The One Time I Talked About the End of 2018

Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th I did not do much at all, unless people really wanna hear about my trip to Walmart. Wednesday I got a haircut, which yes was needed. I received a phone call mid hair cut and when I could I looked to see who it was... the situation could have been an emergency so I did step out... turns out, it was nothing important at all. A little embarrassing, but you never know... anyhow, Thursday I went and made an airport run; yes, again. The trip there and back was through pretty rainy weather so of course I saw people drive recklessly-that said it was an otherwise nondescript journey. Friday, I did so something different: attend a University of Central Florida men's basketball game as their opponents were... Illinois State University, also known as the school I used to go to way back in the day. It was cool seeing them play live for the first time since early 2004. Regrettably, ISU looked pretty bad on that night and UCF easily won the game 77-56-for a good amount of the game they were losing by more than that margin. I still don't regret going... plus, outside the arena they had an outdoor carnival, complete with an ice rink. No, I was not on ice skates as that would be an unwise proposition.

Saturday I did nothing so on to me talking about what has become a tradition, which is heading on over to Kansas for Christmas to see family. Like last year, lunch was had at a Raising Cane's in southern Mississippi; their chicken is pretty tremendous so it is unfortunate they don't have any in Florida. The first day ended in Conway, Arkansas; as I always say at this time of year, southeastern Arkansas is pretty depressing as many of the towns you go through has plenty of boarded-up buildings and while the weather this year was fine, usually it is cloudy and rainy which only makes it look worse. A late dinner was had at a Logan's Roadhouse and unlike tradition, the meal was rather lousy (the food was not prepared as it should have or was just plain bad) and so was the service. Monday we reached our destination and it was nice to see family again. Christmas Eve dinner was at a Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen as it was a chain that was open and the place was fine for everyone. Christmas Day was pot roast and that was good. Some nights were carry-out, which was fine by me due to how chilly the weather got. I was amused that one night featured food from a local joint known as Big Larry's... although that did not knock me for a loop like finding out that Wichita has sports bars named EMERSON BIGGANS and WHISKEY DICKS. No, none of us went to them, even me going solo. Believe me I did laugh at hearing those names. 

As for the time in Wichita, it's better to say not enough rather than too much. As always it was nice seeing my sister and the whole family. The weather there was unseasonably warm, until it became pretty cold. What a change in less than 48 hours to leave a place where the car was packed in below freezing weather and return to an unseasonably warm Florida. The only thing of note I'll mention about the drive back is that it was late Saturday night in rural southeastern Mississippi on a four lane road that would eventually turn into two lane. Thankfully there was hardly anyone on the road as suddenly we saw someone driving in the opposite lane... then after a few seconds, we both realized the highway was still four lanes! That's right, this SOB was driving the wrong way on the road. I don't know if he was impaired or just confused but I hope that fool did not cause a wreck. Part of that trip involved rain and fog although it was clear when we saw the wrong way driver.

There isn't too much to say about 2018 in general; I am glad I was able to see some celebrities up close (such as Pam Grier) and I even got to talk to a few... one in particular I definitely would never forget and while it did not go exactly as expected, getting to meet that particular late 90's-early 2000's starlet was incredible. When I return a week from today, I have an idea or two as to what I'll be discussing in the first few days of 2019.

Ollie's Bargain Outlet, Cheddar Biscuits, Morningside Mustangs & Benedictine (Kansas) Ravens

The preceding week had some rather different moments for me. Monday wasn't too out of the ordinary; I ended up at a Target but nothing noteworthy happened. Tuesday was different; I went on a little bit of a roadtrip to an open air mall I hadn't been to before. That place was fine and I went in a few different stores. I had a frou-frou smoothie from some random place and it wasn't the cheapest thing I could have purchased at the mall but at least it tasted good. Dinner was at a Moe's; years ago I once saw fervent debate among some people (who are insignificant but that's another story) concerning quick-order American-Mexican places between Chipotle, Qdoba and Moe's. I have had Moe's twice in my life and sorry to say, I am not a fan of the chain and give me Chipotle or Qdoba instead. That said, I am glad I went there; on the way there I passed by an Ollie's Bargain Outlet. That is a southern chain I had actually never been in before, so I gave it a shot. A bunch of random items that are about to expire soon or is otherwise discounted is cool with me, so I should have gone to one much sooner. Random food & drink were purchased, including Halloween candy, as why the heck not?

Wednesday I did nothing and Thursday I was gonna go to a restaurant with someone but that someone was under the weather, so the trip to Red Lobster had to wait until a rainy Friday. Thus, Thursday's dinner was Wendy's, as I hadn't been there in awhile. The quality of the food I got there (or lack thereof) means that it'll be a long time before I get food from any Wendy's, even if it was that particular location only that prepared lousy food on this occasion as there had never been a problem before. Friday's Red Lobster meal was for sure better. Of course, the service could have been better and I'd have preferred it if the menu at the restaurant and the one on their website had been identical, but... at least the food itself was tasty. I had wood-grilled shrimp, french fries and a baked potato... and the restaurant's famous cheddar biscuits.

Saturday I did go on another journey. This time it was to the Daytona Beach area. For the past few years a lower division of college football (the NAIA, to be exact) has held their championship game in the city. I went to it back in 2015, where the Marian (Indiana) Knights defeated the Southern Oregon Raiders 31-14. As this is the last year the NAIA championship football game will be in Daytona Beach (starting new year it will be in Louisiana) I figured I should attend. This time it was the Morningside Mustangs of Iowa against the Benedictine Ravens of Kansas. I had no dog in this fight but I ended up sitting on the side of the stands that had the Benedictine fans, whom outnumbered the Morningside fans. I was amused that for a Catholic school, plenty of Ravens fans were quite obviously intoxicated... not just from the beer that was sold in the stadium but from what had to be many hours of tailgating beforehand. In addition, the security and cops seemingly did not care if booze was brought into the stadium as I saw hard liquor bottles out in the open! I did not partake in any of that as I had a long drive home and considering that part of the journey was in foggy weather...

As for the game itself, Morningside probably had the better team but late in the 4^th it was tied at 28; a pretty exciting game it was. Unfortunately for the Ravens, they screwed up a punt pretty badly so that one mistake allowed for the Mustangs to easily score and that final score was Morningside 35, Benedictine 28... I did feel bad for the Ravens that this was how they lost. I was happy that I did not sit by any of the intoxicated people so I did not have to move elsewhere during the game, and even with the fog and the expected poor drivers on the way there and back, it was a nice day indeed. Sunday I did not go anywhere; I slept in and relaxed even though the Bears were playing against their hated rivals the Green Bay Packers. Chicago won the game and for the first time in years will be both going to the playoffs and are the division champions.

I actually won't be returning next Monday, and it's not because that day is Christmas Eve. Rather, that is because it is time for the now-customary trip around Christmas to see one of my sisters in Kansas. Henceforth, I will return on New Year's Eve and talk about two weeks worth of activities.

Schindler's List, Winter Wassail, Gelato Bars & Army vs. Navy

This time around some serious topics will be brought up. Monday I stopped at my bank then purchased some random items from the local Winn Dixie store. Tuesday evening, I went with someone to a restaurant; back this past spring I went to a Rock and Brews restaurant and thought it was pretty cool, as I talked about here at the time. Since then they opened a location in Kissimmee right by what will soon be Margaritaville Resort Orlando. Me and that other person were glad we went there as both meals were enjoyed and it was a good first impression for this other person. It was cool to eat a meal while listening to the live version of Take Me to the River by the Talking Heads or Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits.

Wednesday and Thursday I did nothing of note; Friday I returned to Disney Springs. Starting this past Friday and lasting for a week, a little more than 1,000 locations across the country are having special 25^th anniversary screenings of Schindler's List; I had seen it before, but never on the big screen and that one viewing was many, many years ago. Thus, this was an important movie I had to view again. While it definitely is difficult to watch at times due to the unflinching look at the Holocaust, it is an outstanding film and the best thing a legendary director has ever done. I also had dinner there; I was originally going to eat at one location but I got disrespected (long story I don't want to get into) so instead I had my meal somewhere else and I was able to have dessert from a new location. Wolfgang Puck just opened a new restaurant/bar and it looks to be rather frou-frou and the meals likely cost beaucoup dollars. However, there is also an outdoor gelato bar attached which offers several different desserts. The prices there weren't too outrageous so gelato is what I had and it was quite delicious.

Saturday and Sunday I did nothing at all; with how rainy Sunday was I was happy to stay in. That night I did see the Chicago Bears upset the Los Angles Rams (one of the best teams in the league this year), which was good. Saturday afternoon I watched the big Army vs. Navy football game, which has been a big deal for many decades now and have had a rivalry on the gridiron since the 1890's. I never have a stake in who wins-I just hope for a close game, which it usually is in recent years. As I have broached some serious topics this time, it will seem gauche to mention how Florida traffic is still atrocious and more than once in the past few weeks an accident has almost happened to me due to the stupidity of others, so instead I will note that late last month while I was at Trader Joe's I purchased a container of a drink known as Winter Wassail. This was unfamiliar to me so I was curious. It's a spiced fruity drink from the UK that's been around since the olden times and finally having tried it recently, it's not bad.

When I return next time, I definitely will have more to discuss.

Passports, Brutalist Architecture & The Possession Of Hannah Grace

The end of November did not arrive like a lion. Last Monday and Tuesday the only thing of note I did was help a parent book an airline flight-while doing that I saw another example of airlines being scumbags and raising their prices if you look at the site too long or too often. The way to combat that is either by clearing your browser cache or looking at it in incognito mode. If you have no idea what I am referring to, hopefully you can have someone else explain it or are able to look it up online. Wednesday was more interesting. I went to the local Walgreens to have a passport photo taken; you see, I need to renew my passport before I can renew my drivers license in a few months. Thus, might as well get on the ball now. The older lady doing that had some technology problems but I understand as she was an elderly person so no way could I be a heel there and it took only a few minutes longer than expected. 

After that I went to Orlando to visit some places I hadn't been to in a few years. First was Smashburger, which offers tasty food and all... but in Central Florida there is a plethora of good eatery options. They now have the option of building your own burger and thus I had one with a pretzel bun... as I also got a specialty shake (which included peppermint) it was a pretty good meal. After that I wandered around the Orlando Fashion Square Mall, which is doing poorly compared to how it has been in the past. At least I went to a clearance store of the Southern department store chain Dillards, and got a pretty good shirt for a pretty good price.

Thursday and Friday I did nothing at all; Saturday night I finally went somewhere due to boredom. I hadn't use my AMC Theatres A-List app in a few weeks so even though there isn't much that is out now or will come out this month that I am too terribly interested in, my schedule and that of the AMC lined up where the only thing I could see that I had even a modicum of interest in was The Possession of Hannah Grace. I know many hate it but for me it was OK. Unfortunately for it, a lower-budget movie with a similar plot (weird things happen with a corpse at a morgue) was done a lot better with The Autopsy of Jane Doe, starring Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch. That came out a few years ago and between the two I definitely recommend Jane Doe. The funniest thing for me is that in Hannah Grace, it was set and filmed in Boston; the building they used for the hospital/morgue was designed using Brutalist architecture and well, those around Orlando should know what I mean when I compare it to the big library building that is in downtown Orlando. I mean, it was quite similar. I'll presume that building they used in Boston wasn't actually a hospital.

Sunday, I went into town to get one Jersey Mike's Subs for me and one for someone I know; this was a good move on my part. Another good move was not going anywhere to see the Chicago Bears play against the New York Giants. Starting Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is still injured so once again their backup had to start and from what I understand his performance was not good... no surprise the Giants won in overtime despite being a pretty bad team. When I return next Monday, there are some ideas as to what will be discussed.

Thanksgiving, Auto Shows, Voodoo Doughnuts & Metal Health (Bang Your Head)

This was another one of those weeks where not a lot happened but there still were some interesting moments. Monday, I went with someone to a Sam's Club in an Orlando suburb-they are a member, unlike me-and several items were purchased there. As I imagine not too many are interested in hearing how they changed their layout since my last visit, I'll skip ahead and mention how the person I was with wanted to eat dinner at a Five Guys Burger & Fries, so I obliged. That went fine and unlike the crowded joint I was at the last time I was at Five Guys, hardly anyone was there despite it being in the 5PM hour. Tuesday through Thursday, nothing to really talk about except that Thanksgiving was the customary meal that I have with some family members, and this time around my aunt was also present. It was a nice day... oh and the Chicago Bears also played early in the afternoon, against the Detroit Lions. The Bears won and this was without their first string QB playing due to injury. The Lions are so lousy they lost to a backup-Chase Daniel-who has hardly played at all during his time in the league.

Friday, I did what I've done pretty much every Black Friday since I moved down here and that was go to the Orange County Convention Center and experience the Central Florida International Auto Show; that is where many manufacturers bring their 2018 or 2019 models for people to look at up close. As always, vehicles like the Corvette and Camaro are pretty popular, and certain demographics love the giant trucks... some of those are outrageously expensive now, as in $70,000 or more! I ate dinner there and I sat by the area which Jeep set up that had a simulated off-road course, and I got to faintly hear some old-school R&B... that to me was a plus. On the way back I went to a Trader Joe's as I hadn't been there in awhile; I picked up a few random items. Also on the way back I heard the 80's heavy metal song Metal Health (Bang Your Head)-by Quiet Riot-twice on two different radio stations. That was a win to me; this may say a lot about my tastes considering I recently bashed Post Malone and here I am praising 80's heavy metal... but I have no regrets about that.

Saturday I did nothing; Sunday, that was interesting. I went to Office Depot to purchase a few items... after that I had a late lunch at PDQ as my last visit was long ago. In the evening, I returned to Universal Studios CityWalk for the first time in about three months. The only thing new there was that the AMC Theatres is now a Cinemark-I have known about that since the change was made in September. I had a drink at one of the bars... a beer was ordered but I received a cocktail instead. As the random thing I had tasted fine, I did not get mad at the bartender for the mistake. In addition, I finally tried out the Voodoo Doughnuts that opened there earlier in the year. The two doughnuts I got (an orange creamsicle and one with Cap'n Crunch) were very tasty. What an interesting place that was... and their two slogans say a lot. The first is “The Magic is in the Hole”-there is a good reason for me to snicker at that, and it is their other slogan. If you order a set of doughnuts they are put into a pink box and well... emblazoned in many different places is the phrase “Good Things Come in Pink Boxes.” No comment...

Next time around, nothing is on the agenda as of yet.

Zaxby's, Flanagan's, Typical Nonsense & Mountain Dew Merry Mash-Up

Even for me, not a whole lot happened this past week so this will be a little shorter than usual. This past Monday, I went to the local Zaxby's restaurant in town. I had been to other locations of that Southern chicken-focused before but for some reason I never had tried the one only a few miles away from me, even though I think it has been there for two years now, if not longer. That was a fine meal I got from there on this day so I should frequent the place more often. Tuesday and Wednesday, I did nothing of note, except that I stopped at a convenience store and purchased a 20 ounce bottle of the newest limited edition Mountain Dew: Merry Mash-Up, which is the odd-sounding combination of cranberry and pomegranate. It was actually not half-bad.

Thursday, that was a hectic day-I say that only due to how wretched traffic was. Two of the main drags I took to the Orlando-Sanford Airport to pick someone up ended up being traffic jams due to accidents. Thus, I had to take alternate routes to get to the random “sports pub” I stumbled upon online the night before. I saw high ratings for Flanagan's in Longwood so I gave it a shot. It was a smoking establishment-which was news to me-but while I am not a fan of cigarettes I was able to put up with that. Many states (including Illinois) has banned smoking in restaurants and clubs but not Florida. At least the food was good, the staff was fine, the music on the jukebox included the entirely of Rush's 20 minute song 2112, and some random guy even paid for my beer. I picked up that person from the airport and on the way back I not only passed by another wreck but some A-hole drove by me going AT LEAST 100MPH... regrettably he wasn't the one who later crashed and I was crestfallen a cop car wasn't around at the time.

Friday through Sunday I really did nothing at all, unless people want to hear about my trip to Walmart to get some miscellaneous items. At least there were things I could do at home, like watch LivePD and halfway pay attention to football... even the Sunday night Chicago Bears game against the Minnesota Vikings. Chicago won 25-20 as they finally faced better competition. There was the typical nonsense that has ruined the NFL and it had an impact on the game, but at least the Bears won.

When I return a week from today, I should hopefully have more to discuss; at least I know of a few things I'll be doing.

The Oviedo Mall, Overlord, Die Hard & Pretentious Twaddle

The preceding week had some interesting moments along with days where I did not do much of anything at all. Monday the 5^th I went to two stores in my town. The first was Walmart to pick up a few items; the second was Winn-Dixie. I hadn't been to a W-D in years as I did not feel like it. What inspired me to finally return was that online I randomly stumbled upon news that they remodeled the local store. Once I went there, I discovered this to be true. My trips there will be at least once in a blue moon to purchase random products. Tuesday, after I voted I went to a movie theatre to watch a motion picture. Now, in the past I've talked about the late 70's European horror film Suspiria. That has many fans; even they can admit that the storytelling and logic isn't always great, but the colorful visuals and musical score are great. As I mentioned last fall, I got to see it theatrically and that was a fun experience.

Now, there is a remake of it, but they only took the basic plot synopsis and went in other directions. Many film fans love it but me... pretentious claptrap is my opinion. The movie brags about having “six acts and an epilogue” and it's 2 ½ hours long. Most of the added material was superfluous and pointless; while not everything about the movie is bad, what made me ultimately hate it was that after a laughable finale (one of a few times where there are pretty gruesome moments that become silly because they go on for WAY too long) the epilogue bored me to tears and it just would never end. IMO, stick with the original Argento movie.

Wednesday I did nothing but Thursday, I had to make yet another airport journey; this time it was dropping off someone in Sanford; on the way back I stopped at the Oviedo Mall as I hadn't been there in years. The place was different since my last visit but to be honest, I will only make it out that way once in a blue moon as there aren't too many reasons for me to make that long drive-not to mention pay all those tolls. One eatery I like to try in the future but I will talk about that another time, once they are open. Friday and Saturday were nondescript, unless people want to hear about me going into town to pick up pizza. Veterans Day was more interesting for me. The Chicago Bears beat the Detroit Lions 34-22 (as they should have) then I went to Disney Springs to see two movies.

The first one was Die Hard, a personal favorite of mine; this was not the first time I've been able to see that theatrically. Even thirty years later I still say the movie is incredible so I am glad I had another opportunity to partake in it... this time it was presented by TCM and Fathom Events. I then left that AMC to walk around Disney Springs a bit (where I enjoyed the holiday decorations they have up) before returning and seeing Overlord. That was the B movie I expected it to be; it is silly yet fun as it delivered plenty of gore and violence. Also, what a movie to see on Veterans Day, something about D-Day... and Nazis doing evil experiments to create super-soldiers.

When I return a week from today, I have a few ideas in mind as to what I'll be discussing.

Post Malone, Halloween, Broken Strings Liquid Vinyl & Flintstones Vitamins

Yes, for once I'll talk about modern popular music. For a long while now I've thought that most modern popular music is just terrible so I don't even bother trying to follow it. Post Malone... first off, he's a white rapper so points off right away. What he calls “music” is manufactured nonsense AND all he does is Autotune garbage. I only need to hear snippets from a few songs to have my mind made up... actually, to be honest I mostly had my mind made up after first viewing his repulsive physical appearance! 

Anyhow, a few days ago on Twitter I retweeted a Washington Post article where a music critic just eviscerated Malone and modern popular music in general after a festival appearance. Many colorful phrases were uttered and I thought it was great. Well, someone I know did not like the article and gave some reasons why. I am not going to argue with him about it as I know no one's opinion will change after a tete-a-tete so it would be a waste of time. Why he and millions love that “music”, I'll just never understand; the fact that afterwards both Malone and his dad became real butthurt about the article and started harassing the writer... “trash” is the word that comes to mind. I am much happier listening to old tunes I am already familiar with or exploring songs from the past that are new to me. Now, back to business: 

Last Monday, I went with someone to the local Applebee's. Regrettably, things did not go great there. The service was fine and I can't complain about my meal, but the someone tried the riblets and hated them; to me they did not look too appetizing. Plus, when we first walked in, some ghetto (and terrible) modern music was playing; eventually they changed it to a station playing older tunes but it suddenly became LOUD and again, like the previous week I wasn't a fan of that. Tuesday I did nothing and Wednesday was Halloween; unlike in the past few years, a decent amount of trick or treaters came around and that was good. I will always have fond memories of going around the neighborhood with my two sisters and mom each Halloween season when I was a little kid... oh so many years ago. On that night I had a locally made drink that was supposed to make you not as hungover... I had it before I consumed some alcoholic beverages. I am not sure if it had any effect but amazingly, it tasted just like the orange Flintstones Vitamins I had when I was a real little kid. Even after a few decades I still have not forgotten such a distinctive taste. 

Thursday, I went to what is now known as ICON Orlando 360, which is the area around the ICON Orlando 400 foot tall Ferris wheel. It'd been awhile since I roamed around there; I ate at the Yard House, a place I had been before. Dinner was consumed and so was some craft beer. The one I'll mention is the local concoction known as Broken Strings Liquid Vinyl, which is a dark IPA. Sounds odd, but it was fine. I also went into Shake Shack for a shake... wise decision on my part. Friday, I will not mention all I did but I will bring up the visit to the nearby Twistee Treat... it is outdoor buildings shaped like ice cream cones and as someone I know had a 2 for 1 coupon about to expire, we went there. Getting rained on while waiting for the treats was no fun, but at least said treats were tasty.

The weekend I did nothing at all; Sunday was a rainy day so being at home was A-OK. At least the Chicago Bears easily defeated the Buffalo Bills... sure, the Bills are now terrible and had to start a terrible quarterback, but it is still a blowout victory. When I return a week from today, hopefully I'll have more to discuss... and there will be less in the way of salty takes.

Free Solo, 4DX, Pumpkin Ales & Eighteen Inning Baseball

Not the most exciting of weeks, but alas. Monday through Wednesday I did a few things. This included a visit to Wal-Mart, time spent at Disney Springs and yet another airport trip. The Disney Springs sojourn was to see a film called Free Solo; it was a documentary made by National Geographic about the free solo climber Alex Honnold. Free solo climbing is when you do mountain climbing without any safety equipment at all. He is great at that activity yet he had the crazy idea to try and climb El Capitan at Yosemite National Park; I was there as a kid and what he did was go 3,000 miles straight up a vertical granite face with little in the way to grab on to. It was an insane thing to attempt so it was natural that such a guy was profiled. He was indeed a little weird but once you see him try it... talk about breathtaking. Wednesday I made the airport journey, this time to Orlando International; beforehand I killed time at a BJ's Brewhouse & Restaurant, where I had a pumpkin ale. The drive there and back was especially bad traffic-wise, both due to the number of cars & the number of maniacs and clueless bozos on the road.

Thursday I did nothing except drink a pumpkin ale; it was a large bottle from Elysian and the brew was The Great Pumpkin. It was indeed good. Friday, I saw the movie It on the big screen. No, I did not travel back in time to last fall... and I saw the movie theatrically last year. No, those Regal Cinemas locations that have 4DX auditoriums have a special deal this Halloween week where they show a few different horror films a day. I presume most are not familiar with 4DX; it's a wacky gimmick (to be honest) where not only the seats move around to the action but there are other effects like wind blowing at you and from the seat-and sometimes from the side-rain falling on you (that can be turned off with a button push) and while it didn't happen in this film, other movies have a scent option. The experience was definitely different; at times it was distracting but 4DX wasn't something I hated so one day I will have to try it out with a new release. I mean, on Friday the main reason why I finally gave this a shot when it's been around for a few years now... tickets are even more expensive than for an IMAX screening, but for this week the price was half-off. Only a few other people were there but I presume it's usually more busy.. at least I hope so for this place's sake. Oh, and It is still very good; hopefully next year's Chapter 2 is just as fun.

Before that I ate at a nearby Hooters. I know, I know... I wish the music wouldn't have been so loud in there; otherwise I had no complaints, about the food or other things... the weekend nothing was done at all. Sunday, the Chicago Bears played against the New York Jets. It was not worth the effort to go somewhere to watch the contest in full. At least the Bears easily won, albeit over a not so good team. I did see parts of all five World Series games, including Friday night's game that went eighteen innings and did not end until after 3 in the morning Eastern time. I would have been more interested in the Dodgers winning as their last World Series was in 1988-those are the breaks. Nothing's on the agenda yet for my upcoming week-I know I'll stumble into an adventure or two.

Michael Myers, Citrus Swirl Floats, Smirnoff Ice Smash & Chicken Guy!

Monday through Thursday had only a few exciting moments. One day I went to the Magic Kingdom, because why not? I have an annual pass so it means I don't have to stay there for many hours if the place is hotter and more crowded than expected, which it was on that day. Still, I spent a few hours there, went on several rides, had a meal, and the treat I had was a citrus swirl float from the Sunshine Tree Terrace, which was a good decision on my part. One early morning I had to drop someone off at the airport... yes, again. After that I had a tasty meal at the nearby Denny's.

Thursday itself had me at Disney Springs. First, I ate at a new restaurant called Chicken Guy!... the exclamation is in the name. It's a quick service place and only after entering the place did I realize the Guy was referring to Fieri; he is not lacking for restaurants he has some ownership in. The food was pretty good, thankfully. After that I went into the AMC to see the new Halloween, and in the Dolby Cinema, no less. The original film from 1978 is still a classic; most of the sequels ranged from OK to pretty bad. This new film is good so it's one of the best entries, but considering all the high praise I heard I was hoping for something I would love... instead, I only like the film. Alas. I won't go into details as to why I feel that way, except that there are some pretty stupid moments.

Friday I went to a Walmart to get a few items, and that was the “highlight” of the day. Saturday I did nothing at all. I am not carping about this as at least I had other things to do, like watch Live PD. The episodes this past weekend and the weekend before: incredible. The number of insane people, car chases, suspects running on foot, drunken fools... tremendous entertainment, it is. I did have a drink that I purchased recently at Total Wine & More. It was a Smirnoff Ice Smash, which I will just presume is a big hit among the college kids as not only do I understand they still drink Four Loko but this is 23.5 ounces at 8 percent alcohol... I mainly purchased the drink for laughs and because it was a few bucks. I tell you, it goes down a lot easier than a Four Loko.

Sunday was interesting. I did not pay too much attention to the Bears game; they played against the New England Patriots and I expected a big fat L and that did happen, even though they only lost by a touchdown and were literally a yard and a kick away from tying it at the end. To me that's worse than them getting their butt kicked so I am glad I went nowhere to watch that. While I did go to the local Wawa for a sandwich and to pick up a Mega Millions ticket (how can I turn down a minuscule chance at winning a 1.6 billion dollar jackpot?), my entertainment was in the evening: first was the drive to a place I had been only once or twice before, called Gator Joe's; my parents dig it. It is in a middle of nowhere town called Ocklawaha, which does have a claim to fame... those that known the 20's and 30's criminals the Barker Gang-led by Ma Barker-that city was their final stand in a showdown with police back in 1935. Anyhow, that place has decent food so it was about time I returned there. On the way back I went to another place I hadn't been to in a long while: Rural King. As I've mentioned in the past, that place is exactly what you'd expect from the name-including NRA and Smith & Wesson shirts... think of that how you will. I purchased several items there, including really cheap jeans.

I could once again complain about traffic this past week; I won't because it's something done by me all the time but one moment I do have to bring up: on Sunday while in a town I was passing a car (it was a four lane road) and out of nowhere a minivan started to pull out right in front of us! Both horns were blown and both vehicles slammed on their brakes before I swerved around that fool, who stopped in the middle of oncoming traffic. Things like this happen all the time in Florida, no kidding. Hopefully in the upcoming week there will be no further near-misses for me to discuss.

First Man, Spruce Lager & Realizing The NFL Is Truly Unwatchable Now

Here is what I've done since this past Monday. On Columbus Day (or Indigenous Peoples Day, depending on which you prefer) I ended up in the Altamonte Springs area, where I first stopped at a Total Wine & More to pick up some beer (including something from Sam Adams known as Spruce Lager; yes, beer made with spruce tips. Odd, yet not bad), then ate at a WingStop, a place I hadn't been to in awhile. It'd have been better if that WingStop wasn't approximately 50 degrees inside but at least their food is fine. That was the highlights of what I did on this day, where because of occasional rain I saw even worse Florida traffic than usual-such as the aftermath of a few accidents-and even when it was clear out there were a number of morons who were driving dumb in several different ways. As I did nothing on Tuesday and Wednesday, I'll mention two things: the Conor McGregor fight that happened on the 6^th of this month and its aftermath, it reminded me why I don't really watch the UFC or MMA in general anymore. It'd take way too long to explain all the reasons but I am glad I did not see a second of that fight. As for Hurricane Michael, I live a few hundred miles away from the Florida Panhandle so there was only some rain and wind where I live but that storm caused such catastrophic damage I feel awful for anyone that lives in the region.

Thursday, I went to the Florida Mall; I walked around and saw that some stores were new. Not a surprise, as I hadn't been there in awhile. Friday, it was a lame day overall as there were too many annoyances that piled up throughout the day. One highlight was going to the AMC at Altamonte Springs and as I am still an avid user of the AMC A-List app, that made it all the easier to see the new movie First Man on an IMAX screen... appropriate, as a few minutes near the end were shot with IMAX cameras. I understand why some were not fans of the film as it's focused on a man who was usually pretty stoic; it worked for me as I was never bored and as far back as I can remember I've enjoyed outer space so the topic seemed made for me anyhow. Friday and Saturday I did nothing of note; that was fine as it meant I did not have to deal with traffic, which was an issue throughout the week. There were amazing episodes of Live PD on and that captivated me.

Sunday, the Chicago Bears... they played at Miami against the Dolphins. I did not make the drive down there for the game; between being gone from the early morning until late at night, the exorbitant cost of a ticket and how the NFL has become even more unwatchable than it has the past few seasons (honestly, I am half expecting a new rule next season that all quarterbacks must be covered in bubble wrap to further protect those dainty little men)... thank goodness I did not make that long journey. Plus, the Bears lost right at the end of overtime and Miami had in a second string quarterback as the first string guy was injured; this result should not have happened. I did make a journey to see the game... I hadn't been to the Friendly Confines sports bar in a long while so why not return? At least I had a nice lunch and was able to bring home a nice dinner for someone else. But note that as I left this Chicago-themed place, some clowns were crowing about how their Dolphins won and trash-talking Chicago fans. They were ignored by me as honestly, I am better than those losers!

I'll close this out on a somber note. While I never got to talk to this individual personally, early last week someone who wrestled in Florida at local shows passed away due to a long illness they had. I will not mention their birth name but his wrestling persona was Navy Seal. On social media, many people in the scene were broken up over his death and had many different nice things to say about him; I regret not knowing someone so highly regarded but I still feel sad that he passed away.

When I return a week from today, I hope to be in a cheerier mood and much more importantly, I hope no further tragedies happen.

Hell Fest, Dumpster Fires & Skywalker Vineyards Sommita Pinot Noir

Last Monday through Wednesday not a heck of a lot happened. Sure, the Chicago Cubs ended their season by falling apart at the very end and flopping in the playoffs, but alas... I did take a trip to Walmart but that went as expected and nothing noteworthy happened there. Thus, I'll mention the film Hell Fest, which I saw during this time. The trailers made it look cool and despite the mixed reaction it has gotten from all walks of life-meaning, not just critics-I was hoping for the best. Well, I thought it rocked. It is like an 80's slasher in some ways and I appreciated how this was R-rated and thus some of the kills were rather graphic. The aesthetic and atmosphere were great, so it's a shame more people did not enjoy Hell Fest.

Thursday, I had the opportunity to go out and do something, so I made my return to the Food & Wine Festival at Epcot. I did not need an excuse to attend that festival or have the opportunity to consume a few drinks but there was a great reason for me. Thursday happened to be the 39^th birthday of Rachael Leigh Cook; I lavished plenty of praise on her back in July... for a long time I fancied her so it was magical getting to see her in person back in July at a comic-con. I rate her cosmetic looks quite highly, but in addition she is quite funny and as I can attest to, she is very nice... and even when anxiety made me act even more socially awkward than usual during that professional photo I put on social media the next day then the short chat I had with her at her table as I purchased a photo she signed, Rachael was quite kind and I'll always appreciate that. Anyhow, I had food & drink there, so naturally I had a good time. I had wine both from Kurt Russell's winery (this wasn't the first time moment for me) and from George Lucas; of course that is known as Skywalker Vineyards. Both were tasty pinot noirs... not that I am an expert at that as wine isn't usually my drink of choice. As I've mentioned before, it's now become a popular thing to attend these Epcot festivals and wear shirts bragging that you are going to become drunk. It's definitely an expensive way to get hammered.

Friday I returned to the downtown area of where I live; this time I was with someone as we had food from the various food trucks around. There wasn't as many there as usual but it was all good as we both found meals that were decent. Saturday and Sunday I did nothing at all. At least I watched Live PD and on the Saturday edition of the show, a dumpster was literally on fire. Of course this made me laugh, as I often refer to things as dumpster fires. Speaking of that, the National Football League on Sunday... what I saw of the games yesterday, it was the usual nonsense from the league which leaves me “meh”. As the Chicago Bears had a bye week, at least I did not have to pay too much attention to all the kickers performing poorly, or those genius NFL head coaches who called the dumbest plays when they tried to score touchdowns or otherwise win the game.

When I return a week from today, hopefully I'll have more to discuss.

Cheddar Goblins, Smelly Patrons & Football Discussion, Both American & Australian

If you're wondering what a “cheddar goblin” is, it's a character that briefly appears in a new Nicolas Cage movie known as Mandy. For most (even me), you can only see it from an online rental via a service like Amazon or iTunes. A lot of people like this cult film but for me, I was rubbed the wrong way. It tried WAY too hard to be “cool” and a cult film; more often than not, a movie that does this will be something I won't like no matter what everyone else thinks. It's also highly pretentious and I found it all to be twaddle, despite a groovy synth score, nice lead performances from Cage & Andrea Riseborough, and at times you do get Crazy Nic Cage.

Anyhow, last Monday I went and got a haircut; as I always say it was much-needed. I also stopped by my city's library, as I hadn't been there in a long time. Tuesday I did nothing but Wednesday I went with someone to a Uno's Pizzeria & Grill. The cheese on my pizza was a little burned but it was still edible. At least we did not have to sit by a couple that walked in with a pungent aroma. We did not notice their stench but the person I was with overheard a conversation where a woman switched tables because the stinky couple was sitting right by them and this woman could not take that olfactory attack and had to get away. 

Thursday, I had to make yet another airport run; I picked someone up at the one in Sanford and drove back home; a good amount of the journey was in rain, some of it quite heavy... so of course people drove even worse than usual, as it's a Florida tradition. Before then I both walked around the mall in Sanford (as I hadn't been there in many, many months) and I ate at a Logan's Roadhouse; there isn't one close by me anymore so I only end up at one on rare occasions. My food was the typical for me but the drink was known as an Electric Lemonade; it was a frozen blue concoction with lemonade. The drink was as good as it sounds, so a wise decision on my part.

Friday through Sunday was devoted to football, both American and Australian. Late Friday night was the Australian Football League Grand Final, which is their championship game. I had no dog in the fight so I just sat back and watched as the West Coast Eagles came from behind to defeat Collingwood by only a few points. From Twitter, I now know that a lot of people don't like Collingwood... I am not quite sure why. Saturday I went and saw another small college football game live; this time it was the Southeastern Fire at the Webber Warriors; Webber does not have a stadium on campus so they've played at various stadiums over the years, and the one I was at on this night was an ancient high school field in Winter Haven with concrete bleachers that were not too comfortable to sit on for a few hours. Still, I can't complain because at least there was plenty of parking at the stadium so I did not have to walk a country mile like I did the previous Saturday. It was a fun game that Southeastern literally won in the final seconds; the score was 20-17.

Sunday, I was able to stay at home and see the Chicago Bears play against the Tampa Bay Bucs. The end result was a shock to even me; Chicago looked like one of the best teams in the NFL (or maybe Tampa Bay is just that bad) as they blistered them to a score of 48-10. I looked, and 2012 was the last season that they destroyed a team that badly. It was exciting to watch and I am glad there was none of that “roughing the passer” nonsense which is only the latest thing the NFL has done to try and ruin their own product... maybe one day I'll rant against that stupidity, but not today. The Bears have a bye week next weekend but I do have some ideas as to what I'll be discussing instead.

Southeastern Fire Football, Chek Soda & Adult License Plate Frames

I'll go out of order this time as I imagine everyone is curious as to what an adult license plate frame could be. Well, on Thursday I went with someone to a restaurant; it was an Ale House and our meals were fine. On the way back I noticed quite the car while at a stoplight. It was a new Dodge Challenger and it looked sharp; the vehicle also had quite the license plate frame. It said BRAZZERS. For those that don't know (or at least claim they don't know) of that site, it's one very adult in nature. It's not a very classy thing to have on a vehicle, but maybe this person works for them... and I don't mean the talent that appears in their videos.

Anyhow, back to chronological order. Monday and Tuesday I did nothing at all, except watch the Chicago Bears play a Monday Night Football game against the Seattle Seahawks. The offense was not always pretty to watch but the defense really saved them and allowed Chicago to win the game. In other words, typical Bears football I saw in the first decade of the 21^st century. Wednesday, I went to Winter Garden Village as I hadn't been there in awhile. After going to Target I got a special limited edition beverage from Planet Smoothie; it was based on that Smallfoot animated movie coming out late this month... it was good. Thursday I already talked about; Friday, I went into Orlando and did a few things. I won't go into detail, except there were ups and downs and not everything went according to plan. That said, I can't complain as at least I got some exercise from walking around.

Saturday, that was quite interesting. I went and attended my first live football game of the season, and I don't plan on it being the last either. I drove down to Lakeland to see the Southeastern University Fire play. Since they debuted back in 2014 the team has done quite well and yet I had only been there once before, back in 2015 when they defeated Concordia of Alabama 37-7; after the season Concordia dropped their football program. This time they played against another highly regarded team in the NAIA, Bethel (Tennessee) Wildcats. As both are quality I expected a competitive game and that's what it was. Bethel won 40-35 but it went back and forth and was fun to watch. Southeastern has a nice little stadium so I cannot complain about the experience, even if I had to park far away and instead of waiting for a shuddle I made the long walk to and from said stadium. I returned home a different way than my journey there; thus, I passed by a Harvey's Supermarket... I stopped there as that place hadn't been visited by me before. It is a Southeastern chain and this is pretty much the closest location to me. It's comparable to something like a Winn-Dixie, only larger in size. Things weren't fancy but at least it was clean and every section of the store was clearly labeled. I picked up some Chek soda (speaking of Winn-Dixie) and shame on me for not having their orange-pineapple soda in years as it is pretty good.

Friday and Saturday night I watched the returning LivePD and both episodes had tremendous moments so I was happy to see the show return. Sunday I stayed in; I did not go out to see the Chicago Bears game in full against the Arizona Cardinals. What happened in the Seattle game also happened here and Chicago was lucky to win that contest. When I return a week from today, I have a few ideas as to what I'll be discussing.

The Predator, Saltgrass Steakhouse & Drunker Than Cooter Brown

No, I am not talking about me getting drunk. Rather, it's a funny Southern United States colloquialism I have known of for a long while now and considering some of the places I visited, I am surprised I did not see anyone that impaired. Anyhow, here's a recap of my preceding week. Monday I did nothing but Tuesday I did go somewhere, even though I'll always feel somber on 9/11. My annual pass at Walt Disney World was about to expire so I went to Epcot for the process of renewing, then enjoyed the Food & Wine Festival. It was largely what you expect, both in terms of what they offered and some people there excited for the experience as it's almost become a meme now for a few to get highly intoxicated due to all the different alcohol they sell at all the food stands. It is easy to get drunk there but as should be obvious, also rather expensive to be wasted there. I'll return there at least once more as I only had part of what I wanted to consume; at least one of the items I did have on this day was a mai tai, which was good.

Wednesday was dull but Thursday I saw two movies on the big screen. The first was Smokey and the Bandit; AMC was not the only chain to have at least one showing of it a day but of course I went with AMC as I could pay for the ticket using the A+ app; as I mentioned the last time, I also saw the movie on the big screen back in 2011, and Burt Reynolds was there in person... it was a great night. This time, the crowd wasn't rabid for the movie... I can't complain as it is still very funny even under those circumstances. After that was The Predator; talk about a film that experienced a lot of controversy even before it was released. I won't address the most scandalous moments but it was obvious the movie was tinkered with in post-production as it was so choppy and uneven. I did not hate it like many did... but the best I can say is that it was OK overall. At least the film was watchable; unfortunately, the final act happens and it's even a bigger mess than the rest of the film and my opinion of The Predator was lowered. There was too much humor and only a percentage of it was funny, a claim I can make about plenty of modern movies these days.

Friday and Saturday were dull; I only went to local places such as Walmart and Culver's so instead I'll talk about an interesting Sunday. On that day, I half paid attention to the mediocre NFL action. In the late afternoon I left to visit a place new to me but was a chain that began in Texas and has begun to spread out. It was an ad during a college football game I half paid attention to on Saturday which mentioned the Saltgrass Steakhouse; I looked them up and saw they actually had a location within driving distance to me. It was out of the way for my ultimate journey to the Sanford Airport (yes, another airport run... and I'll have to do it again next month) yet I was too interested to wait any longer. The place was what you'd expect, and they did have good food. The trip to the airport and back went about as expected; of course there was poor drivers on the road and people going way too fast, but that's about every time I am out in the vehicle.

Next Monday, I have a few ideas as to what I'll be discussing; I know I'll have the “joy” of talking about two Chicago Bears games.

The Nun, Perfect Blue, Vintage Chicago Bears & RIP The Bandit

In the preceding week, I did not do much at all and in fact I only had one real interesting day. That said, I still have a few things to discuss. Monday through Wednesday were pretty dull so I don't need to dwell on that as I know no one is interested in hearing about the local establishments I got food from or ate at. Thus, onto Thursday, which had a lot happen. The news that Burt Reynolds had passed away made me pretty sad; I knew he was in poor health for awhile but his movies were watched by me since I was a little kid so I was like millions of people in finding this news to be pretty awful. I got to see him in person once; that was way back in March of 2011 when Turner Classic Movies held an event at the historic Tampa Theatre and before a screening of Smokey and the Bandit there was a Q&A with Burt. It was great seeing him talk while surrounded by hundreds of people, then hundreds of people got to laugh along with a very funny movie; the night will never be forgotten. In the evening I returned to Disney Springs. I ate at Splitsville because it had been a hot minute since my last time there. I had a nice meal and nice frozen drink.

I saw two movies on this night and between the films I had a cocktail at The Edison, as it seemed like a good thing to do. The first one was the late 90's anime movie Perfect Blue, which had a special screening. The movie is quite similar to 2010's Black Swan, and it is great. The second movie was The Nun; I had seen all the other movies in The Conjuring universe so it only made sense. While I wish the crowd would have been smarter, them being enthusiastic for it helped make me think it was fine... the story had its issues but the mood & atmosphere were very well done. Friday I did nothing so onto what was mostly a low-key weekend.

Saturday I did try out a local restaurant for the first time; to be exact, I ordered food online and got takeout from a place known as Pizzanos. I got there and there was a foul-up on their part so it took some time before I received my food. That wasn't ideal but at least the meal tasted fine. Sunday was the start of the Chicago Bears season as they played in the evening vs. the Green Bay Packers. The first half started so well, then the second half happened... I'd rather not talk about what happened, except that it was vintage Chicago Bears. The eventual outcome regrettably was not a surprise to me and the more things change... 

I know I'll have more to talk about when I return next Monday.

Iron Man 3, Honey Pot Milkshakes, College Football & The Ultimate Warrior

On this Labor Day, I will regale everyone with what I did in the preceding week. Last Monday I did nothing at all but Tuesday me and someone else went to the nearest location of a Florida chain I've mentioned various times over the years... Gator's Dockside. They have tasty food so perhaps I should go there more often. The fact that they played 80's music the entire time we were there: excellent. Wednesday I did nothing but Thursday I returned to Disney Springs. It was nice to walk around there; the main reason why I visited was to see the film Searching. It was like a much more serious version of an Unfriended movie as John Cho tries to locate his missing teen daughter and it's all through the perspective of laptop screens. It is something I can recommend as it's a very satisfying thriller and Cho was great as the lead.

Besides the movie, I walked around for a bit and I listened to a few songs that were spun by a DJ spinning tunes in an open area; various people were dancing around, NOT including me. I also went into Vivoli Il Gelato, a location I'll have to visit again to try the various tasty treats they have... the only thing I got from there was known as a Honey Pot Milkshake; while not cheap, it was very good so no regrets there. Friday, what a day it was. I won't go into the reasons why I in general don't watch the modern comic book/superhero movies but in general they aren't for me. However, I had seen Iron Man (pretty good) and Iron Man 2 (pretty bad) so it was about time I finally saw Iron Man 3, right? Beginning a few days ago and ending in a few days, many IMAX locations are showing all the old Marvel films so that is what I did on Friday. Plus, it was in 3D.

Overall, I'll say the movie was good. On the way back home, I stopped at an Ale House that was just off a toll road in order to have a drink. An intoxicated middle-aged woman was there with her pals and her antics did inspire some laughs from me. What I did before the film was real interesting. I hadn't been to a World of Beer in months so this seemed like the right time to go; the one that was right by the IMAX screen I was at on this night... that WOB closed down, so instead I was at the one right in my city. Besides dinner, I'll mention the one beer of note I had; it was from Orange County Brewers (meaning it was local) and the IPA I had known as Ultimate Warrior was fine. Yes, it was on tap and from the handle I can tell you it was named after the late WWF wrestler... of course I had to give it a try.  As I left the place to go and see the movie, I saw the damndest thing... someone falling out of a moving vehicle! No, I did not see a tragedy. Rather, the vehicle was only going a few miles an hour and this person (OF COURSE a white young male) did it on purpose as he was just a jackass trying to impress his buddies, to put it bluntly. In fact, may I be so bold as to say that unfortunately he was uninjured? Doing things like that, you're asking for something horrific.

The weekend I did nothing of note, which is fine as there was rainy weather and I could do things like half pay attention to the start of the college football season and catch up with various podcasts. Plus, not dealing with traffic that will be even more hectic than usual due to the holiday weekend... a plus. For the upcoming week, I have a few ideas as to what I'll be doing.

The One Time I Saw Many Movies Theatrically

Yes, that was the theme for the preceding week. This past Monday, I went out and ended up at an AMC Theatres to see a pair of foreign films. The first was the South Korean The Spy Gone North, a drama about a spy in the 90's undercover in North Korea; it is rather loosely based on a true story, which is for the norm anywhere in the film world, I suppose. I'll say it was pretty good. I then saw my first ever Indian theatrical movie... it only happened because the schedule worked out that way and I have the AMC Stubs A-List app, but I then saw Satyameva Jayate, about a good cop going after a vigilante who is killing corrupt police officers... by setting them on fire. The movie is pretty wild: I mean, over the top in every way and full of contrivances. Yet I was entertained by the spectacle. The vigilante might as well been from a comic book movie or one of the Fast & Furious films; he was superhuman in strength and did such things as punch through windows with no damage and rip off an SUV door from its hinges so he could use it as a shield. It was also different seeing a film where I am pretty sure I was the only non South Asian in a big crowd... that audience was boisterous although thankfully usually not distractingly so. The drive there demonstrated something I talk about all the time: poor driving resulted in me seeing the aftermath of two multi-car wrecks in the span of like 500 feet.

Tuesday, I went to the local Olive Garden with someone; that went as expected. Wednesday I did nothing but Thursday was more interesting for sure. I went to an AMC Theatres in order to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey on an IMAX screen. Besides it being the 50^th anniversary of that classic, in October the movie will come out in 4K UHD and this print is that remastered version of the movie; until Wednesday the movie will play at various IMAX locations a few times a day. I've seen 2001 a few times in my life, including once on the big screen in September of 2016. On a giant screen, the experience was incredible, as the movie is still incredible. I wish everyone in the crowd would have thought the same way but alas... it seemed as if a number of people had not viewed the movie before. If they had legit criticisms that would be fine. What I heard during the 20 minute or so intermission was not that; instead it was either general “Ahh, this movie is awful!” or this dopey complaint of “The breathing when they wear their space helmets, it's too loud!” Yeah, the screening had the soundtrack pretty loud but I was insulted when I heard those gripes. Still, that did not ruin things and at least I can give the compliment that no one talked when 2001 was playing.

Friday and Saturday I did nothing of note, which was fine by me. Saturday afternoon I had lunch at a local quick-service place, but Sunday was far more interesting. I returned to the Silver Moon Drive-In in Lakeland to see a double-feature. Both movies I had some interest in despite rotten reviews for both. Well, both The Happytime Murders and Mile 22 were pretty lousy. The former I hoped to enjoy; I mean, there's the late 80's New Zealand movie Meet the Feebles, which is about a Muppet-like group that has a variety show but they are all dysfunctional and it is hilariously vulgar; it's from Peter Jackson... yes, that Peter Jackson. That was far better than Happytime, which only got a few chuckles from me; instead I was annoyed by all the arguing and how liberally foul language was being used for really no reason. Speaking of foul language, Mile 22... sure it has graphic violence but it was filmed in an incoherent way and aside from the needless cursing, Marky Mark as the lead played a real jerk... a character I couldn't stand. What a missed opportunity as with the story and the people involved, it should have been at least fun but it wasn't even that.

When I return on Labor Day, I have a few ideas as to what I'll be talking about.

BlacKkKlansman, Grave of the Fireflies & Oreo Rocky Road Trip

Not the most exciting of weeks, and yet that is OK. I know the upcoming seven days will have more for me to discuss. This past Monday, I ended up at Universal Studios CityWalk; I did stroll around there briefly (nothing new is there) before going in their AMC to see a special screening of a famous anime movie from the 80's, Grave of the Fireflies. It is decidedly NOT one of those whimsical Japanese cartoon films like My Neighbor Totoro; instead the plot follows a pair of kid siblings as they try to survive the end of World War II in Japan... things do not go well, yet the movie is excellent as the relationship is so great and touching among all the heartbreak.

Even before I made it to Universal, I stopped at a Florida's Turnpike rest stop to have a meal, which went fine. I went to the car to leave when a reporter from the local Fox station stopped to ask me a few questions. No, I was not interviewed on camera, thankfully. I was asked about soon E-ZPass (the toll collecting system) will be coming to Florida; no, it won't replace Florida's SunPass but instead it can be used by those who already are E-ZPass members in another state and are in Florida on vacation, for example. As I did not know this was coming here, I did not offer any illuminating comments about it to the reporter. Speaking of SunPass, it was just recently that the service finally started working properly again. You see, back in June the site and system was upgraded, only the company they used was inept and it turned into a fiasco. The entire site was down for an entire week and once it came up, things did not work right for weeks so it was just recently that everyone's balance was calculated... until then no one knew how much they were spending on tolls. Yep, that company will be getting sued pretty soon.

Tuesday I did nothing but Wednesday I first went to Sam's Club (w/ someone that has a membership) to pick up a few items. Then, on the way back we were going to eat at a local restaurant, only to get there and read a sign saying they were “temporarily closed”; it could very well be “permanently closed” in the near future. Thus, instead we ate at Denny's. That went fine, although it was a little awkward hearing the cook give the one server there a lot of lip and otherwise ripping him a new one. Thursday, I went to a new movie theatre that is not too far from me. It is not an AMC (so I'll only be there once in awhile); instead it is a Cinepolis and this particular one is “luxury”, meaning you get food ordered from and delivered to your seat in the auditorium. A lot of the food wasn't for me but I did have the chicken tenders & fries, which were good. The place itself looks great and I can't complain about the staff either.

The film I saw there was BlacKkKlansman, which was as unsubtle as I expected given the director and subject matter. I will say it was very good as the actual story is fascinating and the cast does a swell job, especially leads John David Washington and Adam Driver. Friday, I went to Walmart to pick up a few random items and that went as expected. One of the items was Oreo Rocky Road Trip, which was as good as I'd expected. Saturday and Sunday I did nothing at all, so I'll end this now and like I said, I'll have more to discuss the next time I am here.

Safeway, Midnight Espresso, She's All That & The Life Aquatic With Jason Statham

I had some interesting moments this past week. Last Monday I did nothing of note... I am not complaining. Tuesday I drove on down to Lakeland; first, I walked around their mall for a bit, and that went as expected. I then drove on over to the nearby Ford's Garage. I have talked about that Florida chain of restaurants/bars before, and it was just recently that this location opened; it's closer to me than anywhere else they have a restaurant... and eventually one will open in Orlando. I had a tasty dinner along with a coffee porter from Florida brewery Motorworks and it was called... Midnight Espresso. I was amused as it was a nice reference to the late 70's film Midnight Express; the beer was not my favorite but it was alright. One of the bartenders was named Laney, and I was amused because not only is it uncommon, but I thought of a certain late 90's teen movie where the lead character was named Laney Boggs. Henceforth, once I returned home I rewatched She's All That; it was the first time I saw it on Blu-ray from beginning to end. It is silly for sure but the movie is inoffensive and as I was in high school when the film was released in 1999, what a blast from the past it was between all those actors, the dialogue, the clothing, the humor, the music, etc.

Wednesday I went with someone to the local Bob Evans restaurant; I had a tasty Belgian waffle dinner. Thursday was quite interesting indeed. The drive to and from Altamonte Springs was full of pretty lousy drivers, some of them reckless. The way there was rainy, so naturally I saw the aftermath of several cars in a giant wreck and I am surprised I did not see more. First, I stopped at the Safeway grocery store, a place I have mentioned before. Publix is fine as a grocery store and all, but they have a real monopoly in Florida so it was nice to have variety. Of course, once I got there I discovered all three Safeway locations in this state were closing real soon... I was disappointed. After I purchased various items there, I went to the nearby AMC to watch The Meg, on their IMAX screen... and also to eat chicken fingers and curly fries for dinner. The movie was exactly what I expected it to be: stupid yet still entertaining. I read The Meg book back in the day... twenty years ago so I might as well have never read it before.

What likely contributed to my opinion of the film was the average blue collar family sitting right in front of me. Dad was acting like this was his The Avengers: Infinity War; he must have loved the novel. I hope everyone of those four (mom, dad, and the two elementary school kids... a son and daughter) loved it, considering what the cost must have been between the IMAX tickets and concessions. The daughter at times was scared but otherwise she was fine; I mean, she did not cry or become hysterical. The son, he must have been a fan. A few times, after a big scene I would hear him softly yell, “Yay!” That was tremendous.

As for me referring to The Meg as The Life Aquatic With Jason Statham, I am stealing a joke I saw online. Personally, I'd see The Meg again rather than The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou once. That is a twee-looking movie from 2004 that I've never seen but it does also involve a shark. Anyhow, Friday and Saturday I did absolutely nothing. Sunday, I went to the local Dollar General to pick up some needed items. I realize it was not the strongest way to close out a week, yet it is OK. I watched movies at home and also television programs like LivePD, so I can't complain. When I return next Monday, I do have a few ideas as to what I'll be discussing.

Fast Food Kiosks, Blueberry Lambics & Mister Softee

The preceding week wasn't too terribly exciting, yet that is alright for me. Ever since the air conditioning was recently fixed after it being out for two days, there hasn't been much news to discuss. Last Monday I went to the AMC Theatres in Altamonte Springs to watch Mission: Impossible-Fallout for a second time, this time on an IMAX screen. The movie is still great, BTW. On the way back I ate at a Back Yard Burgers, which is a place which has only a drive-thru and a window where you order food that you can eat outside or bring back home. I was there a few months ago but now they have one of those fast food kiosks. I guess that's the wave of the future and I'll eventually have to use them at a number of places. If it results in less orders getting screwed up, then that'll be nice... but the dirty little secret that these are being used so these fast food places don't need to hire as many employees... that's not so great. At least the food at Back Yard Burgers is still good.

Tuesday and Wednesday I did nothing of note; Thursday I went to some locations in town, the main one being Target... as some miscellaneous items were picked up, I won't go into detail there. Friday and Sunday were boring days except for two moments, which I'll elaborate upon in a moment. Saturday I went to the Mall at Millenia area for the first time in awhile; traffic around there was even worse than I expected, so in the future I'll choose better times to visit Millenia. I first stopped to get some beverages from Total Wine & More, then I went to the mall to walk around for a bit and I also had dinner there at the food court. The place was largely the same as usual. Regrettably, also the same as usual was “buffoonery on the highways” as I drove there and back. It was mixed in with several vehicles driving WAY too fast, and I am still surprised I did not see any wrecks.

Sunday afternoon was something that has become a popular thing during the weekend in my neighborhood: the Mister Softee truck driving by. I could do without the truck playing the Mister Softee theme at what seems like 200 decibels, but I otherwise have no beef with them. As a kid, the Schwans truck would sometimes drive by and treats were usually purchased there. In the evening I had a blueberry lambic; that is usually not a style I drink as it's meant to be sour... however that was good for what it was. It was Touch of Blue, from Wisconsin's Sprecher brewery; they also make very good gourmet sodas. Between the name and the label design, they are trying to appeal to Grateful Dead fans, so if you are a Deadhead... 

When I return a week from today, I am pretty certain I'll have more to discuss.