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.

The One Time I Talked About the End of 2018

Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th I did not do much at all, unless people really wanna hear about my trip to Walmart. Wednesday I got a haircut, which yes was needed. I received a phone call mid hair cut and when I could I looked to see who it was... the situation could have been an emergency so I did step out... turns out, it was nothing important at all. A little embarrassing, but you never know... anyhow, Thursday I went and made an airport run; yes, again. The trip there and back was through pretty rainy weather so of course I saw people drive recklessly-that said it was an otherwise nondescript journey. Friday, I did so something different: attend a University of Central Florida men's basketball game as their opponents were... Illinois State University, also known as the school I used to go to way back in the day. It was cool seeing them play live for the first time since early 2004. Regrettably, ISU looked pretty bad on that night and UCF easily won the game 77-56-for a good amount of the game they were losing by more than that margin. I still don't regret going... plus, outside the arena they had an outdoor carnival, complete with an ice rink. No, I was not on ice skates as that would be an unwise proposition.

Saturday I did nothing so on to me talking about what has become a tradition, which is heading on over to Kansas for Christmas to see family. Like last year, lunch was had at a Raising Cane's in southern Mississippi; their chicken is pretty tremendous so it is unfortunate they don't have any in Florida. The first day ended in Conway, Arkansas; as I always say at this time of year, southeastern Arkansas is pretty depressing as many of the towns you go through has plenty of boarded-up buildings and while the weather this year was fine, usually it is cloudy and rainy which only makes it look worse. A late dinner was had at a Logan's Roadhouse and unlike tradition, the meal was rather lousy (the food was not prepared as it should have or was just plain bad) and so was the service. Monday we reached our destination and it was nice to see family again. Christmas Eve dinner was at a Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen as it was a chain that was open and the place was fine for everyone. Christmas Day was pot roast and that was good. Some nights were carry-out, which was fine by me due to how chilly the weather got. I was amused that one night featured food from a local joint known as Big Larry's... although that did not knock me for a loop like finding out that Wichita has sports bars named EMERSON BIGGANS and WHISKEY DICKS. No, none of us went to them, even me going solo. Believe me I did laugh at hearing those names. 

As for the time in Wichita, it's better to say not enough rather than too much. As always it was nice seeing my sister and the whole family. The weather there was unseasonably warm, until it became pretty cold. What a change in less than 48 hours to leave a place where the car was packed in below freezing weather and return to an unseasonably warm Florida. The only thing of note I'll mention about the drive back is that it was late Saturday night in rural southeastern Mississippi on a four lane road that would eventually turn into two lane. Thankfully there was hardly anyone on the road as suddenly we saw someone driving in the opposite lane... then after a few seconds, we both realized the highway was still four lanes! That's right, this SOB was driving the wrong way on the road. I don't know if he was impaired or just confused but I hope that fool did not cause a wreck. Part of that trip involved rain and fog although it was clear when we saw the wrong way driver.

There isn't too much to say about 2018 in general; I am glad I was able to see some celebrities up close (such as Pam Grier) and I even got to talk to a few... one in particular I definitely would never forget and while it did not go exactly as expected, getting to meet that particular late 90's-early 2000's starlet was incredible. When I return a week from today, I have an idea or two as to what I'll be discussing in the first few days of 2019.

Ollie's Bargain Outlet, Cheddar Biscuits, Morningside Mustangs & Benedictine (Kansas) Ravens

The preceding week had some rather different moments for me. Monday wasn't too out of the ordinary; I ended up at a Target but nothing noteworthy happened. Tuesday was different; I went on a little bit of a roadtrip to an open air mall I hadn't been to before. That place was fine and I went in a few different stores. I had a frou-frou smoothie from some random place and it wasn't the cheapest thing I could have purchased at the mall but at least it tasted good. Dinner was at a Moe's; years ago I once saw fervent debate among some people (who are insignificant but that's another story) concerning quick-order American-Mexican places between Chipotle, Qdoba and Moe's. I have had Moe's twice in my life and sorry to say, I am not a fan of the chain and give me Chipotle or Qdoba instead. That said, I am glad I went there; on the way there I passed by an Ollie's Bargain Outlet. That is a southern chain I had actually never been in before, so I gave it a shot. A bunch of random items that are about to expire soon or is otherwise discounted is cool with me, so I should have gone to one much sooner. Random food & drink were purchased, including Halloween candy, as why the heck not?

Wednesday I did nothing and Thursday I was gonna go to a restaurant with someone but that someone was under the weather, so the trip to Red Lobster had to wait until a rainy Friday. Thus, Thursday's dinner was Wendy's, as I hadn't been there in awhile. The quality of the food I got there (or lack thereof) means that it'll be a long time before I get food from any Wendy's, even if it was that particular location only that prepared lousy food on this occasion as there had never been a problem before. Friday's Red Lobster meal was for sure better. Of course, the service could have been better and I'd have preferred it if the menu at the restaurant and the one on their website had been identical, but... at least the food itself was tasty. I had wood-grilled shrimp, french fries and a baked potato... and the restaurant's famous cheddar biscuits.

Saturday I did go on another journey. This time it was to the Daytona Beach area. For the past few years a lower division of college football (the NAIA, to be exact) has held their championship game in the city. I went to it back in 2015, where the Marian (Indiana) Knights defeated the Southern Oregon Raiders 31-14. As this is the last year the NAIA championship football game will be in Daytona Beach (starting new year it will be in Louisiana) I figured I should attend. This time it was the Morningside Mustangs of Iowa against the Benedictine Ravens of Kansas. I had no dog in this fight but I ended up sitting on the side of the stands that had the Benedictine fans, whom outnumbered the Morningside fans. I was amused that for a Catholic school, plenty of Ravens fans were quite obviously intoxicated... not just from the beer that was sold in the stadium but from what had to be many hours of tailgating beforehand. In addition, the security and cops seemingly did not care if booze was brought into the stadium as I saw hard liquor bottles out in the open! I did not partake in any of that as I had a long drive home and considering that part of the journey was in foggy weather...

As for the game itself, Morningside probably had the better team but late in the 4^th it was tied at 28; a pretty exciting game it was. Unfortunately for the Ravens, they screwed up a punt pretty badly so that one mistake allowed for the Mustangs to easily score and that final score was Morningside 35, Benedictine 28... I did feel bad for the Ravens that this was how they lost. I was happy that I did not sit by any of the intoxicated people so I did not have to move elsewhere during the game, and even with the fog and the expected poor drivers on the way there and back, it was a nice day indeed. Sunday I did not go anywhere; I slept in and relaxed even though the Bears were playing against their hated rivals the Green Bay Packers. Chicago won the game and for the first time in years will be both going to the playoffs and are the division champions.

I actually won't be returning next Monday, and it's not because that day is Christmas Eve. Rather, that is because it is time for the now-customary trip around Christmas to see one of my sisters in Kansas. Henceforth, I will return on New Year's Eve and talk about two weeks worth of activities.

Schindler's List, Winter Wassail, Gelato Bars & Army vs. Navy

This time around some serious topics will be brought up. Monday I stopped at my bank then purchased some random items from the local Winn Dixie store. Tuesday evening, I went with someone to a restaurant; back this past spring I went to a Rock and Brews restaurant and thought it was pretty cool, as I talked about here at the time. Since then they opened a location in Kissimmee right by what will soon be Margaritaville Resort Orlando. Me and that other person were glad we went there as both meals were enjoyed and it was a good first impression for this other person. It was cool to eat a meal while listening to the live version of Take Me to the River by the Talking Heads or Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits.

Wednesday and Thursday I did nothing of note; Friday I returned to Disney Springs. Starting this past Friday and lasting for a week, a little more than 1,000 locations across the country are having special 25^th anniversary screenings of Schindler's List; I had seen it before, but never on the big screen and that one viewing was many, many years ago. Thus, this was an important movie I had to view again. While it definitely is difficult to watch at times due to the unflinching look at the Holocaust, it is an outstanding film and the best thing a legendary director has ever done. I also had dinner there; I was originally going to eat at one location but I got disrespected (long story I don't want to get into) so instead I had my meal somewhere else and I was able to have dessert from a new location. Wolfgang Puck just opened a new restaurant/bar and it looks to be rather frou-frou and the meals likely cost beaucoup dollars. However, there is also an outdoor gelato bar attached which offers several different desserts. The prices there weren't too outrageous so gelato is what I had and it was quite delicious.

Saturday and Sunday I did nothing at all; with how rainy Sunday was I was happy to stay in. That night I did see the Chicago Bears upset the Los Angles Rams (one of the best teams in the league this year), which was good. Saturday afternoon I watched the big Army vs. Navy football game, which has been a big deal for many decades now and have had a rivalry on the gridiron since the 1890's. I never have a stake in who wins-I just hope for a close game, which it usually is in recent years. As I have broached some serious topics this time, it will seem gauche to mention how Florida traffic is still atrocious and more than once in the past few weeks an accident has almost happened to me due to the stupidity of others, so instead I will note that late last month while I was at Trader Joe's I purchased a container of a drink known as Winter Wassail. This was unfamiliar to me so I was curious. It's a spiced fruity drink from the UK that's been around since the olden times and finally having tried it recently, it's not bad.

When I return next time, I definitely will have more to discuss.

Passports, Brutalist Architecture & The Possession Of Hannah Grace

The end of November did not arrive like a lion. Last Monday and Tuesday the only thing of note I did was help a parent book an airline flight-while doing that I saw another example of airlines being scumbags and raising their prices if you look at the site too long or too often. The way to combat that is either by clearing your browser cache or looking at it in incognito mode. If you have no idea what I am referring to, hopefully you can have someone else explain it or are able to look it up online. Wednesday was more interesting. I went to the local Walgreens to have a passport photo taken; you see, I need to renew my passport before I can renew my drivers license in a few months. Thus, might as well get on the ball now. The older lady doing that had some technology problems but I understand as she was an elderly person so no way could I be a heel there and it took only a few minutes longer than expected. 

After that I went to Orlando to visit some places I hadn't been to in a few years. First was Smashburger, which offers tasty food and all... but in Central Florida there is a plethora of good eatery options. They now have the option of building your own burger and thus I had one with a pretzel bun... as I also got a specialty shake (which included peppermint) it was a pretty good meal. After that I wandered around the Orlando Fashion Square Mall, which is doing poorly compared to how it has been in the past. At least I went to a clearance store of the Southern department store chain Dillards, and got a pretty good shirt for a pretty good price.

Thursday and Friday I did nothing at all; Saturday night I finally went somewhere due to boredom. I hadn't use my AMC Theatres A-List app in a few weeks so even though there isn't much that is out now or will come out this month that I am too terribly interested in, my schedule and that of the AMC lined up where the only thing I could see that I had even a modicum of interest in was The Possession of Hannah Grace. I know many hate it but for me it was OK. Unfortunately for it, a lower-budget movie with a similar plot (weird things happen with a corpse at a morgue) was done a lot better with The Autopsy of Jane Doe, starring Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch. That came out a few years ago and between the two I definitely recommend Jane Doe. The funniest thing for me is that in Hannah Grace, it was set and filmed in Boston; the building they used for the hospital/morgue was designed using Brutalist architecture and well, those around Orlando should know what I mean when I compare it to the big library building that is in downtown Orlando. I mean, it was quite similar. I'll presume that building they used in Boston wasn't actually a hospital.

Sunday, I went into town to get one Jersey Mike's Subs for me and one for someone I know; this was a good move on my part. Another good move was not going anywhere to see the Chicago Bears play against the New York Giants. Starting Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is still injured so once again their backup had to start and from what I understand his performance was not good... no surprise the Giants won in overtime despite being a pretty bad team. When I return next Monday, there are some ideas as to what will be discussed.