I am referencing the Hunter S. Thompson novel as something I experienced in the past week will make some think that I experienced a Raoul Duke-like drug trip. In the last blog I talked about what I did on Monday the 19th, which was make an airport run up to Sanford and drop someone off, then I went to Winter Park for a bit before driving back home.
Tuesday, I returned to the familiar haunt of Winter Garden Village to eat at Chipotle then I went to Planet Smoothie for a beverage. I know that I've mentioned hundreds of times before how bad the traffic is down here, but only a few times before have I talked about how even in parking lots people drive terribly; with people walking all about you have people not paying attention, not using turn signals, and speeding. Speeding was a bad problem on this day. Some guy blew by me in a roundabout and I was mad that he was going too fast in an area where people are actually walking all over the place; suddenly he stopped and went in reverse, so I stopped but I did not go backwards. That A-hole went back to park in a space but I honked at him twice for his stupidity; you wouldn't have needed to go backwards if you were looking for a space; why weren't you going slowly if you wanted to find a place to park at?! What a clueless maroon! Stupidity that pronounced is sadly a common thing down here in Florida.
Wednesday, I went to the dentist. It was just to clean my teeth; nothing major. I saw someone do a terrible parking job, which didn't make me happy after the evening before; I also wish I had better teeth... or was born with a better body to begin with, but I don't want to be emo or be whiny so I'll just move on. Thursday, I went to Walmart to pick up a few items; some of the people there lived down to the stereotypes of that store. You know, moms rudely yelling at their kids, people being idiots in other ways, and what have you. As I doubt anyone wants to hear about me purchasing underwear or deodorant, I'll move onto Friday, which was a more interesting day.
On Friday I stayed in and relaxed... until pretty late at night. As has happened a few times before, Walt Disney World (along with Disneyland) had the Magic Kingdom open for 24 hours straight, and it's pretty popular. I did the first one back in '12 on Leap Year Day but not the second out last year. I wasn't going to miss it again this year. I didn't get into the park until about midnight; a reason why... the parking lot was a real clusterf***, to state it bluntly. The traffic was practically stopped for a few minutes and turns out, while I don't know what the delay was, it was a real YOLO situation as you could park wherever and that was chaos. Yep, it's still pretty popular. In fact, I was surprised by the amount of kids who were there way past their bedtime. Maybe it's just me but when I was that young I never stayed up past midnight.
Anyhow, I went on a few rides and ate some food there. In an unexpected surprise, they had a “soft opening” to the brand new ride they have there, that being the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. It's a rollercoaster and it rides real smooth, and most importantly while it's tame as it's something for kids and adults, it doesn't mean it's not fun. It was a pleasant surprise as I thought I'd have to go back there in the summer to do it for the first time (it opens officially on Wednesday) and I still want to try it out in the daytime; that will be hopefully a day it isn't too blazing hot.
The real highlight, though, was something unexpected that will make some think I ingested some acid or mescaline right before I entered the park but I swear this is all true. Disney encouraged people to dress up for the 24 hour bash and quite a few people did. Starting at 2 AM there were at least two spots in the park where they had a DJ spinning modern and old songs and the type of music it was, it really was the sort of thing I heard at places like Mako's or Ghost Bar & Lounge in downtown Orlando, except more sanitized. As if it wasn't odd enough seeing cosplayers dancing around to such tunes, Disney also had some employees dancing around in Minnie Mouse and Chip and Dale costumes dancing about... and I never thought I'd ever see people in those costumes busting a move to ditties by Lil Jon, Flo Rida, Daft Punk, Michael Jackson, and the Backstreet Boys, but it is true. I did not get out of there until after 4 AM, so it was a LONG day.
Saturday and Sunday, I did not do anything except for going to Walmart again, this time to pick up a few miscellaneous items. I was happy to relax after the Friday night I had. As for the upcoming week.. I don't plan on doing anything for Memorial Day either. There's nothing on the agenda, come to think of it; while I doubt I'll experience something quite like the surreal antics of late Friday night, I'll find things to do.
Monday, May 26, 2014
Monday, May 19, 2014
The Blog Where I Remember That Nature Points Up The Folly Of Man
Yes, I am referencing the Blue Oyster Cult song Godzilla, as I did indeed see the film. More on that later.
Here's a recap of what I've done in the past week. Last Monday was rather uneventful except that I got some pizza from Papa John's. Wednesday I did not do a darn thing so let me back up to Tuesday. I had to pick up a parent from the airport, and I'm talking about Orlando International so I never look forward to that run; making a trip to the Orlando-Sanford Airport is easier and less of a hassle. Before that, though, I went to the town of Celebration, a place I've been to a number of times before. I did walk around for a short bit (one afternoon I should spend a lot more time walking around there and getting plenty of exercise) then ended up at the Market Street Cafe, a place I've eaten at a few times before but the last time had to be a few years ago. They make decent food and good milkshakes; of course I had the latter.
After that I drove around a part of the city I had never been in before. It at least killed time. I then stopped and got gas then went to the airport. The flight was delayed so I had to sit in the cell phone parking lot for a little bit. That was OK as I had the windows open due to it being so nice out. I saw a pair of Sandhill Crane's walking then flying about. I then made the pickup and that was uneventful.
Wednesday, I did not do a thing at all. It rained for much of the day so it was obvious I should stay in. So let me skip ahead to Thursday, which was a different sort of day for me. I knew that in the evening I was going to see the new Godzilla and I had a few options but I decided to drive on down to Lakeland to see it at their opened in January Cinemark Theatres and see it on their giant XD screen; XD would be a new experience for me. Most of the drive was through pretty rural areas, which was fine with me as it meant not really having to deal with traffic. I wouldn't want a flat tire or have the vehicle break down while I am in the middle of nowhere, but that has never been a problem with me. The XD is nice although I'd say that the best of those giant screen deals is AMC's ETX, which is at Downtown Disney.
As for the movie, I understand why some don't really care for me. Me, I thought it was great as is and I thought it was awesome overall. Seeing it on a giant screen was a wise idea, although I didn't think the 3D did all that much. I know I'll see it again on the big screen in the future. I did not do anything on Friday so onto Saturday...
Saturday, it was still nice out (for this time of the year, at least) so I figured I should really get exercise and it may be awhile before I decide to do any walking on the Van Fleet State Trail, so I returned there, along with something to carry some food and drink. I did do plenty of walking and it took me more than a day to recover from it. It was still real nice to be out there in the middle of nowhere with only a few other people on the paved almost completely straight trail and trees providing a lot of shade on the path itself. The benches you sometimes see are always used by me but a few minutes rest is OK. The wildlife I saw was more tortoises (the gopher tortoise, to be exact), more cardinals, and a hawk or two.
Sunday, I did not do anything either; I really needed to relax after the day I had before. Today I already did the one thing I am going to do, which is another airport run; this time I went to the Orlando-Sanford Airport to drop off someone; on the way back I decided to stop in Winter Park to eat at BurgerFi for lunch and then I returned to Rocket Fizz to pick up some more gourmet soda. The traffic was hellish, but that's a typical day in Florida, unfortunately.
When I return next Monday, I know one thing or two I'll be talking about but that's it for now. I am sure I'll stumble into other adventures.
Here's a recap of what I've done in the past week. Last Monday was rather uneventful except that I got some pizza from Papa John's. Wednesday I did not do a darn thing so let me back up to Tuesday. I had to pick up a parent from the airport, and I'm talking about Orlando International so I never look forward to that run; making a trip to the Orlando-Sanford Airport is easier and less of a hassle. Before that, though, I went to the town of Celebration, a place I've been to a number of times before. I did walk around for a short bit (one afternoon I should spend a lot more time walking around there and getting plenty of exercise) then ended up at the Market Street Cafe, a place I've eaten at a few times before but the last time had to be a few years ago. They make decent food and good milkshakes; of course I had the latter.
After that I drove around a part of the city I had never been in before. It at least killed time. I then stopped and got gas then went to the airport. The flight was delayed so I had to sit in the cell phone parking lot for a little bit. That was OK as I had the windows open due to it being so nice out. I saw a pair of Sandhill Crane's walking then flying about. I then made the pickup and that was uneventful.
Wednesday, I did not do a thing at all. It rained for much of the day so it was obvious I should stay in. So let me skip ahead to Thursday, which was a different sort of day for me. I knew that in the evening I was going to see the new Godzilla and I had a few options but I decided to drive on down to Lakeland to see it at their opened in January Cinemark Theatres and see it on their giant XD screen; XD would be a new experience for me. Most of the drive was through pretty rural areas, which was fine with me as it meant not really having to deal with traffic. I wouldn't want a flat tire or have the vehicle break down while I am in the middle of nowhere, but that has never been a problem with me. The XD is nice although I'd say that the best of those giant screen deals is AMC's ETX, which is at Downtown Disney.
As for the movie, I understand why some don't really care for me. Me, I thought it was great as is and I thought it was awesome overall. Seeing it on a giant screen was a wise idea, although I didn't think the 3D did all that much. I know I'll see it again on the big screen in the future. I did not do anything on Friday so onto Saturday...
Saturday, it was still nice out (for this time of the year, at least) so I figured I should really get exercise and it may be awhile before I decide to do any walking on the Van Fleet State Trail, so I returned there, along with something to carry some food and drink. I did do plenty of walking and it took me more than a day to recover from it. It was still real nice to be out there in the middle of nowhere with only a few other people on the paved almost completely straight trail and trees providing a lot of shade on the path itself. The benches you sometimes see are always used by me but a few minutes rest is OK. The wildlife I saw was more tortoises (the gopher tortoise, to be exact), more cardinals, and a hawk or two.
Sunday, I did not do anything either; I really needed to relax after the day I had before. Today I already did the one thing I am going to do, which is another airport run; this time I went to the Orlando-Sanford Airport to drop off someone; on the way back I decided to stop in Winter Park to eat at BurgerFi for lunch and then I returned to Rocket Fizz to pick up some more gourmet soda. The traffic was hellish, but that's a typical day in Florida, unfortunately.
When I return next Monday, I know one thing or two I'll be talking about but that's it for now. I am sure I'll stumble into other adventures.
Monday, May 12, 2014
The House Of Blues, Mountain Dew Baja Blast, & Froggy's Lament
Here's a recap of how the past week has gone for me. Last Monday was dull aside from getting some Pizza Hut Pizza. Tuesday was more interesting than expected. I was going to eat at Chipotle then go to Target to get a few items (don't worry, I didn't use my credit card there), but when I got to the restaurant, it was ridiculously jam-packed so I went literally next door to get a haircut-as I could stand to get one-then I went to Target for the few items then I went to Planet Smoothie for a tasty beverage. I ended up making myself something for dinner at home, which was fine with me.
Wednesday was boring and I was going to say that Thursday was also dull, except for one bizarre thing that happened real late at night. Things would have been different if I hadn't been home alone at the time and if it wouldn't have been so late, as otherwise I would have asked a neighbor for assistance but I saw an incredible thing in the bathroom. After I was done using the toilet I looked on over in the shower and at first I thought I was doing an incredibly rare thing for me (hallucinating), as I saw a FROG in the shower. Yes, a frog.
I shortly then realized that what I was seeing was legit, and I had to try and figure out how to get rid of it. I did try various ways for the froggy to get out the door but it didn't work, so I had to kill it. I did NOT want to do it, believe me; I sometimes see them outside and I am fine with that as they eat little insects. But them inside is no good; I couldn't leave it in there the entire night and wait until the next day for assistance. I had to kill it then I tossed the body outside. Again, that was not something I wanted to do; it was only a last resort sort of thing and I still feel bad about it. By the way, “Froggy's Lament” refers to a song that is from the early 80's album by Buckner & Garcia. Yes, the artists that made the goofy Pac-Man Fever song that somehow became a top 10 hit. They had an entire album of videogame songs, if you can believe it.
Friday, I decided to eat some Burger King food and instead of going to the usual spots I tried a different one a little big west of town. That went normal and the food was what you'd expect from there. On the way back I stopped at a random gas station in town and I finally found some Mountain Dew Baja Blast, a nice drink that previously could only be found at Taco Bell and this wide release is only a brief thing. Taco Bell is now a place that is mostly “blah” for me and yet I admit the Blast is good, if not great as I've heard from some people. I like all the different Mountain Dew flavors and the OG flavor about equally.
Saturday, I ended up watching a good amount of the free UFC show on TV; it had a fantastic main event of Matt Brown vs. Erick Silva, and the rest of the show had its ups and downs. However, I did do something before that, and I decided it was about time to get a good amount of exercise in and that was done by going to the James A. Van Fleet state trail, one I've mentioned a few times before in the past. It's a remote trail that goes through the middle of nowhere, including the swamp. I've seen quite a few colorful critters there before, from various birds to tortoises, alligators and snakes to deer. The place on the trail I went to is different from before; they now have a small paved parking lot and an eco-friendly bathroom. I just did my share of walking (eventually, I think I am going to have to get my own bicycle instead of borrowing someone's really old heavy metal bike as I did in the past) and on a hot humid sunny day, that was quite the workout. The only animals I saw were some cardinals and a pair of tortoises (no hares, though), but that is alright.
Sunday, I relaxed until the evening, when I headed on over to something I hadn't done in what has to be over a year. That is the weekly Sunday night dance party that the House of Blues at Walt Disney World has called Service Industry Night, where they play dance music filled with bass and when it isn't too busy there you see BREAKDANCING. Yes, that's still a thing; it isn't a trend that people just stopped doing in 1985. I've always seen it happen all the times I've been there in the past. The place looks almost exactly the same as always, which was fine with me. It was fun being there last night, as it almost always is. It's fun to listen to the music and watch people dancing about. No, I don't really dance myself and I especially don't try breakdancing myself! Also while I was there, I heard remixes of such songs as Howard Jones' Thing Can Only Get Better and Sade's Smooth Operator, which people actually breakdanced too.
I also saw an AMAZING human being. It was between a half hour and a full hour and I never got close to him for a close look so I don't know if he was in his 50's or 20's but his outfit and the way he acted was hilarious. This was early on in the night before the place got busy, as it always does. He had on white shoes, socks sort of high, short teal shorts, a sparkly greenish shirt, glasses, and a wacky hat with a Ferrari logo on the front! As if that wasn't tremendous enough, that son of a bitch never stopped clapping his hands to the beat, to put it bluntly. He honestly never stopped clapping for over a half hour. He then vanished and I never saw him again. I don't know if he was on drugs or not but I imagined he had a grand old time.
I'll return next Monday and the only thing on the agenda is that somewhere, I'll be seeing the new Godzilla movie, which I do have high hopes for and I better not be let down by it.
Wednesday was boring and I was going to say that Thursday was also dull, except for one bizarre thing that happened real late at night. Things would have been different if I hadn't been home alone at the time and if it wouldn't have been so late, as otherwise I would have asked a neighbor for assistance but I saw an incredible thing in the bathroom. After I was done using the toilet I looked on over in the shower and at first I thought I was doing an incredibly rare thing for me (hallucinating), as I saw a FROG in the shower. Yes, a frog.
I shortly then realized that what I was seeing was legit, and I had to try and figure out how to get rid of it. I did try various ways for the froggy to get out the door but it didn't work, so I had to kill it. I did NOT want to do it, believe me; I sometimes see them outside and I am fine with that as they eat little insects. But them inside is no good; I couldn't leave it in there the entire night and wait until the next day for assistance. I had to kill it then I tossed the body outside. Again, that was not something I wanted to do; it was only a last resort sort of thing and I still feel bad about it. By the way, “Froggy's Lament” refers to a song that is from the early 80's album by Buckner & Garcia. Yes, the artists that made the goofy Pac-Man Fever song that somehow became a top 10 hit. They had an entire album of videogame songs, if you can believe it.
Friday, I decided to eat some Burger King food and instead of going to the usual spots I tried a different one a little big west of town. That went normal and the food was what you'd expect from there. On the way back I stopped at a random gas station in town and I finally found some Mountain Dew Baja Blast, a nice drink that previously could only be found at Taco Bell and this wide release is only a brief thing. Taco Bell is now a place that is mostly “blah” for me and yet I admit the Blast is good, if not great as I've heard from some people. I like all the different Mountain Dew flavors and the OG flavor about equally.
Saturday, I ended up watching a good amount of the free UFC show on TV; it had a fantastic main event of Matt Brown vs. Erick Silva, and the rest of the show had its ups and downs. However, I did do something before that, and I decided it was about time to get a good amount of exercise in and that was done by going to the James A. Van Fleet state trail, one I've mentioned a few times before in the past. It's a remote trail that goes through the middle of nowhere, including the swamp. I've seen quite a few colorful critters there before, from various birds to tortoises, alligators and snakes to deer. The place on the trail I went to is different from before; they now have a small paved parking lot and an eco-friendly bathroom. I just did my share of walking (eventually, I think I am going to have to get my own bicycle instead of borrowing someone's really old heavy metal bike as I did in the past) and on a hot humid sunny day, that was quite the workout. The only animals I saw were some cardinals and a pair of tortoises (no hares, though), but that is alright.
Sunday, I relaxed until the evening, when I headed on over to something I hadn't done in what has to be over a year. That is the weekly Sunday night dance party that the House of Blues at Walt Disney World has called Service Industry Night, where they play dance music filled with bass and when it isn't too busy there you see BREAKDANCING. Yes, that's still a thing; it isn't a trend that people just stopped doing in 1985. I've always seen it happen all the times I've been there in the past. The place looks almost exactly the same as always, which was fine with me. It was fun being there last night, as it almost always is. It's fun to listen to the music and watch people dancing about. No, I don't really dance myself and I especially don't try breakdancing myself! Also while I was there, I heard remixes of such songs as Howard Jones' Thing Can Only Get Better and Sade's Smooth Operator, which people actually breakdanced too.
I also saw an AMAZING human being. It was between a half hour and a full hour and I never got close to him for a close look so I don't know if he was in his 50's or 20's but his outfit and the way he acted was hilarious. This was early on in the night before the place got busy, as it always does. He had on white shoes, socks sort of high, short teal shorts, a sparkly greenish shirt, glasses, and a wacky hat with a Ferrari logo on the front! As if that wasn't tremendous enough, that son of a bitch never stopped clapping his hands to the beat, to put it bluntly. He honestly never stopped clapping for over a half hour. He then vanished and I never saw him again. I don't know if he was on drugs or not but I imagined he had a grand old time.
I'll return next Monday and the only thing on the agenda is that somewhere, I'll be seeing the new Godzilla movie, which I do have high hopes for and I better not be let down by it.
Monday, May 5, 2014
MovieStop, Big Lots, Hard Rock Cafe, & Fruit Punch Oreos
This is a blog where I did not do too much but I still have enough to write about. Monday and Tuesday were rather dull. I mean, nothing to really talk about. That's alright with me. So, here's what I did on Wednesday.
Wednesday I went out and about, even though it was a dreary rainy day overall. I was thinking of places I hadn't been to in awhile and CityWalk at Universal Studios came into my mind. I figured it was time to return. Some things were different and I am not just talking about the price to park there, which is now more expensive than ever. Then again, how all theme parks all over the world are priced is pretty outrageous and ridiculous.
Anyhow, I walked around and noticed the new things that were there compared to my last time at CityWalk. Among other things, there's a new Starbucks (blah to that, as I am not a coffee drinker at all and I don't drink the other crap they serve there) and Cold Stone Creamery, and they're building for even more new places later in the year. I walked around and it was a light rain. I was going to eat at one particular restaurant but it was too busy there and there were no seats at the bar, so I walked around some more and thought of where to eat. I then thought about going to the Hard Rock Cafe; I've eaten at some of their locations as a kid but the last time for me was in Orlando back like 9 or 10 years ago, where all I remember about the experience was that it wasn't too great so that was a reason why it was just now that I returned. I sat at the bar and I did have an alcoholic milkshake (hey, it tasted fine!) and my almost always of a burger and fries, which were also fine. That experience at the Hard Rock this time was certainly better than the last time. After that, due to the weather I did not stick around for too long in the park before I went back home.
Thursday through Saturday were not real exciting at all. I really did not do a thing except on Friday, on a lightly raining day I went to Walmart for a few items. That was uneventful, which was fine with me. One of the things I picked up... Fruit Punch Oreos! I know that people don't like it when Oreos do odd flavors like watermelon or what they have now, but they taste fine to me.
Sunday, that was another day of action. What I ended up doing wasn't the original plan but for various reasons the plan changed. It's alright as in the long run the new plan is probably better anyhow. I returned to a MovieStop store, a place I've mentioned several times before. I only purchased a few things there, which is good for me.
As it was May 4, they played Star Wars movies on their TV's... it was the originals although it was the “new” versions, meaning that at the end of Jedi, I saw Hayden as Annakin in spirit form instead of the original scene where he was played by British actor Sebastian Shaw. But anyway, the person who checked me out of the store... what an interesting person. I'm being nice here as I'd like to return there in the future; he fit the stereotypes of what you'd imagine of a young man working in a giant place that sells new and used movies of all sorts. He was on the awkward side (he even did a Sly Stallone impression; don't ask) and I'll leave it at that. After MovieStop, I then went to a Big Lots discount store I hadn't been to before. I did purchase some food & beverages from there. Then, I stopped at an Arby's for a rather simple dinner which ended up being perfectly acceptable. That chain isn't present in the town I live in so me eating there only happens once in a long while.
By the way, as I've said many times before, even when I don't mention how bad traffic is in Florida, it should be understood that I always find it to be awful, and on this day it was REAL bad. It was like I was back in South Florida (and I do not know at all when I'll be back there); I saw total cluelessness, maniacs weaving in and out of traffic, and other awful antics. It was quite aggravating and I am glad I did not do my original plan, as that required more driving and it could have been even more frustrating.
When I return next Monday, I have nothing on the schedule as of yet. It may be like the week I just had and maybe it'll be more exciting.
Wednesday I went out and about, even though it was a dreary rainy day overall. I was thinking of places I hadn't been to in awhile and CityWalk at Universal Studios came into my mind. I figured it was time to return. Some things were different and I am not just talking about the price to park there, which is now more expensive than ever. Then again, how all theme parks all over the world are priced is pretty outrageous and ridiculous.
Anyhow, I walked around and noticed the new things that were there compared to my last time at CityWalk. Among other things, there's a new Starbucks (blah to that, as I am not a coffee drinker at all and I don't drink the other crap they serve there) and Cold Stone Creamery, and they're building for even more new places later in the year. I walked around and it was a light rain. I was going to eat at one particular restaurant but it was too busy there and there were no seats at the bar, so I walked around some more and thought of where to eat. I then thought about going to the Hard Rock Cafe; I've eaten at some of their locations as a kid but the last time for me was in Orlando back like 9 or 10 years ago, where all I remember about the experience was that it wasn't too great so that was a reason why it was just now that I returned. I sat at the bar and I did have an alcoholic milkshake (hey, it tasted fine!) and my almost always of a burger and fries, which were also fine. That experience at the Hard Rock this time was certainly better than the last time. After that, due to the weather I did not stick around for too long in the park before I went back home.
Thursday through Saturday were not real exciting at all. I really did not do a thing except on Friday, on a lightly raining day I went to Walmart for a few items. That was uneventful, which was fine with me. One of the things I picked up... Fruit Punch Oreos! I know that people don't like it when Oreos do odd flavors like watermelon or what they have now, but they taste fine to me.
Sunday, that was another day of action. What I ended up doing wasn't the original plan but for various reasons the plan changed. It's alright as in the long run the new plan is probably better anyhow. I returned to a MovieStop store, a place I've mentioned several times before. I only purchased a few things there, which is good for me.
As it was May 4, they played Star Wars movies on their TV's... it was the originals although it was the “new” versions, meaning that at the end of Jedi, I saw Hayden as Annakin in spirit form instead of the original scene where he was played by British actor Sebastian Shaw. But anyway, the person who checked me out of the store... what an interesting person. I'm being nice here as I'd like to return there in the future; he fit the stereotypes of what you'd imagine of a young man working in a giant place that sells new and used movies of all sorts. He was on the awkward side (he even did a Sly Stallone impression; don't ask) and I'll leave it at that. After MovieStop, I then went to a Big Lots discount store I hadn't been to before. I did purchase some food & beverages from there. Then, I stopped at an Arby's for a rather simple dinner which ended up being perfectly acceptable. That chain isn't present in the town I live in so me eating there only happens once in a long while.
By the way, as I've said many times before, even when I don't mention how bad traffic is in Florida, it should be understood that I always find it to be awful, and on this day it was REAL bad. It was like I was back in South Florida (and I do not know at all when I'll be back there); I saw total cluelessness, maniacs weaving in and out of traffic, and other awful antics. It was quite aggravating and I am glad I did not do my original plan, as that required more driving and it could have been even more frustrating.
When I return next Monday, I have nothing on the schedule as of yet. It may be like the week I just had and maybe it'll be more exciting.
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