As I typically do, I keep certain aspects of my private life just that, private. This goes for part of my trip this year to Kansas and back. I won't go into why that's the case but it is not something that anyone should worry about.
Anyhow, Monday the 21st the only thing I did was see The Force Awakens again, this time in IMAX 3D. It's still great and it was nice seeing it on a giant screen. Tuesday, that's when I left for the Kansas trip. It was a long drive up there and back, as it always is. On the way there and back there was plenty of rain and even some fog. At least unlike the previous occasions I was in Wichita or the journey up there and back, there was no show, freezing rain or bone-chilling temperatures. I was content with Wichita temperatures in the 50's, definitely. Anyhow, Tuesday was from Clermont up to Conway, Arkansas. An interesting stop was made in the middle of nowhere city of Citronelle, Alabama, a burg that I stopped in once before. The joint was known as Bertile's Restaurant and for a quick service joint, it's fine. At dinner in Conway, it was decided to eat at a Logan's Roadhouse. It wasn't my choice as I'd prefer something different but that's just me and they at least make fine food also.
Wednesday, it was off to the Wichita area. For lunch we ate at a random place in Oklahoma (there apparently are a few around the state) known as Robertson's Hams. They make fine sandwiches. Once we made it to the destination, I got to see my nephews again. They are typical 3 year olds in every sense of the term. They are certainly full of energy; I don't know how my sister does it. It was great interacting with them and whether in restaurant or grocery store parking lots, I sometimes held their hands and that was very nice. I also tossed a ball to them a few different times and they tossed it back to me. The visits with them included trips to World Market (where OF COURSE I saw more than one person w/ gross-looking dreads), Cheddar's-a restaurant I somehow had never been to before-and Kobe's Steakhouse. The original trip was going to end on Sunday as we'd drive back home in one shot. However, the weather was going to turn bad so it was decided to head back a day early. It's disappointing as I only get to see that part of the family a few days a year but with the weather it was the prudent decision.
Wichita was in the rearview mirror during the noon hour on Saturday. Besides rainy and during one stretch foggy weather it wasn't a difficult drive at all. Gas was purchased in a “rough part” of Memphis but way back in like '03 I spent time in the sketchiest parts of Chicago on accident and I survived despite seeing no white people for like a 45 minute stretch, so I had no fear. The night was spent in middle of nowhere Alabama, this time the town of Calera. It was at a Motel 6. In my life I've stayed at plenty of them and for the price they are fine. At least they have clean rooms, you know. Well, this place was a dump! The room looked tired and haggard, and there was a roach seen driving about. Thankfully we only spend enough time there to sleep then leave early. Sunday, the holiday traffic was thick as thieves, but we finally got home at around 6:15 PM.
Yesterday, I figured I should take the chance to see The Hateful Eight in 70mm, so that is what I did. I hadn't even been home for 24 hours and yet because it's Florida... I almost got into an accident! Someone swerved into me and I had to floor it on the shoulder to get around that jackass. I definitely made sure to let them know how I felt about their driving, as I had no idea how they didn't see me. As for the movie, thankfully there was no problem with that place running an old system of actual film and it being operated by someone who may not know a lot about it. They are doing this in about 100 theatres and there apparently have only been rare issues with it. The movie looks nice in film although seeing it in digital shouldn't be a huge difference in quality, IMO. Tarantino I am hit or miss with; some of his films are great and others I really don't like despite what many film fans say. I have some complaints but even with that I can still give the film high marks. If you like what QT does, it's more of the same so you should enjoy it. It's definitely a product of his so expect a lot of tension, foul language and graphic violence.
I saw it at Disney Springs so afterwards I went to the old standby of Splitsville for dinner. I enjoy eating there as it's a nice place and I enjoy their food. Unfortunately, it may be awhile before I return there. The service, I was not happy with. I should not have to go to a table to pick up a bottle of ketchup because no one at the bar asked me if I needed anything else, which is what always happens. I tipped accordingly and I was not too pleased about it.
I'll be back on schedule and return on Monday, January 4th. It certainly does not seem like 2015 will be over in a few days. I never do anything on New Year's Eve and yet I'll still try to have something interesting to write about during the first days of early 2016.
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Monday, December 21, 2015
NAIA Football, The Force Awakens & An Extremely Enraged Confused Man
No, the extremely enraged confused man isn't me. I've felt more melancholy as of late. I won't get into why; it's not anything serious that I need to share here. I just haven't felt good about myself for a few different reasons, so going off on a trip to Kansas to spend time with family and seeing my two twin nephews again... I hope I can have a Merry Christmas, but getting out of the state for a few days will be a change of pace and I hope it'll do the job.
Monday, I spent some time in Orlando. I had lunch at a place I returned to, the Brazilian quick service restaurant known as Giraffas. They make decent food so I'll pop in once in a long while. For dinner I returned to NBC Sports Grill & Brew. I like eating there but I'll likely wait for a few months for my return to CityWalk, so that I can see something new there. Tuesday I did not do anything and Wednesday I went with someone to the local Olive Garden, as neither one of us had been there in months. We both enjoyed our meals. Thursday I did not do anything so let me skip ahead to Friday, and Friday night in specific.
Most of Friday I'd rather forget about (again, don't ask why) so let me skip ahead to Friday night, when I saw The Force Awakens. When I was a kid, I watched the original Star Wars films on VHS quite a few times. The prequels, I saw them all on the big screen but they were massive disappointments. I am not a big J.J. Abrams fan so I wasn't entirely sure I'd love this, even if it looks like the originals. I decided to see it right at Epic Theatres in the city I live in, Clermont. I thought that'd be a typical screening... I was wrong.
I waited in line then I sat down and things were standard through that and the trailers. Literally as the opening credits began, there was a commotion. In short, the movie stopped, the lights came up, and I thought I heard the word “seizure”, so I'll go with that as from what little I could see and hear from where I sat, it seemed like that is what happened. Some cops and then a few paramedics came in. After some time, the guy stood up and he just looked confused. As he left the auditorium and he was in the aisle on the way to the door, he suddenly freaked the F out. He screamed at the top of his lungs and he acted like he thought he was going to be killed. Finally, he calmed down (his lady helped with that) and the movie could start again. What a strange stretch of time that was where everyone experienced a range of emotions. I heard from someone that would know that a seizure could cause such a happening, so I will say that was the cause.
As for the movie, it was fantastic. I may be biased as I watched the originals often as a kid but I thought the new one was awesome and it felt like a natural sequel. I am so thankful that they did not screw up Star Wars yet again. I will see it again tonight, this time on a giant screen, as it seemed natural, and plus there was that medical event which was on my mind the entire time as I first saw it.
Saturday, I had the option of doing a few different things. UFC had a card in Orlando; it was a show where the last few matches would be on FOX and the card looked fine. There was a new college football bowl game in Orlando between San Jose State and Georgia State. But, I decided to attend the NAIA Football Championship Game in Daytona Beach between Marian University of Indiana and Southern Oregon University. They played for the championship last year in Daytona Beach and I thought about going but ultimately did not. SOU won that 55-31. This game went differently; Marian won 31-14. When the SOU quarterback misfired on too many passes...
While it was not that competitive, I was still glad I supported such a game. It was at the municipal stadium, so yeah it is an older structure. I wish that there would have been more concession people working there but otherwise I guess the stadium was acceptable for such an event. It's in the middle of the swamp-which is wacky-although at least there's plenty of parking and there was lights in the parking lot. As for Sunday, I had a feeling Chicago would be whooped by Minnesota and this time I was correct. The Bears lost 38-17 and I did not go out to see it.
As tomorrow I'll be leaving on vacation to Kansas and I won't be back home until sometime on Monday, my next post will be on TUESDAY, December 29.
Monday, I spent some time in Orlando. I had lunch at a place I returned to, the Brazilian quick service restaurant known as Giraffas. They make decent food so I'll pop in once in a long while. For dinner I returned to NBC Sports Grill & Brew. I like eating there but I'll likely wait for a few months for my return to CityWalk, so that I can see something new there. Tuesday I did not do anything and Wednesday I went with someone to the local Olive Garden, as neither one of us had been there in months. We both enjoyed our meals. Thursday I did not do anything so let me skip ahead to Friday, and Friday night in specific.
Most of Friday I'd rather forget about (again, don't ask why) so let me skip ahead to Friday night, when I saw The Force Awakens. When I was a kid, I watched the original Star Wars films on VHS quite a few times. The prequels, I saw them all on the big screen but they were massive disappointments. I am not a big J.J. Abrams fan so I wasn't entirely sure I'd love this, even if it looks like the originals. I decided to see it right at Epic Theatres in the city I live in, Clermont. I thought that'd be a typical screening... I was wrong.
I waited in line then I sat down and things were standard through that and the trailers. Literally as the opening credits began, there was a commotion. In short, the movie stopped, the lights came up, and I thought I heard the word “seizure”, so I'll go with that as from what little I could see and hear from where I sat, it seemed like that is what happened. Some cops and then a few paramedics came in. After some time, the guy stood up and he just looked confused. As he left the auditorium and he was in the aisle on the way to the door, he suddenly freaked the F out. He screamed at the top of his lungs and he acted like he thought he was going to be killed. Finally, he calmed down (his lady helped with that) and the movie could start again. What a strange stretch of time that was where everyone experienced a range of emotions. I heard from someone that would know that a seizure could cause such a happening, so I will say that was the cause.
As for the movie, it was fantastic. I may be biased as I watched the originals often as a kid but I thought the new one was awesome and it felt like a natural sequel. I am so thankful that they did not screw up Star Wars yet again. I will see it again tonight, this time on a giant screen, as it seemed natural, and plus there was that medical event which was on my mind the entire time as I first saw it.
Saturday, I had the option of doing a few different things. UFC had a card in Orlando; it was a show where the last few matches would be on FOX and the card looked fine. There was a new college football bowl game in Orlando between San Jose State and Georgia State. But, I decided to attend the NAIA Football Championship Game in Daytona Beach between Marian University of Indiana and Southern Oregon University. They played for the championship last year in Daytona Beach and I thought about going but ultimately did not. SOU won that 55-31. This game went differently; Marian won 31-14. When the SOU quarterback misfired on too many passes...
While it was not that competitive, I was still glad I supported such a game. It was at the municipal stadium, so yeah it is an older structure. I wish that there would have been more concession people working there but otherwise I guess the stadium was acceptable for such an event. It's in the middle of the swamp-which is wacky-although at least there's plenty of parking and there was lights in the parking lot. As for Sunday, I had a feeling Chicago would be whooped by Minnesota and this time I was correct. The Bears lost 38-17 and I did not go out to see it.
As tomorrow I'll be leaving on vacation to Kansas and I won't be back home until sometime on Monday, my next post will be on TUESDAY, December 29.
Monday, December 14, 2015
Minus5 Ice Bar, BB King Blues Club, & Star Wars Prepping
Here's a recap of this past week and due to being preoccupied with other things and not feeling 100%, it was another quiet week where I don't have too much to write about. Nevermind how but in the past I've acquired nice widescreen print versions of the ORIGINAL cuts of the original trilogy and I was happy to watch them as of late. I wouldn't do such things but when people can't legally see the theatrical versions and instead have to deal with the crappy “Special Editions” with needless CGI garbage that sticks out like a sore thumb... I am really looking forward to this upcoming weekend.
Last Monday, I was out and about doing something, which I'll keep private. What wasn't an interesting experience for me was me driving back home from that. I had to deal with what had to be an impaired driver. I don't know if they were drunk, on drugs, mentally impaired, mentally ill, they had Alzheimer's, or what. I got around them as I was worried they'd get me into a wreck... then they started chasing after me! If I would have gotten their license plate number beforehand I would have used my phone to call the boys in blue but as I didn't, there was no easy way for me to do so and as after a few minutes they gave up and went elsewhere, I just forgot about it and made my way home. The way they added only confirmed my suspicions that they shouldn't have been on the road. And yes, driving on the road in Florida is still an aggravating experience, even if only you are in the car for a short amount of time. People still drive cluelessly and/or rudely.
Tuesday I did not do anything but Wednesday I went with someone to a place that the neither of us had been to in way too long, Hurricane Grill & Wings. We both rate their food highly so I can't explain why that was the case. What we had was pretty tasty. Thursday I did not do anything but Friday that was my most interesting day for sure. I had the option of doing several different things-including one which required a bit of time on the road-but I decided to visit a place I hadn't visited in years, Pointe Orlando. Due to location, a lack of things to do there and having to pay for parking, that explains why I haven't returned until now. Turns out, the place still doesn't have a lot to do so it will likely be a long while before I go back. Yet, what I did there was interesting. I thought about possibly seeing a film after dinner; things changed. I ate at a place I only hate at once before, BB King's Blues Club. I remember that place as being fine, and my memory was correct. It's a decent place that offers decent food. I could have done without the incredibly loud table filled with braying jackasses but I am sadly used to such idiocy in the Sunshine State. Even with that, I was still glad I went back there.
After that I went to a place I remember being there for awhile. It's the minus5 Ice Bar, which is exactly what it sounds like: a room that's at a freezer temperature and there is ice all over: sculptures, seats, the bar, etc. The price isn't cheap but with what I paid, I put on a parka & gloves and spent time in the room and had two drinks, which were included in the cost. I was the only customer there, but it was still cool to sit on an ice bench (it was covered with wolf skin), drink out of an ice cup, look at the multicolored LED lights and listen to random music, both old and new. It's something I'd do only once but it was still a memorable experience.
Saturday and Sunday, I ended up doing nothing either day. Saturday I thought of going somewhere to see the big UFC PPV, but I was not feeling 100% and I was just damn tired, so I stayed in instead. The show sounded fine and all, but that main event... at least I was able to view it online. Heck, I pretty much saw it in a Vine video, it was so short. Sunday, the Bears have looked so terrible for most of their games this year (even the ones they've won) that when they faced off against the Washington Redskins-a team who also plays terribly even if they win-I knew I wasn't gonna go anywhere to check it out. Boy was I correct there. Chicago lost yet another close game and I'd rather not speak more about it. Just in highlight form, it looked like a piss-poor contest.
When I return a week from today... Star Wars! I'll definitely be talking about that. I don't really have much else planned, but Episode VII will give me something to talk about, although of course I won't give out any sort of spoilers.
Last Monday, I was out and about doing something, which I'll keep private. What wasn't an interesting experience for me was me driving back home from that. I had to deal with what had to be an impaired driver. I don't know if they were drunk, on drugs, mentally impaired, mentally ill, they had Alzheimer's, or what. I got around them as I was worried they'd get me into a wreck... then they started chasing after me! If I would have gotten their license plate number beforehand I would have used my phone to call the boys in blue but as I didn't, there was no easy way for me to do so and as after a few minutes they gave up and went elsewhere, I just forgot about it and made my way home. The way they added only confirmed my suspicions that they shouldn't have been on the road. And yes, driving on the road in Florida is still an aggravating experience, even if only you are in the car for a short amount of time. People still drive cluelessly and/or rudely.
Tuesday I did not do anything but Wednesday I went with someone to a place that the neither of us had been to in way too long, Hurricane Grill & Wings. We both rate their food highly so I can't explain why that was the case. What we had was pretty tasty. Thursday I did not do anything but Friday that was my most interesting day for sure. I had the option of doing several different things-including one which required a bit of time on the road-but I decided to visit a place I hadn't visited in years, Pointe Orlando. Due to location, a lack of things to do there and having to pay for parking, that explains why I haven't returned until now. Turns out, the place still doesn't have a lot to do so it will likely be a long while before I go back. Yet, what I did there was interesting. I thought about possibly seeing a film after dinner; things changed. I ate at a place I only hate at once before, BB King's Blues Club. I remember that place as being fine, and my memory was correct. It's a decent place that offers decent food. I could have done without the incredibly loud table filled with braying jackasses but I am sadly used to such idiocy in the Sunshine State. Even with that, I was still glad I went back there.
After that I went to a place I remember being there for awhile. It's the minus5 Ice Bar, which is exactly what it sounds like: a room that's at a freezer temperature and there is ice all over: sculptures, seats, the bar, etc. The price isn't cheap but with what I paid, I put on a parka & gloves and spent time in the room and had two drinks, which were included in the cost. I was the only customer there, but it was still cool to sit on an ice bench (it was covered with wolf skin), drink out of an ice cup, look at the multicolored LED lights and listen to random music, both old and new. It's something I'd do only once but it was still a memorable experience.
Saturday and Sunday, I ended up doing nothing either day. Saturday I thought of going somewhere to see the big UFC PPV, but I was not feeling 100% and I was just damn tired, so I stayed in instead. The show sounded fine and all, but that main event... at least I was able to view it online. Heck, I pretty much saw it in a Vine video, it was so short. Sunday, the Bears have looked so terrible for most of their games this year (even the ones they've won) that when they faced off against the Washington Redskins-a team who also plays terribly even if they win-I knew I wasn't gonna go anywhere to check it out. Boy was I correct there. Chicago lost yet another close game and I'd rather not speak more about it. Just in highlight form, it looked like a piss-poor contest.
When I return a week from today... Star Wars! I'll definitely be talking about that. I don't really have much else planned, but Episode VII will give me something to talk about, although of course I won't give out any sort of spoilers.
Monday, December 7, 2015
Die Hard, Ex Machina, Tom & Chee, and Atrocious Football
Here's a recap of what I've done since last Monday. Things were rather quiet. Monday the 30th of November was rather dull, so let me skip ahead to Tuesday, where I first went and got a much-needed haircut. In the evening, I returned to Cinepolis. I am glad that my first time there was my only bad experience there, as otherwise things have been fine at that establishment. The movie I saw was one of my personal favorites, Die Hard; no way would I turn down seeing that in a big fashion.
Wednesday I did not do anything but Thursday I went and got food from Jersey Mike's; they recently opened a location in Clermont, where I'll visit once in awhile. Friday, that was a different sort of day for me. I had to go somewhere to deal with something; it's nothing negative but I'll be vague about it. After that I went to more than one place. I stopped at a MovieStop to get some movies, including Ex Machina, an intelligent sci-fi film from the UK that I had rented from Redbox the night before; that was something I really should have seen on the big screen, as I loved it and there's at least the chance that it'll be my film of 2015.
After that I made a drive to a part of Orlando I rarely visit, in order to check out a restaurant, and as has happened before it was because someone I knew online brought it up. I don't watch any reality TV (as it's all faked and staged, you see) and the same goes for those competition shows, including Shark Tank. Well, Tom & Chee was apparently on there, and while it's not the entire menu, most of it is grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. It sounded wacky so I wanted to try it out. The grilled cheese I had was tasty but as that on its own isn't a full meal & I don't eat (or drink) soup, I decided to walk next door to Fuddruckers to get a burger; after that I was sufficiently full.
Saturday I stayed in but Sunday I returned to the Friendly Confines to watch the Chicago Bears play against the San Francisco 49ers; San Fran has been pretty bad this season so I expected the Bears to win. Oh, how foolish I was! The lunch I had there was at least good. Otherwise, the traffic there and back was brutal and in this past week I had to use my horn more than once or twice. It was a pretty poor past 7 days when it came to such matters. As typical for a sports bar, there were idiots and drama queens and whiners there. “Screaming child” was also part of the equation on this day, and when the Bears blew it and the game-where both teams looked horrible beyond belief-ended up in overtime, I actually left then and there and did not stick around to see overtime, which was a good decision as they lost to terrible San Francisco. It wasn't all bad there as there are always decent people around. It's just the clowns and fools that are a bee in my bonnet.
When I return a week from today... yeah, not too much is on my agenda as of this moment.
Wednesday I did not do anything but Thursday I went and got food from Jersey Mike's; they recently opened a location in Clermont, where I'll visit once in awhile. Friday, that was a different sort of day for me. I had to go somewhere to deal with something; it's nothing negative but I'll be vague about it. After that I went to more than one place. I stopped at a MovieStop to get some movies, including Ex Machina, an intelligent sci-fi film from the UK that I had rented from Redbox the night before; that was something I really should have seen on the big screen, as I loved it and there's at least the chance that it'll be my film of 2015.
After that I made a drive to a part of Orlando I rarely visit, in order to check out a restaurant, and as has happened before it was because someone I knew online brought it up. I don't watch any reality TV (as it's all faked and staged, you see) and the same goes for those competition shows, including Shark Tank. Well, Tom & Chee was apparently on there, and while it's not the entire menu, most of it is grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. It sounded wacky so I wanted to try it out. The grilled cheese I had was tasty but as that on its own isn't a full meal & I don't eat (or drink) soup, I decided to walk next door to Fuddruckers to get a burger; after that I was sufficiently full.
Saturday I stayed in but Sunday I returned to the Friendly Confines to watch the Chicago Bears play against the San Francisco 49ers; San Fran has been pretty bad this season so I expected the Bears to win. Oh, how foolish I was! The lunch I had there was at least good. Otherwise, the traffic there and back was brutal and in this past week I had to use my horn more than once or twice. It was a pretty poor past 7 days when it came to such matters. As typical for a sports bar, there were idiots and drama queens and whiners there. “Screaming child” was also part of the equation on this day, and when the Bears blew it and the game-where both teams looked horrible beyond belief-ended up in overtime, I actually left then and there and did not stick around to see overtime, which was a good decision as they lost to terrible San Francisco. It wasn't all bad there as there are always decent people around. It's just the clowns and fools that are a bee in my bonnet.
When I return a week from today... yeah, not too much is on my agenda as of this moment.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Auto Shows, Alfa Romeo 4C, A New Laptop & Silver Alerts
Here's what I've done since last Monday. On that day I ended up at a restaurant I hadn't gone to in a long while, BJ's Brewhouse & Restaurant. I've always enjoyed what they offer and that was again the case here. I had their smallest pizza as it was half-off at the time, and for the first time I had their pizookie; the name does a pretty good job explaining what it is, and it was great. Tuesday, I did not do anything but Wednesday, it was something out of the norm for me. I had been using the same laptop for a few years now and it still ran OK at this time but for several reasons I decided to get a new one, and I think I made the right decision. I really only use the laptop to surf the web, watch various streaming videos on it, and write something in Open Office. So, I did not need something high end and I found one on sale for less than 400 bucks. I went to Winter Garden Village and first I tried Best Buy, then I went to Staples. I got the HP Notebook at Staples. So far I have no complaints about it.
Thanksgiving, I stayed at home and had a very tasty meal with my parents. I did go out in the evening; I returned to the World of Beer to have a late meal, watch the Chicago Bears play against their hated rivals the Green Bay Packers, and consume a few drinks. On that end, the highlights include Angry Chair Silver Alert (yes, the company is named Angry Chair and yes, Silver Alerts are messages to the public asking them to find someone on the road who has dementia or Alzheimer's) and Brew Bus Brewing You're My Boy Blue. It was less crowded than the previous Sunday I was there and thankfully there were no braying jackasses around. As for the game, the Bears... won? Yes. Even I was shocked by that. It was constantly raining at the game and temperatures were in the low 30's so it was pretty brutal there, and that sort of describes the game and how it was officiated. Still, I'll always chortle when Chicago beats Green Bay, as it usually doesn't happen.
Friday, I went to the Central Florida International Auto Show; I almost always do that the day after Thanksgiving. Held at the Orange County Convention Center, many different automakers are there and you can look and usually sit in new model year vehicles, including the Corvette, Camaro and Mustang. Just getting in the building did not make me happy. At least getting off of 528, there were no signs at all telling you where to go (it may be different if you went south to the OCCC) or where to park. I figured it out on my own due to past visits. However, there were then no exact signs on where people should park, as the complex is huge, has several buildings and the parking lot is huge. So, I had to do extra walking on top of a day where I had to do a lot of hoofing and I did not like that.
Otherwise, it was a nice time there. It is always nice seeing new model cars, whether they are the same from the previous few years, were refreshed/redesigned for this year, or are brand new models. An example of the latter is the Alfa Romeo 4C. Alfa left the United States market 20 years ago and just now officially returned. The 4C is a great-looking sports car and it's either a coupe or a convertible. It got a lot of attention as it looks tremendous. I got to sit in it for a bit (another nice aspect is that most of the vehicles there, you can sit in) and there isn't too much room in there for a guy my size. Still, I wish I could own it... but it's well north of 50,000 bucks so that won't be happening except in my dreams. I ate dinner there of pizza and some Sierra Mist and overall it is swell to go there each late November.
The weekend, I did not do a thing, which was fine by me. I was happy to relax. When I return a week from today, nothing is on the agenda quite yet.
Thanksgiving, I stayed at home and had a very tasty meal with my parents. I did go out in the evening; I returned to the World of Beer to have a late meal, watch the Chicago Bears play against their hated rivals the Green Bay Packers, and consume a few drinks. On that end, the highlights include Angry Chair Silver Alert (yes, the company is named Angry Chair and yes, Silver Alerts are messages to the public asking them to find someone on the road who has dementia or Alzheimer's) and Brew Bus Brewing You're My Boy Blue. It was less crowded than the previous Sunday I was there and thankfully there were no braying jackasses around. As for the game, the Bears... won? Yes. Even I was shocked by that. It was constantly raining at the game and temperatures were in the low 30's so it was pretty brutal there, and that sort of describes the game and how it was officiated. Still, I'll always chortle when Chicago beats Green Bay, as it usually doesn't happen.
Friday, I went to the Central Florida International Auto Show; I almost always do that the day after Thanksgiving. Held at the Orange County Convention Center, many different automakers are there and you can look and usually sit in new model year vehicles, including the Corvette, Camaro and Mustang. Just getting in the building did not make me happy. At least getting off of 528, there were no signs at all telling you where to go (it may be different if you went south to the OCCC) or where to park. I figured it out on my own due to past visits. However, there were then no exact signs on where people should park, as the complex is huge, has several buildings and the parking lot is huge. So, I had to do extra walking on top of a day where I had to do a lot of hoofing and I did not like that.
Otherwise, it was a nice time there. It is always nice seeing new model cars, whether they are the same from the previous few years, were refreshed/redesigned for this year, or are brand new models. An example of the latter is the Alfa Romeo 4C. Alfa left the United States market 20 years ago and just now officially returned. The 4C is a great-looking sports car and it's either a coupe or a convertible. It got a lot of attention as it looks tremendous. I got to sit in it for a bit (another nice aspect is that most of the vehicles there, you can sit in) and there isn't too much room in there for a guy my size. Still, I wish I could own it... but it's well north of 50,000 bucks so that won't be happening except in my dreams. I ate dinner there of pizza and some Sierra Mist and overall it is swell to go there each late November.
The weekend, I did not do a thing, which was fine by me. I was happy to relax. When I return a week from today, nothing is on the agenda quite yet.
Monday, November 23, 2015
Mountain Man Crunch, Free Play Florida, Atari Jaguar, & TurboGrafx-16
Here's what I've done since last Monday. On the 16th the only thing I did of note was end up at a Denny's and that went fine. I had a Super Bird, as that's typically a reliable meal there. On the way back home I ended up at a Planet Smoothie, where I had a new limited edition beverage, that being Mountain Man Crunch, which had such things as granola, bananas, peanut butter, and honey. Yeah, it was tasty. Tuesday, I had plans to do something interesting but due to things out of my control (such as driving in an area I am not familiar with and it's a place where there's poor or no signs to help out a stranger) I had to pull something out of my butt and I did salvage something out of a day that was looking rather poor. I'd rather not get into the specifics of what I was going to do or the things that did not go right, so let me be more positive.
I ended up at a random Perkins restaurant; the one in town closed down awhile ago and I hadn't gone to one since then. The food at this particular place wasn't great but it was still fine. I then returned to a familiar haunt-Disney Springs and I walked around there for a bit. I quenched my thirst at Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar and was amused by the lady who sat by me as she was quite buzzed, to say the least. I then went to the Christmas store they have on property and got gingerbread popcorn, as it sounded so strange. I haven't tried it yet.
Wednesday, I went with someone to the local Chili's for dinner. We both enjoyed our meals. Me, I could have done without the incredibly annoying family who sat close by but at least they left while we were eating dinner. Thursday I didn't do anything as I knew Friday through Sunday would be eventful, which they were. Friday and Saturday was Free Play Florida, one of those events where you pay a flat fee at the door, a wristband is put on you and you get to play a panoply of old pinball tables and arcade machines and those events are always fun.
Friday was opening day and it was at the Hilton hotel by Sea World and that's where it was held last year also. I am not the biggest fan of the place for various reasons but I won't get into that. It was a nicely put-together shindig; you can't do much about the old machines sometimes breaking down; it happens. There were plenty of different tables and games there that had not been there in previous years so I was happy to try them out. A Sword of Fury table with no sound is lame as it's a loud game with cool sound effects, and not just the yelling of LIONMAN, LIONMAN at random times.
I've talked about classic tables before so I'll just mention that out of the new ones there, some of the old “ding-ding” tables from the 60's or so were cool, and I also liked Fish Tales, Popeye and I especially dug the virtual pinball tables present, where each one had over 100 classic roms on it and when I was doing that it was a nice blast from the past, as at Illinois State University they once had Baywatch and Guns N' Roses pinball, which I did play way back when. So it was a nice time overall. In addition, there was a separate room where there were some console tournaments, incredibly loud and nauseating little boys, and such obscure old console systems as Atari Jaguar or TurboGrafx-16. If you had either 20 years old you'd be considered hot stuff... and had to be doing pretty well wealth-wise as well. I had to try out both for the first time and they do have their charms.
Sunday, I returned to the World of Beer to watch the Bears play against the Broncos. Sigh... besides it being another close game that Chicago lost late, there were too many loudmouth cretins that constantly made noise as if they were circus seals, clapping and bellowing and hollering... I was thankful I had a few beverages while there. The fact that they now serve brunch early on the weekends meant I had some tasty blueberry waffles.
While it may not be as entertaining as the week I just had, the upcoming 7 days I do have some activities planned.
I ended up at a random Perkins restaurant; the one in town closed down awhile ago and I hadn't gone to one since then. The food at this particular place wasn't great but it was still fine. I then returned to a familiar haunt-Disney Springs and I walked around there for a bit. I quenched my thirst at Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar and was amused by the lady who sat by me as she was quite buzzed, to say the least. I then went to the Christmas store they have on property and got gingerbread popcorn, as it sounded so strange. I haven't tried it yet.
Wednesday, I went with someone to the local Chili's for dinner. We both enjoyed our meals. Me, I could have done without the incredibly annoying family who sat close by but at least they left while we were eating dinner. Thursday I didn't do anything as I knew Friday through Sunday would be eventful, which they were. Friday and Saturday was Free Play Florida, one of those events where you pay a flat fee at the door, a wristband is put on you and you get to play a panoply of old pinball tables and arcade machines and those events are always fun.
Friday was opening day and it was at the Hilton hotel by Sea World and that's where it was held last year also. I am not the biggest fan of the place for various reasons but I won't get into that. It was a nicely put-together shindig; you can't do much about the old machines sometimes breaking down; it happens. There were plenty of different tables and games there that had not been there in previous years so I was happy to try them out. A Sword of Fury table with no sound is lame as it's a loud game with cool sound effects, and not just the yelling of LIONMAN, LIONMAN at random times.
I've talked about classic tables before so I'll just mention that out of the new ones there, some of the old “ding-ding” tables from the 60's or so were cool, and I also liked Fish Tales, Popeye and I especially dug the virtual pinball tables present, where each one had over 100 classic roms on it and when I was doing that it was a nice blast from the past, as at Illinois State University they once had Baywatch and Guns N' Roses pinball, which I did play way back when. So it was a nice time overall. In addition, there was a separate room where there were some console tournaments, incredibly loud and nauseating little boys, and such obscure old console systems as Atari Jaguar or TurboGrafx-16. If you had either 20 years old you'd be considered hot stuff... and had to be doing pretty well wealth-wise as well. I had to try out both for the first time and they do have their charms.
Sunday, I returned to the World of Beer to watch the Bears play against the Broncos. Sigh... besides it being another close game that Chicago lost late, there were too many loudmouth cretins that constantly made noise as if they were circus seals, clapping and bellowing and hollering... I was thankful I had a few beverages while there. The fact that they now serve brunch early on the weekends meant I had some tasty blueberry waffles.
While it may not be as entertaining as the week I just had, the upcoming 7 days I do have some activities planned.
Monday, November 16, 2015
Holly Holm, 862 Beer, & A Great Example of Schadenfreude
Here's a recap of what I've done since last Monday. On that day the only thing I did was at night, when I saw the Chicago Bears play against the San Diego Chargers. Neither team is really any good so the game wasn't the prettiest to watch. Yet, the Bears looked a little better than usual for this season and they actually won, which was nice. Tuesday, I returned to Universal CityWalk, where this time I got to walk around there and I also ate at an old favorite, Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville. I rate their Cheeseburgers in Paradise highly, so that was what I had again. I then briefly stopped at the NBC Sports Grill & Brew again, this time to have their third 862 beer they make on-site (I had the other two the first time I was there) and all three are fine concoctions.
On the way back a truly glorious moment happened. I rarely get to see it happen but whenever I see someone drive like an asshat and then they soon get pulled over, it always fills my heart with glee and joy. Well, it happened on this night. Even better, it happened because someone did something to me. A little earlier I saw an idiot on the road and he was driving like an idiot, including going too fast. Well, a little later I ended up in front of him and he suddenly was tailgating me then he blew by me going real fast and cut someone else. A cop happened to be hiding in the dark and saw what happened... that was the most hilarious instance of this that I had ever see in person.
Wednesday, I didn't do anything but Thursday, I returned to Walt Disney World, Epcot in particular. The Food & Wine Festival had its last day yesterday, so I figured I should go back there a second and last time. I was happy to get some exercise in some nice weather. I had some more food & drink and that was good. The special musical act playing there was HANSON. I remember when they were a huge deal so their performances being jam-packed was no surprise to me. What wasn't good... Facebook reminding me that on this date 3 years ago I got into that car accident. Despite some close calls I thankfully haven't been in any wrecks since then.
Friday, I did not do anything aside from be sad at what happened in Paris, so let me talk about the weekend. I ended up helping someone out so I did not go out to see the Chicago Bears play on Sunday. The St. Louis Rams are incredibly inconsistent but I still presumed that they'd win; thankfully I was wrong. The Bears not only won, but by a lot. That is always good, along with possibly not having to deal with dumbos if I had gone out. Besides, I went out the night before, to the Twin Peaks restaurant to see my first UFC pay per view in months. There are various reasons as to why I haven't seen one and I won't get into it here. I figured I should as the show was held in a retractable roof stadium in Melbourne, Australia and it drew a huge crowd. Also, the infamous Ronda Rousey fought in the main event.
Now, I expected that bought to go like all the others, and Ronda would dominate. What I had seen of Holly Holm in the UFC, she was less than dominant so despite her great boxing credentials I was not expecting anything to be different. My time at Twin Peaks went fine and I actually had no problem with the crowd there, which is always a relief. I had my almost always of a burger & fries and they always make a real good version of that. The show itself was fine, I guess, but it was all about the main event. I and everyone else was taken aback by how the fight went, how poor Ronda looked... but also what a great job Holly did in the ring. The ending got a huge reaction from the crowd, as expected. So yes I am glad I went and saw it live, especially considering that I wasn't sure at first if I was going to see the PPV.
When I return a week from today, I do have several interesting activities in mind and I hope all those plans come to fruition and they turn out well.
On the way back a truly glorious moment happened. I rarely get to see it happen but whenever I see someone drive like an asshat and then they soon get pulled over, it always fills my heart with glee and joy. Well, it happened on this night. Even better, it happened because someone did something to me. A little earlier I saw an idiot on the road and he was driving like an idiot, including going too fast. Well, a little later I ended up in front of him and he suddenly was tailgating me then he blew by me going real fast and cut someone else. A cop happened to be hiding in the dark and saw what happened... that was the most hilarious instance of this that I had ever see in person.
Wednesday, I didn't do anything but Thursday, I returned to Walt Disney World, Epcot in particular. The Food & Wine Festival had its last day yesterday, so I figured I should go back there a second and last time. I was happy to get some exercise in some nice weather. I had some more food & drink and that was good. The special musical act playing there was HANSON. I remember when they were a huge deal so their performances being jam-packed was no surprise to me. What wasn't good... Facebook reminding me that on this date 3 years ago I got into that car accident. Despite some close calls I thankfully haven't been in any wrecks since then.
Friday, I did not do anything aside from be sad at what happened in Paris, so let me talk about the weekend. I ended up helping someone out so I did not go out to see the Chicago Bears play on Sunday. The St. Louis Rams are incredibly inconsistent but I still presumed that they'd win; thankfully I was wrong. The Bears not only won, but by a lot. That is always good, along with possibly not having to deal with dumbos if I had gone out. Besides, I went out the night before, to the Twin Peaks restaurant to see my first UFC pay per view in months. There are various reasons as to why I haven't seen one and I won't get into it here. I figured I should as the show was held in a retractable roof stadium in Melbourne, Australia and it drew a huge crowd. Also, the infamous Ronda Rousey fought in the main event.
Now, I expected that bought to go like all the others, and Ronda would dominate. What I had seen of Holly Holm in the UFC, she was less than dominant so despite her great boxing credentials I was not expecting anything to be different. My time at Twin Peaks went fine and I actually had no problem with the crowd there, which is always a relief. I had my almost always of a burger & fries and they always make a real good version of that. The show itself was fine, I guess, but it was all about the main event. I and everyone else was taken aback by how the fight went, how poor Ronda looked... but also what a great job Holly did in the ring. The ending got a huge reaction from the crowd, as expected. So yes I am glad I went and saw it live, especially considering that I wasn't sure at first if I was going to see the PPV.
When I return a week from today, I do have several interesting activities in mind and I hope all those plans come to fruition and they turn out well.
Monday, November 9, 2015
NBC Sports Grill & Brew, SPECTRE, and More Melancholy Feelings
I don't want to start off this on a sad note but this is another time where I have to say that I am sad over someone passing away. It involved a family... the parents were a grade below me at Belvidere High School and I have a sister and parent who knew that family better than I did, but I knew who they were and I had the guy in a class once. There was a house fire and the dad and one of their two kids passed away. It's awful all around; I do realize that I really shouldn't complain about things when others have it worse than me; when it's things like this... I feel pretty bad for the entire family.
As for this past week, it was another week where only a few days had any real excitement. Monday the 2nd happened to be one of them. A new bar/restaurant opened but I waited until that Halloween Horror Nights crap was over with; that's right, I went to Universal CityWalk and a new restaurant that opened where the NASCAR Cafe used to be; that joint had fine food & drink, but it was on the kitschy side and I guess they wanted to go more serious; in went the NBC Sports Grill & Brew. The outside has a giant screen that's mainly used to show old highlights; alright then. Inside it does look modern as a nice place; the prices are what you'd expect at a theme park and I'll leave it at that. The food was tasty and so were the beers they made on site. I am not quite sure why that place only has bathrooms on the second floor but otherwise that is a bar/restaurant I'll definitely go to again in the future.
Tuesday and Wednesday were dull; I doubt anyone wants to hear about how I had Internet issues before I fixed it so I'll mention that on Thursday I went to IHOP as I hadn't been there in awhile; I went with someone and I had the raspberry white chocolate chip pancakes and needless to say, I thought it was real good. I had it before a few years ago and liked it then too. That night, I finished watching the Bond films; earlier in the year I decided to see all 23 again before I saw the new one, SPECTRE.
Friday, that was the day I went and saw SPECTRE. I figured I should see it in a big way so I made the journey over to Disney Springs and the AMC Theatre to see it on the giant ETX screen. After seeing the flick, I enjoyed it but it wasn't as good as Casino Royle and definitely not as good as Skyfall. I don't regret seeing it, though. After that I thought of some restaurant on those grounds I hadn't eaten at in awhile and I came to the Crossroads at the House of Blues. They make tasty food themselves so I was glad I made that choice.
The weekend, I did not do anything at all and I was fine with that. Saturday and Sunday night were both rainy so that was another reason I was glad to do nothing. The Bears don't play until tonight so I did not have to worry about that. When I return a week from today... I'll be a broken record and say that I do have some things planned. I hope it's a more eventful week than the one I just had. If any wacky or odd moments happen to me, that'd be nice for conversation, if nothing else.
As for this past week, it was another week where only a few days had any real excitement. Monday the 2nd happened to be one of them. A new bar/restaurant opened but I waited until that Halloween Horror Nights crap was over with; that's right, I went to Universal CityWalk and a new restaurant that opened where the NASCAR Cafe used to be; that joint had fine food & drink, but it was on the kitschy side and I guess they wanted to go more serious; in went the NBC Sports Grill & Brew. The outside has a giant screen that's mainly used to show old highlights; alright then. Inside it does look modern as a nice place; the prices are what you'd expect at a theme park and I'll leave it at that. The food was tasty and so were the beers they made on site. I am not quite sure why that place only has bathrooms on the second floor but otherwise that is a bar/restaurant I'll definitely go to again in the future.
Tuesday and Wednesday were dull; I doubt anyone wants to hear about how I had Internet issues before I fixed it so I'll mention that on Thursday I went to IHOP as I hadn't been there in awhile; I went with someone and I had the raspberry white chocolate chip pancakes and needless to say, I thought it was real good. I had it before a few years ago and liked it then too. That night, I finished watching the Bond films; earlier in the year I decided to see all 23 again before I saw the new one, SPECTRE.
Friday, that was the day I went and saw SPECTRE. I figured I should see it in a big way so I made the journey over to Disney Springs and the AMC Theatre to see it on the giant ETX screen. After seeing the flick, I enjoyed it but it wasn't as good as Casino Royle and definitely not as good as Skyfall. I don't regret seeing it, though. After that I thought of some restaurant on those grounds I hadn't eaten at in awhile and I came to the Crossroads at the House of Blues. They make tasty food themselves so I was glad I made that choice.
The weekend, I did not do anything at all and I was fine with that. Saturday and Sunday night were both rainy so that was another reason I was glad to do nothing. The Bears don't play until tonight so I did not have to worry about that. When I return a week from today... I'll be a broken record and say that I do have some things planned. I hope it's a more eventful week than the one I just had. If any wacky or odd moments happen to me, that'd be nice for conversation, if nothing else.
Monday, November 2, 2015
Pumpkin Smash, The Florida Mall, Chicken Now & The Terrible Bears
Here's a recap of what I've done in the past week and this is one of those odd weeks where the only real thing I did was during the weekend. I laid low during the week itself, not doing much besides going to a Wawa to get dinner one late afternoon and Walmart to get a new razor and some random items. I don't mean to be an International Man of Mystery but some parts of my life I do keep private on purpose, as I prefer it that way. I'll just say that it was traffic and some personal dealings that made me quite frustrated with humanity as I had to deal with the typical awful traffic and some incredibly rude and ignorant A-holes in person (my home life was fine so I am not referring to that) and I can never stand such things. I'll just move on from that and I hope that this upcoming weeks don't have such braying jackasses to deal with.
So, onto the weekend. Halloween I thought about doing something but I did not get the best night's sleep so I canceled those plans and did something else instead. I stopped at a Big Lots (where I got some random food & drink) then I went to the Florida Mall as I hadn't been there in at least 6 months. The main thing different is that the old cramped foot court is no more and now they have a huge fancy one with some new places. The only thing I purchased there was also food & drink items. I got food from Chicken Now and it did taste good. For drink I had something from Jamba Juice known as Pumpkin Smash and besides being appropriate for the day it was tasty.
It was pretty busy but I expected that. Some people dressed up for the day and that was nice. To be honest, though, some individuals I saw and I wasn't quite sure if they were in costume or not! The one adult male who dressed like he was in a gay pride parade... I am fine with such people but I am not sure if such an outfit was appropriate for a setting where many families were around. After that I went to the nearby Barnes & Noble then I drove home.
Sunday, it was a day of ups and downs. I went to the local Buffalo Wild Wings and I've had issues there in the past, and another one flared up on this day. Who knows when I'll be back there, but it may be a long while. The bar area was woefully understaffed and that was stupid on an NFL Sunday but the person behind there did a poor job and that did not help. I don't want to go into further details but there was plenty of stupid people around on that day and if that wasn't bad enough, the game vs. the Minnesota Vikings was hard to watch and despite that the Bears were actually winning late... until they soiled the bed and they lost. At least next Sunday I don't have to go anywhere as Chicago doesn't play until Monday night the 9th. I will just presume that they'll lose to the San Diego Chargers.
In the evening things improved. I returned to Disney Springs. I saw the latest (and supposed late) Paranormal Activity. Aside from the 4th one I've enjoyed all of them and mainly due to sheer goofiness and silliness I also enjoyed this entry. I then saw parts of the football and baseball games at the nearby Splitsville, where I had a frosty beverage. Between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets, it did not matter to me which teams won as neither team had won the World Series since the mid-80's. Congrats to the Royals.
When I return a week from today, I do have a few things planned, at least; hopefully all the plans happen and don't change.
So, onto the weekend. Halloween I thought about doing something but I did not get the best night's sleep so I canceled those plans and did something else instead. I stopped at a Big Lots (where I got some random food & drink) then I went to the Florida Mall as I hadn't been there in at least 6 months. The main thing different is that the old cramped foot court is no more and now they have a huge fancy one with some new places. The only thing I purchased there was also food & drink items. I got food from Chicken Now and it did taste good. For drink I had something from Jamba Juice known as Pumpkin Smash and besides being appropriate for the day it was tasty.
It was pretty busy but I expected that. Some people dressed up for the day and that was nice. To be honest, though, some individuals I saw and I wasn't quite sure if they were in costume or not! The one adult male who dressed like he was in a gay pride parade... I am fine with such people but I am not sure if such an outfit was appropriate for a setting where many families were around. After that I went to the nearby Barnes & Noble then I drove home.
Sunday, it was a day of ups and downs. I went to the local Buffalo Wild Wings and I've had issues there in the past, and another one flared up on this day. Who knows when I'll be back there, but it may be a long while. The bar area was woefully understaffed and that was stupid on an NFL Sunday but the person behind there did a poor job and that did not help. I don't want to go into further details but there was plenty of stupid people around on that day and if that wasn't bad enough, the game vs. the Minnesota Vikings was hard to watch and despite that the Bears were actually winning late... until they soiled the bed and they lost. At least next Sunday I don't have to go anywhere as Chicago doesn't play until Monday night the 9th. I will just presume that they'll lose to the San Diego Chargers.
In the evening things improved. I returned to Disney Springs. I saw the latest (and supposed late) Paranormal Activity. Aside from the 4th one I've enjoyed all of them and mainly due to sheer goofiness and silliness I also enjoyed this entry. I then saw parts of the football and baseball games at the nearby Splitsville, where I had a frosty beverage. Between the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets, it did not matter to me which teams won as neither team had won the World Series since the mid-80's. Congrats to the Royals.
When I return a week from today, I do have a few things planned, at least; hopefully all the plans happen and don't change.
Monday, October 26, 2015
Back To The Future, Dracula, Tokyo Sexwale And Too Drunk To Karaoke
This past weekend (this was before it became a Twitter trending topic today) I discovered that a South African man (a longtime politician) wants to be the next president of FIFA and his name is TOKYO SEXWALE. That's not his real first name but it came as a kid as he did karate. Amazing all around. Just today I discovered that another FIFA candidate is named Jerome Champagne, and that is also great.
Here's a recap of what I've done in the past week. Monday and Tuesday were dull. The newest Star Wars trailer was fine and all but it didn't blow me away... and I've loved the original three films since a kid. Trailers just don't do it for me anymore. The fact that it debuted on TV during a football game in a gross attempt for ratings... that still puts a rancid taste in my mouth. When the highlight otherwise was going to the local library... so let me go back in time to Wednesday. That ended up being Back to the Future Day all across the world and I celebrated it by going to Lakeland and the Cinemark there, so I could watch all three movies back to back to back on a giant screen. I never had a problem there but alas... things changed.
Now, it was nice seeing those movies on the big screen; I did not see them often when I was a kid, which is unlike most people, apparently. Still, I enjoy all three for sure. The turnout was nice and aside from some typically annoying 12 year old boys (are there any that aren't?) I had little problem with the audience. Unfortunately, the people who run that joint were stupid and apparently had no idea this event would be popular, so they were understaffed and those that were there were not good at their jobs; it took way too long just to get a simple hot dog. I was not happy, and even though the place is real nice and all, that day soured me on going there for awhile; there are plenty of theatres closer by me I can go to that I have no issue with.
Thursday, I went with someone I know to a Sam's Club. They have membership there and we both needed items. I got such things as Gatorade, V8 and candy. After that we went to the nearby Logan's Roadhouse, where my meal of a bacon cheeseburger turned out well but that other person had problems with their meal, mainly that it was undercooked. They played modern country music while we were there and that is something I never listen to. Some of those songs are so goofy I can't help but chortle. One that almost literally made me laugh out loud was something called Too Drunk to Karaoke, from Jimmy Buffett and Toby Keith. It's exactly how you'd imagine it to be. In terms of food, I guess the next time we go to Sam's Club we'll visit another restaurant instead.
Also on Thursday, the chord to my laptop (which I've had for several years and eventually I'll get a new one; I just don't know when quite yet; it may be many months down the road) stopped working. I wish it would have lasted a day longer as a few days beforehand it started acting bad so I ordered a replacement one and it didn't come until Friday. I worked around it on Thursday by borrowing someone else's computer, but it was still a hassle. Anyhow, Saturday I did not do a thing so let me skip ahead to Sunday.
On that day I went and saw a pair of real old movies on the big screen, the 1931 Bela Lugosi Dracula then a Spanish language version with a different cast that they shot at the same time. It was presented by Turner Classic Movies and Fathom Events. I decided to go to Winter Park Village as I hadn't been there in a long while; I hadn't eaten at a Lime Fresh Mexican Grill in at least a year and I hadn't gone to the Regal Cinemas there in many months. The drive there and back wasn't the best as I dealt with some real idiots, and there was even a dope or two at the Lime restaurant. But, the food at Lime was good, the lady who took my order was real nice, and as there was only two other people at the theatre, I had no problem there. I enjoyed seeing both on the big screen.
When I return a week from today, I do have some plans in mind so it won't be a boring time for me.
Here's a recap of what I've done in the past week. Monday and Tuesday were dull. The newest Star Wars trailer was fine and all but it didn't blow me away... and I've loved the original three films since a kid. Trailers just don't do it for me anymore. The fact that it debuted on TV during a football game in a gross attempt for ratings... that still puts a rancid taste in my mouth. When the highlight otherwise was going to the local library... so let me go back in time to Wednesday. That ended up being Back to the Future Day all across the world and I celebrated it by going to Lakeland and the Cinemark there, so I could watch all three movies back to back to back on a giant screen. I never had a problem there but alas... things changed.
Now, it was nice seeing those movies on the big screen; I did not see them often when I was a kid, which is unlike most people, apparently. Still, I enjoy all three for sure. The turnout was nice and aside from some typically annoying 12 year old boys (are there any that aren't?) I had little problem with the audience. Unfortunately, the people who run that joint were stupid and apparently had no idea this event would be popular, so they were understaffed and those that were there were not good at their jobs; it took way too long just to get a simple hot dog. I was not happy, and even though the place is real nice and all, that day soured me on going there for awhile; there are plenty of theatres closer by me I can go to that I have no issue with.
Thursday, I went with someone I know to a Sam's Club. They have membership there and we both needed items. I got such things as Gatorade, V8 and candy. After that we went to the nearby Logan's Roadhouse, where my meal of a bacon cheeseburger turned out well but that other person had problems with their meal, mainly that it was undercooked. They played modern country music while we were there and that is something I never listen to. Some of those songs are so goofy I can't help but chortle. One that almost literally made me laugh out loud was something called Too Drunk to Karaoke, from Jimmy Buffett and Toby Keith. It's exactly how you'd imagine it to be. In terms of food, I guess the next time we go to Sam's Club we'll visit another restaurant instead.
Also on Thursday, the chord to my laptop (which I've had for several years and eventually I'll get a new one; I just don't know when quite yet; it may be many months down the road) stopped working. I wish it would have lasted a day longer as a few days beforehand it started acting bad so I ordered a replacement one and it didn't come until Friday. I worked around it on Thursday by borrowing someone else's computer, but it was still a hassle. Anyhow, Saturday I did not do a thing so let me skip ahead to Sunday.
On that day I went and saw a pair of real old movies on the big screen, the 1931 Bela Lugosi Dracula then a Spanish language version with a different cast that they shot at the same time. It was presented by Turner Classic Movies and Fathom Events. I decided to go to Winter Park Village as I hadn't been there in a long while; I hadn't eaten at a Lime Fresh Mexican Grill in at least a year and I hadn't gone to the Regal Cinemas there in many months. The drive there and back wasn't the best as I dealt with some real idiots, and there was even a dope or two at the Lime restaurant. But, the food at Lime was good, the lady who took my order was real nice, and as there was only two other people at the theatre, I had no problem there. I enjoyed seeing both on the big screen.
When I return a week from today, I do have some plans in mind so it won't be a boring time for me.
Monday, October 19, 2015
Benny Hill, The Shining, & Watching Atrocious Football
Here's what I've done since last Monday; that day itself I went to a Walmart and that was a standard trip there. Tuesday was more interesting. Every Cinepolis theatre shows old movies every Tuesday at 7 PM, and the film this time was The Shining; it wasn't even the first time I got to see it on the big screen but the last viewing overall for me was awhile ago, so I did not want to turn down that opportunity. The turnout was alright. As it's assigned seating I ended up in front of some British people; really. More on that in a bit.
My first time there was bad, the second time was better and thankfully the third experience was fine. The lady who helped me out that first time was there again and considering that she brought out my food instead of placing it on the counter for me to get... she must have remembered me. Really, I am an unforgettable sort of person. As for the film, it was quite nice seeing it that way. All the Brits enjoyed it, including a gal who had never seen it before. The biggest reaction she had to the film.. .the scene with the guy in the bear suit! Not an overreaction to me, especially considering how odd and random it was.
Wednesday, I made yet another airport run, this time picking someone up from Orlando International. Before that I went to the city of Celebration and I went to the Market Street Cafe, a place I've been to a few times before. Their food is fine and that was the case again on this day. I had an Oreo shake there, which was pretty good. I am thinking that this upcoming week I'll return to the town, walk around for a bit and try out another restaurant instead of going to the same old places.
Thursday, the only thing I did was go to the local library as I hadn't been there in a long while. The only thing I got was a one week rental of a DVD set that has some episodes of the Benny Hill Show. I may be mistaken as this would have been when I was very young but I have far-away memories of seeing episodes of it on PBS. I haven't watched everything on the discs so far but what I've seen, it has been amusing.
Friday and Saturday I thought about doing things but as I am old and tired (instead of old and wise, as I like to say) I decided not to. At least Sunday I went out and about. I returned to the Friendly Confines restaurant/bar to see the Chicago Bears play against the Detroit Lions, who are so bad the Bears had a good chance of winning. Well, the game was awful all around; both teams played like crap and the officials (I am not someone who blindly bashes them like most people do; blaming the refs for something when they were typically right or they just made a mistake... a great reason why I dislike most sports fans, to be honest) were horrible. They blew many calls and both teams benefited or were hampered by that.
Then, it went into overtime and that's when it got REAL bad. It's as if the teams wanted to play to a scoreless 15 minutes, thus resulting in a tie game. As I had lunch there then ordered dinner to bring back home to me and someone else, I was not happy about that, and I did have to heat up my food as I got home, as I did not think it'd be an overtime contest. Anyhow, Detroit won and I am not too sad that Chicago doesn't play this upcoming weekend due to it being a bye week for them. At least the food was good and it was nice to see some regular fans who I've seen watch games there for years now. But I could have done without the “sports fans” there who yelled and bellowed over minor things or getting seriously angry over a dopey sport like football. I could have done without being yelled in my ear.
When I return next Monday, I do have some interesting things planned and I'll be watching some old and good movies on the big screen too.
My first time there was bad, the second time was better and thankfully the third experience was fine. The lady who helped me out that first time was there again and considering that she brought out my food instead of placing it on the counter for me to get... she must have remembered me. Really, I am an unforgettable sort of person. As for the film, it was quite nice seeing it that way. All the Brits enjoyed it, including a gal who had never seen it before. The biggest reaction she had to the film.. .the scene with the guy in the bear suit! Not an overreaction to me, especially considering how odd and random it was.
Wednesday, I made yet another airport run, this time picking someone up from Orlando International. Before that I went to the city of Celebration and I went to the Market Street Cafe, a place I've been to a few times before. Their food is fine and that was the case again on this day. I had an Oreo shake there, which was pretty good. I am thinking that this upcoming week I'll return to the town, walk around for a bit and try out another restaurant instead of going to the same old places.
Thursday, the only thing I did was go to the local library as I hadn't been there in a long while. The only thing I got was a one week rental of a DVD set that has some episodes of the Benny Hill Show. I may be mistaken as this would have been when I was very young but I have far-away memories of seeing episodes of it on PBS. I haven't watched everything on the discs so far but what I've seen, it has been amusing.
Friday and Saturday I thought about doing things but as I am old and tired (instead of old and wise, as I like to say) I decided not to. At least Sunday I went out and about. I returned to the Friendly Confines restaurant/bar to see the Chicago Bears play against the Detroit Lions, who are so bad the Bears had a good chance of winning. Well, the game was awful all around; both teams played like crap and the officials (I am not someone who blindly bashes them like most people do; blaming the refs for something when they were typically right or they just made a mistake... a great reason why I dislike most sports fans, to be honest) were horrible. They blew many calls and both teams benefited or were hampered by that.
Then, it went into overtime and that's when it got REAL bad. It's as if the teams wanted to play to a scoreless 15 minutes, thus resulting in a tie game. As I had lunch there then ordered dinner to bring back home to me and someone else, I was not happy about that, and I did have to heat up my food as I got home, as I did not think it'd be an overtime contest. Anyhow, Detroit won and I am not too sad that Chicago doesn't play this upcoming weekend due to it being a bye week for them. At least the food was good and it was nice to see some regular fans who I've seen watch games there for years now. But I could have done without the “sports fans” there who yelled and bellowed over minor things or getting seriously angry over a dopey sport like football. I could have done without being yelled in my ear.
When I return next Monday, I do have some interesting things planned and I'll be watching some old and good movies on the big screen too.
Monday, October 12, 2015
Christopher Cross, Pumpkin Cider, Mountain Dew: Game Fuel & Free Food
Here's what I've done this past week. I didn't do anything this past Monday so let me mention some things I did not discuss in my last post:
1 When I was at Epcot for the Food & Wine Festival, the musical act that played there (in half hour concerts a few times a day) was Christopher Cross. I was amused as talk about a one album wonder... although considering that a reason why his career as a big deal was so brief was his physical appearance and how he wasn't exactly Elvis in his prime... that is kind of crappy. I only heard part of it but if you know his hit songs, that's what he played.
2 On that Friday, it was the final game of the Australian Football League season; I haven't mentioned that in months but I still try to watch it when I can. The championship game was won by Hawthorn over West Coast in a not competitive contest. The next season does not begin until March.
Tuesday, I ended up in Winter Park so I got some sodas from Rocket Fizz then I ate at the nearby BurgerFi. At 3 AM that next morning I had to make another airport run, this time to Orlando International to drop someone off. On the way back I stopped at a Denny's, where an option is to make your own Grand Slam Breakfast and that's what I did, with pancakes, a biscuit, bacon and sausage links.
Let me skip ahead to Thursday, where I returned to a location for the first time in months; that location was the World of Beer! I went there for dinner and some drinks; they were all related to this time of year, including pumpkin cider from Ace; that was pretty good. I had my almost always of a burger and fries, and I was about to leave when, out of nowhere, one of the bartenders came up to me and asked if I wanted free food. Someone screwed up and there was an extra giant pretzel. Well, it wasn't a food item that wasn't to my tastes so I definitely did not turn that down, although I was pretty full by the time I left.
The rest of the week was dull so let me mention at this point that I discovered there was a new Mountain Dew: Game Fuel. Throughout the years there's been a few times where for a limited time they put out a new flavor of Game Fuel and it's tied to a then hot videogame; in the past it was games like Halo 3, World of Warcraft, and some Call of Duty entries. Now it's based on Call of Duty: Black Ops III and there's two versions; the citrus cherry that's usually a part of it and what I stumbled on, which was Berry Lime and it's pretty good. They have even more caffeine than regular Mountain Dew, as I am sure that's what all the “1337 gamers” want.
Now I'll skip ahead to Sunday. Once again I stayed in and didn't go out to see the Chicago Bears game in full. I expected them to lose against Kansas City, even though the Chiefs aren't that good themselves; some key Bears players were injured and didn't play. Well, a key Chief got hurt himself and Chicago pulled out another victory out of their butts at the last minute. I am glad they won and I saw some bits and pieces of it on the NFL Red Zone Channel but for all I know it would have been a bad game to watch in full. I may go out this upcoming Sunday to see them play against the Lions, as the Bears are a decent team and have it together compared to them.
When I return a week from today... as I typically say there's not much on the agenda yet.
1 When I was at Epcot for the Food & Wine Festival, the musical act that played there (in half hour concerts a few times a day) was Christopher Cross. I was amused as talk about a one album wonder... although considering that a reason why his career as a big deal was so brief was his physical appearance and how he wasn't exactly Elvis in his prime... that is kind of crappy. I only heard part of it but if you know his hit songs, that's what he played.
2 On that Friday, it was the final game of the Australian Football League season; I haven't mentioned that in months but I still try to watch it when I can. The championship game was won by Hawthorn over West Coast in a not competitive contest. The next season does not begin until March.
Tuesday, I ended up in Winter Park so I got some sodas from Rocket Fizz then I ate at the nearby BurgerFi. At 3 AM that next morning I had to make another airport run, this time to Orlando International to drop someone off. On the way back I stopped at a Denny's, where an option is to make your own Grand Slam Breakfast and that's what I did, with pancakes, a biscuit, bacon and sausage links.
Let me skip ahead to Thursday, where I returned to a location for the first time in months; that location was the World of Beer! I went there for dinner and some drinks; they were all related to this time of year, including pumpkin cider from Ace; that was pretty good. I had my almost always of a burger and fries, and I was about to leave when, out of nowhere, one of the bartenders came up to me and asked if I wanted free food. Someone screwed up and there was an extra giant pretzel. Well, it wasn't a food item that wasn't to my tastes so I definitely did not turn that down, although I was pretty full by the time I left.
The rest of the week was dull so let me mention at this point that I discovered there was a new Mountain Dew: Game Fuel. Throughout the years there's been a few times where for a limited time they put out a new flavor of Game Fuel and it's tied to a then hot videogame; in the past it was games like Halo 3, World of Warcraft, and some Call of Duty entries. Now it's based on Call of Duty: Black Ops III and there's two versions; the citrus cherry that's usually a part of it and what I stumbled on, which was Berry Lime and it's pretty good. They have even more caffeine than regular Mountain Dew, as I am sure that's what all the “1337 gamers” want.
Now I'll skip ahead to Sunday. Once again I stayed in and didn't go out to see the Chicago Bears game in full. I expected them to lose against Kansas City, even though the Chiefs aren't that good themselves; some key Bears players were injured and didn't play. Well, a key Chief got hurt himself and Chicago pulled out another victory out of their butts at the last minute. I am glad they won and I saw some bits and pieces of it on the NFL Red Zone Channel but for all I know it would have been a bad game to watch in full. I may go out this upcoming Sunday to see them play against the Lions, as the Bears are a decent team and have it together compared to them.
When I return a week from today... as I typically say there's not much on the agenda yet.
Monday, October 5, 2015
007, The Food & Wine Festival, Pocari Sweat, & Apple Strudel Shakes
Here's a recap of what I've done since last Monday. On Monday the 28th I did end up going somewhere. It was a MovieStop; this one was in Kissimmee. While there were some incredibly annoying people around and I felt bad for those poor old Magic: The Gathering group in the store trying to play a game while those jackasses were braying as loud as can be. However, I did spot that they had a box set of all the Bond films; I have them on DVD but with some of them, playback issues started happening, so now was the perfect time for an upgrade. After that I went to the place soon to be known as Disney Springs, and I ended up at Splitsville for a beverage and dessert, which was a Ghiradelli brownie with ice cream, chocolate sauce and sprinkles. Needless to say it was great.
Tuesday, I returned to that MovieStop as that was the day where I exchanged the 007 films I had on DVD and I included some other discs. As they are connected to GameStop, it's no surprise that what money I got back in return wasn't great; still, I used it to get the Bond Blu discs and 23 movies (almost all of them average at worst) for a little more than 100 bucks is something I won't complain about. After that I decided to eat at Larry's Giant Subs as it's far enough away from me where I can only eat there once in a blue moon, and I wish it was closer as I really like their sandwiches.
Wednesday, I went out with my parents to that Lilly's on the Lake restaurant I talked about last month.; everyone enjoyed their food. At least with me, I was amused by them having some wacky Halloween decorations up. Also, I ordered a root beer and somehow got a root beer float instead; not that I complained about it, mind you... it was good. Thursday, I went to Walt Disney World, Epcot in particular. I figured it was about time I used my pass again and visiting the Food & Wine Festival was a good idea. I walked around and had both food & drink, all of which I enjoyed. I had a random clear Chinese drink that was lychee flavored, but the highlight was Pocari Sweat, a Gatorade-like beverage made in Japan that's been around for years and I've heard of it for years as it has such a wacky name. I got it from a stand in the Japan area and it's a fine refreshing drink. I did not try any of the alcoholic beverages on sale, although I plan on being back there before the festival is over with and I can always do that then. But I definitely won't be like the fools who go there during the Food & Wine Festival and the Flower & Garden Festival and act like clowns because they can imbibe a large amount of alcohol in a short amount of time.
Friday, I had to be in Orlando for something and I had the free time to go to Winter Park and while there I ate at a Shake Shack and not only had a burger but also an apple strudel milkshake, which was in fact as good as it sounds. Saturday, I did not go out to see the UFC pay per view, or even illegally watch it. I am still feeling pretty blah about that company and dealing with the braying jackass crowd of a sports bar watching college football (the Florida Gators were playing in the evening so I know all of them would be packed) was not something I felt like dealing with. The only thing I did was in the afternoon, and it was to go to the car wash as the vehicle was pretty filthy.
Sunday, I once again did not feel like going out and watching that crappy team known as the Chicago Bears. I expected them to lose against the Oakland Raiders and from what I saw it was an ugly game but yet somehow Chicago squeaked out a victory; good for them. When I return a week from today, I don't have much planned... yet.
Tuesday, I returned to that MovieStop as that was the day where I exchanged the 007 films I had on DVD and I included some other discs. As they are connected to GameStop, it's no surprise that what money I got back in return wasn't great; still, I used it to get the Bond Blu discs and 23 movies (almost all of them average at worst) for a little more than 100 bucks is something I won't complain about. After that I decided to eat at Larry's Giant Subs as it's far enough away from me where I can only eat there once in a blue moon, and I wish it was closer as I really like their sandwiches.
Wednesday, I went out with my parents to that Lilly's on the Lake restaurant I talked about last month.; everyone enjoyed their food. At least with me, I was amused by them having some wacky Halloween decorations up. Also, I ordered a root beer and somehow got a root beer float instead; not that I complained about it, mind you... it was good. Thursday, I went to Walt Disney World, Epcot in particular. I figured it was about time I used my pass again and visiting the Food & Wine Festival was a good idea. I walked around and had both food & drink, all of which I enjoyed. I had a random clear Chinese drink that was lychee flavored, but the highlight was Pocari Sweat, a Gatorade-like beverage made in Japan that's been around for years and I've heard of it for years as it has such a wacky name. I got it from a stand in the Japan area and it's a fine refreshing drink. I did not try any of the alcoholic beverages on sale, although I plan on being back there before the festival is over with and I can always do that then. But I definitely won't be like the fools who go there during the Food & Wine Festival and the Flower & Garden Festival and act like clowns because they can imbibe a large amount of alcohol in a short amount of time.
Friday, I had to be in Orlando for something and I had the free time to go to Winter Park and while there I ate at a Shake Shack and not only had a burger but also an apple strudel milkshake, which was in fact as good as it sounds. Saturday, I did not go out to see the UFC pay per view, or even illegally watch it. I am still feeling pretty blah about that company and dealing with the braying jackass crowd of a sports bar watching college football (the Florida Gators were playing in the evening so I know all of them would be packed) was not something I felt like dealing with. The only thing I did was in the afternoon, and it was to go to the car wash as the vehicle was pretty filthy.
Sunday, I once again did not feel like going out and watching that crappy team known as the Chicago Bears. I expected them to lose against the Oakland Raiders and from what I saw it was an ugly game but yet somehow Chicago squeaked out a victory; good for them. When I return a week from today, I don't have much planned... yet.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Giraffas, Psycho, Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar & Not Watching Bad Football
Here's a recap of what I've done in the past week. Last Monday I didn't do a thing so let me skip ahead to Tuesday. The night before I heard about a restaurant called Giraffas and it was in reference to some people hearing about it and having no idea what it was... which was the same boat I was in. I used Google and discovered it was a popular Brazilian quick service restaurant which after its success in its native country opened some stores in Florida, including two locations in Orlando.
Tuesday I went to the location on Mills Avenue and holy cow was the traffic this past week absolutely brutal, especially on this day. I know I talk about it all the time but it was really bad. Multiple people weaving in and out of traffic, tailgating, the typical rude ignorant behavior, etc. It got to the point of being infuriating. It's a shame I rolled in there in a bad mood, as they do make good food. They don't have too many items on the menu but as it's a quick service place and most of it is Brazilian dishes, I understand. They do have a burger and fries and needless to say, that's what I had. I enjoyed that and the Brazilian soda known as Guarana Antarctica, which I hear is even more popular than Coca Cola down there. If it was closer I'd go there more often but I will give them a plug.
Wednesday, I went and saw Psycho on the big screen. It was presented by Fathom Events all across the country. I saw that classic film on the big screen once before, years ago. I was happy to see it again as it's a great motion picture. Heck, I saw the crappy 1998 shot for shot remake on the big screen back in late '98 and I was like every other vocal member of the audience in thinking it was not good. I went to the future Disney Springs to watch the film. Beforehand I ate at the T. Rex Cafe. The food is pricey there but at least it's good and the theme is great. Even before that I went in a new place there called Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar; it's a minor character from Raiders of the Lost Ark... he was the pilot in the beginning, to be specific. It's more a 30's airplane hangar inside than a joint with a strong Indiana Jones theme but that's OK. It was still cool. It's mainly a bar with some appetizers served. The menu has many references to the franchise, at least, although nothing about “No time for love, Dr. Jones!”, which is a fan favorite.
Thursday through Saturday I did not do much of note, which was fine by me. Sunday, I had to make another airport run, which was also fine by me. Going somewhere to see the Bears game was out of the question; besides missing their QB and their best wide receiver, they were playing against one of the best teams in the entire NFL in the Seattle Seahawks, so I knew it would not be a competitive contest. Well, it turned out to be a bad game in another way; from what I saw on the NFL Redzone Channel (which I did not pay attention to the entire time), in the first half both teams played bad and it seemed like such a dreadful contest, then the second half Seattle pulled away. I am especially glad I stayed home.
Sunday night, I made the airport run and it was rainy weather most of the way to Sanford; some of it was pretty bad, and of course people drove even worse than usual in the rain, as it always happens. At least it did not rain on the way back. While in Sanford I stopped at a Walmart to get something, I got gas there, then I went to a nearby PDQ for a shake and cookie before I picked up that person and went back home. As for the upcoming week, I do have a few things in mind so when I come back next Monday it shouldn't be a dull post.
Tuesday I went to the location on Mills Avenue and holy cow was the traffic this past week absolutely brutal, especially on this day. I know I talk about it all the time but it was really bad. Multiple people weaving in and out of traffic, tailgating, the typical rude ignorant behavior, etc. It got to the point of being infuriating. It's a shame I rolled in there in a bad mood, as they do make good food. They don't have too many items on the menu but as it's a quick service place and most of it is Brazilian dishes, I understand. They do have a burger and fries and needless to say, that's what I had. I enjoyed that and the Brazilian soda known as Guarana Antarctica, which I hear is even more popular than Coca Cola down there. If it was closer I'd go there more often but I will give them a plug.
Wednesday, I went and saw Psycho on the big screen. It was presented by Fathom Events all across the country. I saw that classic film on the big screen once before, years ago. I was happy to see it again as it's a great motion picture. Heck, I saw the crappy 1998 shot for shot remake on the big screen back in late '98 and I was like every other vocal member of the audience in thinking it was not good. I went to the future Disney Springs to watch the film. Beforehand I ate at the T. Rex Cafe. The food is pricey there but at least it's good and the theme is great. Even before that I went in a new place there called Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar; it's a minor character from Raiders of the Lost Ark... he was the pilot in the beginning, to be specific. It's more a 30's airplane hangar inside than a joint with a strong Indiana Jones theme but that's OK. It was still cool. It's mainly a bar with some appetizers served. The menu has many references to the franchise, at least, although nothing about “No time for love, Dr. Jones!”, which is a fan favorite.
Thursday through Saturday I did not do much of note, which was fine by me. Sunday, I had to make another airport run, which was also fine by me. Going somewhere to see the Bears game was out of the question; besides missing their QB and their best wide receiver, they were playing against one of the best teams in the entire NFL in the Seattle Seahawks, so I knew it would not be a competitive contest. Well, it turned out to be a bad game in another way; from what I saw on the NFL Redzone Channel (which I did not pay attention to the entire time), in the first half both teams played bad and it seemed like such a dreadful contest, then the second half Seattle pulled away. I am especially glad I stayed home.
Sunday night, I made the airport run and it was rainy weather most of the way to Sanford; some of it was pretty bad, and of course people drove even worse than usual in the rain, as it always happens. At least it did not rain on the way back. While in Sanford I stopped at a Walmart to get something, I got gas there, then I went to a nearby PDQ for a shake and cookie before I picked up that person and went back home. As for the upcoming week, I do have a few things in mind so when I come back next Monday it shouldn't be a dull post.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Lilly's On The Lake, Southeastern University & The Ballad Of Jimmy Clausen
Here's a recap of what I did in the past week. Monday and Tuesday I did not do anything of note so let me skip ahead to Wednesday. On that day, I went with someone to a new restaurant in downtown Clermont; at least it was new to us. “Another party” was the source of this information about the joint known as Lilly's on the Lake, which does live up to its name in terms of location. It serves a decent variety of food and at least there was a burger and fries for me. Turns out, it is a place I recommend. The place looks nice, their food is good (the person I went with also enjoyed their meal) and I have no complaints with it. Hopefully they stick around and are a success.
Thursday and Friday were more boring days so I'll skip by those. People don't need to hear me carp about such things as local traffic or how too many A-holes tailgate me, as I do such things often enough already. So, let me skip ahead to a much more eventful weekend. I decided it was time to attend a local football game, as I hadn't done so in 11 months. This time I drove to Lakeland to go to Southeastern University, a Christian school... which is why before the game there was a prayer delivered; that was out of the norm for me. Just last year the school started a football program and I did not go to any of their games, even though against the competition they've gone against they have done well. Their opponents on this day was Concordia College out of Alabama. Considering that before this game they had lost 22 out of their last 23 games... I know it wouldn't be a competitive matchup but I still wanted to attend.
I made the drive there and I could take the scenic route through some quite rural areas. It's nice... at least the parts where there is little to no other vehicles around. I ate at a Zaxby's as it was on the way and I only go there once in a blue moon. They make decent food and that was the case on this night. I could have done without the Mercedes S-Class almost hitting me while changing lanes but sad to say, such incidents in this state happen often.
They play at Victory Field and it's a quite nice little stadium that can hold about 3,500 people, although a little less than 2,000 were there. I was happy to give some cash to them as I want to make sure small programs like them stick around; I know that football teams are a big expense for colleges, especially if they ever have to fly anywhere. The weather was warm but fine; while there was a half hour weather delay for lightning it did not rain a drop. As for the game, the Southeastern Fire (yes, I heard several puns concerning their name) won 37-7 in a game more dominant for them than the score would suggest. No offense to Concordia but they are a poor football team and they made many mistakes. While I don't know when, I'll go back there in future years as it's not a far drive and like I said it's a nice stadium.
Sunday-even though I was exhausted from the night before-I decided to go out and see the Bears play, so I returned to Twin Peaks to have lunch, a cold beverage and check out all of the games. I expected Chicago to lose to Arizona and I was not proven wrong. The game started off badly and never got better from there. Arizona blew them out. Chicago's regular QB-Jay Cutler-got hurt and even though he's bad now, his backup Jimmy Clausen is horrible. He was never a good NFL quarterback but he was a special kind of awful in this game. I have seen plenty of bad Bears QB's in the past quarter century or so... such illustrious names as Cade McNown, Craig Krenzel, Henry Burris and Peter Tom Willis. Clausen looked worse than all of them. I decided to pay attention to other games instead. I left before the games were over due to me getting fed up with the sports fans there. It was the usual loudmouth idiocy but it was a few in particular that ruined it. Loudly dropping F-bombs when there was obviously young children around... nice, real nice. I wasn't in the mood for such gross behavior so I got out of there when I could. To be honest, I don't even know if I'll go out to see them play against Seattle this upcoming Sunday, as not only will it be another bad loss, but in the evening I have to make another airport run.
When I return a week from today... as I sometimes say, I do have a few things on the agenda so it should be at least a halfway interesting post I'll make. I doubt it'll be as interesting as what I wrote today, but who knows...
Thursday and Friday were more boring days so I'll skip by those. People don't need to hear me carp about such things as local traffic or how too many A-holes tailgate me, as I do such things often enough already. So, let me skip ahead to a much more eventful weekend. I decided it was time to attend a local football game, as I hadn't done so in 11 months. This time I drove to Lakeland to go to Southeastern University, a Christian school... which is why before the game there was a prayer delivered; that was out of the norm for me. Just last year the school started a football program and I did not go to any of their games, even though against the competition they've gone against they have done well. Their opponents on this day was Concordia College out of Alabama. Considering that before this game they had lost 22 out of their last 23 games... I know it wouldn't be a competitive matchup but I still wanted to attend.
I made the drive there and I could take the scenic route through some quite rural areas. It's nice... at least the parts where there is little to no other vehicles around. I ate at a Zaxby's as it was on the way and I only go there once in a blue moon. They make decent food and that was the case on this night. I could have done without the Mercedes S-Class almost hitting me while changing lanes but sad to say, such incidents in this state happen often.
They play at Victory Field and it's a quite nice little stadium that can hold about 3,500 people, although a little less than 2,000 were there. I was happy to give some cash to them as I want to make sure small programs like them stick around; I know that football teams are a big expense for colleges, especially if they ever have to fly anywhere. The weather was warm but fine; while there was a half hour weather delay for lightning it did not rain a drop. As for the game, the Southeastern Fire (yes, I heard several puns concerning their name) won 37-7 in a game more dominant for them than the score would suggest. No offense to Concordia but they are a poor football team and they made many mistakes. While I don't know when, I'll go back there in future years as it's not a far drive and like I said it's a nice stadium.
Sunday-even though I was exhausted from the night before-I decided to go out and see the Bears play, so I returned to Twin Peaks to have lunch, a cold beverage and check out all of the games. I expected Chicago to lose to Arizona and I was not proven wrong. The game started off badly and never got better from there. Arizona blew them out. Chicago's regular QB-Jay Cutler-got hurt and even though he's bad now, his backup Jimmy Clausen is horrible. He was never a good NFL quarterback but he was a special kind of awful in this game. I have seen plenty of bad Bears QB's in the past quarter century or so... such illustrious names as Cade McNown, Craig Krenzel, Henry Burris and Peter Tom Willis. Clausen looked worse than all of them. I decided to pay attention to other games instead. I left before the games were over due to me getting fed up with the sports fans there. It was the usual loudmouth idiocy but it was a few in particular that ruined it. Loudly dropping F-bombs when there was obviously young children around... nice, real nice. I wasn't in the mood for such gross behavior so I got out of there when I could. To be honest, I don't even know if I'll go out to see them play against Seattle this upcoming Sunday, as not only will it be another bad loss, but in the evening I have to make another airport run.
When I return a week from today... as I sometimes say, I do have a few things on the agenda so it should be at least a halfway interesting post I'll make. I doubt it'll be as interesting as what I wrote today, but who knows...
Monday, September 14, 2015
Shake Shack & Imperator Furiosa & The Bears, Oh My
Here's a recap of what I did last week. I did indeed do nothing on Labor Day, which was fine by me. Tuesday was another dull day so onto Wednesday. I went with someone to an Applebee's restaurant. The last time we went to one it was in Kissimmee and we received poor service so that's why we hadn't been to one since. We decided to go to the one on 27 south of 192. The service there was at least fine. The other person wasn't a fan of the food they got but what I had was fine; having two small appetizers of boneless wings and mozzarella sticks for only 10 bucks worked for me.
Thursday all I did was go to Wawa's for a sandwich so onto Friday. Back in May I saw Mad Max: Fury Road on the big screen and unlike most of the rest of the world, I didn't care for it overall, despite digging the action scenes, the score, and how it was shot. The story and characters were pretty bad in my eyes. Well, this week on some IMAX screens across the United States they are showing the movie so I figured if I would give it another shot it should be in a big way like that.
The traffic there and back reminded me that this past week I had to deal with some poor examples of it. I might as well have been a Warboy and spraypainted my mouth with silver chrome as some of the creatures I dealt with were straight out of Fury Road with their action. Just on this day I saw several vehicles almost get wrecked due to getting cut off, and on another night I had to pass someone in a double yellow (something I very rarely do, to clarify) because I was not only practically tailgated but thee guy in front of me was driving so slow he had to either be drunk, on drugs, a senior who was having “a moment”, or some combination of the above. I know I stereotype often (even when I shouldn't) but I am pretty sure I am right here.
Back to Friday. I went to the Shake Shack in Winter Park and I enjoyed their food, but I can't explain why now they suddenly ask if you want your burger medium or well done or why an order of medium well was impossible to do; talk about rude and lazy. But it may be awhile before I eat there again anyhow. After that I saw Fury Road for a second time and sad to say, my opinion on it hasn't changed at all. I thought the movie tried WAY too hard to be “cool” (the stupid names most of the characters have is an example of this) and that typically is a turn-off for me.
Saturday and Sunday I didn't do anything, and I was hunky-dory with that. I watched or half paid attention to various football games and thankfully the Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers football game was on locally so I did not have to go anywhere to see it; again, I was glad I did not have to go to a sports bar to watch it and deal with loudmouth obnoxious crybaby overly dramatic football fans. As for the Bears, I did not expect them to win so when they lost, I was not surprised. Even if they lost in a gut-wrenching fashion, it was not a surprise. Even if they had a good chance to win... it is looking to be another long year, but at least I am prepared now for this unlike last season when I thought they'd be fine.
When I return a week from today, as I typically say, I don't have much planned but I'll stumble into a thing or two.
Thursday all I did was go to Wawa's for a sandwich so onto Friday. Back in May I saw Mad Max: Fury Road on the big screen and unlike most of the rest of the world, I didn't care for it overall, despite digging the action scenes, the score, and how it was shot. The story and characters were pretty bad in my eyes. Well, this week on some IMAX screens across the United States they are showing the movie so I figured if I would give it another shot it should be in a big way like that.
The traffic there and back reminded me that this past week I had to deal with some poor examples of it. I might as well have been a Warboy and spraypainted my mouth with silver chrome as some of the creatures I dealt with were straight out of Fury Road with their action. Just on this day I saw several vehicles almost get wrecked due to getting cut off, and on another night I had to pass someone in a double yellow (something I very rarely do, to clarify) because I was not only practically tailgated but thee guy in front of me was driving so slow he had to either be drunk, on drugs, a senior who was having “a moment”, or some combination of the above. I know I stereotype often (even when I shouldn't) but I am pretty sure I am right here.
Back to Friday. I went to the Shake Shack in Winter Park and I enjoyed their food, but I can't explain why now they suddenly ask if you want your burger medium or well done or why an order of medium well was impossible to do; talk about rude and lazy. But it may be awhile before I eat there again anyhow. After that I saw Fury Road for a second time and sad to say, my opinion on it hasn't changed at all. I thought the movie tried WAY too hard to be “cool” (the stupid names most of the characters have is an example of this) and that typically is a turn-off for me.
Saturday and Sunday I didn't do anything, and I was hunky-dory with that. I watched or half paid attention to various football games and thankfully the Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers football game was on locally so I did not have to go anywhere to see it; again, I was glad I did not have to go to a sports bar to watch it and deal with loudmouth obnoxious crybaby overly dramatic football fans. As for the Bears, I did not expect them to win so when they lost, I was not surprised. Even if they lost in a gut-wrenching fashion, it was not a surprise. Even if they had a good chance to win... it is looking to be another long year, but at least I am prepared now for this unlike last season when I thought they'd be fine.
When I return a week from today, as I typically say, I don't have much planned but I'll stumble into a thing or two.
Monday, September 7, 2015
Labor Day, Lazy Fast Food Customers & Via|Port Florida
Thankfully there wasn't any hurricanes or tropical storms to deal with in the past week, as feared beforehand. It was still a week where several days were filled with rain but I managed that and it was better than the alternative. By the way, it was recently that I heard the giant Flea World flea market up in Sanford that has been open for many years... it closed down and they're going to build something “more profitable” on the land. Lame. I went there a few times throughout the years and besides always marveling at the sort of customers they drew, I also bought some cheap items there like games and movies. There are other flea markets around but I will miss going there.
This past Monday, I went and got a new cell phone at the local Verizon store. I won't go into detail on what I got except that it works for me and my tastes and that is what counts. While there, there were no shortage of dumb people there. The employees were fine but the customers were such people as a pair of grey-haired ladies who were looking for new phones and a new data plan; this went about as smoothly as you could imagine. For hardcore horror fans, though, you'll laugh as you hear that there briefly was a young lady there who looked like Sandra from the second Friday the 13th movie.
Tuesday, I happened to be in Orlando so I figured it was about time to return to the I-Drive 360 area and I ate again at the Tin Roof restaurant. I still don't know if the roof is rusted or not but at least they make some tasty food and they play the sort of music for me, i.e. mostly 80's tunes, and their inclusion of the live Grateful Dead song Deal from one of their Egypt concerts was a quality deep cut. Wednesday and Thursday I didn't do anything and Friday I had to be out and about in Orlando and between the quite rainy weather, the even worse than usual traffic and the street lights being out for part of the journey... not a fun experience.
Saturday I stayed in and partially paid attention to the start of the college football season. I still say that major college sports is corrupt and hot garbage but I am fine with only halfway paying attention to it. Sunday, that was a day where I could go out as I am not doing a thing during Labor Day today. I looked online to see if the almost dead mall up in Leesburg known as the Lake Square Mall is still open and I saw it has a name change. A Turkish company bought it and it now has the rather odd name of Via|Port Florida. I wanted to check it out, so I did, and...
The place may have a new coat of paint, a new fountain in the center of the mall and the food court does look more modern, but overall it's still the same old small drab place with not a lot of stores and only a few places I am interested in, such as the Books-A-Million. It's slightly less behind the times, in other words. They are supposed to add more things to it and hopefully it will survive as I don't want to see them close down. After that I went to a place I've talked about once before, that being the Rural King store; the name says it all as to what they sell. All the Belvidere people reading this will understand what I mean when I say it is like the Farm & Fleet store; it's for farmer types and/or individuals who love Duck Dynasty. There definitely were some “colorful characters” present but I did get some food & drink and a cheap shirt.
After that I drove home and as it was on the way I stopped at a Wendy's for some dinner. Now, various times in the past I have noted how I've seen things in Florida that even catch me off guard and surprise me, whether it's on the road or in person. That goes along with those moments that could only happen to me. Well, the former happened on this rainy early evening. I went in and I was shocked to see a middle aged woman waiting in line... sitting in a chair her son brought over! Now, if that woman was disabled or had a hard time getting around, that was one thing. But seeing her move about afterwards, I am quite confident in saying she was just lazy; that definitely was something I had never seen before.
Today I did not do anything on this Labor Day. I just got tied up in things at home so that's the reason why I am posting this a little later than usual. I should be back at the usual time next Monday, and I do have a thing or two in mind when it comes to activities to do.
This past Monday, I went and got a new cell phone at the local Verizon store. I won't go into detail on what I got except that it works for me and my tastes and that is what counts. While there, there were no shortage of dumb people there. The employees were fine but the customers were such people as a pair of grey-haired ladies who were looking for new phones and a new data plan; this went about as smoothly as you could imagine. For hardcore horror fans, though, you'll laugh as you hear that there briefly was a young lady there who looked like Sandra from the second Friday the 13th movie.
Tuesday, I happened to be in Orlando so I figured it was about time to return to the I-Drive 360 area and I ate again at the Tin Roof restaurant. I still don't know if the roof is rusted or not but at least they make some tasty food and they play the sort of music for me, i.e. mostly 80's tunes, and their inclusion of the live Grateful Dead song Deal from one of their Egypt concerts was a quality deep cut. Wednesday and Thursday I didn't do anything and Friday I had to be out and about in Orlando and between the quite rainy weather, the even worse than usual traffic and the street lights being out for part of the journey... not a fun experience.
Saturday I stayed in and partially paid attention to the start of the college football season. I still say that major college sports is corrupt and hot garbage but I am fine with only halfway paying attention to it. Sunday, that was a day where I could go out as I am not doing a thing during Labor Day today. I looked online to see if the almost dead mall up in Leesburg known as the Lake Square Mall is still open and I saw it has a name change. A Turkish company bought it and it now has the rather odd name of Via|Port Florida. I wanted to check it out, so I did, and...
The place may have a new coat of paint, a new fountain in the center of the mall and the food court does look more modern, but overall it's still the same old small drab place with not a lot of stores and only a few places I am interested in, such as the Books-A-Million. It's slightly less behind the times, in other words. They are supposed to add more things to it and hopefully it will survive as I don't want to see them close down. After that I went to a place I've talked about once before, that being the Rural King store; the name says it all as to what they sell. All the Belvidere people reading this will understand what I mean when I say it is like the Farm & Fleet store; it's for farmer types and/or individuals who love Duck Dynasty. There definitely were some “colorful characters” present but I did get some food & drink and a cheap shirt.
After that I drove home and as it was on the way I stopped at a Wendy's for some dinner. Now, various times in the past I have noted how I've seen things in Florida that even catch me off guard and surprise me, whether it's on the road or in person. That goes along with those moments that could only happen to me. Well, the former happened on this rainy early evening. I went in and I was shocked to see a middle aged woman waiting in line... sitting in a chair her son brought over! Now, if that woman was disabled or had a hard time getting around, that was one thing. But seeing her move about afterwards, I am quite confident in saying she was just lazy; that definitely was something I had never seen before.
Today I did not do anything on this Labor Day. I just got tied up in things at home so that's the reason why I am posting this a little later than usual. I should be back at the usual time next Monday, and I do have a thing or two in mind when it comes to activities to do.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Leningrad Dixieland, Angry Orchard Fiery Apple & Ain't That A Shame
Regarding the first part, I recently went down a rabbit hole on YouTube and stumbled upon a video of Soviet jazz, of all things. I went to Google Translate to look up the name of a track (as I don't know Cyrillic) and that was its name. The tune was as strange as you'd imagine. I'll explain the rest in a bit.
Monday, I had to go out and about to talk to someone about something. That's as detailed as I'll get in talking about what I had to do. As I was in Orlando, I also was at a few different spots. I got some items from the Trader Joe's in Winter Park and then I was at the Altamonte Mall, where I walked around then had food from Chick fil A. I'll still eat there once in a blue moon even if I strongly disagree with their views on homosexuality.
Tuesday and Wednesday I didn't do a thing so let me skip ahead to Thursday. I decided to go to Buffalo Wild Wings. I looked at their website to see what limited edition flavor they had now for wings and it was Angry Orchard Fiery Apple, which combined Angry Orchard with the popular “among the youth” Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, which is something I am glad was not around during my college days at Illinois State University. It was good.
Friday and Saturday I didn't do a thing either (aside from go to Culver's to try out the flavor of the day they had then, which was Chocolate Dream... an appropriate name) so let me skip ahead to Sunday. What I did there was return to Winter Garden Village and I not only spent time in a Best Buy but I also got a beverage from Planet Smoothie. While in there they did not play the usual modern crap music I never listen to-and needless to say I did not watch the ratchet clownshow that was the MTV awards show on this night for a format they rarely show on their toilet bowl of a channel-and instead it was JUDAS PRIEST then a song I decided to listen to on YouTube a few days prior as I hadn't heard it in ages, the Cheap Trick version of Ain't That A Shame. Both that and the Fats Domino original are pretty great to me. Anyhow, with the wretched traffic I dealt with the times I was out, I was fine with not going out more.
I should mention with there only being a few months left of this year that I really don't know my plans yet when it comes to the small time college football games I'll be seeing (except that I'll attend at least one). Also, in the latter part of December there are several interesting events I could go to but that is up in the air as while not confirmed yet I presume I'll be going up to Kansas again around the time of Christmas to see family. Depending on what days I'll be gone will determine what I'll do at the end of the year. Among the things I could do are the UFC on Fox show in Orlando (only because the card looks nice; I still have a beef with that organization) and out of all the times the Bears game in Tampa Bay could be, it's at the very end of the year. Figures.
When I return a week from today, I am not quite sure what I'll be writing about... for the most part.
Monday, I had to go out and about to talk to someone about something. That's as detailed as I'll get in talking about what I had to do. As I was in Orlando, I also was at a few different spots. I got some items from the Trader Joe's in Winter Park and then I was at the Altamonte Mall, where I walked around then had food from Chick fil A. I'll still eat there once in a blue moon even if I strongly disagree with their views on homosexuality.
Tuesday and Wednesday I didn't do a thing so let me skip ahead to Thursday. I decided to go to Buffalo Wild Wings. I looked at their website to see what limited edition flavor they had now for wings and it was Angry Orchard Fiery Apple, which combined Angry Orchard with the popular “among the youth” Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, which is something I am glad was not around during my college days at Illinois State University. It was good.
Friday and Saturday I didn't do a thing either (aside from go to Culver's to try out the flavor of the day they had then, which was Chocolate Dream... an appropriate name) so let me skip ahead to Sunday. What I did there was return to Winter Garden Village and I not only spent time in a Best Buy but I also got a beverage from Planet Smoothie. While in there they did not play the usual modern crap music I never listen to-and needless to say I did not watch the ratchet clownshow that was the MTV awards show on this night for a format they rarely show on their toilet bowl of a channel-and instead it was JUDAS PRIEST then a song I decided to listen to on YouTube a few days prior as I hadn't heard it in ages, the Cheap Trick version of Ain't That A Shame. Both that and the Fats Domino original are pretty great to me. Anyhow, with the wretched traffic I dealt with the times I was out, I was fine with not going out more.
I should mention with there only being a few months left of this year that I really don't know my plans yet when it comes to the small time college football games I'll be seeing (except that I'll attend at least one). Also, in the latter part of December there are several interesting events I could go to but that is up in the air as while not confirmed yet I presume I'll be going up to Kansas again around the time of Christmas to see family. Depending on what days I'll be gone will determine what I'll do at the end of the year. Among the things I could do are the UFC on Fox show in Orlando (only because the card looks nice; I still have a beef with that organization) and out of all the times the Bears game in Tampa Bay could be, it's at the very end of the year. Figures.
When I return a week from today, I am not quite sure what I'll be writing about... for the most part.
Monday, August 24, 2015
Pig Goat Banana Cricket, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. & Being Obstreperous
It was not me who was being obstreperous. I recently heard that word (meaning “noisy and difficult to control”) used elsewhere and as it's me I was amused to see that obscure term on a podcast. I won't go into details but I encountered some people in the past week who fit that bill. I also recently discovered that there's a new Nick TV show called Pig Goat Banana Cricket and apparently it's pretty bad. Just from looking at pictures of the characters, what a literally ugly-looking cartoon. I wish things were like back in the day when I regularly got to see Looney Tunes cartoons on television and such programs like the original Teenage Mutant Turtles or Batman: The Animated Series.
Anyhow, this past Monday all I did was go to a Staples to pick up some random items, Tuesday was dull and Wednesday, things were more interesting. I went and got a much-needed haircut, and in the evening I returned to a place I only went to once before. Back in June I talked (maybe “ranted” is a better term) about going to a new theatre on US Highway 27 (always a highway with awful traffic) known as Cinepolis to see Jurassic World. Besides the film itself being awful, I also had a pretty bad customer experience there, not helped by how that place is much more about aesthetics than customer ease or satisfaction. Still, I decided to give them another chance. It was far less busy, which was nice, and I had no issues. Then again, I just got a soda and popcorn at concessions. As 27 is such an awful drive, who knows how often I'll feel like returning there. As I live near a major city there are many theatres I can go to, including one only a few miles from where I live.
The movie I saw was The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Not even my parents saw the original 60's TV show. I still gave it a chance and well, I can only rate it as about average. I wish that Henry Cavill wouldn't have been constantly hammy to the point of annoyance and creepiness, and a story of some substance. A shame, as the early 60's setting, music, and fashion were all groovy. I also have to admit that both Rebecca Ferguson and Alicia Vikander are attractive Swedish actresses who have broken out this summer in big roles.
Thursday, I went out with someone to a nearby restaurant we hadn't been to in a long while: Texas Roadhouse. We both enjoyed our meals. Friday and Saturday I didn't do a thing, which I was fine with. Sunday, I did actually go somewhere: Walmart, mainly for some soda. As I am done taking about the week, let me make the aside that this past week was a rare occasion I saw an 80's Rolls Royce sedan on the highway; they are ether the Silver Shadow or the longer wheelbase Silver Spur. They get only like 8 miles a gallon but I imagine still have a great ride and are comfortable.
I don't have much on the docket for the upcoming week; as always I'll stumble into things to talk about.
Anyhow, this past Monday all I did was go to a Staples to pick up some random items, Tuesday was dull and Wednesday, things were more interesting. I went and got a much-needed haircut, and in the evening I returned to a place I only went to once before. Back in June I talked (maybe “ranted” is a better term) about going to a new theatre on US Highway 27 (always a highway with awful traffic) known as Cinepolis to see Jurassic World. Besides the film itself being awful, I also had a pretty bad customer experience there, not helped by how that place is much more about aesthetics than customer ease or satisfaction. Still, I decided to give them another chance. It was far less busy, which was nice, and I had no issues. Then again, I just got a soda and popcorn at concessions. As 27 is such an awful drive, who knows how often I'll feel like returning there. As I live near a major city there are many theatres I can go to, including one only a few miles from where I live.
The movie I saw was The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Not even my parents saw the original 60's TV show. I still gave it a chance and well, I can only rate it as about average. I wish that Henry Cavill wouldn't have been constantly hammy to the point of annoyance and creepiness, and a story of some substance. A shame, as the early 60's setting, music, and fashion were all groovy. I also have to admit that both Rebecca Ferguson and Alicia Vikander are attractive Swedish actresses who have broken out this summer in big roles.
Thursday, I went out with someone to a nearby restaurant we hadn't been to in a long while: Texas Roadhouse. We both enjoyed our meals. Friday and Saturday I didn't do a thing, which I was fine with. Sunday, I did actually go somewhere: Walmart, mainly for some soda. As I am done taking about the week, let me make the aside that this past week was a rare occasion I saw an 80's Rolls Royce sedan on the highway; they are ether the Silver Shadow or the longer wheelbase Silver Spur. They get only like 8 miles a gallon but I imagine still have a great ride and are comfortable.
I don't have much on the docket for the upcoming week; as always I'll stumble into things to talk about.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Replay Amusement Museum, Baseball, German Restaurants & Guntram Shatterhand
I recently discovered that the Ian Fleming novel You Only Live Twice has a fake name for Blofeld where he calls himself Guntram Shatterhand and I am disappointed that name wasn't used in the movie version of the book... and to me it sounds like the name of a Jaeger in Pacific Rim. This past week I actually did a few interesting activities, for once.
Monday evening, I returned to the Orlando International Premium Outlets, a place I haven't been for I don't know how many months. It's largely the same as it's always been. I walked around, went in various stores, and purchased a pair of shirts. Tuesday I didn't do anything but Wednesday, that was a busy day. I went to a pair of locations in the Tampa area. The first one was a place that opened last November in Tarpon Springs but due in part to its distance from where I live and it not being open on Monday or Tuesday, this was the first time I was able to go to the Replay Amusement Museum.
It's like the special events I've gone to the past few years where you pay a flat fee and you can pay all sorts of old arcade machines and both old-school classic pinball tables and some newer ones. While the tables weren't always in optimum condition (which is always the case at these things) it was still nice to play some tables that the community says are all-time favorites. I am talking about such things as Medieval Madness, The Twilight Zone, the Collector's Edition of The Addams Family, and Creature from the Black Lagoon. They had a healthy crowd there, which is nice as I was worried it was the sort of thing that may not do good business. However, it also meant that I had to deal with snot-nose punk kids or stupid adults too often. Sigh. I am still glad I got to try it out once, and hopefully they keep on doing decent business.
I then drove down to Tropicana Field to see the Tampa Bay Rays play an interleague game against the Atlanta Braves; both teams are about average or a little below average. I am not surprised the Rays are like that, as among other things they have a new manager. There were plenty of Braves fans around; I was fine with that as it meant the stadium was at least half full. I don't blame the owners of the team if they decide eventually to move elsewhere. I would feel bad for the superfans, such as the two women who sat in front of me in the upper deck seats. They were really into it. They even trolled some of the Atlanta fans there, which made me laugh as I was not expecting it. As for the game, Tampa Bay made some dumb mistakes so they were losing; then, Atlanta made even worse mistakes so the Rays won 9-6. It was a fun game with a lot of action. I won't be back to Tropicana Field until late next spring.
Thursday and Friday I didn't do anything but Saturday I went out and about. I first ate at the PDQ in Sanford; I was happy to get food from there, as always. I then went to the German restaurant up there, which is now become a yearly tradition around this time, where someone I know has a birthday get-together there. I had dessert (this time the delicious Schnappsberry Cheesecake) as I listened to the polka music they played. It was nice seeing my pal there as due to circumstances I rarely get to see them anymore.
Sunday, I relaxed and didn't do a thing. The past week has had some rainy weather and as I always say, Florida drivers are even worse in those conditions. When I return a week from today I don't think I'll have too much to write about. Plans could always change, though.
Monday evening, I returned to the Orlando International Premium Outlets, a place I haven't been for I don't know how many months. It's largely the same as it's always been. I walked around, went in various stores, and purchased a pair of shirts. Tuesday I didn't do anything but Wednesday, that was a busy day. I went to a pair of locations in the Tampa area. The first one was a place that opened last November in Tarpon Springs but due in part to its distance from where I live and it not being open on Monday or Tuesday, this was the first time I was able to go to the Replay Amusement Museum.
It's like the special events I've gone to the past few years where you pay a flat fee and you can pay all sorts of old arcade machines and both old-school classic pinball tables and some newer ones. While the tables weren't always in optimum condition (which is always the case at these things) it was still nice to play some tables that the community says are all-time favorites. I am talking about such things as Medieval Madness, The Twilight Zone, the Collector's Edition of The Addams Family, and Creature from the Black Lagoon. They had a healthy crowd there, which is nice as I was worried it was the sort of thing that may not do good business. However, it also meant that I had to deal with snot-nose punk kids or stupid adults too often. Sigh. I am still glad I got to try it out once, and hopefully they keep on doing decent business.
I then drove down to Tropicana Field to see the Tampa Bay Rays play an interleague game against the Atlanta Braves; both teams are about average or a little below average. I am not surprised the Rays are like that, as among other things they have a new manager. There were plenty of Braves fans around; I was fine with that as it meant the stadium was at least half full. I don't blame the owners of the team if they decide eventually to move elsewhere. I would feel bad for the superfans, such as the two women who sat in front of me in the upper deck seats. They were really into it. They even trolled some of the Atlanta fans there, which made me laugh as I was not expecting it. As for the game, Tampa Bay made some dumb mistakes so they were losing; then, Atlanta made even worse mistakes so the Rays won 9-6. It was a fun game with a lot of action. I won't be back to Tropicana Field until late next spring.
Thursday and Friday I didn't do anything but Saturday I went out and about. I first ate at the PDQ in Sanford; I was happy to get food from there, as always. I then went to the German restaurant up there, which is now become a yearly tradition around this time, where someone I know has a birthday get-together there. I had dessert (this time the delicious Schnappsberry Cheesecake) as I listened to the polka music they played. It was nice seeing my pal there as due to circumstances I rarely get to see them anymore.
Sunday, I relaxed and didn't do a thing. The past week has had some rainy weather and as I always say, Florida drivers are even worse in those conditions. When I return a week from today I don't think I'll have too much to write about. Plans could always change, though.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Hammertoes, Computer Issues, & The Art Of Shaming Blair
No, I do not have Hammertoes myself... thankfully, as it sounds like a painful thing to deal with. I just saw an advertisement for it on a van while driving and I was amused as that was a first for me. The other two things... I'll get to them in a moment.
This was yet another not too exciting week for me. That is OK as I realize now how old and lame I am. Monday, at least I did go to Walt Disney World, Epcot in particular. I had to renew my annual pass, which I did. I walked around there for a bit and I had dinner. Thankfully due to the rainy/overcast weather for much of the week, most of the time it wasn't too hot out, including on this day. It was nice to get some exercise.
Tuesday and Wednesday... oh boy. I had to spend a lot of time on more than one computer. I helped out multiple people. Putting Windows 10 on one computer was a task that took some time but at least it went as expected. The other case I had to deal with... I still don't quite know what happened with that person's laptop, except that I am quite confident it was not their fault. It took a lot longer than expected to fix the issue and there was a last-minute thing that creeped up but eventually I fixed it which was good as I was under a time limit to fix it before that person left for a few weeks.
Really, I am glad this past week is over with. Between those computer stresses likely adding a few more grey hairs to people treating me rudely (on the highway or in person; traffic as of late has been even worse than usual) and not only getting yelled at for trying to help someone else but I was also shamed for something... I know I am not a saint but it doesn't mean I enjoy such treatment. At least Thursday I did go out and about. The main thing I'll discuss there is that the last place I ended up was Downtown Disney/Disney Springs again, this time while the sun was still out. That place being busy, still tore up from construction and other issues... who knows when I'll return. I ate at the old familiar known as Splitsville and I was happy to do that as I do like their food, and it was more of the same on this day.
Friday through Sunday weren't too exciting. Friday I stayed at home and relaxed, and Saturday I got dinner for me and someone else, and as they dig the food from Wawa, that's where I went; we both liked our meals. Sunday, I thought I had to go out and about to get something, then I looked around at home and realized I didn't have to; that suited me fine as it meant I did not have to deal with traffic or the super busy stores that are due to it being tax-free time in Florida. I'll take advantage of that but it'll be during a weeknight.
When I return a week from today, I do have some activities planned so hopefully everything will go well.
This was yet another not too exciting week for me. That is OK as I realize now how old and lame I am. Monday, at least I did go to Walt Disney World, Epcot in particular. I had to renew my annual pass, which I did. I walked around there for a bit and I had dinner. Thankfully due to the rainy/overcast weather for much of the week, most of the time it wasn't too hot out, including on this day. It was nice to get some exercise.
Tuesday and Wednesday... oh boy. I had to spend a lot of time on more than one computer. I helped out multiple people. Putting Windows 10 on one computer was a task that took some time but at least it went as expected. The other case I had to deal with... I still don't quite know what happened with that person's laptop, except that I am quite confident it was not their fault. It took a lot longer than expected to fix the issue and there was a last-minute thing that creeped up but eventually I fixed it which was good as I was under a time limit to fix it before that person left for a few weeks.
Really, I am glad this past week is over with. Between those computer stresses likely adding a few more grey hairs to people treating me rudely (on the highway or in person; traffic as of late has been even worse than usual) and not only getting yelled at for trying to help someone else but I was also shamed for something... I know I am not a saint but it doesn't mean I enjoy such treatment. At least Thursday I did go out and about. The main thing I'll discuss there is that the last place I ended up was Downtown Disney/Disney Springs again, this time while the sun was still out. That place being busy, still tore up from construction and other issues... who knows when I'll return. I ate at the old familiar known as Splitsville and I was happy to do that as I do like their food, and it was more of the same on this day.
Friday through Sunday weren't too exciting. Friday I stayed at home and relaxed, and Saturday I got dinner for me and someone else, and as they dig the food from Wawa, that's where I went; we both liked our meals. Sunday, I thought I had to go out and about to get something, then I looked around at home and realized I didn't have to; that suited me fine as it meant I did not have to deal with traffic or the super busy stores that are due to it being tax-free time in Florida. I'll take advantage of that but it'll be during a weeknight.
When I return a week from today, I do have some activities planned so hopefully everything will go well.
Monday, August 3, 2015
The Hot Rod, Smokehouses & Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation
As
a pro wrestling fan I of course have to state that I was quite
shocked when I heard late Friday afternoon that Rowdy Roddy Piper had
passed away. What a character he was. I saw him wrestle on TV
countless numbers of times, heard him be a commentator, and otherwise
be a wrestling personality. He was around since I started watching
wrestling way back when so that news did make me sad.
Anyhow,
I did not do anything on Monday and Tuesday the only thing I did was
go out with someone to a Florida chain we hadn't been to in a long
while: Beef O'Brady's. Their food is fine so we were fine going
there. In the evening I returned to the place that eventually will be
Disney Springs. I wanted to see what was new (I had a tasty donut
while I was there) and also, I went to see a film. In the few days
before this I saw again the first three Mission: Impossible movies.
The first one is cool, the second and third less so. AMC Theatres
again did a charity thing during the summer where they bring back
older films and you see them for only 5 bucks. I saw the 4th
M:I movie that way, and I hadn't seen it since I watched it on the
big screen back in late 2011. I do still dig it and the long Dubai
segment is awesome.
Wednesday
was another dull day so onto Thursday. I had yet another airport run
to make in the evening. Unfortunately there were even more problems
with that low-rent airline. There were airplane problems so that
person came in a few hours late and I picked them up about 5 minutes
before 1 in the morning. I felt bad for that person as they ended up
having a long day but for me, I had the opportunity to see the new
Mission: Impossible movie. I saw it on the giant screen they have at
the Epic Theatres way up in Deltona; as I went to the Sanford Airport
the timing worked out where I could do it. The movie I enjoyed about
as much as Ghost Protocol, which is similar and different to Rogue
Nation. At least the drive up there and back went fine, at least in
terms of Florida traffic.
Friday
through Sunday, things weren't as exciting and I am OK with that.
Friday I got gas and then went to Winter Garden Village (the outdoor
mall I mention often) where I went to Best Buy and purchased some
minor items. Saturday, it was a UFC pay per view in Brazil where
Ronda Rousey was in the main event. I did not go out to see it
although I still saw the main event (nevermind how), where the result
was expected. For plenty of reasons I have soured on the UFC and
plus, they don't show pay per views on the big screen any longer. So,
I didn't feel like finding a sports bar to attend and see what I
think is now a pretty awful promotion that is run horribly, and watch
a show that overall wasn't too great and oh yeah it was also a 4 hour
pay per view that didn't end until like 1:30 in the morning. No thank
you.
Sunday,
I actually did do something; I went with my parents to a restaurant;
it was a small chain with a few locations in this part of the state
known as Oakwood Smokehouse. I've talked about that place before and
their food is fine so I had no problem going there and both the
experience and food were indeed fine. The fact that it did not rain
(which it has done often this past week) was nice too. As for when I
return next Monday, I have some ideas in mind when it comes to things
to do.
Monday, July 27, 2015
The Hulkster, Rigoberto Uran Uran & Testicular Torsion
If you're wondering how I came up with such a title, I discovered that Rigoberto is a Colombian cyclist who is in this year's Tour de France, meaning that he's likely cheating by doping. Even then, his name makes me laugh and laugh and of course I think of Duran Duran. Don't worry, I did not experience such problems with my reproductive system but wait until you hear the amazing way I heard that medical phenomenon being discussed in public. As for Hulk Hogan... I am still massively disappointed to hear he made such comments and he has such views.
Last Monday, I went out and about for a bit. I had a place to visit, which I won't divulge as it's a private matter. I then went to the Altamonte Mall, where I walked around for a bit and checked out a few stores. The traffic there and back was brutal, to the point that I almost did not make it to my destination in time. That was an even bigger issue later this week. Tuesday and Wednesday I did not do anything; I'll be honest and say that was because I wasn't feeling so good. Part of it was physical and being tired, but the rest of it was mental. I was not “feeling myself”, as the cool kids say. I don't want anyone to worry about me; it's nothing serious. I was just thinking negatively and some of the mistakes I've made in the past. I am feeling a little better now, at least.
Thursday, I finally did something. I had to pick up a parent from the airport; it was the same one I dropped off the previous Thursday. It was not at the giant Orlando International Airport but instead the smaller Orlando Sanford Airport. I finally made it up to the PDQ restaurant they opened in Sanford earlier this summer. I've highly praised that restaurant many times by now. I just wish that they had a location closer to where I live, as both Sanford and Lakeland are far drives for me, and I think their food is great. I was happy to have a late dinner there. I then went to a nearby Hooters to kill time... and have a tasty beverage. I then stopped at a 7-11 by the airport to use the men's room & get a bottle of water for the parent, and I had an incredible experience there, one of those moments I swear could only happen to me.
I was waiting in line to pay and some people were talking about their bad days they had; this included the young white trash cashier (I believe named Mike) and a woman who works there but was not on the clock... she was there making a purchase too. As I started to pay, Mike told the woman and everyone else there... he said that this day was bad for him because he was having problems with his balls! I swear this is true. He then went into detail about why he thought he had testicular torsion. That's a real-life issue but if he actually did have that, it's a serious condition and if he didn't get it fixed by Friday afternoon he would only have a single instead of a pair. I think he had a minor issue with his testes but I am still flabbergasted I heard such a thing out loud and that was the first time I heard the term “nutsack” in a public setting like that.
I then picked up the parent and drove home.
Friday, I had to go out again to a place where I had to be there at a certain time. It was raining out so I made sure to leave early as I thought that way I'd have no issues. Oh no! I was on the 408 (a toll road going through the middle of Orlando) and just passed an exit when suddenly traffic stopped. I was not happy, as I knew that some idiots crashed their cars and once I was finally able to drive by after the cars in front of me narrowed down to one lane, that's exactly what it was. It was not a serious crash with fatalities, so I am not being callous in my bashing of those people. I had to call that place to tell them I was late and I ended up having no issue there with coming in at a different time, but Friday was a bad day. After that place I went to a few more, including the Rocket Fizz soda shop in Winter Park. More than one location I had to deal with stupid people, from those that got in the wreck to other things I won't talk about here. Just a bad day all around.
Partially because of Friday I was happy to stay in both Saturday and Sunday. The fact that it rained both days only solidified my opinion that I did the right thing. When I return a week from today, I have a few ideas in mind when it comes to me going out and about, so everyone has that to look forward to.
Last Monday, I went out and about for a bit. I had a place to visit, which I won't divulge as it's a private matter. I then went to the Altamonte Mall, where I walked around for a bit and checked out a few stores. The traffic there and back was brutal, to the point that I almost did not make it to my destination in time. That was an even bigger issue later this week. Tuesday and Wednesday I did not do anything; I'll be honest and say that was because I wasn't feeling so good. Part of it was physical and being tired, but the rest of it was mental. I was not “feeling myself”, as the cool kids say. I don't want anyone to worry about me; it's nothing serious. I was just thinking negatively and some of the mistakes I've made in the past. I am feeling a little better now, at least.
Thursday, I finally did something. I had to pick up a parent from the airport; it was the same one I dropped off the previous Thursday. It was not at the giant Orlando International Airport but instead the smaller Orlando Sanford Airport. I finally made it up to the PDQ restaurant they opened in Sanford earlier this summer. I've highly praised that restaurant many times by now. I just wish that they had a location closer to where I live, as both Sanford and Lakeland are far drives for me, and I think their food is great. I was happy to have a late dinner there. I then went to a nearby Hooters to kill time... and have a tasty beverage. I then stopped at a 7-11 by the airport to use the men's room & get a bottle of water for the parent, and I had an incredible experience there, one of those moments I swear could only happen to me.
I was waiting in line to pay and some people were talking about their bad days they had; this included the young white trash cashier (I believe named Mike) and a woman who works there but was not on the clock... she was there making a purchase too. As I started to pay, Mike told the woman and everyone else there... he said that this day was bad for him because he was having problems with his balls! I swear this is true. He then went into detail about why he thought he had testicular torsion. That's a real-life issue but if he actually did have that, it's a serious condition and if he didn't get it fixed by Friday afternoon he would only have a single instead of a pair. I think he had a minor issue with his testes but I am still flabbergasted I heard such a thing out loud and that was the first time I heard the term “nutsack” in a public setting like that.
I then picked up the parent and drove home.
Friday, I had to go out again to a place where I had to be there at a certain time. It was raining out so I made sure to leave early as I thought that way I'd have no issues. Oh no! I was on the 408 (a toll road going through the middle of Orlando) and just passed an exit when suddenly traffic stopped. I was not happy, as I knew that some idiots crashed their cars and once I was finally able to drive by after the cars in front of me narrowed down to one lane, that's exactly what it was. It was not a serious crash with fatalities, so I am not being callous in my bashing of those people. I had to call that place to tell them I was late and I ended up having no issue there with coming in at a different time, but Friday was a bad day. After that place I went to a few more, including the Rocket Fizz soda shop in Winter Park. More than one location I had to deal with stupid people, from those that got in the wreck to other things I won't talk about here. Just a bad day all around.
Partially because of Friday I was happy to stay in both Saturday and Sunday. The fact that it rained both days only solidified my opinion that I did the right thing. When I return a week from today, I have a few ideas in mind when it comes to me going out and about, so everyone has that to look forward to.
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