Internet Issues, Skid Marks & Snowdrift Vanilla Porter

In the preceding week, I did go out to restaurants more often than usual. Ironically, on the day that a friend of one of my parents left to go home, a friend of the other parent ended up coming over for a few days. This person-who just left a few hours ago-lives a couple of hours away so it wasn't like at the last minute he decided to drive across a few states to hang out with my 'rents. Last Monday, the party wanted to go to Applebee's so that's where we went. That was fine, and I dropped them off before heading off to Orlando. On the way to the restaurant, it was easy for me to spot someone driving recklessly. It was the opposite of shocking then when they suddenly stomped on their brakes so hard (to avoid rear-ending an innocent party) that they burned rubber pretty hard and left skid marks on the pavement. Once I was on my own, I saw the aftermath of two fender-benders and general buffoonery on the road. So in essence, not too much worse than a typical day on the road in Central Florida.

Anyhow, Monday evening I went to Total Wine & More, where I got a few beverages. The main highlight there was a 12 pack of 4 different beers from Wisconsin's Leinenkugel's brewery. I am sure that the special lager and Pomegranate Shandy in the collection is good, but so far I've only had the Euro Dark Lager known as Creamy Dark and their Snowdrift Vanilla Porter; both are good. I then stopped at a nearby Target, where some random items were purchased. Tuesday, everyone wanted to eat at Outback Steakhouse, which was fine with me. Some trashy people were there (the highlight being some guy getting mad about his steak... when from what I overheard, he never specified how long he wanted it to be cooked) yet the experience was fine and so was the food. Wednesday was the last day this friend was here and the restaurant was Macaroni Grill; again, that went fine.

Thursday, one friend of a parent left and shortly thereafter, a friend of the other parent showed up. He's visited my parents at their house before. Thursday through Sunday was quite dull; one day I went to Walmart to pick up a few items and another day I went to Firehouse Subs for dinner as I hadn't eaten there in many months (that was mainly because there are plenty of restaurant options in Central Florida, not because I don't like their food); otherwise, the only other thing is me talking about Internet issues where I am at. The preceding few days before Sunday night, the Internet was at times spotty. There were occasions where I had to shut down the router and start it back up again. Even though it fixed the problem, I knew it did not necessarily mean that was the source of the problem. Sunday night, I realized that it was the fault of my Internet/phone/cable provider, Spectrum. That was because it went down for a few hours and via my phone's 4G and a popular website that reports when cable providers are having problems, it was a Spectrum issue that affected many people in many different states. Not that it made me feel much better... especially considering the problem has not gone away as of now and it's one of several problems I've had with technology this month. At least I don't have to use Comcast, an evil entity that I've heard many different people tell many different horror stories about. 

When I return a week from today, I'll definitely have more to talk about. There is “that one big game”, among other things. 

New Laptops, Mountain Dew Ice & Pohjala Must Kuld

As I mentioned in the last thing I posted, my laptop's cooling fan stopped working and if you did not know, an effect of that was greatly decreased performance. I took it into a local establishment to see how much it would cost to fix this; the price was too much for me considering the laptop is a few years old. I am not happy it broke down after such a short amount of time but alas... I ordered a new one, despite that being a higher cost. It was a different brand so I hope for better luck there. So far so good on that front. Someone I know did say that I should just order a fan myself from eBay and install it myself. A nice idea, except that I have hardly any experience with taking apart computer hardware; there's YouTube videos and all but I remember many years ago when that went awry for me. It was so long ago, the task I was doing was installing a card so the desktop computer could use high-speed Internet. That went fine... but a few months later it totally died. Maybe not the most prudent choice but as of now I am not regretting my decision.

Last Monday and Tuesday was me dealing with my now-former laptop so nothing to really say there. Wednesday was more interesting: I came to the realization I hadn't been to the local World of Beer in town so I decided to go there. That went fine; the one beer I'll mention is the Estonian brew known as Pohjala Must Kuld; it's a porter and it was acceptable, but the novelty for me was drinking a beer from Estonia. Thursday, that was interesting. I neglected to mention something I should have in my last post: for a short amount of time, I got to see two people I hadn't seen since I was a kid, meaning “many years”. They were family friends who happened to be down here from Illinois. My parents hung out with them all day while my interaction was much shorter. It was still nice seeing them. Anyhow, on this day a close friend of a parent came down here and they'll be here for a week. They've done this yearly for quite awhile now so it's become a tradition.

Thursday evening I went with that person and both parents to the local Bob Evans restaurant; we all enjoyed our meals. Friday, we did not have an elaborate meal; dinner was at Crispers, a Florida sandwich shop and that turned out fine. Saturday, we went to a restaurant I've mentioned a handful of times in the past: Hurricane Grill & Wings. I haven't been down that way in a long while as there has been construction on that stretch of road for more than a year now and it won't be completed for at least another year. Unfortunate, as they do make some pretty decent food. Sunday everyone stayed in. I barely paid attention to the two football games, which was fine by me given who won the first one and the second game being noncompetitive after the first quarter. Thus, I'll close this out by mentioning how in the past week I randomly discovered they had yet another limited edition Mountain Dew flavor; this one is known as Ice and if you ever wanted to have Mountain Dew that tastes like modern 7-Up, then boy do I have a drink for you.

When I return next Monday, I have some idea as to what I'll be doing but nothing is set in stone quite yet.

The One Time My Laptop's Cooling Fan Stopped Working Properly

Yes it is true. While I have other Internet options, I suspect that no matter how I deal with this issue, it will cost a lot of money. Today I went to a national chain that sells computers and was told they don't deal with hardware so I was recommended a local establishment, which yes is closed today for the holiday. Tomorrow I'll discover what the cost will be and decide from there how I'll handle this; as the laptop isn't that old I am definitely not pleased this happened.

Here's a recap of the past week. On Monday the 8^th I did go somewhere in the evening. Because it was close by and I got giftcards from there for Christmas, I attended the local Buffalo Wild Wings to see the big college football championship game. I did not like how the game turned out but at least it became exciting after a pretty dreadful first half. While I've had my problems with the local BWW over the years, I am thankful I had no issues while I was there.

Tuesday I did nothing but Wednesday I returned to the Mecum Auto Auction in Kissimmee. I get two tickets from the hookup I have there, so that is why I was there again after being there the previous Sunday. It fit my schedule best to be there on this day. Once again I had a good time looking at all the hundreds of vehicles and sitting down to see a little bit of the actual auction. This time I had dinner on site and it was a good decision; they have several booths set up that sell food and I got the wood fire pizza, which was good. Thursday I did not help my diet any by having pizza again, this time from a popular chain in town. Friday, I got a much-needed haircut and that went fine.

The weekend, I won't say too much about it as I am still miffed about my laptop, which I've only had for a few years so it shouldn't be falling apart like this. I did see The Commuter; I did not expect it to be great so I can't complain then that the movie is fine, even if it is rather stupid at times and the entire plot is on the outlandish side. Two more things I'll mention: yep, traffic is still rather horrendous in Florida (I got pretty mad a few times, even though I am certain those people did not possess enough intellect to know WHY I was mad at them) and I halfway paid attention to the two NFL games on Sunday... Jacksonville pulling off the upset added intrigue even if I give them little chance to beat New England next Sunday, and what a crushing way for the New Orleans Saints to lose, although it was incredible for the Minnesota Vikings.

Hopefully I'll only have good things to talk about when I return a week from today.

The One Time I Got Mad Again Due To The Incompetence Of Others

I'll be up front here, from Wednesday through Friday I did nothing of note as I was feeling under the weather; not wanting to go outside when it was cold (by Florida standards) is another reason but I was happy to stay in and recover. Thankfully, due to the generic DayQuil and NyQuil I got from Walgreens, that illness was eradicated and I was able to do things during the weekend, as I'll explain later.

New Year's Day, I spent the first day of 2018 relaxing. I did not get drunk the night before; I watched TV and messed around online. The big football games, at least the first one was interesting. Tuesday, that was an eventful day, often for the wrong reasons. I went to Disney Springs, and I saw The Last Jedi again, this time on a Dolby Cinema at AMC screen. I've plugged that before as I've gone to it in Altamonte Springs a half dozen times and never had a problem there. The one at Disney Springs opened less than 2 months ago; I saw Coco that way and that screening had no issue. I presumed everything would be fine this time... oh no. I imagine most at that screening had no idea how Dolby Cinema at AMC works... I do. A pair of laser projected images are shown at the same time and that's how the picture is both bright and crystal clear. Well, already one of the two projectors wasn't working, so the screening happened anyway and while it was clear and the sound was great, the picture was dark. AMC apparently thought it was OK but not me. Believe it or not, the same thing happened to someone I know back in November, this time at the Dolby Cinema in the Tampa suburb of Brandon. I tell you, it's great... when it works properly. I'll stick to the one in Altamonte Springs as it's never treated me wrong and it was incredible seeing things like Valerian and Blade Runner 2049 that way.

Anyhow, I would have gotten a refund, except it was a film I was seeing again (I did not like it the first time and I still don't like it now) and I got the ticket via Fandango and paid it with my debit card; trying to get a refund there at a busy place may have been a nightmare. Such things as the screening not being the best when it came to how the crowd acted seemed minor in comparison on this chilly day and evening. After that I had pizza from a new place that just opened. Maria & Enzo's just opened, although it wasn't when I was there. Instead I got food from next door, which is an attached counter-service place known as Pizza Ponte; that pizza reminded me of Sbarro's, which is not meant as a compliment. At least it was a HUGE piece and the food was still edible. I imagine the regular Maria & Enzo's (it has a travel/air terminal theme) will be good.

Now, onto the weekend. Saturday I went to a few stores in town. Even then, I had to honk at a few people because they were exhibiting sheer stupidity. Yes, things have not changed in 2018 at all when it comes to how others drive in Florida. I once again wondered if a few people were high on meth and it was a distinct possibility. Sunday, I went to the Mecum auto auction in Kissimmee. For more than a week, every day except one has cars being auctioned off; it's the largest of its kind, with a few thousand being bid on. Due to a friend of someone I know having a hookup, I got a pair of tickets for free; I'll be there again sometime this upcoming week. A wide variety was there to be seen; while there are plenty of valuable cars, I was most interested in the oddballs, such as obscure makes that only made a limited number, or vehicles imported from Japan, that sort of thing. A Toyota sedan being converted into a Japanese hearse got a lot of attention, as all of those have elaborate designs made to mimic a temple, and that design is done for a reason. I'll have to talk more about that next week, along with other fun things I hope to do.

Oh, and on the way back I stopped at a new Hooters in Kissimmee. The building itself was a nice design; the service wasn't always the best but I know it's new so I understood. The food did taste fine.

Jack in the Box, Raising Cane's, Bubba's 33, And Other Kansas Vacation Highlights

Here's what I've done in the past two weeks, which happened to be the final two weeks of 2017. Monday the 18th through Thursday the 21st I don't have much to write about, unless people want to hear about the fast food I got from some restaurants. So I will move onto Friday the 22nd, when me and a parent started the drive to the area of Wichita, Kansas. That day went fine as we spent the night in Conway, Arkansas, and dinner was had at a Logan's Roadhouse. Lunch was had in Gulfport, Mississippi, at a famous regional fast food joint known as Raising Cane's, where the crux of the focus is on chicken fingers. That food was pretty good so I wish there was one in Florida. Saturday we arrived in Kansas and instead of staying at a Super 8 as we had done before, instead it was at a Motel 6... but the fanciest Motel 6 I had ever seen. It was built right by a Wild West attraction that either never opened or was only partially open before closing. Thus, it has the appropriate motif and is nicer than what you'd expect from the chain. They even have an indoor heated pool, which my sister and nephews came over twice to use.

My sister is doing fine, as are my twin nephews, who are now 5 years old. I can't believe it's been 5 years already. They are typical boys at that age and I imagine plenty will know what I am talking about there. It was nice hanging out with them and there was fun to be had. I won't get more detailed than that. The restaurants in Wichita, I've been to a decent number by now and they vary in quality, and the service isn't always the best. Maybe next year... one night was a Christmas ham and the others the restaurants visited were Twin Peaks, Applebee's and Bubba's 33 (founded by the same dude who founded Texas Roadhouse). Bubba's would have better if they did not add elements to make all the food spicy... even my pizza had pretty spicy sausage. All the food was still edible at worst and was usually fine, so I cannot complain.

The trip back home, we went through Oklahoma and the northern part of Texas before skirting through Louisiana and spending the night outside of Jackson, Mississippi. For the first time in years, I ate at a Jack in the Box; there was none in the parts of Illinois I lived in or in Florida. That was in middle of nowhere Texas and it was good food; again, why can't there be one in Florida? Finally we made it back home the next day, and it was usually raining. The traffic there and back... it varied in quality and there were times I wondered if some people were high on meth, no kidding. We were stuck in traffic for a bit around Ocala and thankfully from looking on my smartphone (no, I was not driving at the time) the location of the crash was discovered so we stayed on instead of exiting and making things much worse. OF COURSE the way people drove in Florida was worse and more rude than elsewhere. I definitely saw some reckless driving on this vacation and I was not surprised by the Ocala crash or seeing a semi truck tipped over in Oklahoma. The trip was nice but it is always nice returning home too.

The rest of 2017, I don't have too much to say. Thus, I'll skip ahead to December 31, and I actually went somewhere to see the Chicago Bears play. It was their last game of the season so it made sense. To no one's surprise, they lost to a team (the Minnesota Vikings) that are so good they have a legitimate chance of playing in the Super Bowl, while the Bears ended up with a 5-11 record. The game was meh; maybe next year they'll be better. The NFL has had a pretty rotten season and I chose to ignore most of it; yet I can say it was nice to see Tennessee, Jacksonville, the Rams and Buffalo all make the playoffs as none of them had been that good in years and for those fans it's awesome. Personally, I'm tired of seeing the Patriots in the Super Bowl so I wouldn't mind a matchup like Jacksonville vs. Minnesota or Philadelphia vs. Tennessee, as improbable as it is. The night of NYE, I never do anything as I feel no need to go out. I stay in and do other things. This time, I had to help some people with getting a brand new computer (an all in one model) up and going as their previous was a desktop and after many years it finally gave up the ghost and stopped working correctly. That went off without a hitch and the new way of Windows starting up for the first time and getting a new computer working... different as you have their version of Siri (Cortana) narrating to you the entire time.

2018, I hope the year turns out decent. 2017 wasn't great for me... I know it wasn't great for a lot of people so I am sure it will be a common refrain to wish 2018 to be better. Not too much is on my agenda for the first week of the year... yet.