Kick Monday’s Ass: the fried chicken that haunts my dreams (March 29, 2021)

It’s time to kick Monday’s ass…

This weekend I found myself on a 3-hour waiting list.

The culprit: Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken in Memphis, where I’ve got one week left to cram in as many Memph-ian activities as humanly possible before I move on to the next adventure (Nashville!).

(Note: I will not be held responsible for intense cravings once you see the photo below)

Now… I didn’t know I’d be in it for three hours when I signed up. I was told it’d be an hour and I figured… eh, it’s an institution that multiple people told me I HAD to visit before I left. I can wait an hour.

Then my Yelp app revealed the reality every time I checked in. “Unexpected delay,” it warned. “Host will let you know when it’s time to be seated.” It was humid outside, and I noticed folks starting to gather together and grump about the wait.

Normally I’m up for a good commiseration sesh, but that day I didn’t want any part of mutually-assured misery. I opted to go for a walk down Beale St. Then I stopped by a museum. Then I moved my car closer to Gus’s, checking my spot on the waitlist in between each activity.

Finally I got inside and got to the good stuff. And it was TOTALLY worth the wait. The chicken was hot (so hot I burned myself), flavorful, and tender. The sides were wow and the post-dinner pie was amazing. And all for less than $20 (and 3+ hours of my time).

Here’s the thing… I probably would have had a completely different experience if I had chosen to sit and get pissed about the unexpectedly long wait. Instead, I made the most of it and chanced missing out on them calling my name, in order to pack in a few more sights.

Bonus, I went back to Beale Sweets (I wrote about that experience in my blog) and got another 3+ pounds of fudge. That was the right choice, vs wallowing.

Every day you have that choice – to pick anticipation over aggravation. And I ain’t gonna blow smoke up your butt – sometimes it’s REALLY freaking hard to choose NOT to be annoyed. But sometimes that one small choice makes a really big difference. Food for thought.

Speaking of aggravation… on to this week’s video:

Kick Monday’s Ass: Ego Ain’t Your Friend

#angierant alert.

Normally I know better than to argue with people on the internet, but one got under my skin today. So I got good and fired up and made you a video all about how your ego could slam the brakes on a promising career.

Badass of the Week

SCIENCE FOR THE WIN.

Today I want to celebrate Dasia Taylor. This 17-year old badass invented color-changing sutures for a science fair project. These special sutures change color when an infection develops, making it easier to keep an eye on post-op patients and catch early warning signs before complications come into play.

There has already been some advancement in smart suture technology that connects to a smart device for monitoring… but not everyone has access to a smart phone, especially in developing countries. Thanks to Dasia’s ingenious low-tech approach, many more people in the world may be able to survive what, for developed countries, is something routine… but in developing countries can be life threatening.

(If you know someone who should be featured as my Badass of the Week, leave a comment and tell me!)

New podcast episode!

Does taking a job mean you failed at entrepreneurship? If you’ve ever wondered that, then this episode is for you. I’m joined by my friend Carolynn Ananian to talk about when it’s a better choice to work for yourself (and when it’s a smart move to work for someone else).

Can’t-Miss Moments From This Episode:

• Not sure what you want to be when you grow up? That’s OK… maybe you’re about to “fall” into your career path (like we both did).
• Can you still call yourself an entrepreneur if you take a break to work at a job? The pros and cons of becoming someone’s employee (hint: we don’t flat out forbid you to take a job if you want to be an entrepreneur)
• My favorite question ever: do you want to start a business or do you just need therapy?
• So you hit your goals… what the hell happens now? (you’re probably not sailing across the finish line into “happily ever after” land… but you CAN do something else)
• The two things you really need to focus on to get your business off the ground

You don’t want to miss this one. Click here to listen (and subscribe) now!

On Repeat This Week…

I’m feeling decidedly metal today, so here’s one of my old stand-by faves. I never thought I’d appreciate screamo metal being that I’m such a fan of melodies and harmonies – but Killswitch Engage won me over with their blend of musicality and screaming. This one’s called My Curse.
_______________

This is my curse
(The longing)
This is my curse
(To)
This is my curse
(The needing)
This is my curse
There is love burning to find you
Will you wait for me?
Still I want and still I ache
But still I wait to see you again