I have a real beef with Dick’s Hamburgers

I may have taken another week off my life today. That's because, in my ongoing trek through Spokane's hamburger places, I dropped by an institution: Dick's Hamburgers. And it was an effort.

For one thing, the continuing road work along that section of Third Avenue makes getting there a real pain. For another, the intersection there is one of the most-traveled by Spokane's most needy. I didn't have any extra dollars, and — call me sucker if you will — I hate just driving by and pretending to ignore anyone carrying a sign that says "Hungry Vet" or "2 Ugly 4 Prostution."

But the lure of Dick's was too great. A parking spot opened up in front, I managed to dodge the rain dripping from the roof overhang, and the lines in front of the order windows were shorter than usual. The young woman who waited on me talked me into ordering a Whammy (two slices of beef and cheese), which — along with an order of fries — I took home to eat while watching "Hitman" (on FX HD, starring Timothy Olyphant).

Biting into some beefy flesh while watching Olyphant's Agent 47 blow some brains across my television screen seemed fairly appropriate.