I am not trying to be a D-bag by using super fancy words. I found a post online which listed a bunch of obscure words and their meanings and even I hadn't heard most of them. Quiescent means “not active”, which wasn't quite the definition mentioned in the post. Clinquant means glittering like tinsel, which at least was correct in the post.
Unfortunately, a few days in the past week I was feeling ill, so I laid low and did not do much of anything. At least yesterday provided me some material to write. But yeah, I am now becoming old and sensible; how about that? Sometimes I feel like I am 72 instead of 32 (and I do have some grey hairs) and some may say that I usually act like an old man.
Last Monday I was thinking of going somewhere but it rained for a good number of hours so I instead decided to stay home and relax. Better than dealing with wet roads AND stupid Florida drivers trying to navigate wet roads, which should be easy but for many Floridians it's not. Tuesday, I went to my usual hangout, Winter Garden Village. I got a mainly strawberry smoothie from Planet Smoothie as it's a limited edition flavor; it was also made with Greek yogurt but despite not being too big a fan of that, it tasted fine enough for me. I also went in a Best Buy for a bit to see what was available. While I did not buy anything, I did notice a young child crying and alone. I walked away then I realized, “Oh boy, that kid must have lost his parents”, but when I tried to find him he vanished; I'll just presume it did not take him long to find mommy and daddy.
Wednesday and Thursday I did not feel good at all. I won't provide any details except that I was happy to stay in and replay the first Mass Effect game on the Xbox 360. I was happy to do that while seemingly everyone else is playing Grand Theft Auto V; I have no problem with that game as I've played III, Vice City, and San Andreas back in my PS2 days. It's just that I can wait a few years to play it.
Friday, the only thing I did was go to Walmart to pick up a few items. It was the usual there but there was nothing incredible I saw there, like some people who looked amazing with their appearance or some middle-aged woman purchasing 631 dollars worth of mostly random low-price crap. Saturday, it was yet another lay low day, except that I went to Burger King to try out their new Buffalo Chicken Strips. It was exactly what you'd expect. The service there did not live up to the term “fast food” but due to past experiences this wasn't too much of a surprise.
Sunday-yesterday-was the day of action. In the evening I had to pick up a parent at the small airport in St. Petersburg (not the big one in Tampa) and I volunteered to do it. I made a day out of it. I stopped to have lunch at a Hooters in Lakeland (but just for the food... or so I say) and also watch the Chicago Bears game against the Detroit Lions. Much to my surprise the Bears played like crap so between that and having to crane my neck to even see that TV (due to being lied to by someone there), I decided to only watch the first half of the contest. Chicago lost 40-32 but it wasn't as close as the score would suggest. I left there sooner than expected and I stopped to get gas; I drove until the gas tank was empty but I made it to the random Shell station fine. I then went to a big mall in the town of Brandon, a place I've been a decent number of times before. The only interesting part of my time there is going into a local gaming store known as RU Game? They sell any and all games; they even have old Japanese PS1 and bizarre cartridge games from Japan for gaming systems I don't even know. It was all strange and bizarre and just judging from that, Japan enjoys playing videogames based on baseball and horse racing.
After walking around there I went on the toll road through Tampa rather than I-4 and I-275; it was less crowded and I was happy with that as at times on Sunday, I swore that I was driving in South Florida. I saw people weaving dangerously in and out of traffic at high speed, and a minivan driving at least 100 miles per hour! I then ate at a new joint I just heard about on Facebook a few days ago. It's a Southern chain known as PDQ and it's chicken-based. They don't have one in Orlando yet and that is unfortunate as they have really good food. I enjoyed the chicken tenders and fries and I also approved of their milkshakes; I had their limited edition Cocoa Krispies flavor and I highly approved of that. I then killed time at Hulk Hogan's bar/restaurant-where I saw how the late football games ended-before finally making it to the airport and driving home. I almost ran over a bunny on a rural road but otherwise that was uneventful.
When I return a week from today for the customary blog, I have no idea what I'll be writing about yet. Sure, I plan on finally returning to the Friendly Confines to watch the Bears play the New Orleans Saints, but otherwise nothing is on the docket quite yet for the first week of October. I am just happy that while I was damn tired yesterday, I feel fine today and I am long past the short illness.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Monday, September 23, 2013
The Blog Where I Follow The Yellow Brick Road
Aside from two days I had a really dull and low-key week, but that is OK.
This past Monday, I had free time so I made the trip over to the town of Celebration and then The Loop outdoor mall in Kissimmee. Celebration is a town I've been in before but not in many months and this was actually the first time I was able to drive around all but the downtown area. If you don't know it was a master planned community done by Disney but as was the plan the entire time they quickly gave up control of it and now they run themselves. While I understand that the rules for maintaining your house there and all that are rather strigent and I understand how some could be creeped out by the idyllic design of the houses and neighborhoods, I am fine with it myself and it's cool, even for kitsch value. I drove around and I also walked around for a bit. After that I drove on over to The Loop to go into a store or two then I had dinner at BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse; yes, I still giggle at the name. The food was good and it was quite the interesting conversation I heard when the cute bartender began talking to a random guy regular about her personal life, which involved her b/f and him not taking great care of himself and her ex & child support; fascinating, really.
Tuesday and Wednesday was pretty boring, as I decided to lay low and not do much of anything. Thursday was also the same, except that I did go to Walmart and purchase a few items. My time there was dull but I tell you, even on that short journey there and back, I deal with idiots on the road! I hate having to mention it like a thousand times by now... it's just that it is true, the way people drive down here is absolutely atrocious.
Friday, that was the one real interesting day of the week for me. I ended up at Universal Studios CityWalk; that entire area was full of people as that was the first day of Halloween Horror Nights, a very popular thing... that I will never give two craps about! Sorry but that's just me. I ended up eating at the NASCAR Cafe, a place I've eaten at a few times before despite not being a NASCAR fan; it wasn't my first choice but due to crowds that's where I ended up. That is OK as they at least have good food... and drink. After I had dinner I walked to the AMC Theatres at CityWalk to check out a really old film that is out for only a week on IMAX screens and in 3D: The Wizard of Oz. Yes, I am admitting to watching this as an adult. Of course like most people I saw it as a kid more than once but my last viewing must have been many years ago. I did enjoy watching it again and if nothing else, seeing it on IMAX disproved one of the many popular rumors concerning the movie: the one where in a scene you can see a “little person” deceased in the background, hanging from a tree. It's obvious in the format that it's what most people said it was: a big black bird.
After that I went to downtown Orlando, where the action is. I went to where I always go (Ghost Bar & Lounge) and I had a good time there, despite there not being a lot for me to say; it wasn't one of those wild nights where drunk woman grind on my lap or anything of that sort. I just sat and stood around and watched sporting events on the TV and listened to some music that was LOUD. There was no acoustic acts live then the dance/rap music, but instead it was all dance/rap music. As always happens there, I saw the phenomenon of “Drunk White People Attemping to Dance” and as always, I laugh at seeing such a sight. I briefly chatted with a random lady there about something; I wish it could have been longer but oh well. It was a surprise seeing someone who used to work at Mako's way back when now working there. I had no chance to chat with her but it was still a nice surprise.
Saturday, I was feeling less than 100% so I decided to stay in and watch the UFC pay per view from home rather than go out somewhere and deal with dumb sports fans while many of the TV's are occupied with college football. Turns out, the UFC show was average all around with some decent fights but also some pretty bad ones... then the main event happened. That fight was pretty awesome and likely the fight of 2013. That saved things, for sure.
Sunday, the Chicago Bears played in the evening so I stayed in once again and I watched the Red Zone channel, where I could see highlights of all the games. As for the game I cared the most about, the Bears won 40-23 over the declining Pittsburgh Steelers. They got off to a big lead early and had to hold on and as typical, the Chicago defense really helped them out. Overall I can't really complain about the game or the season, where they are undefeated at 3-0.
As for the upcoming week, when I return a week from today I do not really know yet what I'll be writing about. I at least do have some things in mind; I probably won't be doing anything the rest of today as it's been raining all afternoon, but who knows what the next 7 days have in store for me.
This past Monday, I had free time so I made the trip over to the town of Celebration and then The Loop outdoor mall in Kissimmee. Celebration is a town I've been in before but not in many months and this was actually the first time I was able to drive around all but the downtown area. If you don't know it was a master planned community done by Disney but as was the plan the entire time they quickly gave up control of it and now they run themselves. While I understand that the rules for maintaining your house there and all that are rather strigent and I understand how some could be creeped out by the idyllic design of the houses and neighborhoods, I am fine with it myself and it's cool, even for kitsch value. I drove around and I also walked around for a bit. After that I drove on over to The Loop to go into a store or two then I had dinner at BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse; yes, I still giggle at the name. The food was good and it was quite the interesting conversation I heard when the cute bartender began talking to a random guy regular about her personal life, which involved her b/f and him not taking great care of himself and her ex & child support; fascinating, really.
Tuesday and Wednesday was pretty boring, as I decided to lay low and not do much of anything. Thursday was also the same, except that I did go to Walmart and purchase a few items. My time there was dull but I tell you, even on that short journey there and back, I deal with idiots on the road! I hate having to mention it like a thousand times by now... it's just that it is true, the way people drive down here is absolutely atrocious.
Friday, that was the one real interesting day of the week for me. I ended up at Universal Studios CityWalk; that entire area was full of people as that was the first day of Halloween Horror Nights, a very popular thing... that I will never give two craps about! Sorry but that's just me. I ended up eating at the NASCAR Cafe, a place I've eaten at a few times before despite not being a NASCAR fan; it wasn't my first choice but due to crowds that's where I ended up. That is OK as they at least have good food... and drink. After I had dinner I walked to the AMC Theatres at CityWalk to check out a really old film that is out for only a week on IMAX screens and in 3D: The Wizard of Oz. Yes, I am admitting to watching this as an adult. Of course like most people I saw it as a kid more than once but my last viewing must have been many years ago. I did enjoy watching it again and if nothing else, seeing it on IMAX disproved one of the many popular rumors concerning the movie: the one where in a scene you can see a “little person” deceased in the background, hanging from a tree. It's obvious in the format that it's what most people said it was: a big black bird.
After that I went to downtown Orlando, where the action is. I went to where I always go (Ghost Bar & Lounge) and I had a good time there, despite there not being a lot for me to say; it wasn't one of those wild nights where drunk woman grind on my lap or anything of that sort. I just sat and stood around and watched sporting events on the TV and listened to some music that was LOUD. There was no acoustic acts live then the dance/rap music, but instead it was all dance/rap music. As always happens there, I saw the phenomenon of “Drunk White People Attemping to Dance” and as always, I laugh at seeing such a sight. I briefly chatted with a random lady there about something; I wish it could have been longer but oh well. It was a surprise seeing someone who used to work at Mako's way back when now working there. I had no chance to chat with her but it was still a nice surprise.
Saturday, I was feeling less than 100% so I decided to stay in and watch the UFC pay per view from home rather than go out somewhere and deal with dumb sports fans while many of the TV's are occupied with college football. Turns out, the UFC show was average all around with some decent fights but also some pretty bad ones... then the main event happened. That fight was pretty awesome and likely the fight of 2013. That saved things, for sure.
Sunday, the Chicago Bears played in the evening so I stayed in once again and I watched the Red Zone channel, where I could see highlights of all the games. As for the game I cared the most about, the Bears won 40-23 over the declining Pittsburgh Steelers. They got off to a big lead early and had to hold on and as typical, the Chicago defense really helped them out. Overall I can't really complain about the game or the season, where they are undefeated at 3-0.
As for the upcoming week, when I return a week from today I do not really know yet what I'll be writing about. I at least do have some things in mind; I probably won't be doing anything the rest of today as it's been raining all afternoon, but who knows what the next 7 days have in store for me.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Greek Yogurt, Going Into The Further, & I Actually Watch Boxing
Yes, I did see Insidious and Insidious Chapter 2 on Thursday night, which is why I brought up The Further.
This past Monday, I did not do anything of note. So I'll mention something from my attending the Webber vs. Warner football game that I should have brought up last time. Near the end of the first half, some of the lights went out suddenly; yes, like what happened in the Super Bowl this past February. They came back on in a quicker fashion then they did at the Super Bowl. Tuesday, I had free time in the evening so I returned to my favorite open-air mall (Winter Garden Village) and I did some things, including pick up some items at World Market (there is such a thing as Pumpkin Bark, and it's great) and I had to try one of the two new flavors at Planet Smoothie. I had a berry drink made with Greek yogurt; I know some will consider it blasphemy but I don't think Greek yogurt is really all that good. Even in smoothie form I feel the same way.
Wednesday (9/11) I went out with someone for dinner. I decided on Chili's. Our time was fine there... aside from some cretins who were there that were celebrating a birthday and some decided to be LOUD and loathsome. I was so happy when they left as I was eating my boneless buffalo wings. They weren't the only oafs there but I'll change the subject as I don't want to continue to bitch and moan about the negatives on that day; the food was good and that was the most important thing. Thursday, that was an interesting day for me. I saw three movies, including a movie from a few years ago and its sequel. Let me explain.
Thursday afternoon I went to the AMC Theatres right by the Altamonte Mall as it fit my schedule in what I wanted to do, which was see a horror movie in the late afternoon then watch a double-bill of the first Insidious and its new sequel. It was You're Next, Indisious and Insidious Chapter 2. I had no idea what to expect from You're Next, despite it sounding like something right up my alley. Turns out, it WAS something right up my alley. I really did enjoy it and it was a pleasant surprise. All I'll say is that the movie is not quite what's implied in the ads and trailers. I'll leave it at that. After that I ate at the Chick-Fil-A at the Altamonte Mall and I walked around before I returned to the AMC to see the double feature.
I did get some free crap for the double feature, that being a lanyard and a poster. If only the crowd I saw the movies with would have not been such dumbs*ts. It was the usual idiocy and during the first movie (which I had seen before) I had to step out to ask an usher to come in to get the plonkers to not be so rude. That was disappointing. But, it was nice to see both on the big screen and both times go into the movie's wacky universe known as The Further. Those two movies are uneven, sure, but they are both entertaining and I will say that the sequel is different and better than the first one. I am glad that there have been some quality horror films that have come out this year on the big screen.
Friday I laid low and relaxed so nothing to report there. Saturday, I did something I never thought I would do: I watched boxing! Yes, it was the big fight with the legit awful human being known as Floyd Mayweather vs. a guy proclaimed as a Mexican superstar. I've talked about boxing before and I am not a fan; besides it being so dirty and corrupt, it seems like all fighters constantly hug... er, I mean “clinch” with each other which I understand is illegal to the point that each time it happens it's supposed to be a point deduction, but it never happens, so of course it happens all the damn time and it's just lame and cowardly and I detest it. Anyhow, I purchased the PPV... or at least that's what I'll claim here. What I saw on this night with the fights I watched or at least halfway watched... a lot of hugging! It's just not for me, obviously. Floyd coming out in the main event accompanied by Lil Wayne and Justin Bieber... LOL; clown show, I say, and having to hear Wayne “rap” was something I could have done without. But, if he was further cementing his standing as a gigantic heel and troll, then he was a success by choosing those two guys.
I do have to mention that I got a spam e-mail from someone who said that they were “Mr. Leung Wing Lok”, a name that made me laugh. Sunday was not the usual thing for me on a Sunday during the fall. I just did not get a good night's sleep and I woke up real early and did not feel well. I decided to just sleep in as long as I could and worry about things later. I got up and I decided the big trip I'd do was go to watch the NFL Red Zone Channel (where highlights of all the games are shown live) with a parent. I was able to see highlights of the Chicago Bears against the Minnesota Vikings. Turns out, it was another back and forth close game that Chicago only won in the final minute.
I am not pissed I missed such a thing; besides not missing the drive there and back where I always deal with at least one moron on the highway, when I'm at the actual sports bar/restaurant there's always loudmouth overdramatic sports fans there; I try to ignore them but at times I do get tired of their childish actions, you know. Also, during the game, it was on FOX and not to my surprise they had broadcast issues, so for parts of the game no one was able to see it except those in the stadium. That really made me feel glad I did not drive all that way and not be able to see the entire battle. Instead, I was able to see the highlights out of all the games (even at a sports bar where they show all the games it's tough to look at everything if there's several close games nearing the end and the TV's may be far apart away from each other, you know) and there were several close games, including the Bears contest. Overall, Sunday was fine.
In the next blog I'll post-a week from today-I have an idea or two as to what I'll be doing. That will provide me with enough entertainment to write about.
This past Monday, I did not do anything of note. So I'll mention something from my attending the Webber vs. Warner football game that I should have brought up last time. Near the end of the first half, some of the lights went out suddenly; yes, like what happened in the Super Bowl this past February. They came back on in a quicker fashion then they did at the Super Bowl. Tuesday, I had free time in the evening so I returned to my favorite open-air mall (Winter Garden Village) and I did some things, including pick up some items at World Market (there is such a thing as Pumpkin Bark, and it's great) and I had to try one of the two new flavors at Planet Smoothie. I had a berry drink made with Greek yogurt; I know some will consider it blasphemy but I don't think Greek yogurt is really all that good. Even in smoothie form I feel the same way.
Wednesday (9/11) I went out with someone for dinner. I decided on Chili's. Our time was fine there... aside from some cretins who were there that were celebrating a birthday and some decided to be LOUD and loathsome. I was so happy when they left as I was eating my boneless buffalo wings. They weren't the only oafs there but I'll change the subject as I don't want to continue to bitch and moan about the negatives on that day; the food was good and that was the most important thing. Thursday, that was an interesting day for me. I saw three movies, including a movie from a few years ago and its sequel. Let me explain.
Thursday afternoon I went to the AMC Theatres right by the Altamonte Mall as it fit my schedule in what I wanted to do, which was see a horror movie in the late afternoon then watch a double-bill of the first Insidious and its new sequel. It was You're Next, Indisious and Insidious Chapter 2. I had no idea what to expect from You're Next, despite it sounding like something right up my alley. Turns out, it WAS something right up my alley. I really did enjoy it and it was a pleasant surprise. All I'll say is that the movie is not quite what's implied in the ads and trailers. I'll leave it at that. After that I ate at the Chick-Fil-A at the Altamonte Mall and I walked around before I returned to the AMC to see the double feature.
I did get some free crap for the double feature, that being a lanyard and a poster. If only the crowd I saw the movies with would have not been such dumbs*ts. It was the usual idiocy and during the first movie (which I had seen before) I had to step out to ask an usher to come in to get the plonkers to not be so rude. That was disappointing. But, it was nice to see both on the big screen and both times go into the movie's wacky universe known as The Further. Those two movies are uneven, sure, but they are both entertaining and I will say that the sequel is different and better than the first one. I am glad that there have been some quality horror films that have come out this year on the big screen.
Friday I laid low and relaxed so nothing to report there. Saturday, I did something I never thought I would do: I watched boxing! Yes, it was the big fight with the legit awful human being known as Floyd Mayweather vs. a guy proclaimed as a Mexican superstar. I've talked about boxing before and I am not a fan; besides it being so dirty and corrupt, it seems like all fighters constantly hug... er, I mean “clinch” with each other which I understand is illegal to the point that each time it happens it's supposed to be a point deduction, but it never happens, so of course it happens all the damn time and it's just lame and cowardly and I detest it. Anyhow, I purchased the PPV... or at least that's what I'll claim here. What I saw on this night with the fights I watched or at least halfway watched... a lot of hugging! It's just not for me, obviously. Floyd coming out in the main event accompanied by Lil Wayne and Justin Bieber... LOL; clown show, I say, and having to hear Wayne “rap” was something I could have done without. But, if he was further cementing his standing as a gigantic heel and troll, then he was a success by choosing those two guys.
I do have to mention that I got a spam e-mail from someone who said that they were “Mr. Leung Wing Lok”, a name that made me laugh. Sunday was not the usual thing for me on a Sunday during the fall. I just did not get a good night's sleep and I woke up real early and did not feel well. I decided to just sleep in as long as I could and worry about things later. I got up and I decided the big trip I'd do was go to watch the NFL Red Zone Channel (where highlights of all the games are shown live) with a parent. I was able to see highlights of the Chicago Bears against the Minnesota Vikings. Turns out, it was another back and forth close game that Chicago only won in the final minute.
I am not pissed I missed such a thing; besides not missing the drive there and back where I always deal with at least one moron on the highway, when I'm at the actual sports bar/restaurant there's always loudmouth overdramatic sports fans there; I try to ignore them but at times I do get tired of their childish actions, you know. Also, during the game, it was on FOX and not to my surprise they had broadcast issues, so for parts of the game no one was able to see it except those in the stadium. That really made me feel glad I did not drive all that way and not be able to see the entire battle. Instead, I was able to see the highlights out of all the games (even at a sports bar where they show all the games it's tough to look at everything if there's several close games nearing the end and the TV's may be far apart away from each other, you know) and there were several close games, including the Bears contest. Overall, Sunday was fine.
In the next blog I'll post-a week from today-I have an idea or two as to what I'll be doing. That will provide me with enough entertainment to write about.
Monday, September 9, 2013
The Blog Where I Discuss Football (Big & Small Time) And Road Rage
Here's a recap of what I've done in the past week. I did not do anything on Labor Day or that Tuesday; I kept it on the downlow. After Wednesday, maybe I should have done the same thing. I ended up going to the popular hangout for me known as Winter Garden Village. I ate at the Chipotle there and then I went to the nearby Target to get a few items. My time there was fine and it was all standard stuff. However, the drive there was a hassle. To get there you have to be on a 2 land road for most of the time. I got stuck by someone who was just driving badly. They couldn't stay in their lane and they could not decide how fast or slow they wanted to go, which I what I can't stand. When I had the chance to, I passed by that person and honked at them; it was a corpulent older woman and shock of shocks she was on her cell phone. Apparently she lost her mind at being honked at, as suddenly she wanted to go fast and she was tailgating me. I quickly got tired of that, so I stepped on the brakes. She backed off... but turned on her brights. I was nice and did not give this pig the middle finger, even though it was really deserved. For no reason, she suddenly stopped and pulled onto the grassy shoulder. I did not stop and instead I continued on, away from that mentally ill Troglodyte. Strange stuff like this has happened to me before on Florida roads; hell, I've been chased before by cretins.
Thursday and Friday were also dull days as I knew I was going to have an exciting weekend. Saturday, I did something I haven't done in years. Back in my high school days I often saw the local football team play, which was good times. So was watching the home games of the college team while I was at Illinois State University. I once saw them play against now Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. Since moving to Florida in May of '04, though, I've only seen a few college football games live. But, I figured that this year I should change it. As of the past few years there have been several lower-level colleges that have started up their football programs. I could get into the minutiae of all the schools and which level of college football they're in but I'll spare you that as you probably aren't interested in that. Point is, on Saturday I went down to Lake Wales to watch in a high school football stadium a contest between the Webber Warriors (they're the relative old man in the scene; they've had a team since '03) and the Warner Royals, who had their first game last week against another start-up team and Warner lost. The two campuses are separated by only Crooked Lake. I had no idea what the attendance would be for what's pretty much a cross-town rivalry starting up for the first time. Turns out, it was a hot ticket but there was still plenty of room for everyone as it was a decent sized stadium.
The drive there, I had to deal with some heavy rain; at least the vehicle got a bath. It was the usual hassles on the highway with nincompoops. I went inside the Eagle Ridge Mall just north of Lake Wales. I had been in there before way back when. It's a small mall and it's alright but not many eating options. I had to go with Sbarro Pizza (for the first time in years and dessert somewhere else. The pizza tasted fine and did not cause havoc on my stomach, believe it or not. I made it to the stadium in Lake Wales. Parking was a real YOLO situation; at least there were plenty of spots as a lot of it was in grass fields. I sat on the hard metal bleachers and watched the game. It was sloppy play from both teams but it was still entertaining. I wasn't too surprise that the upstart team filled with inexperienced (at least inexperience on the college level) players ended up losing; the final score was Webber 23, Warner 0. Webber was helped out by Warner's mistakes, for sure. This ended up being the theme for the weekend but I had no idea this was the case until Sunday. At least the people I had to sit by were fine or at least tolerable. There were no loudmouthed rude idiots I had to deal with, thank the Lord. It was a nice night out so that was good.
As for the city of Lake Wales, I'd rather not deal with it too often, between the idiots who drive in the town, their refusal to mark streets as being dead ends or no outlets (it took longer than expected to get back on the highway) and other things, and while I imagine in later years I'll see more games from either school, but it doesn't mean I will always enjoy being in the area. It isn't that there are plenty of disgusting trashy people around; it's that it seems like there are too many disgusting trashy people who act like A-holes and clueless yokels. I do hope to visit some other spots to see football games this year, involving more new teams.
Sunday, I returned to the Friendly Confines sports bar/restaurant to watch the Chicago Bears play their first game of the season, against the Cincinnati Bengals. I figured it was going to be a tough test for the Bears and indeed it was. Chicago was losing but unlike most of the Bears fans there (including the random idiot who sat next to me at the bar) I did not lose faith and I figured there still was a chance Chicago would win. Partly due to some nice plays and partly due to some stupid Cincinnati mistakes, Chicago was able to win 24-21. I don't know how many Bears fans will admit it but the Bengals duo of Andy Dalton and A.J. Green have great chemistry and they made some really nice plays; I'll give them props for that. While the person to my left was dumb, at least the couple to my right were fine. There was plenty of idiotic yelling sports fans there but to be honest that's what I've come to expect from sports fans just about everywhere. At least I don't act like that, and at least the Bears ended up winning. There was some entertaining action in the other games they were showing at the same time, so I was never bored as I had lunch and dessert.
After that I made the short drive to downtown Winter Park in order to eat dinner at BurgerFi and then walk on over to RocketFizz to purchase some more obscure gourmet soda. That's what I did and the soda I had to drink on the way home... a special limited edition soda of Snooki! It was a wild cherry flavor and of course, Snooki is doing a duckface right on the damn label. I mainly got it for comedy's sake and to remind people how I have long been disgusted that The Jersey Shore show was a thing and that obviously fake garbage was actually popular and people enjoyed those awful, awful human beings. Anyhow, it actually tasted fine and it did not have the flavor of STD's and tanning lotion, so that was good.
When I return a week from today, I really don't know yet what I'll be writing about, aside from talking about watching the Bears play again. I'll eventually figure out activities to do, as always.
Thursday and Friday were also dull days as I knew I was going to have an exciting weekend. Saturday, I did something I haven't done in years. Back in my high school days I often saw the local football team play, which was good times. So was watching the home games of the college team while I was at Illinois State University. I once saw them play against now Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. Since moving to Florida in May of '04, though, I've only seen a few college football games live. But, I figured that this year I should change it. As of the past few years there have been several lower-level colleges that have started up their football programs. I could get into the minutiae of all the schools and which level of college football they're in but I'll spare you that as you probably aren't interested in that. Point is, on Saturday I went down to Lake Wales to watch in a high school football stadium a contest between the Webber Warriors (they're the relative old man in the scene; they've had a team since '03) and the Warner Royals, who had their first game last week against another start-up team and Warner lost. The two campuses are separated by only Crooked Lake. I had no idea what the attendance would be for what's pretty much a cross-town rivalry starting up for the first time. Turns out, it was a hot ticket but there was still plenty of room for everyone as it was a decent sized stadium.
The drive there, I had to deal with some heavy rain; at least the vehicle got a bath. It was the usual hassles on the highway with nincompoops. I went inside the Eagle Ridge Mall just north of Lake Wales. I had been in there before way back when. It's a small mall and it's alright but not many eating options. I had to go with Sbarro Pizza (for the first time in years and dessert somewhere else. The pizza tasted fine and did not cause havoc on my stomach, believe it or not. I made it to the stadium in Lake Wales. Parking was a real YOLO situation; at least there were plenty of spots as a lot of it was in grass fields. I sat on the hard metal bleachers and watched the game. It was sloppy play from both teams but it was still entertaining. I wasn't too surprise that the upstart team filled with inexperienced (at least inexperience on the college level) players ended up losing; the final score was Webber 23, Warner 0. Webber was helped out by Warner's mistakes, for sure. This ended up being the theme for the weekend but I had no idea this was the case until Sunday. At least the people I had to sit by were fine or at least tolerable. There were no loudmouthed rude idiots I had to deal with, thank the Lord. It was a nice night out so that was good.
As for the city of Lake Wales, I'd rather not deal with it too often, between the idiots who drive in the town, their refusal to mark streets as being dead ends or no outlets (it took longer than expected to get back on the highway) and other things, and while I imagine in later years I'll see more games from either school, but it doesn't mean I will always enjoy being in the area. It isn't that there are plenty of disgusting trashy people around; it's that it seems like there are too many disgusting trashy people who act like A-holes and clueless yokels. I do hope to visit some other spots to see football games this year, involving more new teams.
Sunday, I returned to the Friendly Confines sports bar/restaurant to watch the Chicago Bears play their first game of the season, against the Cincinnati Bengals. I figured it was going to be a tough test for the Bears and indeed it was. Chicago was losing but unlike most of the Bears fans there (including the random idiot who sat next to me at the bar) I did not lose faith and I figured there still was a chance Chicago would win. Partly due to some nice plays and partly due to some stupid Cincinnati mistakes, Chicago was able to win 24-21. I don't know how many Bears fans will admit it but the Bengals duo of Andy Dalton and A.J. Green have great chemistry and they made some really nice plays; I'll give them props for that. While the person to my left was dumb, at least the couple to my right were fine. There was plenty of idiotic yelling sports fans there but to be honest that's what I've come to expect from sports fans just about everywhere. At least I don't act like that, and at least the Bears ended up winning. There was some entertaining action in the other games they were showing at the same time, so I was never bored as I had lunch and dessert.
After that I made the short drive to downtown Winter Park in order to eat dinner at BurgerFi and then walk on over to RocketFizz to purchase some more obscure gourmet soda. That's what I did and the soda I had to drink on the way home... a special limited edition soda of Snooki! It was a wild cherry flavor and of course, Snooki is doing a duckface right on the damn label. I mainly got it for comedy's sake and to remind people how I have long been disgusted that The Jersey Shore show was a thing and that obviously fake garbage was actually popular and people enjoyed those awful, awful human beings. Anyhow, it actually tasted fine and it did not have the flavor of STD's and tanning lotion, so that was good.
When I return a week from today, I really don't know yet what I'll be writing about, aside from talking about watching the Bears play again. I'll eventually figure out activities to do, as always.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Urban Outfitters, Fritz The Cat, & Returning To The World Of Beer
Yep I am posting this on Labor Day. I definitely am not going to do any sort of labor today. Hopefully everyone has a nice holiday today.
Last Monday, I actually did something. I went with someone I know to Denny's. The one that was only a few miles from me closed down earlier in the summer so we went to another one instead. Oh boy... the service there was less than stellar and some of my fellow patrons were simply idiotic A-holes. So yeah, something that I sometimes think is “typical Florida”. At least I can admit that the music they played in the restaurant was pretty bitchin'. Not just because it was mainly older songs, but they were good older songs that I like. I made my own Grand Slam Breakfast (for dinner) so the day wasn't all bad, even if I was even more annoyed by stupid people than I usually am. Speaking of stupid annoying people, Miley Cyrus... cripes almighty, I can't think of a better poster child for the message of “kids, don't do drugs!” I got a lot of amusement of people ripping her apart for that horrible performance on that MTV awards show.
Tuesday I did not do anything so let's go to Wednesday. I did something out of the ordinary. I went to a restaurant during a weekday afternoon to have a late lunch and I had something at home for a later than usual dinner. I realized recently that I hadn't been to the Hooters-esque restaurant known as Twin Peaks since mid June. I figured I should rectify that, so I did. I had my almost always of a burger and fries and that was good; so was the Redd's Apple Ale I had. It's a beverage I've had before but this was the first time I had it on draft. It wasn't too crowded there, which was fine with me. After that I was going to stop at the usual spot in Dr. Phillips to get some Pinkberry; I got there and that place is no more; it was replaced by a place known as Yogurtology, but it wasn't open yet so I was SOL when it came to eating yogurt. I instead went to Barnes & Noble for a bit before walking on over to Planet Smoothie for a beverage, which was a good idea.
Thursday and Friday I was dullsville. That was fine with me; it was rainy weather on Friday so that made me glad I stayed in. I did watch something for the first time in a few years... the X-rated (but really it's R-rated in terms of content) cartoon from the 70's known as Fritz the Cat. It's wacky but entertaining.
The weekend, that's where things got interesting. Saturday I went somewhere early in the afternoon and I ended up staying in to watch the UFC pay per view. I imagine it'd be a madhouse wherever I went to for the purpose of watching the UFC prelims then the pay per view; that and me being dead tired by that time made me glad I stayed in. I won't get into why I went somewhere early in the afternoon but I did. I had a quick bite to eat at Jimmy John's before making it to World of Beer, a joint I haven't been to since the spring. What they had on TV wasn't completely college football centered (despite it being the start of major college football) I wasn't upset by it; I've been turned off by major college sports for a variety of reasons (as I've mentioned before) over the past few years so I am not going to pay too much attention to it. Not major college sports... a different thing as it doesn't seem so corrupt and dirty. I had hard cider as they played a variety of music, from Ween to Nicki Minaj (blah to the latter), and me hearing tunes from Phoenix and Death Cab for Cutie for the first time, no kidding. I consumed some hard cider and that was good times overall. I recommend the Swedish beverage known as Kopparberg Strawberry & Lime cider.
In the evening I watched the UFC show and it was pretty good overall. However, it had a prelim fight shown on the Facebook/YouTube stream between two heavyweights named Nikita Krylov and Soa Palelei... and it was horrible! Those two guys had horrible cardio so as the fight went on they became more tired and they could barely move, let alone fight. It was so bad it was hilarious. It may have been the worst UFC fight in the past few years.
Sunday, I went to the ritzy Mall of Millenia in Orlando. I walked around for a bit and went in a few stores but did not buy anything, expect for a smoothie from the area in Bloomingdales known as Forty Carrots. It was good! Note that I did not go in and I've never gone in the fanciest stores there, such as Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Cartier or Chanel. At least I did get some exercise. For the first time I went in the store known as Urban Outfitters; I never did before because it's a hipster store and hipsters usually aren't my thing. I went in and wow was it hipster douche central, from the way people were dressed (customers and staff) to what they were offering... I definitely did not buy anything there. Anyhow, in the parking lot by the valet service for Neiman Marcus, there were some vehicles belonging to the richest people of the area, that being a yellow Lamborghini, a red Ferrari, and a black Audi R8. Must be nice to be able to drive those.
Next Monday in the blog I'll post then, I am thinking of doing at least one thing that will be unique and will provide me a decent amount of material to write about, so that's good and it should be fun too.
Last Monday, I actually did something. I went with someone I know to Denny's. The one that was only a few miles from me closed down earlier in the summer so we went to another one instead. Oh boy... the service there was less than stellar and some of my fellow patrons were simply idiotic A-holes. So yeah, something that I sometimes think is “typical Florida”. At least I can admit that the music they played in the restaurant was pretty bitchin'. Not just because it was mainly older songs, but they were good older songs that I like. I made my own Grand Slam Breakfast (for dinner) so the day wasn't all bad, even if I was even more annoyed by stupid people than I usually am. Speaking of stupid annoying people, Miley Cyrus... cripes almighty, I can't think of a better poster child for the message of “kids, don't do drugs!” I got a lot of amusement of people ripping her apart for that horrible performance on that MTV awards show.
Tuesday I did not do anything so let's go to Wednesday. I did something out of the ordinary. I went to a restaurant during a weekday afternoon to have a late lunch and I had something at home for a later than usual dinner. I realized recently that I hadn't been to the Hooters-esque restaurant known as Twin Peaks since mid June. I figured I should rectify that, so I did. I had my almost always of a burger and fries and that was good; so was the Redd's Apple Ale I had. It's a beverage I've had before but this was the first time I had it on draft. It wasn't too crowded there, which was fine with me. After that I was going to stop at the usual spot in Dr. Phillips to get some Pinkberry; I got there and that place is no more; it was replaced by a place known as Yogurtology, but it wasn't open yet so I was SOL when it came to eating yogurt. I instead went to Barnes & Noble for a bit before walking on over to Planet Smoothie for a beverage, which was a good idea.
Thursday and Friday I was dullsville. That was fine with me; it was rainy weather on Friday so that made me glad I stayed in. I did watch something for the first time in a few years... the X-rated (but really it's R-rated in terms of content) cartoon from the 70's known as Fritz the Cat. It's wacky but entertaining.
The weekend, that's where things got interesting. Saturday I went somewhere early in the afternoon and I ended up staying in to watch the UFC pay per view. I imagine it'd be a madhouse wherever I went to for the purpose of watching the UFC prelims then the pay per view; that and me being dead tired by that time made me glad I stayed in. I won't get into why I went somewhere early in the afternoon but I did. I had a quick bite to eat at Jimmy John's before making it to World of Beer, a joint I haven't been to since the spring. What they had on TV wasn't completely college football centered (despite it being the start of major college football) I wasn't upset by it; I've been turned off by major college sports for a variety of reasons (as I've mentioned before) over the past few years so I am not going to pay too much attention to it. Not major college sports... a different thing as it doesn't seem so corrupt and dirty. I had hard cider as they played a variety of music, from Ween to Nicki Minaj (blah to the latter), and me hearing tunes from Phoenix and Death Cab for Cutie for the first time, no kidding. I consumed some hard cider and that was good times overall. I recommend the Swedish beverage known as Kopparberg Strawberry & Lime cider.
In the evening I watched the UFC show and it was pretty good overall. However, it had a prelim fight shown on the Facebook/YouTube stream between two heavyweights named Nikita Krylov and Soa Palelei... and it was horrible! Those two guys had horrible cardio so as the fight went on they became more tired and they could barely move, let alone fight. It was so bad it was hilarious. It may have been the worst UFC fight in the past few years.
Sunday, I went to the ritzy Mall of Millenia in Orlando. I walked around for a bit and went in a few stores but did not buy anything, expect for a smoothie from the area in Bloomingdales known as Forty Carrots. It was good! Note that I did not go in and I've never gone in the fanciest stores there, such as Rolex, Louis Vuitton, Cartier or Chanel. At least I did get some exercise. For the first time I went in the store known as Urban Outfitters; I never did before because it's a hipster store and hipsters usually aren't my thing. I went in and wow was it hipster douche central, from the way people were dressed (customers and staff) to what they were offering... I definitely did not buy anything there. Anyhow, in the parking lot by the valet service for Neiman Marcus, there were some vehicles belonging to the richest people of the area, that being a yellow Lamborghini, a red Ferrari, and a black Audi R8. Must be nice to be able to drive those.
Next Monday in the blog I'll post then, I am thinking of doing at least one thing that will be unique and will provide me a decent amount of material to write about, so that's good and it should be fun too.
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