. I decided yes, I would do it. I got my name on my chest.