Monday, January 30, 2017

Dentistry Problems, Planet Hollywood & PizzeRizzo

Not the most exciting of weeks for me; it happens. On Monday the 23rd, the weather was back to normal. I was thankful, considering that the night before, there were tornado watches and tornado watches all across Central Florida, and several were spotted. I did nothing on that day. Tuesday, my schedule changed. I won't get into the whole kerfuffle, but that dentist I mentioned two weeks ago, the one who took over my old dentist's practice after he retired... I did not even go in to see him for that “deep cleaning”; among other things, even with dental insurance that procedure would be outrageously expensive. It was decided that from now on, I'll be using a different dentist. I just have no idea which one yet... that will be determined in the future. Instead, I went to Walt Disney World. Yep, a big improvement from a procedure I still don't have a lot of knowledge of but may have been painful. I was at Hollywood Studios in particular. As it was not too busy, it was nice to walk around, go on some rides, and eat dinner at a new restaurant; the Toy Story-themed arcade and pizza place was replaced by a Brooklyn-looking joint called PizzeRizzo; it was named after the rat character from The Muppets. It was a good idea to go to WDW, for sure.

Wednesday and Thursday I did not do anything. Friday, though... not the best day for me. Just too many idiots and incredibly rude people I had to deal with; that was both on the road and in person. I'll spare you the gory details. I'll just say that I ended up at Disney Springs. This was to purchase a ticket for next month... what I mean is, at their AMC Theatres they will have a marathon over two days of the Best Picture Oscar nominees, and I got a ticket for one of the two days (February 18), meaning I'll get to see Manchester by the Sea, Fences, Hell or High Water (for a second time, which is fine by me) and La La Land. I did the same thing in 2014 and 2016; I enjoyed both of those days so I imagine I'll feel the same way after the 18th of next month. 

I walked around and noticed that the Planet Hollywood restaurant had opened after being closed for months. It's now Planet Hollywood Observatory and the interior is completely different. I went in for dinner to see what it was nice. It looked nice, I can't complain about the staff or the food & drink that I had. Just note that unlike most restaurants, you are not allowed to modify your burger order at all. They gave a cock and bull story but I say it's not being very customer friendly. A shame. At least there are plenty of other places on that property for me to go to.

Saturday and Sunday I did not do a thing; after the experiences I just talked about, I was happy to stay home. This upcoming week should be more interesting, between the Super Bowl and some other things I hope to do.

Monday, January 23, 2017

Boma's, More Food Trucks & xXx Movies

Note that I am referring to the series of three movies with Vin Diesel, Ice Cube then Vin Diesel again. I am not referencing any sort of adult films.

Here's what I've done since Monday the 16th. On that day, I ended up at the fancy African buffet at the Animal Kingdom Lodge at Walt Disney World known as Boma's. That is because for a few days a sister and her pal were down here. I wish they could have stayed longer but alas... I've been to that restaurant before. They do have enough food for a “selective” eater like me so that's why I had no complaints about going there. While the place is not what you'd call “cheap”, I wasn't the one who paid the bill. Tuesday, I went to World Market to pick up a few items, Wednesday I ate at the local MacAlister's Deli for the first time in months (them screwing up my order last year was a turn-off. Thankfully, things went better this time) and Thursday I did not do a thing. Come to think of it, this past week wasn't as interesting as I thought it could be. 

Friday, I went to that new Walmart and purchased several items. They do keep up the Walmart tradition of not having enough people working cash registers for the amount of people there at the time. Saturday, it was food truck day. I mentioned a few months ago how I went to the downtown of my city to attend this event; it's normally the first Friday of each month where people can go there in the early evening to eat some food. Well, for reasons unknown to me they had a special event on this Saturday where even more food trucks than usual were involved. It seemed like a good idea to go there, and it was. I had several items. The food was a pizza cone (a new concept to me), a soft Amish pretzel, and a cheesecake pop; all were quite tasty.

Saturday I did not do anything but Sunday, I ended up in Lakeland. This was despite the bad weather going on throughout the day. It was always windy. The drive down there, that's all it was. In the evening, it was rainy, and on the way back it got worse the closer I got to home. When I was in Lakeland, I went to the Cinemark movie theatre to see the new xXx movie. From Friday night through Sunday afternoon, I watched all three xXx films for the first time, as I had never seen them before. The first two are really dumb but I still found them watchable, and they are both filled with unintentional humor. The new movie-where Vin Diesel returns-is the dumbest of them all and yet it is tremendously entertaining so I am glad I saw the film. Those that love Fast Five and Furious Six need to see this, as xXx: The Return of Xander Cage has a lot in common with those. I wish the crowd would have been larger at the screening but alas... some of the people being old couples was definitely a surprise to me. After the movie, I had dinner at a nearby restaurant... Hooters. Due to the weather and them using DirecTV, the signal for the big football games was not always working. That wasn't too big of a deal for me. While there I had a Budweiser Black Crown (as I hadn't had one of those in a few years) and a Michelob Light, as I hadn't had one of those in a very long time.

For the upcoming week, I have several plans in mind so I know I'll have things to discuss when I return a week from today.

Monday, January 16, 2017

More Mecum Kissimmee, College Football, Aliens & Sleepless

On Monday the 9th, I actually did go out and about. I first went to Buffalo Wild Wings, as I hadn't been there in a long while. It was to see the big major college football national championship game. I ordered some boneless wings and to be honest, they weren't the best boneless wings I ever had, whether from there or another place. I happened to be by a young couple, and what a couple of people they were. The lady used some unlady-like language, which is normally OK with me but those two constantly talked and wouldn't shut up and I got tired of it. Plus, she called her guy friend/boyfriend/whatever a crude term for “idiot” so I was happy to get away from there. I then went to the nearby World of Beer and that went far better. I had no problem there and in fact was able to stay after closing at midnight as the game lasted until around 12:30. The game ended up being quite exciting and Clemson defeated Alabama. Alabama won the title often enough in the past decade while Clemson hadn't won it since I was an infant so it was nice that Clemson won.

Tuesday, I went to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned. My old dentist retired so his practice was replaced with brand new people. They at least seem like fine people. But when my teeth were X-rayed and examined, it was decided that my teeth need a new “deep cleaning” (I was not blessed with the best body, to be honest) and even with dental insurance that won't be cheap; in addition, for some reason my blood pressure was taken, and that was a little higher than it should have been. I hadn't had it taken in years but I am not surprised... like I said, not being blessed with the best body. So I wasn't feeling good on this day. Wednesday was at least better in that I did not do anything of note. Thursday, I returned to Mecum Kissimmee. It was nice walking around there again and seeing both cars I saw last Sunday and ones that were new to me. I ate dinner there and it was about what I expected, meaning “at least it was edible.” On the way back I stopped at the Seadog Brewing Company restaurant/bar in Orlando for a drink; something known as the Snickerdoodle Porter sounded odd, so I needed to try it; turns out, it's pretty good.

Friday and Saturday I did not do anything of note, so onto Sunday. I went to the Orlando area to see a pair of movies, and I had dinner at the movie theatre in between the two films. The first film was Sleepless, the film starring Jamie Foxx. The main reason why I saw it is that it's a remake of a 2011 French film called Sleepless Night which I had seen before because it can be rented from Amazon Video and someone on a messageboard loves the movie. I don't love Sleepless Night like he does but it's still a pretty enjoyable action movie. Sleepless, in comparison, while it's not awful it's not great either and you should stick with the original. The second movie I saw was Aliens. Yes, a revival screening. While it was the theatrical cut from 1986 and not the Director's Cut from a few years later, it's still a movie I love and as I've said elsewhere for a few years now that seeing Aliens on the big screen was something I really wanted to do... I was quite happy when I discovered I could finally do it. It was pretty awesome seeing it theatrically.

Because there are guests around for the next week, I know there will be at least one unique event that I'll be able to talk about when I return a week from today on the 23rd.

Monday, January 9, 2017

Princess Mononoke, Mecum Kissimmee, & Uncle Maddio's Pizza

I knew right away that this past week would not be as exciting as my end of 2016. From the 2nd to the 4th, the only thing of note I did was on the 3rd, where I went to the bank to drop off a check that someone gave me. It was Thursday the 5th that things finally got more interesting. I was out and about in Orlando. I ended up on the east side of the Orlando suburbs, as I rarely am out that way. I was at the Waterford Lakes Town Center outdoor mall. It's not too different from the last time I was there, which was about a year ago. I ate at a chain I just discovered the night before: Uncle Maddio's Pizza. They are basically the same as Blaze Pizza: you can build your own pizza or have one from the menu and it's heated real fast in an oven. Needless to say, it was pretty good.

I saw a movie at their Regal Cinemas. Last month on the big screen I got to see a famous Japanese animated movie (Spirited Away) that left me cold, which is a rather uncommon opinion. On this night I saw another famous Japanese animated movie, and thankfully this time I agreed with the consensus. Princess Mononoke is an excellent movie. It's set in a feudal Japan which has various spirits and talking animals; it's a layered nuanced tale where the characters are great and not stereotypically “good” or “evil” and it is pretty violent. I am glad I got to see it that way.

Friday, I stayed in and Saturday I ate food from Five Guys. I went out for the food and not only got something for myself but also got food for two other people; at least their orders were correct... mine wasn't inedible but it still wasn't what I ordered and I wasn't delighted about the kerfuffle. Anyhow, Sunday I enjoyed one of the two free tickets that I got from a source which I shall not name for the giant auto auction that happens in January every year in Kissimmee and presented by Mecum. It's the largest auto auction in the world, with something like 3,000 cars being auctioned in the span of almost a week and a half. Walking around all the vehicles they have there that are either going to be sold in the coming days or ones that were already bid on but the bid wasn't high enough so anyone can register to try and bid on them... I had to do a lot of walking, in other words. But, that's what I did the previous two years so I am not complaining. It it neat seeing such things as plenty of old muscle cars, rarities, & fancy more modern cars from the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, etc. It's cool. Plus, it's a nice break to go inside the building and see some of the actual auction going on. As it was chilly and windy there (at least for Florida in January; I know many won't have any sympathy for me there), going inside was nice too.

On the way home I stopped at a BJ's Brewhouse & Pub for dinner and I saw parts of the NFL playoff game going on at the time. They always make good food so I did not regret eating there. When I return on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I know of a few things I'll be doing in the coming week.

Monday, January 2, 2017

My Kansas Christmas Vacation, & Much More

Here's what I've done since Monday, December the 19th. It was nothing on the 19th itself, but in the wee hours of the morning on the 20th I had to make yet another airport run. This time it was Orlando International and on the way back I stopped for a bite to eat at the nearby Denny's. They remodeled the place and it looks nice. I had a decent meal so I can't complain. Tuesday night proper, I went to the AMC Theatres at Altamonte Springs to see Rogue One again, this time on their giant Dolby Cinema at AMC screen. The screen and sound both are great, so it is worth it to see it that way. Wednesday I did nothing while Thursday I returned to that Walmart I referred to in my last post, got some items from there, ate McDonald's for dinner and got ready for the trip on Friday morning.

As for the Kansas vacation, there were various interesting moments. I of course won't go into detail about many things but I'll be general. It was nice seeing both of my sisters during the holiday season. It was a long drive back to Kansas and back, as it always is. The first night, we stopped a little west of Little Rock, Arkansas and ate at a Logan's Roadhouse. We rolled in at my sister's place the next afternoon. I enjoyed seeing the dogs my two sisters have and of course my twin nephews. I am amazed they are already 4 years old. It seems just like last month that they were born. I know plenty of people who have kids; while I don't know who actually reads these, I imagine there is a decent percentage who will understand when I say that they are typical 4 year olds. Anyhow, I saw that they now watch various cartoons for toddlers I had never heard of before. I knew of Paw Patrol but such things as Umizoomi, Rusty Rivets, and Bubble Guppies was completely new to me. At least some of them try to present educational things for the kiddies. 

Christmas night we had a delicious ham dinner and Monday not only consisted of a visit to an indoor trampoline park (I was lame so I did not participate) but a visit to a restaurant known as Bricktown Brewery. It's mainly an Oklahoma thing but they also have locations in surrounding states. The one location of the two we went to... disappointing. Sure, the stout I had was tasty and the burger was pretty good. Otherwise... the lady at the front was rude as she made us wait a long time just to prepare a booth for all of us. Not a wise move when there were 4 adults and two little kids giving you guys money. Appetizers were ordered and they were fine but we actually had to tell the waitress (in effect) “Hey dumbass, we need little plates for our appetizers”. There were various complaints about the food and I can say for certain that the “salt and pepper fries” had little of either. Those are the breaks... Tuesday started the drive back. We stopped for the night just outside of Montgomery in a Hampton Inn. The hotels we stay at usually aren't so fancy... so it was appreciated to stay at something more upper-scale. We arrived back home late Wednesday afternoon.

Two last things from the trip: it should be no surprise the areas of the country we drove through, that plenty of Trump signs could still be seen. Think of that how you will. In addition, some stereotypical people I got to experience. In rural Alabama, I heard some young man who sounded EXACTLY like Forrest Gump; Gump isn't one of my favorite films but apparently his accent was 100%  authentic, and in Arkansas was an old man who was talking to some young people and in the span of 10 minutes both quoted a Bible verse and said “so good you'll want to smack your grandma.” Yes, this is how some people in the South act, and I am glad that colorful characters like this exist.

Wednesday evening, I decided to have some “alone time” so I returned to Disney Springs. It was even busier than I predicted but it's OK. I had some tasty pizza at Splitsville, along with a new ice cold beverage. At least I got some exercise from walking around. Thursday I did nothing. Friday, I went to a Kohl's then a Belk's store in town, but did not purchase anything at either. I did not go out to see the UFC pay per view (I am still meh on them) despite it being the return of Ronda Rousey to the Octagon. Well... at least I got to see the fight online after the fact. “Wow” is my only reaction. Saturday, I did not do a thing for New Years Eve, which is fine by me. It's an overrated day anyhow, although this time it was nice to see an awful year end and still have hope that this year will be far better.

Sunday was different. I did not go out to see the last game of the season for the Chicago Bears; this was a wise decision on my part, as Chicago got whupped by an average team in the Minnesota Vikings, 38-10. Instead, for the first time in about 2 ½ years, I went to Cocoa Beach. I drove around, went to a few stores (including the famed Ron Jon) and saw that the area was little-changed. I did eat at a local bar/restaurant right on the beach. It was Sandbar Sports Grill. The food and drink were tasty, and there was great comedy when I ended up sitting by a pair of heavily intoxicated young women. I even talked to one of them for a few minutes. They were the loud type of drunk but I decided to be amused by it rather than be annoyed.  On the way back I stopped at a World of Beer, where I had some dark beers. It was a nice way to start off 2017.

One last thing: when I posted here two weeks ago I referred to the problems I had when talking to someone online, and how they suddenly changed. Well, I'll spare you the rigmarole surrounding me and her but for now we still talk. I don't think I'll ever understand the way she acts... believe me, not even I understand how the opposite sex acts and thinks. Enough of my dirty laundry; when I return a week from today, I have a few things on the agenda so far.