The Godfather, Part III, Senor Frog's, The COVID Blues & Happy Holiday Wishes

As promised, here is the last thing I'll be writing in this miserable year of 2020. Normally, right now I'd be in the Midwest on the customary vacation to see various members of the family. However, the pandemic is so bad it was the prudent decision to not make the long journey this year; at least most of those family members were seen back in August when mom was buried. Earlier in the year I mentioned how 2020 was awful even before the pandemic as mom was sick starting in January. Other prudent decisions were made: another yearly tradition was attending the auto show in Orlando at the Convention Center, where many manufacturers displayed their new product. Believe it or not they held it last weekend. Due to The Plague being especially bad in Florida and the thing being indoors, it seemed like a bad idea for me to attend. Mecum in Kissimmee is early next year and as I would never have to go in any building if I did not want to... expect me there.

There isn't too much that's happened in the past few weeks. The Chicago Bears took an even worse nosedive than what I expected when I mentioned back in late October that their good record (at the time) was a real misnomer. They'll likely end up 8-8 once the season ends-good thing I hardly paid attention to them. I did go to the cinema more than once-the highlight there was seeing the new edit of 1990's The Godfather, Part III. I never hated it like many people do, even if the movie is not a classic like the first two. This 2020 cut is a little bit better than what was shown 30 years ago-I am glad that since 2010 all three of those movies I've been able to see theatrically.

I've been to more than one restaurant-Senor Frogs will be specifically mentioned as I had never been to one before. It's a loud tourist sort of place (no surprise as it's on International Drive) and it may be a place only visited once... that doesn't mean the food was bad. At least the burrito I had tasted fine, but it's priced like a tourist sort of restaurant. 2021, one thing I should do is visit more local establishments in the area as there is no shortage of those.

To close this out, I will wish everyone a Happy Holidays and a better 2021 for everyone-it couldn't possibly be much worse for me. On the other side of the coin, I really shouldn't complain: several people I know “got the COVID” recently and another was in a car accident-thankfully everyone ended up fine. Let's all hope next year isn't the dumpster fire this year was.

Thanksgiving, The Hunt for Red October, Space Mountain & Shrimp Dinners

There is not too much to write about since the last time I did one of these. Due to how “the plague” has been ravaging much of the country-Florida being one of the hotspots-it has been wise to not be out all that often unless I am at a place like a grocery store or Walmart to get some essentials. Of course I still once in awhile see a fool without a mask on in a grocery store or Walmart; it just makes me shake my head. Don't worry, I do not confront them... instead, walking away as far away from them as possible is what happens. Anyhow, Thanksgiving was for certain different this year than any previous year in my life... there is no complaints as it was still went with family and that's the important thing.

Otherwise, among the things I can discuss here, there is not too much else to say. One afternoon was spent at the Magic Kingdom; I have an annual pass-thankfully it won't renew until two months from now-and it might as well be used. As they temperature screen everyone and rigidly enforce the mask rule, there were not too many worries about being at WDW. The crowd was not heavy so Space Mountain Early last month I saw The Hunt for Red October on the big screen as it was a tribute to the late Sean Connery. Viewing it that way was a good time. Last week, I went to a Joe's Crab Shack as it's been too long since a shrimp dinner was had. It was good and the place being the opposite of busy was fine with me in terms of health concerns.

Right before Christmas I'll return and post something new. There actually is more than one activity planned for the rest of the year so there will be things to discuss. Hopefully by then I'll be feeling like it is the Christmas season.

Halloween, Total Recall, Psycho, Gaelic Sports & BubbaQue's BBQ

I wanted to write one of these before the month concluded as after tomorrow, Facebook won't have a Notes function any longer. Never fear... I've always concurrently posted these on a Blogspot page so in the future, I'll link these in a Facebook post whenever I do one of these.

The past few weeks have not been too eventful; at least I've been able to see a few films on the big screen. One was the original Total Recall-that movie is great so it was awesome seeing it theatrically for the first time. Another was the original Psycho-I've been lucky in having seen that theatrically a few times now. There was also The Nightmare Before Christmas, which was only my second time seeing it... and both were revival theatrical screenings. Another night was a new one-Honest Thief. Not the best Liam Neeson motion picture of its time but still fine and I've seen far worse starring him. Before seeing Psycho, I stopped at a Florida chain I was not even familiar with until recently: BubbaQue's BBQ. I now regret not having gone to one before as they have decent food and especially in this time, it's nice to support local businesses. Another place I visited was in Kissimmee one day: Miami Grill. In the past when I was near Miami one afternoon I ate there under its former name Miami Subs & Grill; they also have decent food.

Concerning sports, I won't list all my opinions of those currently in action or just concluded... I can't be mad that the Dodgers won the World Series as I know someone who is a big fan of the team. The NFL, that's hardly been paid attention to. The league is still not fun to watch anymore and it is pure luck that the Chicago Bears are 5-2... I am sure they will lose their next few games. Via YouTube I finally got to see the Irish sister sports of Gaelic football and hurling. I now wish those two could be seen on American television as they both are a lot of fun from the few games I streamed. At least I was able to recently watch the championship games of the Australian Football League (that's Australian rules football) and the rugby league they have in the Land Down Under.

While the Halloween season does seem different from previous years, I still have done my best to feel in the proper mood; at least I've watched plenty of horror movies. I will return sometime in November.

Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, Tremors, 42 & Mountain Dew Maui Burst

I've been thinking of awhile of doing another one of these; I am sure everyone can understand how I am still in a malaise due to everything that has gone on in 2020 and how everything is just different now. The fact that as of late several people I know have had COVID scares (all of them tested negative, thankfully) and it's easy to feel “blah” sometimes. Still, I do try my best... also, while nothing was said by me to this person, I was appalled recently when I was in a Publix grocery store and not only did a mom not wear a mask, so didn't her two small children. I will list some highlights:

Last month I did go to Walt Disney World for the first time since February. It was at Hollywood Studios so I could finally go on the attraction that replaced The Great Movie Ride (Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway)-it was a good time and I enjoyed the look & feel of the attraction. Sometime later this month I'll return to the park. Pro tip: apparently it is a part of the collective unconscious that now you need to make a reservation before going to any of the WDW parks. I certainly never heard that beforehand; it led to an awkward situation at the gate but a nice lady employee helped me there.

On another note, since the last time I wrote I had several sodas new to me. This includes Crush Sour Patch Kids Berry-thankfully not that sour-Mountain Dew VooDew II, and Mountain Dew Maui Burst... actually introduced late last year at Dollar General stores but I never could locate it then... and a few weeks ago stumbled upon it at a different Dollar General from the ones I tried at the time. Nothing new when it comes to trying new restaurants, although last weekend I went by Oviedo so for the first time in a long while I had Mooyah, which has decent fast food. The only other thing to mention is that I went to the cineplex a few times since the last I wrote. The first highlight was 42, the 2013 sports biopic they brought back to pay tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman-that was pretty good. I am glad I finally saw that as his death was as shocking to me as it was to everyone else. The other one was Tremors; while it is melancholy that mom would have found it great that I would be able to see it on the big screen, it was still an experience I appreciated-it's a movie I've loved since I was a kid. Hopefully cinemas can survive the pandemic but that is definitely uncertain with how things have gone the past few months... I know for certain that not too many people have gone back yet.

Sometime later in the month I'll return; what interesting events I'll discuss, now that's up in the air.

Mountain Dew Spark, The Empire Strikes Back, Derechos & Kissimmee Summer Specials

Not to start this off on a sour note, but I'll just mention one thing I have noted this summer: those who drive with their masks on in their cars are the worst drivers! While I am glad they do wear masks, this at least gives me a warning to try and avoid them if possible. As for derecho, that is a term I had never heard of before a terrible set of thunderstorms hit Northern Illinois soon after I left there and returned to Florida. Thankfully no one I know was adversely affected.

To mention a few random things since the last time I wrote one of these: 2020 being miserable has even impacted the soda manufacturers. The variety of pop (at least in 12 packs) has been lacking as of late. At least last month there was the unexpected revelation that at Speedway convenience stores only is Mountain Dew Spark, which tastes like raspberry lemonade and I am in favor of the flavor. Another thing I did was return to the cinemas; while a risk, I am willing to accept that risk and believe that each chain's measures will be enough. One thing I saw which wasn't good as Peninsula, a horror/action movie from South Korea that was a sequel to the awesome Train to Busan. Unfortunately, Peninsula wasn't too good... an attempt at being a mindless modern Hollywood blockbuster, only with terrible computer graphic effects. At least the week prior was being able to experience The Empire Strikes Back theatrically, which was awesome. For certain it was MUCH better than the last few Star Wars movies... and to deliver a hot take, recently I finally watched The Mandalorian-Baby Yoda is cute and all but the whole thing was just meh and dull to me, among other issues such as there being too much humor... one of the main problems I had with the last few Star Wars movies.

The past few weeks haven't been too terribly exciting so it was nice that Mecum returned to Kissimmee; each January I discuss the largest auto auction in the world (at least 3,000 vehicles) and because of The Black Plague canceling some of their scheduled events, they had to have another one in this area of Florida. While they had “only” 1000 vehicles and nothing was in 7 figures like their usual auctions here, it was still nice seeing a wide variety of different cars... even with how hot and humid it was. After that, on the way home I ate at a BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse as my last visit to one was ages ago and I have always enjoyed their food; the same was true on this day.

When I return sometime later in the month, who knows what will be discussed. Hopefully everyone has a nice Labor Day today.

Video Slots, Ticketless Parking, Wetzel's Pretzels & Ukrainian Cheddar

Yes, there is such a thing as Ukrainian cheddar; it wasn't until yesterday that I realized it was a thing. The taste is on the bland side so I'll rate it as “alright” but at least it isn't something like Limburger. Anyway, now I will fully be caught up on last week's brief trip and what little else I've done since then. It does have to be mentioned that it was great how in Belvidere some institutions downtown are still around... I am referring to both Sam's Pizza and Lung Fung's; both received plenty of orders from my parents when I was a kid. The biggest impression I had of Illinois while I was there: video slot machines were everywhere. I am talking about the airport, gas stations, buildings in rural areas... considering that the state has been broke for years-due to corruption and other reasons-no surprise to me they would have this as an attempt at a revenue stream. Another impression I had: people in Illinois ignore the directional arrows in stores as much as people do in Florida! I don't want to go into a giant spiel here but while acknowledging it can be a hassle, I am unlike a lot of individuals in that I actually do follow those arrows as it does help me stay away from people. I won't rant either about people whose masks don't cover their nose and mouths.

Sunday the 9th, I flew back to Florida in the morning. On the flight I had to sit by both two little kids and a guy who reeked of marijuana who was acting like a tool. Both gave me a cause for concern. Thankfully, I hardly heard much from the kids and the stoner was either asleep or at times giggled nonstop. The frustration did not kick in until I tried paying for long term parking and leaving the airport. Orlando Sanford Airport now has a ticketless parking system and it just did not work for me (or anyone else), whether it was at the pay booth indoors or at the exit gate itself. No kidding, that whole rigmarole delayed me from leaving for at least ten full minutes; as it may be years before I am on another plane flight, thank goodness it may be a long time before I have to deal with that again.

Back home, I realized how much worse traffic and driver behavior was down here compared to Illinois; that's always a realization after returning home from being out of state. Not much has been done in the past week... fast food was purchased from a PDQ one night, I went to get groceries twice, and my dad has canceled the credit cards and bank account that my mom had. To add some excitement, last night I returned to Disney Springs. Unlike the last two times I was there-hardly anyone was around-a decent number of people were present. I ate food at Blaze Pizza and also purchased lemonade from Wetzel's Pretzels; their pretzel bits are also pretty good... the food there isn't the cheapest so that's why I only make purchases there once in a long while. 

The next time I do one of these... who knows for certain.

Meijer, Port Edward, Beef-A-Roo, Doc Soda & Fanta Shokata

Or: My time this past weekend back in the Rockford area of Illinois.

From Thursday morning August the 6th to Sunday morning the 9th, I returned to the northern half of Illinois for the burial of my mom. It felt especially melancholy because the last time I was in the region, it was with my parents as one of my two sisters was visited for the Christmas holiday last December. It was a time right before things went to hell... my mom's health was fine and there was no Black Plague illness all around-yet I tried my best to not be crestfallen the entire time so I was able to do some things as I had access to a vehicle the entire time. Unfortunately I was only able to visit a few pals but due to all the circumstances... many people I know have families anyhow so trying to coordinate even a brief visit would be difficult.

Thursday I flew from the Sanford airport to Rockford; believe it or not, it was my first plane ride since December of 2009. Air travel is about the same as I remembered it, except for the whole mask thing. It was on low-buck Allegiant Airlines and they were so desperate for customers, the price for a round trip ticket was only 65 dollars! No wonder it was about half-full at the crack of dawn. That day was rather quiet; the only thing of note was that dinner was had with the family at a Smokey Bones restaurant, a place I had never been to before. Both the service and the food were fine. 

Friday was the service itself; due to the pandemic it was not a big event. Instead, only the immediate family, my mom's best friend and her husband were in attendance. Everyone was glad that she was buried in a nice, peaceful place right by where her dad and grandma were laid to rest. After that was lunch at Port Edward, a fancy restaurant in the city of Algonquin I have known about since I was a kid, yet somehow had never gone there before. Remember when I just said that I was trying to be nice to people that had to work jobs like this during the pandemic? This day and the next would test that theory. It took a long time for the food to come out and it was not that busy; only the outdoor patio seating right on the Fox River was open so it was not like there were dozens of parties present. Thankfully the food itself was rather tasty. On this day I had Doc Soda; it was something I noticed last December but just now was able to try. This subsidiary of Pepsi-only available in the Midwest-makes a decent soda, similar to both Dr. Pepper and Mr. Pibb.

After that things were free for me; in Rockford I visited a few places, including one in a small chain of grocery stores known as Valli Produce. It was actually an international market and the wide variety of obscure products was right in my wheelhouse. My dad drove back home a few days ago so things could be transported... I could have gone hog wild there but he had things to bring back himself so not that much was purchased. What I did buy was some oddities otherwise not easily found in the United States. For example, a Fanta drink from Bosnia (!) known as Shokata; I don't know what the name means as it sounds like a band of samurais from feudal Japan-the flavor was a mix of elderberry and lemon... pretty good. Another drink was known as Fanta Green and was from Thailand; it's a mix of fruit and I'll try it later in the month. Dinner was had at a local fast food chain which has been a favorite since I was a kid: Beef-A-Roo. It's not even their beef sandwiches I have there, but rather their burger and fries... I know, I know. Both taste great and the drink to accompany that was a milkshake.

Saturday I hung out with some people for a short amount of time and I was able to kill time before eating dinner at Japanese restaurant JMK Nippon (think a local version of a Kobe Japanese Steakhouse) by visiting a Meijer. The name I knew but before I entered there was no knowledge by me that it was a version of Walmart, except that they apparently did it first. It was a huge place with a lot to look at; thankfully there was no rush. One of the items I got there was a variety of French Soda; I don't know what that is either but it was pretty good. At Nippon, the waiter me and the family had was a real buffoon; thank heavens the actual chef did his job rather well and the meals were very good.

As this is running long, I will have to return in a few days and finish the story; once I do that I'll mention what little I've done since returning home. While the circumstances were unfortunate and some things would have been different if it was not for the Black Plague, it was nice to see family & friends and drive around that part of Illinois on my own for the first time since August of 2009.