Why Gentrification Has Done Nothing for Waco, TX if We Don't Get a Waffle House Soon.

I often write comedically on my blog, but this time I have been researching and pondering this topic for quite some time now and expect to be taken very seriously.

This one goes out to my homies Chip and JoJo-- thanks for bringing In 'N Out, Panera, Canes, and a plethora of tourists from all over the world to Waco. There is no doubt that things have been rapidly changing in downtown Waco since the HGTV Fixer Upper hosts have moved in. Everything is new and trendy and on most weekends very crowded, which has stimulated the Waco economy and community in major ways. There is, however, one very important thing we have not gained through this process of refining the tastes of Wacoans: Waffle House. Waco is the IDEAL location for an establishment of such variety as Waffle House. Waffle House's affordable prices and welcoming atmosphere is tailor-made for customers like college students, truck drivers, RV families on cross country trips, and those who choose to enjoy the simpler things in life like a golden brown waffle garnished with chocolate chips cooked up right there in front of you. Coincidentally the only way I could describe the people who happen to find themselves in Waco, TX: college students, truck drivers, RV families on cross country trips, and those who enjoy the simpler things in life. As it stands I know people in the Waco community who will (and have) driven an hour and a half to our nearest Waffle House in Fort Worth just for the comfort and luxury that comes with the outstanding atmosphere that is created within the magical walls of a Waffle House. People in our community have gone to such lengths for something that we love and it is time those lengths are made into shorts. Waffle House is an American breakfast hibachi that comes with a community. The Waffle House website states that each restaurant strives to "provide a unique dining experience where regular customers are greeted by name and enjoy social interaction with their servers and other customers. All food is prepared fresh, cooked to order and served on real china in a kitchen that is out front and in full view" (https://www.wafflehouse.com/story/). This is what Waco needs to reach its full potential, the silos and the miniature Disney World that surrounds them have done nothing to improve our city if we don't reach our full potential as a borough of fulfilled and happy individuals with full stomachs of affordable breakfast foods. I write this article as a call to action. For a while now I have followed @wafflehouseofficial on Instagram and reach out to the company through comments and direct messages asking the company to open a location in our growing city. I encourage all who care to see my dreams of our great city being brought to its full potential to follow my lead. Waffle House is an American institution that deserves to make its way onto Waco during such an exciting time.

Why going on a run ruined my life.

Hello dear blog loving friends, I regret that I haven't blogged in quite sometime but recently I made a choice that has had SEVERE consequences.

This Sunday, I (for the first time in a while) woke up on time and made it to church EARLY! This gave me the opportunity to have ample time to sip my coffee before the service started and the option to have the food of the Lord, mini powdered sugar donuts. But I, being the healthy and sporty gal I am, thoughtfully passed up this opportunity of a life time, and stuck to my coffee with only ONE creamer (I know, I'm basically a vegan).

This day was off to a great start, at this rate I might start liking Zoe's Kitchen and doing yoga in my free time. But then, I got a little ahead of myself and thought, "Wow! What a nice day! I should go on a run and then I'll get ahead on homework!" I put on my running shoes and began to show off my washed-up high school athlete abilities as I ran two miles in what felt like a very brief period of time (but it's not like I timed it I'm not a professional or anything). I walked into my residence hall and passed a group of girls wearing Lululemon, head to toe and wasn't even a little intimidated. I was health and beauty embodied.

Then, things took a turn for the worst, as I sat down on the floor to recover and felt my trash lifestyle creeping back in. I sat there on my phone for AN HOUR watching cooking videos on Facebook (even though the closest I get to cooking is making Ramen in my Keurig) and did no homework. Then I got up, took a shower, made some Keurig Ramen, and watched more Facebook videos for the rest of the day. Later that night when I finally got around to doing half-way productive things, my muscles began to ache and I was assaulted by a level of fatigue that was completely unreasonable after only running two miles. I came to the conclusion I had fractured my ankle and come down with a severe case of mono. It was the only logical explanation.

But it didn't stop there, today, most of my classes were canceled (which gave me time to do that homework I didn't do right?), so I took two naps in between my otherwise hectic schedule and spent my dinner break laying on my best friends' couch out of exhaustion, belting Adele and eating Chick-fil-a that I can't afford. I then made my way to Sing practice and was railed with soreness, so much so that my brain became a little foggy. I COMPLETELY forgot the dances I have been working on for a month now, and stood there flailing my arms in an attempt to blend in as my mind was a completely blank slate with no choreography memories in sight. 

These events have pointed me to the only conclusion I can understand, that running ruins your life.

Cheese Slinging Slasher.

The Following is Written by a Just Thoughts Guest Writer, Macy Dukes.

It was a stormy May night in my homeland of Southlake, TX. This summer was a weird time in my life because I learned YOU HAVE NO FRIENDS WHEN YOU GET BACK FROM COLLEGE BC EVERYONE LIVES SO FAR AND LIFE SUCKS.

Anyway.

 I was hanging with my literal only two friends at home, Cheryl and Alphonso, and we wanted to get CRAZY. We decided to finally fulfill our life long dream….SLINGING CHEESE. We went to the local Walmart and bought a butt ton of Kraft cheese singles. Mmmm artificial cheese goodness. We then proceeded to drive around the local out door shopping area, Town Square, and throw cheese on random parked cars. Aka we tossed pieces of cheese onto every luxury vehicle we could find. Aka a lot (it’s Southlake, people, what were you expecting?). After lots of cheese slinging, the thrill was gone, but Alphonso and I had a brilliant idea. LET’S THROW CHEESE ONTO CARS WITH PEOPLE IN THEM!!! Genius, I know.

So we go by this orange mustang and Alphonso so gracefully lands a cheese on the windshield. Cheryl slams her foot on the gas and drives off, but THIS FRICKER CHASES US. At this point, it was raining pretty hard and it was about 12:30/1am so it was pretty dark. We drove around like psychos for 15 minutes until we finally lost them. My life flashed before my eyes several times I was sure I was going to die that night in a firey but also wet (bc it was raining so much it was like God was crying) cat crash.

So with fear in our hearts and cheese residue on our hands, we retuned to Cheryl's hosue, ONLY TO FIND A POLICE OFFICER WITH HER MOTHER. YES. The popo. The fuzz. THE LAW WAS AFTER US. The cop said it was a hit and run and we were like “uh no dude it was a single slice of artificial cheese” and he was like “lol oh okay” and he told the other cop that there was no damage to our car and all was totally fine. Then he was all like “lemme see if the mustang dude wants to press charges for criminal mischief” and we were like oh FRICK no no not the swift hammer of justice.

Luckily they didn’t press charges and the cop was like lol pranks just don’t be stupid. And we were like okay thank u officer love u sm hehe. And all was well.

I lived on edge for a good three days worried the cops would convict me for the many pieces of cheese all over Town Square but ALAS they did not and I am a free woman. Glad I didn’t get arrested bc let’s be honest I would not make it in jail.

Thx for reading loyal followers of AC!!! Pls follow me on insta (@macy_me_rollin_they_hatin) and twitter (@macydukes)

OKAY ILY BYEEEEEE

P.s. don’t sling cheese it seems like a good idea but it isn’t

Help Wanted.

This blog has been a great coping tool in recovering from the tragedies of my life. I have found that telling others about my real life predicaments helped me move on and start fresh like a baby chick just hatched from a new egg. Because of all the gifts this blog has given me I want to open up applications to share your own stories of heartbreak and rejection. These stories should be those seemingly insignificant but impactful moments in life that you just can't seem to let go of. You may begin submitting your applications by emailing anna_peery@baylor.edu with the following information:

-Name*; Preferred Nick-Name*
-School/University*
-Classification*
-Major*
-Date of Birth*
-Experience in Serious Journalism*
-Fun Fact*
-Your Favorite memory with Anna Carol Peery*
-Your Favorite Activities*
-Brief Summary of Your Story*
-Brief Summary of Your Most Embarrassing Moment*(Vulnerability is Important)
-Favorite Beverage
-Favorite Snack

*Required Fields

Really try to wow me people, I'm expecting steep competition. I'll be waiting.

Sharon

One time in seventh grade, I was on a volleyball team with a girl named Sharon. One time I patted her on the back and she told me not to touch her. Then when the game was over we got into a huddle and in that huddle Sharon said "Man, I really don't feel supported by this team I see y'all patting each other's backs and I just wish someone would pat me on the back." 

Well frick you Sharon. What do you want from us? Back pats? No back pats??? I am getting mixed messages. Sharon, if you're out there, could you clear this up? Thanks Sharon. Much appreciated.

Frick Sharon.

20 Things I learned at Camp Ozark

1. The best time to let one rip is while doing the WOP.

2. Have you ever wondered how they make ply wood? I learned that they peel trees like apples and flatten out the sheets of wood then layer them to make them strong.

3. I have questionably learned how to be a better dancer? I may be worse now? Not sure, it's debatable.

4. How to shampoo my hair in a lake whilst wearing a life jacket.

5. 11 ways to misspell my name: Anna Karol Peery, Anna Karol Perry, Anna Claire Peery, Anna Carroll Perry, Anna Carole Perry, Anna Carol Perry, Anna Carole Peery, Anna Carroll Peery, Ann Carol Peery, & Anna Perry.

6. If you have any ailment at all if you put GoldBond on t it will heal.

7. All the words to T-Pain's "Best Love Song."

8. All the words to every One Direction song ever.

9. How to effectively and efficiently eat every meal while dancing on tables.

10. Never tell your campers who you're crushing on/always tell your campers who you're crushing on.

11. How to tie 3 different kinds of knots and never use them (thanks ropes).

12. Best way to get 12 year olds to go to bed early is to tell them a story about them marrying Justin Bieber.

13. If you're 12-17 it's important that you have "dank memes" to be relevant.

14. That I'm not a good authority figure.

15. Blue is cool and that's a rule. Rather be dead than red.

16. I am not cool. I'm just not.

17. I love corn nuggets.

18.Hudsen does in fact dye his hair.

19. Motherhood is gonna be difficult.

20. Writing letters is underrated.

Arkansas.

I'm here in Mt. Ida, Arkansas and I've decided that whole state of Arkansas is a lot like one big Walmart. This resemblance is in the little things of the Arkansan culture. For instance, there are no squirrels here. Collectively my peers and I have decided this phenomena occurs because the natives hunt and eat this population. Another cultural phenomena here is that 1 in every 6 cars have a head light out, my comrades have theorized that these cars are a part of a southern redneck gang on a mission to elect Donald Trump as president. Updates to follow on my survival in the boyhood home of Bill Clinton. 

[[[Blog updated from an illegally purchased motel room]]]