Are You Gonna Bark All Day Little Doggie, Or Are You Gonna Bite?

Michael Madsen
1957 - 2025
Actor Michal Madsen passed away today at age 67.  His career spanned forty years with a filmography that includes War Games, The Natural, The Doors, Thelma & Louise, Straight Talk, Free Willy, Wyatt Earp, Species, Mulholland Falls, Donnie Brasco, The Hateful Eight, and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, but I'll always remember him best as Bill's brother Budd in Kill Bill, and his iconic performance as Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs.

The Death Of An Iconic American Restaurant

Cracker Barrel
Schuylkill Mall Road - Frackville, PA
We stopped here for dinner on my birthday.  I've always enjoyed this place.  I'm not generally a fan of the country aesthetic, but this chain had a very pleasant atmosphere.  The dark colors and dim lighting are especially appealing to me in a world where businesses seem to want everything to be lit up like an airport food court.  The antique tools and advertisements hanging on the walls gave the place a unique feel, and the fireplace is very inviting, especially when we're seated near it on a cold winter's night.  The delicious and uncomplicated homestyle dinners fit right in at a place like this.

Unfortunately, the charm of Cracker Barrel is on borrowed time.  Their new CEO apparently feels like the defining characteristic of the chain is a problem that is responsible for their downward trend in sales.  They've started remodeling their restaurants to look like the one in this photo which was shared by the chain to give customers an idea of what their local restaurant will look like when they are remodeled.  Everything that felt special and homey about the place has been eliminated.

Thankfully, the Cracker Barrel that's closest to home for us has not yet been gutted, so I took a few photos of the place while it's still the cozy and comfortable place that we've always loved.  I can't imagine that we'll be visiting very often when this changes.

It was cool while it lasted.  Only thing we can do is enjoy it while it's still here before it becomes yet another business who outsmart themselves and eliminate the thing that made them special in the first place in what will very likely be their final years.

Level 45

Time really does feel like it goes by faster as you get older.  I'm 45 years old today, and it's absolutely blowing my mind.  I feel like I had just turned 25 yesterday.

I'm breaking tradition this year by not going to a ballgame on my birthday.  Frankly, the cost of going to a Phillies game has reached a point where I have a difficult time justifying it anymore.  It worked out well, especially since tonight's game was postponed due to rain before it even got started.  We went to the Lehigh Valley Zoo instead and stopped for dinner at Cracker Barrel on the way home.