HOO! What you want

HOO! Baby I got it

HOO! What you need

HOO! You know I got it

Sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me.

MacArthur Center rids itself of MSG-laden Eateries

HMS Host – of sub-par airport food fame – runs 8 of the 10 food court eateries in MacArthur, and has decided not to renew its lease ending March 12. I’m sorry MacArthur may be losing these vendors, but I left these losers a long time ago.

Au revoir, sweet Whopper.

On one hand, this is a major blow to a downtown mall that has been, ahem, at less than full occupancy. On the other hand, other eating establishments seem to be doing just fine: walk by Auntie Anne’s on any given Saturday and you’ll find lines wrapped well past The Hat Store (great name!). “Please Wait to be Seated” is the rule of thumb at Johnny Rockets, CPK, Chili’s and even Max & Erma’s. So how is it that HMS Host can’t seem to make its quick service hum?

My thought is that it has something to do with the seventeen year old kid behind the Burger King counter who doesn’t care about anything except the text message machine in her hands. She thinks $3.27 for a small Coke is a reasonable price, and makes you feel like a big idiot for asking, “really?” Or maybe, it’s the manager at Cheesecake Factory who decided to buy a giant sized takeout container that won’t fit in their tiny take out bags. Sbarro’s loss is Granby Street Pizza’s gain.

Tattoo People Make Crazy Fun Time

This weekend’s inaugural Hampton Roads Tattoo Arts Festival at the Hampton Coliseum was, by all accounts I could find, a great success. The paper quotes a “sideshow performer and actor,” Enigma, whose entire body – except the soles of his feet – are tattooed.

Personally I don’t have any tattoos – I simply haven’t yet come across the message I want for all times – but perhaps this is it: Enigma, I challenge you to a Tattoo Off on the soles of our feet. First one to cry like a baby sideshow performer loses.

Navy pats itself on back for handling of misconduct

I’m glad someone is happy about the official handling of Captain Honors’ “crude, sexually explicit, profane and disrespectful” video. Again, how did this take more than three years to come to light?

Norfolk-based ship frees ship from pirates

24 merchant sailors, under a Japanese flagged oil tanker, were freed this weekend off the coast of Oman by the Norfolk-based ship Bulkeley.

ACC Tournament bracket set

This marks the beginning of the month where I don’t see about half my friends.

Tech Terror on Trial

A Franklin County judge has denied a motion to hold separate trials, brought forward by two families who opted out of the $11 million settlement split by the families of other Tech Massacre victims. These final trials will begin on September 26, when the two families will collectively seek $10 million.

NC’s Golden LEAF Fund under attack

NC state legislators are looking to tap a tobacco settlement fund set up in 1999 to cover short-term gaps in the state’s retirement system, prison system, college funding and other arenas.

While it’s disappointing that Hampton Roads does not receive a share of Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds – after all, there were more smoking deaths here than farmers in Southwest Virginia – I’m very pleased that our state has used this money – all of it – to set up a stable, long-term and protected fund to stimulate future business growth.

Hampton Roads likes its plastic

According to Experian, the average credit card debt balance in Hampton Roads is $4,925, 15% above the national average of $4,284.

Whenever I see rankings, one of my big questions is who our neighbors on the list are. Of major metros carrying large per-capita balances, I found it interesting that 7 of the 10 highest are in the Southeast (the other 3 are Honolulu, Seattle and San Diego) and 4 of the 10 (San Antonio, Jacksonville, San Diego and us) have significant numbers of military personnel. Perhaps financial discipline should become part of basic training?

Obama administration defends health are law in court

In its 62-page opening brief, the Justice Department states that a federal judge in Virginia erred in his decision to strike down the health care reform law. What is most interesting is that this news article takes place 22 days in the future, on March 28. Let’s see if the Pilot folks read AltDaily.

Sales mostly flat for 2010, making local retailers smile

Saddest. Headline. Ever.