The One Time I Realized This Will Have To Go On Hiatus

I have to start this off with an announcement: due to what's going on in the world now (which I definitely have opinions about but this isn't the time to share those), the plan for now is that I won't write another one of these for a few weeks. There is plenty for me to do that doesn't require going out-from YouTube to podcasts to various electronic distractions-it's just that this won't provide me with anything to discuss here. I'll be fine and I won't worry about the people I know who are most susceptible to this virus. Of course I do feel bad for everyone that has it... including Idris Elba, which I just saw on Twitter. If anything major happens to me it will be discussed ASAP... however, that will be highly unlikely.

To mention what I did do in the past week...last Monday I went to two locations in the Orlando region new to me. I ate at Cafe Rio, a Mexican cantina that has locations across the country. To me, the tacos tasted fine, although the rice that was offered I was more nonplussed about. The price was a few bucks more than Chiptole and well, I rather stick with Chipotle instead. I then went to Rock & Roll Heaven, a record store which also has cassettes, CD's, movies, and random bric-a-brac all over. Furthermore, I understand they have a hell of a band... anyhow, I purchased three CD's, the most interesting of which was a release of Miami Vice music. It was from 1989, which isn't so unusual... until you hear it was from Germany.

Otherwise, Wednesday I went to the Mall at Millenia for food and other places I stopped at for food were Shake Shack and Wawa. I did have to go to the grocery store on Friday night, and I am glad it wasn't as horrid as it could have been. That said, some shelves looked as if they were attacked by a swarm of locusts as they were completely empty. This includes... toilet paper. I know this is a worldwide problem as I heard about fights over TP in Australia about a week ago. I wish I knew why this became a precious commodity; at least I was able to get most of what I wanted, and nothing that was essential was missed out on. This is all that I'll share about what I've done in the preceding week.

I will wish everyone good luck under these bizarre circumstances, and the best of health also.

The One Time I Got Sick & Tired of Everyone Being Sick & Tired

This will be different from usual. The first week of March was pretty sour overall and I only did a few things of note. Monday the 2nd was spent recovering from the rancid case of food poisoning I suffered from late on the 1st due to pizza I got at a cineplex. Wednesday, there was an upset stomach due to what I realized later was food at home I immediately then tossed out. I otherwise haven't done much aside from such mundane activities as going to stores in town as being low-key felt like the thing to do. Now, one day I did go get pizza in town and another was me and some people at the local Oakwood Smokehouse & Grill... mainly because right by it was a Publix grocery store which they needed to visit. Saturday I was in Orlando and the one thing I'll mention on that day was my return to Smashburger as I hadn't been there in awhile. When I was there it was mostly just me and two other customers so that's not a great sign.

Another thing I've had to do was visit the hospital; someone I know is there... all I'll say is that this was not unexpected and they will be fine. Yet of course it is still something weighing on my mind so this is a big part of why March was so uneventful for me. I think that will change when I return next Monday. It was nice seeing them and they were happy to see me. Now, let me mention the coronavirus (technically, COVID-19) and how that has lead to a worldwide hysteria. I could go on for paragraphs over this whole kerfuffle but I won't. Instead, I'll just shake my head at people price-gouging essential items, TOILET PAPER being the object that people are hoarding instead of medicine, food... or especially SOAP-when washing your hands is the best way to prevent being infected, or how people are acting like it's the bubonic plague if it's caught when that couldn't be farther from the truth... asinine, really. I feel sorry for places like China and Northern Italy as it's hit those areas hard yet the way the media has treated it and several big events in the United States has needlessly be cancelled and it was even used to postpone the new Bond movie until November when the movie (probably) being bad is the reason I suspect it was moved...

When I return next week, being in a cheerier mood is one of the things I am hoping for.

Cherry Vanilla Coke, Sprite Ginger, Woody Woodpecker, a2 Milk & The Invisible Man

Here's a recap of what I've done in the past week. Monday I did nothing at all but Tuesday, I was out and about in my town; in a grocery store, I purchased both a 12 pack of Cherry Vanilla Coke-which I had heard about beforehand, and it does taste good-and a 20 ounce bottle of Sprite Ginger, which I did not know of beforehand. While ginger is not my favorite flavor, I can't complain as it tastes exactly like it should. Wednesday, I went out to dinner with a few people; a friend of the family is down here on vacation so we went to the local Bob Evans, which went fine. The highlight was that a woman there had a laugh which could best be described as Woody Woodpecker! When I was a young kid, there briefly was a Woody cartoon show in the late 80's and I do know that my mom would rent me at least one videotape that had some of the old cartoons from way back when, although I've only seen one of those cartoons as an adult. Thursday, I did make a purchase that was long overdue.

Thursday, I went to one of the outlet malls in Orlando-Orlando Vineland Premium Outlets, to be specific-in order to look for a new pair of shoes. The ones I have were all literally falling apart and honestly, this should not have been put off as long as it was. There was a surfeit of choices and I decided on Puma, as the blue and white kicks looked pretty cool... the price being greatly discounted was nice too. I don't need to spend in the 3 digit figures to acquire shoes, nor do I need many different ones either; a “sneakerhead” I'll never be, as I couldn't care less. Friday I did nothing so I'll mention that Saturday I went to a Publix and purchased a few items, including a2 milk; I've been interested in awhile to try it. I don't have digestion issues with milk but I can say that it tastes fine.

Sunday, that unfortunately was a pretty rotten day aside from the movie I saw. Traffic in February was even worse than usual, and I got pretty mad on Sunday due to some atrocious behavior I saw behind the wheel. As I had a giftcard from AMC, I decided to use it to get dinner there as I saw The Invisible Man. I saw the director's Upgrade, which was an awesome movie; this and high praise made me want to give this a shot. A thing or two could be nitpicked but Elisabeth Moss was fantastic as the lead girl and there are great moments throughout so I am glad I viewed the movie. I am not glad I got dinner at AMC, though; I've had the flatbread pizza from there before and it was OK... this time, I got food poisoning! I'll spare the gory details of what happened once I arrived home; it was a restless night with not a lot of sleep, I'll put it that way. Besides being exhausted, I don't feel that bad now. Before anyone asks, while the coronavirus (COVID-19, to be exact) is now in Florida, that is NOT what I have and it's not a thing I'm even going to worry about, although of course I feel awful for everyone who has such an illness.

March started off on an inglorious note; with any luck it won't be a sign of how the entire month will go.

White Claw, Flippers, My Birthday Week & Forensic Files II

This week had even more ups and downs and due to circumstances beyond my control, not everything I had planned came to fruition. Still, my birthday was on Saturday so I can't be too upset about events in general. Plus, from Sunday the 16th through the wee hours of Sunday the 23rd, my parents had guests, which included a 10 month old baby; that was different from the norm. Monday, all I did was visit some spots in town, including Target. Tuesday had more action; first, I went to Walmart in order to pick up a toy for the 10 month old, which they thankfully did enjoy. Getting the toy from Walmart was a matter of convenience; as correctly predicted by me, their selection for infants was rather limited. After that I returned to Hurricane Grill & Wings as I hadn't been there for awhile. I had The Perfect Storm, which wasn't a high-powered liquid concoction... rather, it was firecracker shrimp (where were eh), but the mozzarella sticks, few pieces of boneless wings and fries w/ garlic & Parmesan were good. Once I got home, for the first time I tried WHITE CLAW; I got a can of it awhile ago. After drinking it... not awful, but not for me. I do know the reasons why many drink it-and that I am far from the first middle-aged man to consume the beverage-so I'll just stick with what I usually drink instead.

Wednesday, I could not think of any better place to visit so I returned to Disney Springs, where nothing of note happened; it was a popular location on this night. Thursday, I still had a giftcard from Zaxby's to use, so there is where I went. Nothing was done on Friday, so onto Saturday, when I turned thirty::coughcough:: years old. For various reasons it did not feel like my birthday yet I do not want to dwell on the negatives of 2020 and instead mention that I did have some alcohol at night, even if it was the Rose hard cider from Angry Orchard that someone I know bought long ago but for other reasons are unable to finish anytime soon. Plus, I went with several people to the local location of a Central Florida chain known as Flipper's Pizzeria; I've gotten food from there before way back in the day, but had never eaten in the restaurant itself. While the pizza I ordered wasn't exactly what I ordered, the food at least tasted fine and everyone enjoyed their meal. The other people chose the place, which was fine.

Sunday, I do not want to carp and complain about the day as I don't want this to be too negative. There were just traffic issues (as it has been all month long) and not everything went as expected. At least I had food at a Wawa then purchased several of the unique food & drink items available at World Market, such as Australian licorice and Italian wafer cookies. In the evening I viewed Forensic Files II on HLN. I can't explain why Headline News became HLN, or why they might as well be known as the Forensic Files Network as most of their programming is reruns of that. I viewed it at the time on what was known then as Court TV (which for most of the first decade of the 2000's was my favorite and most-watched network) before they completely changed to Tru TV and became unwatchable with “reality” television and loathsome prank shows. I laugh that they actually are calling Forensic Files II... if only I would have thought it worthy of the original. For me, it was just not the same, and just not good. I'll just skip II and when I want, revisit the original on HLN... or YouTube, which has most of the episodes.

Next Monday, who knows what I will be discussing.

Grimm's Fairy Tales, Hangry Bison, Horrid Traffic & Fantasy Island

Thankfully I have several interesting stories to tell about the preceding week, even if not all of them are positive. Monday, I had the free time to visit a few spots in Orlando & the suburbs, including some soda and taffy from Rocket Fizz; it wasn't the plan yet I ended up at a restaurant I herd about before but finally had the time & motivation to try on this day: the Hangry Bison. For certain it's my type of place: burgers & craft beer. Both were pretty good. Tuesday, I went to Walmart for a few items, and had a bad experience there. I know, that's what I get for going to Walmart... but as elaborated upon before, one reason I go there is to put money on giftcards so they can be used at the various gas stations found at some of their stores... that was my main reason on this evening, actually. Well, the woman checking everyone out in the line I was in, she was so incompetent that she struggled and needed assistance with most of the people paying for items... including me. I was royally unhappy, so I don't plan on visiting this location again anytime soon.

Wednesday, I ended up seeing Gretel & Hansel. Why not see a movie directed by the son of Anthony Perkins? There are mixed reviews but I heard some things which sounded appealing to me. Well, it was nice visually and aurally, which helped make up for the story being on the simplistic side. There are weird moments throughout, so the mixed reviews do make sense. Thursday, I had to make... another run to the airport! Someone was picked up in Sanford; on the way there I stopped at a KFC for a meal that was at least cheap, and I killed time somewhere else when I found out that the flight was delayed. Also on Thursday, the logical movie for me to see next was the 2013 flick Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters; that was a 180 from the previous night's film... that was over the top and campy, yet fine. Friday I did nothing, so onto Saturday...

Saturday, I had the time to see a film, and several factors led to me choosing something I heard was bad: Blumhouse's Fantasy Island. I haven't used the AMC A-List App as often in the past few months (for the most part) so I better get back to that. The movie was indeed poor, a gigantic mess. After that, I ate at a Wawa as it was the best option available for where I was at when it was time to stop & eat. I tried their new chicken strips; while not the worst I've ever had, I'll stick with their turkey sandwiches. Sunday, I went to Publix to purchase various items; on the way there I almost got sideswiped by a fool, was tailgated more than once, and had way too many dopey moments happen to me that I don't want to get into as it could go on for paragraphs. 

When I return in a week... who knows what I'll discuss.

City Works, XFL, Stryper, Creepy Men & The Oscars

Once again it wasn't the most eventful of weeks, although I still have a few things to discuss and it was nice to visit a restaurant new to me. Monday through Wednesday, not much at all occurred. I went to Burger King in order to use a giftcard I got over a year ago but never used... otherwise, I doubt people want to hear me carp again about how the Burger King restaurants nearest to me have all given me problems before. Thus, I'll mention that at an ungodly hour of the night I took someone to the airport in Sanford, which was as uneventful as expected. On the way back I stopped at a Denny's; I would have preferred if some weird dude did not stare at me and multiple people did not LOUDLY play videos on their phone... it was not my previous occasion at a Denny's, when some young adult woman was being a “sushi snob” to her guy friend and in general was hilariously blunt about most things.

After that, there are bits to mention before I briefly mention last night's Oscars. Friday I had the free time to make my return to Disney Springs, the first time I've been there in like 6 weeks. The day before, City Works Eatery & Pour House opened right by the NBA Experience. They have locations across the country but I did not know of them until they started building it. It has what I'll call “Disney Prices” yet the food was tasty and they have NINETY beers on tap. It's right across from the House of Blues, and I don't know what was more surprising to me: STRYPER playing that night, or there being a big crowd waiting to get in. Stryper is “the Christian metal band from the 80's” and their songs are fine examples of the genre. I did not even know they were still a thing.

Saturday, I went to Planet Smoothie to get a drink for me AND someone else... after that was a trip to the Publix grocery store. They were doing good business at the time; as I put the cart away after the bags were in the vehicle, I saw that some unintelligent person was backing up his car for no good reason and it took a prolonged horn honk for the tool to stop. That wasn't the only dumb thing he did, but I need to instead explain what happened in the store. I was in line and in front of me were several older men. One of them tried paying and as they were a member of the club that Publix offers, they also had to enter their phone number... only it didn't work. The cashier-who was maybe 18-mentioned this. This old men then asked, “Can I have your phone number?”... the silence was astoundingly uncomfortable! That issue was soon then resolved but I imagine that (especially in this day and age) she did not like hearing such a thing from a man that was part of a group of men who all looked old enough to be her father. I am not going to “cancel” those guys as “cancel culture” is not the best way to handle such things... but times are different now.

Anyhow, also during the weekend I saw parts of the XFL games; I still can't believe it came back 19 years later. I remember being at a pal's apartment during my college days at ISU, the debut game being on TV there. Soon after the league folded the first time, I got an XFL shirt from Spencer's Gifts for only a few bucks and when I've worn it to places like comic cons, it's received popular and positive buzz. Wearing that in 2020, I know it will get even more attention. I also had the Academy Awards on, although it was on mute... as I've done for years now. The results were overall better than last year and I was pleasantly surprised Parasite did so well. It was a movie seen three months ago, and it was discussed by me at the time. It does deserve all those awards, IMO.

Who knows what I'll discuss when I return on President's Day.

Coca Cola Energy, Gringos Locos, Zaghrouta & Super Bowl Olivia

The preceding week had its ups and downs; details won't be provided by me, except that nothing is wrong with me mentally or physically. I received news that at first could have been real but but at least for now, things are fine. More than once I did help someone out by going to the grocery store and getting items for them. One time I went to a Publix that opened just last year about 7 miles from me. It was nice so I should frequent that place more often. An item I picked up that beforehand was unknown to me was Coca Cola Energy; I've only had the Original so far and eventually I'll taste the former. Original is... fine.

I actually have to give a shoutout to those random Facebook ads that show random posts from random accounts. Sometimes I discover new things or hear news that way. For example, this was how I knew that Lucky's Market was going bankrupt; this makes me sad as I always enjoyed going there and Florida does not need less grocery store options. Another site which popped up does various lists, which has been the popular thing online as of late. A list contained local Florida chains and one was Gringos Locos, which I had never heard of before. As I wanted to do something out of the norm, I went to downtown Orlando and tried this establishment. It was a wise decision as I liked both the tacos and the chips & salsa I received. Eventually, one night will be spent in downtown Orlando as it's been ages since I've had one of those evenings. I am not so old that fun can't be had by me at such dens full of debauchery.

The last thing I have to discuss is Super Bowl LIV... or as I started calling it, Super Bowl Olivia. For the second year in a row I did not view the game and instead spent time at Walt Disney World. Unlike last year (where bogus calls in both conference championship games resulted in the wrong teams winning and the big game itself was apparently one of the worst in NFL history, making me glad not a second was viewed by me) I had no problem with either team in the Super Bowl, yet I couldn't be more apathetic and ambivalent about the National Football League so why waste my time with that. While I laugh that a coach twice in the past three SB snatched defeat from the jaws of victory w/ atrocious play calling in the 4th quarter, it's a nice story that both the Kansas City Chiefs won for the first time in 50 years and a great coach in Andy Reid finally winning his first Super Bowl. The halftime show, I should watch on YouTube eventually as I know it's received a mixed reception; I just know Shakira did a zaghrouta (the thing she did w/ her tongue) and I got to learn a new term. The commercials... reading a recap of them, most I will go out of my way to never see as they just sounded like atrocities and millions of dollars being flushed down the toilet.

Yet I do not want to sound miserable about Sunday, and not just because I spent it at a theme park I haven't visited in a few months; while I was at Epcot and the Magic Kingdom, I came across some miserable people! There are always gigantic grumps at WDW but they went a step above. Epcot I saw some nice paintings due to the Festival of the Arts and at the Magic Kingdom, I walked around and something new was what I saw while eating dinner at Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe: the Happily Ever After show, where fireworks are set off as various images are projected on Cinderella Castle. The parks were popular yesterday, although it was that case last year. I did not even look up the score to the game until I was in the Epcot parking lot about to head home... this is as as a few times I overheard people give out the score.

Next Monday, who knows for certain how much I'll discuss or how many activities I'll be involved with.