I’m so exciting. I’m sitting around in my sweat pants, waiting for the noise to end in an hour or so so I can get some sleep. 2007 wasn’t the best of years and I’m ready for it to be over. I know it’s just an arbitrary date, but it’s still symbolic.

The last lunch of the year wasn’t bad. My mom and I took a walk to the bank just to get out of the house and we had lunch on the way back. I was selfishly heading towards a spot I like, Bonnie’s Burgers. It used to be an old-school burger drive-in, but it closed down when I was a kid. In fact, I only went there once or twice when I was a kid and it was awful.

The present incarnation looks much worse from the outside. It’s part of an Astro gas station near Good Samaritan Hospital in NW Portland. Fortunately, it has pretty good burgers (possibly a little over-cooked) and very good fries. It’s the kind of Korean-run hamburger place that I love. My mom wanted something “non-greasy” and I knew they had teriyaki bowls.

Bonnie’s Burgers is what you’d expect the inside of a gas station burger joint, but they have a poster of udon on the wall. It’s not on the menu, but my mom took a chance and asked if they had it, and they did. My buddy Il says they eat udon in Korea. It was pretty good with fresh grilled chicken and fried egg. I still had my usual bacon cheeseburger and fries, but next time I might get the udon.