Chipotle Restaurant Complaints

Chipotle used to be one of my favorite restaurants but it has gone downhill the past couple years. I have been disappointed the past few times I have gone there.

Today I went there. It was a rainy day, so you wouldn't expect a lot of people to be out. The line was backed up to the door. I don't know if they changed the lights, but they felt like uncomfortable spotlights. The music was ok, but too loud.

I'm not a fan of the overly simplified menu. It seems like there are less choices. Also prices have gone up. I went with a veggie bowl. They move you along fast, but I felt rushed, like I didn't get enough time to pick out what I wanted.

We found a table, that was not too clean, but the only one open. The food was ok. My rice was very salty though like it wasn't mixed in very well.

Last time I tried one of those new soups they have. It was nothing special. Not good enough to be on a simple menu like that.

Overall, I think the place has become too popular. There are other restaurants that are very similar to the fast casual Mexican style such as Baja Fresh, and my new favorite Moe's Southwest Grill. I'll take a break from Chipotle.

Update 4-8-15: I still go to Chipotle every once in a while.  That must have been a rare occasion because usually it is pretty good. However, it is still pricey compared to the previous years so that is one reason I don't go very often.

Music Recommendations - Ben Folds, Blessed Union of Souls, Matisyahu

Been a while since I posted some new songs to check out so here we go. These ones are not all brand new, but they are all good of course!

Ben Folds is amazing at remaking bad songs into masterpieces. In this new one, he remakes Kesha's song "Get Sleazy". It is beautiful and far outshines the original.


This is an old one I just rediscovered after I forgot about it for a long time. It is "I Believe" by Blessed Union of Souls. This is an emotional song that was popular in the 90's. Good stuff.


There are way too many Christmas songs out there, so it's nice when a new Hanukkah song comes around. This one called "Miracle" by Matisyahu is probably the best one so far. Sorry Adam Sandler.

Ads on the Internet are Getting Out of Hand

Is it just me or are there becoming more and more advertisements on the internet. Pretty much any site you go to you either get ads all over the page or pop up ads. You have to navigate through them to get to the actual content. I understand a few ads on your site just to help earn some money to support the site, but some sites are just getting out of hand.

If you have more ads on your site than content, you have too much. If I need to close 3 windows and force close FireFox 2 times, you have too many ads.

Then there are the annoying ads like the ones that hoover over content so you can't see or click things. And the Youtube ads that go over the video. Listen, nobody clicks those, so stop putting them on there. It's not worth the occasional accidental click.

Videos on Youtube used to be free. Now it's no different than tv where you have to watch commercials.

I have some Google ads on this blog, but they do not overshadow the blog posts. Really it is barely even worth having the ads. I have over a hundred articles on here and I have earned like a few dollars total.

Everything always comes back to money. People want more money and they will compromise user experience on the internet to get it. Unfortunately I don't see the situation getting better, only worse as time goes on.

Update: You can now block most ads on the internet with free browser plugins like Ad Block Plus. They are easy to install and make internet browsing a lot better and less annoying.

Funny Girls - Ellie Kemper, Aubrey Plaza, Kristen Bell

Here are a few of my favorite funny ladies from tv and film right now.

First is Ellie Kemper, known for her character Erin from The Office. Ellie is absolutely adorable on the show and in real life. She is also very funny. Check out this interview she did on Jimmy Kimmel Live:


Next is Aubrey Plaza. I recently took an interest to Aubrey after seeing her on Parks and Recreation. She has a quirky comedy style that I love. Check her out in the interview on Jimmy Fallon:


Last is a long time favorite of mine, Kristen Bell. She frequents the Craig Ferguson show quite often and those two are always a riot. Here is one of her recent visits:
*Edit, video was removed from Youtube.  

The term Googling and using brand names to describe products and actions

One thing I find interesting is when brand names of products are adopted as the actual name of a product. For example when people say they need a kleenex. Kleenex is a brand of facial tissue. So they should actually say they need a tissue.

Sometime it bothers me for example when people say they rollerblade. Rollerblade is a brand of inline skates. You skate, you don't rollerblade.

Here are a couple of awesome links with examples of this phenomenon of products being called by a brand name rather than their actual name.

32 Things You’ve Been Calling The Wrong Name

List of generic and genericized trademarks

Oh yeah, and about "Googling" I hate when people say "Google It". I'll "search for it" thank you. There are other search engines out there you know. Ok, so I will use Google, but I'm still searching for it.

Life Advice - Simple Words of Wisdom

Some words of wisdom I have learned by reading books:

Do what you truly want to do.

Appreciate what you have. Don't fret about the things you don't have.

Don't be afraid to take risks, but do so responsibly.

Don't have regrets.

Be happy with yourself and think positively about who you are.

Cherish every day. Don't waste time. Enjoy the present.

Find a way to enjoy all situations, don't just "get through it".

Be loving to other people. Treat strangers as if they are already your friend.

Contribute to society. Make a difference.

Do random acts of kindness.

Don't just know your goals, practice them.

It's never too late to make a change in your life.