Spangles, Reebok, Taco Bell Cantina & Turning 41

Thankfully I now will have been caught up with everything important that's either happened in the past few months & I've neglected to mention before or the few things I did in the past week, including my 41^st birthday on the 22^nd. What has happened in the world since then hasn't been great but I don't want to worry about such things.

Instead, I will first mention two details concerning my trip to Kansas, which somehow was two months ago already. One early afternoon I had lunch at a place I've known of since '09 yet never had the chance to eat at beforehand. Spangles is a Kansas chain that's comparable in Steak 'n Shake in terms of style but they lean even harder into the 50's nostalgia. They had good food so I was happy to finally give them a shot. While I was in Kansas it was while wearing new Reebok shoes. I needed something sturdy for winter out there so via one of the outlet malls in Orlando for only 30 bucks, those were purchased. I'm unsure what that says about my fashion sense... I'm also unsure what people say about my hair but recently I had my hair cut—yes it was much-needed.

Earlier in the month, one weeknight I was in downtown Orlando. No, it wasn't like my other times in the area way back when, as fun as those nights were. I walked around to see what was the same & what has changed, then I was going to eat at a specific spot... however, being in there a few minutes and not receiving any sort of service made my say “the hell with them” and it's only me being nice that is why I won't specifically mention which place it was. I needed food NOW so instead of spending time trying to find something more worthwhile, I went with what was close by and that was Taco Bell Cantina. Those unfamiliar, it's supposed to be a more upscale version of the chain. Of course, it is still TACO BELL FOOD meaning that it's not high in quality or taste; it's not like they offer better product just because the place looked fancier and was downtown.

A family friend was down here for a week and a half; that was why recently I was at restaurants like the Ramshackle Cafe or Gator Joe's. Well, in the past week I returned to two places w/ this friend and dad: the day of my birthday we were at 145 Degree Seafood Boil, a tasty local establishment in town I've mentioned a few times before. Afterwards we had dessert at Bruster's Real Ice Cream as it was within walking distance. The next night was the Saltgrass Steak House on I-Drive. We thankfully all enjoyed our meals and it was nice for them to see the Orlando Eye Ferris wheel along with the Orlando StarFlyer. No I've never been on the StarFlyer myself... it's a swing ride where you go around in a circle... at almost 450 feet in the air! On my own I had to be in Leesburg for something; afterwards I drove a little north to Lady Lake for dinner and at at a Huey Magoo's; there's another local chain mentioned by me a few times before. They have rather tasty chicken so there's another recommendation.

It won't be many weeks until I return. While nothing is planned for March quite yet, I'll try to be a little more exciting than I have been in recent months.

Ramshackle Cafe, Mount Dora, Winter Olympics & Clermont Brewing Company

To catch up on the other things I've done this year so far:

I've been doing fine overall even though at the moment I still feel a little melancholy. Earlier in the month there were two different people connected to people I know (only one of which I had chatted with personally before) who unexpectedly passed away. Both were a few years younger than me so there are quite a few people I feel badly for. Meanwhile, last week I saw someone driving an Audi R8 Spyder and besides admiring that supercar because it's stunning to look at, it was a vehicle that Mom loved so I wish I could tell her I saw one... also, what would she have thought of the Winter Olympics, and specifically the fiasco that was the women's figure skating competition-what happened there was just deplorable. Other than that they were enjoyable to watch, especially events like luge and bobsled.

On a happier note, I did support a local business and early in January went to Clermont Brewing Company for dinner for the first time. They have fine pizza in a nice rustic building. There have been some eateries I've returned to for the first time in awhile (like a Hooters on I-Drive, Everglazed Donuts at Disney Springs or Shake Shack) but the only other new one was just a few days ago, when in Leesburg I finally ate at Ramshackle Cafe. Someone I know loves eating there and I've driven past the place literally a few dozen times on Highway 27 yet I never stopped to try their food. It was good so one day I'll return there on my own. I ate there with two people I know and before that went to Mount Dora, a town I've never actually spent any time in before. That's something I regret so later in the year I need to wander around on my own. While in Mount Dora we walked around Palm Island Park, a lovely nature preserve where many critters can be seen w/ various species of birds & alligators being the highlight.

Other than that, not too many other highlights. Sure, an annual pass was renewed at Walt Disney World but nothing new was at the Magic Kingdom, although it WAS nice to experience some attractions for the first time in years, like the Hall of Presidents or Mickey's Philharmagic. Early in January was the Mecum Auto Auction in Kissimmee but again nothing new was there that was worth discussing. Thus, as I am posting this later than I wanted to (because reasons) I'll instead note that I'll return a week from today and note that besides talking about my 41^st birthday-which I can't believe is only two days away-I'll mention some things from December of last year that I neglected to mention beforehand.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Nightmare Alley, Scream, Death on the Nile, Blacklight & Licorice Pizza

Once again I waited too long to do another one of these so once again it will be a two-parter, the second part to be posted tomorrow. So far in 2022, there have been ups and downs, but overall I've been fine. Also, somehow I'll turn 41 (!) on Tuesday. For today, I'll mention the theatrical movies I've seen; this will be shorter than what I post tomorrow.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife I saw basically because someone late last year asked me about it... this is what I did so I could say on Facebook that the movie was fine. It goes in hard on the nostalgia for the first film so it doesn't exactly feel fresh yet overall it's still good as it was charming enough & has enough heart for me. A few days ago I revisited Ghostbusters II for the first time in literally decades because director Ivan Reitman passed away. That was also fine.

Nightmare Alley was something I enjoyed; in fact, I liked it as much as I did the original 1947 film noir. Both are based on an old book I've never read but the new version of course has stronger violence and more time spent at the carnival, which was fascinating to me as the old carnival world was fascinating.

Scream was good-while not really necessary at least it was the best in the franchise since the second one and wasn't quite so ham-fisted like the last one was. At this screening was a vocal person-you know, the type to yell out, “No, don't do it!” during certain scenes. That was actually fine with me to have such reactions when watching a slasher movie.

Blacklight was not too good. Most of these Liam Neeson Old Man Action movies are fine-sure, they're generic but they're fine. Blacklight wasn't that; it was just lousy and totally forgettable instead.

Death on the Nile was another movie I'll say was fine; the same goes for Murder on the Orient Express. I saw Murder theatrically so mainly for that reason I figured to do the same with its long-delayed sequel which was shelved for so long that several people in the cast got in real life trouble for their behavior;what Armie Hammer is accused of, yikes.

Licorice Pizza wasn't my favorite Paul Thomas Anderson movie (it's no There Will Be Blood or Boogie Nights) but it was still very good. For those that were baffled w/ the title like I was, it used to be a chain of record stores in Southern California-you see, records have the taste of black licorice (hopefully they taste better...) and are pizza pie shaped, so there you go. Beforehand, I was surprised also at the age difference between the two leads; except for the ending shot I can't complain about that relationship. It was a movie in the early 70's where they engage in various adventures; it was fun and of course the soundtrack was great.

I'll be back tomorrow with the other highlights of 2022 so far.

Ziggy's Pizza, Christmas Vacation, Mountain Dew Thrashed Apple, Chick N Max & Booster Shots

As 2021 is about to close and I am saddened like everyone else that Betty White has passed away a few weeks before turning 100, here is the last one of these until sometime in January. There's only two things I'll go in-depth on: receiving a booster shot on Wednesday & spending almost a week in Kansas w/ my sister and her three young sons. 2021 wasn't as bad for me as 2020 was (it'd be difficult to be worse than '20 considering that it included my mom passing away) although it still was not spectacular. At least Christmas was spent with family members and that went well.

It was great to see one of my two sisters, her beau, and three of my nephews. As stated before, they are young boys who are full of energy so I don't know how she does it-heck knows I could never be a parent. There was some “grown ups only” time and that included visiting such local establishments as Ziggy's Pizza, Chick N Max, Barn'rds, a local brewery in Wichita that outside in the back had “igloos” (actually, clear plastic over a frame; there are chairs and even a Bluetooth speaker where you can stream your own tunes), a screening of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation at a science museum on one of their domed screens* and some other places. Then again it was also fine bringing the kids out to Texas Roadhouse and Fuzzy's Tacos; in addition I bought a Mountain Dew Thrashed Apple as those are only in Kroger stores and there's no physical stores in Florida although they have a grocery delivery service in the state; yeah it does taste fine.

In addition, I went to a Duluth Trading Store for the first time and while most of the prices aren't cheap, I found a warm plaid shirt that wasn't too much. For the times in Florida that are actually on the chilly side, it will be nice to have. For the first time I saw episodes of American Horror Story—it was the season in Roanoke and it was amusing to me that part of it was found footage horror... I've seen some BAD movies in that style so while what I saw of the season was a mixed bag, I can't say it was awful. How graphically violent it was, a surprise... but again I've seen much gorier. Anyhow, the most heartwarming moment was that for a few days, a toddler thought of me as his best friend. He sat by me or wanted to sit by me, showed me things in a book he had, and was fascinated by such things as the “scary faces” on the bottle of Mountain Dew Thrashed Apple. I even did such “parent” things as wiping off his feet and pants when they got wet. I'm sure he misses me... the feeling is mutual. If nothing else, it was nice to do something really different from the norm in the dying days of this year.

Two days ago I received a booster shot. Yeah, it was after I flew to Kansas and back via Allegiant Airlines. Considering that hardly anyone wore masks out there in the heartland of America-no kidding, more people in FLORIDA had on masks in places like grocery stores-it was luck that I didn't get sick. This time the shot was in the car at the town's local health clinic. I can't even complain that it was not as efficient as it was when the first two shots were received at a dead mall... after all, they also have to constantly test people for COVID and it has to be a job that will give you gray hair. Afterwards, the experience was just like the second shot: I started to feel bad the night of and the next day was feeling icky & exhausted. At least last night I got a great night's sleep and right now is a 180 from the previous day.

While the virus flaring up again is definitely cause for concern, I still hope that 2022 will feel more like “real life” than the past two years have. I am not doing a thing New Years Eve or New Years Day, which is how I want it to be. A few things are on the docket for January so I'll have things to write for next time.

* The picture was only on part of the screen... and obviously was a Blu-ray projection. That is OK as that was my first theatrical experience w/ the film and it was clear why Exploration Place played the movie a few times: the screening I was at was sold out. Many people did cosplay (not us, though) and alcohol was served. Of course it was fun times.

USF Football, Reese's Pieces Pancakes, Sickies Garage, King of the Coup & CHEETOS Mac & Cheese

As promised yesterday, here is me catching up on the highlights of what I've done the past three months. Honestly, there isn't too much to write about: sure I went to Walt Disney World twice-where my plan to FINALLY go on the Star Wars ride Ride of the Resistance went awry as it broke down-as it typically does-and Universal Studios CityWalk once but otherwise I haven't been on too many adventures. The most interesting journey was on November 6, where I went to Tampa to see the USF Bulls against the Houston Cougars. It was only the second time I was ever in Raymond James Stadium, which is primarily the home of the Tampa Bay Bucs. It was a fun time; while Houston was much better than USF, it was a shootout so the final score was the Cougars 54, Bulls 42. The seat was in the corner of the end zone only a few rows up, for a nice price. On the drive to Tampa, I stopped in Wesley Chapel at a restaurant I had just heard of hours beforehand: King of the Coup. They do serve some tasty chicken.

Besides mentioning a few restaurants I've gone to, here is one surprising food admission when it comes to what I make at home: the one macaroni & cheese meal that always turns out right each time and is tasty: CHEETOS Mac & Cheese; I am as surprised as you are. BTW, the Applebees Cheetos boneless wings were not as tasty, although I was more impressed with their exclusive Mountain Dew flavor Dark Berry Bash. In September at IHOP I had their limited edition Reese's Pieces Pancakes and those were pretty good. Now, onto the restaurants I've gone to which are worth mentioning:

In Davenport one night I and some other people went to the Hungry Crab; it was a standard seafood place and while the service wasn't great, at least the food was decent... although it wasn't the best shrimp I've ever had. Then again, I did not love the shrimp either at a much fancier restaurant: the Columbia Harbor House in Celebration. At least I enjoyed the vibe in that place so one day I'll have to return there. One place I dug that just opened in Kissimmee: Sickies Garage. Wacky name, but that car-themed place is a small chain that started in the Dakotas, of all places. Both the food and atmosphere were pretty good so I'll definitely return in the future. I just wish it was closer to me and it was not a hassle to get there as it requires to be the perpetually busy Highway 192.

If there's anything important I forgot to mention, I'll bring it up next time, which for certain will be on December 31 where primarily I'll talk about the different experiences I will have the latter half of December. I should have a Happy Holidays, in other words.

Space 220, Candyman, Malignant, No Time to Die, Last Night in Soho, Dune & Halloween Kills

I realize, this has been a LONG, LONG time coming. I haven't felt like doing one of these in months for a variety of reasons. It is nothing major or anything to be concerned about; it's more apathy than anything else, yet I am doing fine overall despite some ups & downs and not everything going as expected. Just note that I've overall been fine as of late, there is a reason why I am doing this now (and will post again tomorrow where I'll reveal more highlights of the fall season) and for certain I'll return on the last day of 2021 to talk about something which I won't reveal until then. For now, a special restaurant I visited then some of the movies I've seen as of late.

Space 220 is a new restaurant at Epcot and it is heavy on a theme-in this case, on a simulated elevator ride you are having (an expensive) dinner at a space station. As I've been interested in the topic since a little kid, I had the urge... so much so, I went there on opening day. There was a long wait but to me it was literally worth the wait. It is a one time only thing for me-it is an place that offers three course meals where I had such food as “burrata di mozzarella”, artichoke hearts, romesco, “haricot vert”, and “potato leek croquette”, which is way outside my usual wheelhouse. As I never eat at fancy restaurants, it was worth doing it once, although otherwise I am fine eating at sports bars and whatnot. The atmosphere there IS great.

Now, onto the movies I've seen theatrically...

Somehow I did not mention that I saw the Candyman remake/sequel back on the 1^st of September. It wasn't as good as I had heard. While it had some moments, it had major issues and the apparent message of “all white people are bad” was controversial...

Malignant: No surprise that many in the general public were baffled by this. It was made for a specific niche audience—one I happen to be a part of so I knew the influences and was able to guffaw at how bonkers it got in the final act.

Halloween Kills: Meh. I had major problems with the story, ones where the graphic violence on display couldn't help mask.

Last Night in Soho: While parts of the plot I could carp about, overall it was pretty good. Great lead performances, stylish atmosphere and a groovy soundtrack definitely help.

Dune: It was great. I've never read the book but this was quite the journey. The David Lynch original movie was compromised yet isn't as bad as you may have heard.

No Time to Die: Another “Meh”. It was way too long and a bad final act culminated in a decision I don't understand or agree with.

House of Gucci: It was fine, although talk about tone issues. Some performances are more nuanced while some (especially Jared Leto) are way over the top.

 

Oh, and I saw Gremlins theatrically last Friday night. It wasn't my first time as an adult; the movie s still an 80's classic.

Like I said, another one of these will go up tomorrow afternoon where I'll share the rest of the story.

Boise State, Candyman, Nathan's Hot Dogs & KN-95 Masks

Now I am finally caught up with whatever interesting events have happened to me as of late. I do have to note that I can't believe either the pandemic has gone on for 18 months; it's still being taken seriously by myself as just recently someone I know (not a family member) tested positive for the virus. At least I have enough masks to last for awhile, including a KN-95. Nothing more will be said about the pandemic or masks as some who possibly will read this are anti-mask and courting controversy is just not a good idea for myself.

On a happier note, the 2^nd of this month was the start of the college football season and for the first time I saw a game at UCF's stadium; it's been open since '07 yet the motivation only happened now. It was a big deal game against Boise State; Mom would have been real interested as she loved Boise's team for years—ever since they won a huge game in an upset as underdogs. Parking was a nightmare (the instructions the school gave for that was not entirely correct-always a good thing...) and due to lightning the 7PM kickoff did not happen until 9:45 but I was there the entire time and in an exciting bout, UCF won 36-31. Always nice was that I sat by random people who were not obnoxious idiots. As it took a long while to walk back to the car and the school's campus is on the East side of the Orlando metroplex area, it was not until almost 3 AM that I returned home! That said, it was a fun time and later in the year I plan on viewing at least one smaller-level football game in person sometime in the fall.

Movie-wise, I've seen a few. On Netflix I did see He's All That, which was a poor version of She's All That... but was not as awful as you may heard; it has nothing to do with the small role from Rachael Leigh Cook, I swear! On the big screen, The Protege was not a must-see yet was still a fun action film. Candyman, that was disappointing. For the original's flaws, at least it was a solid and interesting story which had nice scares. The new one had various story issues-especially in the final act-and possibly was anti-white... certainly it was anti-cop. Lord, it's also incredibly unsubtle. Restaurant-wise, I went or got food from some familiars-one that was new was in Kissimmee's Old Town: Nathan's Hot Dogs. As long as you go there during a non-busy time and parking is not an issue, Old Town is still pretty cool. Instead of a hot dog I had my “almost always” of a burger and fries—it was fine.

I will have more to discuss when the next one of these is done-which will be in a few weeks' time.