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.