Knox-Chatt-Knox-Chatt-Chatt -Memp -Knox

This fall I had about a month and half of non-stop intrastate travels for work and leisure that took me to Knoxville three times and then to the Chattanooga area three times as well!! 

10/16 - My pal, Toney, and I went to see the new sci-fi sequel, Tron: Ares, tonight at our local Roxy Theaters (recliners!).  I thought it was a pretty good film with nice throwbacks to the original, a good story and a nice set-up for another sequel in the future. 

10/17 - I had another new long-weekend dog-sitting gig in Gallatin this weekend.   A nice and easy job and best of all their house is near the Vui's Kitchen!!  YUMMM!!  I ordered my dinner from there tonight via Uber Eats!

10/18 - It was a tough Saturday cloaked in failure as NSC, UT and the Preds all lost.  Even my online poker was mostly a bust.  But I had a nice place to watch the sadness and good companionship with Macey and Chloe, and some good beer with a pint can/crowler of Johnson City Brewing's Blackberry IPA which was tart and interesting.  I got it on my last visit up that way.  And then a very good NEIPA from Art History Brewing (IL) called Boating Party from my last BeerBox.com order.  

10/19 - I have another stint on the road for work in Knoxville and Chattanooga next week, so I drove to K-town today for an early start there tomorrow and stayed at a nice Courtyard by Marriott hotel downtown. It is in walking distance of Pretentious Beer Company where I enjoyed their new Dubbel Bubble Butt Belgium-style lager (photo above) and their also new NEIPA called Brewz II Men.  
I also got another delivered lunch from Vui's Kitchen in Gallatin before I left there.  

10/20 - After a morning fair at UT, I had the rest of the day to myself in Knoxville and went to check out the Ijams Nature Center on the banks of the Tennessee River just east of downtown.  What a cool place!  I really enjoyed the boardwalk that clings to the cliffs of the river.  Not a lot of wildlife stirring, but I did see a nice little school of bluegill swimming near the shore.  I also checked out Mead's Quarry nearby where pink marble was provided for many local and national buildings including the National Gallery of Art. 
I had lunch at Abridged Beer Company on the company dime, and a pint of their excellent Oktoberfest on mine.   

10/21 - I drove to Harriman today for another fair after staying overnight in the Lenoir City area at a nice Fairfield Inn (more points!!).  I stopped for lunch on the way back home for the night at Father Tom's Pub in Cookeville where I had a tasty lunch (an excellent pesto turkey wrap) on CU's dime and a pint of the excellent porter from West Sixth Brewing (Lexington) called Pay It Forward! on mine.  
I am making the miles go by easier this week with a new audiobook I bought called "Heaven and Hell" from Don Felder, a former and early member of The Eagles.  This should be an interesting contrast to the fantastic show by The Eagles (sans Felder) that I saw last week at the Sphere in Vegas.  I also plan to see Mr. Felder live at the end of the week in Nashville (see below).  

 10/22 - I drove over to Monterey today for a high school lunchroom visit and then drove on down to Chattanooga and stayed at another Fairfield Inn (points!) in the Lookout Mountain area for another fair there tomorrow. On the way down, I stopped at Happy Trails Brewing for a tasty sausage hoagie lunch on the CU dime and a couple of pints on mine.  I started with their own delicious The King's Peanut Butter Banana Brown Ale (photo above), and then from a guest tap, the excellent farmhouse ale from nearby Calfkiller Brewing called Dobra Sosna.  Tell me another industry where competitors have each other's products available?? Craft beer brewing is THE BEST!! 

In the hotel room tonight, I won a small NLCP turbo tournament on Global vs. just eight other players for an ROI of just over 400%.  BUT MY BIG SCORE of the night came next with a 3rd place finish in a nutty hyper-turbo NLHE mystery bounty tournament vs. 112 other players where I scored two huge bounties which actually gave me the most money won in the tournament overall.  I also satellited into this crazy foray for just 55 cents, so my ROI I believe is a personal record at just over  29,000%!!!  Yep, I paid in 55 cents and cashed out $150 and still have a positive bankroll from when I started tonight.  WOW! A night to remember when the bad beats and coolers come raining down. 

10/23 - Hey, look who's in first place (at least this week) in the bragging-rights-only fantasy football league at work!
After a morning school visit in Chattanooga today, I headed back home via the long way and stopped in Dayton at Monkey Town Brewing for lunch on CU (tasty Cajun fish tacos!), and a couple of brews on my dime.  I started with their decent DIPA called Parkin' Lot Pimpin' and their very nice märzen called Don't Ruin My Lederhosen.  

10/24 - I had my work rental car for another day today and a half remote day to play with, so I headed to downtown Nashville to catch a free Q and A and short performance by Don Felder at The Gibson Garage.  This was a nice bookend to seeing The Eagles recently in Vegas and then listening to Don's audiobook about his life story and long time with the band.  The dude looks good for 78 and despite a few technical glitches with the music, he sounded great as well.  
Afterwards, I killed some time while rush hour was going on at Hops and Crafts nearby where I kicked the keg on the DIPA called Get Comfortable from Creature Comforts Brewing (GA) collaborating with Stepping Stone Brewing out of Denmark.  It was a pretty good free half pint!   Next up was the excellent NEPA called Juice Jorts from Maplewood Brewing (Chicago).  I finished with the delightful märzen Festbier from Barrique Brewing here in Nashville.  I also had an excellent large spicy tuna sushi roll at Wild Wasabi in Cummins Station for dinner.  

10/25 - Ashlee got us backstage VIP access and front row seats to see Johnnyswim tonight at the new music venue in downtown Nashville called The Pinnacle.  It was a great time.  The craft beer there was outrageous in price, but they did have one I had not had:  the very good Jackalope Hazy NEIPA from Jackalope Brewing here in town.  

10/26 - My friend, Toney, and I attended the SOLD-OUT Duke at UT college basketball televised exhibition game tonight at the Food City Center/Thompson-Boling Arena on the UT campus in Knoxville.  My Duke boys got the 83-76 win, and it was a great atmosphere.  We stayed overnight at a nearby Courtyard by Marriott nearby for free with points that I had accumulated thanks to work!  Before the game, we ate dinner at Double Dogs Sports Bar and Restaurant in Knoxville where I had a tasty and local Schulz Brau (Brewing) Oktoberfest 2025.

10/28 - I was headed to Chattanooga again for work today and for an overnight stay at my favorite Townplace Suites in Hixson (more points!).  Mondays can be challenging for craft beer hunters since a lot of places are closed, but I happened up on a relatively new place in Cookeville that did the trick for lunch.  Drake's is a chain restaurant that boasts 20 beer taps, so I had checked it out and was pleased with the result.  My California Cobb salad with seared salmon was excellent and I had a pint of their decent Drake's All-American Lager made for them by Sweetwater Brewing in Atlanta.  This won't be my last visit here I can say without much doubt! 

At the hotel room tonight, I finished 14th in a $1 buy-in NLHE mystery bounty tournament on Global Poker with $500 guaranteed.   And with only 304 other opponents there was a nice overlay.  I hit one big mystery bounty for 1,900% ROI and then a total collection of 3,100 % ROI with five total knockouts! 

10/29 - On my drive home from the Chattanooga area today I stopped at Monkey Town Brewing in Dayton again for lunch.  I had the fantastic Philly cheesesteak sandwich to eat along with a pint of their banger TNEIPA called Put in Reverse, Terry!

10/30 - I made the final table, finishing 6th, tonight on Global Poker in the play-money Breast Cancer Awareness Month Giveback NLHE Tournament vs. a surprising 274 other players.  I hope maybe to get some swag for making the final table, but that's not for sure.  Either way, it was a good deep run and it's nice to see them give some recognition for this important cause.   

11/1 -I was back to the Chattanooga area again this weekend for my annual crazy-sister weekend.  I booked us a cabin in the Reliance, TN, area in the Cherokee National Forest.  On the way to the cabin, we stopped at (the new to me) Tellico Brewing Company in Tellico Plains, TN.  I have to give it to my overly religious sister, Melinda, for never giving me much flack about my love of craft beer.  In fact, she will even imbibe with me!  We each had a pint of their very nice märzen (photo above). I also picked up a couple crowlers for consumption at the cabin over the weekend.  We also had a nice snack of bone-in wings and fries from next door at the Peach Tree Grill.  

I chose the cabin due to it being close to Bald River Falls which Melinda could see without much effort near the road.  It was good to see this beauty again as well.  It's been well over 20 years since I was here last.  In the last few years, they've done a nice job putting in a big, new viewing deck as well.  We got lucky as well that autumn was running a little late this year and this first weekend of November looks to be the peak of leaf-peeping.  

I also got my first visit to Baby Falls on the Tellico River which is nearby.   

We had a nice cabin rented at Starr Mountain Retreat that was really "in the woods" including gecko visitors inside the cabin on both days!   At the cabin tonight, I cracked open the crowler of Scotch/wee heavy ale from Tellico Brewing called Skuddy Scott.  I thought it was top-notch! 

I got a nice Hyundai Sonata rental car from Enterprise and only had to pay for one day of three thanks to points accumulated through work.  It did a good job handling the tight quarters between trees and basic off-roading it took to get close to the cabin.  

11/2 - My bed up in the attic accessed by ladder only was comfy and I slept well both nights nestled among the trees.  This is a view out my second-floor window. 

We got pretty lucky with weather also.  We had a great visit after breakfast along the Cherohala Skyway today before some rain set in for the late afternoon.   The photo above is from the Turkey Creek Overlook (elevation: 2,630').   Speaking of breakfast, we had a fantastic one this morning at The Blue Line Grill in nearby Coker Creek.  We also found small Towee Falls which is roadside on private property, but woefully uncared for and managed, making it tough to get a good picture.  
Back at the cabin as the rain fell outside this late afternoon, I enjoyed my second crowler from Tellico Brewing: their German pilsner called Fodderstack.  

11/3 - I had a remote day at work today which gave us time to get checked out of the cabin this morning and then get Melinda home with a fun stop at Buc-ee's in Crossville (her first visit to one).   After dropping her off, I went a few miles down the road and privately visited my mom on her birthday.  I do everything I do for Melinda only for my mom because I know it would make her happy that someone is sort of watching out for her.  I miss ya so much, Mom.  Happy Birthday. 
 

11/4:  I finally got to go see the new Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere movie at our local Roxy Theaters (recliners!) tonight, for Bargain Tuesday with my friends, Todd and Kelly.  I thought it was fantastic!  Like, buy-it-in-the-future fantastic! 

Ashlee was goofing around with AI today and created this "Coach Rob" pic.  I definitely look like I just yelled "Sloppy!  Run it again!!"  And, for the record, I am also still in first place in my work fantasy football league and tied for first in record (second in points) in the BFFFL, so that tracks!! 

11/5 - Well, they finally cranked out the October issue of the Ante Up Online Magazine (yes, I know it's already November), and my monthly column took up two full pages!! It looks pretty great!  

And it included my first published photo in the magazine as well! 

11/6 - I went to see the ho-hum Preds tonight vs. the Philadelphia Flyers with a group from work.  At least the tickets were cheap.  As feared, the Preds, after jumping out to a quick 1-0 lead, floundered for the rest of the game and lost 3-1 (the third goal was an empty netter by Philly).  Well at least the food and beer (no new ones) at Teddy's Tavern before the game was good as was the Jeni's Ice Cream after.  

11/8 - And....we went home...womp, womp.  I attended a little NSC watch party at East Nashville Brew Works - Wilson County tonight with some friends from work.  Unfortunately, the Boys in Gold didn't show up on the field and got trounced by Miami 4-0 to woefully bow out of the MLS playoffs.  At least my beer was good.  I had their excellent Fresh Hopped East Bank IPA and their smooth and sweet It's a Pumpkin Thing ale along with some tasty pizza for dinner.  

11/9 - I won a small buy-in turbo NLHE bounty tournament on Global Poker today vs. 168 other players with seven knockouts for a total ROI of over 3,200%!! 

11/11 - I went to see the new sci-fi flick, Predator: Badlands at our local Roxy Theaters (recliners!) tonight for Bargain Tuesdays. The reviews and trailer looked good for this one and the fact the lovely Elle Fanning (a Hollywood Babe Mt. Rushmore honorable mention) was in it, only made it more appealing.  I thought it was outstanding!  I mean the best ever of the entire series!  I think sequels coming as well! 

11/14 - I don't usually report on 11th place finishes vs. just 66 other players, but I satellited into this one for a ticket worth 500% ROI on Global Poker tonight.  And then with four 100% ROI knockouts along with cashing, I turned the original satellite buy-in into 1,000% ROI which my bankroll really needed after a week or so of drowning horribly on the river.  And, of course, I finished 11th due to a rivered flush by my heads-up opponent.  Typical!   

11/15 - I went to see New Mexico State U vs. the ho-hum UT Vols today for homecoming in Neyland Stadium in Knoxville with my pal (and season-ticket holder), Toney.  I didn't really care about the game since UT has already squandered any chance at a national title this season, but I did commit to it a while back and I haven't been to a game there yet this season.  At least the weather was mild.  And the smoke-gray uniforms and helmets are pretty bad-ass.  

The Vols took care of business with a less-than-decisive effort of 42-9.  They are going to need to play much better to win the last two games of the season and get a good bowl game.  We shall see.  The real highlights of the day were my food choices.  We stopped at Buc-ee's in Crossville coming and going and I had great snacks each time.  We also had a late lunch at the Double Dogs sports bar in Knoxville where I had their tasty flank steak.  I took two beers with me from the fridge stash for the road trip. They needed to be drank before we head out on our almost three-week international trip.  First up was the seasonal Maibock from Johnson City Brewing that I picked up there a while back on a work trip.  It was excellent.  I also had the very good pale ale called Chilly Water from Tighthead Brewing (IL) from my last BeerBox.com order.  

11/16 - We went to The Trailer Park for lunch today.  It's the new food truck court and bar off of Hwy. 109.  I was not thoroughly impressed since some of the food trucks on site weren't even open and the tap list was mostly a bunch of been-there-drank-that stuff.  I did find one new-to-me brew, the decent Daydream pilsner from Soul and Spirits Brewing out in Memphis. 
We ambled over next door afterwards to the East Nashville Beer Works - Wilson County where I had a couple of theirs that I had not had before.  First up was the solid All American ReCZECH pilsner, and then the very nice (and back in production evidently) Fire of the Century red ale. 

11/17 - I went to see the new sci-fi flick, Predator: Badlands AGAIN at our local Roxy Theaters (recliners!) tonight, because it was so good; and my pal, Toney, wanted to see it and couldn't last week; and I had two free tickets thanks to my points membership there at the theater.  And because Elle Fanning is still a babe...even as half a robot. 

11/19 - I got a small buy-in NLHE turbo bounty tournament win today on Global Poker vs. 109 other players.  With my 11 knockouts (all of which came after we got in the money) I got a total ROI of just over 2,900%!!  More padding for the bankroll!
I got second in the same type of tournament later in the day vs. 65 other players with four KO's for an ROI of 1,600%.  This combo allowed me to cash out $50!! 

(Editor's note:  I got an email today while playing that second tournament stating that the real money play on Global Poker is being suspended here in pearl-clutching Tennessee as of the first of the year.  That's really sucks.  But I can piss away all the money I want on sports betting and the lottery.  I'm also currently in an email argument with GP regarding my last series tournament win (3 friggin' months ago) where I never got a trophy or any swag.  Bastardos!! ) 

I finished off the night with a small buy-in turbo NLCP win on Global Poker vs. 15 other players for an ROI just under 700%!  I also got my money back on PokerStars with a second-place finish vs. 4 others.  Gotta keep the other poker Rob happy to keep offering up those games on PokerStars once Global goes bye-bye for real money.  

EAGLES, TITANS and RAIDERS, oh my!

Top this bad beat, Killer! 
#ROBHANDSTOREMEMBER 

10/9 - I stayed overnight at the Nashville airport Marriott for a very early flight tomorrow morning to Vegas for this year's G.A.M.E. trip.  It also happened to be the Preds opening night game vs. Columbus, so along with Danny from the G.A.M.E. group, and a couple of co-workers, we got some cheap nosebleeds seats to see how we look this season after last year's woeful bust.  

10/10 - I had a very early flight to Vegas on Allegiant Airlines today.  During the flight I watched, The Lost Bus, a new Apple TV streaming movie which was pretty good; and then Play Dirty, a new Prime Video streaming movie that was pretty bad.  Enough so, that I didn't finish it.  I had a good view of Hoover Dam as we descended into Vegas. 

We decided to try something new (at least for me in Vegas) and rented a nice, big house on AirBnb a fair distance off The Strip.  It was just a better bargain and lets us hang out more together in one space.  Everyone seemed pleased with the roominess, hang-out areas and comfy beds.  

The best thing about an early flight is that it does give you a full day in Vegas, baby! The three of us arriving very early headed to Mr. Mama's for breakfast.  This is a repeat for me, but well worth it.   Our next stop was the fairly new Durango Hotel and Casino which has a very nice sports bar/racebook area called The George.  We hung out a bit here waiting on our house to be ready and I had a very good Bad Birdie Juicy Golden Ale from Four Peaks Brewing (AZ).  

Not sure I've ever seen it rain in Vegas, but it sure did today!  So much, in fact, there was flash flooding all across the area.   But the payoff was an awesome double rainbow seen from our Airbnb house patio.  We rode out the stormy, rainy afternoon just chilling at the house.  We stopped by the very close by Sprouts Farmer Market and got some snacks and some beer.  They had a very good craft beer section.  First up, I had the solid Stone Pilsner from Stone Brewing (CA).  Next was the decent Blonde Ale from Salty Crew Brewing (some kind of contract brewer here in the U.S.).  I completed my early Vegas trifecta with best of the bunch Citra Solo IPA from Lead Dog Brewing over in Reno, NV. 

We had a late dinner at Border Grill at the Mandalay Bay Casino and Resort for four of the five of us.  It was very good and quite affordable.  I had their special entree, the wagyu beef barbacoa tacos.  With that tasty dinner, I also had the decent UNLV Rebel Spirit blonde ale from Crafthaus Brewery over in nearby Henderson, NV.  

10/11 - This afternoon we spent a good while at the Yard House at the base of the High Roller Ferris Wheel on The Strip watching the UT/Arkansas game in which the Vols eked out a W.  While there I had some great food and the tasty Fresh Haze IPA from Deschutes Brewing (OR); the Yard House Pumpkin Spice Ale that was excellent.  It's a collab brew between Yard House and Ommegang Brewing (NY). I finished with the outstanding Tropical Terps NEIPA from Belching Beaver Brewing (CA).  The endless parade of bikini-clad honeys on the sidewalk outside was nice too!! 

We moved on to a free Tennessee Titans Road Rally at the Ole Red location on The Strip.  It was cool to see some former Titans greats, Kyle Vanden Bosh and Jurrell Casey, being interviewed by former Coach Mac (Dave McGinnis) during the event (photo above).  There was also live music from Zach Ryan and the Boys.  While there I had a couple decent (but overpriced) craft brews including the Huerta Premier Mexican-style lager from North Coast Brewing (CA) and the Huck It blonde ale from Big Sky Brewing (MT).  

10/11 - Three of us swallowed the very expensive pill that it cost to see the SOLD-OUT Eagles show tonight at the Sphere.  After such a great experience with Kenny Chesney here earlier this year, and the fact of The Eagles being one of my favorite bands that I've never seen live (RIP, Glenn Fry), I didn't need much convincing.  The show was epic with two hours straight of hit after hit.  

We started at the "Hotel California" and didn't look back (you can never look back - "Boys of Summer" by Don Henley.  It was also played!).  What an amazing show in an amazing venue!!  Filling in for the late Glenn Fry were his son, Deacon, and the always-great Vince Gill.  Both of them killed and repped Glenn maginificently.  

"There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes..." Our floor sets (stage left) were very good and allowed us to enjoy the music from about 10 rows from the stage, plus all the amazing video productions. 
After the show and long walk back to The Strip, we were famished and stopped by Pizza Cake by Buddy Valastro and had slices standing right there on Las Vegas Boulevard.  Kinda cool, and so Vegas.  I also had the nice Pumpkin Haze IPA from 21st Amendment Brewing (CA) with my pie and as a walking beer afterwards. 

We also made a second beer run to the Sprouts Farmers Market just around the corner from our house earlier today. Before heading out for the day, I had the Revision IPA from Revision Brewing in Sparks, NV.  After getting back from the Eagles show, I had the very nice Vanilla Oak cream ale from HUDL Brewing here in Vegas.  

10/12 - Titans at Raiders (oh my...do these teams suck).  Well, the Titans have been awful this year but somehow pulled a win out of their butts last week in Arizona, and the Raiders aren't much better, so let's see what happens. Even nosebleed tickets were ridiculously high despite both teams being crappy, but, hey, it's a new stadium with a new team in a new city that just happens to be Vegas.  The stadium is pretty awesome despite looking like a giant Roomba from the outside.  

We had pretty good seats in Allegiant Stadium despite being high up.  The Titans put on one of the worst performances I've ever seen live or on TV despite the "close" final score of 20-10.  This is professional football?  I think not!  Even the Raider fans were nice to us since they suck too and probably felt sorry for us.  We did enjoy some laughs and comradery with our custom-made "We Ass" T-shirts (thanks, Houston!) And at least the beer choices were good.  I had a solid Mexican-style ale called El Charro from Tenaya Creek Brewing here in Vegas.  

Tonight, after the game, was our last full group outing to the hilarious and eye-catching "The Empire Strips Back" burlesque show at The Rio Hotel and Casino.  We had a lot of laughs, saw some fine-looking ladies and a plethora of Star Wars jokes and innuendos.  

10/13 - Well, that didn't take long!  We were barely up for the day when the news came down from Nashville that "CallaSHAM" was fired.  Good riddance!! 

Three of our fivesome were headed home today.  We said goodbye to Danny first, then Houston and Curtis later in the day.   Another great G.A.M.E. trip in the books! 

We checked out of our great AirBnb house and headed over to Excalibur Casino and Hotel where Chris and I were staying for one extra night before heading home.  Four of our fivesome were able to hang out in their TAP Sports Bar there for a late lunch and an early Preds game on TV which they won over Ottawa.   With my lunch, I had a can of the Kilt Lifter red ale from Four Peaks Brewing (AZ).  

Other than the dark, dated hallways looking like something out of The Shining, I was actually pretty impressed with the Excalibur stay.  Room was clean.  Bed was comfy.  And it was quiet all night.  Not much else you could want from "cheap Vegas."  

Chris and I spent a large part of the afternoon and evening at one of my favorite Vegas haunts, Pub 365 in the Tuscany Hotel and Casino.  We drank a good amount of craft beer, had some snacks, watched Monday Night Football (nice job Falcons over the Bills), and played quarter video poker to earn some free brews.  The quad deuces shown above was my only great hit on my machine, but it served its purpose getting me free beers which included the exChopDank DIPA from RaR Brewing (MD); then the interesting and refreshing Sugoi! Green Melon milkshake IPA from CraftHaus Brewing over in Henderson, NV; the outstanding hop-forward cold IPA called Sheer Cold also from Crafthaus Brewing: the so-so Tailwagger Wheat from Big Dog's Brewing here in Vegas: and finally, the nice Paleo Porter from Lovelady Brewing here in Vegas.  

We finished the night off (and the second MNF game) back at Excalibur at the TAP Sports Bar again.  I had a can of the nice Las Vegas Craft Lager also from Big Dog's Brewing here in Vegas. 
I continued solo over to the Planet Hollywood Casino where I entered a late-night $75 poker tournament where I lasted about an hour before my pocket fives got counterfeited on the river by AK.  I would've gone deep if I had won that 3-way all-in pot.  Ho hum.  

10/14 - Chris headed for the airport early today, and so I was truly solo in Vegas for the rest of the day.  I tried my luck at the same $75 poker tournament back at the Planet Hollywood Casino this morning and came closer this time with a 4th place finish, but only two got paid. My pocket sevens ran into QQ and could not recover unfortunately.   

I decided to try out Parry's Pizzeria and Tap House on The Strip on my way back to Excalibur to get my bags and head to the airport.  I am so glad I did!  What a fun little place with a nice craft beer list, a great people-watching bar that opens to the strips, and, at least today, a really cute barkeep!  I had two pizza slices and a beer specials.  The pizza was solid and my two beers very pretty good.  First up was the good Dog Daze NEIPA (photo above) from Big Dog's Brewing again here in Vegas.  I finished with the pleasant Nitro Chantilly Vanilla Cream Ale from Las Vegas Brewing.  Not sure why they call it "nitro" since it isn't served that way.   Parry's also shares space with a Whataburger Restaurant, and you can order from them and have a beer.  Good to know for future Vegas reference! 

My direct flight home from Vegas on Southwest Airlines was uneventful and smooth.  I downloaded and watched the Prime TV streaming documentary "John Candy: I Like Me" which was tear-jerkingly good.