– As I begin these ‘Mini Thoughts’ it’s 1:38 PM CDT on a Friday afternoon.
– That makes this a delayed edition of the ‘Thursday Night Mini Thoughts’.
– I’m at my brother’s and sister’s-in-law home in dark and stormy North Texas.
– Showers and thunderstorms are slowly moving their way through the region.
– I’m just hoping that the power stays on as these heavy storms move through.
– Winds are occasionally gusting up to 40 MPH.
– It’s a good day to stay cool and dry inside.
– It’s a good day to play a competitive game of Scrabble and maybe some Uno.
– Uno is a longtime tradition with me and my brother dating back some 25 years.
– We may be playing a lot of Scrabble and Uno during this rainy weekend.
– The inclement weather is expected to continue for the duration of my visit.
– If I remember correctly it was like this last May when I visited here.
– May seems like the mini rainy season for North Texas.
– That’s fine, for when I return in July I’ll be able to experience sweltering heat.
– Speaking of sweltering heat – and a nice segue way …
– My flight out of Miami yesterday afternoon was more than 2 hours late.
– It actually arrived in Miami more than an hour late.
– We finally lifted up into the air at 5:25 PM EDT.
– That’s 2 hours and 20 minutes past the scheduled departure time.
– It was a smooth flight towards the northwest at 40,000 feet.
– It was in a Boeing 777.
– It was perhaps the nicest and most modern plane that I’ve ever flown in.
– I even sat in business class – no extra charge.
– I’ve never enjoyed as much arm room and leg room in any previous flight.
– It was a special and unexpected treat.
– The original 757 that was supposed to fly was replaced by this 777.
– I’m all for sudden replacements in aircraft when they are upgrades.
– We touched down at Dallas-Fort Worth at 6:53 PM CDT – nearly 2 hours late.
– It took a full hour – YES – 60 minutes – to eventually get to our gate.
– So my 5 PM arrival turned out to be an 8 PM arrival.
– That’s when I finally met my 23-day-old niece Taylor Lesley Day.
– She is as gorgeous in person as she is in pictures.
– Have you seen the latest pictures over on my Twitter account ?
– I hope that she loves me as her lovable uncle forever.
– We picked up a large Domino’s Pizza and ate it at home.
– I was so exhausted after about 11 hours of travel time.
– I actually slept pretty good last night on a foreign bed.
– This morning I woke up nice and refreshed.
– For Lunch today we picked up burgers and fries at Whataburger.
– There’s about three dozen Whataburgers in Florida – all in the panhandle.
– I don’t know what’s for Dinner yet, but I’m hoping that it’s MASSIVE.
– I came to Texas to spend quality time with my family – and of course EAT !
– My brother said that they give extensive tours of Dallas Cowboys Stadium.
– We may try to do that on Monday before they take me back to the airport.
– I’ll be back at home late on Monday night.
– Tomorrow night I’ve got another edition of my ‘Saturday Night Retro’.
– I’ll be remembering one of the greatest years of my previous life – 1987.
– On Sunday I hope you’ll join me for ‘My Fantastic Journey’.
– I’ll be featuring a local homegrown (Dallas Texas) Christian Rock band.
– Those are my ‘Thursday Night Mini Thoughts’ for now – one day late.
– Better late than not at all.
– Be sure to follow me on Twitter, and stay tuned as the blogging continues.
– You won’t regret it pal.
Category: Food
– 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.
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.
It’s the flagship weekly series of this blog, and it kicks-off a fresh new week.
I. Longhorn Steakhouse / Olive Garden / Red Lobster – Just a few years ago who would have ever thought that all three of these fine dining establishments would be open for business right here in our historic city of Homestead Florida – and right next to each other ! Here’s a personal progress report of the trio thus far. Working backwards from last opened to first opened – I have not yet made it into Red Lobster. In fact I think it’s been at least 15 years since I’ve set foot in any Red Lobster. I know that I’ll love the food there, but I think that I’ll wait until after the crowds die down a bit. As far as Olive Garden is concerned I’ve been there perhaps a half a dozen times. In my own humble opinion the food is overrated, and the service is consistently subpar. I would rather eat Italian food at either Portofino or Mamma Mia – and I frequently do – far more so than Olive Garden. And that brings us to my new home away from home – Longhorn Steakhouse – where I’m a regular – and I’m welcomed back week after week after week. It’s my Lunchtime getaway. I think I’ve eaten there about 15 to 20 times since they’ve been open (not that I’m actually keeping track of it or anything like that). I’ve never walked away from there unhappy. The food has always been totally awesome dude, and the service has always been very good, excellent, or even outstanding. I ate Lunch there yesterday (Monday), and I’ll be back again next week. I’ll take the 8-ounce Renegade Top Sirloin !
II. Health Care – I know next to nothing about the specifics of the health care debate and subsequent bill that was recently signed into law. I just didn’t really follow it or study it much, and apparently much of America didn’t either. I’d even venture to state that much of the U.S. Congress didn’t study it much as well. All of the Republicans said “NO” to it, and most of the Democrats said “YES” to it. That says a lot right there. I can’t form an opinion on it at this time. I’ll have to wait and see after-the-fact whether or not it was a good bill to sign or not based on how it personally affects me a few years from now. Here’s what I do know. I have excellent health care courtesy of my U.S. Government job. I pay a little over $80 for it every two weeks (about $2,100 per year). I have an active prescription for Lipitor. It costs $25.08 for a 30-day supply. My health care plan allegedly saves me $94.87, so without it I assume I would pay $119.95 for the Lipitor every month. My health care plan allegedly saves me about 79% off the total cost of the Lipitor. I dig that, but will all of those costs remain the same in the future, or will they go up ? Someone has to pay for this trillion-dollar-plus health care bill, and that someone is me and you with jobs.
III. Springfield Massachusetts – As part of my ‘Vacation Of The Month Club’ that I’ve ambitiously instituted – fresh and new for 2010 – I’m proud to announce that my June vacation will be to South Central Mass. I’ll actually be setting foot in two U.S. states for the first time ever – Massachusetts and Connecticut. (I’m flying in to the Hartford area.) But I must be 100% completely honest here. This proposed 5-day trip is work-related, as I will be visiting the operations at Westover Air Reserve Base there – one of our sister bases. It’ll be a lot of fun checking out the surrounding area – especially in June. (I know how cold it gets up there for 6 months out of the year.)
This concludes this weekly edition of the ‘Grab Bag’. “My Fantastic Journey” is making the big move from its longtime successful Wednesday night perch over to Sunday afternoons, so the next time I blog will be on Thursday night when I bring you about 40 ‘Mini Thoughts’. Until then my friends keep on keepin’ on – and – REMEMBER THIS !
CountUp 