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.

They Shall Not Grow Old, The Golden Pod & Horrible News

It's never a good thing to start this on a bad note, but via Facebook I saw horrific news.  I won't go into too many details but someone I know passed away. This person I knew from the days when I went to local wrestling shows in Florida. That means I did not see her often in recent times but that last time was July 2018. I feel awful for her immediate family: I know two of them and they are definitely great people, so this is a tragedy all around, especially considering she was younger than me. Then again it's always tragic when someone I knew from high school or elsewhere suddenly die.

Last Monday, as it was the holiday I decided to take advantage of the free time by going to a movie theatre to see a documentary; it was Peter Jackson's They Shall Not Grow Old, where actual World War I footage from the British archives was colorized and otherwise manipulated to bring life and humanize those that fought in the war a century ago. As a nerd I was endlessly fascinated and it was tremendous seeing all that footage. On the way back, I had dinner at a KFC, as I hadn't been there in awhile; me going there was DESPITE the atrocious ad campaign they've had the past few years and not because of it. Tuesday and Wednesday I did nothing at all. Thursday, I went to a restaurant I discovered via Groupon; it is on I-Drive in Orlando and is known as The Golden Pod. 

It is a chocolate bar... or rather, a bar/restaurant which has chocolate as a theme. It started off in Australia and has a few locations in the Middle East/Asia. I know that some would not enjoy how the entire staff was Hispanic or how it took two people and five minutes for them to make my chocolate liquor drink... neither thing bothered me and that place hasn't been open for long. Modern EDM music blasting from the kitchen was different but overall the food and drink were pretty tasty; the meal I had was pancakes which included passion fruit sauce, nutella and some ice cream. As I was the only customer for most of my time there, giving The Golden Pod a shoutout here seems like a prudent thing to do.

Friday I did nothing and all Saturday consisted of was that horrible news I heard in the afternoon. Sunday was bad for different reasons. I won't get into the reasons why but I did go out in the cold windy rainy weather; from what I was told, it rained for 24 hours straight from early Sunday morning through the wee hours of the night. I have no idea why The Mall at Millenia was by far the busiest I had ever seen it but it was. I did not stay there long as I can always visit that joint and walk around when it's not jam-packed. I ended up at I-Drive and for the first time ever I tried Bar Louie, which has several locations in the area. The burger and beer I had were both fine, but the fries were more questionable, as I am unsure if all of them were fully cooked. Then again I'd rather forget about this past weekend due to the obvious reason and the weather and people not knowing how to drive in this weather... pushing all this out of my mind is the way to go.

When I return a week from today, hopefully things will improve & I can finally be a little more positive here.

If Beale Street Could Talk, Bubble Waffles & Super Wolf Blood Moon

As has been the case in 2019, it was a week of ups and lows. Last Monday, I used my free time to make a Disney Springs return and watch a theatrical movie; it was If Beale Street Could Talk. I saw Moonlight on the big screen and it was something I loved. Beale Street I do not love as much but it's still very good. I also had food from a crepe stand; one of the items they offered was “bubble waffles”, which was something new to me. I had the strawberry variation, and saw it was a waffle cone with a bubble design-it was quite tasty indeed. One interesting aspect of this past week was that last Monday morning one family friend left and by the late afternoon, a different family friend appeared. This meant more restaurant journeys. Last Tuesday was the local establishment known as Oakwood Smokehouse & Grill, a quality restaurant I've mentioned a few times before. Wednesday was Texas Roadhouse, and that experience also went fine. I was relieved, though, that Thursday was a home-cooked meal; my stomach may have been the happiest of all. It certainly wasn't late Friday night... I am not quite sure what it was that I consumed, but food poisoning occurred. Trust me, you don't want the gory details. I felt exhausted on Saturday-otherwise, I was back to normal.

Back to Thursday, in the evening I had plans for something but that fell through; at least there was a plan B. I can't carp too loudly about visiting Winter Park in order to get some soda from Rocket Fizz then ice cream at the nearby Ben & Jerry's; of course the dessert was scrumptious. Saturday, the only thing I did was go to the local Walmart and purchase a few items. Sunday... to be honest, I've been trying to not be as negative here but 2019 has not been the best so far. It's more little things piling up than anything major-that's how it usually is for me. Plenty of things have not gone to plan, whether it be due to horrendous Florida traffic, the stupidity of cretins in general, things not working like they should, or other reasons. Yet I know I can't complain, as even the bad days have had some highlights and I know that plenty of people have it far worse than me.

That said, I am glad I only half paid attention to those two big NFL games on Sunday, as both featured horribly bad calls from the referees and other nonsense which only proved the bad things I've said about the league the past few years. Congrats to the LA Rams and New England Patriots, I guess... my enthusiasm for the Super Bowl is quite low. At least Sunday had the super wolf blood moon, which I was able to see. When I return a week from today... like I typically proclaim, not much is on the agenda as of now.

Escape Room, Hard Rock Cafe, Mecum Kissimmee & General Incompetence

The preceding week for certain had its ups and downs. Monday the 7th I did not watch the big college football national championship game because Clemson vs. Alabama AGAIN was not appealing to me in the least. Instead I saw the film Escape Room, as I hadn't been to a theatre in about a month and it fit my schedule the best. Thankfully, despite some dopey moments that weren't really needed, the film was overall pretty enjoyable and I am glad it was not gruesome and unpleasant like a film franchise with a similar premise (Saw) was. I was surprised that Clemson easily beat Alabama in the game as no one expected that outcome.

Tuesday I did nothing but Wednesday was not a great day overall, although it was great being at the Mecum auto auction in Kissimmee and seeing a few thousand automobiles on display. I just wish the place that was hosting this would have been better at their jobs. The parking situation was a nightmare and it really shouldn't have been if they had even clue one how to do that right. That soured my mood, even if it was neat (as always) seeing the wide variety of different vehicles. I did not have the overpriced meals they had in their makeshift food court so instead I ate at a fast food place on the way back home, although “fast” was only a suggestion in this case. Thursday I did nothing at all but Friday featured something that is sadly a Florida trademark.

People outside the state may be shocked and/or appalled at this, but down here it is common for there to  be incredible rudeness if you have the misfortune of needing someone to come over and fix something. Now, I haven't had a problem with the cable or Internet, thank goodness, and that was not the issue on this day. However, there have been way too many occasions where someone is scheduled to come over at a certain time and not only do they not do so, but there's zero phone calls to inform you they will be late or not showing up at all. It don't matter if you need to take an entire day off of work so they could come over... that's happened too often with a wide variety of professions, and this is what I had to deal with on Friday with an issue I won't delve into. It took a phone call to that company to find out they were “overbooked”; it was too much an inconvenience for them to get on the telephone and notify everyone involved of this? They can F off as someone else will allegedly come over today to fix the problem.

Anyhow, Friday night I did have free time so I went to Universal CityWalk; it was not my first choice but I ended up at the Hard Rock Cafe. That was fine as I had a tasty meal... along with a mixed drink as I needed one. It was called Purple Haze and included a few different hard liquors. It was even needed by me on the way home as there were too many nimrods I had to deal with on the highway on this night. It also has to be noted that on Thursday night, a family friend came down here via airplane from Illinois and they left today. This explains why Saturday's dinner was at the Macaroni Grill; I did not complain about this choice. The annoying family close by our table was not ideal but otherwise the experience was fine and so was my meal. Sunday I went to Zaxby's for lunch and for dinner everyone went to the local Cracker Barrel restaurant-there was another fine meal.

Not much is on the agenda for the upcoming week but when I return a week from today, with any luck things will be more positive.

Menards, Key Lime Pie & Playoff Football... Blah!

Not a roaring start to 2019 so far... The last day of 2018 I did nothing at all; I was still in the midst of being at less than 100% so I might as well relax. Besides, I actually had plans for the evening of New Year's Day. I had to go to the airport... yes, again. I originally stopped at a first location to kill time but when I realized their music was WAY too loud & some dopey game was being held (despite it never being advertised on their website) so after like two minutes I left and I don't plan on ever going to that dump again; their loss. The place I ended up again was near Orlando International Airport anyhow (and I am referring to Rock & Brews, a joint I have mentioned before) so I just should have gone there to begin with. I had some drinks and also dessert; I had to have key lime pie-which was tasty as the “Purple Rain Drops” they had on the menu they did not have to order. A darn shame as it was little beignets covered with raspberry drizzle, as that is only natural; one day I will consume them.

Wednesday and Thursday were more days of relaxation, as was Saturday. Friday I stayed in town but at least I did make a trip to the local post office to send something via priority mail (that was thankfully a simple process which only took a few minutes) then ended up at Lucky's Market for the first time in a few months, where I purchased a few random items. Yeah, this preceding week was incredibly boring, I realize; the upcoming week will have more entertainment, I promise. Sunday did feature an activity: going out to see the Chicago Bears play a football playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles... this is the first Bears playoff game in years so it is a big deal. The team being 12-4 is flabbergasting to me but that is their record. The Eagles had been on a roll so a tough battle was expected by me. That was what happened as I saw the event at an establishment in Orlando. The final score was 16-15... Philadelphia Eagles. I'd rather not talk about the game or how the kicker Chicago had back in the day (who wasn't great in his final year with the Bears, admittedly) has been great with the 49ers or how since then Chicago has had kicker trouble-including this year-and it really bit the team in the hind end yesterday... at least I can pay little attention to the NFL for the rest of the season.

To close this out I will mention some random things. When I returned to Florida from the Kansas trip, what ALWAYS happened proved true once again... that being people driving way worse here and being far more rude. It was not a great reminder to see people holding up traffic, tailgating, leaving their brights on, going way over the speed limit and other buffoon moves. Something else I should have mentioned from me the last time was what I did one morning while I was in Wichita. When I was a kid back in Illinois, a common sight was commercials for the Midwestern home improvement chain known as Menards. Back in the 90's those ads would have an old dude w/ a strong Upper Midwest accent explain what was on sale at the time, and a jaunty bluegrass tune was in the background; each end would end with the jingle Save Big Money at Menards. Well, via an ad I saw while I was there, they still have the same commercial music and jingle, which delighted me to no end. Walking around the store they have in Wichita, I was reminded that they indeed can compete with the national chains like Home Depot.

When I return a week from today, I should have more to discuss.