Thank heavens this past week was less chaotic and stressful than the one I had preceding this. Monday the only thing I did was go to Walgreens to pick up some random items, and Tuesday was boring. Wednesday evening, I went to CityWalk at Universal Studios as I hadn't been there in a few months. Traffic was pretty rough there and back, but then again that has seemingly been the case for all of November. CityWalk was largely the same as usual; I went to the NBC Sports Grill & Brew as I liked it there. I had a drink... or two as I watched random sports on TV. The next time I am there I'll get something to eat, likely as a late dinner.
Thanksgiving, that went fine; as always I have the big meal with some family so I can't complain. Friday, I did my typical day after Thanksgiving tradition. No, I don't experience the hoards of lunatics who are trying to score a deal on Black Friday; instead I attend the Central Florida International Auto Show at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. Each year, many different manufacturers bring many if not all of their models on display, plenty of which you can look at up close, as in enter the vehicles to sit in them. It's nice seeing what's there, including new and refreshed models. It's always nice seeing such sweet rides as a Mustang and a Corvette right in front of you. The best thing you could see so close (but not enter) was two different Aston Martin DB11's, new models and as it's Aston Martin, they looked incredible. Of course you had ogres paw all over it when you weren't supposed to and seeing greasy handprints all over such beautiful quarter of a million dollar cars was disheartening. At least they had the Acura NSX there for everyone to sit in. As it's a snazzy vehicle and the original NSX from the past is a cult favorite, no surprise that got a lot of attention. In person, it made me wish I had an extra $200,000 or so in spare change so I could own one.
Saturday I did nothing after that tiring Friday, but Sunday I went somewhere for the first time. No, it was not to see the Chicago Bears play. I had no reason to see them as they were against the best team in the NFL in the Philadelphia Eagles. From what I heard, Chicago looked even worse than usual as they lost 31-3. Instead, I returned to Disney. Each year Walt Disney World holds a 8 team college basketball tournament on its grounds at what is known now as the ESPN Wide World of Sports area, which is a large complex that holds a plentiful amount of amateur events involving both kids and adults. They have an intimate arena I hadn't been in before but it holds a few thousand people, and that is where the former Old Spice Classic (now Advocare Invitational) is held. I saw a pair of games: the 7th place game then the championship.
The first was Marist vs. Oregon State. Oregon State won by 19 points and it was an acceptable-enough contest. Business definitely picked up for Missouri vs. West Virginia. The fans who were there made plenty of noise; of course there were some cretins around (including one tool who wasn't too far from me, albeit for only the first half) but at a sporting event I expect to run into those drama queens so I was prepared for it. Then again, the event organizers not only had a condescending windbag act like a total D-bag a few times as he “interviewed” fans but at halftime of the second game there were a pair of WHITE RAPPERS and that was something I did not need to hear. Even then, I was glad I went to this event. The championship game was pretty exciting as West Virginia was losing big before making an improbable comeback and winning 83-79.
One last thing: I did hear some actual worthwhile music in the past week. At the auto show they had an area devoted to Jeeps driving around an obstacle course and I'll give props to the people that decided to associate Jeep with 70's and 80's R&B (and even Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five's The Message) as I thought that was dope. On the way home I was at a stoplight and someone was bumping.. the 80's rap song Planet Rock, which I also approved of. At the games they played some wacky remixes, including a throbbing dance version of... the Tetris theme!
I'll return a week from today and I know I'll have a few things to discuss.
Monday, November 27, 2017
Monday, November 20, 2017
The One Time I Had To Call Out Several Entities
What an up and down week I had. Monday the 13th I did nothing of note, but Tuesday was a different story. I went to a Walmart to get a few items. That went fine, although even a simple trip like that resulted in me dealing with rather horrid drivers on the road... including one guy that obviously wasn't paying attention and almost crashed! Wednesday, I went with someone to a restaurant; I decided on Carrabba's as I hadn't been there in months. The place was surprisingly busy but that is OK, and we both enjoyed our food.
Thursday, that was not a good day; it started off on a bad note. It was a bunch of little things... as I've said before, there are plenty of people in Florida who are just incompetent and can't do their job correctly. There was more than one case of that on this day, and I was unhappy about that. I ended up in Orlando for something. After that I went to Disney Springs again, which wasn't the plan but that is OK. For the second time I ate at the new version of Planet Hollywood and that went fine as I also had a strawberry milkshake and that was a good choice. I then returned to that outlet mall I was at the week before. I did not purchase anything this time but at least I went into some stores I did not go in the first time so it was not a total loss.
Friday and Saturday... sadly they were also poor days, and that is quite unfortunate as there were pretty good moments involving the playing of games. I'll get to the positives after I mention all the negatives surrounding Free Play Florida, an event I've attended since they started doing them a few years ago. You pay a flat fee and you get to play a bunch of old pinball tables and arcade machines. I never have liked the location it is held at (DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Orlando at Sea World) for a number of reasons, some of which I've mentioned before. Having to pay for parking is always an issue, and as I don't care for most of the food options there... Friday I got mad because I ate at one of their bars. The food was fine but they were woefully understaffed. Idiots, it's not like this is the first FPF there so you had no idea how busy it'd be! Then again, the person working the bar wasn't too good at their job, to be frank. I tipped appropriately.
Saturday, what a day, and what a statement I was told. I paid for a weekend pass (even though I was only going to be there two of the three days) so I could help them out a tiny bit. Well, I had done that before and via a lanyard I was given, there was the proof I paid for the weekend pass. This year, on Friday I was given a wristband but that was fine with me; I'd just get another one on the other day I was there. Note that it is not something like Disney's Magic Band; rather, it's one of those cheap wristbands you have to wear if you go to, say, a club in downtown Orlando. Now, note that this year I had to pay SEVENTY dollars for the pass (no lie), so I was not too happy when I went to get a new wristband and the people there were absolutely indignant I still did not have Friday's wristband on.
Yes, apparently I wasn't supposed to use logic there and instead I was supposed to keep it on at all times! I was in disbelief, so much so that I did not tell them off as I really should have. I'd love to hear those bozos try to explain to me how I was supposed to take a shower with that on. I know I couldn't have been the only one either... I was irate at how stupid the whole situation was; I was lucky I was even allowed in. Between that and parking... in the past, if you attended the event you told the stooge at the gate this, and after paying 5 bucks you were allowed in. This year, no one was there on Friday and it was free. No one was there on Saturday when I arrived so I got a pass. On the way out a stooge was there and I stuck it into the machine to pay for it, and the ticket did not work. Not even the stooge could get it to work so I was allowed to leave without paying a cent. Good thing, too; I have no idea what I actually had to pay, except it could have been as much as EIGHTEEN dollars. I hope you can see with all that went down on Saturday, why as of now I plan on never going to Free Play Florida or that rotten hotel ever again.
All that is a shame, as even with the big issues and several little ones, I had fun playing the random pinball tables and some arcade ones. It's always different machines so that was nice. This year, there were some giant-sized arcade machines; I played a 1983 vector graphics version of Star Wars; it was cool. Via a conversation I overheard on Friday night while eating dinner, some of the 70's tables were quite rare, such as Strange World, Space Lab and Cybernaut. Even with the crowds it was fun, so Thursday through Saturday being three bad days in a row was quite unfortunate and I wish the days overall would have been solid.
Sunday, I paid no attention to the Bears game. I figured they'd lose to the Detroit Lions and I was correct. They're too inept, especially when it comes to coaching. As I did nothing on Sunday, the day went fine. When I return next week, knock on wood I won't have to deal with such shocking stupidity and incompetence; I do have some plans set in stone and barring catastrophe that won't let me down.
Thursday, that was not a good day; it started off on a bad note. It was a bunch of little things... as I've said before, there are plenty of people in Florida who are just incompetent and can't do their job correctly. There was more than one case of that on this day, and I was unhappy about that. I ended up in Orlando for something. After that I went to Disney Springs again, which wasn't the plan but that is OK. For the second time I ate at the new version of Planet Hollywood and that went fine as I also had a strawberry milkshake and that was a good choice. I then returned to that outlet mall I was at the week before. I did not purchase anything this time but at least I went into some stores I did not go in the first time so it was not a total loss.
Friday and Saturday... sadly they were also poor days, and that is quite unfortunate as there were pretty good moments involving the playing of games. I'll get to the positives after I mention all the negatives surrounding Free Play Florida, an event I've attended since they started doing them a few years ago. You pay a flat fee and you get to play a bunch of old pinball tables and arcade machines. I never have liked the location it is held at (DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Orlando at Sea World) for a number of reasons, some of which I've mentioned before. Having to pay for parking is always an issue, and as I don't care for most of the food options there... Friday I got mad because I ate at one of their bars. The food was fine but they were woefully understaffed. Idiots, it's not like this is the first FPF there so you had no idea how busy it'd be! Then again, the person working the bar wasn't too good at their job, to be frank. I tipped appropriately.
Saturday, what a day, and what a statement I was told. I paid for a weekend pass (even though I was only going to be there two of the three days) so I could help them out a tiny bit. Well, I had done that before and via a lanyard I was given, there was the proof I paid for the weekend pass. This year, on Friday I was given a wristband but that was fine with me; I'd just get another one on the other day I was there. Note that it is not something like Disney's Magic Band; rather, it's one of those cheap wristbands you have to wear if you go to, say, a club in downtown Orlando. Now, note that this year I had to pay SEVENTY dollars for the pass (no lie), so I was not too happy when I went to get a new wristband and the people there were absolutely indignant I still did not have Friday's wristband on.
Yes, apparently I wasn't supposed to use logic there and instead I was supposed to keep it on at all times! I was in disbelief, so much so that I did not tell them off as I really should have. I'd love to hear those bozos try to explain to me how I was supposed to take a shower with that on. I know I couldn't have been the only one either... I was irate at how stupid the whole situation was; I was lucky I was even allowed in. Between that and parking... in the past, if you attended the event you told the stooge at the gate this, and after paying 5 bucks you were allowed in. This year, no one was there on Friday and it was free. No one was there on Saturday when I arrived so I got a pass. On the way out a stooge was there and I stuck it into the machine to pay for it, and the ticket did not work. Not even the stooge could get it to work so I was allowed to leave without paying a cent. Good thing, too; I have no idea what I actually had to pay, except it could have been as much as EIGHTEEN dollars. I hope you can see with all that went down on Saturday, why as of now I plan on never going to Free Play Florida or that rotten hotel ever again.
All that is a shame, as even with the big issues and several little ones, I had fun playing the random pinball tables and some arcade ones. It's always different machines so that was nice. This year, there were some giant-sized arcade machines; I played a 1983 vector graphics version of Star Wars; it was cool. Via a conversation I overheard on Friday night while eating dinner, some of the 70's tables were quite rare, such as Strange World, Space Lab and Cybernaut. Even with the crowds it was fun, so Thursday through Saturday being three bad days in a row was quite unfortunate and I wish the days overall would have been solid.
Sunday, I paid no attention to the Bears game. I figured they'd lose to the Detroit Lions and I was correct. They're too inept, especially when it comes to coaching. As I did nothing on Sunday, the day went fine. When I return next week, knock on wood I won't have to deal with such shocking stupidity and incompetence; I do have some plans set in stone and barring catastrophe that won't let me down.
Monday, November 13, 2017
Murder on the Orient Express, Bears Football & Other Mysteries
A week of ups and downs, this was. Monday night the 6th, I went with someone to the local Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant. Wednesday I did nothing of note but Tuesday I went to a place for the first time. First I stopped at Disney Springs for a bit and I was looking for something but it could not be found. While there I found out about that great baseball pitcher Roy Halladay dying in a plane crash. I was sad as I remember him pitching and heck, he was only a few years older than me. Anyhow, Orlando and the suburbs have a few giant open-air outlet malls; I went to one I hadn't visited before, as it isn't in the most convenient location for me. Well, I should go there more often; their lineup of stores isn't too different from the norm but I had a burrito at a random Chipotle clone-it was good-I had dessert and right before I left I purchased a healthy drink consisting of water, ice, and fresh squeezed orange & lemon juice. It was good. Oh, and the main thing I bought was a new pair of jeans.
Thursday, I went and saw Murder on the Orient Express. The previous night I saw the 1974 version starring Albert Finney; it wasn't subtle but still, it was very good. This new version, it isn't any better than fine, although I heard that was the general opinion even before I viewed it. As for that day... it was not great overall. I won't go into too many details, except that it was such things as hellacious traffic and problems at the cineplex I went to. Let's see, there was 3 cop cars outside afterwards interviewing a few people about something (thank goodness it wasn't a situation where I had to stick around, but I wish I knew what it was about) and during the screening, there were issues with the trailers... there was a few minute delay before they started and some things played twice.
I guess I shouldn't complain since there was only a minor hiccup during the film itself and otherwise it played fine but as there are literally a few dozen different theatres in like a 75 mile radius of me (just 50 or so miles there's still plenty) there's no shortage of options for me to go before I ever think of frequenting them ever again. It wasn't all bad... beforehand I ate at a local eatery and the main highlight there was some garlic knots; it was a wise choice on my part.
Friday and Saturday I did nothing; Sunday I thought about going somewhere to see the Chicago Bears play against their hated rivals the Green Bay Packers; Green Bay's star quarterback is injured and the Packers had been bad since then, so while the game may be a travesty in terms of aesthetics, Chicago could actually win. Well, I got a poor night's sleep so I stayed in and tried to catch up on sleep. What I saw of the game, I would not have been happy if I had gone out to see it in full. The Bears lost because they did some really stupid things; I don't even feel like going into details. I'd say it's a mystery why Chicago is so disappointing, but really it's not. In the evening I did go to McDonald's to try their new buttermilk chicken tenders. I remember the days when they had regular chicken tenders for a short amount of time, and those were only alright. Well, so is this new good. I guess I am spoiled by such things as sit down restaurants and the local Florida chain PDQ.
I actually do have plans for the upcoming week so when I return I should have more engrossing topics to discuss than fast food and lousy movie theatres.
Thursday, I went and saw Murder on the Orient Express. The previous night I saw the 1974 version starring Albert Finney; it wasn't subtle but still, it was very good. This new version, it isn't any better than fine, although I heard that was the general opinion even before I viewed it. As for that day... it was not great overall. I won't go into too many details, except that it was such things as hellacious traffic and problems at the cineplex I went to. Let's see, there was 3 cop cars outside afterwards interviewing a few people about something (thank goodness it wasn't a situation where I had to stick around, but I wish I knew what it was about) and during the screening, there were issues with the trailers... there was a few minute delay before they started and some things played twice.
I guess I shouldn't complain since there was only a minor hiccup during the film itself and otherwise it played fine but as there are literally a few dozen different theatres in like a 75 mile radius of me (just 50 or so miles there's still plenty) there's no shortage of options for me to go before I ever think of frequenting them ever again. It wasn't all bad... beforehand I ate at a local eatery and the main highlight there was some garlic knots; it was a wise choice on my part.
Friday and Saturday I did nothing; Sunday I thought about going somewhere to see the Chicago Bears play against their hated rivals the Green Bay Packers; Green Bay's star quarterback is injured and the Packers had been bad since then, so while the game may be a travesty in terms of aesthetics, Chicago could actually win. Well, I got a poor night's sleep so I stayed in and tried to catch up on sleep. What I saw of the game, I would not have been happy if I had gone out to see it in full. The Bears lost because they did some really stupid things; I don't even feel like going into details. I'd say it's a mystery why Chicago is so disappointing, but really it's not. In the evening I did go to McDonald's to try their new buttermilk chicken tenders. I remember the days when they had regular chicken tenders for a short amount of time, and those were only alright. Well, so is this new good. I guess I am spoiled by such things as sit down restaurants and the local Florida chain PDQ.
I actually do have plans for the upcoming week so when I return I should have more engrossing topics to discuss than fast food and lousy movie theatres.
Monday, November 6, 2017
The World Series, More Stranger Things & Tropickles
Would you believe that at Walmart they sell pickles that are combined with... FRUIT PUNCH? I swear this is true. Personally, it sounds so bizarre, and yet I can't imagine it tasting any good. Thus, don't expect me to ever have one.
The preceding week had some interesting moments. Monday the 30th was me returning to Epcot to enjoy the Food & Wine Festival once again. I was hoping to return there sooner but other things got in the way so it took until this day. It was a cool Florida day-relatively speaking-so I was hoping the place would be sparsely attended... I was wrong. It was quite busy. That is OK as I still walked around, had some food & drink, and I discovered that a segment of the population still loves Hanson; yes, they are still around and they were one of the retro acts who played the festival. Halloween, I did nothing, and that was the plan. I watched TV and relaxed.
Wednesday, I did go somewhere to see Game 7 of the World Series. I was at a World of Beer, but not the one in town; it would close for the night before the game was finished. Instead, I was at another one. I had a late dinner and watched the game as I had a few drinks. That experience went fine. The contest wasn't as competitive as expected... that is life. I did not have a rooting interest in who would win the series. It'd be nice for Houston to win as for awhile there their team was really bad, and then there's the whole Hurricane Harvey thing. But the Los Angeles Dodgers had a great season, hadn't been to a World Series in almost 30 years and I know someone who is a huge fan of the team. Well, Houston ended up winning.
Thursday and Friday were boring days but Saturday, I went to a few stores in town. At Target I helped an elderly lady and gave her a cart; she asked for one. I also had a late lunch there. At Dollar General I looked for some Jolt Cola (as that's the only place which is selling it) and they did not have any but I got some other items instead. Sunday I stayed in; the Bears did not play this week so let me move onto one last thing:
I finished watching the second season of Stranger Things. The first season I did not love but I still thought it was pretty good. This second season, it was more of the same. I could nitpick about various things and yet it was pretty good. There was one episode (or chapter as the show calls it) which a lot of people hated; me, I say it did not turn out as well as it should have. But, the last two chapters were great and I am glad I have now seen both seasons. Most of the characters are quite enjoyable and I am relieved they chose the right actors for those parts, especially the little kid leads.
I realize the preceding week I had was on the boring side. I should have more to discuss when I return a week from today.
The preceding week had some interesting moments. Monday the 30th was me returning to Epcot to enjoy the Food & Wine Festival once again. I was hoping to return there sooner but other things got in the way so it took until this day. It was a cool Florida day-relatively speaking-so I was hoping the place would be sparsely attended... I was wrong. It was quite busy. That is OK as I still walked around, had some food & drink, and I discovered that a segment of the population still loves Hanson; yes, they are still around and they were one of the retro acts who played the festival. Halloween, I did nothing, and that was the plan. I watched TV and relaxed.
Wednesday, I did go somewhere to see Game 7 of the World Series. I was at a World of Beer, but not the one in town; it would close for the night before the game was finished. Instead, I was at another one. I had a late dinner and watched the game as I had a few drinks. That experience went fine. The contest wasn't as competitive as expected... that is life. I did not have a rooting interest in who would win the series. It'd be nice for Houston to win as for awhile there their team was really bad, and then there's the whole Hurricane Harvey thing. But the Los Angeles Dodgers had a great season, hadn't been to a World Series in almost 30 years and I know someone who is a huge fan of the team. Well, Houston ended up winning.
Thursday and Friday were boring days but Saturday, I went to a few stores in town. At Target I helped an elderly lady and gave her a cart; she asked for one. I also had a late lunch there. At Dollar General I looked for some Jolt Cola (as that's the only place which is selling it) and they did not have any but I got some other items instead. Sunday I stayed in; the Bears did not play this week so let me move onto one last thing:
I finished watching the second season of Stranger Things. The first season I did not love but I still thought it was pretty good. This second season, it was more of the same. I could nitpick about various things and yet it was pretty good. There was one episode (or chapter as the show calls it) which a lot of people hated; me, I say it did not turn out as well as it should have. But, the last two chapters were great and I am glad I have now seen both seasons. Most of the characters are quite enjoyable and I am relieved they chose the right actors for those parts, especially the little kid leads.
I realize the preceding week I had was on the boring side. I should have more to discuss when I return a week from today.
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