Cheeseblogger in Paradise
Cheeseblogger in Paradise
By The Fillerbuster
The Cast 072518
INTRO/SETTING:
I truly mean to make these shorter, but especially when I have to take off an extra week because of being out of town, it is not happening tonight. Sitting here while Linds is at the Queen shindig at Red Rocks watching baseball, as I find listening to baseball mindless and relaxing, and because I have a couple bucks on the games. I can’t afford in my life more than 90 minutes on a blog, so…let’s move.
I feel the need…the need for speed.
EVERGREEN:
- I am mainly old school, mainly because I am…older. Although my next point will counter this point, I actually think I LIKED the fact that the outcome of the MLB ASG dictated home field advantage. Don’t know why. It was nice to see the best players in the world actually try to win and care about the outcome. And for a counter point on a baseball, but unrelated topic…
- I absolutely HATE the new wildcard format in the MLB playoffs. Hate it. Why? Because of years like THIS. The one game wildcard playoff is fun and all for a NIGHT, but this year we will end up with the loser of the Yankees and Red Sox, arguably the best two teams in the Majors, playing a ONE game playoff with a lesser team. I get wanting people to latch on to temporary excitement, but let’s not forget about the 162 games that are played and the record the teams earn from that. This year will be the most unfair.
- Mike Trout got the weekend where everyone else outside of Anaheim and New Jersey/Philly said “this guy is pretty good I hear.” His stats are staggering. His class is charmed. His skills are obvious. Find a way to make Mike Trout popular, because baseball, and the playoffs, need him.
- We had two teams in the last four that had never won a World Cup. We ended up with those teams losing. Good run by all. But, France has won it before, and played methodical, unexciting but efficient soccer. They are young, they not hit their peak, and somehow had the most harmless path to the Final coming our of that hellish bracket. Very, very impressive.
- Wimbledon: Serena missed a big chance on this one. But Kerber prevailed in impressive fashion. The women’s game showed more inconsistency than it ever has, and no one seems to truly want to be the next great one. Djokovic rose again, and a two semi-final matches thrilled us on the men’s side. Nadal and Federer were once again near the end not showing their age, but suddenly did exactly that. It was an odd championship, but immortal as it always is.
- The anthem debate is back. I agree with Jerry Jones that Trump should not chime in this much, but disagree on what he wants his players to do. Don’t be THAT guy, Jerry (well, more than you already are). I have an idea. Don’t make a rule. Let the players do what they want, or go back to keeping them off the field during the anthem. You can’t have it all, rules. This is a freaking free country. I don’t mind the “distraction” of what a player does during the song, and am more proud of this country if we continue to let them show whatever they feel the need to show. Regulation is strangulation in this case.
- It is where golf began. It is THE Open. It is a Major but has a course that make perfectionist non-golfers groan. It is beautiful in its imperfection. It is transparent and makes you earn every single day. It allows you to go low, but when angry, will throw weather at you that inflates scores like a hot air balloon. Whether it is old chasing new, flip flopping scores, or the seemingly boring and par efficient guy only nailing a MONSTER birdie to show us the shot of the tourney, it is something to marvel at. I LOVE Major golf. So should you.
WEEK-FISH (or two week fish):
- The MLB ASG Home Run Derby was exciting. I watched it while in Vero Beach. And great that the home guy won it, and the guy I stole my closing statement from (clown), but I will say this. Bryce Harper must not watch interviews of himself OR just really be a jerk. Because he really DOES come across as a jerk during interviews. You got a guy who is marketed right and left in Bryce who no one likes and who trots lazily to first base sometimes, and you have the best player in baseball, of our generation, and maybe even of all time when all is said and done being classy, nice, likeable, and being known by only about 20% of households (actual stat).
- The MLB trade deadline is upon us. The Yankees made the first big splash, making the rich richer. But, this isn’t the old way of doing things for the Yankees. They are doing it the RIGHT way. I guess the Dodgers have taken over for simply purchasing talent and names. Anyway, it is one thing to solidify your bullpen before the dog days of summer are upon us. It is a whole other thing to pick up a guy like Zach Britton when your bullpen is already one of the best in baseball.
- The Dodgers added a big name in Machado. I am not necessarily a hater, and not am being all pro home team in Denver, but I think it would be HILARIOUS if they added him and didn’t even make it out of their own division. Not likely, but not totally unlikely either. Look at that division race.
- British Open Thoughts:
- Why was Tiger the lead story the day after? Just naming two, ESPN and the USA Today, and his picture was front and center, and the story was about him. Now, I get that I am one of the biggest Tiger Woods fans in the world. But, we have to draw the line. The story was about a new country claiming a Major, a player who is the hottest in golf, a player who is well-liked by masses and other players, and a player who did what he had to do to win a Major. Ignore the hoopla, focus on what needs to be done, make pars all day long, let the rest of the leaderboard go up and down, and nail that ONE BIG SHOT that seals it. Molinari did all of those things perfectly.
- I find it less impressive that Molinari won the whole thing than the fact he did it on a Sunday playing with the Tiger Woods fan base traveling with him for 18 holes. To tune out that whole thing when you have no Major win is harder than any of us can ever imagine.
- Jordan Spieth made a note to the media how hard it was to give the trophy away in the parking lot, but surprised he was at the top several times and still found a way to give it away. Very surprised.
- At one point, Tiger was moving up the leaderboard, and Spieth was at the top. We haven’t had much of that since Tiger went into a slump. It was magical, special, old vs. new, and I hope we get it again for the next one.
- I would say the end was anti-climatic, as it was, but I can’t really complain. As I just mentioned, there is always a SHOT that obtains, not backs into, the trophy. His approach on the final hole was that shot. It took the wind out of watching the last guys come in, but you really can’t argue with a guy closing the deal.
- My flight got cancelled coming back from Florida. As soon as I knew there was no other way back, I took care of work emails, ran to the beach to jump in, and then ran a little faster back to my hotel room to not enjoy the resort we were staying at and enjoy an hour or two of Major golf in my hotel room.
- Sunday was tough for me to watch. I had two horses in the race on longshot bets, both Tiger and Kisner, and they both had it, and lost it in their own special way.
- I FINALLY let myself get sucked into picking #1 golfer Dustin Johnson in a golf pool, and he doesn’t even make the cut. Thanks, DJ. Since you will not be on my team for the PGA Championship, I can only assume you will win it and ruin me that way.
- Justin Rose showed up again. You want Major consistency lately? That guy is in the mix in some way each time these days.
- Eddie Pepperell became a side story by admitting to being hung over for the final round. Fun story. It would probably be more fun for Eddie if we were just talking about a random PGA event we were talking about. Dude, suck it up and don’t booze for four days. This isn’t Tin Cup. That fancy background music isn’t playing in the background.
- Tiger showed glimpses he will win won, and is already at 16-1 odds for the last Major. My thing is this. Besides being older, when he moves up the leaderboard, other players aren’t self-destructing like they used to. Swagger is limped now, and when he wins one, he will have to absolutely earn every single part of it.
- World Cup Thoughts:
- Belgium got a little lippy on France after losing to them in the semi-finals. Why? Sure, Belgium, you play flashy and exciting soccer, but winning is winning. The Spurs were boring in play and personality, the Ravens never allowed exciting points to be scored, and the Devils made life miserable in between zones, but they won, and you can’t argue with opportunistic play.
- That being said, and I was out of town and not on my computer for a day, but the one bet I wish I COULD have snagged was taking Belgium in that third place game. You knew they were going to come out on fire and go pedal to the medal after their France comments.
- You think the Warriors being the unsaid winners next year in the NBA is boring? Well, let me tell you. The big worry about France was how young they were. Their young star got with Pele in the record books for being the youngest player to score in a World Cup Final. Basically, and what I am saying is that France will most likely be BETTER in four years.
- On that note, who are your 2022 favorites? Brazil, Germany, France.
- I had Germany over France in the final if you recall before the World Cup. I had one totally locked on, and one totally WAY OFF.
- I was at Disney during the final, and I must say this. Given the large international demographic at Disney on a Sunday morning over the summer, I thought I was going to have a lot of company finding TV’s at bars to watch the match. I was wrong.
- Fear not, USA fans. Christian Pulisic will be our Pele in the next one. I am half joking. He is a stud, but we need some other players to be dangerous. Not sure we have that right now, and the ones we trust will be four years older. We have that known problem of the best athletes going to baseball, football, or basketball.
- Wimbledon
- Serena Williams was kind of like England in the World Cup. The road was PAVED to her liking. Top ten players dropped like flies in the early rounds. Clear path, and blew it at the end. But, let’s give Kerber some credit too. When you only commit FIVE unforced errors, you are going to beat a LOT of people.
- Too funny on the men’s side. JUST when you could say the final match didn’t involve old guys Federer and Nadal, the OTHER older player steps in and takes it. Djokovic got a probably winded still Mr. Anderson, and he took care of business. Not sure how you disappeared after one of the most dominant years in tennis years ago, but welcome back.
- I thought when John Isner finally broke through, it WOULD be in a long match like he was in during the semi-finals. That being said, I thought he would WIN that long match when the time came. He did not.
- 26-24. I don’t want to change the rules because of the length of the match. I want to change the rules SIMPLY because it isn’t fair for the next match. I lobby for these rules. In the fifth set of anything but the final match, play a tiebreaker to 15 and not 7. In the final, let them play it out and win by two in games. Anderson had nothing left.
- Change the World Cup penalty kick rule while we are at it. Either move it back 10 feet or find another way.
- NBA Summer League ends. Now, everyone who is NOT an NBA fan or basketball fan can stop asking us basketball fans A) what are we watching B) why are we watching it.
- Do I agree with players from Louisville fighting their lost title? I typically wouldn’t, but if I am Luke Hancock, who looks the exact opposite of any type of cheater or reckless recruiting antics guy, then I am PISSED and suing everyone in sight.
- I am enjoying the moment as the cliché says I should, but what I am really excited for is for PacMan Jones to get older and bitter, and then REALLY start some rumbles at places like airports with random people. THAT will be fantastic.
- PacMan Jones in airport fights and Ryan Lochte…just being Ryan Lochte.
- I called it in a tweet a while back. When the Lakers got McGhee, Rondo, and Stephenson, I said the perfect world would be to get Beasley. I didn’t really mean to be prophetic, but man is that squad fun. The Lakers brass trying to explain their rationale in picking those guys was as entertaining as listening to Bill Walton announce a basketball game.
- Just kidding. Nothing is as entertaining as listening to Bill Walton announce a basketball game.
- Tim Tebow:
- In Eastern League ASG
- On DL
- Done for season
- Please tell me we are done with Tebow updates for a while. I will go to church this weekend if that is what it takes.
- WSOP:
- Pocket kings lost to pocket aces to get to the final table, and that is Rounder stuff right there folks. And it you have never seen the movie Rounders, than I will allow you, and actually coax you, to stop reading this rubbish and go watch that movie.
- 5 hours and 199 hands is a LOT of hands to be playing the same person for $8 million for no matter how you slice it. Although I guess KGB and Mike did the same thing…just playing for life or death.
- So, Isaiah Thomas is happy to be on the Nuggets but yet saying he would be happy to be a Celtic again and that he doesn’t hold grudges. Year rentals are typically with a winner where the team benefits. Guess the Nuggets have the opposite…a rental where there will be no title and the player just wants a healthy year to go chase a title.
- I don’t hate Terrell Owens for doing his own thing and breaking the Canton trend. That being said, I just thought he could do ONE thing by the book before we closed the door on him.
- NBA moves:
- Kawhi to the Raptors:
- I remember trades where one player was unhappy. I remember trades where players are neutral. I don’t remember a trade between playoff teams where BOTH players seem miserable.
- Kawhi was even CONSIDERING playing for USA Basketball? He does know who is on that staff, right?
- I won’t judge the state of mind of Kawhi, but I will say this. I don’t care which walk of life you come from, if The Admiral calls, you call him back pronto.
- Even Michael Jordan kicked him out of his shoe brand.
- Melo to the Hawks. This is temporary as we all know, and just waiting to find out which team he wrecks the title chance of.
- With or without Melo, did the Rockets get worse? No Luc. No Trevor. Adding the Black Hole possibly.
- Moments when you either need to pinch yourself or pick up a letter and write free hand the NBA personally. Process this. Zach Lavine and Jabari Parker BOTH make $20 mil per year. That is disgusting.
- I thought Marcus Smart would jump ship, to be honest. And, I am not totally sure I would have tried to keep him if I were the Celtics. But, this is a perfect example of basketball chemistry and we don’t see the practices. Don’t rock the boat when you have a mix that works, and the Celtics were a game away from the Finals. Might as well keep the chemistry intact.
- You can say the Cavs wanted to pay someone something to let the fan base know they are trying to win. You can say that him not needing athleticism to be good is a factor. You can whatever you want. I still find it odd that the Cavs would pay Kevin Love when it seemed like they were complaining about him for years with LeBron.
- Kawhi to the Raptors:
- Lindsey is at Red Rocks tonight, meaning there is a better than average chance that there are more people in the rain there than at a Marlins game any time in the next week.
- Chase Utley announced he will retire. He was part of an AWESOME squad that delivered a World Series. He was the full package at 2B and probably would have been legendary if not hampered by injuries. And LOVE that the Philly fans knew all of this and gave him a standing O in his first game back at their crib (and last unless there are playoff games). Maybe they are still high from the Super Bowl or Nova win, but great to see and they are obviously saving extra energy for Santa Claus this year.
- I am pretty sure the Tour de France is still going on, but not sure. Maybe it is done. Actually, who cares. Thanks, Lance, for ruining everything.
- Bell didn’t get a deal with the Steelers, which kills me in a way. Meanwhile, the Rams paid their back (though younger) MUCHO money as a contract extension. I still think Bell was being a little greedy, but at least I know he will be playing his hardest this year for money if it is not for his team. Weird though. Maybe him and Kawhi can make a dual rap album. Julio Jones wants in also.
- Gurley got $45 million in guaranteed money. I get overpaying a RB to make a statement. I still say draw that line in guaranteed money unless you are just paying whoever whatever.
- By the way, with what the Rams have now shelled out (some needed now, some not), they are left with Aaron McDonald, who is a guy they kind of HAVE to pay, right? Of all of their guys who need to be rewarded, pretty sure he earned it the most.
- I mean, the Rams signed Brandin Cooks without even really playing, right?
- In case you are worried about the financial state of the NFL, know that they shelled out $255 million…to EACH team…in revenue sharing.
- I can’t keep track anymore. Did LaVar already say he could beat LeBron in one on one? That was MJ. His stupidness is actually confusing me a little I guess.
- I love baseball. I am ok with baseball cards. And I love Mickey Mantle of course. But that little piece of paper fetching MILLIONS is a little beyond me.
- I want to be the holder of that card, or more honestly, the person holding that $552 million Mega-Lotto ticket bought from a liquor store.
- Hader sending tweets. Hader getting standing o when returning somehow. Almost as bad.
- Revis retires. He was smart with his money and had an island named after him. I would say all in all he did it ok.
- There are penalties for being on PTO in warm Florida. I won’t even fake knowing what happened on the ESPY’s. I will say I am glad Jim Kelly got an award and is also cancer free.
- I assume Denver Nuggets brass prepared themselves for an injury down the line for Michael Porter. I assume they didn’t expect surgery to happen within two months though.
- Do you know whose life does NOT suck? Nick Foles. Dude is a legend for winning the Super Bowl, now has to do nothing except be a backup while getting paid well, and he trumps Mr. Brady and everyone else in jersey sales as of last week.
- Looking for motivation or reason why Johnny Manziel got traded besides that he might have pissed off the locker room already? I got you. Mike Sherman (the coach who brought him to A&M) is on the staff in Montreal.
- Neat that the Cards had two youngsters get seven innings in two separate games of no hit ball. What I really want to know is more on why someone would take a Spanish explorer and compress his WHOLE name into just the last name of their kid. Poncedeleon…
- The Phils are still in first, and I am between elation, denial, and nervousness.
- Wade is offered $25 million to go play in China. Why not, man? Well, IF you need the cash. I assume you don’t. You are just sort of tarnishing your legacy by slowly wilting away playing, so why not go to a foreign country and take over the lead role from Marbury?
- I don’t mind ESPN releasing all of these “tiers” for QB’s. What I mind is that some of them are put in a tier based on athletic ability, or a six game sample size.
POP CULTURE/FILLERBUSTER:
- I would have bet against me. The microwave is right outside in the garage. But, I still haven’t needed/used microwave at home. I am seeing how long I can actually go.
- I think that poker chip noise should be added any white noise app.
- Did you know????? At one point two weeks ago, Drake had 7 of the top 10 Billboard songs, and all 25 of his songs in the top 100. That is a little insane, people. Reminds me of when Madonna overtook pretty much everything. Yes, us 80’s people are really proud of that. I guess we couldn’t hear past our neon shirts with the collar up on.
- Two new cargo shorts are now in the stable folks. One classy, one practical. My wife can say she hates them, but once again on our trip, when venturing out, I was tested with how many of her things I could carry without using a backpack.
- At the company meeting for FWI, it reminded me how much I love free food. It also brought up a question that has always nagged me. What is the proper method for getting grapes off a buffet tray? I can’t figure it out. I usually ask for scissors. Don’t you either end up being the guy who gets the grapes all one by one, or the guy who fingers half the group trying to put that pressure on the stem to break it off?
- I chuckled out loud when I read about the guy who broke into a building and then couldn’t figure out how to rob it and leave. The building was an escape room.
- Incredibles II was decent. I don’t think any follow up cartoon movie can be monumental, I thought it did its job, and I would see it if I was you. I threw away my notes.
- Uber buys Lime Scooters and that makes me insanely happy as I need them back in Denver. Perfect for too close for Uber but too far for walking.
- Netflix gets more Emmy nods than HBO first time this century. But, Game of Thrones still got 22 so all is fine in the world. I actually am surprised by GOT getting so many awards. I love the show, and it is awesomeness, but considering I could tear each episode consistently down with multiple errors, I am surprised that flies with the Emmy decision makers.
- I can break down all of my trip receipts and wonder what I should and shouldn’t have bought, but I know this. I saved a LOT of money being out of town and not wanting to go online for Amazon Prime Day.
- Well, for workout songs, I went through a phase with Lifelines by I Prevail. I went through my phase with Waking Lions by Pop Evil. And now I have a new recruit. Pretty sure this Sevendust song is the best song ever for the next three weeks and my favorite workout tune right now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLKp7bG–os
- I am hearing that they are apparently putting part of I-70 underground outside downtown Denver and glad to know they are working on adding to the brilliance of those lit up road signs on the way to airport on Pena Blvd.
- I think I put it in my links, but this is my favorite video of the week. Billy Joel getting a kid from Vandy up on stage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WNW1OfTVdM
- I am hearing that there is a new Cheerios out there. I find it impossible that this new thing can beat out the best tasting cereal ever…regular Cheerios.
- I am an Android guy, and now a Google guy for phone, but I will admit that the new portrait feature on the iPhone IS pretty cool. Lindsey’s friend in Orlando had one.
- It is official, people. The LAST Blockbuster store is in left in…Bend, OR. I guess I can finally throw away my combo VHS-DVD player that is sitting in the garage.
- I neglected to read the intimate details of the NFL schedule. I knew that the Steelers-Broncos played in Denver. I did NOT put together that that game is on my actual birthday. Guess it will be great or really, really suck with no middle ground.
- Don’t feel pressured to read this blog. Don’t think I will be mad if you take a break or forget. I found out my mom and dad haven’t checked into this thing since I started the new format…since like the beginning of the year.
- Two items I will never forget again at a beach town:
- Snorkel
- Frisbee
- Are movie reviews for MI Fallout real? Is this going to be a good movie? Well, I am bothered by ridiculously fake scenes where there is no way the character survived. I counted four just in the trailer, so I assume I will hate it regardless. Glad I have MoviePass and it is “free.”
- I don’t miss newspapers exactly. But, I kind of DO miss reading the league leaders in the newspaper for like an hour.
- Linds and I have a new food (and financial) system that you all should do also. If in doubt of present hunger or portion size, we just split the entrée.
- I need a new name for this pop culture section. I will find one.
- I personally think the Sling commercials are freaking hilarious and chuckle most time they come on. Swingers/Slingers…that is funny.
- My ex-bartender tips for tipping because I am ex-service industry, although it is not great on your budget.
- Divide by 3 if great service that you will tell the manager about
- Divide by 4 if good service
- Divide by 5 if bad service and just write a note to clear your thoughts. These people work for tips and it is not funny when you low ball them.
- Try not to be confused by South Beach tipping-it is confusing to say the least when trying to leave more but writing much, much less. I always just confirm the total tip is what I think it is.
- The White Claw storm continues in my house:
- Drinking white claw in a hotel room even beat out a walk on the beach one time during trip.
- Bracelets are now my must buy in beach towns:
- Not sure if I wanted it to be a “search,” but it became my obsession and I have a new recruit on my wrist. Wave based since water is king.
- Got an extra neck one too though
- Yes, I still woke up on vacation at 6am for work emails. My wife loves when I do that.
- I think the hardest part of not working out on vacation for seven days is coming back and not hurting yourself, as my first two this week I had to be careful not to try and get everything back in one shot.
- We passed by, at a festival, a booth with a BLOW-UP paddleboard. I want my money back on the monster one I bought my wife but that takes about 20 minutes to wind proof and level it for transportation. Blow up paddleboard.
- I seem to request The Marshall Tucker Bar Band-Can’t You See wherever I go with any single guitarist with a classic song jive.
- No one in Key West knows who Widespread Panic is
- Lindsey seems to request Toto-Africa wherever we go, whether one guitarist or not.
- Linds and I prefer to find killer deals on nice resorts than just book cheaper hotels on trips.
- I can’t write an original tweet from my phone presently and it is killing me, as that is typically when I am brilliant
- It is much more fun coming back from a trip to full reimbursement like on company trips.
- We watched a Family Guy episode with Eat My Junk Peter theme, and a roller derby Meg theme and it was VERY funny.
- I think my new band is Nothing More now. I seem to dig all of their songs. Look at this gem. My workout songs are angry hard rock tunes, and this is a loving song with the same badassness. These guys are brilliant for what I want in a song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2JboYSFq8o
- I missed Whitesnake and Foreigner as A) it was the first night we were back and B) because the concert had Foreigner. Ahhh, I would be so dangerous with unlimited time and money.
- The apocalypse is officially upon us. Goldfish and Ritz crackers have been pulled from shelves because they have salmonella.
LINKS TO SAVE YOU TIME IN LIFE:
TWEET OF THE WEEK:
- Aaron Rodgers throw at golf event (not sure how to show video in this thing yet) See my tweet on July 13th.
- See my golf tweet on July 21st. Has video.
- See my NBA tweet on July 19th. Has video.
- But also…
ORLANDO/VERO BEACH/KEY WEST/MIAMI JOURNAL:
(This is non-required reading. Remember, I keep a log of all of my trips, so just sharing in case you need advice on what to do in certain cities. Disney/Orlando, Key West, Vero Beach, and Miami briefly covered here. Pretty much the note I put in my phone and not dressed up or edited.)
- Orlando
- Stayed with Lindsey’s friends, Joe & Sara
- The house: was stellar, and it is amazing, from a guy who just house shopped, what you get for money there and what you get in CO.
- Never played Fortnite: Joe had a gaming ROOM. I almost got to play this thing that has taken over MLB’ers. But it was not to be. Joe and I never played Fortnite.
- Rubik’s Cube: It was great to see someone as enthralled by the Rubik’s Cube as I was years ago. He was down to 1:40, right about where my brother was at. I couldn’t do my old time of 2:44. Actually, I couldn’t remember the last two moves and, like Fortnite, that didn’t get resolved either.
- Never got to drive a Porsche GT4: It was in the garage. Disney was a long day. Not test drive.
- Canvas: drinks by the lake where we just looked for alligators.
- Chroma: Fantastic meal. Tapas/ shared style.
- Keke’s café: Fell for the stuffed cream cheese French Toast.
- Fitting got a LARGE OJ in Florida
- I will have to come back, Joe. Rubik’s, Fortnite, and the CAR.
- The Villages-apparently, there is an old folks home in Orlando that is a bunch of people just having one nighters (or dayers) constantly.
- The driving: everyone is horrible, and it is like a driving test all over again.
- The weather
- Humidity: I love my dry CO weather more than ever now after the reminder that you could take a full shower and change clothes about 4 times a day easy.
- Rain: reminded me that it rains sometimes all the time, sometimes all at once, and happens often.
- Disney Springs
- This is basically a fake beach town without the ocean.
- Blaze Pizza: this was highly ranked in Orlando overall, but I assume that is just a lot of people rating Disney and getting pop-ups.
- Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar: cool place where we grabbed a drink.
- Golf Cart: I miss places where driving around in golf carts is totally normal.
- Swamps: I saw large areas with no houses, and then remembered that is because there was a swamp there.
- Gators: constantly on the lookout and probably one place I wouldn’t randomly go for lake swims.
- Lakes everywhere: and there are tiny lakes everywhere.
- Publix: their grocery store-not sure how this made it on the list.
- SunPass: I met a software guy on the trip who finally explained to me how the toll pass things catch your plate so easily. They don’t. They take lightning fast pics of it back to back, and then have a software that pieces it back together. And they miss a lot. But they weigh the toll into what they will miss, and some guy is working on this around the clock for cost-analysis.
- Florida has a Silver Alert and I thought that was kind of funny.
- Jupiter is cooler and of course more expensive. Not sure how that one town was so much cooler than everything north and south.
- Disney Day
- Hollywood Studios
- Aerosmith Roller Coaster: It was sort of like a Space Mountain with cooler tunes.
- Tower of Terror: Drop fun. Multiple drops and ups and downs. It was great aside from getting stuck in it and a chick puking in the elevator we were in.
- Star Tours: Dumb fun. Motion oriented seats linked up with 3-D effects and Star Wars action.
- Toy Story Land: We walked in to see a bunch of lines, but couldn’t escape the path of the green Army Crayon guys, so headed out.
- Magic Kingdom
- Pirates of Caribbean: I didn’t know that the film was actually based on this ride and not the other way around. Slower than I expected, but neat.
- Blue Thunder Mountain: Moderately fun roller coaster-knock it out early.
- Splash Mountain: Pretty fun log flume, which every loves. Last drop was shorter than I thought.
- Do not go to Magic Kingdom and expect bars. We used 30 minutes of our day finding Linds and Joe a sit down place to get beers with lunch. The other Disney parks have lots of spots, but Magic Kingdom is at the other extreme.
- Haunted Mansion: Two person ride that just turns you a lot. But, it was cool in temperature so a good escape.
- Jungle Cruise: Just a dumb boat on a track that goes by fake animals. Go on if less than a 20 minute wait only.
- Space Mountain: It was cool. Better when I was 13, but cool still.
- Animal Kingdom
- Expedition Everest: Newest roller coaster and it was pretty awesome. Forwards, backwards, and plenty of spins. Highly recommend.
- Dinosaur: Kind of like the Indian Jones one from Disneyland I am told. Fast moving with really cool sculpted dinosaurs and effects.
- Safari: The animals looked happier as they had more and natural looking space.
- River Rapids: Typical big raft that you get soaked on.
- Primevil Whirl: Twisty and turny and looks boring and just a ride wait filler until you get on it.
- Did not wait on Avatar ride: you have to pick and choose your battles.
- Hollywood Studios
- Fantasmic Water show: Not as good as the Magic Kingdom fireworks, but wasn’t going back to that birth control kid hell.
- We did a LOT in one day. Not sure you can, or want to, top it.
- Hollywood Studios
- Disney summary
- What is scary is that there is still lots of land to expand to for the Disney Corporation. You can see all of the open land from the buses.
- Staff is all happy and like a year-round, non-golf Masters staff.
- Weak security: if you are a weirdo and want to sneak stuff into kid infested Disney.
- Fastpass is very well done
- You still need to gamble a little on strategy and timing or rides, but overall, giving everyone three choice rides in a day to ride at a certain TIME is kind of smart. We had no problems, and the pass is worth what you pay.
- I didn’t even request to go to ESPN.
- On everything except for the Jungle Cruise, Disney makes long lines look interesting.
- Amusement Park Timeline Regression Syndrome (APTRS): when you become numb to wait times and late in day say “it is only a 25 minute wait?”
- What if aliens are watching us at amusement parks for research? That would be some scary results. “Humans like short-lived devices that bring them back to same place they left.”
- Prices were fair overall: there was a $5 ice cream sandwich and $3 water was everywhere with fountains to refill.
- Aquatica next time, along with Blizzard and half day at Epcot.
- Vero Beach/Mom/Dad
- Costa Resort
- This place was great. I have to keep moving, so descriptions might get shorter. Just leaving a phrase that reminds me about it.
- Waldo’s
- Good painkiller, old school place in tourist land
- Beach
- Nothing special, but not too shabby either
- Bobby’s
- Our favorite spot, and somewhere where some retired professional sports guy or communist can stroll into
- Lemon Tree breakfast
- Good, and apparently highly rated in Vero Beach
- Mulligan’s lunch
- Could be classified as tourist food, but the seafood still tasted like almost freshly caught seafood. I live in CO so I have to reach.
- Applebee’s dinner
- My parents love this place now. Had the mac and cheese.
- Just looked in Grind N Grape
- Told her it would be popping. Apparently on any night BUT Tuesday nights.
- No jigsaw puzzle with my parents, as I assume the strategy and process are a process I would probably interrupt.
- Costa Resort
- The Drive
- National Rent A Car Emerald
- Having me pick one car from a row of all different cars is tough for me, but fun
- The Toyota Rav4
- Decent vehicle. The AC was fantastic I will say.
- The Fish House Key Largo bisque fish dip snapper
- We stopped at the Fishhouse in Key Largo. The lobster bisque, fish dip I will vouch for, but wasn’t impressed by the snapper.
- Cracker Barrel
- Lindsey had never been. I think once we knock out Red Lobster, we knock out all of the mainstream places most of us have never met anyone who hasn’t visited.
- The 7 Mile Bridge
- Coolest part of the drive to Key West. I think it is the True Lies bridge.
- Listening to Jimmy Buffet on drive in
- Going into his crib, you might as well roll with his playlist. My suitemates and I were hooked on him as a freshman in college, and happy to say I already checked off seeing him live way back when.
- Your wife is hot
- Road sign ad for an AC company I noticed while driving
- Enchanted Florist
- Not that I plan on getting into the flower business, but I would name my shop this if I did.
- Glam rock during initial section to wake UP
- I was sleepy. Linds changing the channel to glam rock woke me up like a Red Bull.
- Key West
- Linds said it best. It is a beachy New Orleans
- I have weird humor, but I thought arriving in Key West at exactly 5pm was very funny and ironic.
- Hemingway contest:
- Uber driver was Hemingway contestant once
- Wally, the head auctioneer, asked for my phone when we first walked up to bar, as he lost his. It was in his back pocket we found out.
- Wally became a Papa in 2014.
- Papa means he won.
- It is literally a global, once a year meet up of 142 guys who think they act like and look like Ernest Hemingway. It is a big deal down there.
- Meeting Wally’s son:
- Met Wally’s son that night, and he is apparently staying on the same career path, as he was the only finalist entered as a YOUNG Errnest Hemingway.
- Missed arm wrestling contest
- It was on Sunday. Kind of sad.
- They are very serious. They don’t even like people advertising themselves as Papa whatever. You have to earn that title before putting it before your name.
- Running of Bulls
- Literally, it is all of the old guys walking down a street with a few of them riding bulls
- Green Parrot
- Adjective-animal, so one of my favorite places
- Dri fit purchase: I even made my one clothing purchase Green Parrot related-of course it was a dri fit
- Slide guitar: Great bands here all three nights, and the slide guitar guy was a highlight.
- Eyes of the World: They didn’t know who Widespread Panic was, but one fo the bands played the Dead classic I love so much.
- Just missed Zac Brown
- We left at about 1045 one night. Apparently, Zac came onstage randomly at 1105 or so.
- We went to the Parrot all three nights at some point.
- Irish Kevin’s
- We got Sweet Child and Queen back to back, so we had fun that night.
- We went again on Sunday afternoon, and the OWNER was up there playing guitar (there are three Kevin’s that own the place) and it was great and so funny.
- I had a note on my list that said “Wife didn’t recognize The Gambler”
- Margaritaville
- Touristy, and I wouldn’t hang out there if I was Jimmy Buffet.
- sunset key boat mansions
- Not sure what that means
- Hemingway House
- Linds might be a future cat lady and the place had 50 of them to find…along with…you know…looking at his house.
- The Boathouse (not on map) appetizers happy hour
- This is the legendary place not on any maps or internet, and the food tasted like it came right out of the ocean hours before.
- The Little Pearl dinner-one of best meals ever
- AND it included pot pie, which I hate
- I don’t even know what scallops really are
- They folded my napkin while in bathroom
- It was fantastic and a must visit place for a great meal
- Lack of activity (we did a more sedentary vacation this time around, mainly because the shark dive was booked, most places to dive were booked, and the one that had openings wanted a three hour refresher on scuba diving)
- No jet ski
- No booze cruise
- No deep sea fishing
- No sharks
- No reef
- No shipwreck
- Will be getting Denver refresher pronto to alleviate this possible future problem-I don’t go on vacation to get scuba refreshers
- Southernmost US point
- Can’t really get to it, but you can see it
- Running of Chihuahuas
- Yes, there was a race in Durty Harry’s where they raced the tiny dogs
- Drinks I like
- Jai Lai IPA
- Shipyard IPA
- Landshark (well, this is just the standby PBR down there)
- Bobby’s Monkey Bar happy hour drink
- Gay visitors center: very cool they have one of these
- T-Mobile coverage is NOT good in Key West and Southern Florida as my wife found out
- Key West Distillery
- Did the mini-tour
- Roosters everywhere
- Golden Tee: rediscovered my love for the bar game in an unlikely place
- Bien
- Worth the short walk
- Magical sandwich with misters on you
- One of my favorite meals there or ever…
- Stopped by book store where Judy Bloom works
- Turns out she is in on Sundays
- Sunset Tiki Bar-Galleon
- The perfect place to catch the sunset-highly recommend
- Garbo’s for lunch
- Magical fish taco-it is a food truck with an inside bar-highly recommend
- Alonzo’s for happy hour drink
- Very touristy and would not recommend
- Half Shell Bar-GREAT bar that has locals outside
- Jimmy Buffet probably was in the corner HERE
- The pier
- Cool place for photos
- Hot lips are jalapeno poppers-didn’t know that
- Linds said Half Shell was best place for oysters
- I ate an oyster (fried) but still ate an oyster
- Schooner Wharf Bar
- GREAT bar-good painkillers
- Fed fish, offered fish
- Mary Ellen’s
- Chris Toler-amazing guitarist and vocalist
- AND could rap
- Did What is Love and made it enjoyable
- Makes me glad I didn’t pursue music if this guy didn’t make it
- Lived in Glenwood Springs at one time
- Rick’s
- Linds got up and played cymbal-Toto-Africa
- Ricks was my last trip home base (spring break)
- Looping more than I have ever seen on guitar
- Pot outside of CO-FL is so different. People like hide in alleys, whereas we are used to seeing it outside in public regularly
- Still watched Back to the Future late night one night
- What a great movie that is
- Blue Heaven brunch
- Shrimp Benny is what I had-highly recommend
- Good beach bars are a maze, outside, and have sand on floor
- Street festival: bought my beads
- Some pool time but warm water
- Sunset Key
- Sloppy Joe’s: classic Key West bar, but a little touristy these days
- La Concha: place in Key West I would stay again
- Great resort in general
- Great location in between what you need
- Bug bites-heard a lot
- Lindsey got bit so much that she talked to a mosquito tent at festival
- Humidity-heard a lot
- Heartburn-heard a lot
- La Grignote
- Brunch-would recommend
- The beach-Fort Zachary
- Apparently better than Higgs Beach, and we were NOT impressed.
- Rocky
- Hot water
- Not blue, blue water
- The kids park by Fort Zachary was the most treasured part of the hot day, and we successfully left the water park before being pegged as child molestors.
- Lobster bisque multiple times
- Mangoes happy hour drink
- Good place in good location, but not a local spot
- Would rethink my bachelor party for Key West or Cabo I think
- Apparently better than Higgs Beach, and we were NOT impressed.
- Miami
- Key West airport
- Nothing but hot dogs after 5:55pm for dinner-just a heads up
- The Airport Flyer-Miami Airport-We used this from airport to South Beach and it is a good system and $2.65.
- Late dinner
- Staying at hotel with #1 dinner place Diez Y Seis
- INCREDIBLE
- Steak, corn
- Highly Recommend
- Miami “elevator” and hotel music much more lively-almost irritatingly so
- The Shore Club
- Wasted space in walk in shower, but decent room
- The beach
- Hotel pool parties drowned out sound on Sunday
- The pool: cool pool….both of them
- The pool party: every hotel I think is trying to outdo their volume in fun and volume
- The cancelled flight: first bad experience with Southwest in a WHILE
- Less places for a quick bite in 19th and 20th street range in South Beach
- Playa Café lunch-pics for 50 food dishes-great-hidden gem
- Rain-true thunderstorm
- Sweet Liberty
- Bar nearby we almost didn’t go to: #27 of all bars in globe, and top ranked bar staff in mixology also
- Learned I like corn if esquites or elotes
- Flight home-brand new Southwet plane-nothing exciting to look forward to
- I would die without Early Bird seating
- INCREDIBLE
- Staying at hotel with #1 dinner place Diez Y Seis
- Key West airport
- Chris Toler-amazing guitarist and vocalist
- National Rent A Car Emerald
- Stayed with Lindsey’s friends, Joe & Sara
Want to see the 400 pics from my trip? Just ping me.
Happy Birthday, Joseph.
SUMMARY:
And before I see Philly fans do anything surprisingly nice for anyone, I will check out.
That’s it, folks. Hope you enjoyed or at least are more informed. Will I blog again? That is a CLOWN question, bro. Peace.
In case you care, these are the fish I threw back in the pond…
| THROW IT BACK |
| Lue Walton meet for breakfast |
| Brandon browner arrested |
| giants dl aj francis mothers ashes spilled by tsa |
| usc wins vs. sarkisian in firing case |
| panthers get new owner |
| posey will miss asg |
| boys 2nd year white arrested gun charges |
| Juventus ronaldo |
| wsop worst background watching-need to see cards |
| lightning sign kucherov |
| knicks-lakers comeback giveaway-nba sl |
| leSean mcCoy’s girlfriend beaten robbed in burglary-mccoy accused |
| lots of club league movement |
| magic waited hour in car for lebron |
| indians phone issue-op or ot |
| Someone at work was giving out cheese-magical |
| highlands tap sloans |
| king of LA mural vandalized again |
| papa john’s founder resigns UL trustees |
| Oakley arrested pulling Vegas chip |
| Ellington heat |
| Rooney mls welcome |
| lin to hawks |
| Daniel’s arrested strip club |
| boarding time says 4:50am |
| Amazon prime day needs |
| scratch burrito |
| Murray retires |
| Manny fight |
| Verlander Upton expecting child |
| winslow jr accused of rape in 2003 |
| faried finally off nuggets books-where does he fit? |
| Cavs bring back frye |
| cards nix matheny |
| Rooney assist in DC debut |
| Ray Emery drowns |
| David Johnson in camp |
| Kyle costa |
| Romo first Barkley last golf celebrity |
| straws turtles sudden movement |
| mile 22 |
| orgeron says bad hire canada |
| LeBron will not attend USA training camp |
| LeBron 98 rating as Lakers in nba 2019 |
| Randy Gregory reinstated |
| Liz campage 53 pts |
| cards gm suspended |
| Louie’s backyard |
| trump-ugghhh |
| cards seals Jones hotel bathroom |
| brown Madden cover |
| Titans Casey to still protest with anthem rules |
| skater ten killed |
| musburger new raider voice |
| unc coach cte |
| luck cleared |
| Ferrell backs out |
| uriji DeRozan apology |
| cards Matt carpenter mlb record 5 e.b. hits |
| Nico mannion reclassifies to 2019 |
| scherzer strasburg dugout scrum |
| A’s familia |
| cespedes surgery |
| paralyzed driver wins race |
| another LeBron mural vandalized |
| whose left nba free agency-capela? |
| ozil quits german team |
| over 450 blog ideas is scary looking |
| syndergaard sent down symptoms of hand, foot, mouth disease |
| wild sign dumba five years |
| Matt carpenter six straight games hr |
| Tony sparano dies 56 |
| mike Evans gives 11k to family |
| shark week |
| Gordon misses camp beginning counseling |
| i.t. Celts discussions |
| Tobias Harris turns down 5-80 clips |
| ferrell turns down offer |
| cubs fan steals ball from kid |
| madden puts rizzo in as pitcher down 6 |
| mayfield 4/32 mil |
| earl thomas won’t report-seahawks |
| hoodie Butler benching no info |
| nassar wants new judge |
| luckily free cookies, donuts, bagels, and cheese plate on a doulbe workout day |
