To explain the title of this, the first is a location not too far from where I live that I only just visited a few days ago (and note that I've lived in Florida since 2004), the second is the store that recently purchased MovieStop (a place I enjoy going to), the third is a Chick-fil-A ad I saw on YouTube with a cow that had a glowstick and yes, a WUB WUB song played... and the last part references me and videogames and I'll get to that in a moment.
Last Monday and Tuesday I didn't do a thing and I was OK with that. There isn't much to talk about there; the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup the preceding week and of course I enjoyed that. One cool thing I am going to mention is me and videogames. I've just been messing around with various things and not going in-depth on any particular game. Well, the game I sometimes played on the good old Xbox 360 was Pinball Arcade. It's one of a few pinball games I've played on console in my life and they're all by the same company. It's great playing tables in person but doing it virtually is neat too. Well, due to legal reasons the version on the 360 only had a few tables while the other versions out there for like the PS3 and the computer had many more. Well, finally that was resolved recently so now I can download various classic tables for a few bucks at the time and I am happy about that. I will have a pinball summer; that reference is to an obscure 1980 Canadian T&A comedy called Pinball Summer which is infamous among some people I know as the alleged heroes are awful human beings and they act worse than the supposed villains (and the filmmakers did that by accident) and there are some that hate the movie.
Anyhow, onto Wednesday. I had thoughts of doing something else but I once again became old and sensible and I did other things instead. What I did instead was go to a MovieStop; that chain got bought out by Hastings, who sells all sorts of things besides movies... mainly cheap crap related to entertainment merchandise. That influence is now present at your typical MovieStop and I know people who aren't happy about it but it looks like it has the same number of discs (just now more tightly packed together on the shelves) so I won't get too miffed by it. After that I ate at an Arby's and had part of it there and the rest at home later; the closest one to me isn't in town so I only eat there once in a blue moon. At least their food is decent.
Thursday, I was going to get sandwiches from Publix but the one I went to, the stupidest people were working there (don't even ask) so I got mad and left and got sandwiches from Wawa instead. Yes, more bad customer service in Florida, not a shock to me. As there are plenty of other Publix grocery stores in the general area (non Florida people, that chain is ubiquitous around here) I can at least go there and hopefully get non-crap service. Friday, I decided to go to a local place a little bit south of where I live called Showcase of Citrus, where various quaint products are sold and you can even pick your own fruit. However it was rainy weather so I stayed inside and looked at the various things they had on sale, such as jelly/jam, BBQ sauces, wacky fruit wines, and what I got was orange juice. I had it before from when someone I know got it and it was pretty tasty. You pay a premium to experience the local products but I am fine with getting local products and I can't quite explain why I never went there until now.
Saturday and Sunday, I did not do anything of note. Yeah, much of this past week was quite boring. I am OK with that as today will definitely be more interesting for me. I'll explain that next Monday when I return.
Monday, June 29, 2015
Monday, June 22, 2015
The Annals Of Customer (Dis)service & Rescue 911 Pinball Tables
If it wasn't so far away (Atlanta, GA) I would have gone to an event there this past weekend known as the Southern-Fried Gameroom Expo, which is like the events I've gone to in Orlando before where you pay a flat fee to play a bunch of pinball tables and arcade machines. While dramatic moments and frustration has happened every time I've gone to one, at least I've always enjoyed playing what they had there. Well, more than one person I know was there in attendance and I discovered via tweets that there were pinball tables made of such things as the Maverick movie and... Rescue 911. Yes, they based it on that old CBS show from the early 90's where William Shatner narrated dramatizations of actual 911 calls. As it's something I actually watched as a kid (maybe that's why I watch true crime things as an adult) I literally laughed out loud when I saw that such a pinball table was actually made. The 90's must have been huge for the industry.
This past Monday I didn't do anything but Tuesday I did, and it was more drama for me. I went to Walmart and what I got I paid with a credit card. It wasn't too long ago I got a new card with a chip in it and I hadn't used it at Wally World before. Well, with the device used to swipe it, you have to do something different for it to work and the peabrain checking me out was of low IQ and couldn't see the obvious in that I was struggling and I needed assistance as the screen certainly wasn't providing any information and it was just way bigger a hassle than it should have been. Again I was just supposed to know this beforehand and I didn't say anything to that dope but I was not happy at how oblivious she was. Thankfully all the other employees I dealt with at all the other places I visited were pretty nice.
Wednesday was a better day, aside from pretty bad traffic. I was thinking of places I hadn't been for awhile and I realized I needed to return to Twin Peaks, which has nothing to do with David Lynch but instead is a Hooters-esque restaurant only this has a rustic theme. Yeah it engages in gender stereotyping by having “man sized” and “girl sized” drinks but that is par for the course with such a place. While it may sound like a joke I actually do enjoy both the atmosphere and the food there. Before that I stopped at a nearby Barnes & Noble as it's now the closest one to me. With I Drive 360 now open International Drive is now even busier, which will lead to headaches from me when I have to be there.
Thursday, I went with someone to Uno's Pizzeria, a place the neither of us had been for a long while. Our time there was fine and our food was tasty. The person I was with enjoyed their new lobster sliders. Friday I didn't do anything but Saturday, I decided to go to the eastern part of Orlando for the first time in awhile. I first went to Total Wine & More to see what they had available. As typical I spent more there than expected but it's OK as I don't go there too often. Finding a 12 pack of the incredibly smooth Mexican beer known as Victoria made me happy and I had to get it. I then went to the nearby Smashburger; I looked it up and saw that the first and only time I went to the location in Orlando was this past February. I figured it was time to return and I am glad I did as they have pretty decent food. The drive there and back was especially hectic but otherwise it was a nice Saturday.
Sunday, the only thing I did was put air in one of my tires; all 4 tires were checked as the tire pressure monitoring system light came on the day before. Only one needed air and thankfully where I am there's an air compressor and a tire pressure gauge. For this upcoming week, I have some things in mind for activities to do.
This past Monday I didn't do anything but Tuesday I did, and it was more drama for me. I went to Walmart and what I got I paid with a credit card. It wasn't too long ago I got a new card with a chip in it and I hadn't used it at Wally World before. Well, with the device used to swipe it, you have to do something different for it to work and the peabrain checking me out was of low IQ and couldn't see the obvious in that I was struggling and I needed assistance as the screen certainly wasn't providing any information and it was just way bigger a hassle than it should have been. Again I was just supposed to know this beforehand and I didn't say anything to that dope but I was not happy at how oblivious she was. Thankfully all the other employees I dealt with at all the other places I visited were pretty nice.
Wednesday was a better day, aside from pretty bad traffic. I was thinking of places I hadn't been for awhile and I realized I needed to return to Twin Peaks, which has nothing to do with David Lynch but instead is a Hooters-esque restaurant only this has a rustic theme. Yeah it engages in gender stereotyping by having “man sized” and “girl sized” drinks but that is par for the course with such a place. While it may sound like a joke I actually do enjoy both the atmosphere and the food there. Before that I stopped at a nearby Barnes & Noble as it's now the closest one to me. With I Drive 360 now open International Drive is now even busier, which will lead to headaches from me when I have to be there.
Thursday, I went with someone to Uno's Pizzeria, a place the neither of us had been for a long while. Our time there was fine and our food was tasty. The person I was with enjoyed their new lobster sliders. Friday I didn't do anything but Saturday, I decided to go to the eastern part of Orlando for the first time in awhile. I first went to Total Wine & More to see what they had available. As typical I spent more there than expected but it's OK as I don't go there too often. Finding a 12 pack of the incredibly smooth Mexican beer known as Victoria made me happy and I had to get it. I then went to the nearby Smashburger; I looked it up and saw that the first and only time I went to the location in Orlando was this past February. I figured it was time to return and I am glad I did as they have pretty decent food. The drive there and back was especially hectic but otherwise it was a nice Saturday.
Sunday, the only thing I did was put air in one of my tires; all 4 tires were checked as the tire pressure monitoring system light came on the day before. Only one needed air and thankfully where I am there's an air compressor and a tire pressure gauge. For this upcoming week, I have some things in mind for activities to do.
Monday, June 15, 2015
The One Time I Was Reminded Once Again Just What An Odd Human Being I Am
I say that I am once again reminded of how I am just a strange human being due to what I saw this past Thursday night, which was Jurassic World. Many seem to enjoy it but I thought it was a pretty awful film and unlike many people I was not able to get over how atrocious the story and characters were. I know some people strongly disagreed with me but that is OK. I am fine with stating my opinion as that's honestly how I felt about it; what a crap movie.
Monday, the only thing I did was go to Jimmy John's to get dinner for me and someone else; we enjoyed the food and as they hadn't eaten there in a few years, that's the big reason why I decided to go there. In the evening I saw the Blackhawks lose the hockey game and that was unfortunate. Tuesday, it was a rainy day with thunderstorms so I stayed in and did not do a thing.
Wednesday, that was more interesting. In the evening I decided to go elsewhere to watch the 4th game in the Stanley Cup Final series between Tampa Bay and Chicago, and that happened to be the local World of Beer. Really, I need to get a loyalty card from there so I am rewarded by the wide variety of drinks I consume there. I am glad that my tastes are more varied than before, so I feel willing to try some wacky Belgian brew which had a unique taste but was OK, or a double chocolate stout, which was actually good and I don't always care for heavier beers than that. My time there was fine and it was nice to see Chicago win so now it's tied at 2 games a piece. Wednesday wasn't as insane as Thursday was, that's for sure. I have a lot to say about that day, so hang on.
I was told by someone I know that there's a new theatre on the corner of U.S. Highway 27 and Interstate 4 known as Cinepolis and while the website wasn't too informative about the theatres it still looked nice so I was interested. It made the most sense for me to see Jurassic World on the Thursday it came out, so I did. I ended up driving down there and the traffic was as brutal as it always is on that stretch of 27. I was going to get a ticket then eat somewhere in that shopping plaza but much to my surprise I saw that their food menu had plenty of items so I could just stay there the entire time and eat dinner. I knew ahead of time that place was reserved seating only, which I usually am not for at all as I much rather prefer sitting where I want so I can avoid being by people (to be honest) or move elsewhere if someone angers me due to sheer rudeness. As it was a sold out screening and I got one of the last tickets the reserved seating didn't really matter.
My experience there did not go so well. I noticed that the place wasn't customer friendly; it looks fancy and all but when you act like everyone is supposed to know everything before walking in the door the first time... I have complained about it before and I have to do it again now. Getting a ticket went fine; I then ordered food and there was a snafu due to employee error and I had to talk to someone else to get it straighten out. At least that other employee was a nice young woman who fixed things and tried hard to make me feel better. That place still left a bad first impression but at least sometime in the future I'll try going there again and hopefully I'll have a better experience.
As for Jurassic World, many seem to love it despite the story and character issues; me, I could not get past that. Maybe I am just finally fed up with the typical Hollywood blockbuster but this was just awful all around even with the few positives it does have. It's especially bad when you compare it to the awesome original. Thursday was a pretty crap day all around with many little things and those celebrity deaths made me sad, and I couldn't even get much enjoyment out of it aside from laughing sometimes at how stupid it was. I did get the feeling that this would be a massive hit when I saw some people at the screening cosplaying, including a young woman in a green dinosaur costume!
Friday, I didn't do a thing and unfortunately late in the evening I got a phone call from someone I know out of state who was having computer issues, and it definitely wasn't their fault and I do not blame them for not being proficient at computers; basically, I couldn't give them sufficient help at the time... but thank the Lord the issue was actually minor and with just waiting and let everything load/download the problem was fixed. As I did not have another solution that wouldn't be incredibly long/frustrating and require trying to explain a many complicated step process to someone with limited computer knowledge/experience... I was incredibly relieved.
Saturday, instead of going out to see the UFC show on pay per view, I just stayed in so I could watch Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, which Chicago won once again. What an incredibly close and even series it has been. I skipped out on seeing the pay per view in general, which I am fine with. The only other thing I did was go to Winter Garden Village for a bit where I picked up a few items. Sunday, I did not do anything at all.
When I return a week from today, I don't have anything planned yet but I'll stumble into an adventure or two.
Monday, the only thing I did was go to Jimmy John's to get dinner for me and someone else; we enjoyed the food and as they hadn't eaten there in a few years, that's the big reason why I decided to go there. In the evening I saw the Blackhawks lose the hockey game and that was unfortunate. Tuesday, it was a rainy day with thunderstorms so I stayed in and did not do a thing.
Wednesday, that was more interesting. In the evening I decided to go elsewhere to watch the 4th game in the Stanley Cup Final series between Tampa Bay and Chicago, and that happened to be the local World of Beer. Really, I need to get a loyalty card from there so I am rewarded by the wide variety of drinks I consume there. I am glad that my tastes are more varied than before, so I feel willing to try some wacky Belgian brew which had a unique taste but was OK, or a double chocolate stout, which was actually good and I don't always care for heavier beers than that. My time there was fine and it was nice to see Chicago win so now it's tied at 2 games a piece. Wednesday wasn't as insane as Thursday was, that's for sure. I have a lot to say about that day, so hang on.
I was told by someone I know that there's a new theatre on the corner of U.S. Highway 27 and Interstate 4 known as Cinepolis and while the website wasn't too informative about the theatres it still looked nice so I was interested. It made the most sense for me to see Jurassic World on the Thursday it came out, so I did. I ended up driving down there and the traffic was as brutal as it always is on that stretch of 27. I was going to get a ticket then eat somewhere in that shopping plaza but much to my surprise I saw that their food menu had plenty of items so I could just stay there the entire time and eat dinner. I knew ahead of time that place was reserved seating only, which I usually am not for at all as I much rather prefer sitting where I want so I can avoid being by people (to be honest) or move elsewhere if someone angers me due to sheer rudeness. As it was a sold out screening and I got one of the last tickets the reserved seating didn't really matter.
My experience there did not go so well. I noticed that the place wasn't customer friendly; it looks fancy and all but when you act like everyone is supposed to know everything before walking in the door the first time... I have complained about it before and I have to do it again now. Getting a ticket went fine; I then ordered food and there was a snafu due to employee error and I had to talk to someone else to get it straighten out. At least that other employee was a nice young woman who fixed things and tried hard to make me feel better. That place still left a bad first impression but at least sometime in the future I'll try going there again and hopefully I'll have a better experience.
As for Jurassic World, many seem to love it despite the story and character issues; me, I could not get past that. Maybe I am just finally fed up with the typical Hollywood blockbuster but this was just awful all around even with the few positives it does have. It's especially bad when you compare it to the awesome original. Thursday was a pretty crap day all around with many little things and those celebrity deaths made me sad, and I couldn't even get much enjoyment out of it aside from laughing sometimes at how stupid it was. I did get the feeling that this would be a massive hit when I saw some people at the screening cosplaying, including a young woman in a green dinosaur costume!
Friday, I didn't do a thing and unfortunately late in the evening I got a phone call from someone I know out of state who was having computer issues, and it definitely wasn't their fault and I do not blame them for not being proficient at computers; basically, I couldn't give them sufficient help at the time... but thank the Lord the issue was actually minor and with just waiting and let everything load/download the problem was fixed. As I did not have another solution that wouldn't be incredibly long/frustrating and require trying to explain a many complicated step process to someone with limited computer knowledge/experience... I was incredibly relieved.
Saturday, instead of going out to see the UFC show on pay per view, I just stayed in so I could watch Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, which Chicago won once again. What an incredibly close and even series it has been. I skipped out on seeing the pay per view in general, which I am fine with. The only other thing I did was go to Winter Garden Village for a bit where I picked up a few items. Sunday, I did not do anything at all.
When I return a week from today, I don't have anything planned yet but I'll stumble into an adventure or two.
Monday, June 8, 2015
American Pharoah, Moroccan Fire, & Feeling Melancholy
I'll mention right away what I feel melancholy about. Thursday night, I discovered on Facebook that yet another person I know who I either knew from back in the day in my old hometown of Belvidere or were in my high school class had passed away at too young an age. As typical it was due to no fault of their own and it's just sad. It has happened too often and it hasn't gotten any easier no matter how many times it has happened.
To lighten the mood, here's what I've done since last Monday. Monday the 1st I went to Walmart to pick up a few items. Nothing was out of the ordinary about that. Tuesday I didn't do anything but Wednesday had two things: the first was a dentist appointment. It was just a simple teeth cleaning. Thankfully nothing was wrong with my teeth so I don't have to go back there until early December. For me that's a relief as I was never blessed with the best or strongest teeth. In the evening I went with someone to Buffalo Wild Wings. That went fine. I had the boneless wings (as typical) and this time the limited edition sauce was called Moroccan Fire, which was an appropriate name. While hotter than what I usually eat, I still thought it wasn't bad.
Thursday was another dull day, except for that person I knew passing away too young. Friday was a lot more interesting. As I hadn't been to the southern part of the city of Lakeland for awhile I decided to drive down there, where I visited a few places and had dinner. I went to Books A Million and Rocket Fizz, where I did purchase items from both. I then ate at Burger 21, a chain that started in Florida and now is in a few other states also. Their food is decent so I am fine eating there once in awhile. I then went to one of my favorite restaurants (PDQ) just so I can get the limited edition shake they currently have, which was Dreamsicle; it was as awesome as it sounds.
Saturday I just stayed at home to watch the hockey game (the Blackhawks unfortunately lost) and I also saw the big horse race where American Pharoah finally won the first Triple Crown in horse racing since the late 70's; that sport I do not care that much about but I am glad it still happened since it had been so long. My mom's still a big fan and she was quite happy over the horse (the name being misspelled on accident and them not knowing it until too late... it is funny) winning.
Sunday, I went to Winter Garden Village for the first time in a few weeks and I saw that the Barnes & Noble (which I mentioned last month) there had closed down. I did not know when it would happen but figured that would be the case by this time. I have no idea what business will be in there next; I'll just miss going there as I had made many purchases there in the past. I did purchase something from Best Buy.
When I return a week from today, not too much is on the agenda yet but I do have a few ideas.
To lighten the mood, here's what I've done since last Monday. Monday the 1st I went to Walmart to pick up a few items. Nothing was out of the ordinary about that. Tuesday I didn't do anything but Wednesday had two things: the first was a dentist appointment. It was just a simple teeth cleaning. Thankfully nothing was wrong with my teeth so I don't have to go back there until early December. For me that's a relief as I was never blessed with the best or strongest teeth. In the evening I went with someone to Buffalo Wild Wings. That went fine. I had the boneless wings (as typical) and this time the limited edition sauce was called Moroccan Fire, which was an appropriate name. While hotter than what I usually eat, I still thought it wasn't bad.
Thursday was another dull day, except for that person I knew passing away too young. Friday was a lot more interesting. As I hadn't been to the southern part of the city of Lakeland for awhile I decided to drive down there, where I visited a few places and had dinner. I went to Books A Million and Rocket Fizz, where I did purchase items from both. I then ate at Burger 21, a chain that started in Florida and now is in a few other states also. Their food is decent so I am fine eating there once in awhile. I then went to one of my favorite restaurants (PDQ) just so I can get the limited edition shake they currently have, which was Dreamsicle; it was as awesome as it sounds.
Saturday I just stayed at home to watch the hockey game (the Blackhawks unfortunately lost) and I also saw the big horse race where American Pharoah finally won the first Triple Crown in horse racing since the late 70's; that sport I do not care that much about but I am glad it still happened since it had been so long. My mom's still a big fan and she was quite happy over the horse (the name being misspelled on accident and them not knowing it until too late... it is funny) winning.
Sunday, I went to Winter Garden Village for the first time in a few weeks and I saw that the Barnes & Noble (which I mentioned last month) there had closed down. I did not know when it would happen but figured that would be the case by this time. I have no idea what business will be in there next; I'll just miss going there as I had made many purchases there in the past. I did purchase something from Best Buy.
When I return a week from today, not too much is on the agenda yet but I do have a few ideas.
Monday, June 1, 2015
The Blackhawks, I Drive 360, The Orlando Eye & Tin Roofs... Rusted?
Unfortunately I was a little under the weather for much of the week so I only have one real day of entertainment to talk about. I mean, Memorial Day the only real bit of info I have to share is that I went to Papa John's to get some pizza, which tasted fine. Tuesday, I went to Target (where I paid cash) to pick up a few items, I did not do anything Wednesday, Friday or Sunday (unless anyone wants to hear about me cleaning my bathroom, which is unlikely), and the main activity I did on Thursday was get some gasoline. So onto the one interesting day, which was Saturday, and the night before I was giving my brain a workout trying to figure out what I could and what I should do.
Finally, I figured it out and Saturday I finally moseyed on over to the new I Drive 360, the area on International Drive where the main attraction is a giant fancy 400 foot tall Ferris Wheel but the complex has several other activities to do (such as an aquarium and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum). I didn't do any of those-that will come on a later date-but I did walk around to see that quite a bit is still under construction and those shops/restaurants will open on a later date. Before I got there I stopped at a nearby World of Beer, where I had two beverages. The music they played was all classic rock, which suited me just fine. Considering the brutal traffic there and back, I was happy to have some “liquid relief” to calm the nerves.
I decided to eat at the major restaurant actually open now at I Drive 360, which is known as Tin Roof; I don't know if the roof is rusted or not but they have about a dozen locations across the Southeast and it has what may be a hipster sort of vibe (the music/music videos they played did include two Black Keys songs but it was mainly older tunes which made me happy); I'll just describe it as “funky decor”. They have musical acts playing there live every late night. As for the food, it was pretty good so I will eat there again in the future.
Saturday night I did see the Chicago Blackhawks win so now they'll play against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Finals. Tampa Bay's team is cool and all but I have to go with the old home area team and root for Chicago. No I don't plan on going to any of the games in Tampa as getting one at the box office won't happen due to demand and paying an outrageous amount from any sort of scalper... I can watch it at home and be content. I am not sure about the Rolling Stones and their performance at the Citrus Bowl late next week; if I can find a ticket not too outrageous... at least I did see them once, back in Tampa October of '05 (which was a fun time) so seeing them isn't a critical priority.
I'll be back a week from today; that should be a more interesting week than the one I just had.
Finally, I figured it out and Saturday I finally moseyed on over to the new I Drive 360, the area on International Drive where the main attraction is a giant fancy 400 foot tall Ferris Wheel but the complex has several other activities to do (such as an aquarium and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum). I didn't do any of those-that will come on a later date-but I did walk around to see that quite a bit is still under construction and those shops/restaurants will open on a later date. Before I got there I stopped at a nearby World of Beer, where I had two beverages. The music they played was all classic rock, which suited me just fine. Considering the brutal traffic there and back, I was happy to have some “liquid relief” to calm the nerves.
I decided to eat at the major restaurant actually open now at I Drive 360, which is known as Tin Roof; I don't know if the roof is rusted or not but they have about a dozen locations across the Southeast and it has what may be a hipster sort of vibe (the music/music videos they played did include two Black Keys songs but it was mainly older tunes which made me happy); I'll just describe it as “funky decor”. They have musical acts playing there live every late night. As for the food, it was pretty good so I will eat there again in the future.
Saturday night I did see the Chicago Blackhawks win so now they'll play against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Finals. Tampa Bay's team is cool and all but I have to go with the old home area team and root for Chicago. No I don't plan on going to any of the games in Tampa as getting one at the box office won't happen due to demand and paying an outrageous amount from any sort of scalper... I can watch it at home and be content. I am not sure about the Rolling Stones and their performance at the Citrus Bowl late next week; if I can find a ticket not too outrageous... at least I did see them once, back in Tampa October of '05 (which was a fun time) so seeing them isn't a critical priority.
I'll be back a week from today; that should be a more interesting week than the one I just had.
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