A real deal at Jack’s

Well call me a service critic and I will not argue because that is basically what I have become. Few of you may know that I have no kids and am supposed to be enjoying the golden years after retiring. This may explain why I prefer to eat out rather than try to cook at home and eat by myself.

Today I tried Jack in the Box’s $3.99 Jumbo Deal, which gives you two tacos, a hamburger, fries and all you can drink..drink. To tell you the truth, I expected some catch, like paying more if you wanted lettuce or tomatoes but no. The offer is legit and a terrific deal.

The tacos taste the same way they tasted during my college years. Back then I could handle as many as five tacos from the same place on San Pedro and Hwy 35 in San Antonio. A single taco was about sixty-nine cents back then in 1969.

I would say that if anything needs any improvement in the Jack in the Box Jumbo Deal its their hamburger. Most hamburgers seem to have a distinct taste and you can tell them apart. My favorite is the #2 Sonic, followed by Burger King, then Whataburger and then Wendy’s.

So I must say that Jack’s Jumbo Deal is a real deal especially for a total of $4.31 including tax.

I'm mad as hell and I won't take it anymore..maybe

I am sure that you are much like me and so you understand that as daily consumers of goods and services that things are changing. I call it the revival of our economy. What am I talking about you ask? Well I have stated this over and over about eating out on a daily basis simply because it is convenient at my stage in life. Because of that, I get to see the subtle price increases in what we pay for tacos, toothpaste and meds. By now you probably heard that our economy is slowly improving because profits are up even though hiring is still not happening. But I also notice that some businesses are also gouging the public because they are going to extremes in making money.

Take today for instance. I took my vehicle to the Peppy Boys this morning after they gave me an estimate on the phone of $130.99 to repair a water hose. But once there, they said they had made a mistake on the labor, which would increase my cost to $210. Left with little choice, I said ok but told my wife that I expected them to call me to say that they found something else that needed fixing. Sure enough, in about two hours I get the call. They said that after fixing the hose, they found out that it was not the hose but a "Y" that was leaking and were willing to give me a discount and charge me only $200 more. So my total would be $410.

So you see our economy is improving and capitalism is alive and thriving in SA. Makes me want to come out of retirement and go work for the Boys.

Walmart - Out of Order

Unlike many people, I seldom print the more than thousand photos that I take each month at events. But sometimes I do it as a request. Such was the case about a week ago. It was then that I found out that at least in San Antonio, it could be a flourishing business. I see people lining up for a chance at the print computers. But what I also saw was that most seem to be out of order. I spoke to a frustrated store manager from a chain drugstore and was told that their corporate office does not place much interest in that particular area.

I drove to several outlets including CVS, Walgreen and Walmart and found machines out of order.

One such stop was an eye opener when I ended up at a Walmart Store in the far Southside of San Antonio but found out-of-order signs taped over the screens on two machines. There was no one around. I hated the thought of having to drive more than 18 miles to Ritz Camera on the north side of San Antonio. Just then a Walmart saleslady arrived and I asked when they planned to fix the two machines.

"Oh no, both machines are working. Just take the sign off the screen." she replied. She added that the signs are placed on the screen when they have no one available to work at the photo section.

I placed my Sandisk card in the machine and printed my photos.

I'll Have a Granule Fajita Taco

I know I have said it before. I eat out most of the time and seldom cook at home. So this has taken me into many restaurants which I have enjoyed because of the convenience and adventure. I have no qualms about where I go and often try a new place if I see their parking lot full. This week I have tried fajita tacos on flour tortilla and have found a developing change. At both places I asked for the same thing and although they are on opposite sides of San Antonio, I found that the restaurants are now serving their fajita meat in granules; sort of slightly oversized BBs. Both add lettuce and tomatoes at no extra cost. The result is over-cocked meat, often dry and crumbly (crumbly ?). I hope this is not happening everywhere. I can't imagine the reason for this change but somehow I feel that they will blame the economy. The taco in this picture is not the one I ate.

Family and Friends are very important

Web Posted: Sept 21, 2010 12:10 AM
By Robert Castillo

About three years ago, I experienced a health scare that for a short time affected my vision. I was seen by numerous specialist and all but one was willing to give me a prognosis. I became aware that this condition also had an effect in the way I was living. Without any effort, I became more thoughtful and considerate of friends and family, realizing how significant they all were. This serenity was a welcome feeling. It was better than the fast pace and busy schedule that kept me going day in and day out. I also noticed that I was less likely to get upset over insignificant things and more willing to walk away from any argument or confrontation with others. However, as my vision improved my serenity seemed to diminish and now I find myself getting justifiably upset with rude or discourteous people. So when people ask me if I am better I am not trying to be flippant when I say yes and no.

Stadium, Will it be ready or not?

EPalumni.Com
Web Posted: July 18, 2010 3:PM
By Robert Castillo

The question as to whether the Student Athletic Center stadium will be ready for play on August 27, 2010 has been answered.

Fans were expecting to see the first official football game to be played on the $30 million dollar facility on August 27, 2010 at 7:30 pm when the CC Winn Mavericks football team plays Devine High School. In an official statement, a district official has assured that the facility will be ready for the game. It was also explained that the project had been delayed due to persistent rains in the local area.

Because of the amount of construction that still needs to be completed, some speculated that the new field would not be ready and as a result the game would have to be held at the old Eagle Pass Field.

The parking area and some access construction to the stadium is a major piece of work that is still pending but is expected to be completed before the scheduled date for CC Winn's first game.

It was also mentioned that the Fine Arts building will be delayed for another year. Already funded, the building's cost is estimated to be $6.5 million.

----- Above photo courtesy of Eagle Pass Sports Central.Com

One week vacation - Hawaii

Well its 7:24am and I am hooked up to the airports Wifi waiting for my flight to take off. Let me just say that I have neglected my blog for many months but hope to use it in the coming days.

I will clean it up when I finish by vacation. First thing. Anticipating the long flight and not wanting to pig out before leaving, I decided to get a simple biscuit-sausage and egg from McD at the airport. Wow not the same price as in the neighborhood. But because of the high price it tasted much better.

I packed my Nikon and hope to do plenty of photography and I don't want to do the typical postcard shots. I know that its easy to say but we will see.

One more thing...I don't plan to spell check so be warned.

Tele-Marketers are back again

Years ago I closed my home phone account with AT&T. Despite placeing our phone numbers on the States no call list the calls continued and AT&T could not help us in blocking these calls which increased month after month. For years we have used only cell phones but this week I started getting telemarketing calls. One in particular is so persistent. I got at least five calls from 206-203-2524. I have tried to trace the number and it originates in Seattle, Washington. I called my cell phone provider and they are going to get back to me. I wait.