Here's what I've done since last Monday. I did not do anything of note on Monday so let me skip ahead to Tuesday. I returned to Lakeland and it may be my last time in the area for at least a few months. I ate at the Florida chain Burger 21; they make decent food. I got some gourmet sodas from Rocket Fizz. Oh, and for the first time in a few years I saw a movie at the Cobb Theatres they have there. It was a heavily hyped movie I heard about on sites such as Letterboxd and other places on the Internet. It is called Moonlight and it is about a young black man in Miami; you see him at three points in his young life and while the themes include his sexuality, parts of it can be relatable to a lot of people. Sad to say, being an outcast and not being treated well due to being “different”, the way some cretins treated me from elementary through high school... those parts did hit pretty close to him for me. It's being predicted already to get some Oscar nominations, and for good reason as I also think that the movie is excellent. I am glad I saw it, and there was only one other random person in there at the screening.
Wednesday, all I did was get a much-needed haircut, so onto Thanksgiving. It was a typical Thanksgiving where not much was done aside from having the big meal with the parents, but I am OK with that. Staying in and relaxing is always fine with me. Friday, it's what I almost always do the day after Thanksgiving, which is attend the Central Florida International Auto Show at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. Not all the companies that make cars for the American automobile market send cars here (many of the luxury ones skip this) but that is OK as there are still plenty of different vehicles you can take a close look at and many can be sat in, which is awfully nice. It is always neat sitting in something like a Mustang, a Corvette, or a Camaro. As typical, the “younger people” enjoyed such vehicles as the ones I just mentioned, while plenty of older folks enjoyed the large sedans. The brand new Lincoln Continental was very popular with them, and it is a sharp-looking ride. Personally, I am glad that unlike most of the times I am at the Convention Center, I did not have to walk a country mile from the parking lot to the building.
The weekend, it was another quiet one from me. I did not do anything of note. The Bears played against a mediocre team in the Tennessee Titans, but as the Bears are terrible, I figured they would lose so why go out to see them? Turns out, I was right. Chicago was down big early but behind a young (yet inexperienced) quarterback, they tried to make a comeback and they could have had a shocking win. As they were the 2016 Bears, they failed and I was glad I did not see such nonsense in person.
The next Bears game is against San Francisco, a rare team that is even worse; the game could be among the worst in NFL history, so who knows if I'll even feel like watching that slop. I imagine many people out there would like to see San Francisco quarterback-the much reviled Colin Kaepernick-get his clocked cleaned by the Bears defense. You'll have to see a week from today if I do watch this or not.
Monday, November 28, 2016
Monday, November 21, 2016
The One Time I Had A Nondescript Week
Yeah, I was rather dull this past week, which was fine by my tastes. The next time I post I'll talk about Thanksgiving and the annual day after Thanksgiving tradition for me, attending the Central Florida International Auto Show. That will be more exciting than what I write about here. Monday through Thursday, the only thing I did on those days was on Wednesday, where I went to Walmart to get a few items (and met a neighbor there), stopped at a Barnes & Noble-where I got nothing-then I ate at Twin Peaks, where I had a tasty meal.
So I'll mention that for a few days I thought there was an issue with my credit card where it was compromised. I tried using it on Sunday at a gas station but it failed; I tried again on Wednesday at another gas station... same thing. The next day, phone calls were made... thankfully it wasn't identity theft-which has happened to me before. Rather, it was stupidity on the part of the credit card company, and I'll leave it at that. All my identity theft problems came during a bad time in my life... it was August of '09 through August of 2010. Besides that, the big thing was a grandparent dying. There were various issues that happened, including a major event I still won't reveal here (maybe one day I will), someone I know had surgery-they ended up fine-and all sorts of drama. I am glad that things have been fine since then, even with some hiccups along the way.
Friday, I went out somewhere; after I finished that task I ended up at Disney Springs. I confirmed that the credit card was working again, and I got some cheap clothing items from two stores. Part of it was... I wear boxer shorts as pajama wear until the weather is too cold, then I switch to lounge pants. I needed some new shorts for that task, as it still hasn't cooled off here yet. It was indeed busy in the area, as I suspected. On the way back someone almost switched lanes right into me but I saw it, blasted my horn, and sped away. This was at night, but it's not like I drive a small and low to the ground car like a Mazda Miata or a Porsche Boxster (although I wish I did) so I don't know how that fool didn't see me.
The weekend, I did not do much except go to for fast food on Sunday. Going out to see the Bears play, no thank you. Jay Cutler had a horrible game (even by his standards) last week and the pain of seeing that garbage live, it did not inspire me to see him play against a better team than Tampa Bay in the New York Giants. Well, like they did early this season, they led in the first half but fell apart in the second half, and of course in the end Cutler blew it. Not seeing it in full was the right decision on my part. When I return a week from today, I will have more to talk about, at least.
So I'll mention that for a few days I thought there was an issue with my credit card where it was compromised. I tried using it on Sunday at a gas station but it failed; I tried again on Wednesday at another gas station... same thing. The next day, phone calls were made... thankfully it wasn't identity theft-which has happened to me before. Rather, it was stupidity on the part of the credit card company, and I'll leave it at that. All my identity theft problems came during a bad time in my life... it was August of '09 through August of 2010. Besides that, the big thing was a grandparent dying. There were various issues that happened, including a major event I still won't reveal here (maybe one day I will), someone I know had surgery-they ended up fine-and all sorts of drama. I am glad that things have been fine since then, even with some hiccups along the way.
Friday, I went out somewhere; after I finished that task I ended up at Disney Springs. I confirmed that the credit card was working again, and I got some cheap clothing items from two stores. Part of it was... I wear boxer shorts as pajama wear until the weather is too cold, then I switch to lounge pants. I needed some new shorts for that task, as it still hasn't cooled off here yet. It was indeed busy in the area, as I suspected. On the way back someone almost switched lanes right into me but I saw it, blasted my horn, and sped away. This was at night, but it's not like I drive a small and low to the ground car like a Mazda Miata or a Porsche Boxster (although I wish I did) so I don't know how that fool didn't see me.
The weekend, I did not do much except go to for fast food on Sunday. Going out to see the Bears play, no thank you. Jay Cutler had a horrible game (even by his standards) last week and the pain of seeing that garbage live, it did not inspire me to see him play against a better team than Tampa Bay in the New York Giants. Well, like they did early this season, they led in the first half but fell apart in the second half, and of course in the end Cutler blew it. Not seeing it in full was the right decision on my part. When I return a week from today, I will have more to talk about, at least.
Monday, November 14, 2016
A Live Bears Game, Free Play Florida, & President Trump?
As I've said before I won't talk about my political beliefs in public as that can only lead to problems. Someone I know lost a friend on election night over whom they voted for. I can't believe that Trump actually won considering all the controversy he attracted. Then again, I know that Hillary had her share of controversy too... this election cycle has divided the country due to how ugly things became. I hope this country doesn't become more anarchic the next four years or we have some sort of catastrophe and I'll leave it at that.
Monday I did not do anything so let me skip ahead to Tuesday. I went to Epcot at Walt Disney World one last time to enjoy their Food & Wine Festival, which ended yesterday. I got some random food & drink and got some needed exercise. Some people were wearing political shirts, although most of those were for fictional characters, such as Forrest Gump, Mickey Mouse, Harry Potter & Weasley and my two favorite tickets, Beavis/Butthead and Picard/Riker. Wednesday I did not do anything but Thursday, I went with someone to the local Texas Roadhouse, which was an experience that went fine with no complications.
So, onto Friday. It was the return of a gaming weekend to Orlando; it is Free Play Florida, where you pay a flat fee and you get to play a bunch of old arcade games and pinball tables in a large conference room at a fancy hotel. It has always been a good time since I started going to those events a few years ago. It was another good time on this day. Some people I know were there but as they were busy playing games I wasn't able to say hello to them. It's all good, as I admit that playing games is much more important and interesting than chatting with me. One of my enemies was there too; he doesn't even deserve the dignity to be named. We ignored each other so that's all I'll say about that person. It was nice playing various tables for the first time, or returning to some old favorites. As before, the virtual pinball table was pretty neat too, as that literally gives you a few hundred tables you could play. If I had one at home, I'd never be seen in public again, but as those cost a few thousand bucks... maybe I should start playing the lottery more often.
Between real life and virtual, it was neat playing new and old tables... such as Ghostbusters (with the original characters, so don't freak out), The Walking Dead, the 1980's Rocky table, Back to the Future, Demolition Man, a surprisingly fun late 80's Monday Night Football table, and for laughter's sake, Johnny Mnemonic. Yes, they made a table based on that infamous movie. After I left there due to being hungry and exhausted, I had to try a few spots before I found a joint (Tilted Kilt) that wasn't jam-packed with people. It was not the best experience there between the rude/annoying people there and not so attentive service, but at least the food was good and I can wait a long while before returning due to all the food options that are within like a 50 mile radius of where I live.
Saturday, I did not return to Free Play Florida nor did I go out to see the big UFC pay per view, which because of stupid bureaucratic nonsense was held in a state (New York) that just legalized MMA earlier this year. Going to my second-ever NFL game and my first-ever Bears game meant that with a 1PM start, I better relax at home on Sunday due to having to leave in the morning. Being out late or being on my feet for hours would be a poor decision considering what I had to do on Sunday. So thus, that morning I made the drive over to Tampa to see the Chicago Bears play at the Tampa Bay Bucs at Raymond James Stadium, a place I had never been to before. The drive there was not as bad as expected, considering a good amount of it was on the much-reviled Interstate 4, which is known both for the number of wrecks that happen each day and how it's usually busy as heck. I appreciated the signs in Tampa warning of congestion and telling people going to the game which alternate routes to take to get there.
As for the stadium, it's been open for 18 years now so it's not uber-fancy like the most modern buildings but it does get the job done and the giant new video screens they added this year are pretty nice. I got the first parking spot I could find. It wasn't as expensive but boy, was the walk to the stadium and back rather lengthy. A free Bucs shirt was handed out to everyone, and I always appreciate such things. I sat in the upper deck and yet I can't complain as I still saw everything to a satisfying degree. The section I sat in was fine and I did not have to worry about idiots. I knew there would be plenty of Bears fans around but even I was taken aback by how many there were. I got a good idea when I walked around the parking lot and saw all those tailgaters. I also got a heck of a tan, as the sun was shining on me for hours on end.
As for the game... I wish I could have seen one where the Bears-ok, mainly quarterback Jay Cutler-didn't play awfully. Tampa Bay is a young team that could be pretty good in the future... Chicago made it awfully easy for them to score 36 points, and the Bucs won 36-10. Aside from one spectacular if lucky play and a few decent moments, the Bears looked pretty bad. Just minutes ago, one of the best players on the team (Alshon Jeffery) got suspended for the next 4 games for being caught taking performance-enhancing drugs. Well, this season I guess he needed to take more of those as he hasn't been great and hardly did anything in this game. This was something I was glad I could do so I can cross it off the proverbial bucket list, but I wish the Bears weren't so bad; if they win another game this season and end up at 3-13 instead of 2-14, I'll be surprised.
I left the stadium and as it's Florida, a car almost crashed into me. I did not get back on Interstate 4 as that'd be utter chaos. Instead, I ate at a Burger Monger restaurant in Wesley Chapel. That was my first time at the famous Tampa-area franchise. I tried to go to one two years ago but there was a snafu so it didn't happen. They do make good food; not the best I've ever had, but good. As for when I return a week from today, nothing is on the agenda yet and the week shouldn't be action-packed like this one was, but I'll figure out something to do.
Monday I did not do anything so let me skip ahead to Tuesday. I went to Epcot at Walt Disney World one last time to enjoy their Food & Wine Festival, which ended yesterday. I got some random food & drink and got some needed exercise. Some people were wearing political shirts, although most of those were for fictional characters, such as Forrest Gump, Mickey Mouse, Harry Potter & Weasley and my two favorite tickets, Beavis/Butthead and Picard/Riker. Wednesday I did not do anything but Thursday, I went with someone to the local Texas Roadhouse, which was an experience that went fine with no complications.
So, onto Friday. It was the return of a gaming weekend to Orlando; it is Free Play Florida, where you pay a flat fee and you get to play a bunch of old arcade games and pinball tables in a large conference room at a fancy hotel. It has always been a good time since I started going to those events a few years ago. It was another good time on this day. Some people I know were there but as they were busy playing games I wasn't able to say hello to them. It's all good, as I admit that playing games is much more important and interesting than chatting with me. One of my enemies was there too; he doesn't even deserve the dignity to be named. We ignored each other so that's all I'll say about that person. It was nice playing various tables for the first time, or returning to some old favorites. As before, the virtual pinball table was pretty neat too, as that literally gives you a few hundred tables you could play. If I had one at home, I'd never be seen in public again, but as those cost a few thousand bucks... maybe I should start playing the lottery more often.
Between real life and virtual, it was neat playing new and old tables... such as Ghostbusters (with the original characters, so don't freak out), The Walking Dead, the 1980's Rocky table, Back to the Future, Demolition Man, a surprisingly fun late 80's Monday Night Football table, and for laughter's sake, Johnny Mnemonic. Yes, they made a table based on that infamous movie. After I left there due to being hungry and exhausted, I had to try a few spots before I found a joint (Tilted Kilt) that wasn't jam-packed with people. It was not the best experience there between the rude/annoying people there and not so attentive service, but at least the food was good and I can wait a long while before returning due to all the food options that are within like a 50 mile radius of where I live.
Saturday, I did not return to Free Play Florida nor did I go out to see the big UFC pay per view, which because of stupid bureaucratic nonsense was held in a state (New York) that just legalized MMA earlier this year. Going to my second-ever NFL game and my first-ever Bears game meant that with a 1PM start, I better relax at home on Sunday due to having to leave in the morning. Being out late or being on my feet for hours would be a poor decision considering what I had to do on Sunday. So thus, that morning I made the drive over to Tampa to see the Chicago Bears play at the Tampa Bay Bucs at Raymond James Stadium, a place I had never been to before. The drive there was not as bad as expected, considering a good amount of it was on the much-reviled Interstate 4, which is known both for the number of wrecks that happen each day and how it's usually busy as heck. I appreciated the signs in Tampa warning of congestion and telling people going to the game which alternate routes to take to get there.
As for the stadium, it's been open for 18 years now so it's not uber-fancy like the most modern buildings but it does get the job done and the giant new video screens they added this year are pretty nice. I got the first parking spot I could find. It wasn't as expensive but boy, was the walk to the stadium and back rather lengthy. A free Bucs shirt was handed out to everyone, and I always appreciate such things. I sat in the upper deck and yet I can't complain as I still saw everything to a satisfying degree. The section I sat in was fine and I did not have to worry about idiots. I knew there would be plenty of Bears fans around but even I was taken aback by how many there were. I got a good idea when I walked around the parking lot and saw all those tailgaters. I also got a heck of a tan, as the sun was shining on me for hours on end.
As for the game... I wish I could have seen one where the Bears-ok, mainly quarterback Jay Cutler-didn't play awfully. Tampa Bay is a young team that could be pretty good in the future... Chicago made it awfully easy for them to score 36 points, and the Bucs won 36-10. Aside from one spectacular if lucky play and a few decent moments, the Bears looked pretty bad. Just minutes ago, one of the best players on the team (Alshon Jeffery) got suspended for the next 4 games for being caught taking performance-enhancing drugs. Well, this season I guess he needed to take more of those as he hasn't been great and hardly did anything in this game. This was something I was glad I could do so I can cross it off the proverbial bucket list, but I wish the Bears weren't so bad; if they win another game this season and end up at 3-13 instead of 2-14, I'll be surprised.
I left the stadium and as it's Florida, a car almost crashed into me. I did not get back on Interstate 4 as that'd be utter chaos. Instead, I ate at a Burger Monger restaurant in Wesley Chapel. That was my first time at the famous Tampa-area franchise. I tried to go to one two years ago but there was a snafu so it didn't happen. They do make good food; not the best I've ever had, but good. As for when I return a week from today, nothing is on the agenda yet and the week shouldn't be action-packed like this one was, but I'll figure out something to do.
Monday, November 7, 2016
Saugatuck Blueberry Maple Stout, Portmanteaus Gone Wrong & The World Series
I won't go in chronological order this time. I have to talk about the Cubs winning the World Series first. Game 7 was Wednesday and as it was a historic deal, I decided to go out & about to see it. I was thinking of places to go and I realized that I need to go to Universal CityWalk, as the longwinded The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen recently opened, I was interested in checking it out, and with my schedule I wouldn't have a great chance to until late this month, so that's why I went to CityWalk rather than stop off at a traditional sports bar. After I walked around that joint and got two candy bars (the first of which I ate in the car before I drove back home. It's pricey but good) I went to the NBC Sports Grill & Brew to see the game.
The Cubs were the Cubs, so more than once they almost blew it and lost the game. It went back and forth, did not end until the 10th inning and there was even a 17 minute rain delay. But finally, they won the World Series for the first time in 108 years, and it was an amazing sight to see. I know and knew plenty of Cubs fans; some I haven't talked to in years and a few unfortunately have passed away; I did tip a glass to my late grandfather. I am happy for all those people. It was nice to do so while having a few beverages.
On Halloween, I did nothing of note, which was fine by me. I stayed in and chilled. Not a lot of trick or treaters came by, but that's typically been the case in recent years. More Halloween candy for me! The Bears played on this night against the superior Minnesota Vikings. I was expecting a game that was appropriate for the day, i.e. horrifying and terrifying to watch. Well, it was the usual NFL garbage that has pretty much made the game unwatchable, and to me it wasn't that pleasing to watch... and yet somehow, the Bears won 20-10. I can't explain it but I'll take the victory. The Bears don't play again until the 13th, at Tampa. Tuesday, what I did was go to my local bank to drop off something, then it was off to the Doctor Phillips area. Yes, I'll always laugh that there's an Orlando suburb called Doctor Phillips. I went to the World of Beer, where I had two beverages. I heard rave reviews about the German beer Kostritzer. It is a Schwarzbier. That beer is dark but is smoother than a porter or stout. I also had the Saugatuck Blueberry Maple Stout and it was as tasty as it sounds as it actually did taste like blueberries and maple.
Thursday, I didn't do anything; Friday was a different story. I went with some people to downtown of the city I live in; this is because the first Friday of each month they block off part of downtown and set up booths and food trucks. It's neat. In the future I'll go there by myself so I can have more time to wander around and I could also have dessert after dinner. I got food from a place that sold chicken bites. While it wasn't quite what I expected, it at least tasted fine so I am not complaining. They also had a burger truck, and I couldn't believe what I saw. On the menu they had displayed, I saw that each burger had its own name. They decided to do a portmanteau for the burger that is served between a pair of donuts. To me it sounds disgusting so I'll never eat it, but in this case they probably shouldn't have combined donut and burger; that is because...
They called it a DONGER. I am sure most can see why this is a problem; I'll just say that if they served hot dogs, that'd be a better place to use such a name! I can only laugh and marvel at how they are using the name and they must have no idea what it was that they did. Talk about incredible.
Saturday, I went to another World of Beer, this time the one right in town. I had a few different German beers, all in different styles and only one I had tried before. It does help in picking out what I should and shouldn't drink in the future. Sunday, it was yet another airport run for me. After I dropped them off, I stopped at a World Market on the way back as I hadn't been to one in months. Several items were purchased. When I return a week from today... I'll have plenty to talk about. It's actually a week where I wish that there weren't multiple things to do in the span of a few days. I still plan on seeing the Bears play live but there's other activities so it will be a hectic Friday through Sunday for me.
The Cubs were the Cubs, so more than once they almost blew it and lost the game. It went back and forth, did not end until the 10th inning and there was even a 17 minute rain delay. But finally, they won the World Series for the first time in 108 years, and it was an amazing sight to see. I know and knew plenty of Cubs fans; some I haven't talked to in years and a few unfortunately have passed away; I did tip a glass to my late grandfather. I am happy for all those people. It was nice to do so while having a few beverages.
On Halloween, I did nothing of note, which was fine by me. I stayed in and chilled. Not a lot of trick or treaters came by, but that's typically been the case in recent years. More Halloween candy for me! The Bears played on this night against the superior Minnesota Vikings. I was expecting a game that was appropriate for the day, i.e. horrifying and terrifying to watch. Well, it was the usual NFL garbage that has pretty much made the game unwatchable, and to me it wasn't that pleasing to watch... and yet somehow, the Bears won 20-10. I can't explain it but I'll take the victory. The Bears don't play again until the 13th, at Tampa. Tuesday, what I did was go to my local bank to drop off something, then it was off to the Doctor Phillips area. Yes, I'll always laugh that there's an Orlando suburb called Doctor Phillips. I went to the World of Beer, where I had two beverages. I heard rave reviews about the German beer Kostritzer. It is a Schwarzbier. That beer is dark but is smoother than a porter or stout. I also had the Saugatuck Blueberry Maple Stout and it was as tasty as it sounds as it actually did taste like blueberries and maple.
Thursday, I didn't do anything; Friday was a different story. I went with some people to downtown of the city I live in; this is because the first Friday of each month they block off part of downtown and set up booths and food trucks. It's neat. In the future I'll go there by myself so I can have more time to wander around and I could also have dessert after dinner. I got food from a place that sold chicken bites. While it wasn't quite what I expected, it at least tasted fine so I am not complaining. They also had a burger truck, and I couldn't believe what I saw. On the menu they had displayed, I saw that each burger had its own name. They decided to do a portmanteau for the burger that is served between a pair of donuts. To me it sounds disgusting so I'll never eat it, but in this case they probably shouldn't have combined donut and burger; that is because...
They called it a DONGER. I am sure most can see why this is a problem; I'll just say that if they served hot dogs, that'd be a better place to use such a name! I can only laugh and marvel at how they are using the name and they must have no idea what it was that they did. Talk about incredible.
Saturday, I went to another World of Beer, this time the one right in town. I had a few different German beers, all in different styles and only one I had tried before. It does help in picking out what I should and shouldn't drink in the future. Sunday, it was yet another airport run for me. After I dropped them off, I stopped at a World Market on the way back as I hadn't been to one in months. Several items were purchased. When I return a week from today... I'll have plenty to talk about. It's actually a week where I wish that there weren't multiple things to do in the span of a few days. I still plan on seeing the Bears play live but there's other activities so it will be a hectic Friday through Sunday for me.
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