This week on the ‘Retro’ I’m remembering the Summer of 2005. It’s a Summer in which I was generally not a happy person. I was miserable at my workplace at the time, and I dreaded each new work day. I didn’t like my job, and I didn’t like the people that I worked with. I was full of hatred. Life away from work wasn’t much happier either. I had very few friends, and little to no social life. I had a cat that was showing significant signs of dying. My life was dying. It was a forgettable summer. I wondered why I even existed at the time.
I can think of two reasons why I managed to stay stable enough to not do anything dreadful – my cat Boots at home and my brother Danny over a thousand miles away. Boots totally depended on me. He carried my personality in a feline body. If I had gone away forever he would have died as well. My brother Danny is my best friend in the entire world. He’s known me longer than anyone else (aside from other family members), and he knows more about me than anyone else. He is the funniest person that I know, and he knows what makes us laugh out loud. If I had done something regrettable during that lost summer then he would have been devastated for the rest of his life. Luckily that summer was not the end for me. The following summer (of 2006) was the end for me – and the start of something brand new and miraculous – a rebirthing.
Back during that Summer of 2005 this song captured my mood, my feelings, and my life at the time. It’s in the lyrics – but it was not a ‘Fantastic Journey’.
– It’s 1:40 on this Thursday afternoon, and yet I’m already at home.
– That’s because I took a half a day off from work this afternoon.
– I left work and I immediately proceeded to Red Lobster.
– I’ve now eaten at a Red Lobster twice in less than 5 days.
– That’s twice as much as I had eaten there over the past decade !
– Memo To Self – Add Red Lobster to my weekly Lunch rotation.
– Today I enjoyed the ‘Chef’s Signature Lobster & Shrimp Pasta’.
– I got the Lunch portion of the most delicious dish.
– I should have gotten the full portion of it because it was ‘whole nutha level’.
– I also enjoyed a couple of their oh-so-tasty ‘Cheddar Bay Biscuits’.
– I could eat a dozen of those in a single sitting.
– After Lunch I went to Kohl’s and Bed Bath & Beyond, but I bought nothing.
– I went to Publix after that to do some grocery shopping.
– And here I am at my computer on my blog writing all about it.
– This past weekend was a weekend of firsts.
– I visited the Lion Country Safari for the first time in over 20 years.
– I visited Lake Okeechobee for the first time ever.
– I visited Ft. Pierce, Stuart, Jupiter, and West Palm Beach for the first time ever.
– I ate at Red Lobster for the first time in over a decade.
– I ate at Hooters for the first time in about 16 years.
– Their chicken wings were big and meaty and juicy.
– I saw comedian Jim Gaffigan LIVE in concert this past Sunday night.
– He performed his material for about 80 minutes, and it was crack-up city.
– Very few comedians make me giggle and chuckle as hard as he does.
– Much of his routine is about food – one of the funniest categories there is.
– I was hyperventilating in my seat laughing so hard at the dude.
– If you want to make me laugh then tell me some Jim Gaffigan jokes.
– I really enjoyed my 420-mile weekend road trip.
– I’ll be sure to return to the Treasure Coast area to visit other locales.
– My next three monthly vacations are already planned out.
– Two weeks from this afternoon I fly to Dallas Texas to visit my family.
– My niece – Taylor Lesley Day – is 9 days old today.
– I get to meet her for the first time when she’s 23 days old.
– In June I travel to the Springfield Massachusetts area for 5 days.
– It’s work-related, but I’ll still consider it to be a vacation.
– I’ve never been there before.
– In fact I’ve never set foot before in that entire New England region.
– For the 4TH Of July weekend I’ll continue an annual tradition.
– That tradition is to spend it with my family in sizzling hot Dallas Texas.
– I’ll have my next Carnival cruise vacation during Labor Day Week in Sept.
– That leaves August with no vacation planned thus far.
– Perhaps I’ll do another weekend road trip then.
– There’s still more animals to see and zoos to visit !
– This weekend I’ll be blogging my regular series.
– On Saturday it’s the ‘Retro’, and I’ll be remembering the Summer of 2005.
– ‘My Fantastic Journey: It’s In The Lyrics’ returns this Sunday May 02ND.
– Can you believe that the month of May is less than 33 hours away ?
– 2010 is flying by, so we must be having fun.
– Have fun my friends, and we’ll meet again this weekend.
The saga that is the flagship weekly series of this here blog continues now:
My Land, Lake, & Sea Adventure – So I left my home bright and early this past Saturday morning, and after brief pitstops at Chevron and Starbucks to fuel up (in more ways than one) I jumped on Florida’s Turnpike and headed north to Southern Boulevard (U.S. 98) in the West Palm Beach area. My first stop was the legendary Lion Country Safari in nearby Loxahatchee. It’s been there for as long as I’ve been alive – 43 years – but this was my first visit there in at least 20 years. I spent about 4 hours there, and I enjoyed every single minute of it. It’s fun to hang out with the lovable animals big and small. After the animal adventure I ventured over to the Big Lake Okeechobee for my first-ever up-close visit. I’ve seen it from way up in the sky in a jumbo jet, but never from the ground. It was quite the tranquil scene. Who knew that the lake had little mini waves brushing up against the rocky shoreline ? From the lake region I proceeded back to the Florida east coast. I ate Dinner at Red Lobster for perhaps the first time in about 16 years, and then I headed over to the Atlantic Ocean to check out Fort Pierce Inlet State Park which turned out to be a most surprising treat (and unbelievably not on my itinerary). I dig that joint ! The scenery was awesome and picturesque, and the beach was vast and beautiful. I could hang out there for hours on end on a future visit, and I probably will.
Lion Country SafariLake OkeechobeeFort Pierce Inlet State ParkFort Pierce Inlet State Park
Renaissance Community Church – This past Sunday morning I ventured over to the local movie theatre complex in the heart of Stuart Florida, and I was a First-Time Guest at Renaisance Community Church. I was immediately welcomed and introduced at the front door of the joint, and after that it was a near-continuous flow of welcomes and introductions from those who serve and lead there. They’ve been doing church in their movie theatre for about the same amount of time as us (at Life Pointe Church). The service itself was awesome. There was about 35 minutes of “Praise & Worship’, and the band itself could best be described as inspirational country rock. Think of four hair-challenged white dudes in their late-40s / early-50s with a younger female background vocalist that totally rocked my redneck face off. They were truly kool dudes, and the guitarist dude was totally ballistic like that. You could definitely determine his ultimate joy for Jesus. Lead Pastor Rick Evans preached the timely, relevant, and practical message, “Where To Get The Power You Need”. He taught from the following Scriptures out of The Truth: Job 6:10, 1 Corinthians 4:20, Psalm 68:35, Isaiah 40:28 & 31, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Psalm 41:3, Romans 7:18, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Philippians 4:13, Proverbs 29:23, John 15:5, 2 Timothy 1:7, Hebrews 11:1, 1 Corinthians 2:5, and Romans 8:17.
Jupiter Florida – After a scenic drive through Jupiter Island capped off by an educational visit to the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum on a warm and breezy Sunday afternoon I ventured down the road to the Burt Reynolds & Friends Museum which incidentally is certainly not the easiest place to find. It’s located in an odd-looking building that resembles a former office building complex that’s been converted one too many times through the years, and it’s located at a non-descript corner of an intersection that if you’re not really paying attention to where you’re going you’ll drive right past it without even noticing it at all. So I parked my car in the plain-looking parking lot right next to the main sign that identifies it as the museum. I walked up the sidewalk from that sign to what appeared to be the main entrance, and I walked right in to the museum. But the place was a mess inside. There was construction going on, loud tools being utilized by workers, and nobody in sight. As I began checking out the various displays on the walls and all around the construction areas I wondered if the joint was actually closed to the general public for repairs. But then I saw another dude and then a couple checking out the displays, so I was fine. The place was indeed open for business. Here’s the kicker though. As I eventually made my way around to the other side of the building I came across the real main entrance where two older ladies were welcoming the few visitors who entered – and also collecting their $5 admission charge ! After I made my way completely around the museum I introduced myself to one of the ladies at the front entrance. I explained to her that I had inadvertantly entered the building through the other (rear) entrance, and that I had just now realized the mistake I made when I saw visitors being warmly welcomed at the door that I didn’t enter through. I signed the visitor’s guestbook, paid my $5, thanked her for the fun time I had, and then left the museum through the main entry and exit. And that’s how I unintentionally broke in to the Burt Reynolds Museum on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I didn’t mean to do it. I’m a tourist. I can get away with doing crazy stuff like that.
– Let’s do this thing called the ‘Thursday Night Mini Thoughts’.
– These are my totally spontaneous thoughts at this time and in this space.
– Last night I found a couple of light bathroom items moved around.
– Right after that I heard a strange moving sound in my master bedroom.
– I didn’t know what it was, but I was looking for it.
– I decided that I had totally imagined the strange moving sound.
– I went back to my bathroom to brush my teeth.
– I brush my teeth nightly.
– Everyone should do that for a cleaner and healthier smile.
– Everyone should also bathe first thing in the morning.
– Cologne and perfume should be used after bathing – not in lieu of it.
– But anyway – but anyway – are ya ready for this – are ya ready for this.
– I’m sitting right here at my computer workstation after brushing my teeth.
– Suddenly I hear the vertical blinds behind me get tussled.
– I look down – and I see a little baby frog (or toad) down there.
– Everything made sense after that.
– I grabbed the frog and threw it out the front door.
– That’s what he gets for breaking in to my home and making me wonder.
– May he live happily ever after – outside.
– I think that’s the first frog that I’ve ever found in my home in nearly 15 years.
– This morning I seriously considered scheduling a Dr. Appt. for tomorrow.
– I looked up the symptoms of strep throat, but I ruled that out.
– This was one of the most painful sore throats I’ve felt in awhile.
– It’s slowly subsiding now, but now I have other cold symptoms.
– My eyes hurt, and in fact my whole face hurts.
– I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.
– My buddy Cold-EEZE is supporting me through this ordeal.
– I refuse to take cold medications.
– They do more damage than good.
– I prefer homeopathic remedies.
– Americans are hooked on drugs, and I prefer to be an outlier.
– I’ve got Life Group tonight – which I’m looking forward to (as always).
– Tomorrow is a non-blogging day.
– It’s also a self-imposed day off for me.
– That’s right – the weekend has already started for me !
– This Saturday night on the ‘Retro’ I’m rockin’ The KLF from 1992.
– Then on Sunday it’s ‘My Fantastic Journey’ on its new day.
– I’ve got the latest hip hop jam from my man B. Reith.
– Be sure to get back here this weekend for that kool music fun.
– You won’t regret it pal.
– Check you out laterzzz.
CountUp 