Endings, Things and People

When I sat down to write this post, I anticipated I would be writing about the end of a thing.  

Instead I will be also remarking on the end of 3 celebrity lives over the weekend. 

But first the thing.

The Steak 'N' Shake on Wendover here in Greensboro is now closed. 

It used be a fairly frequent destination for Sunday lunch back when it was the three of us. Andrea and I enjoyed their steak burgers and Dean really liked their chicken tenders. But it was the milkshakes that made the trip to Steak 'N' Shake worthwhile, a wide variety of flavors and configurations served in tall glasses. My favorite was the chocolate and banana side by side.

The decor evoked the feeling of a 1950's diner with chrome plating, black and white checkered floors and music from the era playing.  Back when it was the three of us, it was a very busy place and it was not uncommon to have to wait for a table.  

But we stop going as much as it seemed Steak 'N' Shake stopped caring as much. Gone were the tall glasses and milkshakes were served in generic Styrofoam cups. In the last few times Andrea and I went to Steak 'N' Shake, it was no longer as busy. 

Whenever I've had business on Wendover, I will glance over at the Steak 'N' Shake and note how few cars were in the parking lot compared to years past.  

This past Friday, I noticed the parking lot was completely empty with no lights on inside. A quick check of Google confirmed the location was now closed.

Which is a shame. We had some good memories there. 

One other thing that is now gone.  As I wrote here back last year, the Sears store in Greensboro closed. 

To update on that story, the building it was in is now rubble.   

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Saturday morning brought news that Dr. Ruth Westheimer was dead at age 96.  She was only 4 foot 7 but she had big impact on popular culture and society in the 1980's for her candid discussions of sex.  She used words like "penis"  and "vagina" and we weren't suppose to cringe or giggle.   

Her small stature and her prominent German accent made her seem nonthreatening which is why we allowed her in our homes via television to speak frankly about sex, how to have it safely and yes, she even dared to tell us we should enjoy it. 

Side note: Frank Miller killed of Dr. Ruth in an issue of Batman: The Dark Knight returns. The Joker attacks her with his lethal toxin as she keeps screaming "sex und sex und sex" until she dies. 

By that evening, we heard that Richard Simmons was dead at age 76. Simmons was a strange sweaty manic pixie man who ran around in short shorts and beseeched one and all to get up and to promote physical fitness. 

Andrea used to work out to "Sweatin' To the Oldies" videos.  She met him once in person and although he was extraordinarily busy surrounded by fans, he was still kind and gracious to her and to each individual he met.  

Click here for Mark Evanier's write up about Richard Simmons. 

And Sunday morning brought the news that Shannon Doherty was dead at age 53.  This was particularly impactful to Andrea as she was a big fan of Beverly Hills 90210 back in the day.   

I think that is enough endings for now.

NOPE! For Christ's sake, Shelly Duvall died last week too!