Green Book, 76 Gasoline, Alita: Battle Angel & My Birthday

I haven't watched Green Book myself; I just know many were unhappy it won Best Picture last night. All I can say is that the real life topic of green books used by African-Americans is a fascinating topic. Monday, I went to the local Winn Dixie to pick up a few items. Tuesday I did nothing but Wednesday I returned to Walt Disney World, this time Epcot. I needed to be assured that my new MagicBand worked (it does) and I might as well visit their now annual International Festival of the Arts. I walked around, had dinner, purchased food & drink from the Mitsukoshi store, and I got to see various paintings that were on sale. Thursday I did nothing but Friday happened to be my birthday... somehow, my 38th  (!) one. 

My 21st was also on a Friday, and that weekend was much wilder than the weekend I just had. Back in 2002, that Friday and Saturday had one near-fight each that I was involved with, and both required a young lady to cool down and to be honest, prevent me from getting punched in the face! In contrast, this past Friday had me go to the local tax collectors to get my driver's license renewed. That process wasn't cheap but at least it was an efficient deal they have there; I only had to wait in line for a few minutes then I talked to the front desk then I was given a tag and I was called back to a desk, where I presented everything that was required, took a “vision test” which was one line, took the typically bad photo, paid and that was it. For dinner I went with my parents to Hurricane Grill & Wings, a place I have mentioned plenty of times before in the past. That went fine as their food is pretty tasty. Saturday I stayed in and relaxed but Sunday was different.

Sunday, I went to a few different locations. First, I stopped at a 76 gas station for the first time in years. They used to be in Florida at a few locations but left like 10 years ago. Notably, back in the days when I went to wrestling shows, I used to stop at a 76 for gas and/or for a drink on the way back home. A few days ago I discovered that they returned to Florida; while it's mainly in Jacksonville there are two stations in Orlando so I stopped at one. I then ended up at an Ollie's Bargain Outlets, a place I mentioned in the fall. The main event was me at a nearby AMC to see Alita: Battle Angel. The trailers weren't entirely convincing to me but I heard good reviews and as I suspected, the movie looked great visually. Sure it can be nitpicked but I'll say it was fine overall as it has a nice cast and the action scenes were at least fun and never difficult to make out.

I am glad that the visitors I mentioned the last time experience some unseasonably warm weather in the preceding week. This upcoming week has a different person visiting a parent and I know that will give me something to talk about when I return next Monday.

Orange Vanilla Coke, Swamp People, Louisiana French & Ford's Garage

I will note two things to start off. I only found out about Orange Vanilla Coke being a thing... I couldn't find it on Saturday, either at a Walmart or a small supermarket which used to be an IGA (which brought back memories as when I was very little, there used to be an IGA in my hometown) but is now independent. I have made that drink before at a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine by pouring Orange Coke and adding in a little of Vanilla Coke-I imagine it professionally being combined will be quite tasty. The second thing is that I failed to mention the last time that on Saturday the 9th I went with two people to the local Texas Roadhouse restaurant as one of them had a birthday and chose to go there. It would have been nice if all the fries would have been fully cooked but alas... at least my burger was fine.

Last Monday through Thursday weren't too terribly exciting. I mean, one night I streamed the episode of Live PD that I missed from the previous Saturday-thank you to my cable provider for that service-and another day I went to Pizza Hut for food but that's about it for excitement. I know, I know about Pizza Hut and its quality... they had a deal where I could order two items from about 10 different selections for only 5 dollars each, so I had a medium pizza and stuffed garlic knots. There are no complaints considering the price. Thursday night, I actually watched an episode of a reality television series. I don't otherwise watch that genre, as most of the shows are obviously staged and phony... and whether or not they are, almost all have it where people-whether by coercion or not-are complete A-holes to each other and I have zero interest in such garbage. The only reason I saw Swamp People was that I was talking to a girl online (no, it's not one of those relationships; I've been friends with her for a few years now) who lives not too far from where the show is filmed and even though she is not Cajun herself, it was amusing to see and hear a bunch of Cajuns on the show... not that I am hating on what I am sure are very nice people. They just have a one of a kind accent, you know. I did learn that “che”-sometimes spelled as “cher”-meant “babe” in Louisiana French as one guy kept on calling his girl that. The show wasn't awful but I don't see a reason to watch the other episodes.

Friday I went to Chick-fil-A; my going there is not necessarily an endorsement of their religious/political views. My trips there are infrequent and my reason for going there is that a location opened real close to me so I wanted to visit; that went fine. Saturday, I ate at a nearby Ford's Garage. I've mentioned that restaurant before as on a few occasions I had been to the one near Tampa and last summer the location in Lakeland; this was my first time at their location in Orlando. It's in a busy area by an outlet mall so who knows how often I'll go there... that is not a slight against that particular establishment as nothing went wrong while I was there and the food was tasty. They had an outside seating area so that's where I was... and saw the aftermath of a minor fender-bender. As I have said before, I am surprised I do not see more of those... I do not want to belabor the same points I make all the darn time.

Sunday, I stayed at home and relaxed. I actually offered to pick up some people from the airport yet someone else volunteered... I do know that is a task I'll be doing a few times in the upcoming months. When I return a week from today, I know there will be one day where I should have a few things to say.

Cold Pursuit, In Order Of Disappearance, The Wandering Earth & MagicBands

Last Monday through Wednesday there really isn't anything to discuss; Tuesday night I went to Disney Springs for the purposes of walking about but that is about it. Thus I will bring up where I went on Tuesday the 29th of last month that I was going to mention but didn't. I was going to have dinner somewhere outside the park but because of circumstances I instead went to a nearby place... Hooters. I know, I know... the food there is fine plus on this occasion I had a one dollar margarita; I can't complain.

Wednesday night I revisited the 2014 Norwegian dark comedy film In Order of Disappearance, starring Stellan Skarsgard. That is something worth seeing, I say-plus that is the film which was remade as Cold Pursuit, which I saw on Thursday night. This was despite those shocking comments that Liam Neeson made this past Monday; believe me, my seeing the movie is definitely NOT an endorsement of what he said or what he did all those years ago. I presumed Cold Pursuit would be a homogenized version of Disappearance, as that film was pretty dark in its laughs and I know that wouldn't appeal to the type of crowd that loved Neeson in those Taken films or Unknown or The Commuter. Turns out, I was mistaken and except for a change in location the two movies are almost identical. Cold Pursuit is almost as good, IMO.

Thursday, I also received a new MagicBand; this should have been done years ago but as the original one I had still worked... the new one is a limited edition Darth Vader edition (in red) and I was happy with my selection. I saw Cold Pursuit and before the movie I was going to eat somewhere, but plans changed as a neighbor suddenly came over and needed my help with something. Turns out, that something was of some importance so I was happy to assist him with that and it was a good thing he caught me before I was going to leave. Instead I headed straight for Disney Springs again and had a quick bite to eat before seeing the film.

Friday and Sunday I did nothing at all, so onto Saturday. Late in the evening I went and saw another movie. I only found out about the film a few days prior... it is a Chinese movie which came out concurrently over there and is only playing at select locations around the United States and only at 9PM or later. It is a sci-fi film with an absolute bonkers premise: in the future the sun is disintegrating and instead of abandoning the Earth, Earth IS MOVED VIA THOUSANDS OF GIANT ENGINES and in 2,500 years it will be orbiting Alpha Centauri... I hope no one tells Neil Degrasse Tyson about this idea. Anyhow, much of it is like a typical Hollywood blockbuster, for better and for worse. It was fine overall; the movie did look and sound nice. I should also mention that it is IMAX-only showings, and it was in 3D, and it drew a nice crowd, and naturally I was one of a few who was not of Far East Asian heritage. It was an interesting thing to watch on what was a rainy Saturday night.

When I return a week from today, not much is on my agenda yet and it may be a real quiet week for me... hopefully it won't be.

The One Time Where I... Did Not Watch The Super Bowl!?

At the end I explain why I made that call, and how it turned out to be a much better move than even I could have predicted. If you missed it, on Friday I made a special post where I talked about what I did this past Thursday: attend a funeral and visitation. I wrote so much I wanted to make that separate. In short, it was a sad day yet it was a nice tribute and I was happy to meet some new people while eating the catered dinner after the service; that did help considering it was a rough day for me and many others.

Monday I did nothing at all; Tuesday was different. I had free time so I returned to a Walt Disney World park for the first time in a few months. Hollywood Studios was the one I chose and last year they changed the entrance... it is now off of Osceola Parkway and to be honest it's preferable to the old entrance on Buena Vista Drive. I went on a few rides and also talked to Guest Relations about a minor issue I had with my account. After that I finally ordered a new MagicBand as I had the original version for all these years... it still worked but I knew that wouldn't last forever. Wednesday I went to Kohl's to buy some new clothing that I wore on Thursday; I needed new black slacks anyhow.

Friday, I went to my local bank and Saturday I returned to the Mall at Millenia area. I did not go into the mall itself as it was still way busier than usual so I instead purchased some cheap items from the nearby IKEA (including food and drink, of course) then I tried out the Tutti Fruitti frozen yogurt shack that was also in the general area; I had the taro flavor, as that is a fruit I had never tasted before. It was unique but not bad.

Sunday, I did not watch the Super Bowl. I have mentioned before why I have been down on the National Football League in recent years and recently I have realized that when I do these, I really should be more positive... after all, recently someone said that I look like a 22 year old (flattered, yes I was) and many people have it worse than me so I shouldn't complain. I know some did not watch because of the whole Kaepernick thing and that's understandable... there are many reasons why the league is insufferable, from what happened to the Saints two Sundays ago to how they might as well cover the quarterbacks in bubble wrap they are so protected... I realized I did not care to see the game, the halftime show or any of the commercials (most of which were online before the game even started) so why not go to Walt Disney World instead?

To be exact I went to the Magic Kingdom; even on Super Bowl Sunday, that place was still busy until right before the fireworks started at 8 PM. I went on a few rides, ate dinner at Sleepy Hollow (an underrated spot located at Liberty Square... it has only a few items but I do recommend the quick service joint) and even got the treat of seeing the fireworks start while I was on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I got to see most of them as I walked around... and from all accounts, it was far more fireworks than were in the actual Super Bowl game. Not even I expected that game to be bad because neither team's offense was really all that good. It just sounded so bad, my decision suddenly looked like a stroke of genius. The halftime show sounded like a real stinker so I do not regret my decision at all. I won't even brag about the weather yesterday as many people I know had to experience those Arctic conditions a little less than a week ago.

When I return a week from today I know what I'll write about won't be as event-packed as what happened in the preceding week but I know I'll stumble into an adventure or two.

Here Comes The Sun, And I Say It's All Right

I am quoting Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles in this special post as I talk about the visitation and funeral I attended yesterday; that song and Fleetwood Mac's Landslide were played during the service. I alluded to this the last time I wrote here but this past Saturday, Rachel Bomse passed away. I have known her, her sibling Jordan and father Steve for years from back in the day when I used to attend local wrestling shows. I saw them often at those events; there are regrets over how I rarely attend shows anymore (because of reasons I won't get into) but I know I shouldn't. At least we follow each other on social media. I was shocked when I heard the awful news because she was way too young; what terrible news for her immediate family.

Thus, this is why I went to Inverness yesterday; ironically it was the same route that I took to attend shows in the city and also in Crystal River. I hadn't been on it in so long and yet little has changed. For a Thursday service, dozens of people were there to pay their last respects, and plenty more were there in spirit. There were nice speeches said by both family and friends; it was clear that Rachel was a very kind person who touched the lives of so many. Afterwards there was a catered dinner and I stuck around for that. As was the rest of the experience at the church, that was nicely done. I picked a random spot at one of the tables to sit down and eat. The people all around me... none of them I knew beforehand but they were all very nice. Some of them even became pals after meeting each other for the first time. A few shared something in common with me-I won't say what-so that was something different. Who knows if I'll interact with any of them again but it was nice meeting with them and hopefully none noticed or cared about my always “wonderful” social skills, or lack thereof.

I do have to admit that I did something which in hindsight was not good. I helped along with that group in carrying out the flowers into two different vehicles. After that I was with one of them (a young lady) and we were out in front. We briefly chatted and then I left as she waited for someone to pick her up. I was on the road for a bit then I realized I committed quite the faux pas. She is an adult and it was a church, but I should at least have asked if she wanted me to wait around until she was picked up. It was chilly and windy but I had a jacket in the vehicle... there are horror stories about girls being out in public by themselves... this is what I meant by “wonderful” social skills.

But I will presume she was fine and I don't want to have any regrets about what was a nice celebration of someone taken away far too soon.