Us, Triple Threat, College Basketball & Game Show Host Waiters

I did nothing on Monday the 18^th so I'll mention something I brought up a few weeks ago. I was unsuccessful in locating Orange Vanilla Coke, but soon after that I did find a 12 pack, and the drink was as tasty as I'd hoped it would be. Tuesday, it had its ups and downs, yet in my attempt to remain positive here, I'll just mention the good... I went to a few stores and in the evening, I was at a movie theatre to see a film that was on the big screen for one night only and now is on demand from the usual sites you can stream movies from, like iTunes or Amazon. Triple Threat is a martial arts action film starring various talents from Far East Asia plus some from the West who should be much bigger stars then they are now (Michael Jai White, Scott Adkins). It was what I expected: it wasn't incredible like some recent martial arts films (The Raid; also, this is far less bloody than the Netflix movie The Night Comes for Us) but it's still a blast and I enjoyed the action.

Late Tuesday night, the friend of a parent came into town and it was a last minute deal... and they flew down from the Midwest. Wednesday night I did nothing but Thursday, I went with them to the local Red Lobster restaurant as that is what they desired... yes, Lobsterfest brought them in. Our meals were all fine overall but the waiter... he was something else. The best way to describe the way he acted and spoke: game show host! That was his tone of voice, diction, and his overall demeanor; now, overall he was fine as a waiter and I can't complain about the job he did yet the way he acted was just so bizarre.

Friday, I went into town to drop off items at Goodwill then a random gas station to pick up some drinks at their convenience store... and Saturday I did nothing at all. Before I talk about Sunday, Thursday through Sunday was the yearly latter half of March tradition of watching the first two rounds of the NCAA college basketball tournament. It was the same as usual, meaning excitement and some upsets. Sunday itself, dinner was had with me, the parent and their friend at the local chain restaurant known as Gator's Dockside. I've talked about it in the past and they have good food. I was not sure when I would see Us... UCF losing its tournament game to Duke (which they really should have won) meant that I did not feel like watching last night's tournament games, so I might as well see it then. The place I chose perhaps wasn't the right one... among other things, someone left a SOILED DIAPER in the stall of the men's room!

As for Us... once I finally saw Get Out last year, I was like most and thought of it was great. Us, though... I know many love it already... as for me, if it wasn't for some effective scares, the movie looking & sounding nice and some of the performances, I would not even say it was average. I know, another case of me having a controversial opinion, and I can't fully explain why without massively spoiling everything. Thus, I'll just state: I was with the movie early on but the further it progressed and I realized what sort of movie it was, Us lost me and once they presented some sort of explanation, it was a “huh?” Any “hidden meanings” I'd rather not try to decipher as on the surface I thought the laughs came from me chuckling AT the film rather than WITH it, which was how the crowd there treated it too. Yeah, my fellow film-goers did not seem too enthused by it either... although perhaps I shouldn't compare myself to people that go to a movie theatre where some tool changes a poop-filled diaper in a bathroom and doesn't throw it away! But people were leaving during the extended final shot of the film, which is not a good sign. All that said, I presume those reading this who want to see Us will like it more than me.

When I return a week from today, hopefully I'll have more positive things to discuss.

Sprite Lymonade, New Zealand, Tomkos Tavern & Purple Rain Drops

The past week did not start off well but things ended up fine by the end. Monday the 11^th, it was a very nice day out so I went to Walmart to pick up several items. It was a Walmart in a rural area, requiring the journey to be taken on rural roads. That is usually fine, but on this day... I was waiting at an intersection to turn left. There was a vehicle coming from the left and they had their right turn signal on, so it was OK for me to go... only they kept on going straight. That was way too close for comfort and I am not sure how a wreck did not happen. Before anyone asks, they did not have both blinkers on as hazard lights and after that intersection there is no right turn possible for almost a quarter of a mile, so I have no idea what that person was doing. Tuesday was better; I did try out a restaurant new to me that I only recently discovered was a thing. Tomkos Tavern is by I-Drive and not only does it have tasty food, the interior also looked nice. I did not stick around for their Tuesday night event of a DJ spinning country music tunes; if it was classic country it'd be one thing, but as it was modern country which I know even is a turn-off for some country fans...

Wednesday the only thing I did was try a new drink, which is Sprite Lymonade; yep, Sprite with more lemon. It was indeed good. Thursday I was going to pick up someone at the airport; they were flying back from a Midwestern state that was not Illinois. Well, weather in Chicago was awful on this day... so bad that it affected people all across the country. The plane that this person needed to fly to Houston for the connecting flight to Orlando, that got cancelled, and things got so backed up that they wouldn't even be flying home until Sunday. Thus, instead of picking them up late on Thursday, it was early Sunday afternoon. Still, I went out in the evening; it was to Rock & Brews, a cool place I've mentioned a few times before. Besides drinks, I also had their Purple Rain Drops; I was hoping it'd be great considering who it was named after... and it was. The food was beignets filled with chocolate and there's both whipped cream and raspberry drizzle... but of course.

Once I got back home, my mood did sour when I saw the awful news concerning what happened in New Zealand; I mean, I know people who live in the country. None of them were close to the two mosques in Christchurch yet I felt awful because dozens died or were seriously injured. Friday I did nothing and Saturday the only thing I did was return to Walmart to purchase a few items. Sunday, the trip to the airport and back went fine; I picked up the person in question and they wanted lunch, so I chose TGI Friday's as it was just north of the airport and neither of us go to that chain often... only because of location. Neither of us had complaints about the food so a wise choice on my part.

Next Monday, I have a few plans in mind as to what I'll be doing this week.

Jeopardy, Most Shocking, Orange Dreamsicles & Psychedelic Carwashes

This past week had some interesting moments. Monday the 4^th, I went with two people to a local restaurant; the local restaurant Oakwood Smokehouse & Grill was chosen, as it's a place I like eating at. Everyone enjoyed their meal, and indeed the place is usually busy, usually with grey-haired denizens. Tuesday I did nothing but Wednesday, that was more active than expected. I stopped at a Barnes & Noble then ate at Twin Peaks, as I hadn't done that in awhile. Well, it wasn't the best experience I have ever heard there, service-wise or otherwise. That is OK, as there are plenty of places to visit again or try for the first time... this month, I should try a restaurant new to me as hopefully it'd go well and at least I would have something to discuss. Anyhow, it was at Twin Peaks that I heard the awful news about Alex Trebek and like everyone else I felt incredibly sad.

Real early on Thursday morning, I had to make another airport run-this was different from the norm as this time I dropped off two people, at two different airports. The first was at the regional Orlando-Sanford Airport, then I went off to the infamous Orlando International Airport, and even at around 6 AM the traffic at the airport is bad and many people drive cluelessly. On the way back I stopped at a Denny's for a bite to eat, and my purchase of their limited edition Orange Dreamsicle drink was a very wise purchase. Friday, I went to a carwash, a new one in town. It was one of those newfangled washes where you drive up to a track and leave your vehicle in neutral as it's guided along a track. While in the wash, they flashed some colorful psychedelic lights and that amused me. That went fine although I did experience the all too common phenomenon of “Rude Floridians”; once you paid you had to wait for a gate to raise up before you could proceed. Well, there were two pay stations and both did not immediately raise, because the wash was busy at the time. Well, both cretins in front of me were not smart enough to realize this so they constantly honked their horns; such behavior happens often down here. There is no shortage of dumb people around here, which makes me glad that I do know plenty of nice ones... people who are not fools.

The weekend, I only went out on Sunday-but it was a long day as I went to a variety of different places and spent a lot of time out; this included various outlet clothing stores. Sometime this week I will go through my clothes and donate what I don't need to Goodwill; I will never be on a Best Dressed list and I don't even want to mention how old some of my shirts are, but I figured it was time to update my wardrobe and indeed I did purchase some new shirts yesterday. Of course, I also nearly got into a wreck when someone swerved into me for absolutely no reason... “typical Florida” is what I have to say about that.

To close this out, in the preceding week I did revisit on YouTube some episodes of the CourtTV show Most Shocking, which was videos of such things as car crashes, chases, criminals doing wild things, and whatnot; back in the day CourtTV was my channel in the evening, then they “rebranded” as TruTV and became the home of horrible fake “reality” shows and now I haven't watched that channel in many years. Anyway, when I return a week from today, hopefully there will be no more near-accidents.

Apollo 11, Bubba Cola, 2 In 1 Laptops & Restaurant Repeats

Monday the 25th, I had nothing planned but circumstances happened (I had to assist someone with a technology-related issue) so I was out and for the first time in years I ended up at a Save-A-Lot discount supermarket store. I purchased a few items there, including a 20 ounce bottle of Bubba Cola; there's a beverage I hadn't had in years. It is a generic cola through and through, so overall it is OK. Tuesday and Wednesday, a friend of someone I know was down here in Florida-the other days they were off elsewhere-so this meant restaurant visits. It was the decision of the group and not me to eat once again at Macaroni Grill and Texas Roadhouse. I like both places but I prefer variety myself; still, I couldn't turn down the offer to go and I raised no objections.

Thursday and Friday weren't great days; as is the case, it wasn't one big thing but rather many little things accumulating together into bad times. I'd rather not go into detail on most of it, except to mention that Florida traffic is still bad and I really wish I could have seen a movie on Friday that did not include an audience that had several groups of rude old people who wouldn't shut up. Thursday's “highlight” was a trip to Target and Friday I saw a movie in IMAX that I only discovered was a thing a few nights prior. Apollo 11 was a 93 minute long documentary about the famed mission... makes sense as this year is the 50th anniversary. It is very good as it was a straightforward presentation of the journey and the footage often looked great.

The big event that closed out the week was me helping someone out in picking a new laptop, as the one they had was old and starting giving them troubles. They wanted a 2 in 1 laptop; it would be used only as an “Internet machine” and this person visits but a few websites so that would be fine for their needs. The task of getting one was more arduous than it should have been; I tried one Walmart only to be told that they did not have any (despite the model I wanted being presented on a table for display) and the other Walmart I tried on Saturday, just opening the case where one was stored was way too much of a clusterf... well, a clusterbleep. But finally I got them a Lenovo; it wasn't the cheapest that Walmart had but it was the best for the price. They had some that cost less which was branded RCA yet the reviews online were bad so I knew not to get that. This person is happy with their new laptop so far.

Also on Saturday I went to the outdoor mall known as Winter Garden Village, where I went in a few stores. The highlight there was going into a Target (different from the one I was at on Thursday) and it was remodeled; I was impressed with its look and aesthetic. That was the last thing of note concerning my weekend-suits me fine, as I was happy to relax at home. When I return a week from today, I know I'll have a few things to discuss. Before I close this out, I do have to mention that it's sad Luke Perry has passed away; when I was a kid, Beverly Hills 90210 was a big deal and 52 is too young an age to have a massive stroke then die a few days later.

Green Book, 76 Gasoline, Alita: Battle Angel & My Birthday

I haven't watched Green Book myself; I just know many were unhappy it won Best Picture last night. All I can say is that the real life topic of green books used by African-Americans is a fascinating topic. Monday, I went to the local Winn Dixie to pick up a few items. Tuesday I did nothing but Wednesday I returned to Walt Disney World, this time Epcot. I needed to be assured that my new MagicBand worked (it does) and I might as well visit their now annual International Festival of the Arts. I walked around, had dinner, purchased food & drink from the Mitsukoshi store, and I got to see various paintings that were on sale. Thursday I did nothing but Friday happened to be my birthday... somehow, my 38th  (!) one. 

My 21st was also on a Friday, and that weekend was much wilder than the weekend I just had. Back in 2002, that Friday and Saturday had one near-fight each that I was involved with, and both required a young lady to cool down and to be honest, prevent me from getting punched in the face! In contrast, this past Friday had me go to the local tax collectors to get my driver's license renewed. That process wasn't cheap but at least it was an efficient deal they have there; I only had to wait in line for a few minutes then I talked to the front desk then I was given a tag and I was called back to a desk, where I presented everything that was required, took a “vision test” which was one line, took the typically bad photo, paid and that was it. For dinner I went with my parents to Hurricane Grill & Wings, a place I have mentioned plenty of times before in the past. That went fine as their food is pretty tasty. Saturday I stayed in and relaxed but Sunday was different.

Sunday, I went to a few different locations. First, I stopped at a 76 gas station for the first time in years. They used to be in Florida at a few locations but left like 10 years ago. Notably, back in the days when I went to wrestling shows, I used to stop at a 76 for gas and/or for a drink on the way back home. A few days ago I discovered that they returned to Florida; while it's mainly in Jacksonville there are two stations in Orlando so I stopped at one. I then ended up at an Ollie's Bargain Outlets, a place I mentioned in the fall. The main event was me at a nearby AMC to see Alita: Battle Angel. The trailers weren't entirely convincing to me but I heard good reviews and as I suspected, the movie looked great visually. Sure it can be nitpicked but I'll say it was fine overall as it has a nice cast and the action scenes were at least fun and never difficult to make out.

I am glad that the visitors I mentioned the last time experience some unseasonably warm weather in the preceding week. This upcoming week has a different person visiting a parent and I know that will give me something to talk about when I return next Monday.

Orange Vanilla Coke, Swamp People, Louisiana French & Ford's Garage

I will note two things to start off. I only found out about Orange Vanilla Coke being a thing... I couldn't find it on Saturday, either at a Walmart or a small supermarket which used to be an IGA (which brought back memories as when I was very little, there used to be an IGA in my hometown) but is now independent. I have made that drink before at a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine by pouring Orange Coke and adding in a little of Vanilla Coke-I imagine it professionally being combined will be quite tasty. The second thing is that I failed to mention the last time that on Saturday the 9th I went with two people to the local Texas Roadhouse restaurant as one of them had a birthday and chose to go there. It would have been nice if all the fries would have been fully cooked but alas... at least my burger was fine.

Last Monday through Thursday weren't too terribly exciting. I mean, one night I streamed the episode of Live PD that I missed from the previous Saturday-thank you to my cable provider for that service-and another day I went to Pizza Hut for food but that's about it for excitement. I know, I know about Pizza Hut and its quality... they had a deal where I could order two items from about 10 different selections for only 5 dollars each, so I had a medium pizza and stuffed garlic knots. There are no complaints considering the price. Thursday night, I actually watched an episode of a reality television series. I don't otherwise watch that genre, as most of the shows are obviously staged and phony... and whether or not they are, almost all have it where people-whether by coercion or not-are complete A-holes to each other and I have zero interest in such garbage. The only reason I saw Swamp People was that I was talking to a girl online (no, it's not one of those relationships; I've been friends with her for a few years now) who lives not too far from where the show is filmed and even though she is not Cajun herself, it was amusing to see and hear a bunch of Cajuns on the show... not that I am hating on what I am sure are very nice people. They just have a one of a kind accent, you know. I did learn that “che”-sometimes spelled as “cher”-meant “babe” in Louisiana French as one guy kept on calling his girl that. The show wasn't awful but I don't see a reason to watch the other episodes.

Friday I went to Chick-fil-A; my going there is not necessarily an endorsement of their religious/political views. My trips there are infrequent and my reason for going there is that a location opened real close to me so I wanted to visit; that went fine. Saturday, I ate at a nearby Ford's Garage. I've mentioned that restaurant before as on a few occasions I had been to the one near Tampa and last summer the location in Lakeland; this was my first time at their location in Orlando. It's in a busy area by an outlet mall so who knows how often I'll go there... that is not a slight against that particular establishment as nothing went wrong while I was there and the food was tasty. They had an outside seating area so that's where I was... and saw the aftermath of a minor fender-bender. As I have said before, I am surprised I do not see more of those... I do not want to belabor the same points I make all the darn time.

Sunday, I stayed at home and relaxed. I actually offered to pick up some people from the airport yet someone else volunteered... I do know that is a task I'll be doing a few times in the upcoming months. When I return a week from today, I know there will be one day where I should have a few things to say.

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.